Animal or Plant-based, Fats are Indispensable to Bakery
Fats are disputed just as much as they are necessary. Some people prefer animal fats, others want plant-based ones. Some want more, some want less. Whether their preference is science-based or not, bakers must cater to these needs and ensure that their final products are up to par regardless of what fat they use.
Bakery fats, commonly known as shortening, are specialized fats and oils that are used to achieve desirable textures, flavors, and characteristics in baked goods. They are carefully formulated to have a specific melting point, which enhances the shelf life of baked goods. They play an essential role in producing a wide range of bakery products, such as bread, cakes, pastries, and cookies. As they assist in enhancing the tenderness and flakiness of pie crusts and contribute to the moistness and softness of cakes while providing a crispy texture to cookies, the demand for bakery fats is increasing worldwide.
The global bakery fats market size reached USD1.4bn in 2024. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach USD2.4bn by 2033, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% during 2025-2033. The growing demand for convenient bakery products among people with busy working schedules and hectic lifestyles, changing consumer tastes and preferences, and increasing number of health-conscious consumers are some of the major factors propelling the market.
In the past years, ingredients producers have been investing heavily in research and development to help bakers and manufacturers make baked goods that make their customers happy.
Stabilized Fats for Any Weather
Hydrosol’s mixed fat cream solutions cater to a variety of applications, particularly in regions with limited access to milk or dairy cream. These creams offer a lighter mouthfeel compared to traditional vegetable fat creams, superior foam stability, and properties similar to classic whipping cream, making them ideal for cakes, desserts, and other food service applications.
At the forefront of Hydrosol’s offerings is a new stabilizing system from the Stabimuls ICR series, which simplifies the production of mixed fat creams by combining vegetable and dairy fats. The result is a highly stable product with a 32% fat content that delivers significant cost savings while maintaining the taste, texture, and functional qualities of traditional dairy cream.
“The positive response we received at Food Ingredients Europe highlights the strong market interest in mixed fat creams,” said Binia Postel, Product Manager at Hydrosol. By incorporating vegetable fat, the cream achieves notable cost advantages, while the inclusion of dairy fat provides a balanced and appealing flavor profile.
Hydrosol has developed multiple recipes that adapt the stabilizing system to locally available ingredients. These recipes include combinations of milk and clarified butter or milk and cream as primary components. “This flexibility allows our customers to use ingredients they already have on hand, making production more accessible and cost-efficient,” Postel explained. They also created a vegetable fat cream that is particularly suitable for warm regions. The whipped vegetable fat cream features a very high 400 percent whip volume. Another plus point is the foam stability. On tarts and cakes, the whipped cream keeps its stable consistency for a long time, even without cooling.