Physicochemical characterization of shortenings recommended for application in cookie filling

Shortening is the commercial name given to a continuous-phase fat used in fried foods, baked goods, fillings, and other. This study aimed to evaluate commercial shortenings for cookie filling, assessing how these samples are composed in face of the new nutritional changes in the area and attempting to devise a technological profile of these fats for a further development of zero trans and low saturated bases. Six samples of shortenings for filling were evaluated regarding their composition in fatty acids, solid fat content, melting point, crystallization isotherms, thermal behavior, texture, and polymorphism. We observed there are still samples with high trans fat content in the market, but there are also samples low on these fatty acids; however, a direct exchange for saturated fatty acids (mainly palmitic acid) was verified. Shortenings for cookie filling should both have a palmitic acid content ~40%; SFC between 15-25% at process temperature; melting range between 35-55°C, with melting point from 42 to 46°C; average crystalline diameter of spherulite crystals between 12-15µm; Beta-polymorphic, and consistency and adhesion between 4000-1000 gF/cm² and 70-20 gF.s, respectively.