Foaming and fat replacer ingredients

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Obesity related illness presents a huge financial and social challenge to Governments and health services in the UK, EUand around the world. The UK House of Commons Health Select Committee calculated that in 2002 clinical obesity costthe English economy somewhere between £3.3-3.7 billion per annum. A similar calculation in 2006 by the EU commissionestimated that between 59 billion Euros and 236 billion Euros per annum or 7-28% of the total healthcare budget of themember states was spent on the consequences of obesity related illness. It is estimated that by 2050 obesity will affect60% of the UK population. If this problem is not addressed it will result in an unprecedented and possibly unsustainabledrain on healthcare resources in the UK. Tackling this huge problem will require a multi faceted approach, not least ofwhich will be attempts to modify the eating behaviour of large parts of the population. Food manufacturers have beenproactive in this respect by developing a range of low or reduced fat foods to replace less healthy alternatives. However,reduced fat foods at present have low uptake by consumers and make little profit for industry. Market studies show thatconsumers will not choose healthier food and drink products that have inferior taste or mouth feel to the less healthyequivalent. In this study we aim to develop protein-based ingredients and enabling technologies for the formulation of foodswith reduced energy density while providing stability and mouth feel that are equivalent or improved compared to theoriginal versions. We will use a multi-scale approach that aims both to understand the microscopic role played by novel fatreplacers and emulsifiers, how these will impact on structure at the colloidal level, and how this determines texture in thewhole food. This will allow us to broaden our specific approach into a general strategy that can be applied to a wider rangeof food products