Healthier pineapple tart pastry using oleogel-based solid fat replacement

Introduction: Pineapple tarts are a commonly consumed Southeast Asian pastry made using solid fats like butter and palm shortening. These solid fats predominantly contain high amounts of saturated fats which have been implicated in negative health effects. However, solid fats impart important textural properties in pastry formation and is not easy to replace. To overcome this challenge, a concept to enhance the nutritional value whilst maintaining the textural properties of pineapple tart pastry formed the basis of this study. Methods: This short study explored the use of “healthy” avocado-olive oil-based oleogels structured with food-grade ethylcellulose (EC), monoglycerides (MG) or its combination (EC-MG) as solid fat replacements to butter and palm shortening. The textural properties of the pastry dough and tart were determined using a texture analyser, while the nutritional content of the pastries was compared. Results: The firmness of pastry dough decreased in the order: EC >> EC-MG > butter ~ MG ~ shortening, while tart hardness decreased: EC > shortening ~ butter > MG > EC-MG. The combination EC-MG oleogel had positive effects on the textural properties by improving the dough workability and reducing the tart hardness compared to EC. Remarkably, the oleogel tart pastries had up to 70% less saturated fat compared to the butter or palm shortening pastries. Conclusion: This study confirms the ability to create healthier pastries whilst maintaining its texture.

Study on the potential of chia gel usage as a natural fat substitute in cake formulation

In the current study, cakes were prepared with the addition of different levels of chia gel obtained by soaking 1 part of chia seeds in 9 parts of water by weight. Mix was allowed to stand for 30 min for gel formation and seeds were left in the gel and later incorporated into the batter. The addition of chia gel to cake batter to partially substitute the fat from the basic recipe (control) resulted both in improved quality characteristics at all levels of substitution and reduction of caloric value, at the expense of energy from fat, especially at higher reduction levels (40 and 60%). The fat replacement at 40 and 60% had a caloric value decrease by 48 kcal per 100 g compared to the control and respectively the energy at the expense of the fat was 37.9 and 25.7% (reduction by 71.3 and 48.3%). Sensory evaluation demonstrated good acceptability for all the products with slight prevail for the samples with 40% followed closer by those with 20% fat replacement. Hence, chia gel proved to be a good alternative for fat substitution in baking goods recipes while preserving the quality and sensory parameters aiming to produce healthier foods.