Low-Fat Margarines

Low-Fat Margarines Can You Stabilize 80% Water in a 10% Fat Phase? Our Answer is Yes! In recent years, there has been a marked increase in both producer and consumer demand for "lower-fat" products, driven by health and economic considerations. Manufacturing low-fat margarines is genuinely challenging because phase separation makes the product prone to instability.

Through Palsgaard's extensive experience in the field and research conducted at its pilot facilities in Denmark, taking into account relevant regulations and consumer demands, work on "low-fat margarine" has succeeded, and;

• Low-fat margarines containing 10% total fat, • Free from hydrogenated oils, • Without hydrogenated emulsifiers, • Non-allergenic, • GMO-free, • Free from trans fats have been successfully produced. Emulsifiers are substances that support the distribution of one material into another incompatible material and can stabilize it. Food emulsifiers are amphiphilic and thereby support and balance emulsion distribution. Margarine is a Water-in-Oil Emulsion. If water droplets, as shown in Figure 1a, are all the same size, theoretically it is difficult to reduce fat content below 25.4%. Using Palsgaard emulsifiers as a solution and leveraging the synergistic benefits of Palsgaard® DMG 0298 and Palsgaard PGPR 4175 emulsifiers, water droplets of different sizes are created. As shown in Figure 1b, thanks to Palsgaard solutions, the desired emulsion is much more densely packed.   [caption id="attachment_153162" align="aligncenter"] Water droplet sizes in 10% fat spreadable margarine produced with Palsgaard emulsifiers DMG 0298 and PGPR 4175.[/caption] When reducing the fat ratio in margarine, because the fat phase must be distributed across more water droplets, the total fat percentage must have higher liquid fat content than other fat phases. If you use more solid fat than necessary in your low-fat product recipe, your product will lose smoothness. Similarly, you should avoid using excessive palm stearin. Depending on the rate of palm oil usage, the product will have a much more fragile structure during and after production. We recommend the following emulsifiers to prevent fat separation in your "low-fat margarine" and to achieve the correct eating properties and texture: Palsgaard® DMG 0298 and Palsgaard® PGPR 4175. Palsgaard® DMG 0298 is a mono-diglyceride (E471) but is atypical compared to many other mono-diglycerides because its fatty acid combination is primarily based on oleic acids. Unsaturated fatty acids provide improved emulsification and emulsion stability for low fat spreads compared to standard mono-diglycerides and are reduced. Palsgaard® PGPR 4175 is made from polyglycerol polyricinoleate (E476) but is more polymerized than typical PGPR types. In low-fat spreadable products, PGPR is extremely important in coating water droplets and fat crystals and increasing viscosity in low-fat emulsions. It is impossible to make very low-fat spreadable products without PGPR. Therefore, Palsgaard® PGPR 4175 is necessary to stabilize 10% low-fat spread because it helps prevent fluctuations in the production process and reduces the amount of rejected product. Palsgaard® PGPR 4175 is neutral in both taste and odour. To stabilize the fat phase, we recommend our Palsgaard® 6118 product. Palsgaard® 6118 is based on non-hydrogenated vegetable oils and is particularly suitable for applications where we do not want to use hydrogenated products. The fat separation-prevention effect of Palsgaard® 6118 is effective in products containing high amounts of liquid fat, such as the fat phase in low-fat spreadable products. By holding the fat like a network within the product, it significantly reduces the risk of fat leakage. Beyond the strength, quality of the emulsifiers used and the importance of recipe inputs, the production process is of great importance in reaching a successful product on this challenging journey. The production process is as important as the emulsifiers and the types of fat used. Producing a 10% fat product requires a production process opposite to the one used when making a 40% fat product. We therefore recommend not using the production process you use when making your 40% fat product. If there is excessive mechanical processing in the production of low-fat margarines, the emulsion itself will have high viscosity. When making 30-40% low-fat margarine emulsions, mixers that work well need to be designed for more viscous emulsions. Otherwise, "dead" zones are created in the emulsion tank. Slow mixing is very important to prevent accumulation of high-viscosity emulsions. As seen in Table 1, doubling the mixing speed in a pre-emulsification unit can increase viscosity by up to 5 times. In addition to the quality, strength and effectiveness of the emulsifiers used; temperature in tanks, removal of the pin machine from the production process, high production capacity, regulation of packaging temperatures and storage conditions—many tips need to be considered. Product crystallization is also important in low-fat margarines, but the phases of fat crystals do not dominate the product as they do in high-fat products. In high-fat products, factors such as the melting point of crystals affect eating sensation, while in low-fat products, strong emulsifier systems affect eating quality and sensation as well as overall product quality. In challenging and complex end-product recipes, leveraging our high knowledge and experience together with Palsgaard's strong, quality and reliable emulsifiers, we transform products deemed impossible into reality. With Palsgaard products, we are pleased to support you in finding innovative solutions without compromising your quality. The first industrial food emulsifier in history was invented in 1917 by Einar Viggo Schou, founder of Palsgaard. Since those days, we continue to improve our products, develop new products and view advancing your products as part of our DNA. We believe the recipe for successful cooperation and wonderful products loved by consumers emerges from the combination of the "unique challenges" faced by our customers with our "excellence" passion. We bring together our expertise spanning over a century with the deep sense of responsibility we feel for future generations. For this reason, we continue on our path by conducting CO2-neutral production at all our production facilities and make great efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals in our field. You can find more information about our heritage and values on our website. Ebru Önügören Head of Technical Sales and Application, Bakery, Flour Products and Fats Palsgaard Turkey