A dollop of margarine or spread can go a long way to livening up a slice of toast, a piping hot ear of corn or other food. But that enhanced flavor can also come with a side helping of worry over consuming saturated fats, which are used as solidifying agents in some margarines and spreads and give them their butter-like properties.
Jill Moser and Hong-Sik Hwang, research chemists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Peoria, Illinois, want to create a healthier product by replacing those fats with plant-based and other natural waxes—sunflower, rice bran, candelilla and beeswax, among them. They do this by melting the waxes in hot vegetable oil and letting it cool to room temperature. This results in a semi-solid substance called an oleogel. When mixed with water, salt and other ingredients, the oleogel mimics the role of saturated fat in producing a margarine, spread or shortening that has the desired firmness, mouthfeel, melting point, shelf-life and other properties, including when used in baked goods.
Artificial trans fats (those not naturally present in meat and dairy products but rather created via a chemical process called partial hydrogenation) were once the popular choice for making margarines, spreads and shortening. However, artificial trans fats were phased out of use in 2021 over concerns their consumption can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Saturated fats without a trans structure, such as from palm oil and fully hydrogenated vegetable oil, are among the replacements now used to make margarine, spreads and shortening. Consumers, though, are advised to limit their intake of saturated fats from foods or beverages that contain them.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: USDA ARS
