FAT COMPOSITION SUITABLE AS A COCOA BUTTER EQUIVALENT HAVING A LOW AMOUNT OF DIGLYCERIDES

Abstract

The present invention relates to fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, wherein the fat composition comprises triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

Claims

1-18. (canceled)

19. A fat composition comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

20. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein the total amount of DAG is 1.8% by weight or less.

21. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein the fat composition has a Buhler crystallization index (BCI) value of 2.5 or more.

22. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein the fat composition has a BCI value between 4.0 and 6.0.

23. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein, in the fat composition, the content of St.sub.2O is 40% by weight or less.

24. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 55% by weight or less.

25. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is between 26 and 60% by weight.

26. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein the fat composition further comprises a fat and/or an oil originating from the group consisting of cocoa, mango, shea, illipe, sal, kokum, and combinations hereof.

27. The fat composition according to claim 19, wherein the fat composition comprises between 20 and 80% by weight of a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight.

28. The fat composition according to claim 27, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which from 60 to 95% by weight is Sat.sub.2O.

29. The fat composition according to claim 27, wherein the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 30 to 95% by weight.

30. The fat composition according to claim 27, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises a total amount of DAG of 2.0% by weight or less.

31. The fat composition according to claim 27, wherein the vegetable fat composition is a Palm Mid Fraction.

32. The fat composition according to claim 19 wherein said fat composition is a cocoa butter equivalent (CBE).

33. A food product comprising a fat composition of claim 19.

34. The food product of claim 33, where the food product is a confectionary product.

35. The food product of claim 34, wherein the confectionary product is a chocolate or chocolate-like product or filling.

36. A method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to any of claim 19, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) Providing a fat composition comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid; b) Mixing said fat composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a reaction container hereby obtaining a mixture; c) Heating and stirring said mixture over a predefined period of time; d) Separating the enzyme from the mixture and subsequently drying the mixture under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, thereby obtaining a fat composition comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.20 is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

37. A method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to claim 19, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) Providing a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight and further providing a shea stearin composition; b) Mixing said vegetable fat composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a first reaction container hereby obtaining a first mixture and further mixing said shea stearin composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a second reaction container hereby obtaining a second mixture; c) Heating and stirring each of said mixtures over a predefined period of time; d) Separating the enzyme from each of the mixtures and subsequently drying each of the mixtures under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, e) Mixing said two mixtures resulting from step d)—thereby obtaining a fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0046] When describing the below embodiments, the present invention envisages all possible combinations and permutations of the below described embodiments with the above disclosed aspects.

[0047] The present invention relates to fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, wherein the fat composition comprises triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

[0048] This invention demonstrates how it is possible to reduce the amount of DAG and thereby improve the BCI value significant for the produced fat composition alone as well as in a final food product, which e.g. can be a chocolate like compound or a filling, where the DAG reduced vegetable fat composition is a part of.

[0049] In addition, this invention demonstrates how it is possible to reduce the amount of DAG and thereby improve the crystallization behaviour significant for the fat composition alone as well as in a final food product, which e.g. can be a chocolate like compound or a filling, where the DAG reduced fat composition is a part of.

[0050] The present invention solves the problem of improving BCI value, crystallization speed and hardness significant by eliminating the DAG in a fat composition, such as a CBE.

[0051] In one or more embodiments the total amount of DAG is 1.8% by weight or less, such as 1.5% by weight or less, such as 1.2% by weight or less, such as 1.0% by weight or less, such as 0.8% by weight or less, such as 0.6% by weight or less or such as 0.5% by weight or less.

[0052] In one or more embodiments the total amount of DAG is 1.5% by weight or less.

[0053] In one or more embodiments, the amount of DAG in the fat composition is in the range of 0.2 to 2.0% by weight, such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.8% by weight, such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.5% by weight, such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.2% by weight, or such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.0% by weight.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, the fat composition has a Buhler crystallization index (BCI) value of 2.5 or more.

[0055] In one or more embodiments, the fat composition has a BCI value of at least 2.6, such as at least 2.7, such as at least 2.8, such as at least 2.9, such as at least 3.0, such as at least 3.2, such as at least 3.4, such as at least 3.6, such as at least 3.8, or such as at least 4.0.

[0056] In one or more embodiments, the fat composition has a BCI value between 2.5 and 6.0, such as between 3.0 and 5.5.

[0057] In one or more embodiments, the fat composition has a BCI value between 2.8 and 6.0, such as between 2.7 and 6.0, such as between 3.0 and 6.0, or such as between 3.5 and 6.0. In one or more embodiments, the fat composition has a BCI value between 4.0 and 6.0

[0058] An important production parameter of chocolate is its ability to crystallize fast in a stabile crystal form. The ability of a cocoa butter to add that ability to a chocolate is often evaluated by the so-called Buhler Crystallisation Index, BCI. The obtained BCI value is used in the chocolate and fat industry to predict the crystallization behavior of cocoa butter in a fast way. It is an empirical value, and a value above 3.5 is widely accepted as a good quality cocoa butter regarding crystallization behavior. Thus, the BCI value is an empirical value known in the art.

[0059] The BCI value of a Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE) that replaces cocoa butter 1:1 on other physical parameters is often below 2.5 and accordingly has a BCI value, which is significantly lower than the BCI value of cocoa butter. There is thus a need in the art for a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE with similar physical properties as cocoa butter and having a BCI value above 2.5.

[0060] The BCI value is an empirically value calculated based on a controlled cooling rate measured on a MultiTherm TC produced by Buhler. The experience in the chocolate industry is that the BCI value of the cocoa butter correlate well with the general crystallisation properties of the chocolate, i.e. a higher BCI value indicates easier tempering, higher tempering capacity, and faster crystallisation. Many chocolate producers use the value 3.5 as the minimum value, which they can accept for cocoa butter. CBEs have similar physical properties to cocoa butter, except for the fact that standard CBEs have a lower BCI value, often below 2.5.

[0061] It is shown in the examples that the BCI value for the fat compositions increase for the version of the fat composition having a low content of DAG compared the fat composition with a higher DAG content. This means that the fats with reduced DAG content will crystalize significant faster and at a higher temperature than the two fats having a higher DAG content as demonstrated by the higher BCI value (see table 2).

[0062] In one or more embodiments, the content of St.sub.2O is 40% by weight or less, such as 38% by weight or less.

[0063] In one or more embodiments, the content of St.sub.2O is between 25 and 40% by weight, such as between 25 and 38% by weight, such as between 27 and 38% by weight, such as between 30 and 38% by weight, or such as between 32 and 38% by weight.

[0064] In one or more embodiments, the content of St.sub.2O is between 20 and 40% by weight, such as between 22 and 38% by weight, such as between 24 and 38% by weight, such as between 26 and 36% by weight, or such as between 28 and 36% by weight.

[0065] In one or more embodiments, the content of St.sub.2O is between 20 and 35% by weight, such as between 22 and 32% by weight, such as between 24 and 30% by weight, or such as between 26 and 30% by weight.

[0066] In one or more embodiments, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 55% by weight or less, such as 52% by weight or less, such as 50% by weight or less, or such as 45% by weight or less. The total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O by weight is calculated as the sum the weight of StOP, StPO, and St.sub.2O, i.e. ΣStOP+StPO+St.sub.2O triglycerides by weight.

[0067] In one or more embodiments, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is between 26 and 60% by weight, such as between 26 and 55% by weight, such as between 26 and 52% by weight, such as between 26 and 50% by weight, such as between 27 and 52% by weight, or such as between 27 and 50% by weight.

[0068] In one or more embodiments, the fat composition further comprises a fat and/or an oil originating from cocoa, mango, shea, illipe, sal, kokum, or combinations hereof.

[0069] In one or more embodiments, the fat composition comprises between 20 and 80% by weight of a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight.

[0070] In a non-essential embodiment, the fat composition comprises between 20 and 80% by weight of a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the ratio of SatOSat/SatSatO is 12 or more, and the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight. In one or more embodiments, the ratio of SatOSat/SatSatO is at least 14, such as at least 15, such as at least 16, such as at least 17, such as at least 18, such as at least 20, such as at least 21, such as at least 22, such as at least 23, such as at least 24, or such as at least 25. In one or more embodiments, the ratio of SatOSat/SatSatO is between 12 and 50, such as from 14 to 50, such as from 15 to 50, such as from 16 to 50, such as from 17 to 50, such as from 18 to 50 or such as from 20 to 50, such as 21 to 50, such as 22 to 50, such as 23 to 50, such as 24 to 50, such as 25 to 50. A higher ratio in SatOSat/SatSatO may affect the tempering properties and the crystallization speed of the fat component.

[0071] In one or more embodiments, the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which from 60 to 95% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, such as from 60 to 90% by weight, such as from 60 to 85% by weight, or such as from 60 to 80% by weight.

[0072] In one or more embodiments, the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 30 to 95% by weight, such as from 30 to 90% by weight, such as from 30 to 80% by weight, such as from 40 to 75% by weight, or such as from 45 to 70% by weight.

[0073] In one or more embodiments, the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 30 to 95% by weight, such as from 30 to 90% by weight, such as from 30 to 80% by weight, such as from 30 to 75% by weight, or such as from 30 to 70% by weight.

[0074] In one or more embodiments, the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 40 to 95% by weight, such as from 40 to 90% by weight, such as from 40 to 80% by weight, such as from 40 to 75% by weight, or such as from 40 to 70% by weight.

[0075] In one or more embodiments, the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 45 to 95% by weight, such as from 45 to 90% by weight, such as from 45 to 80% by weight, such as from 45 to 75% by weight, or such as from 45 to 70% by weight.

[0076] In one or more embodiments, the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 35 to 75% by weight, such as from 40 to 75% by weight, such as from 45 to 75% by weight, or such as from 50 to 75% by weight.

[0077] In one or more embodiments, the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 35 to 70% by weight, such as from 40 to 70% by weight, such as from 45 to 70% by weight, or such as from 50 to 70% by weight.

[0078] In one or more embodiments, the vegetable fat composition comprises a total amount of DAG of 2.0% by weight or less, such as 1.8% by weight or less, such as 1.5% by weight or less, such as 1.2% by weight or less, such as 1.0% by weight or less, such as 0.8% by weight or less, such as 0.6% by weight or less or such as 0.5% by weight or less.

[0079] In one or more embodiments, the vegetable fat composition comprises monoglycerides (MAG) in a total amount of 1.0% by weight or less, such as 0.5% by weight or less, such as 0.2% by weight or less, or such as 0.1% by weight or less.

[0080] In one or more embodiments, the vegetable fat composition is a Palm Mid Fraction.

[0081] In one or more embodiments, the fat composition is a cocoa butter equivalent (CBE).

[0082] The present invention also relates to a fat composition as disclosed and described herein, wherein said fat composition is a CBE.

[0083] The present invention also relates to the use of a fat composition as disclosed and described herein in the manufacture of a food product for human consumption.

[0084] The present invention also relates to the use of a fat composition as disclosed and described herein as an ingredient in a food product.

[0085] The present invention also relates to the use of a fat composition as disclosed and described herein as an ingredient in a confectionary product.

[0086] The present invention also relates to the use of a fat composition as disclosed and described herein as an ingredient in a chocolate or chocolate-like product or filling.

[0087] As can be seen from the examples (table 3), the inflection point of the temper curve (i.e. the point where the tempering curve flattens out/reaches a plateau) is higher for the chocolate with the reduced amount of DAG, indicating that the crystallization during the subsequent cooling process will occur at a higher temperature, i.e. faster crystallization is achieved.

[0088] The present invention also relates to the use of a fat composition as disclosed and described herein as a filling fat in a confectionary product.

[0089] The present invention also relates to the use of a fat composition as disclosed and described herein as a filling fat in a chocolate or chocolate-like product.

[0090] In one or more embodiments, the vegetable fat composition is mixed with an oil originating from mango, shea, illipe, sal, kokum, or combinations hereof, to manufacture the cocoa butter equivalent (CBE).

[0091] The present invention also disclose a method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to the present disclosure, wherein the method comprises the steps of: [0092] a) Providing a fat composition comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid; [0093] b) Mixing said fat composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a reaction container hereby obtaining a mixture; [0094] c) Heating and stirring said mixture over a predefined period of time; [0095] d) Separating the enzyme from the mixture and subsequently drying the mixture under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, thereby obtaining a fat composition comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

[0096] The present invention also disclose a method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to the present disclosure, wherein the method comprises the steps of: [0097] a) Providing a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight and further providing a shea stearin composition; [0098] b) Mixing said vegetable fat composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a first reaction container hereby obtaining a first mixture and further mixing said shea stearin composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a second reaction container hereby obtaining a second mixture; [0099] c) Heating and stirring each of said mixtures over a predefined period of time; [0100] d) Separating the enzyme from each of the mixtures and subsequently drying each of the mixtures under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, [0101] e) Mixing said two mixtures resulting from step d)—thereby obtaining a fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

[0102] In one or more embodiments, the resulting fat composition in step d, of the first listed method, and in step e, of the second listed method, comprises a total amount of DAG of 1.8% by weight or less, such as 1.5% by weight or less, such as 1.2% by weight or less, such as 1.0% by weight or less, such as 0.8% by weight or less, such as 0.6% by weight or less or such as 0.5% by weight or less.

[0103] In one or more embodiments, the amount of DAG in the resulting fat composition in step d, of the first listed method, and in step e, of the second listed method, is in the range of 0.2 to 2.0% by weight, such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.8% by weight, such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.5% by weight, such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.2% by weight, or such as in the range of 0.2 to 1.0% by weight.

[0104] In one or more embodiments, the resulting fat composition in step d, of the first listed method, and in step e, of the second listed method, has a Buhler crystallization index (BCI) value of 2.5 or more.

[0105] In one or more embodiments, the content of St.sub.2O in the resulting fat composition in step d, of the first listed method, and in step e, of the second listed method, is 40% by weight or less, such as 38% by weight or less.

[0106] In one or more embodiments, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O in the resulting fat composition in step d, of the first listed method, and in step e, of the second listed method, is 55% by weight or less, such as 52% by weight or less, such as 50% by weight or less, or such as 45% by weight or less.

[0107] The present invention also disclose a method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to the present disclosure, wherein the method comprises the steps of: [0108] a) Providing a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight; [0109] b) Mixing said vegetable fat composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a reaction container hereby obtaining a mixture; [0110] c) Heating and stirring said mixture over a predefined period of time; [0111] d) Separating the enzyme from the mixture and subsequently drying the mixture under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, [0112] e) Mixing the mixture resulting from step d) with a shea stearin composition—thereby obtaining a fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

[0113] The present invention also disclose a method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to the present disclosure, wherein the method comprises the steps of: [0114] a) Providing a shea stearin composition; [0115] b) Mixing said shea stearin composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a reaction container hereby obtaining a second mixture; [0116] c) Heating and stirring the mixture over a predefined period of time; [0117] d) Separating the enzyme from the mixture and subsequently drying the mixture under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, [0118] e) Mixing the mixture resulting from step d) with a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight—thereby obtaining a fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.

EXAMPLES

Example 1—Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE)

[0119] Table 1 shows four fat compositions. The first two fat compositions are two PMFs (fat A and B). Both are from the same batch, which is divided into two batches. Thus, fat A is the reference with the original DAG content, while fat B is the same fat as fat A, but with reduced DAG content made by using the process described herein below.

[0120] The third and fourth fat compositions are two shea stearins (fat C and D). Both are from the same batch, which is divided into two batches. Thus, fat C is the reference with the original DAG content, while fat D is the same fat as fat C, but with reduced DAG content made by using the process described herein below.

[0121] In order to remove the diglycerides from the fat compositions with a SatOSat content higher than 40%, which in the present example are a PMF and a shea stearin, but also could be e.g. cocoa butter or Illipe oil, the following process was performed: A 1 L jacketed vessel was used, equipped with an anchor-type stirrer. 600 g oil was added to the jacketed vessel together with 1% (w/w) of DAG-specific enzyme and 10% (w/w) water. The enzymes used in this example were Amano Lipase G (purchased from Sigma Aldrich). The stirring speed was set to 100 rpm and the water temperature in the jacket was set to 60° C. The mixture was left under these conditions for approximately 24 hours before the process was stopped. The liquid part was filtered from the enzymes and the oil was dried under vacuum removing any water present.

[0122] Instead of using a batch setup like the one described herein above, one could have immobilized the enzymes on a carrier. The oil could then be fed through this column containing the immobilized enzymes.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Fat composition PMF Shea stearin A B C D POP #1 65.3 65.5 0.3 0.4 POSt #1 13.4 13.4 8.0 8.1 StOSt #1 1.7 1.7 68.7 68.6 Monoglyceride #2 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Diglycerides #2 3.5 0.3 2.2 1.1 Triglycerides #2 95.7 99.4 96.1 97.0 #1: The % amount of a triglyceride (TAG) is determined using the AOCS Ce 5b-89 method, which is a standard method for determining triglycerides in vegetable oils by HPLC. #2: The % amount of TAG, MAG, and DAG is determined using the AOCS Cd 22-91 method, which is a standard method.

[0123] The fat compositions from table 1 are mixed to obtain four different cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) according to table 2. Two reference CBEs with a standard amount of DAG content (E & G) and two CBEs with a reduced DAG content (F & H).

[0124] In this example the CBEs are obtained by mixing the PMF and the shea stearin after they have individually been subjected to the above process of reducing the amount of DAG, but another way to obtain the same results is to first mix the PMF and the shea stearin and then subjecting the mixture to the above process of reducing the amount of DAG.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Fat composition CBE I CBE II E F G H CBE I CBE I CBE II CBE II Reference with reduced DAG Reference with reduced DAG % PMF A 50 — 60 — % PMF B — 50 — 60 % Shea stearin C 50 — 40 — % Shea stearin D — 50 — 40 POP #1 32.8 33.0 39.3 39.5 POSt #1 10.7 10.8 11.2 11.3 StOSt #1 35.2 35.2 28.4 28.5 Monoglycerides #2 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Diglycerides #2 2.9 0.7 3.0 0.4 Triglycerides #2 95.9 98.2 95.9 98.4 Solid Fat Content 20° C. #3 73.9 77.9 72.0 77.2 Solid Fat Content 25° C. #3 70.1 73.4 59.5 68.8 Solid Fat Content 30° C. #3 57.9 61.1 38.7 54.1 Solid Fat Content 35° C. #3 12.1 12.2 2.0 5.7 Bühler crystallization Index 3.2 5.5 2.6 4.3 (BCI) #4 Minutes to DSC 32 24 39 29 crystallization peak at 18° C. isothermal #5 DSC crystallization area at 42.80 61.39 39.43 57.02 18° C. isothermal in J/g #5 #1: The % amount of a triglyceride (TAG) is determined using the AOCS Ce 5b-89 method, which is a standard method for determining triglycerides in vegetable oils by HPLC. #2: The % amount of TAG, MAG, and DAG is determined using the AOCS Cd 22-91 method, which is a standard method. #3: IUPAC 2.150b. #4: MultiTherm ™ T/TC instrument. The method is described by the company Bühler who produce the instrument. Used method is the same as used for Cocoa butter. #5: DSC on Mettler Toledo, Program X as described below. The sample size is 10 mg +/− 0.5 mg. The crystallization area at 16° C. is calculated in Joule/gram (J/g).

Program X:

[0125] Isotherm 60° C. for 5 min, then

[0126] 60° C..fwdarw.18° C. at 10° C./min, then

[0127] Isotherm 18° C. for 120 min.

Conclusion:

[0128] Example 1 shows two different CBEs, i.e. CBE I and CBE II (see table 2).

[0129] CBE I is an example of a CBE with a higher StOSt content and CBE II is an example of a CBE with a lower StOSt content. For both CBEs there are two variants. One reference with an ordinary DAG content (E and G) and one variant with a reduced DAG content (F and H).

[0130] From table 2 it is clear that for both CBEs a reduced content of DAG will make a significant harder fat, which is shown by a higher solid fat content (SFC) at four different temperatures. Especially at the critical temperature for a chocolate which is 30° C., it is very clear how much improvement in hardness a small reduction in DAG make for a CBE recipe, especially a CBE like CBE II (see table 2, SFC 30° C.). It is very interesting because the critical 30° C. SFC value is the value that informs a person skilled in the art how likely it is that one can handle the chocolate without the chocolate melts. When this value is high it is a indicator that it is possible to handle the chocolate without it melting before one gets to eat it.

[0131] The significant higher BCI value for the two CBEs having a low content of DAG (F and H, table 2), demonstrates an improvement of the crystallization time which are closely connected to a higher production line capacity and thereby a significant production cost reduction.

[0132] The DSC results further support this by showing a larger and faster crystallization area at 18° C. isothermal holding temperature for the two CBEs having a low content of DAG (F and H, table 2) compared to the two CBEs having a higher content of DAG (E and G, table 2) when using program X.

[0133] It is therefore shown that by reducing the DAG content in two different CBEs a very clear improvement in the crystallization speed and hardness is obtained for the DAG reduced CBEs.

Example 2—Chocolates

[0134] Two chocolates are made by using CBE-E and CBE-F by using recipe X and Y as seen in table 3.

[0135] All ingredients, except a part of the fat and lecithin, are mixed in a Teddy Mixer with heat jacket at 50° C. to a texture like marzipan. Both mixtures are refined afterwards on a three rolls Buhler refiner to an average particle size at 20 microns. The refined mass is chonched together with the remaining fat for 6 hours at 50° C. on a Teddy mixer. The lecithin is added 0.5 hours before the chonching is finished.

[0136] A BCI value is measured at 20° C. and crystallization time and area is measured with DSC.

[0137] The chocolate is transferred to an Aasted tempering machine (AMC 50) and both chocolates are optimised to highest possible inflexion point at highest possible outlet temperature while still being well tempered.

[0138] The inflection point correlates to the crystallization point of the product.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Recipe for chocolate Chocolate Y Chocolate X with reduced Reference DAG content Sugar 49.58 49.58 CBE - E reference, from table 2 23.00 — CBE - F with reduced DAG content, — 23.00 from table 2 Cocoa powder (10-12% fat) - Alkalized 12.00 12.00 Cocoa mass 15.00 15.00 Lecithin 0.40 0.40 Vanillin 0.02 0.02 Total fat content 32.7 32.7 Bühler crystallization Index (BCI) #6 2.4 3.7 Minutes to DSC crystallization peak at 26 20 20° C. isothermal #7 DSC crystallization area at 20° C. 14.84 18.97 isothermal J/g #8 Inflection point ° C. #7 24.65 25.04 #6: MultiTherm ™ T/TC instrument. The method is described of the company Bühler who produce the instrument. Used method is the same as used for Chocolate. #7: Measured on an Exothermal 7400 temper meter. #8: DSC on Mettler Toledo DSC 823e, Program Y as described below. The sample size is 10 mg +/− 0.5 mg. The crystallization area at 20° C. is calculated in Joule/gram (J/g).

Program Y:

[0139] Isotherm 60° C. for 5 min, then

[0140] 60° C..fwdarw.20° C. at 10° C./min, then

[0141] Isotherm 20° C. for 120 min.

Conclusion:

[0142] The BCI value in table 3 shows how the improvement in the CBEs is reflected also as an improvement of the BCI value in the final chocolate compound. A BCI value above 3.5 for cocoa butter is found as high quality among chocolate producers.

[0143] This effect is further supported by the DSC measurement. A shorter crystallization time at the isothermal cooling step and a significant higher enthalpy of crystallization for the DAG reduced chocolate (chocolate Y) compared the same chocolate with higher DAG content (chocolate X) is shown.

[0144] The higher inflection point for the tempered chocolate Y supports the faster crystallization during the tempering process when using the DAG reduced CBE I compared to chocolate X which are based on the CBE I with higher DAG content.

[0145] The invention is described in the following items. [0146] 1. A fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, wherein the fat composition comprises triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid. [0147] 2. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the total amount of DAG is 1.8% by weight or less, such as 1.5% by weight or less, such as 1.2% by weight or less, such as 1.0% by weight or less, such as 0.8% by weight or less, such as 0.6% by weight or less or such as 0.5% by weight or less. [0148] 3. The fat composition according to claim 1, wherein the fat composition has a Bühler crystallization index (BCI) value of 2.5 or more. [0149] 4. The fat composition according to claim 3, wherein the fat composition has a BCI value of at least 2.6, such as at least 2.7, such as at least 2.8, such as at least 2.9, such as at least 3.0, such as at least 3.2, such as at least 3.4, such as at least 3.6, such as at least 3.8, or such as at least 4.0. [0150] 5. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fat composition has a BCI value between 2.5 and 6.0, such as between 3.0 and 5.5. [0151] 6. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fat composition has a BCI value between 4.0 and 6.0. [0152] 7. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, in the fat composition, the content of St.sub.2O is 40% by weight or less, such as 38% by weight or less. [0153] 8. The fat composition according to claim 7, wherein the content of St.sub.2O is between 25 and 40% by weight, such as between 25 and 38% by weight, such as between 27 and 38% by weight, such as between 30 and 38% by weight, or such as between 32 and 38% by weight. [0154] 9. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 55% by weight or less, such as 52% by weight or less, such as 50% by weight or less. [0155] 10. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is between 26 and 60% by weight, such as between 26 and 55% by weight, such as between 26 and 52% by weight, such as between 26 and 50% by weight, such as between 27 and 52% by weight, or such as between 27 and 50% by weight. [0156] 11. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fat composition further comprises a fat and/or an oil originating from cocoa, mango, shea, illipe, sal, kokum, or combinations hereof. [0157] 12. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fat composition comprises between 20 and 80% by weight of a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight. [0158] 13. The fat composition according to any of claim 12, wherein the ratio of SatOSat/SatSatO is 12 or more. [0159] 14. The fat composition according to any of claim 12 or 13, wherein the ratio of SatOSat/SatSatO is at least 14, such as at least 15, such as at least 16, such as at least 17, such as at least 18, such as at least 20, such as at least 21, such as at least 22, such as at least 23, such as at least 24, or such as at least 25. [0160] 15. The fat composition according to any of claims 12-14, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which from 60 to 95% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, such as from 60 to 90% by weight, such as from 60 to 85% by weight, or such as from 60 to 80% by weight. [0161] 16. The fat composition according to any of claims 12-15, wherein the POP content of the vegetable fat composition is from 30 to 95% by weight, such as from 30 to 90% by weight, such as from 30 to 80% by weight, such as from 40 to 75% by weight, or such as from 45 to 70% by weight. [0162] 17. The fat composition according to any of claims 12-16, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises a total amount of DAG of 2.0% by weight or less, such as 1.8% by weight or less, such as 1.5% by weight or less, such as 1.2% by weight or less, such as 1.0% by weight or less, such as 0.8% by weight or less, such as 0.6% by weight or less or such as 0.5% by weight or less. [0163] 18. The fat composition according to any of claims 12-17, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises monoglycerides (MAG) in a total amount of 1.0% by weight or less, such as 0.5% by weight or less, such as 0.2% by weight or less, or such as 0.1% by weight or less. [0164] 19. The fat composition according to any of claims 12-18, wherein the vegetable fat composition is a Palm Mid Fraction. [0165] 20. The fat composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said fat composition is a cocoa butter equivalent (CBE). [0166] 21. Use of the fat composition according to any one of the preceding claims in the manufacture of a food product for human consumption. [0167] 22. Use of the fat composition according to any one of the claims 1-20 as an ingredient in a food product. [0168] 23. Use according to claim 22, wherein said food product is a confectionary product. [0169] 24. Use according to claim 23, wherein said confectionary product is a chocolate or chocolate-like product or filling. [0170] 25. A method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to any of items 1 to 20, wherein the method comprises the steps of: [0171] a) Providing a fat composition comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and wherein 0 is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid; [0172] b) Mixing said fat composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a reaction container hereby obtaining a mixture; [0173] c) Heating and stirring said mixture over a predefined period of time; [0174] d) Separating the enzyme from the mixture and subsequently drying the mixture under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, thereby obtaining a fat composition comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein 0 is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid. [0175] 26. A method of manufacturing a fat composition suitable for use as a CBE according to any of items 1 to 20, wherein the method comprises the steps of: [0176] a) Providing a vegetable fat composition, wherein the vegetable fat composition comprises triglycerides of which at least 60% by weight is Sat.sub.2O, and wherein, in the vegetable fat composition, the POP content is between 25 and 95% by weight and further providing a shea stearin composition; [0177] b) Mixing said vegetable fat composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a first reaction container hereby obtaining a first mixture and further mixing said shea stearin composition with a DAG-specific enzyme and water in a second reaction container hereby obtaining a second mixture; [0178] c) Heating and stirring each of said mixtures over a predefined period of time; [0179] d) Separating the enzyme from each of the mixtures and subsequently drying each of the mixtures under reduced pressure to remove any excess water, [0180] e) Mixing said two mixtures resulting from step d)—thereby obtaining a fat composition suitable for use as a cocoa butter equivalent, comprising triglycerides of which 60% by weight or more is Sat.sub.2O, wherein Sat is selected from St, P, or combinations hereof; and wherein, in the fat composition, the total content of StOP+StPO+St.sub.2O is 60% by weight or less, and the total amount of diglycerides (DAG) is 2.0% by weight or less; and wherein O is oleic acid, St is stearic acid, and P is palmitic acid.