GB2597773A

GB2597773A - Upgrade of animal fats

Info

Publication number: GB2597773A
Application number: GB2012173.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wynand Van Zyl Andries; Gerhardus Maria Goorhuis Johannes
Original assignee: Freddy Hirsch Group AG
Current assignee: Freddy Hirsch Group AG
Priority date: 2020-08-05
Filing date: 2020-08-05
Publication date: 2022-02-09
Also published as: GB202012173D0; WO2022029242A1

Abstract

A process for preparing an upgraded fat material comprising: (a) mixing crosslinking additive(s) and water soluble gelable polysaccharide(s) in water, preferably, in a molar ratio between 1:5 and 2:1; (b) after the gelable polysaccharide(s) have dissolved, adding fat(s)/oil(s) to form a reaction mixture, wherein the fat(s)/oil(s) comprise a triglyceride oil from animals selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, and/or goat; and (c) allowing a crosslinking reaction to complete. Preferably, the crosslinking additive is calcium sulphate dihydrate and the polysaccharide is sodium alginate. Step a) may include mixing a calcium sequestrant, preferably tetrasodium pyrophosphate, an anticlumping aid, preferably dextrose and a thickener, preferably modified starch. An upgraded fat material is also claimed comprising an oil in water emulsion within the crosslinked polysaccharide matrix. Also claimed is a food product comprising the upgraded fat material, preferably a meat product, a bakery product such as pastry, or a confectionary, where the upgraded food product is used as a fat substitute such as an animal fat substitute, or a vegetable oil substitute.

Description

UPGRADE OF ANIMAL FATS FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of food additives. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of upgraded animal fat food additives and processes for their manufacture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Animal fats and oils are lipid materials derived from animals. Animal fats or oils are composed of triglyceride molecules which are tri-esters of glycerol with fatty acids. Commonly, animal fats and oils are obtained from waste animal products such as waste products from the meat industry. A significant portion of animal carcasses used in the meat industry are used to provide the meat. Waste products from the meat industry include the parts of animal carcasses that are not directly used to provide meat. Such parts include fatty tissues, bones and offal. Sometimes, complete animal carcasses are used to provide animal fat where, for example, the carcass is deemed unsuitable for providing meat. Animal fats and oils are typically obtained from the animal tissues by a process known as rendering. Rendering involves extracting the fat components from the tissues and separating it from the bulk of the other animal material present such as proteins and bones. A variety of different types of rendering processes are known and used to produce animal fats and oils from animal tissues.

Animal fats and oils can be classified as edible or inedible animal fats and oils. Edible animal fats and oils can be used in food products for human consumption. Inedible animal fats and oils are used in a variety of other applications such as in the production of oleochemicals such as soap; the production of biodiesel; the production of pet food and animal feed; and being directly combusted for energy. Whether an animal fat or oil is deemed to be edible or not is determined by a variety of factors such as the animal tissue from where the fat or oil is derived and the rendering process used to separate the fat or oil from the animal tissue.

Edible animal fats and oils are used in a variety of different food products intended for human consumption. For example, animal fats can be used as shortening in food products such as pastry to give the pastry a crumbly texture Animal fats and oils are also used to produce lard and margarines which have a variety of different uses in cooking and in food products. Animal fats and oils are also often added to meat products and included in soups. Animal fats and oils can be used to affect the texture and flavour of food products, or to act as a flavour base since they are often able to dissolve chemicals used as flavours. Animal oils and fats can also be used to cook foods such as by frying, for example in the frying of french fries or in the mass production of potato chips.

The quality of an edible animal fat or oil is used to determine the various food related uses to which the fat or oil is suitable for. Parameters used to determine quality include the amount of water in the fat; the amount of insoluble impurities; the free fatty acid (PFA) content; the iodine value which is indicative of the degree of saturation; the colour and smell of the fat; the smoke point of the fat; and the melting point of the fat. Melting point is a key criterion that determines the use to which an edible fat may be put. Certain applications of animal fat and oil in foodstuffs require that the animal fat or oil has a sufficiently high melting point. For example, in many applications, it is desirable that the animal fat or oil remains solid at a temperature considerably above room temperature. The melting point of a fat or oil is primarily determined by the degree of saturation in the fatty acid moieties present in the triglyceride molecule, and also the length of the fatty acid moiety chains present in the triglyceride molecules of the fat. Typically, a higher degree of unsaturation (i.e. more carbon-carbon double bonds in the fatty acid chain) and longer length fatty acid chains result in a higher melting point of the fat molecule, although other factors may also sometimes affect the melting point. Animal fats derived from different sources often have different melting points due to the different fatty acid moieties found in varying amounts in each animal fat. For example, animal fats derived from different sources often contain different amounts of fatty acids commonly found in the fats such as palmitic, oleic and stearic acid. As a result, animal fats and oils derived from one particular animal source are nearly always chemically distinct from fats and oils derived from another animal source, and the different fats and oils will thus have different melting points. For example, the melting point of beef tallow typically varies from around 40°C to around 50°C; the melting point of pork lard often varies from around 34°C to 44°C; and the melting point of poultry fat often varies from around 23°C to 40°C. Animal fats such as fish oils typically have still far lower melting points and are typically low viscosity liquids at room temperature.

As a result of the variance of the melting points of animal fats and oils derived from different sources, certain animal fats and oils are not suitable for food-based applications where a higher melting point is required or at least highly desirable.

Alginate has been used in a variety of food products for a variety of different reasons. For example, as discussed above, alginate can be used to make casings for vegetarian sausages.

W092/02147 discloses compositions for use as fat substitutes that have a fat-like "mouth feel". The compositions contain polysaccharides such as alginate, pectin, fiber and carrageenan dissolved in water that have a texture resembling fat. The compositions can be used in fat substitutes such as soups, gravies and sauces. If alginates are used in the compositions, the alginates are not crosslinked. The disclosed compositions are liquids so that they can be suitably incorporated into liquid food products.

US5106644 discloses food additives that are fat substitute compositions that can be used to reduce the fat content and thus calorific value of food. The compositions comprise from 0.5% to 99.5% of an animal or plant fat, and from 0.5% to 99.5% of a polymeric liquid crystal of solvent and polysaccharides. Examples of polysaccharides that can be used include sodium alginate, chitosan, chitin, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, xantham gums, and hydroxypropyl cellulose. The liquid crystals are included to mimic the mouth feel and characteristics of conventional fats. It is not disclosed that any alginate used in the compositions is crosslinked.

W092/21703 discloses microcrystalline starch compositions for use as fat substitutes in order to achieve energy reduction of food products. The microcrystalline starch is reported as having similar organoleptic properties to fat, but with at least 50% less the energy value.

US49 I I 946 discloses water dispersible macrocolloid fat substitutes that can be used in cream. The fat substitutes can replace all or a portion of the fat in cream to lower the fat and energy content of the cream. The macrocolloidal fat substitutes mimic the mouth feel of cream by having the organoleptic character of an oil-in-water emulsion. The macrocolloidal particles are from 0.1 to 2 microns in diameter. Examples of polysaccharide that can be used to form the macrocolloidal particles include starch, dextran, cellulose, and crosslinked calcium alginate. Whilst calcium alginate may be used in the product, the calcium alginate is formed by mixing a solution of sodium alginate with a solution of calcium ions so as to form the macrocolloidal particles, prior to the macrocolloidal particles being mixed with the other components of the food additive so as to form a liquid additive with an oil-in-water emulsion mouth feel.

Textural and physicochemical properties of low-fat, precooked ground beef patties containing carrageenan and sodium alginate, Lin et al., Journal of Food science, 63, 4, 1998 discloses a meat patty that comprises from 5% to 10% fat along with alginate and carrageenan hydrocolloids that is similar to a beef patty comprising around 20% fat and no hydrocolloids. The patties have similar textural properties.

Evaluation of Sodium Alginate as a fat replacer on processing and shelf-life of low-fat ground pork patties, Kumar et al., Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. Vol 20, No. 4: 588-597, April 2007 provides a comparison of pork patties comprising 20% fat and pork patties comprising around 10% fat and sodium alginate. The alginate is used as a hydrocolloid as a binder in the meat products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventors of the present invention have appreciated the above-described problem that certain edible animal fats and oils do not have a sufficiently high melting point for use in certain food and culinary applications. The inventors have appreciated that it would be useful if such fats could be chemically upgraded so as to have higher melting points, thus expanding the variety of uses in foods that said fats can be employed in. The present invention is based on the surprising finding that the melting point of an oil or fat derived from an animal source can be increased by emulsifying the fat with water so as to form an oil-in-water emulsion, and encapsulating the emulsion in a crosslinked polysaccharide matrix. The oil with an increased melting point can then be used in food products and applications that require a higher melting point.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for preparing an upgraded fat material comprising the steps of: (a) mixing one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides in an aqueous medium, preferably, wherein the one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are present in the aqueous medium in a molar ratio of from 1:5 to 2: I; (b) after the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides have dissolved in the aqueous medium, contacting the aqueous medium with one or more fats and/or one or more oils to form a reaction mixture, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof; and (c) allowing a crosslinking reaction between the one or more crosslinking additives and the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides to complete, thereby forming the upgraded fat material.

Typically, the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.1% to 10% by weight of the reaction mixture, preferably from 0.1% to 7.5% by weight, more preferably 0.1% to 5% by weight, and most preferably from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight.

Preferably, the one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are present in the aqueous medium in a molar ratio of from 1:5 to 2:1. More preferably, the one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are present in the aqueous medium in a molar ratio of from 0.75:2 to 1:1, and most preferably 1:2 to 0.75:1 Typically, the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides comprise one or more water soluble salts of alginic acid and a monovalent cation; a pectin; or a combination thereof, preferably wherein the pectin is a low-methoxyl pectin. Preferably, the one or more water soluble polysaccharides comprise sodium alginate, potassium alginate, ammonium alginate or a combination thereof Typically, the one or more crosslinking additives comprise one or more sources of calcium such as one or more calcium salts; one or more sources of magnesium such as one or more magnesium salts; an edible acidulant such as glucono-delta-lactone, or a carboxylic acid such as acetic acid, citric acid or malic acid, or combinations thereof; or a combination thereof Preferably, the one or more crosslinking additives comprise one or more sources of calcium, preferably wherein the one or more sources of calcium comprise one or more calcium salts. More preferably, the one or more calcium salts comprise calcium sulphate, and preferably wherein the calcium sulphate comprises calcium sulphate dihydrate.

Typically, the one or more calcium salts have a solubility in water of from 0.15 g/100 ml to 0.3 g/100 ml at 20°C, and preferably from 0.20 to 0.25 g/100 ml at 20°C.

Typically, the one or more crosslinking additives are present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.2% to 1.5% by weight, and preferably from 0.5% to 1% by weight of the reaction mixture.

In a preferable embodiment, the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides comprise one or more water soluble salts of alginic acid and a monovalent cation, and the one or more crosslinking additives comprise one or more calcium salts; preferably wherein the one or more water soluble salts of alginic acid and a monovalent cation comprise sodium alginate, potassium alginate, ammonium alginate, or a combination thereof In this embodiment, preferably, the one or more calcium salts comprise calcium sulphate dihydrate.

Typically, the aqueous medium comprises water. Preferably, the aqueous medium is present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the reaction mixture, preferably from 25% to 75% by weight, more preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and most preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.

Typically, the one or more fats or one or more oils are present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the reaction mixture, preferably from 25% to 75% by weight, more preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and most preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.

Typically, the one or more fats and/or one or more oils have a melting point of 50°C or less and preferably 40°C or less. In some embodiments, the one or more fats and/or one or more oils have a melting point of 30°C or less, or 20°C or less.

Typically, the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow, sheep tallow, lard, poultry-derived fat, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow with a melting point of from 40°C to 50°C, such as 40°C to 45°C; lard with a melting point of from 34°C to 44°C such as from 36°C to 40°C; sheep tallow with a melting point of from 42°C to 48°C; poultry-derived fat with a melting point of from 23°C to 40°C such as from 30°C to 35°C; horse fat with a melting point of from 35°C to 38°C; or any combination thereof Typically, the aqueous medium in step a) further comprises one or more calcium sequestrants. Preferably, the one or more calcium sequestrants comprise a polyphosphate salt, a pyrophosphate salt, a mono or dicarboxylate salt, a polycarboxylate salt such as citrate, a salt comprising an anion comprising carboxylate and hydroxyl moieties such as gluconate, a diphosphate salt, a polyol, a salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or any combination thereof. More preferably, the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises a pyrophosphate salt, preferably wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises tetrasodium pyrophosphate.

Preferably, the one or more calcium sequestrants is present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5% by weight, and preferably from 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the reaction mixture.

Preferably, the one or more calcium sequestrants and the one or more water soluble getable polysaccharides are present in the aqueous medium in a molar ratio of from 1:1 to 1:10, more preferably, from 1:2 to 1:4, and most preferably from 1:3 to 1:3.5.

Typically, the aqueous medium in step a) further comprises an additive for reducing clumping in the reaction mixture. Preferably, the additive for reduced clumping comprises a monosaccharide, and preferably wherein the additive for reducing clumping comprises dextrose. Typically, the additive for reducing clumping is present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.1% by weight to 0.5% by weight of the reaction mixture.

Typically, the aqueous medium further comprises a thickener. Preferably, the thickener comprises a polysaccharide or polysaccharide derivative, preferably wherein the thickener comprises starch or modified starch, and most preferably wherein the thickener comprise modified starch.

Typically, the thickener is present in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5%, and preferably from 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the reaction mixture.

Preferably, step a) comprises adding the one or more soluble gelable polysaccharides to the aqueous medium in step a), and step b) comprises contacting the aqueous medium with the one or more fats and/or one or more oils at from 30 seconds to 180 seconds after the one or more soluble gelable polysaccharides are added to the aqueous medium in step a).

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a an upgraded fat material obtained or obtainable by a process according to the first aspect of the invention.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an upgraded fat material comprising one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprising a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof, water; and a crosslinked polysaccharide matrix, wherein the upgraded fat material comprises an oil in water emulsion within the crosslinked polysaccharide matrix. Typically, the crosslinked polysaccharide comprises one or more crosslinked salts of alginic acid; a crosslinked pectin; or a combination thereof, preferably wherein the crosslinked pectin is a crosslinked low-methoxyl pectin. Preferably, the upgraded fat material comprises one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprising a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof; water; and calcium alginate, wherein the food additive comprises an oil in water emulsion within a crosslinked calcium alginate matrix.

Typically, the upgraded fat material of the second or third aspects of the invention further comprises one or more calcium sequestrants. Preferably, the one or more calcium sequestrants comprise a polyphosphate salt, a pyrophosphate salt, a mono or dicarboxylate salt, a polycarboxylate salt such as citrate, a salt comprising an anion comprising carboxylate and hydroxyl moieties such as gluconate, a diphosphate salt, a polyol, a salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or any combination thereof More preferably, the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises a pyrophosphate salt, preferably wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises tetrasodium pyrophosphate. Typically, the one or more calcium sequestrants are present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5% by weight of the upgraded fat material, and preferably from 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the upgraded fat material.

Typically, the one or more fats or one or more oils are present in the upgraded fat material of the second or third aspects of the invention in an amount of from 25% to 75% by weight of the upgraded fat material, preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and more preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.

Typically, the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow, sheep tallow, lard, poultry-derived fat, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow with a melting point of from 40°C to 50°C, such as 40°C to 45°C; lard with a melting point of from 34°C to 44°C such as from 36°C to 40°C; sheep tallow with a melting point of from 42°C to 48°C; poultry-derived fat with a melting point of from 23°C to 40°C such as from 30°C to 35°C; horse fat with a melting point of from 35°C to 38°C; or any combination thereof The water is typically present in the food additive of the second and third aspects of the invention in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the food additive, preferably from 25% to 75% by weight of the food additive, more preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and most preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.

The crosslinked polysaccharide is typically present in the food additive of the second and third aspects of the invention in an amount of from 0.5% to 2.0% by weight of the food additive, and preferably from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight of the food additive.

Typically, the food additive of the second and third aspects of the invention further comprises an additive for reducing clumping, preferably wherein the additive for reducing clumping is present in an aqueous phase of the emulsion. Typically, the additive for reducing clumping comprises a monosaccharide, preferably wherein the additive for reducing clumping comprises dextrose. Typically, the additive for reducing clumping is present in the food additive in an amount of from 0.1% by weight to 0.5% by weight of the food additive.

Typically, the food additive of the second and third aspects of the invention further comprises a thickener, preferably wherein the thickener is within an aqueous phase of the emulsion. Typically, the thickener is present in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5%, and preferably 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the food additive. Typically, the thickener comprises a polysaccharide or polysaccharide derivative; preferably the thickener comprises starch or modified starch; and most preferably the thickener comprise modified starch.

Typically, the upgraded fat material of the second and third aspects of the invention has a melting point of at least 50°C, preferably wherein the upgraded fat material has a melting point of from 60°C to 90°C, and most preferably wherein the upgraded fat material has a melting point of from 60°C to 80°C.

Typically, the upgraded fat material of the second and third aspects of the invention has a melting point of from 60°C to 80°C, and the melting point of the one or more fats and/or one or more oils present in the upgraded fat material is from 20°C to 50°C when the one or more oils and/or one or more fats is not present within the upgraded fat material.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a food product comprising an upgraded fat material according to the second or third aspects of the invention. Typically, the food product is a meat product, a bakery product such as pastry, or a confectionary.

Preferably, the upgraded fat material is used as a fat substitute such as an animal fat substitute, or a vegetable oil substitute.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided the use of an upgraded fat material according to the second or third aspects of the invention in a food product. Preferably, the upgraded fat material is used as a fat substitute such as an animal fat substitute, or a vegetable oil substitute.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided the use of one or more crosslinked polysaccharides to increase the melting point of one or more fats or one or more oils comprising a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof. Preferably, the crosslinked polysaccharide comprises one or more crosslinked salts of alginic acid; a crosslinked pectin; or a combination l0 thereof, preferably wherein the crosslinked pectin is a crosslinked low-methoxyl pectin. More preferably, the crosslinked polysaccharide comprises calcium alginate.

Preferably, the one or fats or one or more oils are as defined above in accordance with the first to fifth aspects of the invention.

Preferably, the use further comprises using the one or more fats or one or more oils in an upgraded fat material according to the second aspect of the invention.

Preferably, the use further comprises using the upgraded fat material in a food product according to the fourth aspect of the invention, preferably wherein the use comprises using the food additive as a fat substitute such as an animal fat substitute, or a vegetable oil substitute.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for manufacturing a food product, wherein the process comprises combining an upgraded fat material according to the second or third aspects of the invention with one or more edible additional components and processing said upgraded fat material and one or more edible additional components into a food product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The process of the invention is based, in part, on the surprising finding that the melting point of a fat or oil can be increased by containing the fat or oil within a crosslinked polysaccharide. The process typically comprises causing a water soluble polysaccharide within an aqueous medium to start crosslinking by the addition of one or more crosslinking agents to the aqueous medium. After the crosslinking reaction has been initiated the fat or oil is added to the aqueous solution and an oil-in-water emulsion is then typically formed. The crosslinking reaction is then allowed to complete so as to form a crosslinked polysaccharide matrix. Crosslinking of the polysaccharide typically causes the polysaccharide to become water insoluble. The crosslinked polysaccharide forms a crosslinked matrix with the water from the aqueous medium and the one or more fats or oils entrained within the crosslinked matrix in the form of an oil-in-water emulsion. The resultant structure is typically solid at room temperature and can be included as an upgraded fat material within various food products. The resultant structure will typically have a higher melting point than the one or more fats or one or more oils when not included in the upgraded fat material. This is highly advantageous since it means that the upgraded fat material can be used in applications in foodstuffs and cooking that typically require the fat to have a higher melting point, or where a higher melting point fat is desirable. The process of the invention thus enables a lower melting point animal fat to effectively be upgraded and have its potential uses expanded. This increases the commercial value of the fat. The upgraded fat material of the invention has also been found to be able to provide the same or similar mouth feel, taste, succulence, juiciness and flavour of the same mass of animal fat not upgraded by the process of the invention, when included in food products. As an additional advantage, a given weight of the upgraded fat material of the invention containing a specific fat has a lower calorific value than the same weight of said specific fat, since the upgraded fat material of the invention includes additional low calorie components (in addition to fat or oil) such as water and the crosslinked polysaccharide.

Processes for upgrading fats Step a) of the process of the invention involves mixing one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides in an aqueous medium. The one or more cross-linking additives initiate a crosslinking reaction in the gelable polysaccharide.

The one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides can be any suitable water soluble polysaccharide that is capable of being gelled by a crosslinking additive. Examples of suitable polysaccharides include water soluble salts of alginic acid such as sodium alginate.

Alginates are salts derived from alginic acid. Alginic acid is a naturally occurring polysaccharide found commonly in the cell walls of brown algae. It is typically refined from brown seaweeds. It is a copolymer of (1,4)-linked 13-mannuronate (M) and a-L-guluronate (G) residues. The M and G residues can be present in consecutive blocks of the copolymer, or they can alternate. A variety of different forms of alginic acid are known to exist, with molar masses typically in the range of from 10,000 to 600,000 grams per mole. Alginic acid itself is insoluble in water, but it can be converted to various salts which are water soluble (alginate salts). Methods for converting alginic acid to water soluble salts are known in the art, and a variety of different water soluble alginate salts are commercially available. Preferred alginate salts for use in the process of the invention include sodium alginate, potassium alginate, ammonium alginate, and other water soluble alginate salts.

In the process of the invention, the alginate salts typically have a molar mass of from 100 000 to 400 000 g/mol. Alginate salts with a molar mass of from 32000 -400 000 g/mol are commercially available. An example of a commercially available alginate salt that may be used in the process of the invention is the commercially available sodium alginate Alginex GM, available from Kimica Corporation It is known that water soluble alginate salts such as sodium alginate can be crosslinked by the addition of crosslinking additives such as divalent metal ions. Ca' in particular has been commonly used to crosslink sodium alginates, although other divalent metal ions such as Mg' may also be used, as well as various trivalent metal cations. Typically, alginate salts comprising monovalent metal cations such as sodium are soluble in water. In contrast, alginate salts comprising divalent metal cations typically are insoluble in water. This is generally because alginates are not crosslinked by monovalent metal cations, whereas they are crosslinked by divalent metal cations. The crosslinking generally renders the alginate salt insoluble in water. A solution of a water soluble alginate salt may typically be crosslinked by the addition of a crosslinking additive to the solution. Typically, a calcium salt (e.g. calcium chloride) is introduced to an aqueous solution of sodium alginate (or other water soluble alginate) to crosslink the alginate so as to form a gel structure. Divalent metal ions such as calcium are believed to crosslink the alginate since they bind solely to the guluronate (G) blocks of the alginate chain, because the G blocks allow a high degree of coordination of the divalent ions. The G blocks of one segment of the alginate chain then form junctions with G blocks from other segments of the alginate chain at the divalent cation centre. This causes the formation of what is known as a crosslinked "egg box" structure of the alginate, which results in a gel. It is also known that polysaccharides such as water soluble alginates can be crosslinked by other crosslinking agents. For example, alginates can be crosslinked by the addition of acids.

Other water soluble gelable polysaccharides may also be used in the process of the invention to form crosslinked polysaccharides. Examples include pectin, and its derivatives. Pectin is a naturally occurring acidic polysaccharide found in many plants. Pectin typically exists as highmethoxyl pectin or low-methoxyl pectin. Low-methoxyl pectin is typically understood to be pectin where 40% or less of the carboxylic acid groups present in the pectin are esterified. In contrast, high-methoxyl pectin is typically understood to be pectin where greater than 40% of the carboxylic acid groups present in the pectin are esterified. Where a pectin is used as the water soluble gelable polysaccharide in the process of the invention, the pectin is preferably a lowmethoxyl pectin. Pectins such as low-methoxyl pectin may be crosslinked by calcium ions in a similar as discussed above for alginate salts.

Other examples of water soluble gelable polysaccharides that can be crosslinked by crosslinking additives are known in the art. The term "water soluble-as used herein, in the context of a gelable water soluble polysaccharide is preferably used to encompass gelable polysaccharides that have a solubility in water of 100 g/kg or greater at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 25°C. Water will therefore be able to dissolve the one or more gelable water soluble polysaccharides in an amount of up to 10% by weight of the water present. If it is attempted to dissolve more polysaccharide than this in the water, then not all polysaccharide present will dissolve. The solubility of the polysaccharide in the aqueous medium can be ascertained in a variety of ways. For example, rheological parameters such as yield stress and viscosity of the solution can be used to determine the solubility. Alternatively, the solution can be filtered after mixing, and the weight of any undissolved polysaccharide can be used to determine its solubility in the aqueous medium.

Accordingly, in preferable embodiments, the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are present in the aqueous medium in step a) in an amount of from 0.1 % to 10% by weight of the water present in the aqueous medium, preferably from 0.1% to 7.5% by weight, and more preferably from 1% to 5% by weight of the water present in the aqueous medium. However, it will be understood that in some embodiments, more polysaccharide may be present, and will simply not dissolve. In these embodiments, it may be preferable to filter the aqueous medium after addition of the one or more water soluble polysaccharides before step b) is carried out, so as to remove any undissolved polysaccharide from the aqueous medium prior to step b).

Examples of crosslinking additives include divalent and trivalent metal cations. For example calcium and magnesium cations can be used as crosslinking additives. Preferably, the one or more crosslinking additives used in the process of the invention comprise calcium cations. Calcium cations can be introduced into the aqueous medium in which the crosslinking reaction is taking place by the addition of one or more sources of calcium to the reaction mixture. The one or more sources of calcium typically comprise a calcium salt that is introduced to the aqueous medium in which the water soluble polysaccharide is dissolved If magnesium ions are used as the crosslinking additive, then one or more sources of magnesium can be added to the aqueous medium. Typically, the one or more sources of magnesium comprise magnesium salts.

It is preferred that the one or more sources of calcium or magnesium such as calcium salts and magnesium salts are sparingly soluble in the aqueous medium. This is advantageous since the metal salts must dissolve in order to crosslink the dissolved polysaccharide. If a metal salt that is highly soluble is used, the gelation reaction will happen very quickly which may be undesirable. If a sparingly soluble metal salt is used, this can be advantageous since the salt dissolves slowly in the aqueous medium. This means that metal ions are only gradually introduced to the aqueous medium which results in a slower and more controlled gelation reaction of the polysaccharide which may be more desirable.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the one or more crosslinking additives comprise sparingly soluble salts comprising divalent or trivalent metal cations. Preferably, the one Or more crosslinking additives comprise sparingly soluble magnesium or calcium salts with a solubility in water in water of from 0.15 g/ I 00 ml to 0.3 g/100 ml at 20°C, and preferably from 0.20 to 0.25 g/ I 00 ml at 20°C. In a highly preferable embodiment, the one or more crosslinking additives comprise calcium sulphate, and most preferably calcium sulphate dihydrate.

Gelable water soluble polysaccharides may also be gelled by acid as discussed above. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the one or more crosslinking additives comprise edible acidulants such as glucono-delta-lactone, or a carboxylic acid such as acetic acid, citric acid or malic acid, or combinations thereof An acidulant is a food additive that is acidic and that can typically confer a tart, sour or acidic flavour to foods. Examples of other edible acidulants are known in the art, including those acidulants that are suitable for the crosslinking of water soluble polysaccharides.

Which particular crosslinking additives are suitable for crosslinking a particular water soluble polysaccharide are known in the art. In preferable embodiments of the invention, the crosslinking additive used is a calcium salt and the water soluble polysaccharide is an alginate salt such as

IS

sodium alginate. Accordingly, in preferred embodiments, the food additive comprises crosslinked calcium alginate.

The one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble polysaccharides are typically contacted in a molar ratio of from 1:5 to 2:1, although it will be understood that any molar ratio that allows the polysaccharide to crosslink to an extent necessary to achieve a gel with the requisite properties for use as the upgraded fat material may be used. Typically, where a sequestrant such as a calcium sequestrant is included in the aqueous medium during step a), a lower proportion of crosslinking additive to polysaccharide may be required. It has been found by the inventors that where the molar ratio given above of one or more crosslinking additives to one or more water soluble polysaccharides is used in the process of the invention, the resultant crosslinked gel has the optimum properties for use as an upgraded fat material of the invention.

As discussed above, in highly preferable embodiments, the one or more crosslinking additives comprise a calcium salt and the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides comprise a water soluble alginate salt. In these embodiments, the one or more crosslinking additives are typically added to the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.2% to 1.5% by weight, and preferably from 0.5% to I% by weight of the reaction mixture, and the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are typically added to the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight of the reaction mixture.

By "total weight of the reaction mixture" is meant the total weight of the reaction mixture after addition of polysaccharide, crosslinking additive, fat or oil, and any other additives present to the aqueous medium.

The aqueous medium used can be any aqueous medium that is suitable for contact with products for use in food products. Suitably, the aqueous medium comprises pure water. However, it will be understood that water comprising various other ingredients such as edible salts or sugars may also be used. The aqueous medium is typically present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the reaction mixture, or present in any of the amounts discussed above.

Suitable reaction conditions for a crosslinking reaction to be initiated between a particular water soluble getable polysaccharide and a particular crosslinking additive are known in the art. For example, suitable specific molar ratios to react the crosslinking additive and polysaccharide in question will be known, in addition to reaction conditions that may be suitably employed in such a crosslinking reaction, for example, specific temperatures, pH ranges, and concentrations that could be used, and for example, whether or not the reaction mixture requires stirring. Typically, the crosslinking reaction will be initiated simply upon addition of the one or more crosslinking additives and the one or more gelable polysaccharides to the aqueous medium. Notably, in the case of a sodium alginate solution and a water soluble or partially soluble calcium salt crosslinking additive, no heating or other particular reaction conditions are required in order to initiate the crosslinking reaction and the reaction will be initiated upon simply adding the calcium salt to the sodium alginate solution.

Once the crosslinking reaction between the one or more crosslinking additives and one or more gelable water soluble polysaccharides is initiated, the reaction mixture will increase in crosslink density as the crosslinking reaction propagates.

Step (b) of the process of the invention comprises contacting the aqueous medium with one or more fats and/or one or more oils to form a reaction mixture after the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides have dissolved in the aqueous medium. If the one or more polysaccharides are present in the aqueous medium in an amount such that all of the polysaccharide present is able to dissolve, then the aqueous medium is contacted with the one or more fats or oils after all of the polysaccharide has dissolved. Alternatively, as discussed above, it will be appreciated that if the polysaccharides are included in the aqueous medium in too high an amount, not all polysaccharide will dissolve in the aqueous medium. In such a case, it may be desirable to filter and remove the undissolved polysaccharide from the solution, although it will be understood that this is not essential. The aqueous medium is contacted with the one or more fats and/or one or more oils once all polysaccharide that can dissolve in the aqueous medium has done so. The dissolution will happen automatically upon mixing of the aqueous medium in step a).

Typically, all polysaccharide present in the aqueous medium that can dissolve will do so upon mixing within a time period of from 10 seconds to 5 minutes after addition of the polysaccharide to the aqueous medium. Preferably, all polysaccharide present in the aqueous medium that can dissolve will do so in a time period of from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Accordingly, preferably, step a) comprises adding the one or more soluble gelable polysaccharides to the aqueous medium in step a), and step b) comprises contacting the aqueous medium with one or more fats and/or one or more oils at from 30 seconds to 180 seconds after the one or more soluble gelable polysaccharides are added to the aqueous medium in step a).

The one or more fats or one or more oils are present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the reaction mixture, preferably from 25% to 75% by weight, more preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and most preferably from 45% to 55% by weight. The expression "by weight of the reaction mixture" in this context is defined as above.

The oil used in the process of the invention is a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the use of a single oil, and mixtures of different oils may also be used as the fat or oil in the present invention.

The one or more oils or one or more fats are triglyceride oils (i.e. oils that comprise triglycerides). It will be understood that such triglyceride oils may also contain low levels of other substances in addition to the principal triglyceride component, such as various impurities or additives. Conventionally, the term "oil" is used to refer to triglyceride oils that have a lower melting point such that they are liquid at room temperature, whereas the term "fat" is conventionally used to refer to triglyceride oils that have higher melting points. For the purposes of the present application, the terms fat and oil as used herein are used interchangeably to refer to triglyceride oils irrespective of their melting point. The one or more oils or one or more fats may comprise triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acid chains. Alternatively, the one or more fats or one or more oils may comprise triglycerides containing saturated or polyunsaturated fatty acid chains. Typically, triglycerides that comprise unsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acid chains have lower melting points than fats comprising only saturated fatty acid chains.

Preferably, the one or more fats and/or one or more oils have a melting point of 50°C or less, and preferably 40°C or less. However, it will be understood that fats with higher melting points may also be used in the process of the invention. For example, fats that are solid at room temperature may be used in the process of the invention by applying sonic degree of heating to the reaction mixture once the fat is added so as to melt and liquefy the fat. Fats with lower melting points may also be used such as fats with melting points of 30°C or less, or 20°C or less.

As discussed above, typically, fats or oils derived from fish or poultry have lower melting points than fats or oils derived from animals such as cattle, pigs and sheep. Accordingly, the process of the invention may be used to upgrade fats or oils with lower melting points such as those derived from poultry or fish so that they have higher melting points such as melting points in the range of or above those of animals such as cattle, pigs and sheep. The lower melting point fats such as poultry and fish fats may thus be upgraded such that they are suitable for use in applications typically reserved for fats with higher melting points such as cattle or sheep. Additionally or alternatively, the process of the invention may be used to upgrade fats with higher melting points such as fats derived from cattle, pigs or sheep such that said fats have even higher melting points, which may be desirable in certain applications.

On addition of the fat or oil to the aqueous medium, the water present in the aqueous medium forms an emulsion with the fat or oil. Typically, the fat or oil forms an oil-in-water emulsion within the reaction mixture. The oil-in-water emulsion will typically form automatically upon addition of the fat or oil to the aqueous medium. In some embodiments, it will be desirable to provide high shear to the reaction mixture so as aid in formation of the emulsion. Accordingly, in some embodiments, step c) of allowing a crosslinking reaction between the one or more crosslinking additives and the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides to complete further comprises applying high shear to the reaction mixture so as to form the oil in water emulsion. High shear may be applied to the reaction mixture by e.g. a high shear mixer, or other methods known in the art. Accordingly, step c) may further comprise mixing the reaction mixture with a high shear mixer.

The process of the invention then comprises step c) of allowing a crosslinking reaction between the one or more crosslinking additives and the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides to complete, thereby forming the upgraded fat material. The upgraded fat material thus comprises a crosslinked polysaccharide matrix with the oil-in-water emulsion entrained within the crosslinked matrix.

As discussed above, one or more additional additives may also be present in the reaction mixture. These additives may be present in the aqueous medium along with the water soluble polysaccharide at the beginning of the process. Alternatively, the one or more additives may be added to the reaction mixture after the addition of the one or more crosslinking additives to the aqueous medium but prior to the addition of the oil, or to the final reaction mixture once the oil or fat has been added. Suitable additives are discussed above, and include one or more calcium sequestrants, one or more additives for reducing clumping, and one or more thickeners. These additives may be present in the amounts discussed above. However, it will be understood that the ranges specified above are preferable only, and that the additives may also be included in amounts outside of these ranges. Other, unspecified additives may also be added to the reaction mixture. Suitable additives are known in the art.

Preferably, the aqueous medium in step a) further comprises one or more sequestrants, such as calcium sequestrants. The one or more sequestrants are typically added to the aqueous medium prior to the one or more crosslinking additives being introduced. Alternatively, the one or more sequestrants may be added to the aqueous medium at the same time as the one or more crosslinking additives. A sequestrant is a food additive which improves the quality and stability of foods. A sequestrant typically functions by forming a chelate complex with metal ions. By forming a complex, the sequestrant typically reduces the reactivity of the metal ion with other components of the food additive. The sequestrant can thus slow down reactions such as oxidation reactions that the metal ions might participate in. In the present invention, the one or more sequestrants have the additional function of partly complexing any metal ions that are a component of the crosslinking additive. In doing so, the sequestrants impede the reaction of the metal ions (such as calcium ions) with the relevant parts of the alginate chain and so slow down the alginate crosslinking. In the case of calcium, the one or more sequestrants compete with the alginate chain for coordination to dissolved calcium ions and so impede the crosslinking reaction. This has been found to be particularly useful since it provides enhanced control of the crosslinking reaction, slowing it down, so that the oil and water may suitably emulsify and then be entrained within the crosslinked matrix once the reaction is complete. Suitable sequestrants for use in food additives are known in the art, and what particular sequestrant is suitable for use with a given crosslinking additive. Examples of sequestrants that can be used as calcium sequestrants in the reaction include polyphosphate salts, pyrophosphate salts, mono or dicarboxylate salts, polycarboxylate salts such as citrate, salts comprising an anion comprising carboxylate and hydroxyl moieties such as gluconate, glucono delta-lactone, diphosphate salts, polyols, salts of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or any combination thereof In a preferable embodiment, the one or more calcium sequestrants comprise tetrasodium pyrophosphate and most preferably the anhydrous form of this salt. As discussed above, the one or more sequestrants and the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are preferably present in a molar ratio of from 1:2 to 1:4, and more preferably from 1:3 to 1:3.5.

Suitable additives for reducing clumping, thickeners, and other suitable additives are also known in the art, and include those additives discussed above.

Upgraded fat materials The upgraded fat material of the invention comprises one or more fats and/or one or more oils; water; and a crosslinked polysaccharide matrix, wherein the food additive comprises an oil-inwater emulsion within the crosslinked polysaccharide matrix. Preferably, the food additive comprises all water and oil added to the reaction mixture in the process of the invention. In other words, all oil and water present in the reaction mixture forms an oil-in-water emulsion that is contained within the crosslinked polysaccharide matrix. Accordingly, the food additive of the invention preferably comprises the respective amounts by weight of oil, water, crosslinked polysaccharide, and other additives discussed above in relation to the amount by weight that these components are included in the reaction mixture of the process of the invention. In highly preferred embodiments, the one or more fats or one or more oils are present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 40% to 60% by weight, and the water is present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 40% to 60% by weight, although it will be understood that these respective amounts are not essential and that the upgraded fat material may contain respective amounts of water and oil outside these ranges.

The crosslinked polysaccharide present in the upgraded fat material is the reaction product of the water soluble gelable polysaccharide and the one or more crosslinking additives. For example, the crosslinked polysaccharide may comprise one or more crosslinked salts of alginic acid; a crosslinked pectin; or a combination thereof. Where the crosslinked polysaccharide is a crosslinked pectin, the crosslinked polysaccharide is preferably a crosslinked low-methoxy pectin. In preferable embodiments, the crosslinked polysaccharide is a crosslinked calcium alginate. The crosslinked polysaccharide is typically present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 0.5% to 2.0% by weight of the upgraded fat material, and preferably from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight of the upgraded fat material, although it will be understood that the crosslinked polysaccharide may be present in the additive in amounts outside of these ranges.

As discussed above, a surprising advantage associated with upgraded fat materials of the invention is that the melting point of the upgraded fat materials is increased relative to the fat or oil present in the food additive, when said fat or oil is not present in the additive. Typically, upgraded fat materials of the invention have a melting point of at least 50°C, such as from 60°C to 90°C, and most preferably from 60°C to 80°C. The melting point of the upgraded fat materials will be dependent upon the nature of the fat or oil contained therein, and also upon the nature of the crosslinked polysaccharide matrix. It has been found that the nature of the crosslinked polysaccharide matrix is more influential on the melting point of the upgraded fat materials than the nature of the fat or oil. Accordingly, it has been found possible to increase the melting point of a variety of different fats and oils to within a desired range. Food additives with melting points of at least 50°C such as 60°C to 80°C have been found achievable when including a variety of different oils within upgraded fat materials of the invention.

Upgraded fat materials of the invention are solid at room temperature. It has been found that the upgraded fat materials have a sufficiently rigid and resilient texture that they are "sliceable" and can be cut into appropriate sized pieces with ease. The additives of the invention can thus casually be referred to as "sliceable oils". This property of the additives aids in their processability meaning that they can easily be cut by hand or by appropriate machinery into suitably-sized pieces for further processing such as incorporation into a food product.

Food products The upgraded fat material of the invention is suitable for inclusion in a variety of different food products. In principle, the upgraded fat material of the invention can be included in any food product. Typically, the upgraded fat material of the invention is included in food products that comprise some amount of fat. The upgraded fat material of the invention can be used as a partial or full substitute for the fat present in the food product. Typical food products that the upgraded fat material of the invention can be included in include meat products such as processed meats; pastries and bakery products; and confectionaries. The upgraded fat materials of the invention can also be used as cooking oil if heated to sufficiently high temperature so as to melt.

Typically, the upgraded fat material of the invention is included in the food products in the same amount by weight as conventional fats and oils are included in the food products (in the event of a total substitution), or such that the total amount by weight of fat/oil and the upgraded fat or oil of the invention is a similar amount to the total amount of fat/oil included in conventional products (in the event of a partial substitution). However, it will be understood that this is not essential, and that in some cases, it may be desirable to include a greater or lesser percentage by weight of the upgraded fat material in the food product relative to the percentage by weight of conventional fat or oil normally used. The particular amount of upgraded fat material of the invention to include in any given food product to provide the optimum properties for the food product will be evident to the skilled person upon reading the present disclosure.

Processes for manufacturing food products Food products according to the present invention can be produced by combining an upgraded fat material of the invention with one or more edible additional components and processing said upgraded fat material and one or more edible additional components into a food product. Techniques that are suitable for processing the upgraded fat material and the one or more edible additional components into a food product are known in the art, as are the nature and amount of suitable additional edible components for a desired food product.

Example

An upgraded fat material of the invention comprising the components shown in Table I was manufactured using the process of the invention.

Table 1

Ingredient Function of ingredient Quantity (g) Alginex alginate) GM (sodium Polysaccharide gelling agent - structural 10.00 Calcium sulphate dihydrate Calcium source (crosslinking additive) 6.25 Anhydrous pyrophosphate tetrasodi um Calcium sequestrant 1.88 Dextrose Hydration phase anti- 3.75 clumping aid ULTRA-TEX® modified starch 2131 Liquid state thickener 1.25 Selected oil or fat Oil/fat 500 water Aqueous medium 500 Total 1023 An upgraded fat material according to the invention was manufactured by adding the Alginex GM to the water before adding the calcium source and calcium sequestrant in order to initiate a crosslinking reaction between dissolved calcium ions and the Alginex GM. The thickener and anti-clumping aid were also added at this point. After initiation of the crosslinking reaction, the oil was added to the aqueous medium and an oil-in-water emulsion was formed comprising the oil and water. The crosslinking reaction was then allowed to complete so as to form a solid product. The solid product comprised a crossl nked calcium alginate matrix with an oil-in-water emulsion contained therein.

The product was solid at room temperature, and could be sliced easily into suitably sized chunks. The product had a melting point in the range of 60°C to 80°C. This was considerably higher than the melting point of the oil used when not a component of the food additive.

Claims

CLAIMSA process for preparing an upgraded fat material comprising the steps of: (a) mixing one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides in an aqueous medium, preferably, wherein the one or more crosslinking additives and one or more water soluble getable polysaccharides are present in the aqueous medium in a molar ratio of from 1:5 to 2:1; (b) after the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides have dissolved in the aqueous medium, contacting the aqueous medium with one or more fats and/or one or more oils to form a reaction mixture, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof; and (c) allowing a crosslinking reaction between the one or more crosslinking additives and the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides to complete, thereby forming the upgraded fat material.
2. A process according to Claim 1, wherein the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides are present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight of the reaction mixture.
3. A process according to Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides comprise one or more water soluble salts of alginic acid and a monovalent cation; a pectin; or a combination thereof, preferably wherein the pectin is a lowmethoxyl pectin.
4. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more water soluble polysaccharides comprise sodium alginate, potassium alginate, ammonium alginate or a combination thereof
5. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more crosslinking additives comprise one or more sources of calcium such as one or more calcium salts; one or more sources of magnesium such as one or more magnesium salts; an edible acidulant such as glucono-delta-lactone, or a carboxylic acid such as acetic acid, citric acid or malic acid, or combinations thereof; or a combination thereof
6. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more crosslinking additives are present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.2% to 1.5% by weight, and preferably from 0.5% to 1% by weight of the reaction mixture.
7. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more crosslinking additives comprise one or more sources of calcium, preferably wherein the one or more sources of calcium comprise one or more calcium salts
8. A process according to Claim 7, wherein the one or more calcium salts comprise calcium sulphate, and preferably wherein the calcium sulphate comprises calcium sulphate dihydrate.
9. A process according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein the one or more calcium salts have a solubility in water of from 0.15 g/100 ml to 0.3 g/100 ml at 20°C, and preferably from 0.20 to 0.25 g/100 ml at 20°C.
10. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more water soluble gelable polysaccharides comprise one or more water soluble salts of alginic acid and a monovalent cation, and wherein the one or more crosslinking additives comprise one or more calcium salts; preferably wherein the one or more water soluble salts of alginic acid and a monovalent cation comprise sodium alginate, potassium alginate, ammonium alginate, or a combination thereof
11. A process according to Claim 10, wherein the one or more calcium salts comprise calcium sulphate dihydrate.
12. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the aqueous medium comprises water.
13. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the aqueous medium is present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the reaction mixture, preferably from 25% to 75% by weight, more preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and most preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.
14. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more fats or one or more oils are present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the reaction mixture, preferably from 25% to 75% by weight, more preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and most preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.
15. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils have a melting point of 50°C or less and preferably 40°C or less.
16. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow, sheep tallow, lard, poultry-derived fat, or any combination thereof.
17. A process according to Claim 16, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow with a melting point of from 40°C to 45°C; lard with a melting point of from 36°C to 40°C; sheep tallow with a melting point of from 42°C to 48°C; poultry-derived fat with a melting point of from 30°C to 35°C; horse fat with a melting point of from 35°C to 38°C; or any combination thereof
18. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein step b), and preferably step c) are carried out at a temperature above the melting point of the one or more fats and/or one or more oils.
19. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the aqueous medium in step a) further comprises one or more calcium sequestrants.
20. A process according to Claim 19, wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants is present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5% by weight and preferably from 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the reaction mixture.
21. A process according to Claim 19 or Claim 20, wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprise a polyphosphate salt, a pyrophosphate salt, a mono or dicarboxylate salt, a polycarboxylate salt such as citrate, a salt comprising an anion comprising carboxylate and hydroxyl moieties such as gluconate, a diphosphate salt, a polyol, a salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or any combination thereof.
22. A process according to Claim 21, wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises a pyrophosphate salt, preferably wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises tetrasodium pyrophosphate.
23. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the aqueous medium in step a) further comprises an additive for reducing clumping in the reaction mixture.
24. A process according to Claim 23, wherein the additive for reduced clumping comprises a monosaccharide, and preferably wherein the additive for reducing clumping comprises dextrose.
25. A process according to Claim 23 or Claim 24, wherein the additive for reducing clumping is present in the reaction mixture in an amount of from 0.1% by weight to 0.5% by weight of the reaction mixture.
26. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the aqueous medium further comprises a thickener.
27. A process according to Claim 26, wherein the thickener is present in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5%, and preferably from 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the reaction mixture.
28. A process according to Claim 26 or Claim 27, wherein the thickener comprises a polysaccharide or polysaccharide derivative, preferably wherein the thickener comprises starch or modified starch, and most preferably wherein the thickener comprise modified starch.
29. An upgraded fat material obtained or obtainable by a process according to any preceding claim.
30. An upgraded fat material comprising one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprising a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof; water; and a crosslinked polysaccharide matrix, wherein the upgraded fat material comprises an oil in water emulsion within the crosslinked polysaccharide matrix.
3 I. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 30, wherein the upgraded fat material comprises one or more fats and/or one or more oils; water; and calcium alginate, wherein the upgraded fat material comprises an oil in water emulsion within a crossl nked calcium alginate matrix.
32. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 29 or 30, wherein the upgraded fat material further comprises one or more calcium sequestrants.
33. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 32, wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants are present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5% by weight of the upgraded fat material, and preferably from 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the upgraded fat material.
34. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 33, wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprise a polyphosphate salt, a pyrophosphate salt, a mono or dicarboxylate salt, a polycarboxylate salt such as citrate, a salt comprising an anion comprising carboxylate and hydroxyl moieties such as gluconate, a diphosphate salt, a polyol, a salt of ethylened aminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or any combination thereof
35. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 34, wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises a pyrophosphate salt, preferably wherein the one or more calcium sequestrants comprises tetrasodi um pyrophosphate.
36. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 35, wherein the one or more fats or one or more oils are present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 25% to 75% by weight of the upgraded fat material, preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and more preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.
37. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 36, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow, sheep tallow, lard, poultry-derived fat, or any combination thereof.
38. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 37, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise beef tallow with a melting point of from 40°C to 45°C; lard with a melting point of from 36°C to 40°C; sheep tallow with a melting point of from 42°C to 48°C; poultry-derived fat with a melting point of from 30°C to 35°C; horse fat with a melting point of from 35°C to 38°C; or any combination thereof.
39. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 38, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils have a melting point of 50°C or less, and preferably 40 °C or less.
40. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 39, wherein the water is present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 10% to 90% by weight of the An upgraded fat material, preferably from 25% to 75% by weight of the upgraded fat material, more preferably from 40% to 60% by weight, and most preferably from 45% to 55% by weight.
41. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 40, wherein the crosslinked polysaccharide is present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 0.5% to 2.0% by weight of the upgraded fat material, and preferably from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight of the upgraded fat material.
42. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 41, wherein the upgraded fat material further comprises an additive for reducing clumping, preferably wherein the additive for reducing clumping is present in an aqueous phase of the emulsion.
43. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 42, wherein the additive for reducing clumping comprises a monosaccharide, preferably wherein the additive for reducing clumping comprises dextrose.
44. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 42 or Claim 43, wherein the additive for reducing clumping is present in the upgraded fat material in an amount of from 0.1% by weight to 0.5% by weight of the upgraded fat material.
45. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 44, wherein the upgraded fat material further comprises a thickener, preferably wherein the thickener is within an aqueous phase of the emulsion.
46. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 45, wherein the thickener is present in an amount of from 0.1% to 0.5%, and preferably 0.1% to 0.2% by weight of the upgraded fat material.
47. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 45 or Claim 46, wherein the thickener comprises a polysaccharide or polysaccharide derivative, preferably wherein the thickener comprises starch or modified starch, and most preferably wherein the thickener comprise modified starch.
48. An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 47, wherein the upgraded fat material has a melting point of at least 50°C, preferably wherein the upgraded fat material has a melting point of from 60°C to 90°C, and most preferably wherein the upgraded fat material has a melting point of from 60°C to 80°C.
49 An upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 48, wherein the melting point of the upgraded fat material is from 60°C to 80°C, and wherein the melting point of the one or more fats and/or one or more oils present in the upgraded fat material is from 20°C to 50°C when the one or more oils and/or one or more fats is not present within the upgraded fat material.
50. An upgraded fat material according to Claim 30, or any one of Claims 32 to 49, wherein the crosslinked polysaccharide comprises one or more crosslinked salts of alginic acid; a crosslinked pectin; or a combination thereof, preferably wherein the crosslinked pectin is a crosslinked low-methoxyl pectin.I.
A food product comprising an upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 50.
52. A food product according to Claim 51, wherein the food product is a meat product, a bakery product such as pastry, or a confectionary.
53. A food product according to Claims 51 or 52, wherein the upgraded food product is used as a fat substitute such as an animal fat substitute, or a vegetable oil substitute.
54. Use of an upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 50 in a food product.
55. Use according to Claim 54, wherein the upgraded fat material is used as a fat substitute such as an animal fat substitute, or a vegetable oil substitute.
56. Use of a crosslinked polysaccharide to increase the melting point of one or more fats or one or more oils, wherein the one or more fats and/or one or more oils comprise a triglyceride oil derived from an animal source selected from pigs, sheep, cattle, horses, fish, poultry, deer, goat, or any combination thereof, preferably wherein the crosslinked polysaccharide is as defined in Claim 50, more preferably wherein the crosslinked polysaccharide comprises calcium alginate.
57. Use according to Claim 56, wherein the one or more fats or one or more oils are as defined in any one or more of Claims 15 to 17.
58. Use according to Claim 56 or Claim 57, wherein the use further comprises using the one or more fats or one or more oils in an upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 50.
59. Use according to Claim 58, wherein the use further comprises using the upgraded fat material in a food product according to any one of Claims 51 to 53, preferably wherein the use comprises using the food additive as a fat substitute such as an animal fat substitute, or a vegetable oil substitute.
60. A process for manufacturing a food product, wherein the process comprises combining an upgraded fat material according to any one of Claims 29 to 50 with one or more edible additional components and processing said upgraded fat material and one or more edible additional components into a food product.