“This contributed to an atmosphere that's favorable for food manufacturers to inform consumers of their decision to reformulate with soy,” says Poole, who works to help manufacturers relay information about healthier oils to consumers. Poole and the USB, which is focused on researching, marketing and promoting efforts to expand the market for U.S. soybeans, also provides the consumer media with information about healthy oil choices.
However, consumers are still bombarded with confusing messages about which oils to look for and which ones to avoid. According to research collected by the USB for 2007, 91 percent of consumers view trans fat as somewhat to very unhealthy. In a side-by-side comparison of saturated and trans fats, substantially more consumers perceive saturated fats as healthier (42 percent). Three-quarters of consumers consider trans fats very unhealthy, a noteworthy increase from 2006 (63 percent).
The USB found that consumer knowledge about cooking oils is becoming more sophisticated. The board’s 2007 study found that consumers recognize olive oil (89 percent), canola oil (76 percent) and soybean oil (70 percent) as the three healthiest oils. Following in fourth was flax oil (69 percent), followed by sunflower (65 percent) and safflower (65 percent). As in past years, soybean oil — often marketed as vegetable oil — is second only to olive oil in terms of cooking oil used most frequently.
Consumer confusion
Gerald McNeil, director of research and development at Loders Croklaan, a global producer of oils, fats and nutritional ingredients, says that in general, consumers are confused about what kinds of fats are good and bad. Loders Croklaan, Channahon, Ill., carried out four consumer studies in the past three years to explore heads of household knowledge about fats and oils. About 35 percent of respondents said they followed nutritional news, but about 55 percent said they read ingredient statements and nutrition panels on food packages.
According to McNeil, from the first survey to the fourth, there was a big jump in negativity towards trans fat and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. In the fourth study, a large majority (70 percent) of heads of household indicated that they would prefer to eat at a fast food restaurant that offered food with increased saturates but zero trans fat, compared to a restaurant with low saturates and a moderate trans content. McNeil says this indicates heads of household clearly recognize that trans fat is much worse than saturated fat.
“Four years ago it was widely believed that there was little difference between saturated fat and trans fat with respect to heart disease,” says McNeil. “Now a new debate has begun, that saturated fat ‘doesn't really do anything.’ Ten years of new research is revealing that saturated fat may not be ‘artery clogging’ after all, and that it neither increases nor decreases risk of heart disease. Nutrition science is constantly evolving and we can expect a major shift in our thinking about fats in the next few years.”
As consumer awareness about healthier oils broadens, more segments of the food industry are working to formulate products that deliver healthier counterparts to more indulgent products. To accomplish this, baked goods manufacturers are also making strides with the development of trans-free shortenings and other solid fats. Formulating with healthier oils in baked goods presents a challenge because many baked goods require solid fat in order to retain the same functionality, shelf-life and taste.
To this end, Loders Croklaan is currently working to develop palm oil-based alternatives to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil for the baking industry. Palm oil is a healthy alternative to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil as it is naturally solid at room temperature and does not require any chemical processing for functionality or high stability. It’s a versatile oil and can be tailor made into many forms, ranging from a liquid to a solid, using a physical process called “fractionation.” McNeil says that palm oil is often termed as a saturated fat in the media. It’s a balanced fat and contains an equal proportion of unsaturated and saturated fat.
In 2005, Loders Croklaan convened a roundtable of experts to study solid fat no-trans bakery solutions and determine if they were a nutritionally suitable alternative. In their report, palm was found to be a suitable alternative to partially hydrogenated fat where a long shelf life or a solid fat is required in the finished product.
Loders Croklaan introduced its trans-free Roll-Rite line of products at this year’s IFT show. The products were designed as a trans-free alternative to partially hydrogenated “laminating” fats and margarines. Laminating fats are used in flaky pastries including puff pastries, croissants and Danish pastries, as well as in more dense applications such as pie shells. According to the company, the trans-free line offers the same functionality, taste and process-ability previously only provided by butter and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.