‘Green’ oil range lowers calorie count of baked goods
The Healthy & Green Solid Oil 4.0 (H&GSO) range comprises unsaturated vegetable oils, which replaces tropical, dairy or other animal fats and hydrogenated oils considered high in saturated fat.
According to the Spanish edible oil producer, the flavorless, odorless oils are made mostly from mono and di-glycerides from refining sunflower oil, which reduces the calorie count in baked goods like puff pastries, biscuits and cakes, as well as chocolates and meat products.
The oils also resist temperature changes and allow for the addition of colorings and flavorings.
Sunflower oil provides essential fatty acids and vitamin E, reducing the risk of heart disease and enhancing so-called good cholesterol levels.
Good to the environment
Additionally, the H&GSO range reinforces Borges’ commitment to the environment.
The increasing pressure from environmental and human rights groups over ruthless worker treatment, deforestation and endangered animals has made palm oil an ingredient to veer away from for food manufacturers.
Recently, Nestlé invested in satellite technology to monitor forests in its supply chain, while joining PepsiCo in severing ties with Indonesia’s largest supplier after reports of human rights abuses surfaced last year.
Borges sources raw ingredients for H&GS oils in Europe, predominantly from an area 300 kilometers from its production facility in Catalonia to reduce carbon emissions, that are non-GMO and free of allergens.
Getting away from alternative oils
The company claims its H&GS oils reduce fats by at least 40% compared to palm and coconut oil, noting 100g of puff pastry made from H&GS oil contains 76,7g of total fat versus 100g of total fat when made with palm or coconut oil.
In terms of saturated fat per 100g of product, palm oil carried 50g and coconut 85g – versus 30g from H&GS.
However, Borges did concede the total fat content did not change when using H&GSO oils to make biscuits and cakes compared to palm and coconut oils, but saturated fat fell as low as 8g to 15g per 100g of product – a 40% decrease.
As vegetable oil grows, coconut falls
According to GlobalData, the global edible oil industry was valued at $84bn in 2016. Vegetable oil is poised for highest growth at a 9% CAGR, and will capture 68% of the market by 2021.
This growth aligns with the trajectory of health and wellness trends, as well as attention on plant-based diets, as research matures to dispel myths about the alleged benefits of, notably, coconut oil. Sales dropped nearly a quarter in 2017 for popular consumer brands like Spectrum.
Oils derived from soybeans, corn and sunflowers contain less saturated fat than both coconut and palm oil, according to the USDA.
In fact, the American Heart Association and British Nutrition Foundation have urged consumers to avoid cooking with coconut oil due to its high saturated fat content.
