Fat complex

Abstract

The fat composition may comprise mostly triglycerides consisting of glycerol esterified with saturated fatty acids. The fat composition may be a gapped formulation. The saturated fatty acids may be straight-chain. The saturated fatty acids may include only fatty acids with an even chain length, only fatty acids with an odd chain length, or a mixture of fatty acids with an even chain length and fatty acids with an odd chain length.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 352,971, filed Jun. 16, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Technical Field The present invention generally relates to the field of alternative fats, and more particularly to novel and useful systems and methods in the field of alternative fats.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0003]

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[0004] The following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the present invention to these preferred embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention.

[0005] 1. Overview As shown in FIG. 1, the formulation 10 may include one or more lipids 100, 100', 100'' (where 100, 100', and / or 100'' may be the same or different, including the same or different fatty acid components, such as selected from the same and / or different distributions, etc.), and optionally one or more additives 200, 200', 200'' (where 200, 200', and / or 200'' may be the same or different, for the same purpose, etc., selected from the same group of materials, etc.). The formulation may be, for example, free of agricultural products (e.g., not containing materials derived from agricultural products, including materials derived from chemical processing, etc.), low in agricultural products (e.g., less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of the composition may be derived from agricultural products), free of animals (e.g., not containing materials derived from animal products or by-products, not containing fatty acids derived from animal products or by-products, etc.), low in animals (e.g., containing less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of materials derived from animal products or by-products; containing less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of fatty acids derived from animal products or by-products, etc.), free of plants (e.g., not containing materials derived from plant products or by-products, not containing fatty acids derived from plant products or by-products, etc.), low in plants (e.g., containing less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of materials derived from plant products or by-products, containing less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of fatty acids derived from plant products or by-products, etc.), environmentally considerate (e.g., having a sustainable low-carbon footprint such as less than about 10 kg of CO2 emissions per 1 kg of the product produced, materials with a low ecological footprint, local materials, or materials derived from local materials or local foods), and / or any suitable formulation.

[0006] The complex can be used, for example, as a stabilizer for fats in food products (such as nutritional supplements for infant formula milk, energy bars, drinks, etc.; performance additives for stabilizing nut butter, seed butter, etc.), baking oil or cooking oil (such as frying oil for French fries, meat products, vegetables, party items, etc.; fats for baked goods, confectionery, chocolate, etc.; cooking sprays, or preparing non-stick or low-stick cooking surfaces or baking surfaces by other means), sauces (such as dips, dressings, seasonings, etc.), personal care or cosmetic products (such as in lip balm, lotion, etc.), as a soap, lubricant, surfactant, detergent, emulsifier, texturing agent, wetting agent, defoaming agent, stabilizer, emollient, metalworking fluid, water treatment agent, varnish or other surface treatment agent, and / or for any suitable purpose. For example, the formulation can be a food-grade (e.g., generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for consumer use) fat substitute for one or more of the following fats: lard (such as leaf lard), tallow (such as beef tallow, mutton tallow, lamb tallow, bison tallow, etc.), tail fat, poultry fat (such as duck fat, goose fat, chicken fat, turkey fat, foie gras, etc.), schmalz (such as refined chicken fat, refined goose oil, refined duck fat, etc.), dripping (such as beef dripping, pork dripping, etc.), suet, fish oil (such as sardine oil, herring oil, anchovy oil, salmon oil, trout oil, tuna oil, swordfish oil, mackerel oil, cod liver oil, shark liver oil, etc.), fat layer (such as whale blubber, seal blubber, etc.), Bovidae fat (such as bison fat, buffalo fat, beef cattle fat, yak fat), Camelidae fat (such as dromedary fat, llama fat, etc.), Capra fat (such as goat fat, goat milk fat, etc.), Cervidae fat (such as elk fat, fallow deer fat, moose fat, sika deer fat, reindeer fat, roe deer fat, etc.), Equidae fat (such as donkey fat, horse fat, etc.), Lagomorpha fat (such as rabbit fat), Macropodidae fat (such as kangaroo fat), Ovis fat (such as sheep fat, lamb fat, mutton fat, sheep milk fat, etc.), Suidae fat (such as pig fat,Lard, etc., fat of amphibians (e.g., frog fat, newt fat, etc.), fat of birds (e.g., chicken fat, duck fat, goose fat, turkey fat, quail fat, pigeon fat, dove fat, ostrich fat, emu fat, peacock fat, egg yolk fat, etc.), fat of crustaceans (e.g., crayfish fat, crab fat, lobster fat, shrimp fat, prawn fat, etc.), fat of mollusks (e.g., oyster fat, mussel fat, snail fat, abalone fat, etc.), fat of reptiles (e.g., alligator fat, crocodile fat, turtle fat, etc.), fat of game animals (e.g., bushmeat fat, antelope fat, wild boar fat, African grass rat fat, elephant fat, snake fat, python fat, caribou fat, wild rabbit fat, opossum fat, bear fat, deer fat, etc.), fat of monkeys, fat of dogs, fat of cats, shortening, milk fat or butterfat (e.g., for milk, cream, hard cheese, soft cheese, spreadable cheese, melting cheese, processed cheese, vegan cheese, etc., such as cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, yak milk, buffalo milk, etc.), ghee (e.g., clarified butter), intramuscular fat or marbling substitute (e.g., for beef, pork, buffalo, mutton, lamb, veal, goat, yak, poultry, etc.), intramuscular fat substitute (e.g., for beef, pork, buffalo, mutton, lamb, veal, goat, yak, poultry, etc.), subcutaneous fat substitute (e.g., for beef, pork, buffalo, mutton, lamb, veal, goat, yak, poultry, etc.), vegetable oil (e.g., coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut cream, palm oil, palm kernel fat, mango butter, borneo tallow, seed oil, nut oil, coffee oil, tea tree oil, etc.), and / or any suitable fat substitute (e.g., vegan fat substitute, vegetarian fat substitute, kosher fat substitute, halal fat substitute, vegan animal fat imitation, vegetarian animal fat imitation, kosher animal fat imitation for lard, such as for pork, halal animal fat imitation for lard, etc., for pork, etc.).

[0007] 2. Benefits Variations of this technology may confer multiple benefits and / or advantages.

[0008] First, variations of this technology can enable the use of lower carbon footprint and / or carbon impact fats. For example, lipids (such as free fatty acids, esterified fatty acids, glycerolipids, etc.) derived from low, or negative, carbon footprint processes (such as processes that capture, trap carbon, and convert carbon into fatty acids, fatty esters, etc.) can be used to produce low carbon footprint fats. In some aspects of the present invention, the carbon footprint of producing a fat or formulation can be lower than that of the same or similar fats derived from agricultural processes. In some variations of the present invention, using odd-chain length fatty acids (in addition to, or instead of) even-chain length fatty acids can assist in reducing the carbon footprint of the formulation (e.g., by reducing the total number of processing steps for preparing the fatty acids, by reducing the amount of waste, etc.).

[0009] Second, variations of this technology can produce high-performance fat formulations that accurately, persuasively, and / or otherwise mimic the properties of the fat being replicated. For example, the fat formulation can have similar mouthfeel, texture, melting point, smoke point, flavor, and / or other suitable properties (plural) compared to the fat being replicated. In some variations, using gap-containing formulations (e.g., using combinations of fatty acids where there is at least one intermediate carbon chain length absent) can make it possible to achieve, and / or be beneficial for achieving, complex formulation behavior (e.g., making it more possible to mimic the behavior of the fat being replicated, a wider range of thermal behavior; including higher derivatives or higher order derivatives with respect to temperature, etc.).

[0010] Thirdly, the inventors have identified that using vegetable fats (such as coconut oil, blends of vegetable fats, among others) that replace, mimic, simulate, and / or act as animal fat in other ways may provide insufficient performance (such as fake mouthfeel, fake texture, fake melting behavior, among others). The inventors have found that formulations using saturated fats (such as gap-containing formulations) can produce higher-performance (such as more persuasive, closer to the original product, among others) fat replicas (such as fat replicas, fat analogs, fat substitutes, fat mimics, fat impersonations, fat imitations, fat apes, among others) than vegetable oils or fats in some variations.

[0011] However, variations of this technique may confer any other suitable benefits and / or advantages.

[0012] As used herein, "substantially" or other approximating language (such as "about", "approximately", among others) can be within a predetermined error threshold or tolerance (such as within 0.001%, 0.01%, 0.1%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% of a reference standard) of a metric, component, or other reference standard.

[0013] 3. Formulation As shown in Figure 1, the formulation may include one or more lipids and optionally one or more additives. The formulation may be, for example, free of agricultural products (e.g., including materials derived from chemical processing and not including materials derived from agricultural products), low in agricultural products (e.g., less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of the composition may be derived from agricultural products), free of animals (e.g., not including materials derived from animal products or by-products, not including fatty acids derived from animal products or by-products, etc.), low in animals (e.g., including less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of materials derived from animal products or by-products; including less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of fatty acids derived from animal products or by-products, etc.), free of plants (e.g., not including materials derived from plant products or by-products, not including fatty acids derived from plant products or by-products, etc.), low in plants (e.g., including less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of materials derived from plant products or by-products, including less than about 10% by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc. of fatty acids derived from plant products or by-products, etc.), environmentally considerate (e.g., having a sustainable low-carbon footprint such as less than about 5 kg of CO2 emissions per kg of product consumed, materials with a low ecological footprint, local materials, or materials derived from local materials or local foods), and / or any suitable formulation.

[0014] The formulation can be used in edible materials or food products (e.g., GRAS-approved formulations, cooking oils, baking oils, frying oils, those in fake meat, etc.), soaps, cosmetics, lubricants, surfactants (and / or co-surfactants), detergents, emulsifiers, texturizers, wetting agents, defoamers, stabilizers, emollients, and / or any suitable application(s).

[0015] The composition of the complex (e.g., fatty acid composition such as chain length, relative amounts of each fatty acid chain length, etc., among others; additive composition such as type of additive, number of additives, additive concentration, among others) can be selected based on the target fat profile and / or fat properties. Examples of the fat properties to be achieved include thermodynamic behavior (e.g., melting point, melting profile, smoke point, enthalpy of fusion, crystallization point, crystallization profile, crystal phase, among others), rheological behavior (e.g., slip point, viscosity, plasticity, consistency, fluidity, among others), sensory stimulation behavior (e.g., flavor, aroma, touch, sound, appearance, color, mouthfeel, among others), nutrient content (e.g., calorie content, fatty acid composition, among others), pharmacological behavior (e.g., laxative effect, constipating effect, among others), and / or any suitable property(ies). The formulation is typically solid (e.g., at room temperature; as shown in FIG. 8 for example; among others), but can be liquid, gel, and / or any suitable phase.

[0016] For example, as shown in FIG. 3 by way of example, the formulation can be selected to mimic the melting profile of the fat to be replicated (e.g., when the melting profile of the formulation and / or fat to be replicated can be measured using differential scanning calorimetry, capillary melting point analysis, among others). As a second example, the formulation can be formed to mimic the solid fat content of the target fat to be replicated (e.g., at a specific temperature, over a specific temperature range, among others). In this example, the solid fat content as a function of temperature can be determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR such as pulsed NMR (pNMR)), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC such as calibrated DSC), dilatometry, optical refractometry (such as temperature-adjusted optical refractometry), ultrasonic flow velocity measurement, near-infrared spectroscopy, and / or any suitable technique(s). As a third example, the formulation can be formed to mimic the viscosity (e.g., kinematic viscosity coefficient, dynamic viscosity, among others) of the target fat to be replicated (e.g., at a specific temperature, over a specific temperature range, among others). Viscosity can be measured using, for example, a rheometer (e.g., acoustic rheometer, rotational rheometer, high shear rheometer, extensional rheometer, falling plate rheometer, capillary or reduced flow rheometer, among others), a viscometer (e.g., glass capillary viscometer, Stormer viscometer, vibrating viscometer, among others), a viscosity cup (e.g., Zahn cup, Ford viscosity cup, among others), fluorescence corrected spectrophotometry, and / or any suitable technique(s). As a fourth specific example, the formulation can be formed to mimic the specific heat of the target fat to be replicated (e.g., at a specific temperature, over a specific temperature range, among others). Specific heat can be measured using a calorimeter (e.g., DSC) and / or any suitable equipment. As a fifth specific example, the formulation can be formed to mimic the sensory stimulation properties (e.g., mouthfeel, texture, among others) of the target fat to be replicated (e.g., at a specific temperature, over a specific temperature range, among others).The sensory stimulation characteristics can be evaluated, for example, based on the perception of the formulation by the subject (e.g., evaluation by the subject of the similarity or difference between the formulation and the replicated fat), based on shear pressure (e.g., measured using a rheometer, a divergent fringe shear stress sensor, a micropillar shear stress sensor, an electric spreading method, etc.), and / or by any suitable method. In a sixth specific example, the formulation can be formed to mimic the target fat in order to replicate any combination of the characteristics from the previous examples (e.g., at a specific temperature, over a specific temperature range, etc.). However, the formulation can be selected to have characteristics that do not match the characteristics of existing fats such that any suitable characteristics can be matched or used to compare the characteristics (e.g., the formulation does not require emulating, mimicking, replicating, imitating, etc. existing or known fats), and / or can be selected by other methods.

[0017] The formulation can be optimized at a particular temperature (e.g., room temperature such as a temperature between about 10 - 30 °C, refrigeration temperature such as a temperature between about 0 - 5 °C, freezer temperature such as a temperature below about 0 °C, melting temperature such as for fat replication, crystallization temperature such as for fat replication, solvent boiling temperature such as about 100 °C for water at a pressure of about 1 atm, etc.), over a temperature range (e.g., temperature ranges of 1 °C, 5 °C, 10 °C, 20 °C, 50 °C, 100 °C, etc.), over a temperature cycle curve (e.g., number of cycles such as 1 cycle, 2 cycles, 5 cycles, 10 cycles, 20 cycles, 50 cycles, 100 cycles, values or ranges therebetween, etc.), over a temperature gradient (e.g., rate of temperature change such as 1 °C / min, 5 °C / min, 10 °C / min, 20 °C / min, etc.), (e.g., in a scan of the expansion rate measurement, differential scanning calorimetry profile at the α peak temperature, etc., to match the solid fat content, rheological behavior, sensory stimulation characteristics), and / or can be optimized based on any suitable information.

[0018] The formulation preferably mainly comprises lipids. For example, at least about 95% (e.g., 94.5%, 94.9%, 95.5%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, 99.9%, 99.95%, 99.99%, 99.995%, 99.999%, 100%, etc. by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of the formulation can be lipids (including or excluding glycerol for the formation of triglycerides and other glycerolipids). However, in some variations, the formulation can contain up to about 5% (e.g., by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of each additive (e.g., a formulation having two additives can have a composition of about 5% of the first additive, about 5% of the second additive, and about 90% of lipids), the formulation can contain more than about 5% of one or more additives (e.g., 6%, 7%, 8%, 10%, 15%, etc.), and / or the formulation can have any suitable composition.

[0019] The formulation can optionally contain a solvent. The lipid(s) and / or additive(s) can be dissolved in the solvent, suspended in the solvent (e.g., when the solvent can form droplets, act as a continuous phase, act as a dispersion medium, etc., otherwise, can form a colloidal solution, can form an emulsion, can form a mini-emulsion), the phase separated from the solvent can contain residual solvent (e.g., from an extraction process), and / or can be mixed and / or separated in other ways. Exemplary solvents include water or glycerol, but any suitable solvent (e.g., ethanol, heptane, hexane, ethyl acetate, methylene chloride, limonene, acetone, benzyl alcohol, butane-1,3-diol, carbon dioxide, glyceryl diacetate, glyceryl triacetate, glyceryl tributyrate, isopropyl alcohol, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, 2-nitropropane, 1,2-propylene glycol, triethyl citrate, etc.) can be used.

[0020] The lipid is preferably derived from chemical processes (e.g., from the oxidation of paraffin, captured carbon dioxide, natural gas, carbon monoxide, synthesis gas, coal, biomass, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, synthesis by the Ziegler method, modified Ziegler synthesis, artificial fatty acids, etc.), but additionally or alternatively, it can be derived from biological processes that can be cultured (e.g., can be produced via cells), (e.g., fatty acids obtained from plants, fungi, microorganisms, animals, etc.), and / or can be obtained or derived by other methods.

[0021] The lipid preferably contains fatty acids having a chain length between 4 and 23 carbon atoms. However, shorter fatty acids (or shorter-chain carboxylic acids), longer fatty acids (e.g., 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 40, values in between, etc., carbon atom lengths), and / or other lipids can be included in the formulation.

[0022] The fatty acid is preferably a saturated fatty acid. The saturated fatty acid is preferably not derived from the hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., does not contain hydrogenated cis-unsaturated fats). However, the saturated fatty acid can be derived from hydrogenated fatty acids (e.g., when hydrogenation results in complete hydrogenation such that less than about 0.1% of unsaturated fatty acids remain). For example, trans-unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., impurities from the saturated acid formation process, impurities from the hydrogenation process of cis-unsaturated fats, etc.) can be hydrogenated (e.g., can be completely hydrogenated to saturated fatty acids) and can be included in the formulation. However, the fatty acid can include unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., aromatic fatty acids, cyclic fatty acids, etc. that contain double or triple bonds). The fatty acid is preferably linear (e.g., straight chain, non-branched, etc.). However, the fatty acid can be non-linear (e.g., branched, cyclic, etc.) additionally or alternatively. In a specific example, the formulation can consist essentially of linear fatty acids (e.g., more than 90% linear, more than 95% linear, more than 98% linear, more than 99% linear, more than 99.9% linear, more than 99.99% linear, etc.; the linear fatty acids contain less than trace amounts of branched fatty acids; contain an amount of branched fatty acids that does not substantially affect the characteristics of the fatty acid; contain ≤1%, ≤0.5%, ≤0.1%, ≤0.05%, ≤0.01%, etc. of branched fatty acids by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.; etc.). As a second specific example, the formulation can consist of linear fatty acids (e.g., can contain only linear fatty acids, can be composed of linear fatty acids, etc.). In a third specific example, the formulation can consist essentially of saturated fatty acids (e.g., contains less than trace amounts of unsaturated fatty acids; contains an amount of unsaturated fatty acids that does not substantially affect the characteristics of the saturated fatty acids; contains ≤3%, ≤1%, ≤0.5%, ≤0.1%, ≤0.05%, ≤0.01%, etc. of unsaturated fatty acids by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.; etc.). In a variation of the third specific example, the formulation can consist of saturated fatty acids (e.g., can contain only saturated fatty acids, can be composed of saturated fatty acids, etc.). However, the formulation (and / or its lipids) can contain any suitable fatty acid (e.g., a formulation containing unsaturated fatty acids).

[0023] The complex preferably includes a gap among the fatty acids of the formulation. The gap preferably refers to the absence of an even number of fatty acids from the formulation, and / or the absence of one or more of an even-odd pair of fatty acids (the even-odd pair is not exclusive and generally refers to an even fatty acid and a fatty acid having one more carbon atom than the even fatty acid; for example, fatty acids having similar melting points as shown in Figure 2; among others). Fatty acids are typically identified (e.g., defined, termed, among others) as absent (e.g., non-existent, excluded, among others) when the fatty acids are less than about 5% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, among others) of the fatty acid composition. However, fatty acids can be absent and / or defined in other ways when the fatty acids are 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 5%, values or ranges therebetween, or less (e.g., when the percentages can refer to mass percentage, volume percentage, stoichiometric percentage, among others). As an illustrative example, a formulation containing fatty acids having C8-C11 and C14-C16 fatty acids (e.g., containing only such fatty acids) is a formulation with a gap because C12 (and C13) are not present in the formulation (e.g., because each is less than about 5% of the formulation). The gap can be beneficial to enable complex behavior (e.g., a wide range of melting profiles, multiple peaks in the melting profile, among others as shown in Figure 3 by way of example) in the behavior of the formulation or lead to complex behavior. However, formulations with gaps can be beneficial in other respects and / or defined in other respects.

[0024] However, formulations without gaps can be used.

[0025] The complex can include a single gap (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, or 4C by way of example, a single even-carbon chain, or lacking an even-odd pair of carbon chains; among others), and / or can include multiple gaps (e.g., two gaps, three gaps, four gaps, among others). As an illustrative example, a multigap formulation can include C8, C9, C12, C13, C16, C17, C20, C21, C22, and / or C23 (where C# refers to a fatty acid having # carbon atoms). However, any suitable multigap formulation can be used.

[0026] In some variations (as shown in FIG. 5A by way of example), the formulation can include only fatty acids with an even chain length. Since fatty acids with an even chain length are generally considered safe for consumption, these variations can be beneficial and / or beneficial in other respects. In other variations (as shown in FIG. 5B by way of example), the formulation can include fatty acids with even and odd chain lengths. These variations can be beneficial and / or beneficial in other respects for producing less waste, requiring less processing (e.g., less separation, less fractionation, among others), and resulting in a lower carbon footprint. In other variations, the formulation can be beneficial for using residual materials from other formulations (e.g., using fatty acids separated from an even-chain-only formulation) or for providing metabolically advantageous properties to food products (e.g., anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, antioxidant, antibiotic, non-cytotoxic immunosuppressive, glycogenogenic, among others; having an inverse relationship with the development of diseases such as atherosclerosis, prediabetes and type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, insulin sensitivity, among others; among others), and can include only fatty acids with an odd chain length. However, the formulation can include any suitable fatty acid(s).

[0027] The lipid may include free fatty acids, fatty acid esters (e.g., monoglycerides such as 1-glyceride, 2-glyceride, etc.; diglycerides such as 1,2-diglyceride, 1,3-diglyceride, etc.; triglycerides; others), and / or any suitable lipid. In a first specific variant, the lipid of the formulation may include less than about 0.5% free fatty acids (e.g., ≤0.3% free fatty acids, ≤0.1% free fatty acids, ≤0.05% free fatty acids, ≤0.02% free fatty acids, ≤0.01% free fatty acids, ≤0.005% free fatty acids, ≤0.001% free fatty acids, others). In a specific example of the first specific variant, the lipid of the formulation may be composed of fatty acid esters (e.g., may consist of fatty acid esters, may only contain fatty acid esters). In a second specific example of the first specific variant, the lipid of the formulation may be essentially composed of fatty acid esters (e.g., may essentially consist of fatty acid esters). In a second specific variant, the lipid of the formulation may be essentially composed of diglycerides and / or triglycerides (e.g., may essentially consist of diglycerides and / or triglycerides) (e.g., having about 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, etc. by mass of free fatty acids, monoglycerides, others). In a variation of the second specific variant, the lipid of the formulation may be composed of diglycerides and / or triglycerides (e.g., may consist of diglycerides and / or triglycerides, may only contain diglycerides and / or triglycerides, others).

[0028] When the lipid includes esters (not exclusively, and in particular triglycerides, esters of glycerol, among others), the fatty acids of the esters can be transesterified (e.g., can form heteroesters as shown by way of example in Figure 6A, can be chemically mixed, among others), and / or can be intraesterified (e.g., can form homoesters as shown by way of example in Figure 6B). For example, to form a transesterified formulation, free fatty acids can be mixed and simultaneously esterified. In some variations, a first set of free fatty acids can be mixed and can be partially esterified (such as to form mono- or diglycerides), and the partially esterified fatty acids can then be esterified with a second set of fatty acids to form triglycerides. In these variations, the second set of fatty acids can include fatty acids with a longer chain length than the first set of fatty acids and preferably can occupy the 3-position of glycerol (e.g., on average the longest chain fatty acids are present at the 3-position of glycerol), but additionally or alternatively can occupy any suitable position of glycerol (e.g., the 1-position, the 2-position), and / or can include a shorter chain length and / or an equivalent chain length compared to the first set of fatty acids. In related variations, the fatty acids can be esterified in several steps (e.g., to account for different esterification reaction rates, to ensure a random or probabilistic distribution of triglycerides and / or diglycerides based on the fatty acids being transesterified, to create a non-random or non-probabilistic distribution of triglycerides and / or diglycerides based on the fatty acids being transesterified, among others). Similarly, to form an intraesterified formulation, free fatty acids can be esterified separately (e.g., to form monoglycerides, to form diglycerides, to form triglycerides, among others), and the esters can be mixed. However, the esters can be formed in other ways.

[0029] In a first specific example, the formulation may comprise a plurality of (e.g., may contain more than any other optional component(s), but not necessarily a majority) triglycerides (e.g., triacylglycerols) consisting of glycerol esterified with saturated fatty acids (e.g., consisting of only said glycerol, composed of said glycerol, etc.). In the first specific example, the remainder of the sample may contain additives, diglycerides (e.g., diacylglycerols, 1,2-diglycerides, 1,3-diglycerides; where the diglyceride may consist of glycerol esterified with saturated fatty acids, may be composed of said glycerol, may contain only said glycerol, etc.), monoglycerides (e.g., consisting of saturated fatty acids, composed of saturated fatty acids, containing only saturated fatty acids, etc.), solvents (e.g., water, glycerol, etc.), and / or any suitable component or constituent. In some variations of the first specific example, a portion (e.g., a minor portion such as less than about 10%, 5%, 4%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, 0.01%, 0.005%, 0.001% by mass, count, volume, etc.) of the glycerides (e.g., triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, etc.) may contain saturated fatty acids (e.g., a single saturated fatty acid, more than one saturated fatty acid, etc.). The fatty acids of the first specific example are preferably linear (e.g., unbranched, acyclic, non-aromatic, etc.). However, some variations may include branched, cyclic, aromatic, and / or other non-linear fatty acids.

[0030] In a second specific example, the formulation may comprise a majority (e.g., at least 50% including, e.g., 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, etc.) of triglycerides (e.g., triacylglycerols) consisting of glycerol esterified with saturated fatty acids (e.g., consisting of only said glycerol, composed of said glycerol, etc.). In the second specific example, the remainder of the sample may include additives, diglycerides (e.g., diacylglycerols, 1,2-diglycerides, 1,3-diglycerides; where the diglyceride may consist of glycerol esterified with saturated fatty acids, may be composed of said glycerol, may include only said glycerol, etc.), monoglycerides (e.g., consisting of saturated fatty acids, composed of saturated fatty acids, including only saturated fatty acids, etc.), solvents (e.g., water, glycerol, etc.), and / or any suitable component or constituent. In some variations of the second specific example, a portion (e.g., a trace portion such as less than about 10%, 5%, 4%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, 0.01%, 0.005%, 0.001%, etc. by mass, count, volume, etc.) of the glycerides (e.g., triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, etc.) may include saturated fatty acids (e.g., a single saturated fatty acid, more than one saturated fatty acid, etc.). The fatty acids of the second specific example are preferably linear (e.g., unbranched, acyclic, non-aromatic, etc.). However, some variations may include branched, cyclic, aromatic, and / or other non-linear fatty acids.

[0031] In an illustrative example of the second specific example, at least 50% (by mass, count, stoichiometry, volume, etc., such as 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, etc.) of the triglycerides can consist of glycerol esterified with a first saturated fatty acid, a second saturated fatty acid, and a third saturated fatty acid. The first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid can be the same or different. The distribution of triglycerides within the formulation (e.g., the relative ratios of triglycerides having various amounts of the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid) can form a multinomial distribution, a Jensen distribution, and / or can form any suitable distribution. As a simple scenario, the triglycerides for a formulation containing 60% C8 fatty acid and 40% C10 fatty acid can contain approximately 21.6% tri-C8 glycerides; approximately 43.2% di-C8, mono-C10 glycerides; approximately 28.8% mono-C8, di-C10 glycerides; and approximately 6.4% tri-C10 glycerides (where each percentage can be an approximate mass percentage, an approximate volume percentage, an approximate stoichiometric percentage, etc.). In this simple scenario (and more complex scenarios), the approximate (or other terms for uncertainty) percentages can take into account differences resulting from the mass differences of the different fatty acids as a result of mixing, mass changes obtained from the reaction, and / or other suitable effects (e.g., as recognized by those skilled in the art). The more complex the scenario, the more complex the distribution can become (e.g., when the first, second, and third saturated fatty acids are selected from more than two fatty acids, when the selected fatty acids can have more complex probabilities, during stepwise esterification, etc.), but generally follows a similar trend in the distribution of triglycerides and can be extended. It should also be noted that diglycerides often follow a distribution similar to that of triglycerides (e.g., in the above simple scenario, any diglycerides in the solution would have a distribution of approximately 36% di-C8 glycerides, approximately 48% mono-C8, mono-C10 diglycerides, and approximately 16% di-C10 glycerides).

[0032] In a third specific example, the formulation (or its lipid) can consist essentially of triglycerides (e.g., triacylglycerols) (e.g., having a hydroxyl number of less than about 15, or consisting essentially of or containing additives or other components having a concentration that does not significantly modify the target property of the formulation), and the triglycerides can consist of glycerol esterified with saturated fatty acids (e.g., can contain only the glycerol, can be composed of the glycerol, etc.). In a variation of the third specific example, the additives or other components that do not significantly modify the target property can cause a change in the thermal property of less than about 1 °C (e.g., peak, freezing point, melting point, phase transition, α-peak, temperature at which the solid fat content reaches the target value, etc., can be changed by less than about 1 °C from the temperature at which the property occurs), a change in viscosity of less than about 1 mPa (e.g., at temperatures where the solid fat content of the formulation is 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, etc.; over a temperature range such as between about 5 and 180 °C, at a particular measurement temperature, etc.), a change in specific heat of less than about 0.1 kJkg -1 K -1 and a change in shear stress of less than about 10 Pa (e.g., at temperatures where the solid fat content of the formulation is 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, etc.; over a temperature range such as between about 5 and 180 °C, at a particular measurement temperature; between about 0 and 100 s -1Over a range of shear rates, such as the shear rate between, at a particular shear rate; among others, it can be a change in sensory stimulus characteristics less than an amount perceivable by humans, and / or can affect other appropriate characteristics by any suitable method. In a specific variation of the third specific example, the lipid of the formulation (and / or the formulation as a whole) can consist of triglycerides (e.g., triacylglycerols) (e.g., can be composed of the triglycerides, can only contain the triglycerides, among others). In the variation, the third specific example can be the lipid component of the formulation, and the formulation can contain a solvent, additives (e.g., as discussed below), and / or any suitable material or component. The fatty acids of the third specific example are preferably linear (e.g., unbranched, acyclic, non-aromatic, among others). However, some variations can include branched, cyclic, aromatic, and / or other non-linear fatty acids.

[0033] In some variations, different portions of the fatty acids can be transesterified, and each portion of the transesterified fatty acids is then physically mixed to form the formulation. These variations can form a coformulation of two or more lipid formulations (e.g., can be referred to as a coformulation). The potential technical advantages of these variations are to increase the control of the properties of the resulting fat (and / or in a given food application). Typically, these coformulations result in materials whose properties are approximately the arithmetic mean of the formulations (e.g., based on the percentages of the individual formulations included). However, coformulations can have non-linear properties (e.g., values that are non-linear combinations of the properties of the individual formulations), unexpected properties (e.g., a coformulation that is softer than any of the individual formulations, a coformulation that is harder than any of the individual formulations, among others), and / or any suitable properties (e.g., depending on the food product in which the coformulation is used, depending on the additives, among others). As a specific example, fatty acids having a chain length smaller than the gap length can be transesterified with each other, and fatty acids having a chain length larger than the gap length can be transesterified with each other. In another specific example, a first fatty acid having a chain length smaller than the gap chain length can be transesterified with a second fatty acid having a chain length larger than the gap chain length.

[0034] The hydroxyl number of the complex (e.g., a measure of the amount of free hydroxyl groups in 1 gram of the complex, the number of milligrams of alkali metal hydroxide equivalent to the amount of hydroxyl in 1 gram of the complex) is preferably less than about 50 (e.g., ≤0.1, ≤0.5, ≤1, ≤2, ≤5, ≤7, ≤10, ≤12, ≤15, ≤20, ≤25, ≤30, ≤35, ≤40, ≤45, etc.). In some variations, a hydroxyl number between about 100 (e.g., 80 - 120) or about 50 - about 100 can be used (e.g., to provide a technical advantage for emulsion enhancement). However, the hydroxyl number of the complex can be any suitable value. The hydroxyl number of the complex can be measured (e.g., determined, estimated, etc.) by determining the acetyl value and utilizing acetylation according to USP401 (e.g., using acetyl chloride, acetic anhydride - pyridine, etc.), and / or can be determined by any method.

[0035] Additives can function to modify one or more properties of the complex. Additives can be dissolved in lipids, dissolved in solvents, form emulsions with lipids, form a phase separated from lipids, and / or be included in the complex in other ways. Additives are typically included at a concentration of less than about 10% (e.g., by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc., 0.001%, 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, values or ranges therebetween, <0.001%, etc.). Exemplary properties that additives can be used to modify include flavor, surface tension, lipid solubility, nutritional value, rheological behavior, properties of the complex to mimic target fats, oxidation, sensory stimulating properties, and / or any suitable property.

[0036] Exemplary additives include flavoring agents, antioxidants, glycerides (e.g., monoglycerides, diglycerides, etc. of the fatty acids of the complex), by - products (e.g., from fatty acid synthesis, from esterification, etc.), nutritional additives, colorants, and / or any suitable additive.

[0037] A flavoring agent can function to modify the flavor and / or aroma of a formulation. Examples of flavoring agents include esters, aldehydes, ketones, lactones (such as γ-lactones, δ-lactones, macrocyclic lactones, polycyclic lactones, etc.), acids, alcohols, salts (such as those described below), and / or any suitable flavoring agent. For example, short-chain (e.g., having about 1 to 5 carbon atoms) fatty acids, fatty aldehydes, fatty ketones, fatty acid methyl esters, fatty alcohols, and / or any suitable material can be used as flavoring agents. In another example, a smoke liquid (e.g., condensates from smoke such as tar, acids, carbonyl-containing compounds, phenolic derivatives, etc.) can be included in the formulation. However, any suitable flavoring agent(s) can be used or included.

[0038] Antioxidants can function to protect the formulation from degradation (e.g., oxidative degradation, auto-oxidation, degradation by light, etc.) and / or to increase the shelf life of the formulation. Some variations of the formulation may omit the antioxidant, but not exclusively. In particular, formulations that use saturated fatty acids as the formulation and / or its components may be sufficiently stable without using an antioxidant. However, some formulations that mainly or exclusively contain saturated fatty acids can still undergo rancidity (e.g., hydrolysis, perhydrolysis, degradation by hydrolysis, alcoholysis, acidolysis, conversion to peroxy acids, epoxidation, etc.). In specific examples, rancidity can be particularly problematic when free fatty acids of the residue remain in the formulation (e.g., resulting from the decomposition or reaction of free fatty acids). However, rancidity can occur in any lipid formulation (e.g., in some formulations, depending on light and / or temperature during storage, transportation, manufacturing, etc.; the addition or inclusion of free fatty acids can be beneficial in reducing rancidity because free fatty acids can limit the amount of mono- and / or di-glycerides present in the formulation). Exemplary antioxidants include ascorbic acid, BHA, BHT, propyl gallate, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, caffeic acid, citric acid, ferulic acid, alkannin, shikonin, carnosinic acid, α-tocopherol, EDTA, gallic acid, catechin, quercetin, myricetin, catechin, genistein, sesamol, oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, carnosic oryzanols, TOCOLS, ferulic acid, β-carotene, lycopene, and / or any suitable antioxidant can be used.

[0039] By-products (e.g., from fatty acid synthesis, from esterification, etc.) can be present in the formulation after formulation mixing, can be introduced during formulation production (e.g., can be intentionally added), and / or can occur in the formulation in other ways. By-products can be beneficial as tracers (e.g., identifying the source, the method of manufacturing fatty acids, etc.). However, different tracers can be included (e.g., as additives). By-products are preferably non-toxic but can have any suitable toxicity.

[0040] In a first variation of the tracer (e.g., a by-product that can be used as a tracer), the formulation can contain branched fatty acids (e.g., the number of branches, the position of the branches, the length of the branches, the concentration of the branched fatty acids, etc., can indicate the fatty acid source). In a second variation of the tracer, the isotope distribution in the formulation (or in its lipids) (e.g., 12 C vs. 13 C, 12 C vs. 14 C, 13 C vs. 14 C, 12 C vs. 13 C vs. 14 C, 1 H vs. 2 H, 13 C vs. 2 H, 14 C vs. 2 H, 12 C vs. 2 H, 16 O vs. 17 O, 16 O vs. 18 O, 17 O vs. 18 O, 17 O vs. 12 C, 18 O vs. 12 C, 2 H vs. 16 O, 13 C vs. 16 O, 14 C vs. 16 O ratios, other ratios of isotopes; the relative positional distribution of deuterium atoms on the fatty acid, 13 C or 14The position of isotopes within fatty acids, such as the relative position of C; etc., can be used to determine the source, manufacturing method, and / or can be used to trace the formulation by other means. In a third variation of the tracer, the formulation may lack and / or may contain in excess fatty acids of a given chain length (e.g., odd-chain fatty acids, fatty acids of a special chain length such as C9 or C10, etc.). In these variations (and / or generally in formulations), the concentration of fatty acids (and / or tracers, by-products, additives, etc.) can be determined (e.g., estimated, measured, tested, etc.) using gas chromatography (e.g., gas chromatography combined with a flame ionization detector, gas chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, etc.), dielectric spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, near-infrared spectroscopy (e.g., near-infrared reflection, near-infrared transmission, etc.), impedance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and / or using any suitable technique(s) (e.g., using a machine learning algorithm trained with a known fat composition and one or more of the above techniques to estimate the fat composition of the formulation). However, any suitable by-products may be present in the formulation.

[0041] Nutritional additives can function to modify the nutrients in a formulation. For example, nutritional additives can add essential (or non-essential) nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals, etc.), modify the calorie density of the formulation, and / or modify the nutrients in the formulation in other ways. In one variation, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E, or K) can be added to the formulation (for example, to provide vitamins between 1% and 500% of the daily recommended value per person of the formulation). In another variation, fats (such as essential fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid and / or linolenic acid for humans, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, etc.; conditionally essential fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid, γ-linolenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, etc.; long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; short-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; unsaturated fatty acids such as omega 3, omega 6, omega 9, oleic acid, etc.; conjugated fatty acids such as calendic acid, rumenic acid, etc.; etc.) can be added to the formulation. For example, unsaturated fats between about 250 mg and 5000 mg (per person of the formulation, per 1 to 100 grams of the formulation, per 1 to 100 grams of fatty acids in the formulation, etc.) can be added to the formulation. Unsaturated fats, when provided as glycerides, can be transesterified with saturated fatty acids, can be transesterified with themselves (for example, transesterifying different unsaturated fatty acids), can be homo-esters (for example, physically mixed with other glycerides or fatty acids), and / or can be esterified with any suitable species in other ways, and / or can be included in the formulation in other ways (such as as free fatty acids, as fatty acid esters, etc.). For example, the saturated fatty acid oleic acid can be provided in the formulation as triolein (for example, adding trace amounts of saturated fatty acids as separate triacylglycerols rather than transesterification can be beneficial as it typically results in minimal changes to the properties of the formulation).Other saturated fatty acids (including combinations) can be added in a similar manner (e.g., linolenic acid can be added as linolein; linolenic acid and oleic acid can be added as linolein, triolein, glyceryl 1,2-dioleate 3-linolenate, glyceryl 1,3-dioleate 2-linolenate, glyceryl 1,2-dilinolenate 3-oleate, glyceryl 1,3-dilinolenate 2-oleate, and / or diacylglycerides containing either or both of oleic acid esters and linolenic acid esters; other fatty acids are the same). In a third variation, one or more carbohydrates or other sweeteners (e.g., monosaccharides such as glucose, galactose, fructose, etc.; disaccharides such as sucrose, lactose, maltose, etc.; oligosaccharides; polysaccharides; sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol, etc.; artificial sugars such as allulose, aspartame, cyclamate, mogroside, sucralose, etc.; etc.) can be added. In a fourth variation, one or more salts can be added to the formulation. In the fourth variation, the salt can provide flavor (either additionally or alternatively), modify the (physical) properties of the formulation, act as an emulsifier, and / or function in other ways.Exemplary salts include alkyl halides (e.g., sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium iodide, potassium chloride, potassium bromide, potassium iodide, etc.), alkaline earth metal halides (e.g., magnesium chloride, magnesium bromide, magnesium iodide, calcium chloride, calcium bromide, calcium iodide, etc.), phosphates (e.g., sodium phosphate, potassium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, tripotassium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, calcium phosphate, etc., which may be beneficial in acting as anti-setting agents), carbonates or bicarbonates (e.g., sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, etc.), nitrates (e.g., sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, etc.), nitrites (e.g., sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite, etc.), sulfates or bisulfates (e.g., sodium sulfate, sodium bisulfate, potassium sulfate, etc.), sulfites or bisulfites (e.g., sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium pyrosulfite, potassium bisulfite, potassium pyrosulfite, etc.), fatty acid salts (e.g., magnesium stearate), silicates (e.g., sodium silicate, calcium silicate, magnesium trisilicate, sodium aluminosilicate, potassium aluminum calcium silicate, calcium aluminum silicate, aluminum silicate, polydimethylsiloxane, silicon dioxide, etc.), ferrocyanides (e.g., sodium ferrocyanide, potassium ferrocyanide, calcium ferrocyanide, etc.), and / or any suitable salt(s) may be used. However, any suitable nutrient additive may be used.

[0042] Colorants can function to modify the color or appearance of the formulation. For example, colorants can be added to match the formulation to a desired color, for tracking, for holidays, to promote and / or encourage consumption, for cosmetic purposes, and / or used in other ways for a given product.

[0043] In some variations, the formulation can be tempered (e.g., heated to a target temperature for a predetermined amount of time), circulated (e.g., heated and cooled a predetermined number of times), purified (e.g., to remove free fatty acids, to remove a portion of the triglycerides, among others), and / or processed in other ways.

[0044] In a first illustrative example (as shown in FIG. 7A by way of example), a formulation for beef fat (e.g., tallow) can include about 10% (e.g., 7 - 15%) caprylic acid, about 30% (e.g., 25 - 35%) capric acid, about 20% (e.g., 0 - 60%) myristic acid, and about 40% (e.g., 0 - 60%) palmitic acid. The formulation can be a gap formulation (e.g., excluding lauric acid). The fatty acids are preferably artificially produced, but can be of natural origin (e.g., recovered or supplied from plants, animals, fungi, microbial fermentation, among others), and / or produced in other ways. In a variation of the first illustrative example, the formulation preferably includes about 40% fatty acids with a chain length shorter than a threshold number of carbon atoms (e.g., in this illustrative example, fatty acids with a shorter chain length than the gap or excluded fatty acids such as lauric acid, fatty acids with a chain length of less than about 12 carbon atoms, among others), and about 60% fatty acids with a chain length greater than the threshold number of carbon atoms (e.g., in this illustrative example, fatty acids with a longer chain length than the gap or excluded fatty acids such as lauric acid, fatty acids with a chain length of greater than 13 carbon atoms, among others). In a variation of this illustrative example, the fatty acids can be fully transesterified, the fatty acids can be transesterified with common fatty acids (e.g., fatty acids with a chain length shorter than the threshold can be transesterified, fatty acids with a chain length greater than the threshold can be transesterified, among others), the fatty acids can be transesterified with dissimilar fatty acids (e.g., one or more fatty acids with a chain length shorter than the threshold can be transesterified with one or more fatty acids with a chain length greater than the threshold), the fatty acids can form homoglycerides (e.g., and can then be physically mixed), and / or the fatty acids can be esterified in other ways.

[0045] In a second illustrative example (as shown in FIG. 7B by way of example), a formulation for bovine fat (e.g., tallow) can include about 20% (e.g., 0 - 40%) capric acid, about 20% (e.g., 0 - 40%) pelargonic acid, about 30% (e.g., 0 - 60%) palmitic acid, and about 30% (e.g., 0 - 60%) margaric acid. The formulation can be a gap-containing formulation (e.g., excluding capric acid, lauric acid, and / or myristic acid). The fatty acids are preferably manufactured artificially, but can be of natural origin (e.g., recovered or supplied from plants, animals, fungi, microbial fermentation, etc.), and / or can be produced by other methods. In a variation of the second illustrative example, the formulation preferably includes about 40% fatty acids with a chain length shorter than a threshold number of carbon atoms (e.g., in this illustrative example, fatty acids with a shorter chain length than the gap or excluded fatty acids such as capric acid, lauric acid, and / or myristic acid, fatty acids with a chain length of less than about 10 carbon atoms, etc.), and about 60% fatty acids with a chain length greater than the threshold number of carbon atoms (e.g., in this illustrative example, fatty acids with a longer chain length than the gap or excluded fatty acids such as capric acid, lauric acid, and / or myristic acid, fatty acids with a chain length of greater than 15 carbon atoms). In a variation of this illustrative example, the fatty acids can be fully or partially transesterified, the fatty acids can be transesterified with general fatty acids (e.g., fatty acids with a chain length shorter than the threshold can be transesterified, fatty acids with a chain length greater than the threshold can be transesterified, etc.), the fatty acids can be transesterified with non-similar fatty acids (e.g., one or more fatty acids with a chain length shorter than the threshold can be transesterified with one or more fatty acids with a chain length greater than the threshold), the fatty acids can form homotriglycerides (e.g., and can then be physically mixed), and / or the fatty acids can be esterified by other methods.

[0046] In a third illustrative example, the fat or lipid composition may comprise, consist of, consist essentially of, etc., a triacylglycerol derived from a saturated free fatty acid having a carbon chain length between 4 and 24 carbon atoms in length, excluding at least two saturated free fatty acids having a continuous carbon chain length, and optionally one or more additives. In a variation of the third illustrative example, the one or more additives of the composition may include a solvent, an emulsifier, a flavoring agent, a nutritional additive, a coloring agent, or an antioxidant. In a variation of the composition of the third illustrative example, the triacylglycerol may consist essentially of fatty acids having an even chain length. In a variation of the composition of the third illustrative example, the saturated free fatty acid may be produced by oxidizing paraffin. In a variation of the composition of the third illustrative example, the triacylglycerol may include transesterified triacylglycerol (e.g., in a distribution of transesterified triacylglycerol that may be substantially random). In a variation of the composition of the third illustrative example, the saturated free fatty acid may be straight-chain.

[0047] In a fourth illustrative example, the composition (e.g., formulation, lipid formulation, fat analog, etc.) can comprise at least 80% (e.g., by mass) triglycerides consisting of glycerol esterified with a first saturated fatty acid, a second saturated fatty acid, and a third saturated fatty acid. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid can be linear. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid cannot be hydrogenated from cis-unsaturated fatty acids. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid can each be selected from the group consisting of butanoic acid (e.g., C4:0), pentanoic acid (e.g., C5:0), hexanoic acid (e.g., C6:0), heptanoic acid (e.g., C7:0), octanoic acid (e.g., C8:0), nonanoic acid (e.g., C9:0), decanoic acid (e.g., C10:0), undecanoic acid (e.g., C11:0), dodecanoic acid (e.g., C12:0), tridecanoic acid (e.g., C13:0), tetradecanoic acid (e.g., C14:0), pentadecanoic acid (e.g., C15:0), hexadecanoic acid (e.g., C16:0), heptadecanoic acid (e.g., C17:0), octadecanoic acid (e.g., C18:0), nonadecanoic acid (e.g., C19:0), eicosanoic acid (e.g., C20:0), heneicosanoic acid (e.g., C21:0), docosanoic acid (e.g., C22:0), tricosanoic acid (e.g., C23:0), and tetracosanoic acid (e.g., C24:0). In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the first saturated fatty acid and the second saturated fatty acid can be different. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid can each have an even carbon chain length. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the fat composition can be a gap formulation. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the gap formulation can exclude at least two (consecutive) chain lengths of fatty acids (e.g., having at least one set of fatty acids with a shorter chain length than the excluded fatty acids and one set of fatty acids with a longer chain length than the excluded fatty acids). In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the composition can comprise less than 5% of the excluded fatty acids.In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the composition may include an additive comprising at least one of an emulsifier, a flavoring agent, a nutritional additive, a coloring agent, and / or an antioxidant. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the triglyceride may include a transesterified triglyceride. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid may each be produced by oxidizing paraffin, which may be produced using a Fischer-Tropsch process. In a variation of the fourth illustrative example, the composition may be used in a food product.

[0048] In a fifth illustrative example (as shown in FIG. 9 by way of example), the composition (e.g., tallow functional analog, tallow analog, beef fat analog, beef fat mimic, animal fat functional analog, butterfat functional analog, animal fat mimic, butterfat mimic, substitute animal fat, etc.) may contain triglycerides, and the approximate mass distribution of free fatty acids in the triglycerides is about: less than 5% butyric acid (e.g., C4:0); less than 5% valeric acid (e.g., C5:0); less than 5% caproic acid (e.g., C6:0); less than 5% enanthic acid (e.g., C7:0); between 2 and 15% caprylic acid (e.g., C8:0); between 0 and 15% pelargonic acid (e.g., C9:0); between 7 and 20% capric acid (e.g., C10:0); between 0 and 20% undecylic acid (e.g., C11:0); between 2 and 10% lauric acid (e.g., C12:0); between 0 and 10% tridecylic acid (e.g., C13:0); between 5 and 25% myristic acid (e.g., C14:0); between 0 and 25% pentadecylic acid (e.g., C15:0); between 7 and 25% palmitic acid (e.g., C16:0); less than 10% margaric acid (e.g., C17:0); less than 10% stearic acid (e.g., C18:0); less than 10% nonadecylic acid (e.g., C19:0); less than 10% arachidic acid (e.g., C20:0); less than 5% henicosylic acid (e.g., C21:0); less than 5% behenic acid (e.g., C22:0); less than 5% tricosylic acid (e.g., C23:0); and less than 5% lignoceric acid (e.g., C24:0). In a variation of the fifth specific example, the approximate mass distribution may be about 7.5% caprylic acid; about 7.5% pelargonic acid; about 12.5% capric acid; about 12.5% undecylic acid; about 25% myristic acid; about 25% pentadecylic acid; about 5% palmitic acid; and about 5% margaric acid. In a variation of the fifth specific example, the approximate mass distribution may be about 8% caprylic acid; about 8% pelargonic acid; about 10% capric acid; about 10% undecylic acid; about 10% lauric acid; about 10% tridecylic acid; about 11% myristic acid; about 11% pentadecylic acid; about 11% palmitic acid; and about 11% margaric acid.In a variation of the fifth specific example, the approximate mass distribution can be about 6% caprylic acid; about 6% pelargonic acid; about 16% capric acid; about 16% undecylic acid; about 5% lauric acid; about 5% tridecylic acid; about 23% palmitic acid; and about 23% margaric acid. In a variation of the fifth specific example, the approximate mass distribution can be about 5% caprylic acid; about 5% pelargonic acid; about 15% capric acid; about 15% undecylic acid; about 10% myristic acid; about 10% pentadecylic acid; about 20% palmitic acid; about 20% margaric acid. In a variation of the fifth specific example, the approximate mass distribution can be about 14% caprylic acid; about 14% pelargonic acid; about 4% lauric acid; about 4% tridecylic acid; about 18% myristic acid; about 18% pentadecylic acid; about 14% palmitic acid; and about 14% margaric acid. In a variation of the fifth specific example, the approximate mass distribution can be about 15% capric acid; about 15% undecylic acid; about 5% lauric acid; about 5% tridecylic acid; about 5% myristic acid; about 5% pentadecylic acid; about 10% palmitic acid; about 10% margaric acid; about 10% stearic acid; about 10% nonadecylic acid; and about 10% arachidic acid. In a variation of the fifth specific example, the approximate mass distribution can be about 2.5% caprylic acid; about 2.5% pelargonic acid; about 17.5% capric acid; about 17.5% undecylic acid; about 5% lauric acid; about 5% tridecylic acid; about 15% palmitic acid; about 15% margaric acid; about 7.5% stearic acid; about 7.5% nonadecylic acid; and about 5% arachidic acid.

[0049] In a sixth illustrative example (as shown in FIG. 9 by way of example), the composition (e.g., tallow functional analog, tallow analog, beef fat analog, beef fat mimic, animal fat functional analog, butterfat functional analog, animal fat mimic, butterfat mimic, substitute animal fat, etc.) can be an interesterified triglyceride blend consisting essentially of saturated fatty acids, the saturated fatty acids including a carbon chain length between 4 and 20 carbon atoms, and the blend with gaps can include a greater mass fraction of saturated fatty acids having a chain length greater than the gap compared to saturated fatty acids having a chain length smaller than the gap. In a variation of the sixth specific example, the saturated fatty acids can consist essentially of an even carbon chain length. In a variation of the sixth specific example, the blend can exclude at least two (e.g., at least two consecutive) of capric acid, undecylic acid, lauric acid, tridecylic acid, myristic acid, and pentadecylic acid. In a variation of the sixth specific example, the blend can contain at most about 40 mass % of fatty acids containing fewer carbon atoms than a threshold number, and the blend with gaps can contain at least about 60 mass % of fatty acids containing more carbon atoms than the threshold number. In a variation of the sixth specific example, the blend can contain about 10% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of caprylic acid, about 30% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of capric acid, about 20% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of myristic acid, and about 40% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of palmitic acid. In a variation of the sixth specific example, the blend can contain about 20% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of caprylic acid, about 20% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of pelargonic acid, about 30% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of palmitic acid, and about 30% (by mass, volume, stoichiometry, etc.) of margaric acid.

[0050] In a seventh illustrative example, a composition (e.g., tallow functional analog, tallow analog, beef fat analog, beef fat mimic, animal fat functional analog, butterfat functional analog, animal fat mimic, butterfat mimic, alternative animal fat, etc.) consists of lipids comprising saturated fatty acids (e.g., may be composed of the saturated fatty acids, may contain only saturated fatty acids, etc.); may have a melting point higher than about 30 °C; and the solid fat content of the composition varies from about 0.8 to about 0.2 over a temperature span between about 20 °C and 30 °C. In a variation of the seventh specific example, the formulation may have a solid fat content of about 0.5 at a temperature between 15 °C and 25 °C. In a variation of the seventh specific example, the solid fat content may be determined using corrected differential scanning calorimetry. In a variation of the seventh specific example, the solid fat content of the composition includes a plateau (e.g., regions of the SFC curve that do not change significantly, such as changes less than threshold amounts of 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 5%, etc. over temperature spans such as 0.5 °C, 1 °C, 2 °C, 5 °C, 10 °C, etc., as shown in FIG. 10 by way of example; a first derivative that is approximately 0% / °C, such as less than 1% / °C, a second derivative that is approximately 0, a second derivative that changes sign while the first derivative is approximately 0; etc.). In a variation of the seventh specific example, the formulation may include a distribution of triglycerides formed by transesterifying a plurality of free saturated fatty acids with glycerol. In a variation of the seventh specific example, the formulation may include a plurality of free saturated fatty acids comprising even-chain fatty acids having a chain length between 4 and 20 carbon atoms (e.g., containing only the even-chain fatty acids).

[0051] Embodiments of the system and / or method may include each combination and permutation of various system components and various method steps, and one or more examples of the methods and / or steps described herein may be performed asynchronously (e.g., continuously), simultaneously (e.g., in parallel), or in any other suitable order by and / or using one or more examples of the systems, elements, and / or objects described herein.

[0052] As those skilled in the art will recognize, improvements and changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, from the detailed description of the past, as well as from the drawings and the claims.

Claims

1. o A triglyceride composed of glycerol esterified with a first saturated fatty acid, o A second saturated fatty acid, o And a third saturated fatty acid, The fat composition contains at least 80% by mass of triglyceride.

2. The fat composition according to claim 1, wherein the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid are linear.

3. The fat composition according to claim 1, wherein the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid are not hydrogenated cis-unsaturated fatty acids.

4. The fat composition according to claim 1, wherein the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid are each selected from the group consisting of butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, tridecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, pentadecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, nonadecanoic acid, eicosanoic acid, heneicosanoic acid, docosanoic acid, tricosanoic acid, and tetracosanoic acid.

5. The fat composition according to claim 4, wherein the first saturated fatty acid and the second saturated fatty acid are different.

6. The fat composition according to claim 1, further comprising an additive containing at least one of an emulsifier, a flavoring agent, a nutritional additive, a coloring agent, or an antioxidant.

7. An animal fat functional analogue comprising a gapped formulation of a transesterified triglyceride consisting essentially of saturated fatty acids, wherein the saturated fatty acids include a carbon chain length between 4 and 24 carbon atoms, and the gapped formulation contains a higher mass fraction of saturated fatty acids having a chain length greater than the gap compared to saturated fatty acids having a chain length smaller than the gap.

8. The animal fat functional analogue according to claim 7, wherein the gapped formulation excludes at least two of capric acid, undecylic acid, lauric acid, tridecylic acid, myristic acid, and pentadecylic acid.

9. The animal fat functional analogue according to claim 7, wherein the gapped formulation contains at most about 40% by mass of fatty acids containing fewer carbon atoms than a threshold number, and the gapped formulation contains at least about 60% by mass of fatty acids containing more carbon atoms than the threshold number.

10. The animal fat functional analogue according to claim 9, wherein the gapped formulation comprises about 10% capric acid, about 30% capric acid, about 20% myristic acid, and about 40% palmitic acid.

11. - A lipid consisting of saturated fatty acids; - A melting point higher than about 30 °C, An animal fat mimic comprising: - The solid fat content of the animal fat mimic varies from about 0.8 to about 0.2 over a temperature span between about 20 °C and 30 °C. Animal fat mimic.

12. The animal fat mimic according to claim 11, wherein the solid fat content is about 0.5 at a temperature between 15 °C and 25 °C.

13. The animal fat mimic according to claim 12, wherein the solid fat content of the animal fat mimic comprises a sustained plateau for at least a 5 °C temperature span.

14. The fat composition according to claim 1 or the animal fat mimic according to claim 11, wherein the triglyceride comprises a transesterified triglyceride or the lipid comprises a distribution of triglycerides formed by transesterifying a plurality of free saturated fatty acids with glycerol.

15. The fat composition or animal fat mimic according to any one of claims 4, 7, or 11, wherein the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid or the saturated fatty acid each comprises an even carbon chain length.

16. The fat composition or animal fat mimic according to claim 15, wherein the fat composition is a gapped formulation.

17. The fat composition or animal fat mimic according to claim 16, wherein the gapped formulation excludes at least two consecutive chain length fatty acids.

18. The fat composition or animal fat mimic according to claim 17, wherein the fat composition comprises less than about 5% by mass of the excluded fatty acids.

19. The fat composition or animal fat mimic according to any one of claims 1, 7, or 11, wherein the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid or the saturated fatty acid are each produced by oxidizing paraffin, and the paraffin is produced using a Fischer-Tropsch process.

20. A food product comprising the fat composition or animal fat mimic according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. The fat composition according to claim 1, wherein the fat composition is a gapped formulation.

22. The fat composition according to claim 21, wherein the gapped formulation excludes at least two fatty acids having consecutive chain lengths.

23. The fat composition according to claim 22, wherein the fat composition contains less than 5% of the excluded fatty acids.

24. The fat composition according to claim 1, wherein the triglyceride contains a transesterified triglyceride.

25. The fat composition according to claim 1, wherein the first saturated fatty acid, the second saturated fatty acid, and the third saturated fatty acid are each produced by oxidizing paraffin, and the paraffin is produced using a Fischer-Tropsch process.

26. A fat composition consisting essentially of a triacylglycerol derived from the saturated free fatty acid, which contains a carbon chain length between 4 and 24 carbon atoms in length and excludes at least two saturated free fatty acids having a continuous carbon chain length, and optionally one or more additives.

27. The fat composition according to claim 26, wherein the one or more additives include a solvent, an emulsifier, a flavoring agent, a nutritional additive, a coloring agent, or an antioxidant.

28. The fat composition according to claim 26, wherein the triacylglycerol consists essentially of fatty acids having an even chain length.

29. The fat composition according to claim 26, wherein the saturated free fatty acid is produced by oxidizing paraffin.

30. The fat composition according to claim 26, wherein the triacylglycerol contains a transesterified triacylglycerol.

31. The fat composition according to claim 30, wherein the distribution of the transesterified triacylglycerol is substantially probabilistic.

32. The fat composition according to claim 26, wherein the saturated free fatty acid is linear.

33. The animal fat mimic according to claim 12, wherein the solid fat content is determined using corrected differential scanning calorimetry.

34. The animal fat mimic according to claim 12, wherein the lipid contains a distribution of triglycerides formed by transesterifying a plurality of free saturated fatty acids with glycerol.

35. The animal fat mimic according to claim 34, wherein the plurality of free saturated fatty acids include even-chain fatty acids having a chain length between 4 and 20 carbon atoms.

36. - An animal fat functional analogue containing triglyceride, wherein the approximate mass distribution of free fatty acids in the triglyceride is about: o less than 5% butyric acid; o less than 5% valeric acid; o less than 5% caproic acid; o less than 5% enanthic acid; o caprylic acid between 2 - 15%; o pelargonic acid between 0 - 15%; o capric acid between 7 - 20%; o undecylic acid between 0 - 20%; o lauric acid between 2 - 10%; o tridecylic acid between 0 - 10%; o myristic acid between 5 - 25%; o pentadecylic acid between 0 - 25%; o palmitic acid between 7 - 25%; o margaric acid less than 10%; o stearic acid less than 10%; o nonadecylic acid less than 10%; o arachidic acid less than 10%; o heneicosylic acid less than 5%; o behenic acid less than 5%; o tricosylic acid less than 5%; o lignoceric acid less than 5%, and is an animal fat functional analogue.

37. The animal fat functional analogue according to claim 36, wherein the approximate mass distribution contains about 7.5% caprylic acid; about 7.5% pelargonic acid; about 12.5% capric acid; about 12.5% undecylic acid; about 25% myristic acid; about 25% pentadecylic acid; about 5% palmitic acid; about 5% margaric acid.

38. The animal fat functional analogue according to claim 36, wherein the approximate mass distribution contains about 8% caprylic acid; about 8% pelargonic acid; about 10% capric acid; about 10% undecylic acid; about 10% lauric acid; about 10% tridecylic acid; about 11% myristic acid; about 11% pentadecylic acid; about 11% palmitic acid; about 11% margaric acid.

39. The animal fat functional analogue according to claim 36, wherein the approximate mass distribution contains about 6% caprylic acid; about 6% pelargonic acid; about 16% capric acid; about 16% undecylic acid; about 5% lauric acid; about 5% tridecylic acid; about 23% palmitic acid; about 23% margaric acid.

40. The animal fat functional analog according to claim 36, wherein the approximate mass distribution comprises about 5% capric acid; about 5% pelargonic acid; about 15% capric acid; about 15% undecylic acid; about 10% myristic acid; about 10% pentadecylic acid; about 20% palmitic acid; about 20% margaric acid.

41. The animal fat functional analog according to claim 36, wherein the approximate mass distribution comprises about 14% capric acid; about 14% pelargonic acid; about 4% lauric acid; about 4% tridecylic acid; about 18% myristic acid; about 18% pentadecylic acid; about 14% palmitic acid; about 14% margaric acid.

42. The animal fat functional analog according to claim 36, wherein the approximate mass distribution comprises about 15% capric acid; about 15% undecylic acid; about 5% lauric acid; about 5% tridecylic acid; about 5% myristic acid; about 5% pentadecylic acid; about 10% palmitic acid; about 10% margaric acid; about 10% stearic acid; about 10% nonadecylic acid; about 10% arachidic acid.

43. The animal fat functional analog according to claim 36, wherein the approximate mass distribution comprises about 2.5% capric acid; about 2.5% pelargonic acid; about 17.5% capric acid; about 17.5% undecylic acid; about 5% lauric acid; about 5% tridecylic acid; about 15% palmitic acid; about 15% margaric acid; about 7.5% stearic acid; about 7.5% nonadecylic acid; about 5% arachidic acid.

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