MULTIFUNCTIONAL, FAT-CONTINUOUS EMULSIONS WITH A REDUCED FAT CONTENT

Abstract: The invention relates to multifunctional edible w/o emulsions which can be used for both spreading and baking and have a reduced fat content of below 80% fat and preferably 50-70% fat. The invention is characterized by the use of an emulsifier system comprising mono fatty acid esters of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with a polyhydroxyl alcohol selected from the group comprising glycerol, polyglycerol or a mixture of both glycerol and polyglycerol, there being 0.l-0.4 wt.% saturated ester and 0.l-0.6 wt.% unsaturated ester in a ratio of from l.8 to 0.2. The use/advantage of the emulsifier system is both a lack of sogginess on baking and good spreading properties are achieved.

Description: The present invention relates to multifunctional, fat-continuous emulsions, particularly spreads with a reduced fat content. By "multifunctional" emulsions we mean emulsions which can be used for different purposes, e.g. baking, spreading on bread and, to a lesser extent, frying. By reduced fat content we mean a level of fat below that of conventional margarines, which contain about 80% fat, and particularly a level of fat ranging from 40-75% and ideally from 50-70% based on the weight of the emulsion. From Lu-A- 600 993 water-in-oil emulsions with improved stability are known, in which an emulsifier system is incorporated, comprising mono fatty acid esters of glycerols, in which both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are involved. The amount of unsaturated fatty acids is at least 50% more than the amount of saturated fatty acids.² Attempts have been made to produce low-calorie emulsions containing less than 80% fat which display a good performance with regard to baking, frying and spreading. So far, these attempts have failed, since the above-mentioned product properties are difficult to reconcile with each other. The effects of reducing the level of fat to a percentage well below 80% can be summarized as follows: With regard to baking, one observes a decrease in air-uptake in the batter, resulting in a lower specific volume (SV) of the baked products such as cakes. As a result of the extra water present in the reduced-fat, w/o emulsions, the cakes become wet and soggy. With regard to spreading, an increasing tendency of the emulsion to break and to release droplets of free moisture when spread is observed. This is usually associated with an undesirably coarse appearance of the spread emulsion. Applicants have developed new w/o emulsions which alleviate the above drawbacks and meet the above desideratum of multifunctionality to a great extent. The w/o emulsions according to the invention comprise: (i) a fatty phase containing up to 75 wt.% of a fat containing at least l0% of crystallized fat within the temperature range of l5-30°C; (ii) a thickened, proteinaceous, aqueous phase constituting 25-50% by weight of the total emulsion and containing a thickening agent or a gelling agent consisting of a protein or a mixture of a protein with a polysaccharide; and (iii) an emulsifier system comprising mono fatty acid esters of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with a polyhydroxyl alcohol selected from the group comprising glycerol, polyglycerol or a mixture of both glycerol and polyglycerol, wherein (a) the amount of unsaturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.l-0.6 wt.%, preferably from 0.3-0.5 wt.%, (b) the amount of saturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.l-0.5 wt.%, preferably from 0.3-0.5 wt.%, and (c) the ratio of saturated fatty acid ester to unsaturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.2-l.8. For the avoidance of doubt, it should be noted that the ratio of glycerol residues in the polyglycerol to the number of esterified fatty acid residues is approximatelyy one-to-one. Thus, the formula of the polyglycerol may be represented as (-OCH₂CHOR.CH₂-) n , where R is a saturated or an unsaturated fatty acid residue. The gelling/thickening agent preferably consists of gelatin or of a mixture of gelatin and a milk protein such as buttermilk powder, whey powder etc. The polysaccharides constituting the gelling/thickening agent preferably consist of natural, modified or cross-linked starches. Suitable starches are e.g. rice starch, millet starch, oat starch, buckwheat starch, yam starch, maize starch. Suitable modified starches are e.g. di-starch phosphate, di-starch adipate, acetylated di-starch adipate, hydroxypropyl di-starch phosphate and acetylated di-starch phosphate. It is, of course, possible to add a minor amount of other polysaccharides well known in the art. It is, however, ideal to use starches in view of their compatibility with the additional ingredients used to produce baked products such as cakes. Milk proteins can be incorporated in the aqueous phase in an amount ranging from 0.l-l0 wt.%. When milk protein is used to gel the aqueous phase, amounts higher than 5% and preferably between 6 and l0%, based on the emulsion, are useful. Gelatin is preferably used in an amount ranging from 0.5-3 wt.%. The amount of starch to be incorporated in the emulsion preferably ranges from 0.5-3 wt.%. In order to improve the spreading performance of the emulsions according to the invention, the use of sodium or calcium stearoyl lactylate is found to be very beneficial. Preferred w/o emulsions according to the invention contain 0.l-0.5 wt.% stearoyl lactylate, up to 3 wt.% gelatin and up to 3 wt.% starch, with the understanding that increasing amounts of gelatin reduce the required amounts of starch and lactylate. The preferred ratios of saturated : unsaturated fatty acid esters of glycerol and/or of polyglycerol range from 0.3:l to l.3:l. The emulsifier system preferably contains a mixture of a saturated monoglyceride and an unsaturated monoglyceride having an iodine value exceeding 30 and preferably ranging from 40-l20. The fatty acids of the saturated emulsifier are saturated C₁₆-C₁₈ fatty acids. The fatty acids of the at least partially unsaturated emulsifiers preferably comprise from 56-l00% unsaturated C₁₆-C₁₈ fatty acids. The fat constituting the continuous phase of the emulsion preferably contains l5-25 wt.% crystallized fat at the temperature at which creaming is allowed to take place in the preparation of baked goods such as cakes. The creaming temperature generally lies between l5 and 30°C and in most instances at about 20°C. Useful fat blends preferably contain less than 6% solid fat at 30°C in order to avoid waxiness in the mouth, particularly when the emulsion is used as a spread on bread. The fat preferably constitutes 50-70 wt.% of the emulsion. The fat phase of the emulsion may contain a vegetable fat or a fat of animal origin including butterfat or mixtures of vegetable and animal fats. The fats can be in their natural form or be hydrogenated, interesterified or fractionated. For each particular application the most appropriate fat blends can easily be found. Suitable fats (or fat blends) have a plastic consistency over a fairly wide range of temperatures and generally contain up to 90% and preferably up to 70% of oils liquid at l0°C (that is, oils substantially free from crystallized fat at said temperature), the remainder consisting of fats melting within a temperature range preferably varying from about 20°C to about 54°C. Good examples of fat blends are for instance: The w/o emulsions with a reduced fat content according to the invention display a very good performance when used for producing bakery products, particularly cakes. The main properties measured for judging the performance of emulsion are the cake volume, its softness and its crumb structure. Another advantage of the w/o emulsions according to the invention lies in the fact that they can be used without any restriction in the conventional recipes, i.e. conventional recipes need not be adapted because of the use of an emulsion contributing to more water than usual in the batter used for producing the bakery product, for instance a cake. In other words, the emulsion can be used by the housewife or baker in the manufacture of baked goods as if it consisted of a conventional cake shortening or margarine. Conventional home-made cakes are usually made by either first aerating the fat phase or by aerating the total cake batter and are often produced according to the "pound cake" recipe involving the use of equal parts of flour, sugar, eggs and fat (or emulsion) plus some baking powder and salt. When a reduced-fat emulsion (w/o), i.e. an emulsion containing more than 20% water, is used instead of fat or margarine, a cake of poor quality was so far obtained, either because of the excess of water introduced into the formulation or because of the reduced amount of fat. This would require an adaptation of the recipe, which is a complex and unattractive proposition. It was therefore a surprising observation that reduced-fat emulsions so far considered unsuitable fat ingredients for replacing margarine or shortening could be used for that purpose. Where the present invention is concerned, batters for bakery products, particularly cakes, are preferably prepared by mixing the emulsions according to the invention, e.g. in a Hobart mixer, with the amount of sugar prescribed in the cake recipe to produce a cream to which subsequently eggs or an egg substitute is added while mixing is continued, followed by the prescribed amount of flour and leavening agents, such as baking powder or yeast. It is also possible to homogenize and aerate the emulsions according to the invention together with all the ingredients of the batter in one go. Baking is generally carried out at about l60°C for about one hour. The quality of the cake is determined by measuring the specific volume (ml/g) according to standard procedures, e.g. by a wooden tray filled with millet seed (levelled). This tray is then partly emptied and the cake is put into it. The tray is now refilled to the brim with millet seed and levelled. The volume of remaining seed is determined by means of a measuring cylinder. An S.V. of 2.2 or lower is considered poor. An S.V. of 2.3-2.4 is good. An S.V. of 2.5 or higher is very good. The softness of the cake crumb can be assessed by measuring the compressibility under standard conditions. The higher the compressibility, the firmer the cake. The water content of the cakes can be measured by weighing cake crumb from the centre, before and after drying for l hour at l20°C. The structure of the baked products can be assessed by comparison of photographs of various cake crumbs and giving a score varying from very fine (l) to very coarse (8). The bakery products obtained according to the invention are unique in that they contain less fat and more water than is normally found in such bakery products, such as cakes. The present invention also relates to reduced-fat spreads. Said spreads can be produced from the above-defined emulsions in a way known per se , e.g. in a Votator® apparatus, by applying cooling and working treatments. The production of margarines and spreads is illustrated in "Margarine" by A.J.C. Andersen and P.N. Williams, Second Revised Edition, Pergamon Press, l965, Chapter III. The quality of the spreads produced according to the invention was tested as follows: A broad palette knife (25 to 30 mm in width) was used to spread about 30 g of a sample backwards and forwards on greaseproof paper. During four to six spreading actions in each direction, the thickness of the spread should be reduced to about 2 to 3 mm. The appearance of the spread can then be given a score between l (good/smooth) and 5 (very poor/very rough and "broken"). The multipurpose/multifunctional spreads according to the invention can also be useful products for shallow frying. The frying behaviour is usually assessed by measuring the degree of spattering, formation of sediment and formation of a protein skin. For achieving a reasonable frying performance the use of modified or cross-linked starches in the emulsion is very beneficial. The invention will now be illustrated in the following examples. In the following examples I-VIII a basic formulation was used, having the following composition: 60% of a fat blend consisting of: 38% soybean oil, 54% of a mixture of hydrogenated rapeseed oil having a melting point ranging from 28-35°C, and 8% hydrogenated palm oil having a melting point of 44°C. The fat solids profile of the fat blend was: N₁₀ = 33; N₂₀ = l7; N₃₀ = 3; N₃₅ = l. other ingredients as indicated in the Table up to l00% water acidified with lactic acid to pH 4.7-4.9. Spreads were produced from the above emulsion by cooling and working treatments carried out in a Votator® equipment as described in the "Margarine" reference mentioned above. Cakes were produced, starting from the following cake batter formulation: The cakes were prepared as follows: The emulsion was mixed (aerated) with the sugar for l0 minutes in a Hobart mixer to obtain a cream. The eggs were added slowly to the cream while stirring, and subsequently the flour was added while stirring for about l minute. Baking was performed at l60°C. The structure of the cakes was light, with a slightly coarse crumb. The cakes were well cooked, and had good organoleptic properties. On consumption the cakes were not considered significantly drier than standard fat cake, i.e. a cake produced from l00 parts by weight of known margarine instead of l00 parts of the emulsion. The product performance obtained with various thickening/gelling agents and emulsifiers with respect to spreading and cake specific volume is illustrated in the following Table. In the following Table the following abbreviations are used: WMS = waxy maize starch, a native starch which is substantially free from amylose. H s = Hymono 8903, a monoglyceride (90%) with an iodine value below 3, derived from palm oil. H u = Hymono 7704, a monoglyceride (90%) with an iodine value of l05, derived from sunflower oil (88% unsaturated fatty acids, l2% saturated fatty acids). H u′ = Hymono 4404, a monoglyceride (90%) with an iodine value of 45, derived from lard or tallow (44% saturated fatty acids, 56% unsaturated fatty acids). SSL = sodium stearoyl lactylate PGE₁ = Admul PGE l4ll, an unsaturated polyglycerol ester with an iodine value of 45, predominantly consisting of di-, tri- and tetraglycerol. PGE₂ = Admul PGE l4l4, a saturated polyglycerol ester with an iodine value of 3, predominantly consisting of di, tri- and tetraglycerol. Snowflake = Snowflake type 53ll, a modified corn starch such as corn distarch phosphate. The emulsions of Examples I-VIII, when used for shallow frying, displayed a satisfactory spattering behaviour.

Claims: Water-in-oil emulsion comprising: (i) a fatty phase containing up to 75 wt.% of a fat containing at least l0% of crystallized fat within the temperature range of l5-30°C; (ii) a thickened, proteinaceous, aqueous phase constituting at least 25% by weight of the total emulsion and containing a thickening agent or a gelling agent consisting of a protein, a polysaccharide or mixtures thereof; and (iii) an emulsifier system comprising mono fatty esters of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with a polyhydroxyl alcohol selected from the group comprising glycerol, polyglycerol or a mixture of both glycerol and polyglycerol, wherein (a) the amount of unsaturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.l-0.6 wt.%, preferably from 0.3-0.5 wt.%, (b) the amount of saturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.l-0.5 wt.%, preferably from 0.3-0.5 wt.%, and (c) the ratio of saturated fatty acid ester to unsaturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.2-l.8. Water-in-oil emulsion according to claim l, wherein the level of fat ranges from 50-70% by weight. Water-in-oil emulsion according to claim l, wherein the fat contains l5-25 wt.% crystallized fat within the temperature range of 15-30°C. Water-in-oil emulsion according to claim 1, wherein the gelling agent is gelatin. Water-in-oil emulsion according to claim 1, wherein the gelling agent consists of native starch, modified starch or cross-linked starch. Water-in-oil emulsion according to claim 1, wherein the emulsifier system comprises calcium or sodium stearoyl lactylate. Water-in-oil emulsion according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of saturated : unsaturated fatty acid ester of the glycerol or polyglycerol ranges from 0.3:1 to 1.3:1. A process for producing batters for bakery products, which comprises using the emulsions according to claim l as a substitute for the margarine or shortening component of the recipe for said bakery products. Bakery products produced from batters obtained from emulsions as claimed in claim 1. Claims for the following Contracting States : AT, ES A process for the preparation of a water-in-oil emulsion, which process comprises blending together: (i) a fatty phase containing up to 75 wt.% of a fat containing at least l0% of crystallized fat within the temperature range of 15-30°C; (ii) a thickened, proteinaceous, aqueous phase constituting at least 25% by weight of the total emulsion and containing a thickening agent or a gelling agent consisting of a protein, a polysaccharide or mixtures thereof; and (iii) an emulsifier system comprising mono fatty esters of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with a polyhydroxyl alcohol selected from the group comprising glycerol, polyglycerol or a mixture of both glycerol and polyglycerol, wherein (a) the amount of unsaturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.1-0.6 wt.%, preferably from 0.3-0.5 wt.%, (b) the amount of saturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.1-0.5 wt.%, preferably from 0.3-0.5 wt.%, and (c) the ratio of saturated fatty acid ester to unsaturated fatty acid ester ranges from 0.2-1.8. Process according to claim l, wherein the level of fat is selected from the range 50-70% by weight. Process according to claim 1, wherein the fat contains from 15-25 wt.% crystallized fat within the temperature range of 15-30°C. Process according to claim 1, wherein the gelling agent is gelatin. Process according to claim 1, wherein the gelling agent consists of native starch, modified starch or cross-linked starch. Process according to claim 1, wherein the emulsifier system comprises calcium or sodium stearoyl lactylate. Process according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of saturated : unsaturated fatty acid ester of the glycerol or polyglycerol is selected from the range 0.3:1 to 1.3:1. A process for producing batters for bakery products, which comprises using the emulsions prepared according to claim 1 as a substitute for the margarine or shortening component of the recipe for said bakery products. A process for producing bakery products, which comprises using the batters prepared according to claim 8.

Inventors: FINLAYSON, ROGER M., SCHARMANN, HARRY, VERMAAS, LEO FRANS
Applicants: UNILEVER N.V., UNILEVER PLC
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A23D7
IPC codes: A23D7, A21D2, A21D10