Fat Composition Suppressing Crystallization via Saturated Fatty Acid Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Diacylglycerol-containing fats or oils rich in α-linolenic acid tend to precipitate crystals at low temperatures, causing white turbidity or deposition, which is exacerbated by high diacylglycerol concentrations.
Innovation Solution
Reducing the total amount of palmitic acid and stearic acid, particularly stearic acid, and adjusting their mass ratio to suppress crystallization, while maintaining high α-linolenic acid and diacylglycerol content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the concentration of diacylglycerols is increased to enhance physiological effects, then the physiological activity is improved, but crystallization at low temperature is exacerbated causing white turbidity or deposition
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fatty acid composition parameters by controlling the content of palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) within specific ranges, and their ratio P/S to be within 0.05≤P/S<3.5. This parameter optimization suppresses crystallization while maintaining high diacylglycerol content (25-96 mass%), thereby resolving the contradiction between physiological effect and low-temperature stability.
2Temperature
If the total amount of saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acid) is reduced to suppress crystallization, then low-temperature tolerance is improved, but the content of α-linolenic acid must be maintained at high levels which may affect oxidative stability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the fatty acid composition by controlling saturated fatty acid content (palmitic acid C16:0 and stearic acid C18:0 total ≤6 mass%, with C18:0 <3 mass%) while maintaining high α-linolenic acid content (≥40 mass%). The specific ratio constraint (0.05≤P/S<3.5) ensures that the reduction of saturated fatty acids does not compromise oxidative stability, thus resolving the contradiction between low-temperature tolerance and oxidative stability.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a fat or oil having a high diacylglycerol content and rich in α-linolenic acid, in which crystallization at low temperature is suppressed, and which hardly causes white turbidity or deposition. Specifically, provided is a fat or oil composition, which satisfies the following (1) to (4): (1) a content of α-linolenic acid in constituent fatty acids of a fat or oil is 40 mass % or more; (2) a total content of a saturated fatty acid having 16 carbon atoms and a saturated fatty acid having 18 carbon atoms in the constituent fatty acids of the fat or oil is 6 mass % or less, and a content of the saturated fatty acid having 18 carbon atoms in the constituent fatty acids of the fat or oil is less than 3 mass %; (3) a content mass ratio of the saturated fatty acid having 16 carbon atoms (P) to the saturated fatty acid having 18 carbon atoms (S) , [(P)/(S)], in the constituent fatty acids of the fat or oil is 0.1 or more and less than 3.5; and (4) a content of diacylglycerols is 25 mass % or more.