Blends of anhydrous milkfat (AMF) with various palm oil products were prepared and their solid fats contents determined. Some formulations were selected for pilot plant shortening production. These included 1:40% palm stearin (PS) and 60% AMF; 2:80% interesterified palm oil (IEPO) and 20% AMF; and 3:60% hydrogenated palm oil (HPO) and 40% AMF. Consistency of the shortenings upon storage was measured. Performance evaluation carried out included measurements of creaming properties and cake baking tests. In general, the consistency of shortenings 1 and 2 was stable within the first month but became harder during the second month. On the other hand, shortening 3 steadily became firmer during the 2 months’ storage. Creaming performance of the shortenings improved with storage and shortening 2 showed the best performance. Specific volumes of cakes made with shortenings 1, 2 and 3 after 2 weeks of storage were 97% and 102% of the control cake respectively. Among the three shortenings, shortening 3 showed the best baking performance throughout the two-month evaluation period.

Keywords: anhydrous milk fat, baking performance, creaming, palm oil products, shortenings