Corbion Target PHO’s and Fat Reduction in Sweet Baked Goods

07 Jun 2017 --- Corbion’s line of emulsifiers helps bakers eliminate PHOs and reduce saturated fat in sweet baked goods. Developed by a team of industry-leading experts, SweetPro also gives manufacturers a solution that helps protect the consistency, improves the tolerance and increases the storage stability in their finished products, helping boost their business by maintaining product quality. Products in the new portfolio include SweetPro S100 in bulk liquid form, SweetPro V100 in paste form and SweetPro P100 in powder form.

“We understand the challenges manufacturers are faced with when developing high-quality sweet baked goods,” says Jim Robertson, senior product manager, emulsifiers. “To help address those challenges, our team of experts used their knowledge and expertise within the industry to develop SweetPro, which gives manufacturers the confidence that consumers are getting the delicious treats they crave.”

Robertson explains further, “In a marketplace that offers a variety of options for indulgent eating, SweetPro gives manufacturers a competitive edge. Our SweetPro line of emulsifiers helps take the pressure off of manufacturers so they can deliver sweet goods that taste their very best, any time, any place.”

PHO Removal Deadline Looms
The phasing out of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) has been an ongoing process over recent years, with many of the global players putting forward alternative portfolios way ahead of time. As the June 2018 deadline edges closer, manufacturers must ensure that their products no longer contain PHOs for uses that have been otherwise authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration. Many within the industry are way ahead of the curve as we head towards a supply chain that has eliminated PHOs. New launches are happening all the time from a wide range of international food ingredients companies focused on new innovations that side-step PHOs. 

Major suppliers such as Corbion and a whole host of others, continue to drive the switch to non-PHO products, as the sector focuses on the multiple workarounds to get to a PHO-free stage. 

Speaking with FoodIngredientsFirst, Robertson (pictured) explains how the company has helped others convert, plus gives insight into what could happen in relation to PHOs in other parts of the world. 

“Our team of experts proactively developed and tested non-PHO solutions long before the FDA made its announcement in June 2015 of the deadline to remove all partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) from food products by June 2018,” he says.

“With the FDA’s announcement, we knew the PHO supply would begin to diminish, as oil producers moved away from PHOs and the availability in the market would decline. So we launched our non-PHO emulsifier portfolio, ENSEMBLE, in June 2015, and set a realistic deadline of December 2016 to convert all of our products to non-PHO, because we wanted to ensure that we gave our customers enough time to convert their products as well.” It’s been important for Corbion to take the lead on converting to non-PHO, says Robertson, because customers look to convert products “in a non-disruptive, timely manner.” “That’s why our industry-leading experts developed a drop-in solution that mimics the functionalities of PHOs to help customers continue to deliver on the quality, taste and texture their consumers expect.”

And at this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Expo (IFT17), Corbion will present its specially created portfolio of emulsifiers, SweetPro, which helps protect the consistency, improve the handling and increase the storage stability of sweet baked goods.

“Consumers expect a delicious, indulgent experience when consuming sweet baked goods,” adds Robertson. “In addition to launching SweetPro at IFT17, Corbion will also be introducing a line of clean label cake mixes to help bakers meet the demands for clean and simple products that taste good.”

The current legislation pertains to the US. However, over time, how might other countries respond? In April 2017, Health Canada introduced a regulatory proposal to prohibit the use of PHOs in food to help protect the health of all Canadians.

A rationale from the Canadian government’s health department says: “Since the early 2000s, Health Canada has pursued a multi-faceted approach, aimed at reducing the trans fat intakes of Canadians. Although this approach has proven successful in reducing trans fat levels in the Canadian food supply, some foods still contain industrially produced trans fats, namely PHOs. These foods include some commercially baked goods (e.g. cookies), some shortenings and certain types of margarines.”

“Proceeding with prohibiting the use of PHOs in foods will effectively reduce trans fats in the food supply to the lowest level possible. It will also help achieve the public health objective of reducing trans fat intake by the great majority of Canadians to less than 1% of total energy intake. Achieving this public health objective is expected to lead to a further reduction in risk of CHD among the general population.”

Details of the proposed regulation have been posted online to seek comments from Canadians, including stakeholders, up until June 21, 2017.

by Elizabeth Green