MX2008008455A - Method for producing calcium soaps for animal feed - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing calcium soaps for animal feed. The invention consists of a novel process for producing calcium soaps, comprising the saponification of fats and natural oils with CaO, in which the reaction mass is heated and subjected to reduced pressure. In this way, calcium soaps with a fatty acid content of more than 80%can be obtained without requiring any subsequent washing or concentration process. Said high fatty acid content renders the soaps particularly suitable for use as a component of animal feed. The applicability of said soaps for feed for monogastric animals is improved by adding glycerol and/or another emulsifying agent during the soap production process.

Description

Procedure for the manufacture of calcium soaps for animal feed Scope of the invention The invention relates to a new process for the manufacture of calcium soaps rich in fatty acids, the soaps obtained in calcium and their use as feed ingredients in animal feed, particularly in monogastric animals.

State of the Art The processes for obtaining calcium soaps have been known for years in the state of the art. The soaps are generally formed from natural fats of animal or vegetable origin containing triglycerides comprising attached to the skeleton of glycerol, fatty acids, usually long chain, which, by a process of saponification, in the presence of bases, form salts .

The fatty acids that are most commonly part of these triglycerides are long chain fatty acids such as oleic, stearic, palmitic, myristic, lauric, linoleic and linolenic acids. Also appear fatty acids of shorter chains such as butyric, capric, caprylic and caproic.

Suitable bases for the saponification reaction are the inorganic alkali metal bases with strong character, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. In general alkaline soaps are obtained, whose use is limited to cosmetics.

The production of calcium soaps replaces the addition of alkali metal hydroxides to fats by calcium oxide (CaO), which conditions the rest of the parameters of the saponification reaction.

U.S. Pat. US4642317 describes a process that allows to increase the proportion of fat in the feed intended for ruminant animals, without causing toxic effects in the rumen microorganisms, which consists of supplying said animals with fatty acids in the form of previously prepared calcium salts. As an example for obtaining such salts from fats of natural origin, mention is made of the previous saponification of said fats with sodium or potassium hydroxide, the separation of the phase containing the alkali metal salts and the subsequent dissolution of said phase in aqueous medium and its mixture with calcium salts.

U.S. Pat. US4826694, US4853233 and US4909138, meanwhile, also describe compositions for the feeding of ruminant animals in which the major component (60-80% of the composition) are calcic or magnesium salts of higher fatty acids (mostly from 14 to 18 atoms carbon), although it is also mentioned that the presence of triglycerides (5% -15%) in the final product is important for the composition to be useful as a feed for ruminants. Said patents also describe an apparatus and a process for obtaining the desired compositions, a process that, in this case, comprises mixing one or more basic oxides (preferably CaO) in excess with the fatty acids and triglycerides and with water and, optionally, with an additional nutrient material as protein source, homogenize the mixture well so that the exothermic reaction of formation of the corresponding salts of fatty acids takes place , then spreading the mixture on a flat surface so that the evaporation of most of the water occurs. It is mentioned that one of the preferred embodiments of the process involves preheating the fatty acids, for example at 80 ° C-100 ° C, before mixing it with the basic oxide source, which is preferably lime (CaO).

Subsequently, modifications to this basic process have been described. For example, U.S. Pat. US5234701 describes the incorporation as an aqueous medium for the reaction of formation of the calcium salts of an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate-bicarbonate, which is an effluent residue of a bicarbonate production process. This addition of sodium carbonate-bicarbonate seems to increase the efficiency of the process, thanks to the formation of a reaction intermediate consisting of the sodium salt of the fatty acid, from which the formation of the corresponding calcium salt is facilitated.

Other patents affect the importance of the reaction conditions to obtain products with suitable characteristics when starting from sources of fatty acids in which they are found, in a high proportion, in the form of triglycerides. Thus, for example, the patent US 5382678 describes the importance of mixing the source of fatty acids with the source of alkaline earth metal prior to the addition of water so that the final product is not a powdery solid, but is present in the form of granules that have no tendency to agglomerate. It also describes the importance of maintaining the temperature of the reaction medium at a suitable value (40 ° C-130 ° C, using 110 ° C in the examples) and for sufficient time to allow the hydrolysis of most of the glycerides present, releasing fatty acids that give rise to the desired alkaline earth metal salts.

Also patent US 6229031 emphasizes the importance of maintaining an adequate temperature for sufficient time to achieve the saponification of starting fatty materials with more than 45% triglycerides, mentioning again the need to supply the reaction mixture with additional heat to the generated by the exothermic reaction itself. The above-mentioned suitable temperature ranges are higher (90 ° C-250 ° C), with higher temperatures being preferred, the lower the percentage of CaO added, which must range between 10% and 30% of the final composition.

Patents US 6576667 and US6774252, meanwhile, mention that the final content of triglycerides should not exceed 5% of the total composition to avoid undesired alterations during storage, proposing that adequate to achieve sufficient saponification when starting from fat rich in triglycerides with a high content of omega-3 fatty acids is the use of 2-3 equivalent of CaO in relation to the starting material and 2 to 5 equivalents of water per equivalent of CaO.

None of the documents of the state of the analyzed technique achieves a content in fatty acids in the manufactured soaps calcic superior to 60% in weight of soap, directly by saponification of natural fats, without having to resort to expensive high temperatures and laborious processes of concentration of the so-prepared soaps. To obtain some calcium soaps with a high content of fatty acids, it is beneficial for animal feed, at least in 4 essential characteristics: i. Formation of micelles that help the digestion and assimilation of fats and other liposoluble active principles (vitamins), in the feeding of the cattle and, consequently, in their growth, milk production and fattening. ii. The aggregation of the feed itself that facilitates its handling, compression, pelletization, granulation, storage and preservation. iii. The inclusion of fat-concentrated products in feeds means that the cost of the feed is lower than when the incorporated products have a low concentration of fat. The cost per unit of fat is lower the higher its concentration. iv. The incorporation of calcium soaps with a high content of fatty acids allows the proportion of soaps in the final composition of the feed to be lower than in the case of soaps with lower fatty acid content or in the case of fats that are not form of soap, situations that require the presence of larger quantities of the component of the composition that acts as a source of fatty acids to be equally effective in feeding animals, which gives greater flexibility to the formulation, leaving space in the formula for other raw materials.

The key criterion for assessing a fat is its gross energy content. This value depends fundamentally on its content in gross energy and its intestinal digestibility, which depends fundamentally on its capacity for solubilization and the formation of micelles in the intestine. Due to the peculiarities of the digestive system of ruminants (in which the supplementary fat affects the microorganisms of the rumen, that hydrogenate and saturate the fatty acids released in the rumen by hydrolysis of triglycerides), the absorption of fats is different in their case than in the case of monogastric, so the assessment of the usefulness of the same fat for Animal feeding will be different depending on whether it is to be applied to the feeding of ruminants or monogastric animals.

In addition to energy content, another important criterion for assessing a fat is its availability and its relative price with respect to other energy sources. Due to these last two reasons, there is a growing interest in the use in animal feed of fats obtained from the processing of fats from natural sources. In this area, the use of so-called soaps has been extended to animal feed, especially for ruminants; However, when they are used in monogastric feeding, the results are worse than those obtained with the use of triglycerides, which are the majority in whole fats, since they lack glycerol, which is considered vital for the formation of micelles, which are necessary for good digestibility of fats by the aforementioned monogastric animals. The presence of glycerol (glycerin) in soaps allows its use in monogastric feeding, lowering the cost with respect to the use of triglycerides and allowing fats to be supplied in a more suitable form for animals, in the form of powder or granules, which it is preferable to the supply of fats in the form of a liquid customary in the state of the art. Therefore, the present invention, after the saponification of fats and / or oils, does not separate or eliminate the resulting glycerol. Optionally, in addition, the process of the invention includes the additional incorporation during the process of glycerol and / or authorized emulsifiers for animal feed, giving rise to soaps of the invention with a higher content in these compounds and which may be more suitable for feeding of monogastric animals.

Description of the invention The known processes for obtaining soaps directly from the saponification of fats, hardly yield soaps with a content of fatty acids higher than 60%, as has been commented previously. The present invention describes a process for obtaining soaps of alkaline earth metals, in particular of calcium soaps, by saponification of natural fats, with a content of fatty acids higher than 70% and, preferably between 82-86%.

To obtain a concentration of fatty acids higher than 60%, the processes of obtaining soaps, generally known sodium, must add to the process a final stage of concentration. For this, the soap obtained with a concentration of fatty acids approximately equal to or less than 60%, is washed and heated at 80-90 ° C under pressure. The soap thus heated and subjected to pressure is sprayed in a vacuum chamber at approximately 2 bars of pressure. When leaving the vacuum chamber and found at atmospheric pressure and at room temperature, the soap has lost part of its water content, presenting a pasty appearance and the concentration of fatty acids required (> 70%). This final stage of vacuum concentration is expensive and causes the obtained soap to have a sandy texture.

In the process of the present invention said final concentration stage is not necessary, obtaining calcium soaps with a high content of fatty acids (82-86%) directly after the saponification process.

The process of the invention consists of mixing natural fats or oils with calcium oxide and adding water to said mixture, applying heat, in a pressure reactor. After the fats and / or oils react with the calcium oxide, the reaction mass is allowed to cool. The obtained calcium soap contains glycerol from the saponification of triglycerides. No further washing, concentration (vacuum, for example) or similar step is necessary. Only the shaping of the soap by means of conventional techniques of block extrusion, pelletization, compression, granulation, etc.

It is therefore object of the present invention to protect a new process for the manufacture of calcium soaps with a fatty acid content of more than 80%. Also included within the scope of the invention is the carrying out of the process of the invention in which the addition of additional amounts of glycerol and / or of another emulsifying agent authorized for animal feed prior to the saponification reaction takes place, giving rise to a soap with a lower percentage of fatty acids with respect to the total composition but with a higher content of glycerol and / or with the additional presence of another emulsifying agent.

It is another object of the present invention to protect the calcium soaps obtained according to the patented process and characterized by their high content of fatty acids.

A final object of the present invention is the use in animal feed of calcium soaps with high content of fatty acids and, optionally, with increased content of glycerol and / or additional presence of an authorized emulsifier for animal feed, particularly when the use is in the feeding of monogastric cattle.

Detailed description of the invention The fats or oils must be added previously heated to a temperature slightly above their melting points, generally between 20 and 50 CC.

It is necessary to add the same number of moles of calcium oxide as that of moles of fatty acids existing in the natural source of fats or oils to be saponified (1: 1 ratio).

The calcium oxide is incorporated into the fats and / or heated oils and then, to said mixture, the water is added. The amount of water to be added will be at least the stoichiometric amount necessary for all the added CaO to be converted to CaOH, and any possible excess over this amount must be inversely proportional to the final concentration of fatty acid that is desired in the calcium soap. . Thus, an excess of water of 6% will result in a concentration of fatty acids in the calcium soaps obtained according to the patented procedure of around 84%, once 10% of the unreacted glycerol produced during saponification has been deducted and, as it has been previously commented, it is incorporated - it is not separated or washed as it is traditionally done in other processes described in the prior art -, to the final composition of the obtained calcium soap. The presence of glycerol (glycerin) in the final composition of the feed is especially useful in monogastrics (pigs, chickens, etc.) as it helps the digestibility of fats, through the formation of micelles, in these animals.

If it is desired to incorporate additional glycerol and / or other emulsifying agent authorized for animal feed, said compounds can be added at the time of adding the calcium oxide, prior to the addition of the calcium oxide or subsequent to said addition. It is preferred that the addition of the glycerol and / or the emulsifying agent be simultaneous to that of the calcium ion source compound (the calcium oxide). In any case, the addition of the glycerol and / or the emulsifying agent must be prior to the addition of water, so that the glycerol is already present at the time of saponification and is homogeneously distributed and incorporated. In this way, a perfect fraction is achieved with the oleic fraction in a short time.

The glycerol which is used in this invention is preferably unrefined glycerol. The proportion of glycerol added will vary according to the percentage that is desired to be present in the final product and will also depend on whether or not another emulsifier is also added, but, in general, it will range between 4% and 12%.

The optional emulsifier can be any of those present in the positive list of the European Union for use in animal feed. The proportion to be added in the case of each one will vary according to criteria, among which its emulsion capacity and its cost stand out.

The mixture of fats and / or oils + calcium oxide + water + the optional components glycerol and / or emulsionate agent, is heated above 100 ° C inside a stainless steel reactor, subjecting said mixture to a pressure of 2 bar . The preferred temperature range is 100-150 ° C and the pressure range is 2 to 4 bar.

It can be used as a source of fats and / or oils, any natural source, both of animal origin, as vegetable. Said source of fat and / or oil can be added as is, or pretreated, to, for example, eliminate bad odors inherent thereto.

The process described can be carried out in batches, in continuous or semi-continuous. The batch process starts with the reagents and ends with obtaining the calcium soaps, restarting again with the addition of new reagents (fats and / or oils together with CaO and water). The continuous process, however, is not interrupted, except for maintenance and periodic cleaning of the facilities. The fats and / or oils are continuously added, together with CaO and the water sequentially, and in an uninterrupted way, the calcium soap rich in fatty acids is obtained. The semi-continuous process is a mixture of the previous ones. It would be a continuous process but only during a certain number of pre-programmed cycles.

The addition of the reagents, their dosage, as well as the control of the reaction parameters can be operated automatically, including computing means that include a program adaptable to the type of process previously indicated: batch, continuous or semi-continuous and to the Production needs.

The liquid calcium soap obtained after saponification under the reaction conditions outlined above, is allowed to cool and is molded, shaped or extruded in any form usually usable in feed for animal feed: bars, blocks, fibers, balls, tablets, tablets, pellets , etc....

The calcium soap thus obtained is used as an ingredient in animal feed, especially monogastric animals, as these have greater difficulties in the assimilation of fats through their digestive system.

The use of calcium soaps from fats and not fatty acids, makes an essential element in the digestion of fat in monogastric animals such as glycerol, is already present in the product and does not have to be incorporated into the production process of soaps from fatty acids.

The digestibility of fats in monogastric animals is lower when these fats are added to feed in the form of free fatty acids than when they are in the form of triglycerides. The addition of emulsifiers to feed or fats and / or oils significantly improves the digestibility of fat. Glycerol is described as an emulsifying agent in various jobs and this is what the European Union considers in its list of additives for animal feed.

Therefore, a calcium soap produced from fats and / or oils and not starting from free fatty acids will be very useful in feeding the monogastric due to the presence of glycerol from the fat and / or oil used.

Claims (1)

1. R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S Process for producing calcium soaps with a fatty acid content higher than 80%, directly after the saponification reaction without subjecting the resulting soap to any washing, or to concentration by any means, particularly by vacuum, characterized by: pre-heating natural fats, natural oils or mixtures of both at a temperature slightly higher than their respective melting points; - mix the natural fat and / or oil in proportion 1: 1 with calcium oxide (CaO); adding to the above mixture of natural fats and / or oil and CaO an amount of water that is at least the stoichiometric amount necessary for the added CaO to be converted into CaOH; heating said reaction mixture to a temperature comprised between 100-150 ° C, subjecting it at the same time to a pressure of 2 to 4 bar. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that after the last step, once the saponification reaction has taken place, the obtained liquid calcium soap is cooled and formed in the form of fibers, bars, tablets, blocks and in any form usable in feed for animal feed. Process according to any of claims 1 or 2 characterized in that the previous heating of fats and / or oils of natural origin is done at a temperature between 20 and 50 ° C. Process according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that glycerol and / or another emulsifying agent authorized for animal feed is optionally added to the fats and / or natural oils already heated. Process according to claim 4, characterized in that the optional addition of glycerol and / or other authorized emulsifying agent for animal feed is carried out simultaneously with the addition of calcium oxide. Process according to claim 4, characterized in that the optional addition of glycerol and / or other authorized emulsifying agent for animal feed is carried out before the addition of calcium oxide. Process according to claim 4, characterized in that the optional addition of glycerol and / or another emulsifying agent authorized for animal feeding is carried out after the addition of calcium oxide and before the addition of water. Calcium soap obtained according to the patented process characterized by having a fatty acid composition greater than 80% by weight with respect to the weight of the final composition, for which calculation the weight corresponding to the glycerol and / or to another emulsifying agent that has been added during the calculation is not considered. the process of obtaining soap. Use of the calcium soap of claim 8, obtained according to the method of claims 1 to 7, as an ingredient in feed for animal feed. Use, according to claim 9, characterized in that the feeds are preferably used in feeding monogastric animals. SUMMARY Procedure for the manufacture of calcium soaps for animal feed. The invention consists of a new process for manufacturing calcium soaps by saponifying fats and / or natural oils with CaO, with heating and subjecting the reaction mass under reduced pressure. Calcium soaps are obtained which, without the need for any subsequent washing or concentration process, reach fatty acid contents higher than 80%. This high content of fatty acids makes them especially suitable to be part of feed in animal feed. The addition of glycerol and / or other emulsifying agent during the process of obtaining the soap improves its applicability in the feeding of monogastric animals.