Plastic fats and margarines through fractionation,blending and interesterification of milk fat

Milk fat stearins and oleins were blended with high‐ and low‐melting natural fats to produce plastic fats, vanaspati substitute and confectionery fats. Margarines of improved nutritional value were also formulated. Fractionation was carried out using acetone, hexane, and isopropyl alcohol. The yield (wt‐%) of high‐melting stearin (HMS) from acetone and IPA was 13.0 ± 0.2 to 13.3 ± 0.1 after crystallization for 24 h at 20 °C. The melting point of the products was 49.0 ± 0.5 to 49.8 ± 0.6 °C. However, in hexane the yield of HMS was 12.2 ± 0.2% at 10 °C. The olein fractions were further fractionated at 10 °C from acetone and IPA, and at 0 °C from hexane, to obtain superoleins and low‐melting stearins (LMS). HMS fractions were blended with rice bran oil and cottonseed oil at the ratio 70 : 30 (wt/wt), and the superoleins were blended with sal fat and palm stearin at the ratios 40 : 60, 30 : 70 and 20 : 80 (wt/wt). The blends were interesterified (product melting point: 22.7 ± 0.04 to 39.3 ± 0.10 °C) chemically and enzymatically to prepare margarine. The penetration values (in 0.1 mm) of these margarines were noted to be 112 ± 1.52 to 145 ± 0.00.     

Simplified gravimetric determination of total fat in food composites after chloroform-methanol extraction

A modification of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) method 983.23 for the quantitative determination of total lipid in food composites was evaluated for the measurement of total fat. The procedure is based on the Bligh and Dyer chloroform/methanol total lipid extraction. Relative to AOAC 983.23, the proposed method is less labor-intensive and is applicable to batch analysis of a larger number of samples, thus reducing the cost of analysis and increasing sample throughput. Total lipid values from the proposed method are comparable to those from AOAC 983.23 and slightly higher than total fat determined by acid hydrolysis (AOAC 954.02, 945.44, or 922.06). Recoveries of standard additions of different food-grade oils from a mixed food composite were essentially quantitative, ranging from 96 to 101%. Total lipid measured in Total Diet Standard Reference Material 1548 (SRM 1548, National Institute of Standards and Technology) was 101% of the certified mean total fat content and within the certified range. The method is to be suitable for analysis of food composites with between 0.15 and 1.5 g total fat (3 to 30% by weight). More than 600 samples of a variety of total diet composites were collected and assayed as diet quality control samples for two National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-sponsored multicenter clinical feeding trials: DELTA (Dietary Effects on Lipoproteins and Thrombogenic Activity) and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). The mean coefficient of variation was 1.2% for duplicate assays of these samples over the course of two years and multiple analysts. In addition, total lipid values for more than 200 samples of a diet composite quality control material, used in this laboratory over a two-year period, had a 3.99% coefficient of variation. Although the accuracy of all gravimetric total fat methods with respect to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Nutritional Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) definition of total fat as the sum of triglycerides remains to be determined, the reported modification of AOAC 983.23 yields a total fat content of acceptable accuracy relative to other gravimetric methods, and with proper quality control the method has excellent precision.     

Melting and solidification characteristics of confectionery fats: Anhydrous milk fat,cocoa butter and palm kernel stearin blends

Differential scanning calorimetry measurements of crystallization and melting characteristics of commercial samples of anhydrous milk fat (AMF), cocoa butter (CB) and hydrogenated palm kernel stearin (PKS) in ternary blends were studied. Results showed that stabilization at 26°C (either for 40 h or 7 d) did not greatly affect the melting thermogram trace of PKS. However, the effect of stabilization became prominent as CB was added into the system. Deviation of measured enthalpy from the corresponding values, calculated for thermodynamically ideal blends, showed clear interaction between all three fats. At 20°C, the strongest deviation occurred at about the AMF/CB/PKS (1∶1∶1) blend, whereas at 30°C the deviation moved toward the CB/MF (1∶1) blend. The presence of 25% AMF in PKS had little effect on its solidification capability, but solidification was adversely affected with inclusion of CB.     

The influence of food emulsifiers on fat and sugar dispersions in oils. I. Adsorption,sedimentation

The adsorption isotherms of several emulsifiers to fat and sugar crystals dispersed in oils have been determined. Further, the influence of the emulsifiers on the interactions between the crystals has been estimated in sedimentation experiments, where an increased sediment volume due to adsorption corresponds to an increased adhesion between the crystals andvice versa. Most of the emulsifiers examined adsorb weakly to fat crystals and form tight monolayers, resulting in increased adhesion between the crystals at high concentrations. On the other hand, loosely packed layers are formed at low concentrations, and a decreased adhesion is observed. Unsaturated monoglycerides and phospholipids cause a decrease in adhesion for all concentrations examined. The emulsifiers adsorb more strongly to sugar crystals than to fat crystals and form tightly packed monolayers with hydrocarbon chains directed to the oil. The crystals are then stabilized sterically—the adhesion between them is weaker and the sediments are more compact. At low concentrations, the opposite behavior often occurs. Monoglycerides interact in a specific way with sugar and cause increased adhesion between the crystals for all concentrations examined. Phospholipids reduce the adhesion between sugar crystals, resulting in much denser sediments. Saturated monoglycerides in amounts over the solubility limit tend to precipitate as a network between fat or sugar crystals, which causes bulky sediments and results in better stability against oiling out.     

A spatially resolved model for pressure filtration of edible fat slurries

A spatially resolved one dimensional pressure filtration model was developed for a slurry of edible fat crystals. The model focuses on the expression step in which a cake is compressed to force the liquid through a filter cloth. The model describes the local oil flow in the shrinking cake modeled as a porous nonlinear elastic medium existing of two phases, viz. porous aggregates and interaggregate liquid. Conservation equations lead to a set of two differential equations (vs. time and vs. a material coordinate ω) for two void ratios, which are solved numerically by exploiting a finite-difference scheme. A simulation with this model results in a spatially resolved cake composition and in the outflow velocity, both as a function of time, as well as the final solid fat contents of the cake. Simulation results for various filtration conditions are compared with experimental data collected in a pilot-plant scale filter press.     

The influence of food emulsifiers on fat and sugar dispersions in oils. III. Water content,purity of oils

The influence of water on the interactions between fat and sugar crystals dispersed in triglyceride (vegetable) oils was qualitatively estimated from sedimentation and rheological experiments. The experiments were performed both with and without food emulsifiers (monoglycerides and lecithins) present in the oil. The effects of minor natural oil components (nontriglycerides) on the interactions and on emulsifier adsorption to the crystals were examined by comparing a commercial refined oil and a chromatographically purified oil. The results show that water generally increases the adhesion between fat and sugar crystals in oils and also increases the surface activity of the oil-soluble food emulsifiers. Minor oil components give a small increase in the adhesion between fat and sugar crystals in oils, but do not influence the adsorption of food emulsifiers in any systematic way.     

The influence of food emulsifiers on fat and sugar dispersions in oils. II. Rheology,colloidal forces

The influence of food emulsifiers on the viscoelastic properties (storage modulus and yield value) of fat and sugar dispersions in vegetable oils has been investigated. It was found that almost all of the emulsifiers tested influence the rheology of the dispersions. The magnitude and the direction of the rheological changes depend on both the type and the amount of emulsifier. In most cases the changes are relatively small, especially for fat crystals. Generally speaking, the largest changes are caused by lecithins and saturated monoglycerides. The magnitudes of colloidal forces and equilibrium distances between the particles have been estimated from the rheological network model of van den Tempel [J. Colloid Sci. 16:284 (1964)] and from the correlation of the yield value to the interaction energy by Gillespie [J. Colloid Sci. 15:219 (1960)] and Tadros [Langmuir 6:28 (1990) andChemistry and Industry 7:210 (1985)]. The results indicate that van der Waals forces alone cannot be responsible for the interparticle interaction in fat or sugar dispersions. The formation of water bridges is discussed as a probable source of interaction in both cases. Furthermore, the validity of the network model for fat and sugar dispersions in oils is questionable.     

Utilization of high‐oleic rapeseed oil for deep‐fat frying of French fries compared to other commonly used edible oils

Changes in chemical, physical and sensory parameters of high‐oleic rapeseed oil (HORO) (NATREON?) during 72 h of deep‐fat frying of potatoes were compared with those of commonly used frying oils, palm olein (PO), high‐oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) and partially hydrogenated rapeseed oil (PHRO). In addition to the sensory evaluation of the oils and the potatoes, the content of polar compounds, oligomer triacylglycerols and free fatty acids, the oxidative stability by Rancimat, the smoke point and the anisidine value were determined. French fries obtained with HORO, PO and HOSO were still suitable for human consumption after 66 h of deep‐fat frying, while French fries fried in PHRO were inedible after 30 h. During the frying period, none of the oils exceeded the limit for the amount of polar compounds, oligomer triacylglycerols and free fatty acids recommended by the German Society of Fat Science (DGF) as criteria for rejection of used frying oils. After 72 h, the smoke point of all oils was below 150 °C, and the amount of tocopherols was reduced to 5 mg/100 g for PHRO and 15 mg/100 g for HORO and HOSO. Remarkable was the decrease of the oxidative stability of HOSO measured by Rancimat. During frying, the oxidative stability of this oil was reduced from 32 h for the fresh oil to below 1 h after 72 h of frying. Only HORO showed still an oxidative stability of more than 2 h. From the results, it can be concluded that the use of HORO for deep‐fat frying is comparable to other commonly used oils.