Non-lauric Chocolate Fat with Behenic Triglycerides

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Solution Overview

Problem

Non-lauric, non-trans, and non-tempering oils and/or fats for chocolate face challenges in preventing blooming over a wide temperature range and long periods, especially when blended with a large amount of cacao components or cocoa butter.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating specific amounts of triglycerides bound with behenic acid, saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids, along with tri-saturated triglycerides, to create a composition with optimized ratios of B-bound and S2U triglycerides, which improves blooming resistance and solidification speed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If non-lauric, non-trans, and non-tempering oils and/or fats are used as cocoa butter alternatives, then the tempering operation can be omitted and the process is simplified, but blooming occurs more easily especially when blended with a large amount of cacao components or cocoa butter

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess simplicityVSAvoidblooming resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the triglyceride composition parameters - specifically setting S2U content at 50-85 wt.%, BSU content at 2-15 wt.%, and BSU/B2U ratio at 1 or greater. This quantitative control of molecular structure parameters enables the oil/fat to resist blooming while maintaining the advantage of not requiring tempering operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates a composite triglyceride structure combining multiple fatty acid types (saturated C16-20, unsaturated C16-20, and behenic acid) in specific proportions. This composite molecular architecture provides both the processing advantages of non-tempering oils and the stability of cocoa butter-like materials, resolving the blooming issue

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Shape

If lauric acid oils and/or fats are used for chocolate, then the texture and physical properties are very similar to cocoa butter with good shine, but severe blooming or graining occurs when containing a large amount of cacao components or cocoa butter

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetexture and shineVSAvoidblooming resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates lauric acid (C12:0) from the triglyceride structure, focusing instead on saturated fatty acids with 16-20 carbons combined with unsaturated fatty acids and behenic acid. This extraction of the problematic lauric acid component removes the cause of severe blooming while maintaining desirable texture properties through the remaining fatty acid composition

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If trans fatty acid oils and/or fats are used for chocolate, then good mouth melt and high compatibility with cocoa butter are achieved, but health risks associated with trans fatty acids become a concern

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemouth melt and compatibilityVSAvoidhealth risks
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the traditional approach of using trans fatty acids (which provide good mouth melt) into a beneficial alternative by employing specific cis-configuration triglyceride structures (S2U and BSU types) that naturally provide similar sensory properties without the harmful trans fatty acid content. The specific molecular arrangement achieves the desired mouthfeel through legitimate chemical structures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS20240172771A1Non-lauric, non-trans, and non-tempering oil and/or fat for chocolate
Publication Date: 2024.05.30 FUJI OIL CO LTD

AI summary

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a non-lauric, non-trans, and non-tempering oil and/or fat for chocolate that is less likely to have blooming over a long period of time even in the case of chocolate containing a large amount of cacao components or cocoa butter. The aforementioned problem is solved by incorporating, into a typical non-lauric, non-trans, and non-tempering oil and/or fat for chocolate, a specific amount of a triglyceride bound with one behenic acid, one saturated fatty acid having from 16 to 20 carbons, and one unsaturated fatty acid having from 16 to 20 carbons.