Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
36483
~ L~ A~O~UC~ I
The present invention relates to edible ~at products,
particularly to edible fat products suitable for formation
into soft margarines.
5Table margarines generally have been produaed 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
required to have certain flow characteristics while resisting
free oil separation and-yet should- be rapidly~melting on the
~ ,
~ tongue. The hydrogen~ation required to form a hardstock which
- : , .
~can provide such: characteristics also leads to residual
unsaturation which i5~in trans-isomeric forms of the mono-and
poly-unsaturates. ~Such~;trans-isomeric forms of fatty acids in
the diet are currently the center of much scientific
controversy and the~ sub~eçt o~ on-going research to determine
what role, if any, they play in dietary health.
In accordanae with the- present invention, a specific
hardstock has been found which allevia*es this concern, while
at the same time is suitable for the ~orm~lation of edible fat
products for use in the production of margarines which are
substantially free of trans-isomers. ~he invention, in its
.
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s
11364~3
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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 second
saturated edible oil having 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 60:40 to
about 40:60, the interesterified mixture resulting in a
hardstock having an SFI solids content of at least about 45 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 5% to about 20% by
weight of said hardstock.
While it is impractical commercially to prepare a product
ha~ing 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 tranæ-
~ isomer content of: less than 1%. The term low-trans-isomer-
: 20 content~ is thue .defined accordingly. The trans-iso~er
content is determined by infra-red spectrophotometry according
to the official method of the Ameriaan Oil Chemists
J ~
A Assoaiation ~AOCS) designated Cd-~-61.
The term "fat" as used herein is intended to inalude all
edible, fatty acid triglycerides regardless of orîgin or
.whether they are solid or liquid at room temperature. Thus.,
the term Rfat" includes normally liquid and normally solid
vegetable and animal fats and oils. Where the term "oil n is
employed herein, it is intended to refer to ~hose fats which
are normally liquid in their unmodified state~
1~3ti4~33
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The hardstock which is utilized in the present invention
is a randomly interesterified mi~ture of saturated babassu nu~
oil and a saturated second oil in proportions by weight of
about 75:25 to about 40:60, preferably fro~ about 60:40 to
about 40:60. 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 45~ at 92F (as
determined by the AOCS SFI method) and preferably a Wiley
melting point of about 112 to 120F. Preferably, the solids
content at 92F will not be less than a~out 50% and the ~iley
melting point will be within the range of from 115 to 119F.
Completion of the interesterification reaction usually is
determined by a 10F lowering of the melt point of the product
as co~pared to the mixture prior to interesterification.
It is also possible to form the hardstock by first
interesterifying the specified oils and then hydrogenating to
the ~equired degree of~ saturation. The latter procedure,
however, is less preferred since completion of the
interesterification i9 less susceptible to precise
determination than in the case when the interesterification is
effected after saturation of materials.
Essential to the present invention is the use as starting
material of babassu nut oil, i.e., the oil from the babassu
nut At~alea funifera. The use of thiæ material results in a
hardstock which enables margarines of varying consistencies
113f~4~33
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and yet acceptable properties to be provided while at the same
time permits the use of conventional processing, packaging,
and equip~ent.
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 pree~able 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 prop~rties when saturated, but in their natural state,
prior to any hydrogenation, exhibit iodine values of less than
about 60, preferably less than about 50.
~20 Biends or fractions of vegetable fats including palm oil,
and coconut oil; and animal fats such as tallow, can be
employed where th~y meet the above criteria. The preferred
vegetable fat according to the invention comprises palm oil,
and the preferred ani~al fat comprises tallow.
The requisite low-trans fat of the present invention is
not achieved when the second edible oil comprises an
unsaturated oil such as rapeseed oil [Canola oil], cottonseed
oil, soyabean oil or a highly unæaturated fraction of these or
other fats. ~hen such fats are employed and the hydrogenation
113~4~33
is continued to the point necessary to yield the ~elting point
range of 55 to 60C, trans-isomer contents detectable in
amounts significantly 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 mar~.et 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 AS~M 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 45F. Lesser amounts of margarine are
sold in a form so soft that it is fluid, being at least
capable of being squeezed from a flexible container. The
present invention is directed to the production of edible fat
products suitable for use in the tub and fluid forms. It is
also within the contemplation of the invention that the fat
products of the invention can be employed in the preparation
of calorie-reduced margarine ~diet margarine), industrial
shortenings, blends with dairy products and spreads containing
less than 80% fat.
The SFI solids values required for an edible fat to be
used in formulation of a tub margarine are a minimu~ solids
content of 9~ at 50F, a minimum solids content of 5% at 70F
and a maximum solids content of 4~ at 92F. Preferably, the
maximum solids content at 50F will be less than 12%, at 70F
.
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113~4~3
will be less than 7%, and will be less than 3% at 92F. Most
preferably, the maximum solids content at 92F will be about
2%. A margarine formed from an edible fat product of this
specification is easily spread at room temperature without
substantial oil separation, and yet a good mouth break at
about 96F results. Such a product may be formulated, in
accordance with this invention, fro~ an edible fat product
which is a blend of liquid unsaturated vegetable oils and the
hardstock containing about 5 to about 20 wt.% of the
hardstock, preferably from 14 to 20 wt.%, most preferably
above 15, typically from about I6 to about 19 wt.%.
For squeezable fluid spreads having a minimum hardstock
content of 5 wt.%, the SFI solids values should be near the
lower ends of the above ranges and are preferably just below
them having, for example, a minimum solids content of 2% at
50F, a minimu~ solids content of 1% at 70F, and a maximum
solids content of 1% at 92F. Preferably, the ~aximum solids
content at 50F wlll be 5% and at 70F will be~3%.
It has previously been suggested in United States Patent
No. 3,617,308 to use, in the for~ulation of margarines, a
randomly interesterified product of a ~i*ture of fully
hardened palm kernel oil and a fully hardened vegetable oil,
such as palm oil, rapeseed oil tCanola oil], cottanseed oil,
or soyabean oil. The blends of resulting hardstock with
liquid vegetable oil contain 8 to 15 wt.%, preferably 8 to 12
wt.~ of the hardstock. One key starting material in that
patent is pal~ kernel oil, i.e., the oil fro~ the kernel of
the palm fruit Elaeis quineensis, a quite different starting
material fro~ that used in this invention, where babassu nut
oil is used. This patent is not concerned with the production
11364~33
of a low-trans-isomer-content fat, and in fact of the various
hardened vegetable oils which may be used to form the
interesterification product, only palm oil is suitable for
forming a product having no trans-unsaturation. The soyabean
oil, rapeseed oil [Canola oil~ and cottonseed oil when
hardened to only 55C, the low end of the slip-point range set
forth in the Patent, contain detectable amounts of
trans-isomers.
The ability to formulate an edible fat product containing
up to 95 wt.% of liquid vegetable oil enables high levels of
polyunsaturates to be attained both in tub and fluid
formulations in this invention. In qeneral, higher
polyunsaturate levels in the margarine may be attained than in
conventionally-formulated 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, includinq safflower oil, sunflower
oil, soyabean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil
~Canola oil], 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 form 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 effecte~
using apparatus of conventional kind comprising one or more
,
113~4~3
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scraped surface tubular heat exchangers, for instance,
"votator" apparatus, wherein the emulsion is worked up to form
a water-in-oil emulsion of suitable consistency for spreading.
The super-cooled emulsion is filled into suitable containers.
If desired, the initial liquid fat mixture may be
subjected to a crystallizing step, either before or after
emulsification or, before the final chilling step, and further
crystallization 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
containers. 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:
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Example 1
This example illustrate4 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
suæpension of 0.2% nickel catalyst (26% Ni) based on the oil
to an iodine value of less than 2.0 to form a saturated
product of ~elting point 113F (45C). Palm oil was 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.
3~83
g
The resulting saturated babassu nut oil and saturated
palm oil were mixed in the weight proportion of 50:50 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
mixture was heated at 250F in the presence of 0.05% sodium
methoxide catalyst under agitation for 15 minutes. A sam~le
of product was analysed to confirm that the interesterifi-
cation was complete, as determined by 10F lowering of the
melt point of the product as compared to the mixture prior to
interesterification.
The temperature 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 ound to have an SFI
solids value of 54.4% at 92F and a Wiley Melting point of
117.5%. In addition, ~he hardstock product was found to
contain no trans-isomeric for~s, 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 formation of
low-trans-isomer-content tub margarine from the blend.
The hardstock formed according to Example 1 was blended
wi~h sunflower oil to form a blend containing 16~ by weight of
the hardstock. The resulting blend had an unsaturates to
113641!~3
-- 10 --
saturates ratio of 2.2:1 [57% polyunsaturates to 24~ saturates
based on the ~otal weight of the fat], and exhibited the
following SFI solids values:
9.4% at 50F
56.2% at 70F
2.0% at 92F
The blend was combined with about 20% of its weight of an
aqueous phase and processed through conventional "Votator~ A
units and working B unit to form a water-in-oil emulsion which
0 i9 forwarded to conventional packaglng equipment to provide a
tub margarine. The resulting margarine spread readily, did
not exhibit oil separation during processing or subs~quently
at room temperature, and had good mouth break. The margarine
had a penetration of 160, 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-isomer-
content hardstock formed in similar manner tD example 1 but in
the weight proportion of 55% saturated babassu nut oil 45~
saturated tallow, which blend was su~sequently
interesterified. The hardstock product produced was found to
have an SFI solids value~ of 4S.7% at 92F and a Wiley melt
point of 116F.
~n sunmary o~ this disclosure, the present invention
provides an edible low-trans-isomer-content fat product which
may be used in both tub and fluid margarine production.
Modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.
