Butter Believe It: Creamy, Low-Cal Spread Is 80 Percent Water – Geek

I can’t believe it’s 80 percent water!

Cornell University food scientists have whipped up a creamy, low-cal spread for your morning toast.

“Imagine 80 percent water in 20 percent oil and we create something with the consistency of butter, with the mouth feel of butter, and [with the] creaminess of butter,” senior study author Alireza Abbaspourrad, assistant professor of food chemistry and ingredient technology, said in a statement.

The team devised a process of emulsifying a large amount of water with miniscule drops of vegetable oil and milk fat to mimic butter, but at approximately one-fourth the calories of the real thing.

Mixing oily and watery liquids is nothing new.

But using the high-internal phase emulsions (HIPE) profess, researchers are able to change the water-to-oil ratio to form tightly packed spheres, squashed against each other to create high friction.

“They can’t slide easily anymore. They can’t flow anymore,” Abbaspourrad explained. “It’s firm, as you’ve created something with the consistency of butter spread.”

A tablespoon of their low-calorie spread has only 2.8 grams of fat and 25.2 calories. Which, when compared to the dairy product—with its 11 grams of fat and nearly 100 calories—is like eating air.

As consumers’ health awareness grows, so too does the demand for low-fat, high-protein products.

“Since the HIPE technology features high water-to-oil ratios—while simultaneously delivering unique texture and functionality—it can play a role in providing healthier solutions for consumers,” according to lead author Michelle Lee, a doctoral candidate in Abbaspourrad’s research group.

Food chemists can adjust for taste, preferences, and nutrition by adding milk or plant-based protein, loading it with vitamins, or varying flavors.

“Essentially, we can create something that makes it feel like butter,” Abbaspourrad said. “And instead of seeing a lot of saturated fat, this has minute amounts. It’s a completely different formulation.”

Yeah, but can you use it to sculpt memorable moments from NASA’s historic July 1969 Moon mission?

The full study was published in June by the American Chemical Society’s journal Applied Materials and Interfaces.

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