MXPA97006408A - Process for the reduction of sterols and acidosgrasos free of the grease ani - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for the reduction of sterols and free fatty acids from animal fat, which involves the formation of an oil-in-water emulsion, using a mixing device such as a pump or an in-line mixer, and then pumps the emulsion through a conduit for a period of time. The emulsion is made from water, liquefied animal fat and cyclodextrin. The mixing device forms the emulsion in less than one minute, and the emulsion is pumped through the conduit for 5 to 60 minutes. During the time the emulsion is moving through the conduit, the sterols and free fatty acids move from the fatty phase to the aqueous phase and form complexes with the cyclodextrin. These compounds are clearly stable and are separated from the emulsion by centrifugation. The resulting fat has a reduced content of sterol and free fatty acids.

Description

PROCESS FOR THE REDUCTION OF STEROLS AND FATTY ACIDS FREE OF ANIMAL FAT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a process for reducing sterols and free fatty acids from animal fat, through the use of cyclodextrins. 2. Previous Technique Studies have linked cholesterol with increased proportions of heart disease and certain types of cancer. As a result of these findings, there has been a demand in the consumer and the food industry for low cholesterol foods. For example, animal fats such as bait and butter have fallen into disfavor as cooking oils and food ingredients due, in part, to their cholesterol content. Cholesterol-free vegetable oils have displaced animal fats in a variety of applications. An animal fat with reduced cholesterol content should improve the consumer's perception of these products, and allow them to compete more selectively against vegetable oils in the market. It is known that sterols and free fatty acids form complexes with cyclodextrin, and that this phenomenon of complex formation can be used to remove free fatty acids / oils from a food material. It is also known that the efficiency of the complex formation process is greatly increased when the complex formation reaction occurs in the presence of water, for example, water is added to the food material together with cyclodextrin. Furthermore, it is known that these complexes can be separated from the food material by centrifugation, thereby reducing the content of sterols / free fatty acids of the treated material. See US Patents Nos. 5,232,725 and 3,491,132. Patent 725 is directed to reduce the content of sterol / free fatty acids in an animal fat; and teaches the formation of an oil-in-water emulsion from an aqueous suspension of cyclodextrin and liquefied animal fat. Patent 725 teaches that vigorous agitation should be employed in order to form the emulsion and that vigorous agitation should be continued for a period of time, typically 10 minutes, to form the compiejo. The '725 Patent also teaches that a water to grease ratio of 0.4: 1 to 1.9: 1 should be employed in order to form the emulsion. Patent 725 defines the emulsion as a "fine emulsion" containing fat globules having a size of less than 40 microns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It has now been discovered that sterols and free fatty acids can be removed from liquefied animal fat without the need for vigorous agitation. More specifically, it has been found that vigorous agitation is not necessary to form the emulsion. With minimal agitation, an oil-in-water emulsion comprising liquefied animal fat, water and cyclodextrin can be formed, and this crude emulsion is sufficient to remove a substantial amount of free fatty acids / fatty acids. It has also been found that vigorous agitation is not necessary for complex formation. In fact, it has been found that by the movement of the emulsion through a conduit for a period of 5 to 60 minutes, complex formation occurs and that substantial quantities of sterols / free fatty acids are removed from the fat. In this way, the second step is achieved without, or in the absence of, vigorous agitation. It is surprising and unexpected that the use of mild deagulation will form the oil-in-water emulsion, because Patent 725 teaches that vigorous agitation should be employed to form an efficient emulsion, sufficient to remove substantial amounts of free fatty acids / free fatty acids from the grease. Furthermore, it is surprising that complex formation can occur without the need for vigorous agitation. In other words, the mere fact that there is emulsion allows the complex to form and the free fatty acids / free acids to move from a non-complexed state in the fatty phase to a complexed state in the aqueous phase. It is hypothesized that the cyclodextrin remains in the aqueous phase after the formation of the emulsion, and that the formation of the complex between the cyclodextrin and the sterols / free fatty acids take place at the interface between water and fat. In this way, the cyclodextrin remains in the aqueous phase while the sterols / free fatty acids move from the fatty phase to the aqueous phase. In addition, it has been found that a conventional pipeline arrangement employing tubes and pumps can be used to form the emulsion. This avoids the need for special mixing devices. The movement of the emulsion through the pipe system allows the formation of the complex between the cyclodextrin and the free fatty acids / stearate without the need for a special mixing device. In addition, it has been found that the weight ratio in water to fat can be as high as about 5: 1 while still obtaining good reduction of sterols / free fatty acids. This high weight ratio in water to fat provides several advantages. Firstly, the viscosity of the emulsion is low, making the emulsion easier to handle. Second, a high proportion of water to fat means that increased amounts of cyclodextrin are available in the emulsion, contributing to an efficient elimination of sterols / free fatty acids from fat.

Furthermore, it has been found, quite unexpectedly, that the process of the present invention results in low residual cyclodextrin in the treated fat, typically, below about 5 ppm. The residual cyclodextrin is cyclodextrin which is present in the treated fat after the complex has been removed. The residual cyclodextrin is considered as a contaminant that must be eliminated from the treated fat. Because the process of the present invention results in virtually no residual cyclodextrin, there is no need for a step of removing the residual cyclodextrin from the treated fat. This also reduces the total cost of operation of the process of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other aspects of the present invention may be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings, wherein: Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the process and complete apparatus of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates a portion of a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein the emulsion is formed by means of a tank equipped with a plenum chamber; Figure 3 illustrates a portion of a preferred embodiment of the present invention herein, the emulsion being formed by means of an in-line mixer; and Figure 4 illustrates a portion of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the emulsion is formed by means of a Y adapter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Broadly, the process of the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) the formation of an emulsion, oil in water, white, milky, uniform, in a mixing medium in less than one minute, said emulsion comprising animal fat liquefied in water and cyclodextrin, wherein the weight ratio of the water to the fat is 5: 1 to 1: 1 and the cyclodextrin is present in an amount of 3% to 10% by weight of the water; (b) the movement of the emulsion through a conduit for a period of 5 to 60 minutes, so that complexes are formed between the sterols and the free fatty acids in the fat and the cyclodextrin; and (c) said complexes are separated from the fat, wherein the fat has reduced amount of sterol and free fatty acid, and the fat has a low level of residual cyclodextrin. In the first step, the formation of the emulsion, the cyclodextrin is added to the liquified fat in the presence of water, either by the formation of an aqueous suspension of cyclodextrin, and then the aqueous suspension is added to the liquefied fat, or by the addition of cyclodextrin to a composition of water and fat. The mixing of the cyclodextrin with the fat in the absence of water produces poor results. It is more preferred to first form the aqueous suspension of the cyclodextrin and then add the cyclodextrin suspension to the fat. The amount of cyclodextrin used in this process is from 3% to 10% and, more preferably, from 5% by weight of water. The cyclodextrin can be alpha-, beta-, gamma-cyclodextrins or mixtures thereof. Branched cyclodextrins as well as cyclodextrin derivatives can be used in the process of the present invention. The preferred cyclodextrin is beta-cyclodextrin. Fats that are treated according to the present invention are animal fats such as bait, lard, chicken fat, fish oil, tallow and milk fat. The water used in the present invention is conventional tap water. The amount of water used in the present invention is 1 to 5 times the weight of the fat and, more preferably, 2 to 4 times the weight of the fat.

This results in a weight ratio of water to fat of 5: 1 to 1: 1 and a preferred weight ratio of water to fat of 2: 1 to 4: 1. The fat must be in a liquid state before the formation of the emulsion. If the fat is a solid, then the fat must be heated to obtain a liquid. This can be done in a conventional manner using conventional equipment. In the case of bait, the bait is heated to a temperature of 40 to 60 ° C and, more preferably, to 50 ° C. Preferably, the emulsion is formed from the components that have been preheated such that the emulsion has a temperature of 50 to 60 ° C. A mixture of water and liquefied fat is preheated to 50 to 60 ° C and the cyclodextrin is added; or an aqueous suspension of cyclodextrin is preheated separately from the fat, which is also preheated to liquefy, then the two preheated liquids are combined. The preheating is conducted in a conventional manner using conventional equipment. When the two components, the fats and the cyclodextrin suspension are preheated independently of one another, the aqueous cyclodextrin suspension is preheated to 50 ° to 70 ° C and, more preferably, to 60 ° C. The fat is preheated from 40 ° C to 60 ° C and, more preferably, to 50 ° C, as long as it is liquid at these temperatures. The emulsion is formed by mixing the components together to produce a stable, uniform, milky white emulsion of oil in water. This emulsion must be stable to atmospheric conditions for a period of at least one minute. If the emulsion is broken in the individual components within one minute, then it is not stable and is not satisfactory for the present invention. In addition, the emulsion must be uniform, so that the droplets of fat are not visible by sight. It has been found that this emulsion is formed by any conventional mixing means, such as a tank with a plenum chamber or an in-line mixer, and that the emulsion is formed in a short period of time, in less than one minute. The conduit is preferably made of stainless steel to facilitate cleaning and sterilization, however, it has been found that the plastic tubes provide good results. If necessary, additional pumps or mixing means can be placed along the length of the conduit, not only to move the emulsion through the conduit, but also to maintain the emulsion. The separation of the complexes that are formed is reviewed in a conventional manner using conventional equipment. For example, centrifugation has produced good results. If further purification of the grease is necessary, the grease is subjected to a second step or further centrifugation steps. After the complex has been separated from the fat, the complex is preferably heated to break up the complex and recover the cyclodextrin. The prepared cyclodextrin is subsequently recycled to be used at the beginning of the process. Upon recovery of the cyclodextrin the complex is suspended in water, such that the weight ratio of the water to the complex is 99: 1 to 4: 1. The suspended complex is then stirred and heated to a temperature of 90 ° C to 100 ° C. for a period of 5 to 15 minutes. The temperature is preferably maintained by continuous injection of steam. This causes the cyclodextrin to separate from the complex; and subsequently, the cyclodextrin is recovered and recycled. More preferably, the suspended complex is heated to 95 ° C and the weight ratio of water to the complex in the suspension is 20: 1. The recovery of the cyclodextrin is carried out using conventional equipment, such as a centrifuge. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the preferred process of the present invention employs two separate storage tanks 10 and 12 for preheating the components, the first storage tank 10 used to heat a solution of water and cyclodextrin, and the second storage tank 12 is used to form and maintain liquefied animal fat. These two tanks can be equipped with thrusters to maintain the uniformity of their contents. From these two tanks, the contents are separately moved by the pumps 14 and 16, respectively, towards the mixing means 18. The mixing means 18 mixes the two liquids and causes an oil-in-water emulsion to be formed. This emulsion is then moved by the pump 20 through the conduit 22 for a period of 5 to 60 minutes. To separate the aqueous phase from the fatty phase, the emulsion is attached to the centrifuge 24 and the fat component is separated in tank 26. The aqueous phase is moved to tank 28 where additional water is added from tank 30. The aqueous phase is a clearly concentrated aqueous suspension of cyclodextrin and sterol / free fatty acid complexed. The aqueous suspension of the complex is then heated in tank 32 to break the complex to its individual components. The separated cyclodextrin is collected and recycled through the conduit 34. It has been found that the emulsion, once formed, remains stable without the need for further agitation, when the emulsion is moved through the conduit according to the present invention. Complexes are formed between the cyclodextrin and the sterols and free fatty acids during the time the emulsion moves through the conduit. The residence time of the emulsion in the conduit is from 5 to 60 minutes, and more preferably from 5 to 20 minutes. It has been found that the flow velocity and the size of the conduit are not critical to the present invention. Good results have been obtained by using a tube having an internal diameter of 5 cm (2 inches) and a flow rate of 5 to 40 liters / minutes (2 to 10 gallons / minutes). The mixing means for use according to the present invention can be any conventional mixing means. An example of such a half mixer is a conventional tank equipped with a heating liner and a propellant for mixing. Figure 2 illustrates a tank 40 equipped with an impeller 42. Such tanks are often referred to as agitation vessels, and are sized to provide suitable conditions for the formation of the emulsion. Another example of mixing means includes an in-line mixer as shown in Figure 3. The in-line mixer 50 is equipped with two screws 52, 54 which are rotated in the opposite direction by their respective engines 56 and 58. Another half mixer is shown in figure 4. The adapter Y 60 is used to mix two liquids. Other conventional mixing means may be employed in accordance with the present invention, to include static mixers in line; helical blade mixers; mouthpiece and mixed holes; and liquid pumps, especially diversion pumps.

The emulsion is formed in a very short period of time, in less than 0.5 minutes in the mixing medium. The residence time of the combined water, the liquefied fat and the cyclodextrin in the mixing means is less than one minute and, more preferably, less than 30 seconds. As will be appreciated, the residence time in the mixing means is dependent in part on the flow velocity of the liquids through the pipe system.

The mixing means and the complete pipe system used in the present invention should not introduce oxygen into the system or any other gas that will damage the liquefied grease. As appreciated by those skilled in the art, the treatment time of the process according to the present invention is so short that the air in the system will not damage the liquefied gas, for example, it is preferred that oxygen is not introduced from the system. For example, tank 40 is shown as a closed, air tight cover.

These and other aspects of the present invention may be more fully understood by reference to one or more of the following examples.

EXAMPLE 1 This example illustrates the poor results obtained when cyclodextrin is added to liquefied fat in the absence of water.

Beta-cyclodextrin (5% by weight) was added to the bait and the mixture was preheated to 50 ° C. Water (50 ° C) was subsequently added to a weight ratio of 10: 1 relative to the gauze. The mixture was maintained at 50 ° C and stirred at medium regulation with a magnetic stirrer with a PC-351 for three hours. The complex was separated from the fat by centrifugation of the mixture at 6,000 rpm for 10 minutes at 40 ° C. The fat layer was collected as the product and tested for the cholesterol content. The cholesterol content of the bait was reduced by 13%.

As can be seen, the additional water after the addition of cyclodextrin produced poor results. * EXAMPLE 2 This example illustrates the results obtained when following the teachings of U.S. Patent No. 5,232,725.

An equal amount of water was mixed and preheated to 50 ° C. Beta-cyclodextrin at 5% by weight in relation to fat was added. The mixture was stirred for two hours at 1,500 rpm using a LIGHTNING® LABMASTER ™ equipped with an A100 propellant. The product was centrifuged at 6,000 rpm for 10 minutes at 40 ° C. The fatty layer was collected as the product. The cholesterol content of the shortening was reduced by 96%.

EXAMPLE 3 This example illustrates Patent * 725 where the magnetic stirrer of Example 1 above was employed.

The process of example 2 above was employed, except that the magnetic stirrer PC-351 was used at a medium speed setting instead of a propeller. The amount of cholesterol was reduced by 98%.

EXAMPLE 4 This example illustrates the damaging effect of agitation in a vigorous manner.

The process of example 2 above was employed, except that the mixing was conducted using commercial mixed equipment WARING at its highest mixing speed. This provides extremely high cutting mixing. The cholesterol content of butter was reduced by only 38%.

EXAMPLE 5 This example illustrates that mixing at low speed provides good results. Bait was mixed with an equal weight of water and preheated to 55 ° C. Beta-cyclodextrin at 5% by weight in relation to fat was added. The mixture was stirred for one and half hours at 300 rpm using a LIGHTNIN® LABMASTER ™ equipped with an A100 propellant. The mixture was centrifuged at 6,000 rpm for 10 minutes at 40 ° C. The fatty layer was collected as the product. The experiment was carried out in triplicate and resulted in an average cholesterol reduction of 70%. As can be seen, mixing at low speed produces good results.

EXAMPLE 6 This example illustrates a short mixing time coupled with vigorous agitation.

The process of example 2 above was repeated, except that the treatment time was decreased to 10 minutes, the bait was used in place of the lard and the mixture of water and bait was heated to 55 ° C before the addition of the cyclodextrin . The fat had its cholesterol content reduced by 71%.

EXAMPLE 7 This example illustrates an even shorter treatment time than that used in the previous example 6. The fat and a 5% by weight aqueous solution of beta-cyclodextrin were heated separately at 55 ° C and then combined to have a weight ratio of water to fat of 1: 1. These were mixed in the apparatus of example 6 above at a speed of 1500 rpm for five (5) minutes, half the time of example 6 above. The resulting emulsion was then centrifuged in Example 6, and the separated fat component was tested for the cholesterol content. It was found that cholesterol was reduced by 35-38%.

In this way, the reduction of the treatment time by half, also reduced the reduction of cholesterol by approximately half, when using a tank equipped with a propellant, and using a high-speed mixing process.

EXAMPLE 8 This example illustrates the results of example 5 above, using a different mixing means, a burner instead of a Lightnin Labmaster.

Forty-five kilograms (100 pounds) of fat and forty-five kilograms (100 pounds) of water were placed in a boiler (tank equipped with a propellant). It was added to 2.25 kg (five pounds) of beta-cyclodextrin in water and bait. The contents of the tank were finally heated to 55 ° C while stirring at a speed of 300 rpm. The agitation was continued for one and a half hours. The mixture was then centrifuged at 6,000 rpm for 10 minutes at 40 ° C. The fatty layer was collected as a product. The content of bait cholesterol was reduced to 70%.

As can be seen by comparing the results of this example with the results of example 5 above, there is essentially no difference for when the components are heated.

EXAMPLE 9 This example illustrates that short treatment is preferred, and that good centrifugation improves the results.

The process of example 8 above was employed, except that a shorter treatment was employed, and that the product was centrifuged twice.

Treatment Time (minutes)% Cholesterol Eliminated 90 60 90 90 94 As can be seen, a shorter treatment time (of 10 minutes) produced the same results as a longer treatment time. prolonged (60 minutes) and that good centrifugation produced better results, compared to 90 minutes, 90% cholesterol reduction, 70% cholesterol reduction in Example 5 above.

EXAMPLE 10 This example illustrates the use of a static in-line mixer, such as the mixing means and a conduit according to the present invention. 55 ° C of bait and a 5% (by weight) aqueous solution of beta-cyclodextrin were preheated individually. The two liquids were simultaneously pumped into a static in-line mixer at a weight ratio of water to fat of 1: 1 to form the emulsion. After the emulsion formed, it moved through the tube that was 185 cm (73 inches) long and had an internal diameter of 5 cm (2 inches). The flow rate through the static in-line mixer and the tube was 1.2 liters / min. The treatment time varied by collecting the emulsion as it exited the tube and pumping it again through the in-line mixer and the 185 cm (73 in) long tube. The different samples as listed below were centrifuged at 6,000 rpm for 10 minutes at 40 ° C. The fatty layer was collected as the product. The results of this sample are listed below; Time to Pass Through the Treatment Reduction Cholesterol System (minutes) 5 1 46 10 2 60 20 4 68 30 6 80 60 12 84 The emulsion was stable throughout the 60 minutes of the test. As can be seen, there is no need for constant and vigorous agitation, either to form and maintain the emulsion.

EXAMPLE 11 This example illustrates the use of the process of example 10 above, except that the flow rate was increased to 3.1 liters / min. The results are illustrated below.

Time to Pass Through the% of Treatment Reduction Cholesterol System (minutes) 3 2 66 5 3 71 20 12 73 10 6 69 30 18 71 60 32 78 EXAMPLE 12 This example illustrates the use of the process of example 10 above, except that the temperature was raised to 65 ° C. The results are listed below.

Pass Time Through% Reduction Cholesterol System Treatment (minutes) 3 2 75 5 3 74 10 6 76 20 12 86 30 18 85 60 32 85 As can be seen, the increase in temperature had some impact on desire cholesterol.

EXAMPLE 13 This example illustrates the use of the process of Example 10 above, except that the concentration of the beta-cyclodextrin in the aqueous solution was increased to 10%. The results are shown below.

Treatment Time Goes Through% Reduction (minutes) Ceilesterol system 3 2 64 5 3 80 10 6 87 20 12 86 30 18 84 As can be observed, increasing the concentration of the cyclodextrin increases dechlorination.

EXAMPLE 14 This example illustrates the use of the procedure of Example 10 above, except that the in-line mixer was replaced with a Y-adapter as shown in Figure 4. It was found that the emulsion formed when the two components, the aqueous suspension beta-cyclodextrin and the liquefied bait, join in a "Y" in the tube. In addition, 0.5 m (six feet), more than the internal diameter pipe of cm (two inches) were added over 185 cm (73 inches) of pipe, to make a total of just above 3.6 m (12 feet) of pipe. As in example 9, the emulsion was collected at the end of the pipe and then pumped again through one arm of the Y adapter and the 3.6 m (12 ft) pipe. In this way, the treatment time was varied. The results are listed below.

Pass Time Through Reduction - Colesteroi System Treatment (minutes) 3 1 52 10 3 57 20 6 58 45 15 76 The emulsion is a stable emulsion throughout the treatment. The Y adapter provided a good mixing medium for the two liquid components, providing results that are similar to the results obtained with a static in-line mixer.

EXAMPLE 15 This example illustrates the process of the present invention, wherein a longer conduit is employed. A bait and an aqueous solution in 5% (by weight) of beta-cyclodextrin were preheated to 55 ° C. The two liquids were simultaneously pumped through the in-line mixer of Example 10 above, and then into a tube 60 m (200 ft.) Long, 5 cm (2 in.) In internal diameter 185 cm (73 in.) the pipe had been replaced with 60 m (200 ft) of pipe). The pipe was in a coil arrangement. A bypass pump was placed at the end of the pipe to provide additional mixing and pumping. The weight ratio of water to fat was 4: 1 and the flow rate through the system was 18.9 liters / min. The material collected after a passage through the system was centrifuged as described above to obtain the product. The residence time of the emulsion in the duct was 25 minutes.

Description of the Sample% of Cholesterol Reduction Before the bypass pump 77 After the bypass pump 88 The emulsion was stable throughout the time it was in the tube. As can be seen, this example produced results comparable to Examples 10 and 11 at a treatment time of 25 minutes.

EXAMPLE 16 This example illustrates the example process above, at a water to fat ratio of 1: 1 and with increased treatment time.

Description of the Sample of Reduction Total Time of Treatment in Cholesterol (min.) Before the diverter pump 51 25 After the diverter pump 70 25 Recirculated 10 minutes 77 35 Recirculated 20 minutes 79 45 The measurement of the previous deflection pump was the average of two runs.

As can be seen, the decrease in the proportion of water to fat produced poor results, and it required a longer treatment time to obtain results comparable to those obtained in the previous example 15.

EXAMPLE 17 This example illustrates that the placement of additional mixing means in the duct does not substantially increase the cholesterol reduction in the fat.

The bait and a 5% aqueous solution (by weight) of the beta-cyclodextrin were preheated to 55 ° C. The two liquids were simultaneously pumped to a Y-shaped adapter and then through approximately 3 m (10 ft) of 5 cm (2-inch) internal diameter tubing. The weight ratio of water to fat was 1: 1. A new deviation was placed at the end of the pipe and the emulsion was collected after it passed through the diversion pump. In order to simulate a bypass pump every 3 m (10 ft) in the duct, the emulsion was repeatedly after the bypass pump and then passed back through the system. The flow velocity through the system was 18.5 liters / min. The mixture was recirculated through the system for the amount of time listed below. The final mixture was centrifuged and the fat layer was collected as a product.

Description of - Cholesterol Total Time of Passes through the Eliminated Sample Treatment of the System iminutos) Before the pump of deviation 12 2 1 After the deviation pump 57 2 1 Recirculated 10 minutes 78 12 6 Recirculated 20 minutes 64 22 n As can be seen, having a mixer every 3 (10 feet) in the duct, did not substantially increase the cholesterol reduction.

EXAMPLE 18 This example illustrates that by increasing the flow rate used in example 17, cholesterol reduction is not increased.

The process used in this example is identical to the process in Example 17, except that the flow rate was doubled, 37.9 liters / min. The results are listed below.

Description of% of Total Time Shows Reduction in Cholesterol Treatment (minutes Before the ll deviation pump After the diversion pump 24 EXAMPLE 19 This example illustrates that increased turbulence does not increase cholesterol reduction. The process used in this example is identical to Example 17, except that a high-speed bypass pump replaced the bypass pump used in Example 17.

Description of Cholesterol i Total Time of Passes through the Sample Eliminated Treatment of the System (minutes) Before the pump of deviation 9 2 1 After the diversion pump 26 2 1 Recirculated 10 minutes s 55 12 6 Recirculated 20 minutes s 62 22 11 EXAMPLE 20 This example illustrates the example process , except that the in-line mixer was replaced by a bypass pump, and the ratio of water to fat was 1: 1. In other words, a bypass pump is used as the mixing means.

A bait and a 5% aqueous solution (by weight) of beta-cyclodextrin were preheated to 55 ° C. The two liquids were simultaneously pumped into the diverter pump to mix the two liquids and through a tube 60 m (200 ft.) In length, and 5 cm (2 in.) In diameter, accommodated in a coil arrangement. The weight ratio of water to fat was 1: 1. The mixture was recirculated through the system for the amount of time listed below. The final mixture was centrifuged and the fat layer was collected as the product. % of Total Time Description of the Cholesterol Sample Reduction Treatment (minutes) First step 53 25 Fourth step 82 100 As can be seen, these results are comparable to the previous example 16, where the proportion of water to fat was 1: 1.

EXAMPLE 21 This example illustrates the use of the apparatus of example 20 above, wherein a Y-shaped adapter is used to replace the diverter pump as the mixing means. The treatment time was the same as one step through the system, 25 minutes, however, the cholesterol reduction was 37%.

EXAMPLE 22 This example illustrates an increase in the concentration of 10% beta-cyclodextrin at a water to fat ratio of 1: 1. The process of Example 21 was repeated, except that the concentration of beta-cyclodextrin in the aqueous suspension was 10%. After the fourth step through the system (treatment time of 100 minutes) the cholesterol reduction was 69%.

EXAMPLE 23 This example illustrates that the results with a higher ratio of water to fat are obtained. The process of example 20 above was repeated, except that the ratio of water to fat was 2: 1. % of Total Time Description of the Reduction in Sample Cholesterol Treatment (minutes) First step 84 25 Recirculated 20 minutes 91 45 As can be seen, by increasing the weight ratio of water to fat to 2: 1, the cholesterol reduction is increased.

Claims (13)

1. A process for reducing sterols and free fatty acids from animal fat, using a high proportion of water to fat comprising the steps of: (a) the formation of a uniform, milky or white oil-in-water emulsion in a mixing means in less than 30 seconds at a temperature of 50 ° C to 60 ° C, said emulsion comprising liquefied animal fat, water, and cyclodextrin wherein the weight ratio of water to fat is from 5: 1 to 2: 1 and the cyclodextrin is present in an amount of 3% to 10% by weight of water, the water, the liquefied fat and the cyclodextrin having a residence time in the mixing medium of less than 30 seconds; (b) the movement of the emulsion through a conduit for a period of 5 to 60 minutes, so that complexes are formed between the cyclodextrin and the free fatty acids and the sterols in the animal fat; and (c) the complexes for the fat are separated, such that the fat a reduced content of cholesterol and of fatty acids.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the emulsion is moved through the conduit by means of a pump.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the emulsion is formed by the steps of: (iii) mixing the cyclodextrin and water to form a suspension, wherein the cyclodextrin is present in an amount of 3% to 10%; (a2) heating said suspension at 50 ° C - 70 ° C; (a3) the heating of animal fat at a temperature of 40 ° C to 60 ° C, to liquefy animal fat; (a4) pumping said hot suspension into the conduit; (a5) pumping the liquefied animal fat into the duct, such that it mixes with the hot suspension and forms the emulsion.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the emulsion is first formed by mixing the water and liquefied fat together, and then mixing the cyclodextrin in the liquefied fat and the water.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the cyclodextrin is beta-cyclodextrin.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the separation step is carried out by means of centrifugation.

7. The process according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of suspending the steps of suspending in water the separate complex, such that the weight ratio of the water to the complex is from 99: 1 to 4: 1, is stirred and heat the suspended complex at a temperature of 90 ° C to 100 ° C for a period of 5 to 30 minutes, to separate the cyclodextrin in the complex and subsequently recover the cyclodextrin.

8. The process according to claim 7, wherein the suspended complexes are heated to 95 ° C and the weight ratio of the water to the complex in the suspension is 9: 1.

9. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the animal fat is selected from the group consisting of bait, butter, chicken fat, fish oil, raw tallow and milk fat.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the emulsion is formed by the steps of: (a) mixing the cyclodextrin and water to form a suspension, wherein the cyclodextrin is present in an amount of 3% to 10%. %; (a2) the heating of the. suspension at a temperature of 50 ° C to 70 ° C; (a3) the heating of animal fat at a temperature of 40 ° C to 60 ° C to liquefy animal fat; (a4) pumping said hot suspension into a first conduit; (a5) pumping the liquefied animal fat into a second conduit; (a6) the union of the hot suspension in the first conduit with the liquefied animal fat in the second conduit, in an in-line mixer such that a uniform, milky-white emulsion is formed, oil-in-water, in less than 30 seconds, said emulsion comprising the liquefied animal fat, water and cyclodextrin, wherein the weight ratio of water to fat is from 5: 1 to 2: 1; and (a7) wherein the emulsion is moved through a third conduit which is in contact with the in-line mixer.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the emulsion is formed by the steps of: (a) mixing the cyclodextrin and the water to form a suspension, wherein the cyclodextrin is present in an amount of 3% to 10%. %; (a2) heating said suspension to a temperature of 50 ° C to 70 ° C; (a3) the heating of animal fat at a temperature of 40 ° C to 60 ° C to liquefy animal fat; (a4) pumping the hot suspension into a first conduit; (a5) pumping the liquefied animal fat into a second conduit; (a6) the attachment of the hot suspension in the first conduit with the liquefied animal fat in the second conduit in a Y-shaped adapter, such that a uniform, milky-white emulsion is formed, oil-in-water in less than 30 seconds , said liquefied animal fat emulsion, water and cyclodextrin, wherein the weight ratio of the fat is from 5: 1 to 2: 1; and (a7) wherein the emulsion is moved through a third conduit which is in contact with the Y-shaped adapter.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of water to fat is from 2: 1 to 4: 1.

13. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the weight ratio of the water is 2: 1.