RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/IB2012/001952, filed Oct. 2, 2012, the entirety of the application is hereby incorporated herein by reference for the teachings therein.

COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION

This application includes material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fat composition, and more particularly, to a fat composition for the preparation of non-dairy whipping food products and syrups used in the preparation of breads, cakes, and other food products.

2. Description of the Related Art

Edible products, such as non-dairy whipping food products, and syrups used in the preparation of breads, gelatins, and custards, commonly use a lipid base or fat composition in their preparation. Often, the lipid base used determines the functional characteristics of the final food product, such as moisture, air incorporation, support, and stability. With the rising popularity of healthy food options, there is an emerging demand for food products with a lower saturated fat content, and thus, there is a demand for lipid bases with reduced saturated fatty acid content that nonetheless display desired functional characteristics in the final food product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Additional goals and advantages of the present invention will become more evident in the description of the figures, the detailed description of the invention, and the claims.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present invention may be achieved by providing a fat composition including a first refined and interesterified oil mixture, and a second refined and interesterified oil mixture, wherein the first refined and interesterified oil mixture comprises palm oil or its fractions, palm kernel oil or its fractions, and coconut oil or its fractions, wherein the second refined and interesterified oil mixture oil comprises hydrogenated palm oil or its fractions, hydrogenated palm kernel oil or its fractions, and hydrogenated coconut oil or its fractions, and wherein a weight ratio between the first interesterified and the second interesterified is between 2 and 9.

In another embodiment, based on a total fatty acid content of the first refined and interesterified oil mixture, the first refined and interesterified oil mixture includes between 4% and 18% of lauric acid, between 1% and 6% of miristic acid, between 32% and 50% of palmitic acid, and between 3% and 8% of stearic acid, based on a total fatty acid content of the second refined and interesterified oil mixture, the second refined and interesterified oil mixture includes between 18% and 35% of lauric acid, between 6% and 14% of miristic acid, between 15% and 26% of palmitic acid, between 26% and 40% of stearic acid, and the fat composition includes between 70% and 90% of the first refined and interesterified oil mixture oil, and between 10% and 30% of the second refined and interesterified oil mixture, based on a total weight of the fat composition.

In another embodiment, based on a total fatty acid content of the fat composition, the fat composition includes between 7% and 17% lauric acid, between 27% and 47% palmitic acid, between 5% and 15% stearic acid, and wherein a solid fat content of the fat composition is between 64% and 84% at 10° C., between 41% and 61% at 20° C., between 14% and 35% at 30° C., between 8% and 20% at 35° C., and 10% or less at 40° C.

In another embodiment, a total trans fatty acid content is less than 1%, and a total amount of saturated fatty acids is between 62% and 72%, based on the total fatty acid content of the fat composition.

In another embodiment, when the fat composition is tested as a lipid base used to prepare a whipped food product in accordance to the Whipped Food Product Test Method, an over run characteristic of the whipped food product is at least 8% more than when a whipped food product is prepared with hydrogenated palm kernel oil as lipid base alone in accordance to the Whipped Food Product Test Method.

In another embodiment, the ratio of the first refined and interesterified oil mixture to the second refined and interesterified oil mixture in the fat composition is determined by an increase from 8 to 30% in over-run when the fat composition is tested in accordance to the Whipped Food Product Test Method.

In another embodiment, when the fat composition is tested as a lipid base used to prepare a syrup in accordance to the Bread/Cake Test Method, a retention of the syrup in a food product is at least 5% more than the retention of a syrup in a food product when a syrup is prepared with hydrogenated palm kernel oil as the lipid base in accordance to the Bread/Cake Test Method.

In another embodiment, when the fat composition is tested as a lipid base used to prepare a whipped food product in accordance to the Whipped Food Product Test Method, the ratio of the first refined and interesterified oil mixture to the second refined and interesterified oil mixture in the fat composition is determined by an increase from 5 to 15% in the retention of the syrup when the fat composition is tested in accordance to the Bread/Cake Test Method.

