Z-Trim: A No-Calorie Food Substitute for Fat
George E. Inglett of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Biopolymer Research Unit in
Peoria III invented a no-calorie fat substitute called Z-Trim. It is a mix of crushed
fibers made from the hulls of grains. It can replace the fat and some of the
carbohydrates in foods such as chocolates, brownies, cheese, and ground beef. He spent
three years trying to perfect Z-Trim to be smooth because he made it out of tough hulls
of corn, oats, and rice. He first crushed the hulls with a solution of hydrogen
peroxide. He washed the peroxide off in centrifuge. After this step it was still too
large, so he put the pieces back through the first step of the hydrogen peroxide and the
centrifuge. That made it smooth. Now, it is a fine, white cellulose powder that can be
made into a gel by adding water.
Inglett also developed Oatrim. This is made up of a digestible fiber from oat flour
that provides four calories per gram.
Z-Trim compared to another fat substitute, olestra, is different. Olestra can cause
gastrointestinal distress and take vitamins and carotenoids out of the body. The new
substitute does not have those affects. Inglett says that you should eat more of the
kind of fibers that make up Z-Trim to reduce the chances of getting intestinal
disorders.
But there are some people who argue with Inglett's theory on his new substitute. "I
wouldn't expect Z-Trim to have the same kinds of problems as olestra," says Margo Wootan,
a senior scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C.
"Fiber is already found in our diet, while olestra is a synthetic chemical. There is
also concern for the "microbial stability" of foods containing Z-Trim. "Whenever you
remove the lipid material and replace it with water," says Thomas H. Parliment, a flavor
chemist for Kraft Foods in White Plains, New York, "microbes are to grow, and you can get
mold." That would have to be worked out before Z-Trim could go on the market, Parliment
says.
If you want to replace fat in food, Inglett says, only 3 safe no-calorie possibilities
exist: water, air, and fiber. "You don't sell anybody air, you don't sell anybody
water, but you can sell people Z-Trim.
|