The invention relates to a process and a system for producing a textured edible protein product derived from insect larvae or worms. The process comprises a) reducing the insect larvae or worms in size to obtain a pulp, b) mixing the pulp with a hydrocolloid that gelates with metal cations in aqueous solution to form a protein-hydrocolloid slurry, and c) injecting the protein-hydrocolloid slurry into an aqueous solution of a metal cation with a valency of at least 2 to form the textured edible protein product. In step c) the protein-hydrocolloid slurry is jetted under pressure from outside of the aqueous solution of a metal cation with a valency of at least 2 into the aqueous solution at an oblique angle with respect to a liquid surface of the aqueous solution, thereby producing flakes of the textured edible protein product in the aqueous solution, in which flakes substantially all hydrocolloid has been gelated with the metal cations.

The present technology is directed generally to compositions for inducing a color and/or chemical and/or physical change to a foodstuff, such as a previously baked bread or other starches and proteins, and associated methods and systems. In some embodiments, the compositions are browning butters and include MaiHose as a browning agent. Some embodiments further include an additive such as a protein, a reducing sugar, or an alkaline agent.

Disclosed herein is a fat composition including at least 30% by weight of stearic acid (C18:0); and at least 45% by weight of saturated fatty acid (SAFA); and where the fat composition includes from 1.0% to 8.0% by weight of SSS triglycerides; and at most 10.0% by weight of UUU triglycerides and has a weight ratio of S2U triglycerides to SSS triglycerides from 6.0 to 20.0 and a weight ratio of S2O triglycerides to S2L triglycerides at most 30.0; where S is saturated fatty acid, U is unsaturated fatty acid, O is oleic acid and L is linoleic acid. Also disclosed herein is a fat blend including the fat composition as hardstock where the fat blend is further used in a water-in-oil emulsion product, such as margarine or spread.

The present invention relates to a process of compacting a microporous fat powder, notably a microporous fat powder that can suitably be used as an oil structuring agent.

One aspect of the invention relates to a process for compacting a microporous fat powder, said process comprising: feeding the fat powder into the feed zone of an extruder having a forwarding screw and a barrel within which said screw is centrally positioned; rotating said forwarding screw to advance said fat powder feed through a compacting zone of the extruder where the barrel comprises a plurality of venting openings having a shorter dimension that exceeds the volume weighted average diameter of the fat powder feed and that is less than 10 mm; and expelling the compacted fat powder from the extruder;
wherein the temperature of the fat powder during passage through the extruder is maintained below 40 C. and wherein the compaction factor achieved exceeds 1.5

Another aspect of the invention relates to a compacted microporous fat powder having the following characteristics: a freely settled density in the range of 90-600 g/l; a particle size distribution with at least 90 vol. % of the particles having a diameter in the range of 20 to 600 m; a maximum G.sub.i/G.sub.d ratio of more than 2.0, wherein G represents the elastic modulus at 10 C. of a dispersion of 2 wt. % of the compacted fat powder in glycerol, and wherein the maximum ratio is determined by recording G.sub.i whilst increasing the frequency from 0.1 to 15 s.sup.1, by subsequently recording G.sub.d whilst decreasing said frequency from 15 to 0.1 s.sup.1, and by calculating the ratio G.sub.i/G.sub.d at the frequency at which said ratio is highest.

The use of ultrasound or acoustics applied at a level below that which causes cavitation to control the energy balance between particles and the liquid phase in a metastable liquid.

Described herein is a fat composition including from 18.0%-45.0% by weight of lauric acid (C12:0); from 5.0%-20.0% by weight of palmitic acid (C16:0); from 4.0%-18.0% by weight of stearic acid (C18:0); a weight ratio of lauric acid (C12:0) to stearic acid (C18:0) from 2.0-4.5; and a weight ratio of lauric acid (C12:0) to palmitic acid (C16:0) from 1.5-5.0; the percentages of acid referring to acids bound as acyl groups in glycerides in the fat composition and being based on the total weight of C8 to C24 fatty acids; and from 5.0%-25.0% by weight of total CN32 triglycerides, CN34 triglycerides and CN36 triglycerides; from 10.0%-45.0% by weight of total CN44 triglycerides, CN46 triglycerides and CN48 triglycerides; and from 2.0%-12.0% by weight of total CN50 triglycerides and CN52 triglycerides; based on total triglycerides present in the composition. Also described is a water-in-oil emulsion product containing the fat composition.

The invention relates to a process of compacting a microporous fat powder, notably a microporous fat powder that can suitably be used as an oil structuring agent. The process comprises feeding said fat powder into the feed zone of an extruder having a forwarding screw and a barrel within which the forwarding screw is centrally positioned; rotating the forwarding screw to advance the fat powder feed through a compacting zone of the extruder, where the barrel comprises a plurality of venting openings having a shorter dimension that exceeds the volume weighted average diameter of the fat powder feed and that is less than 10 mm; and expelling the compacted fat powder from the extruder; wherein the temperature of the fat powder during passage through the extruder is maintained below 40 C. and wherein the compaction factor achieved exceeds 1.5.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing: transesterified oil which has reduced saturated fatty acids and transfat contents, and which provides good properties when used as hard stock for a plastic oil/fat composition; and a plastic oil/fat composition using the transesterified oil/fat. The present invention provides a non-selective transesterified oil/fat in which contents of saturated fatty acid, saturated fatty acid having 12 carbons, and unsaturated fatty acid in the constituent fatty acids are adjusted.

A process for preparing a slurry of an edible oil phase and fat powder, and to a process of preparing an edible fat-continuous spread out of such, wherein the oil phase comprises olive oil.

Edible fat-containing product comprising an aqueous phase and 30-99 wt. % of a fat phase, comprising a liquid vegetable oil and a structuring fat, wherein the structuring fat does not contain palm oil or palm oil-derived fractions, wherein the fat phase comprises, calculated on the amount fatty acids of the triglycerides of the fat phase, an amount of C18:0 (stearic acid) from 5 to 25 wt. % and its application as a spread or a wrapper.