Spread

Details Spread Spread

1999-08-03

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...

C426S601000, C426S603000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06190721

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to spread which melts well upon oral ingestion and rapidly demulsifies to yield a sufficiently-satisfying flavor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A national survey on nutrition in Japan conducted in 1995 revealed that fat consumption was rising and fat content as a percent of total calorie intake exceeded an appropriate level. This trend is attributed mainly to the Westernization of eating habits. Accordantly, heightened concerns about general health among the population is resulting in a growing demand for low-fat cheeses and cream, and other oil and fat products.
A spread is a type of fat composition produced by preparing a water-in-oil emulsion from a water phase and an oil phase, followed by cooling, solidifying, and agitating. Generally, a product with an oil-phase to water-phase ratio of more than 65% by weight is called a regular fat spread, while a product with a smaller oil-phase to water-phase ratio, in particular less than 40% by weight, is called a low-fat spread. Since oil and water are immiscible, in the production of the aforementioned spreads, the two layers are emulsified or dispersed to make a water-in-oil type emulsion.
However, certain emulsification or dispersion methods, or certain ratios of the two phases, have caused problems in manufacturing or have resulted in poor quality products. For example, a phase conversion occurs during emulsification or the subsequent pasteurization, cooling or solidification process, or the products have a coarse texture. These problems occur more often in the production of low-fat spreads in which higher water-phase to fat-phase ratio results in an unstable emulsion. This necessitated the addition of a highly effective emulsifier or a combination of large amounts of emulsifier and stabilizer. Consequently, conventional low-fat spread melts poorly in the mouth, do not demulsify, and do not yield a sufficiently-satisfying flavor through the mouth. Consumers have to date resisted these products because of these and other problems. Moreover, these problems are evident as well in regular-fat spreads.
The present invention is to solve the abovementioned problems found in the prior art. Namely, an objective of the present invention is to provide a spread which melts well in the mouth and demulsifies rapidly when ingested to yield a sufficiently-satisfying flavor; and for which these are no problems in manufacturing or with product quality.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors found that demulsification of a spread can be characterized by a change in conductivity, and accordingly, the conditions for the production of a spread which demulsifies well when ingested can be set by measuring the change in conductivity. Based on this finding, the present inventors did further research to obtain a spread with better demulsification properties, and found that better demulsification at oral temperatures could be achieved by the addition of phospholipids to the water phase. Thus, the present invention was completed.
A spread according to the present invention is characterized by that it contains phospholipids, has an oil phase at a level of 60% or less than 60% by weight, and exhibits an increase in conductivity at about 36° C. to at least 0.2 mS/cm within 300 seconds.
The concentration of phospholipids in a spread of the present invention is set so as to stabilize the emulsion and to attain an appropriate rate and state of demulsification. For example, preferably, the minimum concentration is 0.001% by weight and the maximum concentration is 1.0% by weight. Phospholipid concentrations of 0.001% or more than 0.001% by weight provide a better demulsification rate. Phospholipid concentrations of 1.0% or less than 1.0% by weight can provide a better emulsion stability by preventing phase conversion during emulsification, or in the subsequent pasteurizing, cooling or solidifying process.
The present invention provides a spread which melts well upon oral ingestion and rapidly demulsified to yield a sufficiently-satisfying flavor.
The present invention solves production problems such as phase conversion during emulsification, or in pasteurization or cooling process, and a lack of flavour in low-fat spreads. According to the invention, said spread can be obtained by the addition of a phospholipid to the water phase followed by emulsification with the oil phase, where the emulsifier is preferably a combination of a polyglycerol polyricinoleate and a monoglyceride, or a combination of a polyglycerol polyricinoleate, a monoglyceride and glycerol organic acid monoester.


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Clegg 1996 Low Fat Margarine Spread as Affected by Aqueous Phase Hydrocolloids J. Food Sc. 61(5) 1073.

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