It's fat, Jim, but not as we know it. To be precise, it's hard fat (palm, ghee), that has been heated up, infused with fresh herbs, chillies and spices, then cooled back down again. And if one small Lancashire-UK-based firm has its way, it could pave the way for some pretty unusual new premium products.
Springthyme Oils, the UK-based business behind the technology, currently makes infused oils - intensely flavoured olive and sunflower oils that have been steeped with fresh ingredients, heated rapidly for maximum flavour release and then filtered. These have gradually replaced dried herbs and flavoured oils in many soups, dressings and other foods owing to their intense flavour and clean-label status.
However, baked goods such as pizza bases, pastries, flans, pies and other products have not been able to benefit, as they typically need hard fats, says Springthyme director Ken Williams.
Infused hard fats would enable manufacturers to develop more unusual products such as chilli-flavoured pastry in sausage rolls, or garlic-flavoured pizza bases, he says. "If you just add garlic to dough, it doesn't retain its flavour. With infused fats, you've got heat stability and you retain more flavour. They are suitable for a huge range of products, from burgers and sausages to cake mixes, flavoured fillings, Christmas puddings and dumplings."
But infusing hard fats is not as easy as it looks, admits Williams. One of several challenges is filtering the spent herbs and chillis from oil that is still hot: "You've got to heat the oil to turn it into liquid, infuse it with herbs, filter it while it's still hot, cool it so it's semi-solid again and then reduce it into pellets or flakes. That raises several production and handling issues."
For a small - albeit rapidly growing company (sales have quadrupled since a management buy-out in 2004), investing in the kit to do this is a big step.
However, buoyed by positive feedback from companies that have tried its infused hard fats made on a laboratory scale, Springthyme has taken the plunge and is now installing another production line at its factory in Padiham, Lancashire, that will enable it to make oil- and fat-based infusions, says Williams.
"Phase one was completed in April, and phases two and three are ongoing the installation of a new mixing and cooking/cooling plant plus an extraction plant to remove spent herbs and spices. Phase four [installing a converter to turn the bulk infused fat into more manageable small flakes] is a longer-term project!"
Current tests are focusing on pizzas, pastry products and speciality breads using palm oil and butter fat (ghee), which is widely used in flat breads. The plan is to introduce the new range in the UK before progressing with a broader roll-out to France, Germany and Benelux.
In the meantime, Springthyme is also on the acquisition trail, and hopes to strike a deal to expand beyond its core business into herbs and spices, sauces and marinades, or stocks and pastes, reveals Williams.
It is also evaluating how best to enter the catering and fine foods sectors as part of ambitious plans to boost turnover from just under £4m to £10m by 2012.
While the future looks bright, the current trading environment remains tough, not least because edible oil prices have gone through the roof, he admits. Guaranteeing a consistent supply of herbs can also present some challenges: "We've even thought of growing our own."
However, Springthyme also had its fair share of good luck, he says. "It sounds awful, but the Sudan-1 scare was great for us. A lot of people panicked, stopped using chilli powder and switched to our infused chilli oils, which use fresh chillies!"