Why Do Low-fat Foods Taste Different From Full Fat Foods?

Many people hoping to lose weight turn to low-fat foods, only to be disappointed by the less-desirable taste, texture and aroma. There are several factors that determine the taste differences, some due to manufacturing processes and others caused by individual sensitivities. Eating a low-fat diet can help decrease your risk of obesity and chronic diseases, but if you can't stomach reduced-fat foods, you might need to consider eating the full-fat versions, only in lesser quantities.

Identification

According to the American Heart Association, more than 5,000 reduced-fat processed foods have found their way to market since the 1990s, with fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy products the most popular. To be labeled reduced fat, the FDA mandates a product should contain 25 percent less fat than the regular version. To be labeled low fat, a product must contain 3 g of fat or less per serving. Fat-free means the food has less than 0.5 g of fat per serving.

Fat Replacers

In order to achieve the low-fat benchmarks established by the FDA, food manufacturers use fat replaces that are carbohydrate-based, protein-based or fat-based, with most using a combination. Carbohydrate-based fat substitutes include guar gum, the seaweed extract carrageenan, dried plum paste and oat or wheat fiber. Protein-based fat replacers are made from milk or egg whites. Fat-based fat replacers are made from fat molecules that are modified so they can't be absorbed. A look at the lists of these ingredients makes it clear why the substitutes wouldn't taste the same as lard, margarine or other oils that they replace.

Metabolic Factors

A study in the "British Journal of Nutrition" published in May 2010 found that the ability of people to taste fat may be a key tool in the fight against obesity. Researchers found that in addition to the known five tastes people experience, such as bitter, salty, sweet, they essentially have a sixth taste, namely fat. Subjects in the study who were especially sensitive to that taste ate fewer fatty foods and were less likely to be overweight. People deficient in that taste overcompensated by eating more high-fat foods.

Potential

A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is working on a new technology that may lead to low-fat and low-calorie foods that taste just like the real thing. They're using encapsulated fats, or small oil droplets formed by mixing oil, water and a surfactant similar to how salad dressing is made. Fiber is added to the mix in the final step, which stops the fat from being digested. Thus, theoretically you should be able to eat the full-fat food but your body won't metabolize the fat and store the excess in your fat cells.

Considerations

Some low-fat versions of their higher-fat cousins have been shown to produce no significant difference in flavor, despite the presence of fat replacers. A study presented at the American Chemical Society in 1999 demonstrated that chocolate ice cream was one of these foods, likely due to the complex chemical mixture that make up chocolate's flavor. The American Heart Association also points out that just because a food is reduced fat, that doesn't mean you can eat as much of it as you want without consequences. More than 90 percent of the U.S. adult population consumes low-fat foods, yet the number of overweight individuals continues to rise.