Alison Knight: Best Of Both Worlds

Reducing fat levels in baking is a good idea, given the emergence of healthy indulgence as a priority among consumers. National Starch Food Innovations has stolen a march on its competitors with the launch this month of N-Dulge. Alison Knight spoke to European Baker about the new product.

When National Starch Food Innovation set out to come up with a way to reduce fat in baking, they were not quite expecting the bonus they got – a reduced calorie count.

And with the launch of N-Dulge FR this month, the company can claim up to 75 per cent reduction in fat needed to bake a pound cake and 30 per cent fewer calories. Not bad for a year’s work.

The brief for an MSc student and the experts at Campden BRI was to achieve a combination of taste and health with no compromise. And the result was that and more. For example, the pound cake I tasted which was made with N-Dulge FR had more taste, springiness and volume than the control cake. And they had been made in the same oven on the same morning – less than an hour apart.

Expert’s View

Alison Knight, European technical development manager for bakery, at the company’s facilities near Manchester in the UK, proudly said: “Consumers are often disappointed by the inferior taste of reduced fact cakes which affect their best laid healthy eating plans.

“Our new ingredient offers a solution, meaning customers don’t have to compromise on the eating enjoyment they associate with cake. Plus, by reducing the use of butter by up to 75 per cent, bakery manufacturers can achieve more significant fat reduction than has previously been possible.”

Quite simply, the research found that starch, and some water, can replace fat and offer a robust solution which can be used in a variety of baked products.

Tested in varying quantities over a period of a year, and in a variety of baked goods – from pound cake to soft cookies and cakes, National Starch Food Innovation set out to meet a need in the market place for healthy indulgence.

A third of Western consumers now incorporate lower fat products into their diets and the challenge to bakery manufacturers, says Knight, is to develop reduced fat options that meet expectations in terms of taste and texture.
In addition to removing 85 per cent of the shortening, which gives an overall reduction of 78 per cent in fat, this starch-based solution allows a 30 per cent reduction in calories in high-ratio cakes while maintaining the soft, springy texture consumers desire.

In a reduced fat cake market valued at £22.3 million, National Starch Food Innovation is well positioned to help manufacturers tap into consumer demand for better-for-you bakery.

In a series of blind tastings carried out by National Starch Innovation and Campden BRI, subjects were not able to tell which was the control cake and which was the cake with the low-fat, reduced calorie option.
Most of the tasters preferred the N-Dulge FR option for taste, texture, springiness and volume while 40 per cent were convinced the control cake was, in fact, the low-fat option due to its inferior taste and appearance.

Secret to Innovation

So why did National Starch Food Innovation come up with the concept and no other company?

Again, quite simply, says Knight, because they are the best in research in starch and similar compounds. There are others, she hastens to add, who have superb research and development capabilities but most of their competitors cover a wider range and do not specialise.

“That gives us the edge in coming up with fat-mimicking starch and, with input from all our divisions around the world and the help we had from Campden BRI, we are more than happy with the result,” says Knight. Currently N-Dulge FR is deemed suitable for use in cake baking applications but this does not exclude wider use like scones, buns or even bread, says Knight.
“When we started this project, our target was set high and when the reduced fat solution arrived, we found the added bonus of a lower calorie count.”

Asked if the project was a success in terms of cost, Knight responded: “We are delighted with how much we achieved in a short space of time.”

The proof, of course, will be in the eating and the reaction from National Starch Food Innovation customers.
Samples are out, says Knight, and initial responses have been good.