Influence of the reformulation of ingredients in bakery products on healthy characteristics and acceptability of consumers

Emotional response to healthier foods: Influence of culture and health consciousness

Sugar, salt, and fat content in processed products are important concerns for consumers. Hence, alternative "healthy" versions of conventional foods such as chocolate, potato chips, and yogurt are offered. This work aimed to define the emotional response of consumers from different cultural backgrounds (Spain vs. Brazil) evoked by healthier versions of conventional products and the relationship between hedonic responses and health consciousness. A total of 186 Brazilian and 152 Spanish consumers participated in this online cross-cultural study. Participants answered a Health Consciousness Questionnaire and an emotional check-all-that-applies questionnaire using picture stimuli of conventional chocolate, potato chips, and yogurt and their healthier versions with less sugar, salt, and fat content, respectively. The Brazilians' emotional responses were more diverse for all stimuli compared to the Spaniards'. However, participants from both cultures rated an average of "slightly agree" on the health consciousness scale; a higher level of consumption, liking, and willingness to buy; and a higher frequency of positive emotional terms for the stimuli of conventional products compared to their healthier versions. A higher frequency of evocation of "active" is strongly associated with higher levels of health consciousness. Strategic actions by the food industry and government must consider cultural, emotional, and health-conscious factors to encourage the consumption of healthier foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Food manufacturers can use the information obtained from this study to create healthier versions of their products that appeal to consumers' emotional responses and health consciousness levels. The findings can assist in designing strategic actions to promote healthier food consumption by emphasizing the benefits of healthier food choices and making them more appealing to consumers. The methodology employed in this study can also be applied to further studies aimed to assess emotional responses to food stimuli across different cultures.

Fat reduced cookies using an olive oil-alginate gelled emulsion: sensory properties, storage stability and in vitro digestion

Reformulated cookies substituting 100 % butter by an olive oil-alginate gelled emulsion containing 40 % olive oil were elaborated with and without antioxidant, and their nutritional and sensory properties were assessed. Moreover, their performance during in vitro digestion as well as their oxidative stability during storage (21 days) were studied. Reformulated cookies showed a lower fat content (a decrease of 40 %), being this fraction mostly unsaturated (70 % lower saturated fat), in comparison with conventional cookies. Instrumental measures showed higher values for hardness with reformulation, which tends to equalize during storage. Reformulated cookies had good general sensory acceptability, although lower than control ones. Regarding oxidative stability, increases in malondialdehyde were observed in all formulations during storage, but not representing an oxidation problem (<1.5 nmol/g cookies). In vitro digestion assay promoted oxidation, but the use of antioxidants seemed to have a mitigating effect. Also, it seemed that the bioaccessibility of fatty acids after in vitro digestion was higher in the reformulated products (35-40 %) than in the control ones (10-25 %).

From the Laboratory to the Kitchen: New Alternatives to Healthier Bakery Products

Due to the growing interest in improving the nutritional profile of bakery products, we have dealt with the most recent and relevant contributions regarding potential replacements for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Focusing on the influence of carbohydrates on metabolism, their excess implies obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. However, they are technologically important, since they are responsible for the structure of many bakery products. Regarding of the lipid profile, saturated fats have a great impact on the appearance of cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, nature and the food industry offer alternatives to traditional oils/butters with large amounts of omega 3 and other components that can mitigate these problems. Other relevant aspects are related to allergies concerning egg proteins, gluten or even requirements for vegan consumers. Several studies have been performed in this line, replacing eggs with milk serum, different mucilages obtained from legumes or some gums, etc. In conclusion, many papers have been published showing the possibility of successfully replacing (both at technological and sensory levels) less healthy ingredients with others that are nutritionally better. The challenge now is to combine these better components in a given product, as well as to evaluate possible interactions among them.

Bovine Milk Fats and Their Replacers in Baked Goods: A Review

Milk fats and related dairy products are multi-functional ingredients in bakeries. Bakeries are critical local industries in Western countries, and milk fats represent the most important dietary lipids in countries such as New Zealand. Milk fats perform many roles in bakery products, including dough strengthening, textural softeners, filling fats, coating lipids, laminating fats, and flavor improvers. This review reports how milk fats interact with the ingredients of main bakery products. It also elaborates on recent studies on how to modulate the quality and digestibility of baked goods by designing a new type of fat mimetic, in order to make calorie- and saturated fat-reduced bakery products. It provides a quick reference for both retailers and industrial manufacturers of milk fat-based bakery products.

Fat Replacers in Baked Food Products

Fat provides important sensory properties to baked food products, such as colour, taste, texture and odour, all of which contribute to overall consumer acceptance. Baked food products, such as crackers, cakes and biscuits, typically contain high amounts of fat. However, there is increasing demand for healthy snack foods with reduced fat content. In order to maintain consumer acceptance whilst simultaneously reducing the total fat content, fat replacers have been employed. There are a number of fat replacers that have been investigated in baked food products, ranging from complex carbohydrates, gums and gels, whole food matrices, and combinations thereof. Fat replacers each have different properties that affect the quality of a food product. In this review, we summarise the literature on the effect of fat replacers on the quality of baked food products. The ideal fat replacers for different types of low-fat baked products were a combination of polydextrose and guar gum in biscuits at 70% fat replacement (FR), oleogels in cake at 100% FR, and inulin in crackers at 75% FR. The use of oatrim (100% FR), bean puree (75% FR) or green pea puree (75% FR) as fat replacers in biscuits were equally successful.