Crystallization behaviour of binary fat blends containing shea stearin as hard fat

Chemical Composition and Crystallization Behavior of Oil and Fat Blends for Spreadable Fat Applications

To meet the expectations of European consumers, who prioritize agro-environmental factors and local resources, the substitution of fats (palm, coconut, shea) and achieving a balanced fatty acid profile in spreadable fats are gaining more attention. The crystallization at 4 °C of a lipid blend composed of rapeseed oil, anhydrous dairy fats, and emulsifiers was studied using a multi-scale approach (DSC and X-ray diffraction techniques) to understand the emergence of polymorphic structures. Although the addition of PUFA from rapeseed oil reduces the atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices in the blend, controlling the cooling kinetics influences the shapes (needles and spherulites) and sizes of the crystalline structures (small crystals form at a cooling rate of 1 °C min-1, while larger crystals form at higher rates of 5 and 10 °C min-1). The crystallization behavior revealed differences in polymorphic forms at 4 °C in the blend, with a transition to different forms occurring more rapidly compared to dairy fat (stop-and-return method). The study shows crystalline coexistence (α, β', and β) in a 2L lamellar structure, with the β' form being predominant. This structure is ideal for formulating a spreadable product, offering good spreadability (SFC < 32% at 10 °C), mouthfeel, and nutritional benefits compared to butter.

Malleability and Physicochemical Properties of Industrial Sheet Margarine with Shea Olein after Interesterification

The malleability of Industrial Sheet Margarine (ISM) is essential for the formation of consistent layered structures of pastry products. However, there is limited reporting on how to improve the malleability of ISM with zero trans fatty acids (TFA) at an industrial production scale. Therefore, herein, Shea Olein (SHOL), rich in stearic acid C18:0, was employed as a value-added formulation ingredient to replace palm olein (POL) in palm-based formula (palm stearin:palm kernel olein:palm olein, 50:15:35, w/w/w) and the chemical interesterification (CIE) fat as ISM material was performed to improve the application performance. The addition of SHOL improved the crystallization characteristics by increasing the β' crystal content from 70.86% to 92.29% compared with a POL-added formula. The hardness of the two formulations after CIE decreased by 60% and 65%, respectively, compared with that before CIE due to the decrease of PPP and POP, and the increase of POS and PSS triacylglycerols. Melting profiles, polymorphism, and crystal structures systematically proved the bending and sheeting features and functional properties. The bending abilities and malleability of ISM with SHOL and CIE fats were significantly improved, resulting in a more conducive application performance. The study provided a practical approach to improving the malleability of ISM in industrial-level production.

Improving the crystallization and melting characteristics of cocoa butter substitute by blending with krabok seed fat

This work investigated the crystallization and melting behavior of a commercial cocoa butter substitute (CBS) blended with 10-80% (by weight) of a hard lauric fat called krabok seed fat (KSF). The aim was to find CBS-KSF blends with improved crystallization and melting characteristics from that of the CBS. It was found that the addition of 10-80% KSF to CBS improved the melting properties of the CBS. However, 10-20% KSF resulted in too high solid fat content (SFC) values at the body temperature (37 °C) which would lead to waxy mouth feel. Adding 30-40% KSF resulted in better melting profiles than 10-20% KSF with SFC values < 3% at 37 °C and SFC curves most similar to cocoa butter. However, 40% KSF led to a significant decrease in the crystallization rate from that of CBS and a significant increase in the average crystal size. With 60-80% KSF, although the blends melted completely at the body temperature, their crystallization rates were significantly reduced. All CBS-KSF blends crystallized into β' structure. Therefore, the addition of 30% KSF to the CBS is recommended for industrial use to obtain compound chocolate with improved quality.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05513-1.

Effects of different tempering temperatures on the properties of industrial sheet margarine

Tempering conditions have significant effects on the microstructure, physicochemical properties and application functionalities of ISM.

Effects of chemical interesterification on the triacylglycerols, solid fat contents and crystallization kinetics of palm oil-based fats

The effects of chemical interesterification (CIE) on the physicochemical properties and crystallization kinetics of oil blends containing palm oil (PO) in combination with six other types of oils were studied.