The challenge of reducing saturated fat without compromising flakiness and lift
Demands for clean-label, delicious products that also meet HFSS requirements may seem contradictory, but there is a solution – and it’s nuanced.
As the UK’s 2026 HFSS regulations push the bakery industry towards healthier formulations, fat reduction has become one of the most technically challenging objectives. For pastry margarines used in laminated doughs and industrial margarines for cakes and other baked goods, fat is more than flavour; it is a structural and functional ingredient. It defines layers, stabilises air, controls plasticity and contributes to mouthfeel and shelf life. Simply replacing saturated fats with liquid oils may meet nutrition targets but often leads to smeared layers, collapsed pastries or soft, unstable cake batters.
The question for technical decision-makers is: how can we engineer fat systems that reduce saturated fat while maintaining performance, process robustness and sensory appeal?
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