Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~13f~82
EDIBLE FAT PKODUCT II
The present invention relates to edible fat products,
particularly to edible fat products suitable for formation
into stick margarines.
Table margarines generally have been produced by
emulsification of blends of liquid unsaturated vegetable oils
with hydrogenated hardstock in varying proportions depending
on the consistency of product desired. A margarine product is
- t
required to have certain flow characteristics while resisting
free oil separation and yet should be rapidly melting on the
tongue. The hydrogenation reguired to form a hardstock which
can~ provide such characteristics ~also leads to residual
unsaturation which is in trans-isomeric forms of the mono-and
poly-unsaturates. Such trans-isomeric forms of fatty acid in
the diet are the center of much s~cientific controversy and the
subject of on-going research to determine what role, if any,
they;play in dietary health.
In accordance with the present invention, a specific
hardstock has been found which alleviates this concern, while
at the same time is suitable for the formulation of edible fat
products for use in the production of margarines which are
substantially free of trans-isomers. The invention, in its
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113&;4~32
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broad aspects, provides a process for forming a
low-trans-isomer-containing fat product, which comprises:
preparing a randomly interesterified mixture of saturated
babassu nut oil having an iodine value of less than 2.0, and a
secona saturated edible oil ha~ing an iodine value of less
than 2.0, the mixture comprising said saturated babassu nut
oil and said saturated second oil in the weight proportions of
75:25 to about 40:60, the interesterified mixture resulting in
a hardstock having an SFI solids content of at least about 30%
at 92F (as determined by the AOCS SFI method); and blending
said hardstock with a liquid vegetable oil in proportions such
that the resulting-blend contains from about 20% to about 30%
by weight of said hardstock.
While it is impractical commercially to prepare a product
having absolutely no determinable trans-isomer content, the
present invention contemplates those products where the trans-
isomer content is substantially eliminated. Preferred
products are made under suitable controls to assure a trans-
isomer content of less than 1%. The term "low-trans-isomer-
content~ is thus defined accordingiy. The trans-isomer
content is determined by infra-red spectrophotometry according
to the oficial method of the American Oil Chemists
A Association (AOCS) designated Cd-~6-61.
The term "fat" as used herein is intended to include all
edible, fatty acid triglycerides regardless of origin or
whether they are solid or liquid at room te~peratu~e. Thus,
the term "fat" includes normally liquid and normally solid
vegetable and animal fats and oils. ~here the tarm "oil n is
employed herein, it is intended to refer to those fats ~hich
are normally liquid in their unmodified state.
113~4~3Z
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The hardstock which is utilized in the present invention
is a randomly interesterified mixture of saturated babassu nut
oil and a saturated second oil in proportions by weight of
about 75:25 to about 40:60, preferably from about 75:25 to
about 60.40. These oils must be saturated, having iodine
values of less than 2Ø Suitable.saturated fats may be
obtained by hydrogenating, either in admixture or separately,
or by fractionating a suitable fat. The interesterification
is effected at an elevated temperature and under vacuum in the
presence of a suitable catalyst to form a product having a
solids content of not less than about 30% at 92F (as
determined by the AOCS SFI method) and preferably a Wiley
melting point of about 108F to 120F. Preferably, the solids
content at 92~F will not be less than about 35%, and the Wiley
lS melting point will be within the range of from 108 to 113F.
Co~pletion of the interesterification reaction usually is
determined~by a 10F lowering of the melt point of the product
as compared to the mixture prior to 1nteresterification.
: ; It is .also possible to for~ the hardstock by first
: 20 interesterifying the specified oils and then hydrogenating to
; the required degree of saturation. The latter procedure,
- however, is less pre~erred since completion of the
interesterification iu less susceptible to precise
determination than in the case when the interesterification i9
effected after saturation of materials.
.~ Essential to the present invention i5 the use as starting
material of babassu nut oil, i.e., the oil from the babassu
nut Attalea funifera or its equivalent fatty acid composition.
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Such equivalent fatty acid composition can be obtained by
fractionation o~ other lauric oils. The use of babassu nut
oil or equivalent material results in a hardstoc~ which
enables margarines of varying consistencies and yet acceptable
properties to be provided while at the same time permits the
use of conventional processing, packaging, and equipment.
Also essential to the present invention is the use as a
starting material of a second edible oil saturated to an
iodine value of less than 2.0 which preferably has a melting
point of from about 55 to about 60C. This second oil is
interesterified with the saturated babassu nut oil, resulting
in a hardstock which contains no residual trans-unsaturation.
It is within the scope of the invention to utilize suitable
animal and vegetable fats which are Saturated to have iodine
values of less than 2.0 with preferable melting points of
between about 55 and 60C. These materials will provide a
desirable range of physical properties and be free of
trans-unsaturation. Among the suitable fats are those of
- animal and vegetable origin which are capable of providing
these properties when saturated, but in their natural state,
prior to any hydrogenation, exhibit iodine values of less than
about 60, prefera~ly less than about 50.
Blendæ or fractions of vegetable fats inclnding palm oil,
and coconut oil; and animal fats snch as tallow, can be
employed where they meet the above criteria. The preferred
vegetable fat according to the invention comprises palm oil,
and the preferred animal fat comprises tallow.
The req~isite low-trans fat of the present invention is
not achieved when the second edible oil co~prises an
unsaturated oil such as rapeseed oil [Canola oil], cottonseed
, . . .
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1136~Z
oil, soyabean oil or a highly unsaturated fraction of these or
other fats. When such fats are employed and the hydrogenation
is continued to the point necessary to yield the melting point
range of 55 to 60C, trans-isomer contents detectable in
amounts signiicantly greater than 1~ remain. And, where
hydrogenation is effected to result in saturation with a
correspondingly higher melting point, the interesterification
product is incapable of providing an edible fat product having
the preferred SFI values.
In the market place, margarines are generally sold as one
of two principal types, namely, print, hard or stick margarine
and soft or tub margarine. Hard or stick margarine would have
a firmness consistent with a penetration range of 65 to 120
being in units of 0.1 mm using an A5TM grease cone at 45F.
Soft or tub margarine would have a firmness consistent with a
penetration range of 130 to 210 being in units of 0.1 mm using
an ASTM grease cone at 4SF. ~ Lesser amounts of margarine are
sold in a form so soft that it is fluid, being at least
capable of being squeezed Prom a flexible container. ~he
present invention is directed to the production of edible Pat
- products suitable for printing into sticks or forming pats. It
is also within the conte~plation of the invention that the fat
products of the lnvention can be employed in the preparation
of calorie-reduced mar~arine (diet mar~arine), industrial 25 shortenings, blends with dairy products and spreads containing
less than 80~ fat.
The SFI solids values re~uired for an edible fat product
to be used in a stick margarine are a minimum solids content
of 12% at 50F, a minimum solids content oP 7~ at 70F and a
maximum solids content oP 4%, preferably less than 3%, at
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92F. ~lost preferably, the ~a~imum solids content at 92F
will be about 2%. At this specification, the margarine ~ay be
formed and wrapped satisfactorily, maintains its stick form
without substantial oil separation at room temperature and yet
remains rapid melting on the tongue at about 96F. Such a
product may be formulated, in accordance with this invention,
from an edible fat product which is a blend of liquid
unsaturated vegetable oils and the hardstock containing about
20 to about 30 wt.~ of the hardstock, preferably fram about 21
to about 24 wt.~.
It has previously been suggested in United States Patent
No. 3,617,308 to usé, in the formulation of margarines, a
randomly interesterified product of a mixture of fully
hardened palm kernel oil and a fully hardened vegetable-oil,
such as palm oil, rapeseed oil lCanola oil], cottonseed oil,
or soyabean oil. The blends of the resulting hardstock liquid
vegetable oil contain 8 to 15 wt.%, preferably 8 to ~2 wt.~,
of the hardstock. One key starting material in that patent is
palm kernel oil, i.e., the oil from the kernel of the palm
fruit Elaeis guineensis, a quite different starting material
from that used in this invention, where babassu nut oil is
used. This patent is not aoncerned with the production of a
low-trans-isomer-content fat, and in fact of the various
hardened vegetable oils which ma~ be used to form the
interesterification produ~t, only palm oil is suitable for
forming a product having no trans-unsaturation. The soyabean
oil, rapeseed oil [Canola oill and cottonseed oil when
hardened to only 55C, the low end of the slip-point range set
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" 113~Z
forth in the Patent, contain detectable amounts of
trans-isomers. In addition, the margarines preferably contain
a maximum concentration of hardstock of 12 wt.% which produces
an extremely soft margarine incapable of being formed into a
stick or pat. There is no disclosure of a farmulation
suitable for use in a stick margarine.
The ability to formulate an edible fat product containing
up to 80 wt.~ of liquid vegetable oil enables high levels of
polyunsaturates to be attained in stick and pat formulations
in this invention. In general, higher polyunsaturate~levels
in the margarine may be attained than in conventionally-
for~ulated margarines, and, at the same time, trans-
unsaturated isomers are absent from the product.
A wide variety of edible liquid vegetable oils may be
used in formulating the edible fat product from the
interesterified hardstock, including safflower oil, sunflower
oil, soyabean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil
[Canola oill, peanut oil, linseed oil, wheat germ oil. The
liquid vegetable oils most suitable have a ratio of
polyunsaturates to saturates (P/S) of greater than 2:1.
The fat blends provided in accordance with this invention
may be emulsified to ~oxm margarines in conventional manner,
as well as to form blends and spreads. Typically, the edible
fat product is emulsified with an aqueous phase at an elevated
temperature at which the fat product is liquid and then
subjected to rapid chilling. This procedure may be effected
using apparatus of conventional kind co~prising one or more
scraped surface tubular heat exchangers, for instance,
"Votator~ apparatus, wherein the emulsion is work~d up to ~orm
`` 113~4~2
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a water-in-oil emulsion of suitable consistency for spreading~
The super-cooled emulsion is formed into sticks and pats.
If desired, the initial liquid fat mixture may be
- subjected to a crystallizing step, either before or ~fter
emulsi~ication or, before the final chilling step, and further
crystalli~ation may be effected, for example, in resting or
working units, such as Votator B-units or whipping units,
before filling or forming the plastic emulsion into prints or
pats. Additionally, the plastic emulsion may be worked
mechanically between the resting or working units and the
filling or forming device.
The invention is illustrated further by the following
examples:
Example 1
This example illustrates the formation of low-trans-
isomer-content hardstock from babassu nut oil and palm oil for
use in products according to the invention.
Babassu nut oil was hydrogenated at 300F using a
suspension of 0.2% nickel catalyst (26% Ni~ based on the oil
to an iodine value of less than 2.0 to form a saturat~d
prodcut of melting point 113F (45C). Palm oil wa9 similarly
hydrogenated using nickel catalyst to an iodine value of less
than 2.0 to form a saturated product of melting point 140F
(60C). The hydrogenated materials were filtered to remove
-the nickel.
The resulting saturated babassu nut oil ahd saturated
palm oil were mixed in the weight proportion of 70:30 and
steam stripped to decrease the free fatty acid content below
about 0.03 wt.%. Under a high vacuum of 2 to 3 mm Hg, the
--` 113~i4~32
mixture was heated at 250F in the presence of 0.05% sodium
methoxide catalyst under agitation for 15 minutes. A sample
of product was analysed to confirm that the interesterifi-
cation was complete, as determined by a 10F lowering of the
melt point of the product as compared to the mixture prior to
interesterification.
The te~pexature was then decreased to 180F and 0.4 wt.~
of a 30~ aqueous solution of magnesium sulphate in hot water
was added to destroy residual catalyst. The temperature was
then raised to 210F and 1% bleaching earth was added to
bleach the product. Thereafter, the interesterified material
is cooled and filtered.
The hardstock product produced was found to have an SFI
solids value of 36.0~ at 92F and a Miley melting point of
109.0F. In addition, the hardstock product was found to
contain no trans-isomeric forms, as determined by infra-red
spe~trophotometry.
Example 2
This example shows the blending of the hardstock of
Example 1 with a liquid vegetable oil and the ~oxmation of
low-trans-isomer-cont~nt stick margarine from the ~lend.
The hardstock formed according to Example 1 was blended
with sunflower oil to form a blend containing 23% by weight of
the hardstock. The resulting blend had an unsaturates to
saturates ratio of 1.8:1 [55% polyunsaturates to 30% saturates
based on the total weight of the fat], and exhibited ~he
following SFI solids values:
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13.9% at 50F
9.1% at 70F
2.4% at 92F
The blend was combined with an aqueous phase and
A5 processed through conventional "Votator" A units and wor ~ B
unit to form a water-in-oil emulsion which is forwarded to a
print former and a wrapping machine to provide a stick
margarine. The resulting margarine spread readily, did not
exhibit oil separation during processing or subsequently at
room temperature, and had good mouth break. In addition, it
compared favorably to conventional stick ~argarine both in
shaping and wrapping characteristics. m e margarine had a
penetration of 95, being in units of 0.1 mm using an ASTM
grease cone at 45F.
,~
Example 3
This example shows the formation of a low-trans-is~er~
content hardstock formed in similar manner to example 1 but in
the weight proportion of 70% saturated babassu nut oil and 30%
; saturated tallow which is subsequently interesterified. The
hardstock product produced was ~ound to have an SFI solid3
value of 36.7% at 92F and a Wiley melt point of 110F.
In summary o~ this disclosure, the present invention
provides an edible low-trans-isomer-content fat product which
may be used in stick and pat margarine production.
Modifications are possible within the scope of the invqntion.
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