Evaluation of Various Low Cost Natural Plant Materials as Raw Materials for Patented Processing Techniques

Obesity is a growing epidemic that continues to threaten the health of both adults and children around the world. Additionally, challenging economic times and increasing food costs puts pressure on consumers to purchase lower priced meals. While there are many ingredients available that can lower fat and calorie contents of foods, their usage is somewhat limited because either their quality is not the same as full-fat and full-calorie products and/or they cost more. Therefore, there is a need and opportunity available for better fat replacers that make more nutritious foods with high quality eating properties that cost less. Not only will this proposed solution fulfill these needs, but additional benefits will be increased fruits, vegetables, and/or fibers added to food products and a simple, all-natural ingredient label declaration. By varying the raw materials (food processing byproducts or agricultural residues) and process steps/conditions, in this project Fiberstar Bio proposes to create a novel fat mimicking ingredient that is designed specifically to produce high quality food products with reduced fat, calories, and costs, and is superior to current ingredients available on the marketplace. The objective of this project is to be part of the solution that contributes to the reduction of obesity by making a new fat replacement ingredient that more closely mimics and functions like fat compared to currently available ingredients and lowers food costs. An additional objective is to provide a solution that adds more fruit, vegetables, and/or fiber to foods. The project will begin by obtaining samples of a variety of raw materials, processing them using Fiberstar Bio's platform technologies, and evaluating the resultant product(s) to identify which ones best mimic the organoleptic and functional properties of fat. The list of raw materials will be narrowed to include only those that deliver the best combination of functionality and economics. Further refinement of process variations, co-processing with other ingredients, and detailed functional, organoleptic and economic analysis will determine which raw materials will be chosen for Phase II. We anticipate that this study will create a unique fat-like or fat mimicking material that is superior to currently available ingredients in terms of food quality (functional and organoleptic properties) and cost, which will find widespread acceptance and use in a variety of reduced fat foods. Additionally, once commercialized, this project will lead to more efficient crop residue utilization to boost food production from agricultural land.