Caravan targets donut frying oil for unhealthy fat reduction

The company’s Trancendim brand encompasses a range of vegetable-oil derived diglyceride ingredients intended to reduce saturated fats and completely replace trans fats in shortenings, bakery products and potato products. The ingredient line was developed in response to manufacturer and consumer demand for foods with lower saturated fat and trans fat-free foods, especially since evidence emerged that trans fats were detrimental to heart health, Caravan said.

“Donuts fried with Trancendim deliver a cleaner mouthfeel, helping donut producers to better satisfy their consumers’ urge to indulge without compromising on taste and texture,”​ the company said.

Manufacturers would use the ingredient by adding it to salad oils to produce solid shortenings or frying oils that have zero trans fat, lower saturated fat than alternatives, and no need for hydrogenation on ingredient lists, Caravan said.

“Trancendim…enhances the nutritional profile of the product, while maintaining the flavor profile consumers expect,”​ it added.

Trans fats in the form of partially hydrogenated oils have long been used for frying donuts because they are inexpensive, have a long shelf life and good flavor stability. But food manufacturers have been under increasing pressure to slash trans fats from their products as evidence has mounted over the past decade linking their consumption with higher risk of heart disease.

Caravan Ingredients claims that the Trancendim diglyceride range provides the benefits of hydrogenated fats, but in a healthier form. Trancendim is used at 5-10% of weight in conjunction with other fats and oils.

“Consumers are looking for healthier foods and want to see a cleaner label on the products they consume,”​ Caravan said.

Diglycerides are lipids whose general properties fall between monoglycerides and triglycerides in terms of solubility, boiling point, setting point and so on.

For example, diglycerides mix better with water than triglycerides, which gives better emulsifying properties, but monoglycerides can mix too strongly with water, so that an excess of monoglycerides in a formulation can lead to a waxy or gummy mouthfeel.