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
1999-06-15
2001-02-20
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...
C552S544000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190720
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Growing consumer awareness of the health problems related to high cholesterol levels have created a demand for cholesterol lowering foods and dietary supplements. Plant sterols differ from cholesterol in several ways, such as by having ethyl or methyl groups or unsaturation in the side chain. These variations interfere with the absorption of cholesterol, and thus certain plant sterols are effective cholesterol-lowering agents in humans and animals. However, commercially available plant sterols with high melting points are difficult to disperse into food formulations. Due to the wax-like characteristics of these sterols, it is difficult to incorporate a large amount of the plant sterols into a food formulation without imparting objectionable sensory attributes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to sterol-containing food ingredient compositions that are easy to disperse in water or oil, as well as to methods for making the sterol-containing food ingredient. The invention also relates to food products comprising the sterol-containing food ingredient of the invention, as well as to methods of making these food products. Preferably the food ingredient is a cholesterol-lowering agent.
The food ingredient of the invention comprises one or more sterols, one or more fats and one or more emulsifiers. The food ingredient of this invention is a homogenous composition which has a paste-like consistency and is dispersible in oil, water, or both oil and water with mild agitation and without heating. When dispersed in water or oil, the food ingredient forms a smooth dispersion suitable for food formulations.
In one embodiment of the invention, the sterol or sterols is (are) derived from a plant. Native plant sterols have been granted GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status by the FDA. For example, the sterol can include, but is not limited to, sitosterol, sitosterin, campesterol, stigmasterol, and combinations thereof. In a particular embodiment, the sterol is selected from the group consisting of sitosterols and sitosterol derivatives. For example, the sterol can be &bgr;-sitosterol or a mixture thereof (e.g., a mixture of &bgr;-sitosterol and &bgr;-sitosterin).
The food ingredient also comprises one or more fats or lipids. Fats useful in the present invention include liquid oils, e.g., cuthea oil, cod liver oil, castor oil, mineral oil, jojoba oil, linseed oil, tung oil, soybean oil, canola oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil, wheat germ oil, olive oil, corn oil, cotton seed oil, palm kernel oil, rapeseed oil, caprylic triglycerides, capric triglycerides, isostearic triglycerides, adipic triglycerides, lanolin oil and combinations thereof. Useful fats also include semi-solid vegetable oils, such as shortenings, e.g., CRISCO™, and solid fats, including, but not limited to, tallow, lard, butter, margarine and combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the fat is a liquid oil. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the fat is selected from the group consisting of vegetable oils and blends thereof.
The food ingredient also comprises one or more emulsifiers. For example, the emulsifier can include, but is not limited to, monoglycerides, lecithin, enzyme modified lecithin, sorbitan esters, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides, propylene glycol esters, polysorbates (e.g., polysorbate 60 and polysorbate 80) and sucrose esters of medium and long chain saturated fatty acids, sorbitan monostearate, sodium stearoyl lactylate and combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, appropriate emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of monoglycerides, DATEM, sorbitan monostearate, sodium stearyl lactylate, polysorbate 80 and polysorbate 60. In one preferred embodiment, the emulsifier is present in an amount of about 1% or greater by weight. In a preferred embodiment, the emulsifier is present in an amount of from about 4% by weight. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the emulsifier is present in an amount of from about 4% to about 5% by weight of the food ingredient.
The present invention also pertains to a food composition comprising a food ingredient according to the invention. In one embodiment, the food composition is a reduced-fat, low-fat or fat-free food product. Appropriate food products include, but are not limited to, dairy products, baked goods, snack foods, confections and frozen desserts. In a preferred embodiment, the food composition is a cholesterol-lowering food. In one embodiment, the food composition is selected from the group consisting of salad dressing, breads, cookies, pies, cakes, brownies, crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, noodles, margarine, butter, pudding-type desserts, sauces, cream cheese, spreads, dips, mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, ice cream, cheese, fudge, candy, and milk. In a preferred embodiment, the food composition is a salad dressing or margarine.
The present invention also pertains to methods of preparing a food ingredient according to the invention. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of heating one or more sterols, one or more fats and one or more emulsifiers together, preferably forming a homogenous mixture, and cooling the mixture under agitation, thereby producing a food ingredient of the invention. In one embodiment of this method, the sterol(s), fat(s) and emulsifier(s) are heated to the melting temperature of the sterol. For example, the heating step can be performed at a temperature of from about 130° C. to about 150° C. In a preferred embodiment, the mixture is heated to about 145° C. In one embodiment, the heated mixture is cooled to a temperature at which the mixture has a paste-like consistency. For example, the mixture can be cooled to about 60° C.
In another embodiment, the method comprises the steps of heating one or more sterols, adding one or more fats and one or more emulsifiers to form a homogeneous mixture; and cooling the mixture under agitation, thereby producing a food ingredient of the invention. In one embodiment of this method, the sterol(s) is (are) heated to its melting temperature. For example, the heating step can be performed at a temperature of from about 130° C. to about 150° C. In a preferred embodiment, the mixture is heated to about 145° C. In one embodiment, the heated mixture is cooled to a temperature at which the mixture has a paste-like consistency. For example, the mixture can be cooled to about 60° C.
The invention further relates to a method of making a food composition comprising a food ingredient according to the invention. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of incorporating a food ingredient prepared according to the invention into the food formulation of a desired food product and processing as necessary to form the food product.
In a another embodiment, the method comprises incorporating one or more sterols, one or more fats and one or more emulsifiers into the food formulation of a desired food product and processing as necessary to form the food product. In this embodiment, the food ingredient is prepared in situ during the formulation of the food product.
The invention also relates to non-food compositions comprising the sterol-containing ingredient of this invention, such as medicinal compositions (e.g., pills) and dietary supplements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to sterol-containing ingredients useful in a variety of applications, as well as to compositions comprising the sterol-containing ingredient and methods of making the sterol-containing ingredient. According to the invention, one or more sterols are heated to their melting point; one or more fats and one or more emulsifiers are added to the sterol(s), either prior to or after heating, to produce a homogenous mixture. The homogenous mixture is cooled under agitation to produce a sterol-containing ingredient which is readily dispersible in water and/or oil without heating. Th resulting ingredient can be used to prepare a variety of compositions, including food compositions, such as reduced
Rudie Noel G.
Yuan C. Ronnie
Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds P.C.
Opta Food Ingredients, Inc.
Paden Carolyn
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