Plastic Fat Composition Preventing Coarse Crystal Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plastic fat compositions using palm oils face issues with texture roughening and coarse crystal formation during storage, leading to quality deterioration, and existing solutions either fail to reduce trans fatty acids effectively or result in unpleasant flavors and inferior melt-in-the-mouth properties.
Innovation Solution
A plastic fat composition is developed by blending a palm-based fat with a transesterified oil and a liquid vegetable oil, where the palm-based fat constitutes 20-70% of the mixture, the transesterified oil contains 20-60% saturated fatty acids with 12-14 carbon atoms and 40-80% with 16-18 carbon atoms, and the liquid oil has a melting point below 25°C, with a trisaturated triglyceride content of 4.5-10.5% to maintain favorable crystallinity and prevent coarse crystal formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If palm oils are used as raw fat material to maintain hardness of M/S, then the hardness is maintained, but roughening of texture and formation of coarse crystals occur during storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters of the fat blend by controlling the content of specific triglycerides (POP, POS, PSS) through selective hydrogenation and blending. By adjusting the saturation level and fatty acid composition, the patent achieves a balance where palm oil provides hardness but the controlled parameter changes prevent coarse crystal formation and texture roughening during storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fat system by blending multiple fat sources including palm oil, hydrogenated oils, and other vegetable fats in specific proportions. This composite approach allows the system to maintain the hardness benefit of palm oil while incorporating other components that prevent texture deterioration and coarse crystal formation, thus resolving the contradiction between hardness and texture stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If transesterification is used to reduce POP content and improve crystallinity, then crystallinity is improved, but melt-in-the-mouth property deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using transesterification which dramatically alters the chemical structure, the patent employs controlled hydrogenation and physical blending to modify the fatty acid composition. By adjusting the degree of hydrogenation and the ratio of different fat components, the patent achieves improved crystallinity while preserving the desirable melt-in-the-mouth properties through more subtle parameter changes rather than radical chemical transformation.
3Reliability
If emulsifying agent is added to preclude coarse crystals, then coarse crystals are prevented, but unpleasant flavor is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or eliminates the need for emulsifying agents by using a carefully formulated blend of natural fats and oils. Through selective hydrogenation and precise blending ratios, the patent achieves coarse crystal prevention inherently through the fat composition itself, thereby removing the harmful element (emulsifying agent flavor) while maintaining the desired effect (crystal uniformity).
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 composition achieves a low trans fatty acid content, preventing texture roughening and coarse crystal formation while maintaining the favorable melt-in-the-mouth and plain flavor characteristics of palm oils, ensuring stable product quality.
Implementation Method 1
the transesterified oil containing 20 to 60% by mass of a saturated fatty acid having 12 to 14 carbon atoms, and 40 to 80% by mass of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms... maintaining favorable crystallinity and preventing coarse crystal formation
Data Source
AI summary
A plastic fat composition to be used mainly as a margarine or shortening having a low content of trans fatty acids, and superior qualities without generating coarse crystals and the like even though a large amount of palm-based fats are blended is provided. A plastic fat composition containing: fat A that is a palm-based fat having an iodine value of no greater than 62; fat B that is a transesterified oil containing 20 to 60% by mass of a saturated fatty acid having 12 to 14 carbon atoms, and 40 to 80% by mass of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms based on the total fatty acids constituting the fat B; and fat C that is a vegetable oil other than the fat A, the fat C having a melting point of no higher than 25° C., wherein the fat A, the fat B and the fat C are in an oil phase, the ratio of the content of the fat A to the content of the fat B (fat A/fat B) ranges from 0.5 to 5.5, and the oil phase contains 4.5 to 10.5% by mass of a trisaturated triglyceride constituted only with a saturated fatty acid having 16 or more carbon atoms.