NZ255633A

NZ255633A - Production of product with a reduced fat content (25-60%), a naturally occurring emulsion and casein (<2%)

Info

Publication number: NZ255633A
Application number: NZ25563393A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Sten-Olof Arph; Magnus Larsson
Original assignee: Alfa Laval Ab
Priority date: 1992-09-08
Filing date: 1993-09-03
Publication date: 1995-07-26
Also published as: AU4990393A; EP0659050A1; SE9202574D0; SE470457B; PL307853A1; FI951045A; NO950880L; CA2143938A1; WO1994005160A1; FI951045A0; SE9202574L; NO950880D0

Description

New Zealand Paient Spedficaiion for Paient Number £55633 New Zealand No. 255633 International No. PCT/SE93/00716 Priority D£t0(e): I Comitate Spec(ii::?5!<3;'i f»uV>ik;?r 2&-J.U.LJ99.5. '• *0. ^tow.-sat, fro: ISfflrfr NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Title of Invention: Method of producing a fat product with a reduced fat content Name, address and nationality of applicant(s) as in international application form: ALFA LAVAL AB, a Swedish company of S-221 86 Lund, Sweden )CT/SE93/00716 255633 Method of producing a fat product with a reduced fat content The present invention relates to a method of producing a 5 fat product containing milk fat with a reduced fat content.

The interest in fat products based on milk fat or mixtures of milk fat and vegetable oil is rising. 10 Hitherto one has often started with butter oil possibly-mixed with vegetable oil into which fat mixture a water phase is admixed. The water phase may contain casein or caseinate, skim milk powder or milk protein, whey protein and possibly gelatin.

The content of dry solids in the water phase which is mixed with the fat phase has been high in order to bind the water in a sufficient high degree so that the end product, a water-in-oil-emulsion shall be stable and not 20 give off free water.

Processes for production of products with a low fat content starting from butter, have also been presented, in which a water phase is mixed into earlier produced 25 butter. Such processes are described for example in WO 91/07098 and in EP 368805.

During recent times patent applications have been published which describe processes where products 30 containing milk fat are produced starting from cream without any churning step. In EP 376407 there is described a process for producing a fat product from water, melted vegetable oils and cream. Similar processes are also described in EP 385542 and EP 445857. 35 In order to obtain stable emulsions, emulsifiers are SUBSTITUTE SHEET WO 94/05160 PCT/SE93/00716 added to the mixture of cream, vegetable fat and water prior to the phase reversal.

When producing fat products containing only milk fat 5 starting from cream there is sometimes a problem to obtain the desired phase reversal from the oil-in-water emulsion, the cream, to the desired water-in-oil emulsion which is the desired state for the fat product. These problems are more accentuated when the fat content 10 of the fat mixture is low.

The present invention relates to a method to obtain a satisfactory and stable phase reversal when producing a fat product only containing milk fat.

The method according to the invention is mainly characterized in that cream with a fat content of 40-80 % is mixed with a desired amount of water phase containing stabilizing means, preferably gelatin, salt and aroma 20 substances. The temperature during the mixing step is kept between 50-80°C. After the mixing operation the mixture, an oil-in-water emulsion, is cooled and worked such that phase reversal takes place. A partial stream of phase reversed product, now a water-in-oil emulsion, 25 is returned to the inlet of a first cooling step and mixed with the starting mixture. The obtained end product consists of a stable water-in-oil emulsion. The product has a fat content of 25-60 % and contains only emulsifiers naturally occuring in the cream. The casein 30 content of the product is below 2 %.

When the expression % is mentioned in the description weight percent is intended, if nothing else is said.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET ¥ According to the invention 5-50 %, preferably 5-25 %, of the amount of phase reversed product is returned to the inlet of the first cooling step. A fat mixture with a lower fat content brings about larger problems for the 5 phase reversal and in order to obtain a stable phase reversal a larger amount is recirculated when the fat mixture contains a smaller amount of fat.

The amount of phase reversed product which is returned 10 to the inlet of the first cooling step bears an inverted relation to the fat content in the end product. With a low fat content of the same a higher amount of phase reversed product is returned, at a higher fat content the amount of recirculated, phase reversed product may 15 be lowered. With a fat content of - 40 % fat in the end product stable conditions are obtained when recirculating 20-25 % phase reversed product.

The working which the fat mixture is subjected to in 20 order to obtain phase reversal usually comprises an initial cooling in one or several cooling steps to a temperature below 22°C. After that the mixture is worked under a certain time, e.g. 2-10 minutes in one or several working units, at which the fat starts to 25 crystallize and the temperature of the mixture rises somewhat. After this working the product is cooled further. As soon as the phase reversal has started a part of the product is returned. This is suitably carried through in such a way that a partial stream is 30 taken away and returned prior to the passage of the second cooling step. If it is considered suitable phase reversed product may be taken away and returned also after the final cooling step.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Claims

WO 94/05160 PCT/SE93/00716 The method according to the invention may be practised as follows. A fat mixture containing 5 Cream ~ 75 % 21.0 kg Stabilizing means 1,2 kg NaCl 0,4 kg Water ad 40 kg 17,3 kg 10 is produced. The mixing temperature was in the interval 50-60°C. The mixture was treated in coolers and a working unit to the following temperature after each step. 15 First cooling step < 18 °C Working unit < 22°C Second cooling step < 20 °C 20 After the working step 5-25 % of the mixture was returned to the inlet of the first cooling step. ejiRCTBTHTP SHFFT WO 94/05160 PCT/SE93/00716 5 Claims

1. Method of producing a fat product with a reduced fat content containing milk fat, characterized 5 in that cream with a fat content of 40-80 % is mixed with a desired amount of water phase containing stabilizing means and salt, at which the temperature during the mixing operation is kept between 50-80°C, after which the obtained mixture, an oil-in-water 10 emulsion, is cooled and worked in such a way that phase reversal takes place, at which a partial stream of phase reversed product, now a water-in-oil emulsion, is returned to the inlet of a first cooling step and mixed with the starting mixture and that the obtained end 15 product consists of a stable water-in-oil-emulsion, which product only contains milk fat and has a fat content of 25-60% and only contains emulsifiers naturally occuring in the cream and has a casein content below 2 %. 20

2. Method according to claim 1, c haracte- r i z e d in that 5-50 %, preferably 5-25 % of the amount of phase reversed product is returned to the inlet of the first cooling step. 25

3. Method according to claim 1-2, characterized in that wholly or partly phase reversed product from a first or a second working step is returned to the inlet of the first cooling step. SUBSTITUTE SHEET