Fat Slurry Preparation for Stable Edible Emulsions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing processes for manufacturing edible water-in-oil emulsions, such as margarine, require energy-intensive heating and cooling, and alternative methods using micronized fat powders are costly and require new equipment, making it challenging to produce emulsions with desired firmness and droplet size efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the gradual addition of melted hardstock fat to cold liquid oil, creating a fat slurry with a controlled concentration gradient, which is then mixed with an aqueous phase to form an oil-continuous emulsion, avoiding the need for heating and cooling the entire formulation and using micronized fat powders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the votator or churn process is used to manufacture water-in-oil emulsions, then the emulsion structure and stability are improved, but the energy consumption increases significantly due to heating and cooling the entire formulation
Solution Approach 1:
The process segments the emulsion preparation into two independent stages: first preparing a fat slurry with controlled crystal network, then incorporating the aqueous phase. This avoids the need to heat and cool the entire formulation, reducing energy consumption while maintaining emulsion stability through proper fat crystal network formation in the slurry stage
Solution Approach 2:
The fat slurry is prepared in advance with the desired fat crystal network structure before the aqueous phase is added. This preliminary formation of the continuous fat phase structure ensures emulsion stability is achieved without requiring energy-intensive heating and cooling of the complete emulsion formulation
2Use of energy by moving object
If micronized fat powder is used to make spreads, then the energy consumption is reduced, but the equipment complexity and capital expenditure increase due to new equipment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The process changes the physical state parameters of the hardstock fat by melting it and controlling its cooling rate during slurry preparation. This allows the fat to form the desired crystal network structure through controlled phase change, achieving the same energy-saving effect as micronized powder without requiring specialized pressurizing or spraying equipment
3Manufacturing precision
If the gradual addition of melted hardstock fat to cold liquid oil is performed, then the firmness and droplet size are improved, but the process time increases due to controlled addition over a period
Solution Approach 1:
The process uses dynamic control of the addition rate and mixing intensity during slurry preparation. By adjusting these parameters in real-time, the method achieves optimal fat crystal network formation and droplet size control without requiring excessively long processing times, balancing precision with efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method produces emulsions with higher firmness and smaller droplet sizes, achieving stability and microbiological safety without the energy costs and equipment requirements of traditional methods, while maintaining the quality of emulsions similar to those made with micronized fat powders.
Implementation Method 1
adding over a period of from 0.5 to 60 minutes under mixing the melted hardstock to the liquid oil in the vessel, such that the concentration of hardstock fat in the liquid oil at the point of mixing of hardstock fat and liquid oil increases in said period from less than 10% of the final concentration to at least 90% of the final concentration of hardstock fat in the liquid oil
Implementation Method 2
mixing an aqueous phase and a fat slurry, wherein the fat slurry is prepared in a process according to the present invention
Data Source
AI summary
A process for the preparation of an edible fat slurry containing oil and solid fat particles of hardstock fat, in which said slurry is made by adding a melted hardstock fat to cold liquid oil in a vessel over a period of time. The invention also relates to a process for turning such slurry into an oil-continuous emulsion.