Utilization of Structural Properties of Some Animal Fats to Produce Shortening and Its Use in Biscuit Production

The aim of this study is to leverage the structural properties of camel and cow fats by blending them in different proportions (10, 15, 20, 25, 35, and 50%) with palm oil for use in shortening production. The results showed that all physicochemical properties of the three fat sources and their mixtures were within the recommended limits. The blending of camel or cow fats with palm oil improved the oxidative stability of palm oil, increasing its stability from 17.25 hours to 23.36 hours and 22.18 hours at 120°C for camel fat: palm oil and cow fat: palm oil at a 50:50 ratio, respectively. The solid fat content (SFC) of all camel fat: palm oil blends was higher than that of cow fat: palm oil blends. The fatty acid composition analysis revealed that palmitic acid in palm oil, oleic acid in cow fat, and stearic acid in camel fat were the most abundant fatty acids, with percentages of 46.46%, 31.18%, and 31.51%, respectively. Blending camel or cow fats with palm oil reduced the palmitic acid content while increasing the stearic acid content. The manufactured shortenings were tested in biscuit production. The results indicated that the incorporation of camel or cow fats was acceptable in biscuit formulations up to 25% substitution, based on sensory evaluation. The physical properties, texture, water activity, color, and hardness of the biscuits were comparable to those of the control sample across all formulations, except for the 35% and 50% substitution levels, which showed lower quality scores compared to the other samples.