Trans-Fat Free Baking Ingredient Introduced

NEW YORK - Feb 17/05 - SNS -- Wilbur Chocolate Co., a Cargill subsidiary, introduced a cinnamon drop that offers zero grams of trans-fats per serving to help the baking industry become compliant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirement that food and confection manufacturers list trans-fat content on food nutrition labels beginning January 1, 2006.

"These zero grams trans-fats per serving cinnamon drops are the first of several Wilbur confection compounds and coating products to be reformulated to meet the emerging FDA trans-fat labeling rule," said John Urbanski, Wilbur's vice president of technical sales.

The company said when used in baking applications, the cinnamon drop either melts or holds its shape and remains visible as a chip. Wilbur developed the zero grams trans-fats per serving cinnamon drop in collaboration with Cargill's palm-oil experts.

"Palm oil is often a very good candidate for many bakery applications," said Bob Wainwright, technical director of Cargill's Dressings, Sauces and Oils — North America business. "It is semi-solid at room temperature and, as a result, can convey body and structure without partial hydrogenation. Palm oil is very versatile, and its performance can be further enhanced through processing technologies that do not create trans fats.

"Replacing partially hydrogenated oil with a palm-based system in the cinnamon drops offers two major benefits. It eliminates the term "partially hydrogenated" from the ingredient legend, and there are no trans-fats resulting from hydrogenation."