Researchers from the Queen Margaret University in Scotland claim to have found a viable replacement for palm oil, a ubiquitous yet controversial vegetable oil used in half of all packaged consumer products.
"It's the holy grail to replace (palm oil) and still have exactly the same end result in product - to taste the same and have the texture the same - and we've done that," said Catriona Liddle one of the QMU team’s lead developers.
Patent pending under the name PALM-ALT, it is made from a by-product of linseed production, and has no added flavourings, sugar, preservatives or colourings. The linseed byproduct is combined with natural fibre and rapeseed oil.
"We've put it through some special sensory testing to see if a panel can tell the difference between our product and traditional palm shortening, and they can't,” Liddle told the BBC.
Food experts at Queen Margaret University say that PALM-ALT contains 80% less saturated fat, 30% fewer calories and is 70% better for the environment.
Why is palm oil controversial?
Because of its versatility, palm oil, which comes from the fruit of oil palm trees, is found in everything from lipstick to frozen pizzas.
But it is also responsible for widespread deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, the two largest exporters of palm oil.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature: “Palm oil has been and continues to be a major driver of deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, destroying the habitat of already endangered species like the Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino,”
However, palm oil is also a highly efficient crop, using between four and 10 times less land than alternative oils such as soybean, coconut, and sunflower.
The QMU is currently seeking manufacturing partners for PALM-ALT.