Edible oils and fats manufacturer AAK UK has teamed up with Hull Universitys Department of Chemistry to develop lower fat products.

Part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme, the government funded scheme brings together universities and businesses to promote the spread of scientific and technical expertise. At the same time, participating companies commit to enhancing the specialist skills of a recently qualified graduate who works on a particular project of interest to the business.
The two-year project now underway is AAKs second KTP with the University of Hull and is focusing on ways to lower the fat content in the companys ingredients, without the need for large numbers of additives.
John McAughtrie, customer innovation director at AAK, explains, "Were interested in this area because there is a large demand driven by government health programmes to reduce the fat content of products. At the same time, there is a large consumer demand for products to contain fewer additives.
"However, its very difficult to achieve both. When you reduce fats, you usually need additives to stabilise the emulsions. So the challenge is to reduce fat content without additives and that requires a much greater understanding of emulsion stability.
"Our strong professional association with the University of Hull allows us to access their facilities and expertise. It gives our research a degree of scientific understanding we wouldnt otherwise be able to access in order to achieve our goals."