Fat Forward: Reimagining Tomorrow’s Lipids

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

— Albert Einstein

Since prehistoric times, humans have relied on fat as a vital source of energy, especially during colder seasons when other food sources were scarce. Archaeological evidence suggests that marrow, one of the body's richest fat stores, was extracted from bones, indicating that fat was highly valued.¹ With the rise of civilization, both animal fats and plant oils were used for a wide range of purposes, including cooking, medicine, and cosmetics. Olive oil became a staple in the Mediterranean, while ghee (clarified butter) was revered in India for its culinary and medicinal properties. During the Middle Ages, butter became increasingly widespread in Europe, particularly in regions where olive oil was less accessible. Margarine was invented in 1869 as a response to a contest from Napoleon III, who wanted a cheaper substitute of butter for his marauding troops. French chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès answered the call by blending melted beef fat with water and milk.²

The Industrial Revolution brought new technologies, including the process of hydrogenation, which transformed liquid oils into solid fats. This innovation led to the creation of Crisco, made from hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and launched in 1911 as a substitute for butter and lard. Margarine and Crisco marked the beginning of the trans-fat era, during which these fats became widely used in processed foods for their shelf stability and texture. In the mid-20^th century, saturated fats got a bad reputation after studies linked them to heightened level of cholesterol in blood, a risk factor for heart disease.³ Trans fats (once thought healthier) were later found to be worse than saturated fats, leading to bans in several countries.⁴

Image Credit: JPC-PROD / Shutterstock

Both human understanding and the perception of fats have evolved significantly, leading to today’s more nuanced view: fats can range from healthy (such as unsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, avocados, and fish), to moderately healthy (some saturated fats), to clearly unhealthy (industrial trans fats). The emergence of alternative fats marks a new chapter in food innovation, as scientists and startups develop novel options from plant-based oil blends to lab-grown and fermentation-derived fats. These alternatives aim to replicate the taste, texture, and functionality of traditional fats while offering cleaner labels and a smaller environmental footprint.

Before exploring fat alternatives, it is helpful to understand how fat molecules function.

The Skinny Behind Fat

Most fats we eat and store in our bodies are triglycerides that have a glycerol backbone, coupled with long Fatty Acid (FA) chains (i.e., long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms). These fatty acid chains vary in length and saturation, which is what makes fats different from one another.

Saturation: Fats come in three main types—saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats, each with different health effects.

• Saturated fats: Found in foods like butter, cheese, and red meat, saturated fats have no double bonds in their structure and are generally solid at room temperature. While not inherently harmful, excessive intake may raise cholesterol levels.

• Unsaturated fats: Found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish, unsaturated fats contain one or more double bonds, are usually liquid at room temperature, and are known to support heart health.

• Trans fats: Found in partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats have a unique structure that makes them solid and shelf-stable but significantly increases the risk of heart disease.

Most health guidelines recommend limiting saturated fats and avoiding trans fats while prioritizing unsaturated fats.

Chain Length: The length of fatty acid chains also affects their physical state. Shorter-chain fatty acids (e.g., 2-6 carbons) are typically liquid at room temperature (e.g., canola oil), while longer-chain fatty acids (e.g., 13-20+ carbons) are generally solid at room temperature (e.g., butter). As the chain length increases, so does the melting point. Short-chain fatty acids melt at lower temperatures, remaining liquid at room temperature, while longer chains have higher melting points and tend to be solid. The degree of saturation also influences this—saturated fatty acids (with no double bonds) are more likely to be solid, whereas unsaturated fatty acids (with double bonds) remain liquid.

Fat to Fuel

Fat plays a vital role in the body far beyond being just a source of energy. It supports cell structure, protects organs, and helps regulate body temperature. Fat is also essential for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), producing hormones, and fueling long-lasting energy, especially during periods of fasting or endurance activity. Certain fats, like omega-3s, are crucial for brain health and reducing inflammation, making fat an indispensable part of a balanced, healthy diet.⁵

While the level of saturation and the configuration around the double bonds determine whether a fat is healthy or unhealthy, the specific use of fats in the body is determined by the length of the fatty acid chains. Short-chain (fewer than 6 carbons) and medium-chain (6-12 carbons) fats are digested and absorbed more quickly, and go straight to the liver for energy use, making them popular in medical nutrition and performance diets. Long-chain (13-21 carbons) and very-long-chain (22+ carbons) fats are absorbed via the lymphatic system and are more likely to be stored as body fat, but are also essential for cell membrane integrity, hormone production, and long-term energy.

Fatilicious Flavors

Fat plays a crucial role in the organoleptic properties of food i.e., sensory attributes such as taste, texture, aroma, and appearance. Fat enhances flavor, improves texture, and plays a vital role in cooking performance. It adds richness, helps retain moisture, creates fluffy and flaky baked goods, and contributes to browning and crisping. Fat also helps blend ingredients in emulsions like dressings and sauces, and it carries fat-soluble vitamins, boosting nutritional value. Beyond taste, fat makes food more satisfying by increasing satiety, making it an essential ingredient in both culinary and nutritional terms.

Plant and animal fats differ in their culinary behavior, flavor, and functionality. Plant fats, like olive or sunflower oil, are typically composed of unsaturated fatty acids and are liquid at room temperature, making them ideal for dressings and light sautéing. They offer a neutral or mild flavor and appeal to health- and sustainability-conscious consumers. However, being unsaturated makes them susceptible to oxidation leading to loss and damage during food production. In contrast, animal fats like butter, lard, and tallow are saturated and solid at room temperature, lending themselves to rich flavor, flakiness in baked goods, and browning in high-heat cooking. While plant fats offer versatility and clean-label appeal, animal fats are prized for their depth of flavor and texture-enhancing properties in traditional dishes.

The New Fat

Enhancing the appeal of alternative meats, seafood, and dairy hinges on nailing the fat composition. To truly replicate the flavor, texture, and cooking behavior of their conventional counterparts, the role of fat is non-negotiable. Here’s why it matters:

• Authentic Flavor: Animal fats contain complex lipid compounds that release savory, meaty aromas and umami flavors when cooked—something that’s hard to mimic with plant oils alone. These flavors are crucial for creating a convincing meat or dairy experience.

• Melting Behavior: Plant-based fats often melt too quickly or behave differently under heat, making them less ideal for high-heat searing or baking. Animal fats, on the other hand, have precise melting points and marbling patterns that contribute to juiciness and mouthfeel:

  • Meat: Fat melts during cooking, releasing moisture and flavor

  • Dairy: Milk fat gives butter and cheese their creamy richness

  • Seafood: Subtle fat layers create a buttery, delicate bite

• Texture & Mouthfeel: The crystallization and distribution of animal fat within muscle or milk gives traditional products their signature bite, creaminess, and smoothness. Replicating this structure is hard with plant oils, which are more uniform and lack the same saturation levels or fatty acid profiles.

While most plant-based fats fall short in texture and functionality, the few that perform well, like palm oil, unfortunately have concerns with health (e.g., saturated fats) or sustainability (e.g., Indirect Land Use Change or ILUC).

Fats of Life

Alternative fats can take the form of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, or triglycerides. These alternatives are trying to replicate the functionality of conventional fats when it comes to texture, mouthfeel, melting profile, nutrient delivery amongst other things. Below are some alternative fat production methods that are being explored to bridge the existing gaps.

Restructuring Plant Oils: A variety of techniques are being utilized to restructure plant oils to enhance their texture, melting behavior, and flavor delivery, enhancing their appeal for use in alternative protein products. The industry currently employs several innovative approaches to achieve this, with two of the most prominent being:

1. Microencapsulation: This technique creates plant-based fats that closely mimic the texture and behavior of animal fats. It involves encapsulating plant oils within a water-based emulsion, resulting in a stable system that resembles intramuscular fat. Microencapsulation not only improves mouthfeel and stability but also extends flavor release and enables the customization of lipid profiles to replicate meaty flavors more effectively.

   Pros: Provides enhanced stability, controlled flavor release, and effective taste masking

   Cons: Requires specialized equipment, precise control of processing parameters, and may alter the physical properties of the final product

   Notable Companies: CUBIQ FOODS, Lypid

2. Oleo-gelation: Oleo-gelation is a promising method for structuring unsaturated, fatty acid-rich oils without altering their chemical composition. It involves entrapping the oils in a three-dimensional network using oleogelators (structuring agents with viscous and elastic properties) such as rice bran wax or carnauba wax. The resulting oleogels have the consistency of a solid fat, offering functional properties similar to those found in animal-derived fats.

   Pros: Offers versatile applications across food categories, enhances texture and mouthfeel, and can serve as a delivery system for bioactive compounds

   Cons: May alter the taste and texture of certain food products and can be prone to oxidation, affecting shelf life and stability

   Notable Companies: Paragon Pure, Perfat Technologies, Shiru

Precision Fermentation: Fats derived through precision fermentation are produced by programming microbes such as yeast, bacteria, or fungi to synthesize specific lipid molecules that closely mimic those found in animal fats. This process allows for the creation of tailor-made fats with desirable characteristics like rich mouthfeel, clean melting profiles, and enhanced flavor delivery, without the need for animal agriculture.

Pros: Enables fat production with targeted characteristics, offers high consistency, and effectively replicates the taste, texture, and functionality of animal fats
Cons: Involves high capital expenditure, requires process optimization and scale-up efforts, and could face regulatory challenges
Notable Companies: C16 Biosciences, Clean Food Group, Cultivated Biosciences, Melt&Marble, NoPalm Ingredients, Nourish Ingredients, Terra Oleo, Xylome, Yali Bio, Zayt Bioscience

Cell Cultivation: Cell cultivation involves growing fat cells (adipocytes) in controlled environments without the need for an animal. These cells are isolated, expanded, and then differentiated to produce lipid-rich tissues that closely mimic the taste, texture, and melting behavior of animal fat. These cultivated fat cells can be used as ingredients to enhance the flavor and texture of plant-based meats or seeded onto edible scaffolds and combined with muscle and connective tissues to create structured 3D meat-like products.

Pros: Replicate exact function and taste of animal fats, ideal for whole cut applications
Cons: Face challenges with scale-up, cost efficiency, media optimization, and regulatory approval
Notable Companies: Cellva, Genuine Taste, Hoxton Farms, ImpacFat, Mission Barns, Upstream Foods

Plant Molecular Farming: This involves engineering plants to produce specific lipids or fat-related proteins that mimic the functionality of animal fats. This approach leverages the scalability and sustainability of agriculture, using crops like soy, canola, or even tobacco as biofactories. By tailoring lipid profiles at the genetic level, plant molecular farming can create fats with desirable melting points, textures, and nutritional properties.

Pros: Highly scalable with potential for integration into current farming infrastructure; enables precise tailoring of fat profiles
Cons: Involves high development costs and technical challenges in replicating the sensory and functional complexity of animal fats
Notable Companies: Miruku

Gas Fermentation: Gas fermentation is an innovative approach that uses microbes to convert gases like carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen, or methane into valuable compounds, including alternative fats. Through metabolic engineering, these microbes can be designed to produce specific lipids that mimic the structure and functionality of animal fats. While still in early stages for fat production, this method offers significant sustainability benefits, as it utilizes waste gases and requires minimal land or water.

Pros: Utilizes low-cost, widely available feedstocks and supports a broad range of substrates for production
Cons: Faces technical hurdles such as gas-liquid mass transfer limitations, scale-up challenges, and safety concerns related to handling gases like hydrogen
Notable Companies: Circe Bioscience

Other Chemical/Thermochemical Processes: ​Savor, a California-based startup, has developed a novel approach to producing alternative fats using a thermochemical process that converts carbon dioxide and hydrogen into fat molecules. This method involves capturing CO₂ from the air and combining it with hydrogen, applying heat to synthesize hydrocarbon chains, which are then oxidized to form fatty acids. These fatty acids are further processed to create fats that mimic the structure and functionality of traditional animal fats, such as butter.​

Pros: Enables rapid conversion and flexibility in using diverse feedstocks
Cons: Requires significant capital investment as well as energy to generate lipids and may face issues like coke generation during processing
Notable Companies: Savor

Other innovative companies, such as MicroLub, are developing advanced technologies to reduce the need of fat without compromising the mouthfeel or texture of food products. Their approach uses protein microgels (plant protein and water scaffolds coated with polysaccharides) that act as natural lubricants to replicate the fatty sensation in food.

Fat Chance

While many alternative fat technologies are at various stages of development, each brings its own set of strengths and challenges. The future doesn’t lie in choosing one approach over another, but in embracing the diversity of innovation from precision fermentation and cell cultivation to oleo-gelation and plant molecular farming. These methods together form a powerful toolkit for delivering the richness, functionality, and sustainability of animal fats (outside the animal).

These technologies offer complementary pathways to the existing food system while moving us closer to a shared vision: nourishing people, protecting the planet, and minimizing harm to animals. Similarly, the conversation around proteins must shift, too. Rather than classifying them as "alternative", "plant-based", "fermentation-derived", or “cultivated”, an opportunity exists to simply create healthy proteins that appeal to consumers while offering better health and sustainability.

Like the energy sector—where solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, and other renewables coexist—the future of food will bring a panoply of technologies, not a single dominant solution. Just as no one energy source will solve the planet’s energy challenges, no single food technology will become a panacea. To build a truly resilient and equitable food system, we require a diverse toolkit, with each innovation playing a role in nourishing people and the planet.

We end with an ode to the journey and future of fats:

As dietary fat profiles continue to evolve,

The optimal fat puzzle remains to resolve.

From saturated fats—once feared, now nuanced in their role,

To trans fats—the true threat to heart and soul.

Suitable alternative fats are the need of the hour,

For alt-meat, dairy, and seafood to truly empower.

Rich in unsaturated fatty acids and long carbon chains,

Offering slow flavor release and precise melting gains.

1. Karr, Outram, & Hannus (2010), A Chronology of Bone Marrow and Bone Grease Exploitation at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village

2. National Geographic

3. American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS), 2024

4. Harvard Health

5. National Health Service (NHS)