Triglyceride crystallization and particle interactions in multicomponent environments

糖果和烘焙产品中的馅料通常由脂肪和其他成分（包括糖）的混合物制成。在过去的30年里，这些馅料的配方发生了重大变化，从猪油到部分氢化脂肪，再到椰子油，现在又到棕榈油馅料。然而，直到今天，解释这些填充脂肪如何在其他成分存在下固化的基础科学还不清楚。新的填充配方是试验、错误和轶事的结果。因此，如果科学能够被理解，就有机会改变营养状况，并改善这些填充物的保质期，质地和消费者的可接受性。我们的行业赞助商特别感兴趣的是了解他们如何降低馅料的饱和脂肪含量，而不会对性能，质地或味道产生负面影响。2012年，他们设定了一个目标，到2020年将所有产品的饱和脂肪含量减少10%，这项研究将极大地帮助他们实现这些目标。通过使用先进的显微镜和食品与材料科学技术，我们的研究团队将在分子水平上探索糖的存在如何影响填充脂肪的结晶，特别是棕榈脂肪。从这项研究中获得的新知识将允许赞助商在馅料中用更少的饱和脂肪（如棕榈油）替代更大比例的高饱和脂肪（如椰子油），而不会牺牲质地或保质期。这将有助于他们实现减少产品中饱和脂肪的目标，并将为加拿大消费者提供更多的饮食选择。今天的消费者意识到他们的零食中的成分，并且越来越希望他们的产品中的饱和脂肪含量更低。通过向消费者提供这些选择，赞助商将在全球竞争激烈的零食市场中保持竞争优势。

The fillings in confectionery and bakery products are typically made from a mixture of fat and other ingredients, including sugar. Over the past 30 years, these fillings have undergone significant changes in their formulation, from lard to partially hydrogenated fats to coconut oil and now to palm oil-based fillings. However, to this day, the fundamental science explaining how these filling fats solidify in the presence of other ingredients is not understood. New filling formulations are the result of trial and error and anecdote. So, if the science can be understood, opportunities exist to alter the nutritional profile and also improve the shelf life, texture, and consumer acceptability of these fillings. Our industrial sponsor is particularly interested in understanding how they can lower the saturated fat content of their fillings, without negatively impacting performance, texture or taste. In 2012, they set a target to reduce the saturated fat content of all their products by 10% by 2020, and this research will greatly help them in reaching those goals. By using advanced microscopy and food and materials science techniques, our research team will explore, at a molecular level, how the presence of sugar influences the crystallization of filling fats, and in particular palm-based fats. The new knowledge gained from this research will allow the sponsor to substitute a greater proportion of highly saturated fats (such as coconut oil) with less saturated fats (such as palm oil) in their fillings, without sacrificing texture or shelf-life. It will aid them in achieving their goal of reducing saturated fats in their products, and will provide Canadian consumers will greater eating choices. Today's consumers are conscious of the ingredients in their snack foods, and increasingly want lower saturated fat content in their products. By providing these options to consumers, the sponsor will maintain a competitive advantage in the globally competitive snack market.