Bakels rethinks palm oil

As a result, bakers will be looking for sustainable alternatives to palm oil Greg Woodhead, Bakels’s new product development manager, has said.

Palm oil is popular in bakery because of its high melting temperature, smooth creamy texture, absence of smell and natural preservative effect, he said. However, it is expensive to source sustainably and manufacturers would be reluctant to label unsustainable palm oil on pack, he said.

Alternative ​

Bakels’ new crystalliser technology is a palm oil alternative for confectionery and baked goods fillings which gives the same mouth feel and taste as those with palm oil in them, he said.

“Food manufacturers have until the end of 2014 to set up a fully segregated supply chain ensuring that their palm oil is sourced from plantations which have been independently audited and found to be sustainable,”​ he said.

Cut down time and expense ​

“Crystalliser means they can eliminate palm oil completely and cut down on this time-consuming and expensive activity.”​

With crystalliser, small amounts of hard fats, like butters, can take on properties similar to palm oil. The structure of the fats are given more viscosity and can be heated to higher temperatures.

The industrial scale in which some caramel, toffee and cupcake icings are produced can still be achieved using crystalliser and to the same high standard, but without palm oil, added Woodhead.