Spread

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with a spread comprising from 23 to 29 wt.% of a continuous fat phase and 77 to 71 wt.% of an aqueous phase and further containing 1.2 to 5.0 wt.% gelatin and 3.0 to 14.0 wt.% hydrolized starch. The spread of very low fat content according the present invention offers the advantage that it is of an exceptional good quality as regards oral response, spreadability and stability. Furthermore the formulation of the present spread offers the advantage that it can easily be manufactured as it does not require special equipment and moreover since the product quality is not easily affected by fluctuations in processing conditions. Another aspect of the present invention is a process for the preparation of a spread containing less than 29 wt.% of a continuous fat phase and at least 71 wt.% of an aqueous phase, wherein a water-continuous emulsion containing 1.2 to 5.0 wt.% gelatin, 3.0 to 14.0 wt.% hydrolized starch and from 15 to 29 wt.% fat is cooled from above 40°C to below 20°C and subjected to sufficient shear to effect phase-inversion into a fat-­ continuous emulsion.

Description: The present invention is concerned with a spread of very low fat content. In particular the present invention relates to a spread containing from 23 to 29 wt.% of a continuous fat phase. According to EP 0 237 120 very low fat spreads can be prepared with a fat content of less than 30%, a gelatin content of 2-5 wt% and a hydrolysed starch content of 5-15%. Although these conditions enable the preparation of a rather stable W/O dispersion, the quality was not satisfactory enough and should be much improved. We have found that a spread of very low fat content, having an exceptional good quality as regards oral response, spreadability and stability can be obtained if said spread contains, in combination, gelatin and hydrolized starch. Accordingly the present invention is directed to a spread comprising from 23 to 29 wt.% of a continuous fat phase and 77 to 71 wt.% of an aqueous phase and further containing 2.0 to 4.5 wt% gelatin and 3.9 to 9.0 wt% hydrolized starch. A further advantage of a spread of the formulation according to the invention is that such a spread can easily be manufactured as it does not require special equipment and moreover since the product quality is not easily affected by fluctuations in processing conditions and/or fat blend formulation; provided the N-line characteristics of the fat blend do not change substantially. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the hydrolized starch is a gelling hydrolized starch derivative. Spreads having a particularly pleasant oral response can be obtained if the hydrolized starch is maltodextrin. Furthermore hydrolized starches having a Dextrose Equivalent of less than 20, more preferably of less than 10, were found to impart very advantageous properties to the present spread. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention the fat phase of the spread contains less than 7 % saturated fatty acid residues by weight of the product. The consumption of relatively large amounts of saturated fatty acid residues is known to increase the cholesterol content of the blood and may thus promote the risk of heart and vascular diseases. It is thus advantageous if a product contains a reduced amount of saturated fatty acid residues. The spread according to this preferred embodiment of the invention combines a very good product quality with an extremely low content of saturated fatty acid residues. Although spreads having a lower saturated fatty acid residues content have been described in the art, these prior art products have in common that they contain essentially no fat and are inferior to spreads containing substantial amounts of fat. In a very preferred embodiment of the invention the fat phase comprises from 3.5% - 6.0% of saturated fatty acid residues by weight of the product. In addition to a low content of saturated fatty acid residues, the present spread preferably contains a high level of polyunsaturated fatty acid residues. Preferably the present spread contains polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acid residues in a weight ratio of at least 1.5, more preferably of at least 2.0. Furthermore the weight ratio of mono-unsaturated for saturated fatty acid residues, preferably exceeds 2.0. The present invention encompasses spreads containing a continuous fat phase and an aqueous phase which may be either continuous or discontinuous. Preferably the present spread is an water-in-oil dispersion, i.e. preferably the aqueous phase of the present spread is composed of dispersed water droplets. It is to be understood that the term water-in-oil dispersion also encompasses dispersions of the duplex type wherein the dispersed aqueous phase contains a dispersed fat phase. Fat-continuous spreads containing a dispersed aqueous phase are characterized by a very low conductivity. In this specification, unless otherwise indicated, the term 'fat' refers to edible fatty substances in a general sense, including natural or synthesized fats and oils consisting essentially of triglycerides such as, for example, soybean oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, coconut oil, fish oil, lard and tallow, which may have been partially or completely hydrogenated, fractionated, interesterified or modified otherwise, as well as non-toxic fatty materials having properties similar to triglycerides, which materials may be indigestible, such as for example waxes, e.g. jojoba oil and hydrogenated jojoba oil, and polyol fatty acid polyesters. Throughout this application the terms fat and oil are deemed synonymous and used interchangeably. The water droplet size of the dispersed aqueous phase is of influence on the flavour release, stability and appearance of the present spread. Products of a very good quality can be obtained if the water droplets have a number weighted mean diameter of 3-30 µm, more preferably of 4-15 µm. Whenever referred to in this document, the number weighted mean diameter is determined by means of NMR [see J. Colloid and Interface Science (1972) 10 , 206 and (1983) 93 , 521] using a log-normal distribution as is commonly employed for particle size analysis. With regard to the product quality, in particular the oral response, the gelatin content employed in the present spread appears to be critical. According to the present invention the spread comprises 2.0 to 4.5 wt.% gelatin, preferably the gelatine content is in the range of 2.5 to 4.5 wt.%. Furthermore, preferably, the present spread comprises 3.5 to 9.0 wt.% hydrolized starch. The aqueous phase, in addition to gelatin and hydrolized starch, may suitably include other ingredients such as thickening agents, gelling agents, salt and flavour ingredients. Suitable thickening agents are, for instance, gums like guar gum, locust bean gum and xanthan gum. Examples of gelling agents that may suitably be incorporated in the aqueous phase are carrageenan, calcium caseinate, pectin and alginate. The aqueous phase of the spread according to the present invention preferably has been acidified to a pH in the range of 4.8 to 5.5. A pH within this range guarantees an acceptable microbiological stability in combination with a good taste. The aqueous phase composition may have been prepared from normal tap water, but also from aqueous compositions of dairy origin such as for instance skim milk. In case skim milk is used in the preparation of the aqueous phase composition it can be advantageous from a microbiological point of view to use reconstituted skim milk. According to yet another preferred embodiment the fat phase of the present spread has an N₁₀ value in the range of 10-25 an N₂₀ in the range of 5-15 and an N₃₅ of less than 3. Spreads according to the invention comprising such a fat phase are found to be relatively quick melting in the mouth and are easily spreadable even when taken directly from the refrigerator. The N-value at a certain temperature may be determined by means of NMR, using the method described in "Fette, Seifen, Anstrichmittel", 80 (1978), 180-186. The fat phase of the present spread may comprise several ingredients such as colouring agents, flavourings, vitamins and emulsifiers. Examples of emulsifiers which may suitably be incorporated in the fat phase of the present product are: monoglycerides, diglycerides and phosphatides. Another aspect of the present invention is a process for the preparation of a spread containing less than 29 wt.% of a continuous fat phase and at least 71 wt.% of an aqueous phase, wherein a water-continuous emulsion containing 2.0 to 4.5 wt.% gelatin, 3.5 to 9.0 wt.% hydrolized starch and from 15 to 29 wt.% fat is cooled from above 40°C to below 20°C and subjected to sufficient shear to effect phase-inversion into a fat-continuous emulsion. We have found that the use of a phase-inversion process produces exceptionally good products and can be controlled relatively easily. The present process can be carried out by means of processing equipment well known in the art of spread manufacture. Examples of apparatus that can be used in the manufacture of the present spread are scraped surface heat exchangers (Votators ™), crystallizers (C-units), resting tubes, cavity transfer mixers, static mixers, resting tubes, pressure valves and static heat exchangers such as cooling coils. Preferably in the process according to the invention, cooling is effected by means of scraped surface heat exchanger(s) and/or cooling coil(s). The phase-inversion, preferably, is effected in a crystallizer or static mixer. It is an essential aspect of the present process that the water-continuous emulsion be cooled to a sufficiently low temperature. If the emulsion is insufficiently cooled, no inversion or only partial inversion is obtained. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the water-continuous emulsion is cooled to a temperature in the range of 9-16°C. As said above the phase-inversion can suitably be effected in apparatus such as a crystallizer or a static mixer. In such apparatus phase-inversion is effected under essentially adiabatic conditions. Due to the conditions of shear employed in such units to bring about phase-inversion a substantial temperature increase is normally observed. Thus, preferably, in the present process phase-inversion is effected under essentially adiabatic conditions and accompanied by a temperature increase of at least 2°C. The present invention is further illustrated by means of the following example: Example 1 A spread of very low fat content (27.5 wt.%) was prepared from the following ingredients (in % by weight of total product): The spread was prepared by first separately preparing the aqueous phase composition and fat phase composition and then feeding the two compositions in separate streams (both having a temperature of about 50°C) via a proportioning pump to the production line. In the proportioning pump the fat blend and aqueous phase composition were combined in a weight ratio of 27.5:72.5. From the proportioning pump the emulsion was fed, at a throughput of 3.5 tons/hr, through two scraped surface heat exchangers (Votators ™), followed by a C-unit and yet another scraped surface heat exchanger, after which the product was filled into tubs. The three scraped surface heat exchangers had a diameter of 10 inch. The exit temperature of the emulsion from the second Votator was 15°C. After the C-unit the emulsion had reached a temperature of 20°C and the filling temperature was 18°C. The C-unit was operated at 700 rpm and the first, second and third Votator were operated at 240, 220 and 210 rpm respectively. The pH of the product was found to be 5.0. The concentration level of saturated fatty acid residues in the product appeared to be in the range of 5.5 to 5.6 wt.%. The spread was evaluated by a professional test panel who found that the product had a smooth appearance which was very similar to spreads of substantially higher fat content and moreover that the product broke down quickly in the mouth. Furthermore the spread did not show syneresis upon spreading and appeared to be easy spreadable even when taken from a refrigerator. The C₅ and C₂₀ value of the spread were found to be 500 and 150 respectively indicating that the product has the advantageous property that it is relatively soft at 5°C and relatively firm at 20°C. The number weighted mean diameter of the aqueous phase is found to be below 30 microns. During the preparation of the spread it was observed that the processing conditions could be varied substantially while still obtaining a spread of acceptable quality. Also when the fat blend composition was varied good products could be obtained. The incorporation of an additional C-unit (180 rpm) after the last A-unit was found to produce a spread of good quality. Example 2 A very low fat spread containing 27.3 wt.% of a continuous fat phase and 72.7 wt.% of a dispersed aqueous phase was prepared, using the following formulation (ingredients in % by weight of product): The above fat phase and aqueous phase were admixed at a temperature of 50°C in a pre-mix vessel. The water-continuous emulsion so obtained was fed through a production line consisting of a sequence of two scraped surface heat exchangers (A-units), two crystallizers (C-units), another scraped surface heat exchanger and another crystallizer, at a throughput of 120 kg/hr. The crystallizers used all had the same volume. The following processing conditions were employed Phase-inversion of the water-continuous emulsion was obtained in the second C-unit, rotating at 1700 rpm. The product so obtained was found to have a conductivity of 1 microSiemens/cm at 15°C, which clearly shows that the product is a water-in-oil dispersion. The hardness of the product measured at 5°, 10°, 15° and 20°C respectively, was found to be 720, 510, 180 and 110 g/cm². The product was deemed to be easy spreadable and had a pleasant mouthfeel. The number weighted mean diameter of the aqueous phase is below 30 microns.

Claims: Spread comprising from 23 to 29 wt.% of a continuous fat phase and 77 to 71 wt.% of an aqueous phase and further containing 2.0 to 4.5 wt.% gelatin and 3.5 to 9.0 wt.% hydrolized starch. Spread according to claims 1, wherein the fat phase comprises less than 7% saturated fatty acid residues by weight of the product. Spread according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the aqueous phase is composed of dispersed water droplets. Spread according to claim 3, wherein the water droplets have a number weighted mean diameter of 3-30 µm (microns). Spread according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the fat phase has an N₁₀ value in the range of 10-25, an N₂₀ in the range of 5-15 and an N₃₅ of less than 3. Process for the preparation of a spread containing less than 29 wt.% of a continuous fat phase and at least 71 wt.% of an aqueous phase, wherein a water-continuous emulsion containing 2.0 to 4.5 wt.% gelatin, 3.5 to 9.0 wt.% hydrolized starch and from 15 to 29 wt.% fat is cooled from above 40°C to below 20°C and subjected to sufficient shear to effect phase-inversion into a fat-continuous emulsion. Process according to claim 6, wherein the water-continuous emulsion is cooled to a temperature in the range of 9-16°C. Process according to claim 6 or 7, wherein phase-inversion is effected under essentially adiabatic conditions and accompanied by a temperature increase of at least 2°C.

Inventors: LIVINGSTON ROBERT MIDDLETON, MACNEILL AVRIL BROWN, LIVINGSTON, ROBERT MIDDLETON, MACNEILL, AVRIL BROWN
Applicants: UNILEVER NV, UNILEVER PLC, UNILEVER N.V.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A23D7
IPC codes: A23D7