Oils and fats, when consumed in a balanced way, are an integral part of a healthy diet and play a fundamental role in our nutrition, as they can positively influence people’s health. In particular, they provide energy, support cellular growth, and help the body absorb certain nutrients. These and other characteristics make them a key element for our organism.
Until a few years ago, palm oil was by far the most used in the food industry, especially in confectionery. When an alarm was raised in 2014 concerning this vegetable fat, a strong market trend emerged that pushed some of the world’s best-known brands to replace it with one belonging to the same family but free from controversies related to health and environmental aspects: namely, sunflower oil.
Initial Situation and Final Objective
As I.T.P. SRL, a technological partner to numerous companies involved in the production of healthy and high-quality foods, we actively participated in the research and development of new biscuit doughs prepared with sunflower oil. The aim was to create a product with characteristics equal to or superior to those of the recipe formulated with palm oil, while maintaining the specific characteristics related to the client company’s target, both immediately after production and throughout its standard shelf life.
Strategies Adopted
We approached this challenge with immediate enthusiasm, confident that thanks to our extensive know-how in research and development, as well as the cutting-edge tools at our disposal, we would achieve a great result. In the preliminary phase, we studied the fluid dynamic phenomena that characterize the doughs as the two fat phases used in the recipe varied. Having obtained the information we were looking for, we moved on to the physical and rheological characterization of the doughs and biscuits produced with both palm oil and sunflower oil. These processes allowed us to identify and implement the main plant modifications regarding the operating settings and any necessary replacements or modifications of the operating units.
Results Obtained
At the end of the entire process, we achieved the following results:
- Identification of process adjustments related both to the storage phase of the new fat to be used and to the temperature settings of the dosing systems;
- Complete characterization of the process and product in the analyzed phases and identification of the physical and rheological differences in the dough and finished product due to the change in raw material;
- Identification of issues that led to the need to replace the mixers to obtain doughs of adequate quality.
Conclusions
Following all the modifications made, both the doughs and the resulting biscuits were found to be in line with the company’s target, i.e., with the formulation obtained using palm oil. By replacing palm oil with sunflower oil in the recipes, the amount of saturated fats has decreased considerably, while the taste and quality of the confectionery products have remained unchanged.
