Electronic Food Rap
Vol. 6 No. 5
Bill Evers, PhD, RD and April Mason, PhD
Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialists
While Olestra (Olean) from Proctor and Gamble is currently in the news, other attempts to lower fat in the food continue as shown by the item below.
(Submitted by Mary Cheatham, Extension graduate student)
Kenneth Eskins and George F. Fanta are at the
This new food product is made from corn and soybeans. Two scientists tried processing starch and oil together in superheated steam under pressure. This process resulted in a smooth but not greasy gel that does not separate with heating, freezing or thawing. The scientists, George Fanta and Kenneth Eskins of The National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, named the new product Fantesk.
Fantesk may be a dieter's dream because foods traditionally high in fat can be low in fat but still taste good. Fantesk gives the same taste and creaminess of an 8 to 10 percent fat ice cream in a .3 percent fat ice milk!
Popcorn is another food that the scientists have tried with Fantesk. A 4 ounce serving of the Fantesk coated popcorn had only 1 gram of fat compared to 10 to 15 grams of fat in a popular, low-calorie, butter flavored commercial brand.
Fanta and Eskins are exploring other possible uses of Fantesk, other than as a food product. Fantesk adheres to seed coatings (like the popcorn) and doesn't flake off when dried. They envision lacing the Fantesk with fungicides or herbicides, etc. to help protect the seeds.
Be watching for this "made-in-America" product from corn and soybeans in the future!
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