Low-Trans Fat Composition for Chocolate Solidification and Heat Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing non-tempering type hard butters used in chocolate fail to achieve a balance between solidification rate, heat resistance, and good meltability in the mouth, often leading to issues like stickiness or oil oozing, especially when used in various temperature ranges.
Innovation Solution
A low-trans oil and/or fat composition with specific fatty acid content and solid fat content (SFC) ranges is developed, which includes interesterified oils and fats, ensuring suitable solidification rates and meltability across different temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If non-tempering type hard butter is used to skip tempering operation, then ease of manufacture is improved, but solidification rate and heat resistance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the fat composition by specifying precise ranges for solid fat content at different temperatures (SFC30: 40-70%, SFC35: 25-50%, SFC40: 10-30%) and fatty acid composition (saturated 40-70%, monounsaturated 20-50%, polyunsaturated 5-20%). These parameter specifications enable the fat to achieve both ease of manufacture without tempering and reliable solidification rate and heat resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fat composition by combining multiple fatty acid types (saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated) in specific proportions, and by specifying a composite solid fat content profile across multiple temperature points. This composite approach allows the fat to exhibit both easy processing characteristics and reliable functional performance.
2Temperature
If high melting point oil and/or fat is used to improve heat resistance, then heat resistance is improved, but meltability in the mouth deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the balance between heat resistance and meltability by precisely controlling the solid fat content at different temperatures. The SFC40 value (10-30%) ensures the fat remains sufficiently soft at mouth temperature for good meltability, while the SFC30 value (40-70%) provides adequate heat resistance. The fatty acid composition is also optimized with specific ranges for saturated (40-70%), monounsaturated (20-50%), and polyunsaturated (5-20%) fatty acids to achieve this balance.
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
The developed oil and/or fat composition improves the solidification rate and heat resistance of chocolate, providing good meltability and appearance, suitable for various temperature ranges without requiring tempering operations.
Implementation Method 1
an interesterified/fractionated type hard butter is being developed... produced by chemically or enzymatically interesterifying a raw material oil and/or fat
Data Source
AI summary
An object is to provide a low-trans oil and/or fat for improving chocolate, which can improve functions such as a solidification rate and heat resistance of chocolate, and thus chocolate having good meltability in the mouth can be obtained. Disclosed is an oil and/or fat for improving chocolate, having a fatty acid composition suitably adjusted, in which an unsaturated fatty acid content is set to be from 0.5 mass % to 15 mass % in a constituent fatty acid composition, and an SFC at 35° C. is 30% or more and an SFC at 45° C. is 20% or less.