Healthy food spreads

The present invention is of a food spread containing a mixture of an edible oil of natural origin and a monoglyceride. The oil is preferably one or more of the oils from the group of olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, mustardseed oil, camelina oil, chia oil, flaxseed oil, perilla oil, fish oil or corn oil. More preferably an oil such as avocado oil or olive oil is used and most preferably the oil is olive oil. The monoglycerides used are preferably derivatives of oleic, or palmitic acid. The ratio of oil to monoglyceride is preferably from about 9 to about 1 to from about 49 to about 1 and most preferably from about 15 to about 1 to from about 24 to about 1. The more monoglyceride used, the greater the degree of solidity of the food spread at room temperature. It is therefore possible to produce a desired degree of solidity, by changing the proportion of monoglyceride.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a novel food spread and its production. In 
particular, it concerns a food spread containing a mixture of an edible 
oil from a natural origin and a monoglyceride. 
Food spreads such as margarine and butter are commonplace in the kitchen. 
They are used in the home and industry for cooking, baking, sandwiches and 
numerous food products. In recent years, attention has been directed to 
producing healthier food spreads, in the form of reduced fat alternatives 
to the existing products. 
Margarines contain a water phase and an oil phase, which are emulsified. 
They are generally in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion. The taste of 
margarines and food spreads is due mostly to water soluble flavors, oil 
soluble flavors and salt included in the water phase. Margarine type 
compounds contain at least 80% of fat by weight. The fat content is made 
up mainly of polysaturated fats. In the production of margarine the 
polysaturated fats are hydrogenated, however the hydrogenated products are 
very readily acidified to produce free radical carcinogenic compounds. 
Butter, margarine and food spreads contain preservatives and need to be 
refrigerated. They have no known positive health value and their use is 
therefore generally based on their taste and cooking properties. 
The therapeutic properties of oils from natural origins, such as olive oil 
and avocado oil have been widely documented. Olive oil has been indicated 
as having a therapeutic effect in stomach ailments (1, 1a), increasing 
memory (2), decreasing mortality from heart disease due to increasing 
blood flow (3) and softening skin (4). Additionally, olive oil is used in 
relieving ear infection, may reduce the risk of certain cancers (5, 6), 
decreases calcium loss from bones and increases mineral absorption (7). In 
children, olive oil has been linked to stimulating growth and development 
(8). 
The properties of olive oil result from its chemical structure. Olive oil 
is made up of 75% oleic acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, approximately 
14% polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic acid and about 11% 
saturated fatty acids. Oleic acid, the main constituent of olive oil is 
very stable and is therefore less readily acidified to produce 
carcinogenic free radicals. In contrast, margarine consists of mainly 
(64%) polysaturated fatty acids and only 30% monounsaturated fatty acids. 
Likewise, the properties of avocado oil are a result of its structure. It 
is made up of 10% 18:2 .omega.-6 fatty acid, 70% 18:1 .omega.-9 fatty acid 
and 20% 18:0 .omega.-6 fatty acid. As is the case in olive oil, a major 
component of avocado oil is monounsaturated fatty acid. Avocado oil has an 
characteristically bitter taste. On distillation of the oil, the taste 
improves, but the nutrition value decreases. 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,226,895, 4,284,655 and 4,509,727 disclose food spreads 
containing an oil in water emulsion. However, in the present invention, 
water, is not used. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,626 discloses an edible food product containing an oil 
phase thickened with a texturizing agent comprising an alkyl-substituted, 
non-nitrogen containing oil-soluble polymer having a molecular weight of 
at least 2000 daltons. The monoglyceride of the present invention is less 
than 2000 daltons. In addition, a food spread is disclosed containing an 
aqueous phase and an oil phase. The present invention does not contain an 
aqueous phase. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,398 discloses a fat component useful for preparing a 
reduced calorie food product, the fat component comprising an edible 
triglyceride and a polytetramethylene ether glycol esterified with a fatty 
acid entity. In contrast, the present invention does not contain a 
polytetramethylene ether glycol. 
The background art discloses reduced fat alternatives to margarines and 
existing food spreads, however, non of these prior art references suggests 
the production of a food spread containing a mixture of only an oil of 
natural origin with therapeutic properties and a monoglyceride. 
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly 
advantageous to have, a healthy food spread as is described in the present 
invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provide a healthy food spread containing a mixture of 
edible oil of natural origin and a monoglyceride. 
According to the teaching of the present invention there is provided in a 
first embodiment a food spread comprising a mixture of an edible oil and a 
monoglyceride. 
In a preferred embodiment the food spread further comprises a fat soluble 
flavor. 
In a preferred embodiment the oil is selected from one or more of the oils 
from the group consisting of olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, soybean 
oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, coconut 
oil, rice bran oil, mustardseed oil camelina oil, chia oil, flaxseed oil, 
perilla oil and corn oil. 
In a preferred embodiment the oil is olive oil. 
In a preferred embodiment the oil is fish oil. 
In a preferred embodiment the oil is avocado oil. 
In a preferred embodiment the monoglyceride is a derivative of oleic acid. 
In a preferred embodiment the monoglyceride is a derivative of palmitic 
acid. 
In a preferred embodiment the oil is present in an amount of from about 90 
to about 98 percent. 
In a preferred embodiment the oil is preferably present in an amount of 
from about 94 to about 96 percent. 
In a second embodiment the present invention provides a method of producing 
a food spread comprising the steps of mixing at least one edible oil and 
at least one monoglyceride to produce a dissolved mixture, heating the 
dissolved mixture and cooling the dissolved mixture. 
In a preferred embodiment the step of heating is performed at a temperature 
in a range of from about 45 to about 75.degree. C. 
In a preferred embodiment the step of heating is performed at a temperature 
in a range of from about 60 to about 75.degree. C. 
In a preferred embodiment the step of heating is performed at a temperature 
in a range of from about 68 to about 70.degree. C. 
In a preferred embodiment the method of producing a food spread further 
comprises the step of adding a fat soluble flavor. 
In a third embodiment the present invention provides a food spread 
consisting essentially of an edible vegetable oil and a monoglyceride. 
The term `natural origin` as used herein refers to all edible vegetable 
oils with the exception of synthetic oils. 
The term `edible oil` refers to all oils of plant origin and fish oils. 
The term `olive oil` refers to all types of purity of olive oil known to 
one skilled in the art. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention is of a food spread containing a mixture of an edible 
oil of natural origin and a monoglyceride. The oil is preferably one or 
more of the oils from the group of olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, 
soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, 
coconut oil, rice bran oil, mustardseed oil, camelina oil, chia oil, 
flaxseed oil, perilla oil or corn oil. More preferably an oil such as 
avocado oil or olive oil is used and most preferably the oil is olive oil. 
The monoglycerides used are preferably derivatives of oleic, or palmitic 
acid. The oil is present preferably in an amount of from about 90 to about 
98 percent and most preferably of from about 94 to about 96 percent. The 
more monoglyceride used, the greater the degree of solidity of the food 
spread at room temperature. It is therefore possible to produce a desired 
degree of solidity, by changing the proportion of monoglyceride. The ratio 
of oil to monoglyceride is preferably from about 9 to about 1 to from 
about 49 to about 1 and most preferably from about 15 to about 1 to from 
about 24 to about 1. 
At room temperatures monoglycerides are not soluble in olive oil. The 
monoglycerides are dissolved in the oil at temperatures of from about 
45.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C. and preferably from about 60.degree. 
C. to about 75.degree. C. and more preferably from about 68.degree. C. to 
about 70.degree. C. At these temperatures, the monoglycerides dissolve and 
the olive oil mixture become a transparent solution. On cooling to room 
temperature, the solution is transformed to a food spread. 
In the case of oils such as avocado oil where the taste is less distinctive 
or less appealing, natural fat soluble flavoring can be added. 
The commercially available food spreads are mostly manufactured for their 
taste, rather than for any health benefit. Margarine food spreads are made 
by hydrogenation of polysaturated acids, which produce compounds that are 
easily acidified to free radicals resulting in carcinogenic products. 
Consequently, there is a tremendous need for a healthy food spread 
alternative, such as is provided in the present invention. The food spread 
of the present invention is made without hydrogenation of the oil and uses 
oils that have potential therapeutic properties. 
The spread of the present invention is particularly advantageous, due to 
the simplicity of the process of manufacture. Only 3 simple steps are 
involved, mixing, heating and cooling. The process does not involve the 
more expensive procedures of hydrogenation or high pressure. The effective 
temperature range of from about 45.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C., 
preferably from about 60.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C. and more 
preferably from about 68.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. is easily 
achieved. This temperature range is important as at temperatures below, 
the spread is not produced. It is unexpected that an oil, such as olive 
oil, which is liquid at room temperature, should become a solid spread 
with the addition of only a monoglyceride. Due to the simplicity of 
manufacture and few ingredients of the spread, this process is very 
economical. The resulting food spread has an unlimited shelf life. 
In addition, the product of the invention not only has a nutritional basis, 
but also has potential positive therapeutic properties depending on the 
oil ingredient. 
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application 
to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set 
forth in the following description. The invention includes other 
embodiments and can be practiced or implemented in various ways. Also it 
is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein 
is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as 
limiting. 
The present invention may be better understood with reference to the 
examples and the accompanying description.

EXAMPLE 1 
General Method of Food Spread Production 
The food spread of the present invention contains a mixture of an edible 
oil of natural origin and a monoglyceride. The oil is preferably one or 
more of the oils from the group of olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, 
soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, 
coconut oil, rice bran oil, mustardseed oil, camelina oil, chia oil, 
flaxseed oil, perilla oil, fish oil or corn oil. More preferably an oil 
such as avocado oil or olive oil is used and most preferably the oil is 
olive oil. The monoglycerides used are preferably derivatives of oleic, or 
palmitic acid. 
The synthesis of the food spread involves three main steps, mixing the 
components of oil and monoglyceride, heating the mixture to produce a 
solution and cooling the solution to form the food spread. 
According to step 1 of the synthesis of the food spread, the monoglyceride 
and oil are mixed. The oil is present preferably in an amount of from 
about 90 to about 98 percent and most preferably of from about 94 to about 
96 percent. The ratio of oil to monoglyceride is preferably from about 9 
to about 1 to from about 49 to about 1 and most preferably from about 15 
to about 1 to from about 24 to about 1. 
According to step 2 of the synthesis of the food spread, the mixture is 
heated. At room temperature monoglycerides are generally not soluble in 
the oil. The monoglycerides are preferably dissolved in the oil at 
temperatures of from 45.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C. and preferably 
from about 60.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C. and more preferably from 
about 68.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. At these temperature, the 
monoglycerides dissolve and the olive oil mixture becomes a transparent 
solution. 
In step 3 of the synthesis of the food spread, the solution is preferably 
cooled to room temperature. On cooling, the solution is transformed to a 
food spread. 
Optionally, additives, such as fat soluble flavorings can be added to 
produce a food spread with a distinctive taste. This is preferable when 
the oil, such as avocado oil does not have an attractive taste. 
EXAMPLE 2 
Monoglyceride (derivative of palmitic acid, 4 g) was mixed with extra 
virgin olive oil (96 g), heated to 68-70.degree. C. and subsequently 
cooled to room temperature to produce the product. The food spread was 
stable at 4.degree. C. -4.degree. C. and -18.degree. C. 
EXAMPLE 3 
Monoglyceride (derivative of palmitic acid, 5 g) was mixed with extra 
virgin olive oil (95 g), heated to 68-70.degree. C. and subsequently 
cooled to room temperature to produce the product. The food spread was 
stable at 4.degree. C. -4.degree. C. and -18.degree. C. and didn't 
decompose on thawing. 
EXAMPLE 4 
Monoglyceride (derivative of palmitic acid, 6 g) was mixed with extra 
virgin olive oil (94 g), heated to 68-70.degree. C. and subsequently 
cooled to room temperature to produce the product. The food spread was 
stable at 4.degree. C. -4.degree. C. and -18.degree. C. 
EXAMPLE 5 
Monoglyceride (derivative of palmitic acid, 4 g) was mixed with distilled 
avocado oil (96 g), heated to 68-70.degree. C. and subsequently cooled to 
room temperature to produce the product. The food spread was stable at 
4.degree. C., -4.degree. C. and -18.degree. C. 
EXAMPLE 6 
Monoglyceride (derivative of palmitic acid, 5 g) was mixed with distilled 
avocado oil (95 g), heated to 68-70.degree. C. and subsequently cooled to 
room temperature to produce the product. The food spread was stable at 
4.degree. C., -4.degree. C. and -18.degree. C. 
EXAMPLE 7 
Monoglyceride (derivative of palmitic acid, 6 g) was mixed with distilled 
avocado oil (94 g), heated to 68-70.degree. C. and subsequently cooled to 
room temperature to produce the product. The food spread was stable at 
4.degree. C., -4.degree. C. and -18.degree. C. 
The spread of the present invention contains a mixture of an edible oil of 
natural origin and a monoglyceride. Preferably, the oil is an oil with 
potential therapeutic properties. In this way, the resulting food spread 
may have health benefits to the ingester. More preferably, the oil used is 
olive oil or avocado oil. 
Olive oil has been documented as having a therapeutic effect in many 
conditions including heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis. Olive oil's 
properties are a result of its chemical composition of 75.degree. C. oleic 
acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, approximately 14% polyunsaturated 
fatty acids, mainly linoleic acid and about 11% saturated fatty acids. In 
addition to its therapeutic properties, the unique taste of olive oil is 
enjoyed by many. The food spread of the present invention combines the 
potential therapeutic properties and the taste of olive oil to produce a 
healthy alternative to available food spreads. Furthermore, the food 
spread does not need refrigeration. 
It will be appreciated that the above examples and descriptions are 
intended only to serve as examples, and that many other embodiments are 
possible within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.