FAT BLEND SUITABLE FOR INFANT NUTRITION

Abstract

Fat blend comprising: (i) 20-50 wt % of a vegetable lipid source and (ii) 50-80 wt % of a milk fat composition comprising at least one bovine milk fat fraction, wherein 75-85 wt % of all fatty acid moieties positioned on the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone in said milk fat composition are long chain saturated fatty acids with 12-18 carbon atoms (LCSFA C12:0-C18:0).

Claims

1: Fat blend comprising: 20-50 wt % of a vegetable lipid source and 50-80 wt % of a milk fat composition comprising at least one bovine milk fat fraction, wherein 75-85 wt % of all fatty acid moieties positioned on the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone in said milk fat composition are long chain saturated fatty acids with 12-18 carbon atoms (LCSFA C12:0-C18:0).

2: Fat blend according to claim 1 wherein the milk fat composition consists of one bovine milk fat fraction and wherein 75-85 wt % of all fatty acid moieties positioned on the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone in said milk fat fraction are long chain saturated fatty acids with 12-18 carbon atoms (LCSFA C12:0-C18:0).

3: Fat blend according to claim 1 wherein the milk fat composition is a mixture of two or more bovine milk fat fractions.

4: Fat blend according to claim 1 wherein the milk fat composition is a mixture of (i) at least one milk fat fraction and (ii) anhydrous milk fat and/or ghee.

5: Fat blend according to claim 1, wherein the milk fat fraction is obtained by a crystallization fractionation method.

6: Fat blend according to claim 1, wherein 77-85 wt % of all fatty acid moieties positioned on the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone in said milk fat composition are long chain saturated fatty acids with 12-18 carbon atoms (LCSFA C12:0-C18:0).

7: Fat blend according to claim 1, wherein the milk fat composition has a butyric acid content of 2.5-5.0 wt %.

8: Fat blend according to claim 1, comprising 55-78 wt % of said milk fat composition.

9: Fat blend according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable lipid source comprises at least one of soy bean oil, (high oleic) sunflower oil, canola oil, (high oleic) rapeseed oil, ground nut oil, cotton seed oil, maize oil, olive oil, (high oleic) safflower oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, flax seed oil, palm oil, palm olein, palm stearin, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, and babassu oil.

10: Fat blend according to claim 1, wherein the blend is free from palm oils and components synthesized with or derived from palm oils.

11: Fat blend according to claim 1, having a total content of long chain saturated fatty acids with 12-18 carbon atoms (LCSFA C12:0-C18:0) of 41-55 wt %.

12: Fat blend according to claim 1, wherein 44-65 wt % of all fatty acid moieties positioned on the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone in the fat blend are long chain saturated fatty acids with 12-18 carbon atoms (LCSFA C12:0-C18:0).

13: Fat blend according to claim 1, wherein the total butyric acid content (C4:0) of the fat blend is in the range 2.1-3.5 wt %.

14: Nutritional composition comprising, based on dry weight of the nutritional composition, 15-33 wt %.

15: Nutritional composition comprising the fat blend according to claim 1.

16: Fat blend according to claim 5, wherein the milk fat fraction comprises S, OS, and/or OOS fractions.

17: Fat blend according to claim 16, wherein the OS fraction obtained by dry fractionation of milk fat.

18: Nutritional composition according to claim 14, wherein the nutritional composition is an infant formula, a follow-on formula, or a growing-up formula.

19: Nutritional composition according to claim 15, wherein the nutritional composition is an infant formula, a follow-on formula, or a growing-up formula.

Description

EXAMPLE

[0051] Milk fat fractions were prepared by a multi-step dry fractionation process according to the Tirtiaux process. In the first step, AMF was melted to a temperature of about 55-58° C., which is about 20° C. above its final melting temperature. This was done to erase crystal memory. Subsequently, the molten AMF was cooled down to a temperature of about 30° C. in a double jacket crystallizer equipped with a stirring device and cooling surfaces. As a result of the cooling down, a part of the molten AMF crystallized. The remaining liquid fraction (O) and a crystal slurry (S, to which some olein adhered) where separated by filtration.

[0052] The S-fraction had a final melting temperature of about 46° C.

[0053] Subsequently, the liquid fraction (O) was subjected to a second dry fractionation step. In this step, the liquid fraction was first heated to about 60° C. and then cooled to a temperature of about 22° C. Part of the oil crystallized. The remaining liquid (OO) and a crystal slurry (OS, to which some olein adhered) were separated by filtration.

[0054] The OS-fraction had a final melting temperature of about 25° C.

[0055] The OO fraction was subjected to a third dry fractionation step, resulting in an OOO and a OOS fraction. The OOO fraction was subjected to a fourth dry fractionation step, resulting in an OOOO and an OOOS fraction.

[0056] The fatty acid content of the different fractions was determined using ISO 15884/IDF 182:2002 (Milk fat—Preparation of fatty acid methyl esters) and ISO 15885/IDF 184 (Milk fat—Determination of the fatty acid composition by gas-liquid chromatography). The distribution of fatty acids on sn-2 was determined according to the method disclosed in F. E. Luddy, R. A. Barford, S. F. Herb, P. Magidman, and R. W. Riemenschneider, J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 41, 693-696 (1964). The results are displayed in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Milk fat fractions AMF S OS OOS OOOS Total LCSFA content (wt %) 59.3 68.7 63.9 60.4 50.3 sn-2 LCSFA on total sn-2 (wt %) 71.9 83.4 79.9 75.7 62.8 Total C4:0 content 3.9 2.6 4.6 4.5 4.6

[0057] The OS milk fraction (60 g) was heated to 40° C. and blended with a 40% vegetable lipids mixture consisting of sunflower oil (16 wt %), rapeseed oil (10 wt %), soy bean oil (7 wt %), and coconut oil (7 wt %), resulting in a fat blend according to the invention. As a reference, a similar blend was prepared using AMF instead of the OS milk fraction. The fatty acid characteristics of the fat blends are displayed in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 OS blend AMF blend Total LCSFA content (wt %) 47.3 41.1 sn-2 LCSFA (wt %) 57.5 48.2 Total C4:0 content 3.0 2.2