Baking & Snack - April 2020 - 72

Alternative oils like
sunflower and canola
are usually more labelfriendly as many
are non-GMO.
Stratas Foods

example, some oils such as chia, flaxseed and sunflower
oils can bring high amounts of nutritionally beneficial
polyunsaturated fatty acids, whereas olive and coconut
oils can bring their distinctive flavor to certain food applications. Certain oils bring characteristic mouthfeel attributed to their solid fat content and crystalline structure."
Understanding how oils differ on the molecular level
points to what each of them brings to a formulation.
Base oils that have more oleic acid, like sunflower or
peanut oils, have more oxidative stability, contributing
to better shelf life. This is because oleic acid only has one
site for a chemical reaction, a site of unsaturation.
"The benefit of one site for reaction, typically in the
class of oxidation, is that these reactions that cause offodors, off-flavors, off-colors and polymerization are
minimized when compared to traditional shortening
systems," said Roger Daniels, vice president, research,
development, innovation and quality, Stratas Foods.
This results not just in longer shelf life but also no
trans fat, high monounsaturates, low levels of saturated
fat, clean flavor profile and superior stability. The oils
Stratas Foods offers - mid-oleic sunflower, high-oleic
sunflower and high-oleic canola - are all non-GMO.
Higher polyunsaturated content in flax or canola contribute to a better nutritional profile; however, unlike
their high-oleic counterparts, these options have some
shelf life limitations.
"When targeting the nutritional attributes of highly
polyunsaturated oils in heat-stressed or extended shelf
life applications, ADM's solutions include natural antioxidants to help protect the quality of the finished
goods," Ms. Peitz said.

Breaking down the choices
While palm and soy may be the workhorses of baked
foods - they're cost-effective with well-established sup-

ply chains - alternative oils offer plenty of benefits. For
example, liquid oils like sunflower, peanut and canola
consist mostly of unsaturated fats. This enables bakers
to position products made with them as better-for-you
(BFY). High-oleic oils also provide some functionality
benefits, too.
"Many oils such as high-oleic variety of sunflower
provide extended stability and shelf life over the traditional counterparts," said Rick Cummisford, director of
quality control for Columbus Vegetable Oils. "There are
many other exciting oils such as extra virgin olive oil and
avocado oil, which offer a high-oleic acid content that
provides stability and nutritional benefits, such as potential improvements in heart health, lowering cholesterol
and lowering blood pressure."
Sunflower, for example, has a lower level of saturated
fat than soybean but with high stability. It's a very labelfriendly ingredient.
"The high-stability sunflower oil offers improved
functionality, including extended fry life and shelf
life," said Mark Stavro, senior director of marketing,
Bunge Loders Croklaan. "Additionally, many of these
oils align with consumer trends, including non-GMO
as well as minimal processing in the case of expellerpressed canola."
Cottonseed oil has desirable chemistry, stability and
flavor. This means that the oil behaves predominantly
like a liquid at room temperature while also providing
plasticity to shortenings, said John Satumba, R&D director for edible oils, Cargill. The oil delivers a clean flavor
profile and stability and can be very effective on its own
or when blended with other base oils. Proprietary blends
of cottonseed and canola are part of Cargill's Clear Valley
line of shortenings, which provides the desired plasticity
in baking applications.
"We're able to manipulate the palmitic acid content in

72 Baking & Snack April 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

B&S April book.indb 72

4/6/2020 11:17:59 AM

http://www.bakingbusiness.com

Baking & Snack - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - April 2020