Cargill’s Regal Icing allows bakers to achieve white icing without any artificial additives, just one of the needs met by this new line of shortenings.
No two bakers or baked foods are alike. Every formula and every baker require specific needs from the ingredients, whether it’s an ingredient to improve machineability or one that cleans up the label. With everything bakers choose to put in their formulas, they weigh functionality, nutrition and labeling concerns. Each baker’s priorities and each formula’s needs are different. That’s why Cargill created its Regal line of shortenings, to give bakers even more options to meet that diverse range of needs.
“This was an effort for us to really address the market where we saw some gaps with customers,” explained John Satumba, Ph.D., food ingredients and analytical chemistry director for Cargill’s global edible oil solutions business.
Those gaps included bakers who were interested in non-palm shortening alternatives that are reduced saturated fat and provided operational efficiency and functional benefits. Cargill launched four shortenings at the International Baking Industry Exposition in 2016 under its new Regal brand: Regal Icing Shortening NH, Regal Donut Fry Shortening, Regal Cake & Icing Shortening and Regal All-Purpose Shortening. Each ingredient addresses a different matrix of issues bakers have wanted in fat systems.
Dr. Satumba said customer research showed that producers wanted reduced palm options as well as improved setting time for frying donuts. Cargill formulated the Regal Donut Fry Shortening to decrease the amount of palm and provide a faster set time compared to standard shortenings.
In response to the clean label trend, Regal Icing Shortening NH achieves a white color without any artificial whitening ingredients. The ingredient also addresses nutritional concerns with about a 20% reduction of saturated fat.
The Regal line’s All-Purpose Shortening not only contains zero palm, but it also offers a wide range of plasticity, allowing bakers to use it for a variety of products.
While it may seem like a reduction or removal from palm as a source of fat is a theme in this line, don’t mistake that for an industry-wide move away from palm, Dr. Satumba said. The Regal line fills a need for those who do wish to reduce palm, whether for nutrition or the desire for a domestically sourced fat.
“This represents Cargill broadening the offerings we have to give bakers who want to move away from palm a viable functional portfolio of products,” he explained.
These four shortenings represent the beginning for the Regal line. In the future, Cargill plans to expand this brand.
“We continue to be diligent in working toward the next generation of solutions for our customers,” Dr. Satumba said.
For more information on the Regal line and other shortenings from Cargill, visitwww.cargill.com.
