In recent years, low-fat, reduced-fat and fat-free foods have become a staple in the diets of Americans seeking to lead healthier lifestyles. Lower fat foods not only can help reduce fat intake, but calories as well. How are lower fat foods made? The following list of commonly-asked questions and their answers provides insight into the challenges faced in reducing the fat in foods, and the solutions food manufacturers have discovered to provide satisfying foods that make it easier for many people to stay with a plan for healthy eating.
What are fat reduction ingredients?
Fat reduction ingredients are ingredients used, often in combination, to replace specific attributes of fat in low-fat, reduced-fat and fat-free foods. Two calorie-free substances—water and air—can be incorporated into some foods to reduce fat, but they will not always produce an acceptable product. Thus, other fat reduction ingredients are necessary to reduce the fat in a wide variety of foods.
Why are fat reduction ingredients necessary—why can't the fat in foods simply be removed?
Reducing the fat in foods while maintaining taste and texture is a major challenge, and often requires the innovative use of both common and more recently developed ingredients. That's because the fat in foods plays a key role in determining texture and taste. For example, fat provides the smooth texture of a salad dressing, the creamy mouth feel of ice cream, the moist, tender texture of cake and the rich flavor of cheese. Fat is also used as a cooking medium to produce the pleasingly crisp texture of some foods.
What are fat reduction ingredients made of?
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the building blocks from which fat reduction ingredients are made (see Table 1). Many of these ingredients are common food components such as gelatin, starches and water. Several ingredients as well as special processing techniques are often used in combination to produce acceptable food products that are lower in fat.
How do carbohydrate-based fat reduction ingredients reduce the fat in foods?
Carbohydrate-based fat reducers work in a variety of ways to simulate the texture and mouth feel of fat and retain moisture in foods. These fat reducers include ingredients such as cellulose, gums, fiber, dextrins, maltodextrins, modified food starch, modified dietary fibers and polydextrose. Modified food starches, maltodextrins and dextrins absorb water to form gels that mimic the texture and mouth feel of fat. Polydextrose acts as a bulking agent to replace volume lost when fat is removed from a food. Gums provide a creamy mouth feel and help stabilize emulsions. Cellulose gel is a purified form of cellulose ground to tiny particles that supply a mouth feel that is similar to fat. The caloric value of carbohydrate-based fat reduction ingredients ranges from 0 to 4 calories per gram, compared to 9 calories per gram in traditional fats. They cannot be used as substitutes for oils and other fats in frying.
How do protein-based fat reduction ingredients work?
Protein-based ingredients simulate the mouth feel of fat and can also help stabilize emulsions in sauces, spreads and salad dressings. Some protein-based ingredients, such as Simplesse, are made through a process that gives fat-like textural properties to protein. Other proteins are heated and blended at high speed to produce tiny protein particles that feel creamy to the tongue. Like carbohydrate-based ingredients, protein-based fat reducers cannot be used as substitutes for oils and other fats in frying. They contribute from 1 to 4 calories per gram, depending on the degree to which they are hydrated.
How do fat-based fat reduction ingredients work?
Fat-based fat reduction ingredients are actually made from fats, and thus have the same physical properties as fat, including taste, texture and mouth feel. Some fat-based ingredients, such as Caprenin and salatrim, are actually fats tailored to contribute fewer calories and less available fat to foods. Others, such as olestra, are structurally modified to provide no calories or fat.
Fat-based ingredients are highly versatile and can be used in a wide variety of foods. In addition, some may be used to fry foods. Their caloric value varies. Ingredients such as olestra are not absorbed and thus contribute no calories. Others such as Caprenin and salatrim contain fewer calories per gram than fat, contributing approximately 5 calories per gram to the diet.
Do fat-based reduction ingredients cause digestive problems?
At expected usage levels, fat reduction ingredients are without digestive side effects. However, like fiber and many other foods we eat that are not fully absorbed, consumption of large amounts of fat-based and some carbohydrate-based ingredients may lead to common, temporary digestive effects. These effects result from the added bulk of these ingredients in the digestive system.
Do fat-based fat reduction ingredients interfere with the absorption of vitamins and other important foodstuffs?
Some fat-based fat reduction ingredients may affect the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. If required, manufacturers make up for potential losses by adding specified amounts of these vitamins to the products.
How can I tell what kind of fat reduction ingredient is used in a food?
The ingredient list featured on the label will tell you which ones have been used in a specific product (see Table 1). Combinations of fat-reduction ingredients are often used to provide the best taste and texture in a product.
How are fat reduction ingredients approved for use in foods?
Most of the ingredients currently used to modify the fat content of foods have been part of the food supply for many years. Before new ingredients can be used in food, food companies must follow a specific process to confirm safety: New ingredients must be confirmed as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) in keeping with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, or after thorough review, approved for such use by the FDA. GRAS substances, such as starch, have an extensive history or existing scientific evidence of their safe use in foods.
What is the role of lower-fat foods in the diet?
Foods that are lower in fat can help people adopt a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, the advice to reduce dietary fat represents a cornerstone of existing dietary guidelines designed to promote health and well-being. Reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free foods expand the choices from which consumers may select to achieve a diet moderate in fat while continuing to enjoy their favorite foods.
Data also show that taste often influences food choices more than nutrition, and that the consumption of good-tasting, fat-modified foods is among the most easily adopted and maintained strategies for following a lower-fat diet.
In addition, a reduced intake of dietary fat is recommended to help manage body weight. Reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free foods that are lower in calories may help people stay with healthful eating plans that foster healthy weights. Success at weight management, however, also generally requires a healthy lifestyle approach that includes physical activity as well as healthful eating.
What has research shown about the nutritional impact of low-fat foods in the diet?
The majority of clinical studies conducted to date suggest lower-fat foods can help people significantly reduce both the actual amount of fat, calories and the percentage of calories from fat eaten. In addition, data from the 1995 Continuing Survey of Food Intake of Individuals (CSFII) show that adults who used more fat-modified foods also consumed less energy overall and did not eat more because the foods are fat free. Other research has demonstrated that individuals who consume fat- and calorie-reduced foods have a more nutritious diet than those who do not.
What advice can consumers follow to enjoy and use lower-fat foods to reduce the fat in their diets?
According to The American Dietetic Association, foods that contain fat reduction ingredients may offer a safe, feasible and effective means to maintain the palatability of diets that are controlled in fat and/or calories. Such foods, however, should be used as substitutions for foods higher in fat and/or calories, not as additions to the diet. Further, fat-reduced foods should be consumed as part of an overall healthy eating plan, such as that outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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Table 1. Looking for Fat Reduction Ingredients on the Food Label
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Names on Ingredients List
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Foods that May Contain Fat Replacers
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Carbohydrate-based Carrageenan, cellulose, gelatin, gellan gum, gels, guar gum, maltodextrins, polydextrose, starches, xanthum gum, modified dietary fibers
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Baked goods, cheeses, frozen desserts, gravies, mayonnaise, processed meats, puddings, salad dressings, sauces, sour cream, yogurt |
| Protein-based Whey protein concentrate, microparticulated egg white and milk protein (Simplesse) |
Baked goods, butter, cheese, frozen dairy desserts, mayonnaise, salad dressings, sour cream |
| Fat-based Caprenin, salatrim (Benefat), mono- and diglycerides, olestra (Olean) |
Baked Goods, cheese, chocolate, chocolate confections, margarine, salted snacks, sour cream, spreads |
