Palm Fat replacement product for food industry gets funding boost
A team of food researchers who developed an innovative new replacement for palm fat in the bakery industry has received a welcome funding boost from the Scottish Government.
The move will see the team progress commercial opportunities with new industry partners to provide healthy sustainable solutions for the food industry, and a reduced reliance on the use of palm fat in the bakery industry.
The researchers at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh developed Palm-Alt, a new ingredient which replaces palm shortening, margarine and butter in a variety of bakery applications. Palm-Alt is considerably lower in saturated fat and carbon emissions when compared with palm, butter or margarine. Palm shortening is widely used in a vast amount of baked goods such as biscuits, cakes and pastries, but palm cultivation is linked with tropical rainforest destruction. The University’s new replacement ingredient could offer significant solutions for the food industry allowing manufacturers to satisfy increasing consumer demand for tasty, lower fat, healthier food products, whilst reducing destruction of the world’s rainforests.
Due to its composition, high yield and low production costs, the global food industry has become dependent on palm shortening, resulting in its over-cultivation. Its high saturated fat content, which allows it to remain solid at room temperature, has proven crucial to the industrial bakery sector.
The new ingredient, which is a clean label blend of rapeseed oil, fibres and proteins, can be produced locally and at a global scale. During its initial trial period, the University’s research team demonstrated that when Palm-Alt was used as a replacement in baked goods, products such as cakes, biscuits and bread maintained their texture, flavour and colour. When news about its initial success and its health and sustainable credentials went viral in 2023, there was a huge surge of interest from food manufacturers across the globe, all keen to know more about this exciting new replacement product and its potential to positively impact the food industry.
More recently, the QMU team have moved testing out of the University’s labs, with successful trialling of Palm-Alt in industrial manufacturing settings, and with excellent results when tested as an ingredient in partners’ own products. The research team are currently in commercialisation and licensing discussions of PalmAlt with a number of interested UK food manufacturers.
A new funding boost of £239k from the Scottish Government is now allowing the team to progress the development of an extended range of Palm-Alt to enable further applications. This work is set to include new collaborations with food industry partners ranging from ingredient producers to finished food product manufacturers from across the food industry.
The innovative new palm substitute has been developed by Dr Julien Lonchamp, Reader in Food Science, and Catriona Liddle, Head of the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at QMU.
Catriona explained: “We set out to develop a new ingredient that would not only be better for the environment but also healthier than palm fat and current alternatives. Our trials at the University and now in industry settings have demonstrated that Palm-Alt works successfully as a replacement for palm-based shortening in baked goods. With up to 25% less fat and 89% less saturated fat, it is healthier, and as it can be produced locally, it could significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the impact of food miles and deforestation of global rainforests associated with palm production.”
Catriona continued: “After seven years of research and development it is exciting to see the level of interest and enthusiasm from the food industry and our current partners. We are delighted that the Scottish Government is recognising the commercial potential of Palm-Alt as an effective replacement ingredient which offers significant health and sustainability benefits.”
Today, the focus on nutrition and on identifying and developing more sustainable food and food sources has never been higher. This Proof of Concept funding from the Scottish Government will allow us to continue our work in commercialising Palm-Alt, seeking out new applications and solutions for the food industry in, for example, the use of Palm-Alt in pastry and confectionery products. It will help bridge the gap between groundbreaking research and commercial applications, which is essential in helping bring Palm-Alt to the global marketplace.
The research team are currently being supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the commercialisation service at the University of Edinburgh, who are managing the patent and commercial development of Palm-Alt, including engaging in license discussions with a number of interested UK food manufacturers.
Queen Margaret University has been carrying out commercial trials at Opportunity North East (ONE) SeedPod, Scotland’s dedicated food and drink innovation hub in Aberdeen. Gary McDonald, Senior Market Development Manager at ONE, said: “Delighted to see this project come to fruition at ONE SeedPod. The team at the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation have been such a joy to work with on what is such an innovative project for the industry.”
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The project will run until end of March 2026.
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New palm fat replacer is healthier than palm shortening – with less total fat and less saturated fat and increased fibre and protein.
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It is also allergen-free, coconut-free, and has no added sugar, sweeteners, flavourings or colourings.
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New ingredient is 100% plant based, clean-label. All the materials in the new ingredient can be sourced from within the EU and UK.
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New ingredient addresses both sustainability and nutrition goals.
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Developed in Scotland by QMU, trialled in Scotland at ONE Seedpod, designed for a global manufacturing industry.
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The Scottish Proof of Concept Fund is open to researchers based at Scottish universities with innovative ideas and will provide support for early-to-mid stage commercialisation activities.
For further media information contact Emma Reekie, Media Relations and Content Officer, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, E: ereekie@qmu.ac.uk (copy to E: pressoffice@qmu.ac.uk).
