Dive Brief:

• General Mills' latest patent aims to reduce sodium and fat in baked dough products like pie crusts, sweet rolls and cookies.
• The salt-flavored fat particles, or shortening chips, use a salt flavoring that can cut overall salt flavoring by 50% while also cutting sodium, and saturated and trans fat levels.
• One or more fat ingredient can be used with the fat particles, so a wide variety of healthier fat alternatives like processed base oils can be used.

Dive Insight:

The fat particles don't do away with salt entirely, as it is still used for flavor. The idea, though, is that they concentrate salty flavors in areas of a baked product with high fat concentration, which is said to create the perception of "taste spikes" in saltiness due to the uneven distribution. Hey, if it can make donuts, pies and cookies just a little bit healthier, we're all for it.