Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2002-09-10
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
C426S520000, C426S607000, C426S654000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06447833
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel peanut butter stabilizer suitable for preventing the separation of oils from peanut butter during storage. This invention also relates to peanut butter incorporating the novel peanut butter stabilizer, to methods for the manufacture of this peanut butter, and to foods incorporating this peanut butter.
2. Related Art
Conventional peanut butter consists of a mixture of ground roasted peanuts, liquid oil, and usually one or more sweetening agents and salt. Emulsifiers may also be added to reduce stickiness so that during consumption the peanut butter does not stick to the roof of the mouth. The process of manufacturing peanut butter is well known in the art. See, e.g.,Weiss, T. J., “
Food Oils and Their Uses
,” The AVI Publishing Company, Westport Conn., pp. 177-193 (1970), Woodroof, J. G., “
Peanuts: Production, Processing, Products, Second Edition
, ” The AVI Publishing Company, Westport, Conn., pp. 153-193 (1973) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,127,272; 3,129,102; 3,265,507; 3,671,267; 3,882,254; and 5,230,919.
During the storage of peanut butter a layer of liquid oil tends to form on the top of the product. This tendency of peanut butter to separate on standing can be overcome to some extent by the addition of stabilizers. Stabilizers also aid in maintaining the physical integrity of the product during shipment and storage, particularly if temperatures vary significantly. Stabilizers generally comprise high melting point fats and oils such as partially hydrogenated fat, completely hydrogenated fat, monoglyceride and diglyceride esters of saturated fatty acids, or mixtures thereof. Stabilizers typically constitute between 0.5 and 5.5% of the peanut butter; most typically, about 2%.
Stabilizers may be added with other dry ingredients to the peanuts prior to grinding. During the grinding process there is sufficient heat generated to melt and disperse the stabilizer into the oil phase of the peanut butter. Alternatively stabilizers may be added to the hot peanut butter prior to dispensing the product into containers. Upon cooling the stabilizer forms a crystalline network that entraps free oil, preventing the oil from separating from the ground peanut particles.
The crystallized fats of the stabilizer are polymorphic and thus capable of existing in different crystal forms with varying degrees of stability. The major crystal forms of interest in food processing are alpha, beta-prime, and beta. Stabilizers that remain stable in the fine grained, beta-prime crystalline form are generally preferred. These stabilizers promote the formation of a product that has a smooth surface, has a smooth texture, and is stable under varying storage conditions. See, Weiss, T. J., “
Food Oils and Their Uses
,” The AVI Publishing Company, Westport Conn., pp. 14-17, 179-180 (1970).
In order to obtain the desired stability at the relatively high temperatures sometimes encountered during transportation and storage, stabilizers generally have high melting points, typically 110-150° F. When these high melting materials are added to the peanut butter in a quantity large enough to stabilize the oil, the peanut butter becomes excessively firm at the ordinary temperatures of use. As a result, the product may be difficult to spread; and it may have a waxy taste and melt slowly in the mouth. Numerous attempts have previously been made to develop a peanut butter stabilizer that effectively prevents oil separation without undesirably affecting the spreadability or taste of the peanut butter in which it is incorporated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,272 (Baker, et al.) discloses a method for making a peanut spread wherein the peanut spread contains about 0.3% to 3.5% stabilizer, by weight; and the stabilizer comprises from 0% to about 20% of a partially hydrogenated fatty glyceride having a Solid Contents Index (SCI) value at 50° F. of from about 17 to 28 and an SCI value at 92° F. of not more than about 6.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,102 (Sanders) discloses a stabilized peanut butter containing from about 0.5% to 5%, by weight, hydrogenated rapeseed oil, with an Iodine Value of not greater than about 10 and optionally up to 1.0%, by weight, hydrogenated cottonseed oil with an Iodine Value not greater than about 10.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,507 (Japikse) discloses a stabilized peanut butter containing from about 1% to about 5%, by weight, of substantially completely hydrogenated hardstock, having an Iodine Value not exceeding 12, where the substantially completely hydrogenated hardstock consists essentially of a blend of (a) beta-phase-tending hardstock and (b) non-beta-phase-tending hardstock having a substantial portion of fatty acid groups having about 20 to 24 carbon atoms, in a weight ratio of from about 3:7 to about 7:3. Preferably the beta-phase-tending hardstock is substantially completely hydrogenated soybean oil; and the non-beta-phase-tending hardstock is substantially completely hydrogenated rapeseed oil.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,671,267 and 3,766,267 (Gooding, et al.) disclose a stabilized peanut butter comprising from about 0.5% to about 2.3% of a symmetrical monounsaturated-disaturated glyceride, from about 0.35% to about 1.3% of a trisaturated glyceride, and not more than about 2% total of a diunsaturated-monosaturated glyceride and/or unsymmetrical monounsaturated-diunsaturated glyceride, the percentage figures being percent by weight of the peanut butter.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,671,267 and 3,766,267 also disclose a peanut butter stabilizer that is a blend comprising a symmetrical monounsaturated-disaturated glyceride, a trisaturated glyceride, and a glyceride selected from the group consisting of a diunsaturated-monosaturated glyceride, an unsymmetrical monosaturated disaturated glyceride, and mixtures thereof in a ratio of 0.5-7 parts symmetrical monounsaturated-disaturated glyceride: 1 part trisaturated glyceride: a maximum of 6 parts unsymmetrical monounsaturated-disaturated glyceride and/or diunsaturated-monosaturated glyceride, the parts figures being parts by weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,643 (Cochran) discloses a non-fractionated triglyceride composition containing by weight 40-50% saturated fatty acids. 5-20% trisaturated glycerides, 30-40% trans acid, 14-20% cis acid, and exhibiting a Wiley melting point of from 114°-127° F., an Iodine Value of from 43-52, and a solid fat index as follows: 65.2-76.2 at 50° F., 57.2-76.8 at 79° F., 53.0-76.9 at 80° F., 43.9-72.0 at 92° F. and 27.3-54.0 at 104° F. In one embodiment, this non-fractionated triglyceride composition is a peanut butter stabilizer, comprising 77.33% partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil (IV 47.6), 16.67% palm oil flakes, and 6.00% cottonseed oil flakes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,643 also discloses a peanut butter composition stabilized by the presence of from 1-6% by weight of the total composition of the above-described non-fractionated triglyceride composition and, optionally, small amounts of fully saturated triglycerides. In one embodiment, this stabilized peanut butter composition is a whipped peanut butter product comprising 2% by weight of the aforementioned peanut butter stabilizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,378 (Japikse, et al.) discloses a method of preparing a peanut butter stabilizer comprising the steps of: (a) randomly interesterifying a first mixture of from 0% to 70% hydrogenated peanut oil and from 30% to 100% unhydrogenated peanut oil (a preferred first mixture comprises 30% to 70% hydrogenated and 30% to 100% unhydrogenated peanut oil), (b) fractionally crystallizing from the first mixture a second mixture of triglycerides having at least 10% fatty acids from 20 to 24 carbon atoms; and (c) substantially completely hydrogenating the second mixture to form the peanut butter stabilizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,814 (McCoy) discloses a peanut butter stabilizer composition comprising (a) an intermediate melting fat fraction having an Iodine Value of from 25 to 45 and (b) a hydrogenated oil component comprising a triglyceride having a high proportion of C
20
-C
22
fatty acids and, optionally a
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
Pratt Helen
Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox PLLC
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