food Marketing - Technology 4/2023

Ingredients
Butter and Beyond - The Rise of
Alternative Fats in the Bakery
Fat plays a crucial role in shaping our
food experience, exerting a profound
influence on both taste and texture.
It adds depth and richness of flavor
to dishes, elevating the overall
sensory encounter of dining. From the
flakiness of pastries to the tenderness
of meat, fat impacts the texture and
structure of a diverse range of culinary
creations. However, in the collective
strive to reduce reliance on animalbased
ingredients and embrace more
plant-based foods, finding the right fat
is essential.
Alternative proteins have garnered
much interest over the last few years,
but people tend to forget that fats and
oils are an equally important part of a
healthy diet.
Identifying plant-based fats that
mimic the characteristics of animal
fats can help recreate familiar flavors
and textures while aligning with plant
orientated dietary choices. These
fats contribute to the mouthfeel,
creaminess, and indulgence we
associate with certain dishes.
Moreover, there is a demand for plantbased
fats that can strike the balance
between offering culinary pleasure
and nutritional well-being.
Itai Cohen, Gavan co-founder and CEO, with his R&D team
Fat is a key ingredient
in bakery
products as it plays
a definitive role in
enhancing volume
and rich flavor.
Most common fats
today contain high
levels of saturated
fatty acids; dairy
butter contains 63%
saturated fat.
Animal-derived ingredients have been
prevalent in pastries. Despite the
growing use of vegetable fats instead
of butter, nothing quiet matches the
taste, texture, and smoothness that
real butter confers. This presents a
clear challenge for both the industry
and its customers.
Recently more and more consumers
are looking for plant-based options
for various reasons including nutrition,
animal welfare, clean label, and
sustainability. In response pastry chefs
are faced with the task of adjusting
ingredients to meet this demand.
It starts with gaining an understanding
of how fats and oils interact with
the other ingredients. Once these
underlying mechanisms become
clear, the challenge lies in finding
a plant-based fat solution with the
same workability as dairy-based butter
while minimizing the need for added
ingredients including allergens in the
reformulation process.
It’s time to rethink pastry as we know it.
We no longer rely solely on dairy butter
to create amazing-tasting pastry
applications. There is now a highly
credible alternative. Our main vision
is to reduce pastries’ dependency on
animal-based products.
Gavan is currently exploring the
potential of its technology to replace
the fat component in various food
applications beginning with butter for
the bakery industry.
Alternatives such as FaTRIX enable
bakers to replace dairy butter without
forfeiting functionality. These solutions
help reduce saturated fat by 80% for
each unit of fat replaced and still retain
the sensory properties of saturated
fats. Another advantage is the flavor.
Butter tends to dominate other
flavors. FaTRIX has been developed
with a neutral taste, enabling chefs to
highlight and bring out the flavors they
desire in their creations.
By exploring and experimenting with
alternative fats, we can continue to
enjoy delicious and satisfying cuisine
while promoting a healthier sustainable
and compassionate food system. fmt
14 food Marketing & Technology • August 2023