Structured Edible Product Fat Composition Hardness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current food products struggle to achieve a hard or semi-hard structure while limiting saturated and trans fatty acid content, which is essential for nutritional health but challenging to maintain without using expensive and complex methods like hydrogenation or long-chain fatty acids.
Innovation Solution
A structured, fat-continuous edible product with a triglyceride composition that includes less than 30% saturated fatty acids and less than 10% trans unsaturated fatty acids, combined with a filler material and specific fatty acid profiles, allowing for a hard structure without the need for high melting triglycerides or expensive long-chain fatty acids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hydrogenation is used to convert liquid oils into hard fats, then the solid structure and hardness of the product is improved, but the content of saturated and trans fatty acids increases, which is harmful to health
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the fat by using specific triglyceride structures (SUS, SU2, U3) with controlled fatty acid distributions. This allows achieving the desired solid fat content and hardness without relying on hydrogenation, thereby limiting saturated and trans fatty acid content while maintaining product structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fat system combining multiple triglyceride types (SUS, SU2, U3) with specific proportions. This composite approach allows the fat to achieve both structural hardness and nutritional benefits by leveraging the complementary properties of different triglyceride molecules
2Stability of the object's composition
If natural fats with high saturated fatty acid content are used to achieve firm structure, then the structural stability is improved, but the nutritional quality deteriorates due to high SAFA levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the fat composition parameters by selecting specific triglyceride structures that provide structural stability through their molecular arrangement rather than relying on high saturated fatty acid content. The SUS, SU2, and U3 triglycerides with controlled fatty acid distributions enable structural stability with reduced SAFA levels
3Temperature
If trans isomers are used to achieve hard fat structure, then the melting profile and solidity are improved, but the nutritional value decreases due to trans fatty acid formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fatty acid isomer composition by eliminating trans isomers and using only cis-unsaturated fatty acids in the triglyceride structures. The specific SUS, SU2, and U3 configurations with cis-unsaturated fatty acids provide the necessary melting profile and solid fat content without trans fatty acid formation
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 product achieves a harder texture and improved oil retention capacity than expected from its fatty acid content, maintaining stability and hardness without post-hardening or softening, even with low saturated fatty acid levels, and exhibits excellent compatibility with other food products.
Implementation Method 1
The SFC-profile depends mainly on the nature of the fatty acids making up the (tri)glycerides of the fat, on the triglyceride composition, and on the method used to solidify the fat - in particular the crystallisation time and temperature
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a structured, fat continuous edible product, wherein the edible product contains, expressed on total product basis, a) less than 30 wt. % of saturated fatty acids, b) between 20 and 100 wt. % of a triglyceride composition c) between 0 and 80 wt% of a filler material d) less than 15 wt. % of water wherein the triglyceride composition contains with respect to the weight of the triglyeride composition e) less than 45 wt. % of saturated fatty acids, f) less than 10 wt. % of trans unsaturated fatty acids g) at least 8 wt. % of SUS triglycerides, wherein S is a C16-18 saturated fatty acid, U is unsaturated fatty acid having at least 18 C atoms, h) less than 15 wt. % of S3, i) at least 90 wt. % of C8-18 fatty acids, j) at least 75 wt. % of C18 fatty acids including saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, k) has an SFC at 20°C of between 5 and 50%. The present invention also relates to the use of this structured product in the preparation of fat continuous as well as non-fat continuous products.