Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Fat or oil is basic ingredient other than butter in emulsion...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-12
2002-10-08
Paden, Carolyn (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Fat or oil is basic ingredient other than butter in emulsion...
C426S603000, C426S573000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461661
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a butterlike composition and method of manufacturing same, and more particularly, to a butterlike composition of natural, unmodified vegetable oil and a nutritional fiber. Specifically, the present invention concerns a novel technology for vegetable oil solidification, which preserves the oil's quality, its original molecular structure and composition, its biological characteristics and its nutritional value, by solidifying the oil with a nutritional fiber.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Butterlike substances are soft whitish or yellowish fatty solids processed for cooking, frying and for table use as spreads. Example include butter which is a soft whitish or yellowish fatty solid that separates from milk or cream when it is churned, and margarine which is made of refined vegetable oils which undergo chemical solidification (i.e., hydrogenation, saturation) and/or blended sometimes with animal fats and emulsified usually with water or milk.
The solid characteristic of many of the prior art butterlike substances results from the high percentage of saturated fatty acids contained therein. According to the prior art, solidification is achieved either by purification, as is the case for butter, or by hydrogenation or mixing with saturated fatty acids, as is the case for types of margarine. In both cases, however, the make-up of the oils employed, i.e., the chemical structure and/or composition are modified.
A large body of information indicates that daily consumption of saturated fatty acids has a bad influence of human health, especially due to the rise in blood cholesterol levels inflicted thereby and the possible development of cardiovascular diseases, arteriosclerosis and gallstones. In addition, butter itself includes high percentage of cholesterol which by itself increases the chances of developing such diseases.
Margarine, on the other hand, which also includes relatively high levels of saturated fat, is in most cases the product of catalyzed hydrogenation, which introduces trans fatty acids therein, which were shown to cause membrane alterations which may lead to development of cancer. Furthermore, during hydrogenation the chemical make-up of the vegetable oil employed for the production of margarine changes, and as a result, beneficiary influences of such make-up on human health is lost.
Vegetable oils, especially olive oil, are low in saturated fatty acids. Indeed, many studies have shown that olive oil consumption as a major source of fatty acids reduces blood cholesterol levels in patients suffering from high blood cholesterol (e.g., cholestoremia). It was further shown that olive oil consumption lowers the light density lipoprotein/high density lipoprotein (LDL/HDL) ratio in the blood, i.e., it decreases the blood level of “bad” cholesterol and thereby lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. It is therefore not surprising that some physicians refer to olive oil as a medicament. Other vegetable oils are also known to have beneficiary effects on human health.
Consumption of nutritional fibers is known to reduce blood cholesterol, to assist in digestion and to lower the chances of developing intestine and colon cancers.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a butterlike composition devoid of the bad influences associated with butter and/or margarine consumption and which enjoys the benefits of consuming unmodified vegetable oil and a nutritional fiber. In addition, it would be advantageous to have a butterlike composition that further contains a dietary supplement and enjoys the benefit of promoting healthy cholesterol.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided butterlike composition comprising a solidified emulsion of at least one vegetable oil, water and at least one hydrocolloid which is a fiber, the composition having butterlike properties. In one aspect, the fiber serves as a solidifying, gelating or thickening agent. According to a preferred embodiment, the butterlike composition comprises at least about 28% weight percent fiber. According to certain embodiments, the butterlike composition comprises about 18-60 weight percent fiber, preferably about 20-40 weight percent fiber, more preferably about 20-30 weight percent fiber. According to yet another preferred embodiment, the butterlike composition comprises about 36 weight percent fiber. According to still further features, in a preferred embodiment, the fiber is a nutritional fiber.
According to further features in preferred embodiments of the invention described below, the vegetable oil maintains its chemical make-up while in the composition.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments at least one vegetable oil maintains its chemical make-up while in the composition.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the butterlike composition further comprises at least one substance selected from the group consisting of emulsifier, stabilizer, flavor, preservative, colorant, acid and salt.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the butterlike composition further comprises at least one dietary supplement. In a highly preferred embodiment, the dietary supplement is red yeast.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the vegetable oil is selected from the group consisting of olive oil, cocoa oil, sunflower seed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, coconut oil and palm oil.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments at least one vegetable oil is a liquid oil at ambient temperature.
As indicated above, in one aspect, the fiber serves as a hydrocolloid in the composition and method of the invention. Hydrocolloids are gelating agents which when present in low amounts act as emulsifiers or stabilizers and when present in high amounts act as thickeners or solidifying agents. The threshold amount for each mode of action depends on the particular hydrocolloid and the particular chemical environment in which it is present. Thus, many emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners are hydrocolloids. However, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, there are certain emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners that do not function as gelating agents, and therefore are not hydrocolloids. One such example is the emulsifier lecithin.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the hydrocolloid and stabilizer are each independently selected from the group consisting of natural seaweed extracts, natural seed gums, natural plant exudates, natural fruit extracts, animals skin and bone extracts, bio-synthetic gums, starches and fibers. According to the present invention, a fiber is most optimal for use as a thickening or solidifying agent, whereas the other classes of hydrocolloids are better suited for use as emulsifiers and/or stabilizing agents.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments (a) the natural seaweed extract is independently selected from the group consisting of carrageenan, alginates, agar, agarose, fucellan and xanthan gum; (b) the natural seed gum is independently selected from the group consisting of guar gum, locust bean gum, tara gum, tamarind gum and psillium gum; (c) the natural plant exudate is independently selected from the group consisting of gum arabic, tragacanth, karaya and ghatti; (d) the natural fruit extract is independently selected from the group consisting of low and high methoxyl pectins; (e) the animal skin and bone extract is independently selected from the group consisting of gelatin A and B and hydrolyzed gelatin; (f) the bio-synthetic gum is independently selected from the group consisting of xanthan, gellan, curdian and pullulan; (g) the starch is independently selected from the group consisting of natural starch and chemically, physically and enzymatically modified starch; whereas (h) the fiber is inde
Browdy and Neimark
Olivia Gourmet (1996) Ltd.
Paden Carolyn
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