Course:FNH200/Assignments/2020/SnackWorks Oreo Cookies

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Three different variants of OREOs pictured. From left to right: Mini OREO, OREO, OREO Double Stuf.

OREO cookies have been around since 1912[1] and have become a household name for cream-stuffed cookies. Since its release, consumers have crowned OREO as America's most popular cookie by purchasing over 500,000,000,000 cookies across 47 different flavours, resulting in an annual revenue of $1,500,000,000.[2] Popular varieties include Mint OREOs, OREO Thins, Golden OREOs, Dark Chocolate OREOs, Mini OREOs, and the distinguished "Double Stuf" OREOs.[3] These numbers, along with OREO's status as a flavour of its own, show just how pervasive this simple snack has been in the pantries of consumers, and the strength of OREO's brand in today's culture.

Reduced Fat OREO cookies

While OREO's original recipe cookies continue to dominate grocery store isles, 1994 brought a new variety, the Reduced Fat OREO, to the market.[4] This particular cookie was introduced in a timely fashion, emerging at the tail end of 1970's high-fat Atkins diets, and just before the mid 2000's low-carbohydrate diets that preceded modern consensus on the existence "good" and "bad" fats.[5] The 1990s offered a receptive market to low-fat products, and the lingering drive to cut fats has helped establish Reduced Fat OREOs as a permanent member of the OREO product line.

Images of the packaging

Unfortunately, after consulting with a manager at a local supermarket, it appears that Reduced Fat OREO cookies are currently unavailable in Canada as a result of the the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to show its box in comparison to original OREOs while still honouring copyright restrictions, direct links are listed to images of the products with proper citations.

Ingredient lists

Cornstarch is commonly used to thicken foods, but also serves to soften baked goods like OREO cookies as a fat substitute.[7]

Most of the ingredients listed in the table below are common to both OREO cookies and Reduced Fat OREO cookies. The ingredients of the original recipe are a proper subset of the Reduced Fat recipe.

To achieve the reduction in fat, SnackWorks used glycerin and cornstarch as fat substitutes in its recipe. The fat substitutes, in combination with conventional palm/canola oil, lead to a 36% reduction in fat content.[8][9]. It is worth noting the higher mass contribution of a variety emulsifiers, compared to a relatively low contribution of soy lecithin in the original recipe. The inclusion of these emulsifiers in such high quantities is likely intended to counteract the reduction in total fat while maintaining long-term preservation of the cookie, thereby extending shelf life.[10]

Another interesting trend in the Reduced Fat ingredient list was a variety of sugar substitutes, which resulted in an overall 6.67% sugar reduction[8][9]. High-fructose corn syrup was already present in the original recipe, so it is insignificant in contrasting the two cookies. Glycerin was likely chosen for its fat-substitute properties in addition to its use as a sweetener. Interestingly, SnackWorks chose to use fructose in the Reduced Fat cookie while omitting the reduced sugar benefit from its advertising.

Ingredient Lists of Original OREO Cookies and Reduced Fat OREO Cookies, in Descending Order by Mass Contribution to the Final Product
Original[8] Reduced Fat[9] Comments
Unbleached enriched flour
  • Wheat flour
  • Niacin
  • Reduced iron
  • Thiamine
  • Mononitrate (vitamin B1)
  • Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
  • Folic acid
 Unbleached enriched flour
  • Wheat flour
  • Niacin
  • Reduced iron
  • Thiamine
  • Mononitrate (vitamin B1)
  • Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
  • Folic acid
Sugar Sugar
Palm and/or canola oil Palm and/or canola oil
Cocoa (processed with alkali) Cocoa (processed with alkali)
Glycerin Sweetener (sugar substitute) and thickening/smoothing agent (fat substitute), roughly 60% as sweet as cane sugar.[11] While not as sweet as sugar, glycerin is likely used the the OREO's cream to enhance its mouthfeel while simultaneously contributing to its sweetness.
High-fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup Sugar substitute, preferred for its "ease of use" in food manufacturing.[12] SnackWorks' size and the volume of OREOs produced would warrant the choice of HFCS for gains in manufacturing efficiency.
Fructose Sugar substitute with no relative sweetness advantage between 30-50g/L in a neutral solution. Intensity increases with decreases in temperature, and increases in acidity.[13] Oreo cookies are sold at room temperature, so the enhanced sweetness of fructose (per unit mass) would be beneficial to both consumers and the manufacturer.
Emulsifiers
  • Soy lecithin
  • Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids
  • Acetylated monoglycerides
  • Datem
 Used to preserve long-term texture and consistency by dramatically slowing the separation of water and fats.[14] This is essential for snack foods like OREO cookies, which are expected to sit in pantries for extended periods of time. The the inclusion of additional emulsifiers is likely necessary to provide the same long-term preservation with less total fat present.[10]
Leavening (baking soda and/or calcium phosphate) Leavening (baking soda and/or calcium phosphate)
Cornstarch Used as a thickening agent and used to soften baked goods, thereby enhancing mouthfeel while reducing fat content.[15] This is likely used to moisten the cookie itself in the OREO, and could also be used as a fat substitute to smoothen the cream in the middle.
Salt Salt
Soy lecithin Additive which is used an an emulsifier for long-term preservation.[14]
Chocolate Chocolate
Artificial flavour
Natural and artifical flavour

Labels

The packaging for both types of OREOs are in complete compliance with Canadian food labelling requirements.[16] Some of the notable features include:

  • Bilingual labelling for all aspects of the packaging. For example, "The Original OREO" is followed by, "L'Original."
  • The common name listed is, "chocolate sandwich cookies."
  • The country of origin in listed with the business name.
  • There is a "best before" date indicated on the package with no storage instructions, which is permitted in this case.[16]
  • The reverse of the box includes the list of ingredients, a standardized "nutrition facts" label, and principal business information.
  • Net quantity is listed as being 303g.
  • There is a disclaimer, "Cookie enlarged to show texture."
  • There is a "110 calorie" label on the front.
  • No sweeteners are listed outside of the ingredients section, but there is a separate label to indicate the use of artificial flavours.
  • It is worth noting that the Reduced Fat OREOs do not meet the requirements that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires if they wanted to call them "Low-Fat Oreos."[17]

References

  1. ↑ Olver, L. (2015, January 9). Food Timeline: Cookies, Crackers & Biscuits. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html
  2. ↑ By the numbers: The Oreo cookie. (2012, March 06). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://globalnews.ca/news/219572/by-the-numbers-the-oreo-cookie/
  3. ↑ OREO Cookies: ShopOREO.com. (n.d.). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://shop.oreo.com/cookies/oreo-cookies
  4. ↑ Collins, G. (1994, August 24). The Cookies That Ate a New Market. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/24/business/business-technology-the-cookies-that-ate-a-new-market.html
  5. ↑ LA BERGE, A. (2008). How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences,63(2), 139-177. Retrieved August 7, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/24632111
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harrington, R. (2016, April 20). RANKED: These are the cookies with the least sugar. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/cookies-with-the-least-sugar-2016-4
  7. ↑ Omayma, E. & Shaltout, D.E. & Youssef, Mohammed. (2007). Fat replacers and their applications in food products: A review. Journal of Food Science. 4(1), 29-44.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Product Detail: Snackworks. (n.d.). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.snackworks.com/Products/product-detail?product=44000032029
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Product Detail: Snackworks. (n.d.). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.snackworks.com/Products/product-detail?product=44000032593
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Atchley, C. (2020, July 23). How emulsifiers can reduce saturated fat. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/48409-how-emulsifiers-can-reduce-saturated-fat
  11. ↑ Glycerin, Technical Evaluation Report (p. 1). (2013). Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service.
  12. ↑ White, J. S. (2008). Straight talk about high-fructose corn syrup: what it is and what it ain't. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 88(6), 1716S-1721S.
  13. ↑ Fontvieille, anne-marie & Faurion, Annick & Helal, I & Rizkalla, Salwa & Falgon, S & Letanoux, M & Tchobroutsky, G & Slama, G. (1989). Relative Sweetness of Fructose Compared With Sucrose in Healthy and Diabetic Subjects. Diabetes care. 12(7), 481-6.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chung, C., Sher, A., Rousset, P., Decker, E. A., & McClements, D. J. (2017). Formulation of food emulsions using natural emulsifiers: Utilization of quillaja saponin and soy lecithin to fabricate liquid coffee whiteners. Journal of Food Engineering, 209, 1-11.
  15. ↑ Wang, C., He, X., Huang, Q., & Fu, X. (06/01/2013). Physicochemical properties and application of micronized cornstarch in low fat cream Elsevier. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2013.01.025
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Government of Canada (2019, January 15). Government of Canada. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/food-labelling-requirements-checklist/eng/1393275252175/1393275314581
  17. ↑ Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Government of Canada (2019, January 15). Government of Canada. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/nutrient-content/specific-claim-requirements/eng/1389907770176/1389907817577?chap=4


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