Starch Based Fat Substitutes

There are many different fat substitutes on the market. They are often used as binders
to maintain juiciness and tenderness in low fat meat products.
There are many starch based fat substitutes used in the food industry. The reasons for
this are:
o Starches readily bind water
o Low Cost
o Familiar ingredient technology
o Positie acceptance by consumer
Table 1: Selected Fat Substitutes
The following table describes the properties of starch based fat substitutes.
Table 2: Description of Starch Based Fat Substitutes
Property Characteristic
!el Strength
represents gelling ability "igidity #odulus
!elatini$ation Temperature
%ater Solubility water and fat binding ability
Particle Si$e
slicing characteristics
&pparent 'iscosity
Flaour ( &roma flaour enhancement
%ater &bsorption
ability to improe cooking yields
%ater )olding Capacity
p)( *lectrical Conductiity ability to be utili$ed in food
Colour colour
+etermination of the properties of the different starch based fat substitutes is useful
for proper product design. ,elow are a series of graphs showing the properties of
seeral commercially designed products. -se the graph to answer the .uestions
proided. "efer to table / for identification of selected fat substitutes.
The peak ! alues indicate the formation of stable0 stiff and elastic matri1 structures
of typical heat induced protein gels.
Shear rate is a measure of how fast a batch of sample is being spun under a
iscometer which is measuring the apparent iscosity of the sample. 2ewtonian fluids
is discriptie of a shear rate that does not affect the iscosity of the li.uid. #ost foods
howeer demonstrate non32ewtonian behaior. For e1ample0 the apparent iscosity
decreases with increasing shear rate. This is commonly called shear thinning. The
accompanying graph shows how the fat3substitutes undergo shear thinning. This
character can be problematic if the food has to undergo a lot of mi1ing or trael
through many pipes and channels0 hence being subjected to increasing amounts of
shear stress. For e1ample0 with proteins0 apparent iscosity is a function of protein
type 4molecular si$e0 shape0 surface charge0 type0 concentration50 p)0 temperature and
shear rate.
Starch Granules
Focus on morphology and degradation
)ydrolysis of starches is important in the production
of foods where reducing sugars are needed. Some
e1amples include corn syrups0 beer and bread. "ecall
that reducing sugars effect non3en$ymatic browning0
alter te1ture and change the sweetness and water
actiity of foods. 6n the case of brewing and bread
making the sugars are utili$ed by microoganism for
growth and fermentation.
,elow are two photographs of starch granules ac.uired using the scanning electron
microscope 4S*#5
Potato Starch 3 2otice the smooth
surface 3 no pores
Corn Starch 3 2otice the pores on
the corn starch. These openings
may be the site of initial en$yme
attack. *ssentially they allow
en$ymes direct access to the center
of the granule interior.
"ef: Fannon0 7.*.0 ". 7. )auber and 7. 2. ,e#iller. Surface pores of starch
granules. Cereal Chemistry 894:5:;<=3;<<.
Table 1
mylases and Their Functional Characteristics
2ame Type Function
"esulting Properties
of the Starch
a 3 &mylase *ndo3en$yme
)ydrolyses
4cleaes5 the a3/0=3
glucan linkages in a
random manner.
"apid decrease in
iscosity. !eneration
of reducing groups.
B - Amylase *1o3en$yme
"emoal of maltose
units from the non3
reducing end of
starch by
hydroly$ing
alternate /0=3
glycoside linkages
e1cept those three
units away from the
branch point.
Production on maltose
increases the
sweetness on a
solution.