Edible oil-in-water emulsion stable in cold acidic conditions

Abstract

The current invention relates to an edible oil-in-water emulsion comprising a fat phase, protein and gums, wherein the gums comprise both xanthan gum and one or more galactomannan gum. The edible-oil-in water emulsion may be used as a dairy or non-dairy multipurpose cooking cream and / or whipping cream. The emulsion may be as an additive used in foodstuffs, particularly in cold acidic foodstuffs.

Description

[0001] P36423PC00 / RLA

[0002] Titel: Edible oil-in-water emulsion stable in cold acidic conditions

[0003] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The current invention relates to an edible oil-in-water emulsion and more particularly to creams, especially to creams that are stable in cold acidic conditions.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Dairy cream is a natural foodstuff which is much appreciated by both consumers and professionals for its diverse applications. Traditionally, dairy creams can be suitable for cooking, whipping or can be used for both whipping and cooking (multipurpose cream). Dairy cream has been used in various manners, for example as a topping on or filling in cakes, pastries, puddings, desserts, as a topping on beverages such as chocolate drinks, or on ice creams, or folded into mousses, purees, etcetera. It may be used as an additive in many different hot or cold and / or sweet or savoury food products, such as beverages, soups, sauces, ice creams, puddings, confectionary, pralines, etcetera. In most of its applications, the dairy cream is valued for its contribution to the richness in taste, texture, and mouthfeel of the food it is consumed with or incorporated in.

[0007] Since it is desirable that (dairy) cream compositions can be used in a wide range of applications, there is a need for a formulation that can be used without defects for a broad range of purposes. Thus, a (dairy) cream composition should have good behaviour in many different applications. That is, (dairy) cream composition should meet as many as possible of the following requirements:

[0008] • no off-taste, neutral taste

[0009] • good stability against aggregation of the (dairy) cream composition at room temperature

[0010] • good stability against aggregation when heated when used as an additive (without whipping)

[0011] • good stability against aggregation when used as an additive at low pH (both at low and at high temperature)

[0012] • good whippability when whipped

[0013] In general, dairy creams exhibit a pH level close to neutral pH, often with a substantial amount of a fat phase. These characteristics in particular, make dairy creams prone to maintaining in a stable emulsified state. However, in order to be used in a wide variety of products, (dairy) cream should be versatile for food processing applications, including boiling, diluting, acidifying and freezing. Unfortunately, it is known that particularly exposure of dairy creams to cold acidic environments such as vinegar, lemon juice or certain fruits may result in undesired effects. More specifically, when exposed to cold and / or acidic environments, proteins in the (dairy) cream may destabilize, resulting in coagulation.

[0014] Moreover, the cold acidic environments may disrupt emulsification.

[0015] Therefore, there is a need to provide stable (dairy) creams that can be exposed to a cold acid environment (particularly in the context of foodstuff and beverages), without deterioration of function, with reduced to no curdling under acidic conditions and with a desirable organoleptic properties.

[0016] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hence it is an objective of the present invention to provide an edible oil-in-water composition that is stable, meaning that it does not show aggregation or coagulation, in cold acidic foodstuffs such as sauces, sour soups e.g. gazpacho, on fruits, in (fruit-comprising- )smoothies or desert-type of foodstuffs such as ice cream, mousse and (cheese)cake, cold beverages such as chocolate milk. Since the interest in non-dairy products such as plantbased creams has increased tremendously, it is a further objective of the present invention to provide for a non-dairy, plant-based edible oil-in-water emulsion.

[0018] The current inventors have surprisingly found that one or more of these objectives can be met by their invention. The current inventors have found that the use of certain gums, especially in a certain wt.%-ratio, allow for the preparation of improved edible oil-in-water emulsions. In particular, edible oil-in-water emulsion compositions can be made that do not aggregate or coagulate upon use at a temperature below room temperature (i.e., any temperature below 20°C) and at a pH between 1-6.

[0019] Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention relates to an oil-in-water emulsion comprising a fat phase, protein, xanthan gum and a galactomannan gum, wherein the galactomannan gum is preferably selected from selected from the list comprising fenugreek gum, guar gum, tara gum, locust bean gum, cassia gum, dhaincha gum.

[0020] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method to for preparing the oil- in-water emulsion of the invention.

[0021] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a food product comprising the oil-in-water emulsion of the invention. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to the use of the oil-in-water emulsion in a food product.

[0022] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to the use of xanthan gum and galactomannan gum as an ingredient in the oil-in-water emulsion of the invention.

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] All percentages are weight / weight percentages (wt.%, based on the total weight of the edible oil-in-water emulsion) unless otherwise indicated. Except in the examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and / or use are to be understood as modified by the word “about”. Unless specified otherwise, numerical ranges expressed in the format "from x to y" are understood to include x and y. When for a specific feature multiple preferred ranges are described in the format "from x to y", it is understood that all ranges combining the different endpoints are also contemplated. For the purpose of the invention, ambient temperature or room temperature is defined as a temperature of about 20-25 °C. Cold is defined as a temperature below 10 °C. The terms ‘oil’ and ‘fat’ are used interchangeably unless specified otherwise and concern edible oils and fats. Where applicable the prefix ‘liquid’ or ‘solid’ is added to indicate if the fat or oil is liquid or solid at ambient temperature as understood by the person skilled in the art.

[0025] The present disclosure relates to an edible oil-in-water emulsion composition, which comprises: a non-animal fat phase a non-animal protein; a gum, preferably at least two gums, such as at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or more gums, wherein the at least two gums preferably comprise at least xanthan gum.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the at least two gums comprise xanthan gum and one or more galactomannan gum, wherein the galactomannan gum(s) is / are preferably selected from the list comprising fenugreek gum, guar gum, tara gum, locust bean gum, cassia gum, dhaincha gum. Most preferably, the galactomannan gum(s) is / are locust bean gum and / or guar gum. In another preferred embodiment, the at least two gums are xanthan gum and locust bean gum. In addition or alternatively, the at least two gums preferably are xanthan gum and guar gum. Whereas desirable emulsions are obtained when the at least two gums comprise xanthan gum and one or more galactomannan gum(s), even better (i.e. enhanced acid stability) emulsions are obtained when the at least two gums comprise xanthan gum and locust bean gum and / or guar gum, preferably locust bean gum. Preferably, the wt.%-ratio between the xanthan gum and one or more galactomannan gum(s) (i.e: xanthan gunrone or more galactomannan gum) is between about 5: 1 and 1 :5, preferably between about 4: 1 and 1 :4, more preferably between about 3:1 and 1:3, even more preferably between about 2:1 and 1 :2, yet even more preferably between about 1.5:1 and 1 :1.5, most preferably about 1:1.

[0027] In subsequent sections of this detailed description, the various elements (e.g. fats, proteins, protein content, gums and other embodiments) that make up the invention are described. It is noted that in order to capture the full relevance of the invention, the various elements each have their own embodiments and variants. It is noted that various (preferred) embodiments of one element can be combined with can be combined with various (preferred) embodiments of another element without adding subject matter. These combinations are considered within the present invention.

[0028] Fat phase

[0029] The fat phase is an essential element of the edible emulsion of the invention. Such a fat phase typically comprises edible fats and oils. The term “fat”, is typically used for triglyceride compositions that that are solid at room temperature. The term “oil” or “liquid oil” is typically used for triglyceride compositions that that are liquid at room temperature, preferably also liquid at temperature below room temperature such as below 15, 10 or 5° C. Preferably the solid fat content of the liquid oil is 0 at 20° C, more preferably it is 0 at 15° C. A fat is typically used for structuring a fat composition, i.e. to provide a structure and texture in admixture with an oil or other fat. It can also be indicated as a structuring fat or hard stock fat.

[0030] The fat phase in the present invention is a non-animal fat phase. A non-animal fat phase is a fat phase in which the fats are not derived or obtained from animal fats. A non- animal fat phase does not comprise fats selected from animal fats. The non-animal fat phase may also be referred to as a vegan fat phase. Preferably, the non-animal fat phase is a vegetable fat phase, i.e., a fat phase containing only oils obtained or derived from plants or vegetables. The use of a vegetable fat phase can improve shelf life and / or enhance flavor stability under cold, acidic conditions. The vegetable oil may be selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, rapeseed oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, maize oil, and sunflower oil. The vegetable oil may be a blend or mixture of two or more vegetable oils, for example coconut oil and rapeseed oil. Preferably, the vegetable oil is selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and rapeseed (canola) oil as such oils may be particularly suitable to enhance the stability of the emulsion, i.e., increase shelf-life, compared to animals fats, such as dairy fat. In an embodiment, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure comprises 1-60, preferably 2-50, more preferably 3-45, even more preferably 4-40, most preferably 5-30 wt.% of a fat phase, with each wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion.

[0031] In one embodiment, the emulsion may comprise at least 1 , 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10 wt.% of a fat phase. In addition and / or alternatively, the emulsion comprises at most 60, 55, 50, 47, 45, 43, 40, 37, 35, 33, 30 wt.% of a fat phase.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the fat phase of the edible oil-in-water emulsion does not comprise hydrogenated fats i.e. the fat phase is non-hydrogenated. Non-hydrogenated means that the fat or oil has not undergone any hydrogenation treatment. Preferably, the oils and fats in the fat phase contain at most 0.01 wt.% hydrogenated fat (wt.% based on the total fat phase), preferably no hydrogenated fat. This entails the starting ingredients as well as blends and interesterified mixtures and even fractions of fats. Non-hydrogenated fats have essentially no trans-fatty acids.

[0033] The fat phase preferably comprises a sufficient amount of solid fat at low temperatures in order to yield a desired emulsion composition. Simultaneously, in order to instil desirable organoleptic properties in terms of mouthfeel and appearance, the fat phase preferably essentially melts in the mouth upon consumption. In a preferred embodiment, the fat phase comprises a blend of vegetable oils. The vegetable oils may be selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, rapeseed oil, linseed oil, soy bean oil, maize oil, and sunflower oil

[0034] The fat phase of the edible oil-in-water emulsion composition according to the present invention preferably comprises vegetable oil or vegetable fat or a combination thereof. It is preferred that the fat phase consists of vegetable oils and fats. The vegetable fats or oils may be selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, rapeseed oil, linseed oil, soy bean oil, maize oil, and sunflower oil. The blend of vegetable fats may comprise two, three or more different vegetable oils.

[0035] The fat phase of the emulsion of the invention may comprise a liquid oil fraction and a (solid) fat fraction.

[0036] Protein

[0037] Proteins are an essential element of the emulsion of the disclosure, since they impart desirable structure, taste and stabilising properties to the oil-in-water emulsion compositions and may enhance or contribute to application parameters such as (cold) acid stability and hardening of the emulsion. A suitable protein may be derived from different protein sources, including animals and plants.

[0038] Plant-based proteins

[0039] In one embodiment, the edible emulsion of the current disclosure comprises a nonanimal protein. A non-animal protein is a vegan protein. Preferably, the non-animal protein is a vegetable or a plant protein. The vegetable protein may be selected from the group consisting of sunflower protein, rapeseed protein, pea protein, oilseed protein, horse bean protein(Vicia faba equina), broad bean protein(Vicia faba), field bean protein(Vicia faba), and lentil protein.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the edible emulsion of the current disclosure is a plantbased protein. A plant-based protein can be obtained from plants, including parts such as fruits or seeds, leaves, stems, roots etc. The plant-based protein of the present disclosure can be obtained from legumes, oil seeds, nuts and cereals. Preferably, the protein is obtained from pea, sunflower, lentil or canola (rapeseed). The protein may be in the form of an isolate or concentrate.

[0041] In one embodiment, the plant-based protein of the current disclosure is a legume, wherein the legume is preferably selected from the group consisting of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (trifolium), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Kidney bean, navy bean, pinto bean, black turtle bean, haricot bean, (Phaseolus vulgaris), Lima bean, butter bean (Phaseolus lunatus), Adzuki bean, azuki bean (Vigna angularis), Mung bean, golden gram, green gram (Vigna radiata), Black gram, urad (Vigna mungo), Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus), Ricebean (Vigna umbellata), Moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia), Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius), Horse bean (Vicia faba equina), Broad bean (Vicia faba), Field bean (Vicia faba), Garden pea (Pisum sativum var. sativum), Protein pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense), Chickpea, garbanzo, Bengal gram (Cicerarietinum), Dry cowpea, black-eyed pea, blackeye bean (Vigna unguiculata ), Pigeon pea, Arhar / Toor, cajan pea, Congo bean, andules , (Cajanus cajan), Lentil (Lens culinaris), Bambara groundnut, earth pea (Vigna subterranea), Vetch, common vetch (Vicia sativa), Lupins ( Lupinus spp.), Lablab, hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus), Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis), sword bean (Canavalia gladiata), Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), Velvet bean, cowitch (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis), Yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus). There is a preference for a legume selected from the group consisting of Garden pea (Pisum sativum var. sativum), Protein pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense), Horse bean (Vicia faba equina), Broad bean (Vicia faba), Field bean (Vicia faba), Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), Lentil (Lens culinaris). There is a particular preference for a legume selected from the group consisting of Horse bean (Vicia faba equina), Broad bean (Vicia faba), Field bean (Vicia faba), Lentil (Lens culinaris). The most preferred legumes are Broad bean (Vicia faba), Field bean (Vicia faba) and / or Lentil (Lens culinaris).

[0042] The plant-based protein can be isolated from the plant or parts thereof in the form of a plant-based protein isolate or concentrate. A plant-based protein isolate or concentrate contains plant-based proteins but may also contain other plant-based elements, depending on the origin of the plant material and the method of obtaining the isolate or concentrate. The plant-based protein in the emulsion of the disclosure can be in the form of a plant-based protein itself or in the form of an isolate or concentrate comprising the plant-based protein. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of this element of the disclosure, the plant-based protein is in the form of an plant-based protein isolate or concentrate. Typically, the plant-based protein isolate or concentrate contains plant-based protein in an amount of 20-80 wt.%, but varies per type of plant. It was found that the protein (isolate or concentrate) was capable of providing desired and preferred characteristics to the water in oil emulsion of the disclosure.

[0043] In an embodiment, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure preferably comprises between 0.01-10, more preferably 0.05-7, even more preferably 0.1-5, yet even more preferably 0.5-3, most preferably 1-2 wt.% of protein, preferably a plant-based protein. The emulsion preferably comprises at least 0.01 , 0.03, 0.05, 0.1 0.5, 0.75, 1 wt.% of protein. Additionally and / or alternatively, the emulsion comprises at most 20, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 wt.% of protein. The plant-based protein can be provided in the form of a plantbased protein isolate in amounts that correspond to the amount of plant-based protein that is present in the specific plant-based protein isolate as indicated herein.

[0044] Good results in terms of the edible emulsions of the present disclosure have been obtained with plant-based proteins or isolates from broad bean (Vicia faba), Lentil (Lens culinaris), canola (B. napus subsp. napus) and / or almond (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus) protein isolates, preferably in an amount of 0.01-10 wt.%, preferably 0.1-5 wt.%, more preferably 0.5-3 wt.% protein based on the total emulsion. Therefore, the edible oil-in- water emulsion composition according to the present disclosure preferably comprises sunflower, pea, broad bean (Vicia faba), Chickpea (Cicerarietinum), Lentil (Lens culinaris), canola (B. napus subsp. napus) and / or almond (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus) proteins. Preferably, the protein comprised in the oil-in-water emulsion composition of the present disclosure comprises (up to 99 wt.%, based on the total amount of plant-based protein in the emulsion) of sunflower, pea, broad bean (Vicia faba), Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), Lentil (Lens culinaris), canola (B. napus subsp. napus) and / or almond (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus) proteins. Animal protein

[0045] In one embodiment, the edible, oil-in-water emulsion of the present disclosure further comprises an animal protein. Preferably the animal protein is a dairy protein. The dairy protein may be obtained from whey protein isolate (WPI) and buttermilk powder (BMP). WPI typically contains about 90% protein, whereas BMP typically contains 30% protein. The animal protein may be present in an amount of 0.01-5 wt.%, preferably 0.1-3 wt.%, more preferably 0.5-1.5 wt.%, based on the total weight of the edible oil-in-water emulsion. The presence of a blend of animal and non-animal protein was found to enhance the properties of the edible oil-in-water emulsion, specifically the cold acid stability.

[0046] In one embodiment, the total amount of protein, i.e. , animal and non-animal protein combined, in the edible oil-in-water emulsion may be 0.01-15 wt.%, preferably 0.1-5 wt.%, more preferably 0.5-3 wt.%, with wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion. The blend of non-animal and animal protein comprises may comprise a wt %-ratio between non-animal to animal protein between 1 :1.1 to 1.1 :1. It was found that an edible, oil-in-water emulsion according to the disclosure with a similar amount of non-animal protein, i.e., vegetable protein, and animal protein, i.e., dairy protein, showed excellent cold acid stability. Preferably the animal protein is a dairy protein and the non-animal protein a vegetable protein.

[0047] Gums

[0048] The edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure comprises two or more gums, i.e., 2 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 4 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 6 wt.%, 7 wt.%, 8 wt.%, or more gums, with wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion. Gums (i.e. one or more) are typically applied to create a desired viscosity and product stability against separation such as sedimentation or creaming.

[0049] In an embodiment, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure comprises 0.005-3 wt.%, preferably 0.01-2 wt.%, more preferably 0.01-1.5 wt.%, most preferably 0.01-1 wt.% of two or more gums, wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion. The edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure may comprise at least 0.005 wt.%, 0.01 wt.%, 0.05 wt.%, 0.1 wt.%, 0.5 wt.% of two or more gums, wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion. In addition and / or additionally, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure may comprise at most 10 wt.%, 9 wt.%, 8 wt.%, 7 wt.%, 6 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 4 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 2 wt.%, 1 wt.% of two or more gums, most preferably at most 3 wt.%, 2 wt.%, 1 wt.% of two or more gums, with all wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion. The viscosity of the emulsion may be further improved by adding at most a total amount of 2 wt.% gums, preferably at most 1 wt.% gums, more preferably at most 0.5 wt.%, wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion. The gums are preferably selected from galactomannans, wherein the galactomannans are preferably selected from the list consisting of fenugreek gum, guar gum, tara gum, locust bean gum, cassia gum, dhaincha gum, and carrageenan, xanthan gum, agar agar, alginates and / or any combination thereof.

[0050] In one embodiment, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure comprises between 0.005-3 wt.%, preferably 0.01-2 wt.%, more preferably 0.01-1.5 wt.%, most preferably 0.01-1 wt.% xanthan gum, wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion. The edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure may comprise at least 0.005 wt.%, 0.01 wt.%, 0.05 wt.%, 0.1 wt.%, 0.5 wt.% xanthan gum. In addition or alternatively, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure may comprise at most 10 wt.%, 9 wt.%, 8 wt.%, 7 wt.%, 6 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 4 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 2 wt.% xanthan gum.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure comprises between 0.005-3 wt.%, preferably 0.01-2 wt.%, more preferably 0.01-1.5 wt.%, most preferably 0.01-1 wt.% of one or more galactomannan. The edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure may comprise at least 0.005 wt.%, 0.01 wt.%, 0.05 wt.%, 0.1 wt.%, 0.5 wt.% of one or more galactomannan. In addition and / or additionally, the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure may comprises at most 10 wt.%, 9 wt.%, 8 wt.%, 7 wt.%, 6 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 4 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 2 wt.% of one or more galactomannan. In yet another preferred embodiment, the galactomannan is locust bean gum, guar gum or any combination thereof.

[0052] In one embodiment, the edible oil-in-water emulsion comprises 0.005-3 wt.% xanthan gum and 0.005-3 wt.% galactomannan gum. Preferably the galactomannan gum is selected from the group consisting of fenugreek gum, guar gum, tara gum, locust bean gum, cassia gum, and dhaincha gum. More preferably, the galactomannan gum is locust bean gum or guar gum. Most preferably, the galactomannan gum is locust bean gum. The edible oil-in- water emulsion comprises a wt.%-ratio of xanthan gum and galactomannan gum of between 3:1 to 1 :3, preferably 4:5 to 5:4, more preferably 9:10 to 10:9. Such ratios appeared to provide emulsions that were increasingly more stable under cold acidic conditions. Preferably, xanthan gum and / or galactomannan gum is present in an amount of 0.01-2 wt.%, 0.01-1.5 wt.%, more preferably 0.05-1 wt.%, most preferably 0.05-0.5 wt.%, based on the total weight of the emulsion.

[0053] In one embodiment, the total amount of gums in the edible emulsion is 0.01 to 6 wt.%, preferably 0.02 to 3 wt.%, more preferably 0.05 to 2 wt.%, most preferably 0.1 to 1 wt.%, wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion.

[0054] Additional ingredients The edible oil-in-water emulsion composition according the present disclosure may also comprise any other common ingredients, for instance selected from water, emulsifiers, sugars, sweeteners, flavourings, aroma compounds and combinations thereof, to improve the organoleptic properties and any other properties. Additionally, the oil-in-water emulsion composition may also comprise antioxidants or preservatives to improve its shelf-life.

[0055] Properties

[0056] The edible oil-in-water emulsion according to the current disclosure is applicable as an additive in a wide variety of dishes and foodstuffs without showing defects. Therefore, the edible oil-in-water emulsion composition according to the present disclosure preferably does not aggregate or phase-separate upon dilution in a food product which has a pH of between 1 and 7 (i.e. in the acidic range such in a fruit smoothie or a cold soup e.g. gazpacho). The food product may be a liquid food product. The composition preferably is applicable in acidic food products. Therefore, the food product may also have a pH of between 3 and 5.5, between 3.1 and 5 or between 3.3 and 4.5. The food product preferably has a temperature between about minus 20 °C and about 120 °C, more preferably between 0 °C and 100 °C, even more preferably between 0 °C and 50 °C, yet even more preferably between 0 °C and 30 °C, yet even more preferably between 5 °C and 50 °C, 5 °C and 30 °C, 5 °C and 20 °C, most preferably between 0 °C and 20 °C.

[0057] In some embodiments, the edible, oil-in-water emulsion of the present disclosure may be a vegan edible, oil-in-water emulsion.

[0058] Process

[0059] The disclosure also relates to a process for manufacturing the edible oil-in-water emulsion composition as disclosed herein, comprising the steps of a. providing an aqueous phase comprising the plant-based protein, b. providing a fat phase, and c. mixing the aqueous phase and the fat phase and homogenising the mixture to an edible emulsion.

[0060] The aqueous phase preferably comprises water, the proteins, and (if present) any other water-soluble or easily dispersible constituents, like for instance gums, starches, water- soluble emulsifiers, sugar etc. The fat phase preferably comprises the fats and oils, (if present) fat-soluble emulsifiers and any other fat-soluble constituents.

[0061] The process according to the present disclosure may also include a pasteurisation or sterilisation process, to enhance the shelf life of the product. Homogenisation may also include a high-pressure homogenisation process. After preparation, the edible emulsion may for instance be hot-filled or cold-filled into suitable containers.

[0062] Use

[0063] The composition of the edible oil-in-water emulsion of the current disclosure makes it applicable as a multipurpose composition. Therefore, according an aspect of the disclosure, the present disclosure also relates to use of the emulsion of the disclosure as a whipping cream. A whipping cream can yield whipped creams that are sufficiently aerated and sufficiently firm. Therefore, the disclosure preferably relates to use of an edible oil-in-water emulsion composition according to the present disclosure to create a whipped cream with an overrun of at least 40 or 50%, preferably at least 100%, more preferably at least 150%, and even more preferably between 150% and 250% and a Stevens value of preferably at least 35, more preferably at least 70.

[0064] Upon whipping, the composition may increase in stiffness and, upon aeration, in volume. Usage may also include combination of the composition in whipped state with other ingredients, like fruit juice, chocolate etc., or applying the whipped cream as topping, for piping, mousses etc.

[0065] When used as a whipped cream, the composition of the present disclosure advantageously displays many desirable properties: It shows little or no post-hardening upon storage at 5 °C for 24 hours. Post-hardening is an increase of the firmness beyond what is considered acceptable by consumers. The composition also shows good room temperature stability against post-hardening, or softening and syneresis, and good shape retention upon piping. These properties are even maintained when for instance an acidic fruit puree is folded into the whipped cream. Here, syneresis indicates the loss of fluid from the whipped cream, e.g. by droplet formation, or expulsion, precipitation or leaking of fluid from the whipped cream.

[0066] According to another aspect of the invention, the present invention also relates to use of an edible oil-in-water emulsion composition according the present invention as an additive in a food product, preferably a liquid food product or a solid or solidifiable food product. Thus, the composition may be added for instance to beverages such as tea, soups, oven dishes, fruit juice, (fruit) smoothies, sauces, gazpacho. The composition can also be used in solidifiable food products such as cake batters, puddings, creme brulees, panacottas, cheese cakes, omelettes, gratins, ice creams etc. The composition may also be used as a topping, for instance on cakes, pies or puddings. The multipurpose composition according to the present disclosure in particular shows excellent properties as an additive in a wide variety of dishes and foodstuffs with challenging conditions without showing defects. That is, the stability of the oil-in-water emulsion composition of the present disclosure is not much affected by pH or temperature within a range usually encountered for foodstuffs. Therefore, the present disclosure preferably also relates to the use of an edible oil-in-water emulsion composition according to the present disclosure as an additive in a food product, wherein the food product has a pH of between 3 and 8 and preferably with a temperature of between minus 20 °C and 120 °C.

[0067] The food product preferably has a pH of between 3 and 5.5, more preferably between 3.1 and 5 and even more preferably between 3.5 and 4.5. The food product preferably has a temperature between 0 °C and 100 °C, more preferably between 20 °C and 100 °C and even more preferably between 60 °C and 100 °C. Thus use according to this aspect of the disclosure also relates to use in acidic food products, particularly cold food products.

[0068] The disclosure further relates to a food product, preferably a whipping cream and / or multipurpose cream comprising an emulsion according to the invention.

[0069] The invention further relates to the use of an emulsion according to the present disclosure (as an additive) in a food product, wherein the food product is preferably a cold acidified food product, preferably selected from the group comprising fruits, fruit purees, acidified cream (e.g. a cream comprising lime and / or lemon), dressings and / or bavarois.

[0070] The invention further relates to the use of xanthan gum and locust bean gum as an ingredient in an edible oil-in-water emulsion, preferably a cream.

[0071] The invention further relates to the use of a plant-based protein as defined herein elsewhere as a protein in a non-dairy cream protein substitute.

[0072] The invention further relates to the use of an fat phase as defined herein elsewhere as a fat phase in a non-dairy cream, preferably cooking cream, a whippable cream and / or a multipurpose cream. EXAMPLES

[0073] The invention is illustrated by the non-limiting examples and comparative examples described below.

[0074] Preparation

[0075] For each emulsion, the preparation takes place by an emulsification process, comprising the following steps.

[0076] • The fat-phase ingredients are combined in a suitable container heated to 60 to 80 °C and mixed until the mixture is clear.

[0077] • In a separate container, the aqueous phase ingredients are added to water at 60 to 80 °C.

[0078] • The fat phase and the aqueous phase are combined, mixed with a high shear mixer for at least 5 minutes, and subsequently heated to 88 °C.

[0079] • The mixture is sterilised by treatment with steam (145 °C) and subsequently homogenised at a pressure of 100 bar.

[0080] • The resulting sterilised and homogenised product is, packed into aseptic containers, sealed and stored at 5 °C.

[0081] Application tests

[0082] The compositions described above are tested for their suitability as cooking and / or multipurpose creams and / or dairy cream alternatives by means of the following application tests.

[0083] Cold stability of the emulsion when acidified

[0084] The edible emulsions of the present invention were prepared and acidified to a pH between 3- 4 by adding lime and / or lemon juice.

[0085] The quality of the edible-emulsion was assessed by a three person expert panel. The edible emulsion was considered acceptable if (i) the emulsion displayed a homogeneous creamy texture, without curdling.

[0086] Cold stability of the emulsion as an additive in acidic media

[0087] A gazpacho-style soup with a pH of 3-6.5 is prepared by pulsing 750 grams of ripe tomatoes, a medium cucumber, a shallot, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 table spoons of sherry vinegar and a quarter of a cup of olive oil. The soup is refrigerated until chilled (4 °C). Prior to serving (i.e. cold), a generous tablespoon of the edible emulsion of the current disclosure is added. The quality of the edible-emulsion is assessed by a three person expert panel.

[0088] Rating of the results

[0089] The results of the qualitative tests in are rated according to the following scheme:

[0090] +++ very good: minimal to no curdling and a homogenous, creamy texture.

[0091] ++ good: slight signs of curdling may be present, but overall, the texture remains mostly homogenous and creamy.

[0092] + acceptable: slight curdling may be present and the texture may be slightly non-homogenous, but it still maintains a generally creamy consistency.

[0093] - bad: significant curdling is evident, leading to a somewhat uneven texture that lacks creaminess

[0094] — not acceptable: completely curdled, resulting in a highly uneven and unpleasantly grainy texture, far from creamy. nd not determined

[0095] Evaluation of emulsions comprising different gums and / or proteins

[0096] The emulsions are prepared and tested in accordance with the above protocols. The prepared emulsions comprise 15 wt.% of a fat phase, wherein the fat phase consists of 40 wt.% coconut oil and 60 wt.% rapeseed oil, wherein the wt.% is based on the total weight of the fat phase. The prepared emulsions further comprise 1.5 wt.% buttermilk powder protein and a total of 0.1 wt.% of one or more gum.

[0097] In a first experiment, different gums are evaluated, either individually or in combination, as depicted in Table 1 below.

[0098] Table 1. When the emulsions were acidified (with lemon / lime juice), both the emulsion comprising solely xanthan gum and the emulsion only comprising locust bean gum, resulted in very bad acid stability. Those emulsions were completely curdled, lacking a homogenous and creamy texture. When xanthan gum or locust bean gum were combined, cold acid stability clearly increased, showing very good cold acid stability. In the emulsions combing both xanthan gum and locust bean gum, no signs of curdling were observed. In addition, the emulsions showed a creamy, homogenous texture. A similar result was obtained when xanthan gum was combined with guar gum. These results also apply to the emulsions when these are added as an additive in acidic media.

[0099] In a second experiment, the effect of different concentrations of xanthan gum and locust bean gum, as well as the effect of the protein source was evaluated. The protein source varied from 1.5 wt.% dairy-based protein (i.e. buttermilk powder) to 1.5 wt.% plant-based protein sources i.e. from lentil concentrate and pea isolate, wherein the wt.% is based on the total weight of the emulsion.

[0100] Table 2.

[0101] As can be seen in Table 2, a combination of guar gum and a galactomannan gum (i.e. locust bean gum), when present in a ratio of 1:1 resulted in very good cold acid stability. These results were independent of whether dairy or non-dairy protein was used and independent of the concentration ranges tested. Whereas the 1 :1 wt.% ratio between xanthan gum and locust bean gum leads to the most optimal result (i.e. no curdling, creamy and homogenous texture), the inventors also observe that xanthan gum:locust bean gum in a wt.% ratio varying between 3:1 and 1:3 results in acceptable to even good cold acid stability, which is superior to when either xanthan gum or locust bean gum alone is used. These results also apply to the emulsions when these are added as an additive in acidic media. The use of a vegetable oils such as coconut oil and rapeseed oil was preferred.

Claims

C L A I M S1 . Edible oil-in-water emulsion comprising (wt.% based on the total weight of the emulsion):- 1-50 wt.% of a non-animal fat phase;- 0.01-10 wt.% of a non-animal protein;- 0.005-3 wt.% xanthan gum;- 0.005-3 wt.% of galactomannan gum; wherein the wt.%-ratio of xanthan gum and galactomannan gum is between 3:1 and 1 :3.

2. Edible oil-in-water emulsion of claim 1 , wherein the wt.%-ratio of xanthan gum and galactomannan gum is 4:5 to 5:4, preferably 9:10 to 10:9.

3. Edible oil-in-water emulsion of claim 1 or 2, wherein the wt.%-ratio of xanthan gum and galactomannan gum is 1 :1 .

4. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fat phase is a vegetable fat phase.

5. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fat phase comprises a vegetable oil selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, rapeseed oil, linseed oil, soy bean oil, maize oil, and sunflower oil.

6. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fat phase is present in an amount of 2-45 wt.%, preferably 4-40 wt.%, based on the total weight of the emulsion.

7. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the non-animal protein is a vegetable protein, , preferably the vegetable protein is selected from the group consisting of sunflower protein, rapeseed protein, pea protein, oilseed protein, horse bean protein, broad bean protein, field bean protein, and lentil protein.

8. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the edible oil-in-water emulsion further comprises an animal protein, preferably the animal protein is selected from the group consisting of milk powder protein, whey protein isolate (WPI) or buttermilk powder (BMP).

9. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the total amount of protein is 0.1-5 wt.%, preferably 0.5-3 wt.%, based on the total weight of the emulsion.

10. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein xanthan gum is present in an amount of 0.01 -2 wt.%, preferably 0.05-1 wt.%, based on the total weight of the emulsion.11 . Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein galactomannan gum is present in an amount of 0.01-2 wt.%, preferably 0.05-1 wt.%, based on the total weight of the emulsion.

12. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the galactomannan gum is selected from the group consisting of fenugreek gum, guar gum, tara gum, locust bean gum, cassia gum, and dhaincha gum, preferably the galactomannan gum is locust bean gum.

13. Edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the edible oil-in- water emulsion is a vegan edible oil-in-water emulsion.

14. Process for preparing the edible oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising the steps of:- Providing a fat phase as defined in any one of claims 1 to 13;- Providing an aqueous phase;- Providing a protein, xanthan gum and galactomannan gum;- Mixing the protein, xanthan gum and galactomannan with the aqueous phase;- Contacting the fat phase and water phase comprising protein, xanthan gum and galactomannan gum to obtain an oil-in-water emulsion.

15. A cream comprising the oil-in-water emulsion according to any one of claims 1-13, preferably a cooking cream and / or whippable cream composition.

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