'Fake fat' developed in Peoria hits market Z-Trim can replace fat without adding calories, firm says January 20, 2004
By STEVE TARTER of the Journal Star
PEORIA - Chocolate chip cookies being handed out this week at the South Florida County Fair in West Palm Beach mark the start of a new era - the Z-Trim era. These are cookies that contain the corn-based fat substitute conceived at Peoria's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research. Z-Trim replaces up to 50 percent of the fat and calories in processed and fast foods without compromising taste and texture qualities, said Greg Halpern, CEO of Circle Group Holdings Inc., the Mundelein firm that licenses Z-Trim for use in consumer goods. "We want to educate the public on what Z-Trim is, how to use it and how it can significantly improve their diets by reducing fat and calories without affecting taste or texture," he said. Being able to cut fat while maintaining taste has the interest of companies looking to entice health-conscious customers with low-fat versions of their favorite foods. Cookies offered as samples at the Florida health fair are available nationally from the Cookie Garden, a Des Plaines baker. "This is a modest but great step forward in the war on obesity, and we fully expect to see many new retail products containing Z-Trim in the future," said Halpern, who last week announced an agreement with the Swiss food giant Nestle for the use of Z-Trim. Handing out samples at a fair is an important step in showcasing Z-Trim's benefits, said Halpern. "We want to show consumers that there is no other comparable product on the market," he said. The man who led the development of the fat substitute at the ag lab is fully aware that dietary fat substitutes now make up a billion-dollar industry, but scientist George Inglett isn't worrying about the profit side. For one thing, he's too busy. "My part is done with Z-Trim. Now I'm working on the 'super trims,'" said Inglett, referring to supplements that not only replace fat but reduce cholesterol. He continues the work he's done for more than 30 years at the ag lab, helping to develop a variety of fat substitutes, a lineup that includes Oatrim, Z-Trim and Nutrim. Inglett initially called his invention "Fake Fat" because, unlike some other products, it adds no calories to food, only insoluble fiber, which aids digestion. He later changed the name to Z-Trim when the federal government patented his invention in June 1998 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "I'm never short of projects. It's a wonderful business to be in," the researcher said. "I feel like I'm in a battle, and I'm at the front all the time. I'm always looking for a way to cross the frontier, the scientific frontier," Inglett said. January 23, 2004 |
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