IES85011Y1 - Food products - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT This invention relates to food products, such as fillings, pastes, sauces, shortenings, toppings and spreads.

Description

This invention relates to food products, such as fillings, pastes, sauces, shortenings, toppings and spreads.

Fat spreads have traditionally been produced using partially hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils, to achieve a spread having good organoleptic properties.

However, such spreads generally include a substantial amount of trans unsaturated fatty acid residues. The consumption of trans unsaturated fatty acid residues, also known as “trans fats", is considered to have negative health implications such as increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. This has led consumers to seek spreads containing reduced quantities of “trans fats”, or which are substantially free of “trans fats”, i.e. so-called “trans free” products.

“Trans free” food products can be produced by using non-hydrogenated fats and oils. The production of “trans free” food products where a certain level of solid fat is required e.g. margarine, can be approached in a number of ways. For example, a fully hydrogenated oil can be blended with a liquid oil. Alternatively, this mixture can be given a further subsequent treatment e. g. interesterification. This will have the effect of improving the crystallisation characteristics compared to the starting blend. However, the crystallisation behaviour is still not optimal in most cases.

Other fat phases having low or zero “trans fats” can be formulated by the use of naturally hard, or naturally solid fat containing fat and oil sources e. g. palm oil and palm oil fractions.

However, the disadvantage of these fat phases is that they are considered to have poor crystallisation behaviour, resulting in the food product having one or more of the following organoleptic aspects: a poor texture, a poor mouthfeel, brittleness, a matt appearance, roughness, sandiness and graininess. “Sandiness" results in an undesirable sandy, dry mouthfeel, whereas “graininess” refers to the presence of larger, visible grains or crystals present in the spread. For this reason, oils which are non-hydrogenated and non-interesterified in their natural form, e.g. palm oil, have been found to be generally unsuitable for use as a fat phase in fat spreads.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially alleviate the aforementioned problems.

According to the invention there is provided a food product comprising: (a) from about 10% to 90% by weight of a fat phase comprising: (i) from about 95% to 99.9% by weight of the fat phase of a fat base having a solids profile characterised by a N5-value of from about 3 to 75, and a N40-value of from about 0 tol5; and (ii) from about 0.1% to 5% by weight of the fat phase of a crystallisation modifying agent comprising at least one organic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids; and (b) from about 10% to 90% by weight of an aqueous phase; wherein the food product comprises no more than 3% by weight of trans unsaturated fatty acid residues based on the weight of the food product.

As used herein, the term “solids profile”, also referred to as a N-line, is intended to define the melting characteristics of a fat or a fat-like substance, in this case, the melting characteristics of the fat base of the fat phase. The N—1ine is the graph of N-values versus the temperature T. The N-value is measured by NMR and is a direct measure of the level of solid fat content at temperature T. For example, a N5-value is a direct measure of the level of solid fat content measured by NMR at °C. An appropriate procedure is described in Fette, Seifen, Anstrichmittel 80(5), 180-186 (1978). The solids profiles referred to herein relate to the overall fat base, and accordingly, when the fat base comprises more than one component, the solids profile of the fat base refers to the combined components and not to single components in the fat base. To some extent N-values of fats and fatty substances are dependent on the temperature history in the preparation of the samples for the N-value measurement. For the purposes of the present invention, a suitable preparatory temperature history comprises heating the sample to 80°C, followed by 5 minutes at 60°C and 60 minutes at 0°C, whereafter the sample is held for 30 minutes at the temperature of the N-value measurement, subsequent to which said measurement is immediately carried out.

The invention also provides the use of an organic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids for improving the organoleptic properties of a food product according to the invention.

Improving the organoleptic properties of a food product according to the invention includes, for example, improving the texture by reducing the sandiness and/or graininess and/or brittleness, and improving the appearance by increasing the shine and/or smoothness.

In the food product of the invention, the fat phase is preferably present in an amount of from about 20% to 80%, more preferably from about 30% to 70%, most preferably from about 35% to 65%, especially approximately 60% by weight of the food product.

The fat base in the food product of the invention preferably has a solids profile characterised by a N5-value of from about 5 to 70, and a N40-value of from about 0 tol3, more preferably a N5-value of from about 7 to 65, and a N4o—value of from about0 to 11.

The fat base used in the present invention may comprise one or more of the following: marine oils and fats, animal oils and fats, and edible vegetable oils and fats, optionally modified by fractionation and/or hydrogenation and/or interesterification. Sources may include palm oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, palm kernel oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil and safflower oil, tallow, lard, fish and mixtures thereof. Soybean oil and palm oil are preferred, especially palm oil which is non-hydrogenated and non-interesterified.

Palm oil is a natural fat, which is not hydrogenated nor interesterified in its natural form, and is trans fatty acid free. This confers on it a clean label as far as ingredients listing on consumer packages is concerned. This is of great interest to the general public, who are increasingly looking for more wholesome and less processed foods. Traditionally, the use of palm oil in its natural form in margarines and fat spreads has been very limited due to the difficulty in crystallising it in a form which is appealing to the consumer. An appealing appearance is characterised by a uniform appearance or smoothness when spread, shininess and gloss, and a general ease of use especially when the margarine or spread is used directly from the refrigerator.

Traditionally, partially hydrogenated fats (e.g. palm oil M.P. 44) have been used, which have a high content of trans fatty acids, and therefore margarine spreads using such hydrogenated palm oil are undesirable. Alternatively, fully hydrogenated fats e. g. palm oil and palm kernel oil were interesterified to produce hardstocks for margarine production. Both of these have the disadvantage that they are perceived as being too processed in the eyes of the consumer. It has now unexpectedly been found that margarine can be made from non-hydrogenated and non-interesterified oil, e.g. palm oil, in its natural form.

The crystallisation modifying agent is preferably present in the fat phase in an amount of from about 0.2% to 4%, more preferably from about 0.3% to 3%, most preferably approximately 1.5% by weight of the fat phase.

The crystallisation modifying agent used in the invention comprises at least one organic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids which is preferably selected from: (i) acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as ACETEM (E 472a); (ii) lactic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as LACTEM (E 472b); (iii) citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as CITREM (E 4720); and (iv) mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as DATEM (E 472e); (V) mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as MATEM (E 472f), and mixtures thereof.

Acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are preferred, more preferably those having an acetylation degree in the range of 0.3 to 0.7, especially 0.5. Particularly preferred are acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids sold under the trade name Myvacet LG K available from Kerry Bio-Science, Netherlands.

The organic acid ester used in the present invention preferably has an iodine value of less than 55, more preferably less then 35, most preferably less than 20, especially less than 3. The fatty acids for use in the invention may be saturated or unsaturated, and are preferably saturated.

The fatty acids for use in the invention preferably comprise from 12 to 24 carbon atoms, preferably from 12 to 18 carbon atoms, and are preferably selected from lauric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid, and mixtures thereof.

The aqueous phase in the food product of the invention is preferably present in an amount of from about 20% to 80%, more preferably from about 30% to 70%, most preferably from about 35% to 65%, especially approximately 40% by weight of the food product.

The food product of the invention comprises no more than 3% by weight of trans unsaturated fatty acid residues, preferably no more than 2.5% by weight of trans unsaturated fatty acid residues based on the weight of the food product.

The food product of the invention may include one or more conventional additives such as emulsifiers, preservatives, stabilisers, colouring agents, flavouring agents, proteins and buffering agents. The additives may be added in varying amounts, as will be known by persons skilled in the art, typically from about 0.01% to about % of the fat phase and from about 0.01% to about 10% of the aqueous phase.

The food product of the invention preferably comprises no more than one grain per cmz, more preferably no grains per cmz, wherein grains refers to grains or large crystals clearly visible in the prepared food product.

The food product of the invention may be a filling, a paste, a sauce, a shortening, a topping or a spread.

The invention is illustrated in the following Examples.

Examples 1 and 2 Food products according to the invention, which are spreads were prepared from the ingredients listed in Table 1: Table 1 Ingredients Ingredients (Exampleg) Exam le 2 Fat Phase Fat Phase soybean oil 30% palm oil 40% Hardstock 30% - Lecithin 0.1% - Myvacet LG K 1.0% Myvacet LG K 1.0% 1% natural 0.1% 1% natural 0.1% carotene dispersion carotene dispersion Aqueous phase Aqueous Phase NaCl 1.0% NaCl 1.0% Potassium sorbate 0.03% Potassium Sorbate 0.02% citric acid, 1 aq. 0.03% Citric acid, laq 0.02% Water up to 100% Water up to 100% The hardstock was a blend of liquid soybean oil and fully hardened soybean oil, which had been chemically interesterificd.

Myvacet LG K is the trade name for acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E ) available from Kerry Bio-Science, Netherlands.

The food products were prepared as follows. The ingredients of the fat phase were mixed and heated until molten. The NaCl, potassium sorbate and citric acid were dissolved/dispersed in the water. The aqueous phase was subsequently slowly added to the fat phase whilst being stirred, at a temperature of approximately 45°C. The composition was then processed in a pilot plant scraped surface heat exchanger (SSHE, outlet temperature 116°C, RPM 800,), with a pin working unit attached. The processing conditions were as follows: product throughput 6.4kg/hr for Example 1 (pump setting 6), and 3.4 and 5.0 kg/hr for Example 2 (pump settings 4 and 6 respectively), and the pin worker had an outlet temperature of 20- 24°C and operated at an RPM of 200. The food products were then packed and stored in a refrigerator at 5°C. The amount of trans unsaturated fatty acid residues present in the food product was 2.07% for Example 1, and 0.16% for Example 2 based on the weight of the food product.

Example 3 Comparative spread A was prepared from the ingredients in Table l for Example 1 and according to the procedure of Example 1 except that the 1.0% of Myvacet LG K was replaced by 0.25% distilled monoglyceride made from palm oil (trade name Myverol 18-04 K, available from Kerry Bio-Science, Netherlands). In spread A, the remaining 0.75% was made up of 0.375% soybean oil and 0.375% hardstock.

The amount of 0.25% of Myverol 18-04 K used in spread A is a typical amount of emulsifier used in margarine and spreads. Using substantially more than 0.25%, especially more than 0.5% of Myverol 18-04 K, would have a significant negative effect on the spread. For example, a spread produced using more than 0.5% of Myverol 18-04 K would have an undesirable, waxy mouthfeel, and the flavour of the spread would be diminished due to the slow release of flavours by the spread.

In contrast, using 1.0% of Myvacet LG K, as in the spread according to the invention (Example 1), surprisingly produces a spread having a desirable mouthfeel and good flavour.

A thin layer of the spread according to the invention (Example 1) and spread A was spread on a sheet of paper with a knife. The number of grains in each spread was counted and their size evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 No. of Size of grains grains/cmz of (mm) spread Example I 0 0 Comparative 2 — 8 0.3 — 3.0 Spread A O The appearance of each spread was evaluated by a trained panel of eight judges, and the results are shown in Table 3.

S Panel list Example 1 Comparative Spread A 1 1 3 2 1 4 3 1 4 4 1 3 2 3 6 1 4 7 l 3 8 2 4 Total Score 10 30 = very smooth, no imperfections or unevenness or interruptions = very small imperfections or unevenness or interruptions : moderate imperfections or unevenness or interruptions = large imperfections or unevenness or interruptions = imperfections or unevenness or interruptions which make the spread unusable, and/or with oil and/or water separation Texture analysis was performed on each spread using a Texture Analyser TA.XTplus from Stable Micro Systems. The texture of each spread was measured at 5°C. The speed of penetration of the probe into each spread was 1 mm per second. The probe was allowed to move down 15 mm into each spread. The Figure illustrates that spread A had a brittle and hard texture, whereas the spread according to the invention (Example 1) had a smooth and soft texture, thus having the desired properties for a spread.

The comparative spread A had a matt, coarse appearance and included visible grains, whereas the spread according to the invention exhibited a smooth spreading texture without any grains, and was shiny in appearance. The spread according to the invention (Example 1) also exhibited a smooth and stable consistency on packing, and immediately after packing did not shrink from the sides of the packaging, nor sweat or exude oil on the surface during storage at 5°C.

Example 4 Comparative spreads B and C were prepared from the ingredients in Table 1 for Example 2 and according to the procedure of Example 2, except: (1) without using the 1.0% of Myvacet LG K (comparative spread B); or (2) replacing the 1.0% of Myvacet LG K by 1.0% distilled monoglyceride (trade name Myverol 18-04 K, available from Kerry Bio-Science, Netherlands) (comparative spread C).

The product throughput was 3.4 and 5.0 kg/hr for both comparative spreads B and C (using pump settings 4 and 6 respectively).

The solid fat content of the fat used in Example 2 and in comparative spreads B and C was 34% at 5°C and 0% at 40°C.

The spread made without Myvacet LG K (comparative spread B) and the spread made with the distilled monoglyceride, Myverol 18-04K (comparative spread C) were both lacking smoothness and shine, when spread directly from the refrigerator (5°C). They also had a somewhat uneven, crumbly and broken appearance. The spread according to the invention made with Myvacet LG K (Example 2) was however smooth, had a good plastic texture, and was shiny on the surface. It is clear that Myvacet LG K provides particular advantages to spreads made from oils which are non-hydrogenated and non-interesterified in their natural form, for example palm oil, since it has surprisingly been found that a margarine of superior appearance can be made even with non-hydrogenated non- interesterified palm oil.

Claims (5)

Claims

1. A food product comprising: (a) from about 10% to 90% by weight of a fat phase comprising: (i) from about 95% to 99.9% by weight of the fat phase of a fat base having a solids profile characterised by a N5-value of from about 3 to 75, and a N40-value of from about 0 to15; and (ii) from about 0.1% to 5% by weight of the fat phase of a crystallisation modifying agent comprising at least one organic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids; and (b) from about 10% to 90% by weight of an aqueous phase; wherein the food product comprises no more than 3% by weight of trans unsaturated fatty acid residues based on the weight of the food product.

2. A food product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fat phase is present in an amount of from about 20% to 80% by weight of the food product, preferably from about 30% to 70% by weight of the food product, more preferably from about 5% to 65% by weight of the food product, especially approximately 60% by weight of the food product.

3. A food product as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the crystallisation modifying agent is present in the fat phase in an amount of from about 0.2% to 4% by weight of the fat phase, preferably from about 0.3% to 3% by weight of the fat phase, most preferably approximately 1.5% by weight of the fat phase.

4. A food product as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one organic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids of the crystallisation modifying agent is selected from: (i) acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as ACETEM (E 472a); (ii) lactic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as LACTEM (E 472b); (iii) citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as CITREM (E 472C); and (iv) mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as DATEM (E 472e); (V) mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, also known as MATEM (E 4720, and mixtures thereof; and wherein, preferably, the at least one organic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids is an acetic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids.

5. Use of an organic acid ester of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids for improving the organoleptic properties of a food product as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4.