[0001] This invention relates to edible fats and their preparation for use in particular
in confectionery including chocolate, shortenings, margarine and other plastic emulsion
food spreads.
[0002] The modification of edible oils and fats by rearrangement of the fatty acid residues
on the glycerides of which they are composed, has been practised in the food industry
for a considerable time. According to US patent 2928745 assigned to Lever Brothers
Co., hydrogenated palm kernel oil was randomised using sodium methoxide as rearrangement
catalyst and subsequently fractionated to provide a confectioners' hard butter.
[0003] Proposals have also been made to synthesise triglycerides. According to US patent
3012890, mono- and di- glycerides of fatty acid are reacted with acid chlorides to
produce synthetic triglycerides. More recently, catalysts both for rearrangement and
synthesis processes have been proposed comprising lipase enzymes. A particularly interesting
proposal is the use of selectively active enzymes which are effective in the 1-and
3-positions of glycerides, while leaving the 2-position unaffected. US patent number
4275081 describes rearrangement processes under the influence as rearrangement catalyst
of lipase enzymes activated with a small amount of water. By the use of this development,
unsaturated vegetable oils for example sunflower oil, may be converted in the presence
of saturated fatty acids themselves or alkyl esters thereof, to symmetrical disaturated
triglycerides, particularly of palmitic and stearic acids, the presence of which in
cocoa butter and other vegetable butters accounts for the sharp - melting and other
physical attributes for which these expensive and often scarce products are so highly
prized. The most beneficial of these glycerides are the 2-oleoyl homologues. The corresponding
2-linoleoyl and linoleneoyl disaturated triglycerides exhibit somewhat less satisfactory
characteristics; being more highly unsaturated they are significantly softer and materially
more susceptible to deterioration by oxidation. Their conversion to mono-olefinic
unsaturation by selective hydrogenation is not a satisfactory solution, owing to the
high simultaneous incidence of conversion by isomerisation to elaidic acid i.e. the
trans-form of oleic acid, thereby introducing a higher melting glyceride to the glyceride
composition than the corresponding 2-oleoyl isomer, which is the naturally occurring
form. The higher-melting 2-elaidoyl disaturated triglycerides additionally confer
a degree of incompatibility with the triglycerides already present and this is reflected
in anomalous and undesirable melting behaviour. Moreover, the by-products of all rearrangement
processes of highly unsaturated glyceride oils which are separated from more saturated
products, are themselves highly unsaturated and similarly unstable, being susceptible
to atmospheric oxidation. While they may be hydrogenated to saturated fatty acids
or their derivatives, for recycle to the rearrangement process, they consume considerable
quantities of hydrogen in the process.
[0004] The presence of substantial amounts of 2-linoleoyl and 2-linoleneoyl triglycerides
in many vegetable oils including sunflower oil has therefore limited their value in
1, 3 regiospecific rearrangement processes for the preparation of fats suitable for
use in chocolate and confectionery. The present invention provides a rearrangement
process in which this disadvantage is overcome in an expedient and economic manner.
[0005] The present invention provides a process for the preparation of edible fats suitable
for use in confectionery and like edible compositions by rearrangement of unsaturated
glyceride oils and fats to more highly saturated fats by contact as rearrangement
catalyst with lipase enzyme and in the presence of saturated fatty acids or esters
thereof, wherein the oil or fat exhibits a high oleate content and preferably consists
substantially of 2-unsaturated triglycerides at least 90% of which are 2-oleoyl triglycerides.
The present invention also provides novel fats comprising symmetrical disaturated
triglycerides of C₁₆ and C₁₈ fatty acids in which the saturated fatty acid residues
are in random distribution between the 1 and 3-positions and the unsaturated fatty
acid residues comprise at least 80% oleic acid residues, preferably at least 90% and
more particularly at least 95%
of such residues. Such fats are obtained by the rearrangement processes of the present invention using
as rearrangement catalyst a 1, 3-regiospecific lipase, as described in US patent 4275081.
[0006] Commercially useful high oleic sunflower varieties suitable for use on the present
invention may be obtained by conventional plant breeding techniques, for example by
crossing the naturally occurring high oleic varieties such as that reported by Horowitz
and Winter
(Nature 179:582 (1975)). High oleic mutants produced by artificial means, such as the mutagen
treatment of seed, can also be used and the Pervenets variety (reported by Kharachenk
in
Fisiologiya Rastenii 26:1226 (1979)) is an example. Progenies derived from such mutants are known, eg.
those reported by Fick. Preferably sunflower seed is used from plant varieties giving
oils with 10% or less eg. 3% of linoleic acid, particularly those having AOM values
(Active Oxygen Method) of at least 100 hours measured by the AOCS method Cd12-57.
Other oils suitable for use in the present invention include selected olive oil, shea
olein, sal olein and cottonseed olein, including winterised cottonseed oil.
[0007] Enzyme rearrangement processes in accordance with the present invention are carried
out in substantially non-aqueous and essentially water-immiscible liquid phase. A
small amount of water is nevertheless necessary to activate the catalyst initially.
This may be achieved either by contacting the catalyst first with water or by including
a little water in the feedstock in batchwiese operations. A balance is required between
the faster reaction rates provided by more water increasing the activity of the catalyst
and correspondingly increased tendency to hydrolysis of the reactants and products,
since the rearrangement process is reversible. Preferably therefore the water activity
of the system is maintained at between 0.2 and 0.6. In continuous processes in accordance
with the invention in which the reactants are passed over a fixed bed of supported
lipase enzyme catalyst, the water activity of the system is maintained, preferably
within these limits, by including a small amount of water in the feedstock supplied
to the catalyst in a fixed bed. By this means the water activity is preferably maintained
at a level of which the rearrangement reaction is substantially completed with a contact
time less than 2 hours, to minimise the effect by isomerisation of partial glyceride
by-products leading to the appearance in the product of 2-saturated triglycerides,
where 1, 3-regiospecific catalysts are used to produce symmetrical disaturated 2-oleoyl
triglycerides.
[0008] The rearrangement reaction may be carried out in the presence of a water-immiscible
non-polar solvent eg. hexane or other hydrocarbon to maintain the reactants in liquid
phase. Where a solvent used, the concentration of reactants in the solvent is preferably
from 20-50% by weight.
[0009] The reaction may be operated at moderately elevated temperatures for example 40 to
80°C, at which the catalyst selected remains active and the reactants are wholly in
liquid phase.
[0010] The catalyst is preferably supported on an inert support for example Celite or other
particulate siliceous, inert inorganic support or ion exchange medium, either organic
for example a resin, or inorganic for example zeolitic. The amount of lipase is preferably
0.01-0.1% by weight of the support. Lipase is present in commercially available products
in an amount of approximately 1% and sufficient commercial product is used to achieve
this concentration of lipase on the support.
[0011] Suitable 1, 3 regiospecific enzymes include
Mucor miehei,
Rhizopus,
A. niger or other Aspergillus species.
[0012] The acidolysis reactant used with the sunflower or other oil or fat in accordance
with the invention, may be in the form of a free saturated fatty acid , preferably
palmitic or stearic acid, or a mixture of both. Alternatively, they may be present
as esters, preferably of short chain saturated mono hydric alcohols, for example methyl
and ethyl palmitate and stearate. Preferably from 1 to 5 moles of acidolysis reactant
per mole of oil is used, more preferably 3-5 moles per mole.
[0013] The rearranged triglyceride product of the invention is preferably recovered from
the reactant mixture after first separating any free fatty acid and any reactant solvent
this has been used, by fractional crystallisation at a temperature, preferably from
10-40°C, at which the unsaturated acid or ester by-products are liquid and can be
separated from the crystallised product. The fractionation may be effected from suitable
solvent for example acetone. Alternatively, these by-products may be distilled off,
preferably at reduced pressure using conventional acid refining methods. The by-products
may be hydrogenated to the corresponding stearic acid or ester thereof and recycled
for use as the acidolysis reactant.
Example 1
[0014] A mixture of equal parts of high oleic sunflower oil and stearic acid was dissolved
in twice its weight of hexane. Half the feedstock obtained was saturated with water
by passage through a column containing a bed of wet silica gel and was then recombined
with the remainder of the feedstock.
[0015] The combined feedstock was pumped at a flow rate of 6 Kg per hour at 50°C, through
a reactor column containing 1 Kg of interesterification catalyst consisting of Mucor
miehei lipase supported on Celite, prepared as described in British patent 1577933
and pre-activated with 10% water prior to use. Residence time was approximately 15
minutes.
[0016] After removing solvent by evaporation, the free fatty acids were separated using
a falling film evaporator and the reaction product fractionated at -5°C in acetone
using a solvent to oil ratio 5:1, in a scraped-surface heat exchanger to recover a
stearin fraction rich in StOSt.
[0017] In Table 1 analytical data is given both for the product and stearin and olein fractions
obtained, compared with the composition of a commercial shea stearin.
[0018] The substantially greater SOS content of the stearine fraction and lower content
of SLnS is apparent from Table 1. The enzyme and shea stearines were evaluated for
confectionery fats, both alone and in blends of equal parts of mid-fraction, by Jensen
Cooling Curve determination in Table 2.
[0019] The enzymatically produced stearine exhibited excellent confectionery fat characteristics
and was similar to shea stearine.
Example 2
[0020] Example I was repeated using as feedstock the olein by-product recovered from Example
I, the catalyst in this case being supported on a phenol-formaldehyde weak anion exchange
resin.
[0021] In this example the deacidified product was first fractionated in acetone with a
solvent:oil ratio of 5:1 at a temperature of 0°C, to remove an olein fraction in 56%
yield. The stearine fraction remaining was then redispersed in acetone at a 3:1 ratio
and a second stearine fraction separated in 10% yield overall at a temperature of
25°C, consisting substantially of saturated glycerides and leaving a mid-fraction
recovered in 34% overall yield from the solvent. The saturated glycerides of the upper
stearine fraction result from the presence of partial glycerides in the recycled olein
undergoing isomerisation followed by interesterification in the reactor.
[0022] The characteristics of the products obtained appear in the accompanying Table 1 and
2 and are compared with a commercial shea stearine.
Example 3
[0023] A reactant mixture of high oleate sunflower oil (2.5 parts by wt) and myristic acid
(1.0 parts by wt) dissolved in 100-120° petroleum ether (8 parts by wt) was saturated
with water at 40°C by passage through a bed of acid washed celite (4.0g) containing
80% by wt of water. The water saturated reaction mixture was pumped at 40°C using
a flow rate of 15m/hr⁻¹ through a bed of catalyst (2.0g) consisting of
Rhizopus japonicus lipase suppored on celite. The catalyst, prepared as described in our patent GB 1577933,
contained 1700 lipase units per gm, and was activated with 10% water prior to use.
The mean residence time of the reactant mixture in the catalyst bed was approximately
15 mins.
[0024] The interesterification reaction product contained 58% triglyceride, 6% diglyceride
and 36% free fatty aic. The triglyceride fraction was isolated and analysed. The results
given in Table 3 show that myristate was incorporated into the sunflower oil triglycerides
and valuable SOS triglycerides were generated.
Example 4
[0025] A mixture of high oleate sunflower oil (2.5 parts by wt) and methyl palmitate (2.4
parts by wt) dissolved in 100-120° petroleum ether (8 parts by wt) was reacted as
described in Example 3 using a catalyst ved of
Rhixopus niveus lipase supported on celite and a flow rate of 4ml hr ⁻¹. The catalyst contained 1500
lipase units per gm. The mean residence time of the reactant mixture in the catalyst
bed was approximately 1 hour.
[0026] The reaction product contained 50% triglyceride, 4% diglyceride, 43% methyl esters
and 3% free fatty acid. Analysis of the triglyceride fraction showed that extensive
interesterification occurred. Palmitate was incorporated into the sunflower oil triglycerides
and valuable SOS triglycerides were produced (Table 1).
[0027] The results show that the enzymically prepared mid-fraction is similar to shea stearine.
1. Process for the preparation of edible fats suitable for use in confectionery and
like edible compositions by rearrangement of unsaturated glyceride oils and fats under
the influence as rearrangement catalyst of lipase enzyme in the presence of saturated
fatty acids or esters thereof, wherein the oil or fat exhibits a high oleate content
and preferably consists substantially of 2-unsaturated triglycerides at least 80%
of which are 2-oleoyl triglycerides.
2. Process according to claim 1 wherein the oil or fat contains at most 10 per cent
combined linoleic acid.
3. Process according to claim 2 wherein the oil is sunflower oil having an AOM value
of at least 100 hours.
4. Process according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the oil comprises olive oil.
5. Process according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the oil comprises an olein fraction of
shea, cottonseed or sal oil.
6. Process according to any of the preceding claims wherein the said lipase enzyme
is 1, 3-regiospecific.
7. Process according to any of the preceding claims wherein the saturated fatty acid
or ester comprises palmitic or stearic acid or alkyl esters thereof.
8. Process according to any of the preceding claims wherein from 1 to 5 moles of fatty
acid per mole of oil or fat are used.
9. Process according to any of the preceding claims wherein water activity of the
reaction mixture is maintained from 0.2 to 0.6.
10. Continuous process according to any of the preceding claims wherein the reaction
mixture is brought into contact with a fixed bed of supported lipase enzyme as rearrangement
catalyst with a contact time less than 2 hours.
11. Process according to any of the preceding claims wherein the product is recovered
by fractional crystallisation from the reaction mixture at a temperature from 10-40°C.
12. Process according to any of the preceding claims wherein unsaturated by-products
recovered from the reaction mixture are recycled.
13. Confectionery fat comprising symmetrical disaturated triglycerides of palmitic
and/or stearic acid in which the saturated fatty acids are arranged in random distribution
between the 1 and 3-postions and at least 90% of which are 2-oleoyl triglycerides.
14. Confectionery fat according to claim 13 in which at least 90% of the said triglycerides
are 2-oleoyl triglycerides.