Cognis launches clean label low-sat fat ingredients

30-Aug-2010 - Last updated on 31-Aug-2010 at 10:17 GMT

Cognis has launched three new vegetable fat ingredients, which allow manufacturers of products such as creams, soups and sauces to reduce levels of saturated fats without affecting taste or texture.

The new ingredients, based on sunflower oil and rape seed oil, are also said to be ‘clean label’ as they can be declared on ingredient lists as ‘vegetable fat’.

According to Cognis, the new products – Cegepal TG 186, Cegepal O3C and Lamequick SUN 40 – are low in saturated and trans fats, and can deliver a creamy texture to products while maintaining an overall healthy profile.

“Improved fatty acid profiles and low saturated-fat contents are advantageous for manufacturers – and our ingredients support their claims of offering products with an improved nutritional declaration,” said Robert Salacz, product line manager at the firm’s Dessert Ingredients.

Fat powders, whipping agent

Cegepal TG 186 and Cegepal O3C are two new fat powders designed for use in filling cream, bakery cream, ice cream and other desserts, as well as savory products like soups and sauces.

Cegepal TG 186 is based on sunflower oil and is designed for powder mixes that require a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Cognis said the ingredient contains a high proportion of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids and linoleic acid as essential fatty acid instead of saturated fats.

The ingredient is a cold-dispersible powder and is said to have an “extremely fine” dispersion in a protein carbohydrate matrix. Cognis said Cegepal TG 186 enhances creaminess and mouthfeel without impacting the smell or taste of the finished product.

Cegepal O3C is based on rape seed oil, making it low in saturated fat, high in monounsaturated fat, and with a beneficial omega-3 fatty acid profile, said Cognis.

The ingredient comes in powder form and is also cold dispersible. It has no odour, but a slightly sweet taste, which Cognis said makes it particularly suitable for dietetic, clinical and sports foods.

Lamequick SUN 40 is a sunflower oil-based whipping agent said to be suitable for cake fillings, mousses, chantilly cream and other creamy desserts.

According to Cognis, the ingredient delivers a similar taste and moutfeel to those obtained from conventional whipping agents, while lowering the saturated fat content.

Clean label

Cognis said its new ingredients allow for an improved nutritional declaration on product labels, primarily due to the reduction in saturated fat levels. The firm told FoodNavigator.com it was hard to provide an indication of the level of reduction possible, as it varied greatly depending on the application and the amount of the ingredient used.

Another labeling benefit highlighted by the firm is that the ingredients can be declared as ‘vegetable fat’ instead of ‘hydrogenated vegetable fat’, with trans fats levels being lower than 1 per cent.

The firm gave no indication on pricing, but said that the “nutritional advantage adds value to the end product, which the end consumer is willing to pay more for”.

The new ingredients are available globally.