Doughnuts have often been thought of as one of the final frontiers in the conversion to the trans-free world. They need to set up quick when they come out of the fryer, and traditional non-PHO liquid frying oils leave them oily and soggy. Besides the disappointing texture and taste, this excess oil would also bleed into the packaging, making a mess of the cardboard used by most doughnut makers. On the other hand, if the doughnut sets up too quickly then the sugar coating won’t stick to it.

Just this past year, one of the world largest palm oil suppliers, Loders Croklaan (www.croklaan.com) Channahon, Ill., solved this doughnut dilemma by fractioning and refractioning palm oil to come up with a consistency that wasn’t too wet or waxy. “If you can do doughnuts, you can do anything,” says Gerald McNeill, U.S. technical director.

It’s this versatile functionality that has made palm oil one of the most popular replacements for PHOs. Palmitic acid, found in palm oil, forms very small, stable crystals, which create a smooth texture and can trap air — an essential function for creamy fillings, fluffy cakes and flaky pastries. It’s also naturally high in antioxidants, which translates into longer shelf life. In addition, palm oil is similar in price and availability to the old standard, partially hydrogenated soybean oil. This combination of factors makes it a popular replacement for PHOs.

While its functionality is celebrated, palm oil’s high level of saturated fats, about 50 percent, has raised questions. Ironically, PHOs started being used heavily in the 1980s to replace saturated fats such as palm oil, and now palm oil has made a comeback and is being used to replace for PHOs. One of the biggest concerns in the whole trans fat debate is that processors are just swapping out one bad fat for another.

Nevertheless, current research appears to conclude that of the two evils, trans fats are worse for the heart than saturated fats. In addition, saturated fats from plant sources don’t have the same negative effects as sat fats from animal sources. And palm oil producers point to studies that show the oil’s unique blend of fats actually may be good for the heart.

Even so, many processors are looking for ways to make their products more label-friendly, and reducing the saturated fat, or at least not increasing it, is important. In answer to this, Loders Croklaan recently developed Sans Tran RS 39, a blend of non-hydrogenized palm oil and canola oil with 30 percent less saturated fat than typical trans-free shortenings.