Recent advances on uses of protein and/or polysaccharide as fat replacers: Textural and tribological perspectives: A review

The link between human health and high-calorie diets has prompted the food industry to develop low-calorie foods and fat replacers. Fat replacers are classified into protein-, polysaccharide-, and fat-based fat replacers. While the effects of protein- and polysaccharide-based fat replacers had been widely studied, combining the two molecules could create new features. Protein-polysaccharide interactions lead to the development of electrostatic complexed structures that give unique functionality and may be suitable for fat replacement. Tribology is used to understand complex mouthfeel characteristics by establishing a correlation with frictional behavior, providing valuable information in fat-related mouthfeel investigations. This review highlights the electrostatic interaction between proteins and polysaccharides, and their effects on the physicochemical of reduced-fat foods are discussed based on recent approaches. Special emphasis has been given to lubrication properties. Protein-polysaccharide-based fat replacers could be an effective strategy for generating new products with healthier properties. They have a good ability to improve the sensory, textural, and tribological properties of reduced-fat foods. Proteins can mimic the smoothness and lubrication characteristic of fat, and polysaccharides confer some fat functions by binding large amounts of water, providing lubricity and a melting sensation; as a result, the overall sensation of the product in the mouth improves.