METHOD TO FORMULATE AND PRODUCE VEGETABLE OIL BLENDS CONTAINING OPTIMALLY BALANCED FATTY ACIDS

Abstract

Modern diet has a very high omega 6 fatty acid content and a very high omega 6:omega 3 fatty acid ratio. The major sources of these in the modern diet are the vegetable oils consumed today. This imbalance of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids and the excessive amounts of omega 6 fatty acids in today's diet have been implicated in several chronic diseases. Thus, improving the balance of these fatty acids in the diet can have a positive nutritional and health impact. The present invention provides a method for formulating and producing vegetable oil blends, such that these vegetable oil blends will contain an optimal balance and optimal amounts of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids, along with optimal amounts of other oil nutrients, thus providing a vast improvement in the nutritional profile compared to the currently available vegetable oils.

Claims

1. A method is developed that enables the formulation and the production of one or more or several vegetable oil blend(s) that consist of precise amounts of one or more High Omega 3 (ω3) fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as including but not limited to flaxseed oil, with precise amounts of one or more of the low omega 3 (ω3) and/or high omega 6 (ω6) fatty acid containing vegetable oils, and/or vegetable oil(s) containing none or very low omega 3 (ω3) and/or omega 6 (ω6) fatty acids, selected from olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, rapeseed (canola) oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil and so on and combinations thereof such that the resulting oil blend provides omega 6:omega 3 (ω6:ω3) fatty acid ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5, and more, wherein the method offers the ability to control and modify the amounts of ω6 and ω3 fatty acids, each varying from, including but not limited to, 100 mg to 3000 mg, depending on the amounts of these fatty acids desired in the final blend while maintaining the desired ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio in the vegetable oil blend; wherein the blend composition is determined using the set of equations, equations (1) through (5) and their variations, the known values of fatty acids and oil nutrients such as ω6 and ω3 fatty acids for the individual oils to be blended, along with the solution and simulation strategy, including but not limited to, the one presented in this invention, along with, including but not limited to, various constraints, as described in this invention; and wherein the vegetable oil blends of this invention are essentially formulated using either organic or virgin or extra-virgin or refined versions of the vegetable oils or combinations thereof.

2. The vegetable oil blends of claim 1 above, can be used for producing other related products, such as including but not limited to, table spreads, and margarines, etc., that will also provide ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5, and more, containing ω6 and ω3 fatty acids each ranging from, including but not limited to, 100 mg to 3000 mg, as well as other optimal nutrients as desired and as determined using the present invention.

3. The methods of claim 1 can be used to improve or change the fatty acid compositions of a given single and/or pure and/or blended vegetable oil.

4. The vegetable oil blends of claim 1 may also provide additional improvements in the nutritional values, health benefits and flavor profiles as a result of the changes in their overall composition enabled by this invention.

5. The products of claim 2 may provide additional improvements in the nutritional values, health benefits and flavor profile as a result of the changes in their overall composition enabled by this invention.

6. The vegetable oil blends of claim 1 will have applications in food and dietary fields as well as any other fields wherever they may be useful.

7. The products of claim 2 will have applications in food and dietary fields as well as any other fields wherever they may be useful.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1: A flowchart depicting the exemplary steps in the method and process of formulating and producing vegetable oil blends described in the present invention. This method or process has several steps indicated by numerals from 100 to 107, including additional dependent parts of each step denoted by the main numeral followed by a letter (e.g., 100a, 101a, and so on). The order and contents of these steps are as shown in this figure are for demonstration purpose and they are not meant to limit the sequence and content of the steps, the order and the content of the steps may be changed if necessary to achieve the objectives of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 2A: An exemplary Microsoft Excel worksheet showing known and unknown values of the variables used in the equations (1) through (5) as well as calculations and simulations of these equations for the determination of vegetable oil blend compositions, all of these are indicated by the numerals from 108 to 117, including additional dependent parts denoted by the main numeral followed by a letter (e.g., 117a, and so on). This exemplary worksheet shows vegetable oil blends formulated using flaxseed oil, olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil. This exemplary worksheet shows values for various parameters used in the determination of the “Example Vegetable Oil Blend 1” below. This worksheet is only exemplary and should not be interpreted as limiting, and in fact, using this methodology, similar worksheets can be built for other combinations and permutations of the vegetable oils shown in the worksheet as well as several other vegetable oils as described in the present invention, including but not limited to, Example Vegetable Oil Blends 2-16.

[0018] FIG. 2B: Screenshot of the Microsoft Excel GRG Nonlinear Solver along with exemplary solver parameters used in solving equations (1) through (5) using the exemplary Microsoft Excel worksheet shown in FIG. 2A. Various elements of the solver are indicated by the numerals from 118 to 122, including additional dependent parts denoted by the main numeral followed by a letter (e.g., 120a). The constraints and other parameters shown in FIG. 2B are for the “Example Vegetable Oil Blend 1” used here for demonstration purpose and should not be interpreted as limiting, and in fact, using this methodology, similar calculations/simulations can be built/performed for other combinations and permutations of the vegetable oils shown in the worksheet in FIG. 2A as well as several other vegetable oils as described in the present invention, including but not limited to, Example Vegetable Oil Blends 2-16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate manner.

[0020] As discussed in the background section above, the vegetable oils and the vegetable oil blends available today (available on the market or as described in the literature) lack a proper balance of fatty acids (including that of ω6 and ω3 fatty acids) and/or do not provide certain fatty acids in properly balanced amounts (i.e. some vegetable oils either do not provide certain fatty acids in sufficient quantities or provide some other fatty acids in too much excess), which as shown by several studies in the literature, may lead to or contribute to the incidence or progression of certain chronic diseases. The present invention solves this problem as described in detail below.

[0021] The present invention describes a method that the inventor has developed wherein by combining one or more High Omega 3 (ω3) fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as, not limited to but including, flaxseed oil, in certain precise proportions with one or more of the low omega 3 (ω3) and/or high omega 6 (ω6) fatty acid containing vegetable oils, and/or vegetable oil(s) containing none or very low omega 3 (ω3) and/or omega 6 (ω6) fatty acids, selected from olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, rapeseed (canola) oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, and combinations thereof, that will generate vegetable oil blend(s) that will provide ω6: ω3 fatty acid ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5 etc., with ω6 and ω3 fatty acids in the desirable amounts, including but not limited to, each ranging from 100 mg to 3000 mg per tablespoon of the blend, and thus such vegetable oil blends will provide a significant improvement in the nutritional profile and potential health benefits over the vegetable oils available on the market today. FIG. 1 shows the steps 100 through 107, including additional dependent parts (e.g., 100a, 101a, and so on), in the method developed and described in the present invention. The order and content of these steps is as shown in this figure (FIG. 1) for demonstration purpose and is not meant to limit the sequence and content of the steps, these may be changed or modified if necessary to achieve the objectives of the present invention. FIGS. 2A and 2B show exemplary demonstration of how to solve the equations developed in this invention for obtaining the vegetable oils and vegetable oil blends of the present invention. The worksheet, calculations and simulations depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B are only exemplary and should not be interpreted as limiting, and in fact, using this methodology, similar worksheets, calculations and simulations can be built for other combinations and permutations of the vegetable oils shown in the worksheet as well as several other vegetable oils as described in the present invention, including but not limited to, Example Vegetable Oil Blends 2-16.

[0022] For the purpose of formulating vegetable oil blends that will provide ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5 etc., with ω6 and ω3 fatty acids each in the desirable amounts, a set of the following equations {equations (1) through (5) and their other variations as illustrated below}, and a way of solving these equations to obtain desired vegetable oil blend compositions, is developed in this invention as described below.

(ω6.sub.HOVO×V.sub.HOVO)+Σ.sub.i=1.sup.n(ω6.sub.i×V_oil.sub.i)=ω6.sub.Blend×V.sub.Blend  (1)

(ω3.sub.HOVO×V.sub.HOVO)+Σ.sub.i=1.sup.n(ω3.sub.iλV_oil.sub.i)=ω3.sub.Blend×V.sub.Blend  (2)

V.sub.Blend=V.sub.HOVO+Σ.sub.i=1.sup.n(V_oil.sub.i)  (3)

[0023] These equations and their parts are embedded in certain worksheet cells of parts 111, 116 and 117 of FIG. 2A. Wherein,

[0024] ω6.sub.HOVO is the amount of omega 6 fatty acid content of High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as flaxseed oil, in mg per ml.

[0025] ω3.sub.HOVO is the amount of omega 3 fatty acid content of High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as flaxseed oil, in mg per ml.

[0026] ω6, is the amount of omega 6 fatty acid content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO, in mg per ml.

[0027] ω3, is the amount of omega 3 fatty acid content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO, in mg per ml.

[0028] V.sub.HOVO is the volume of the High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as flaxseed oil, in the blend in ml.

[0029] V_oil.sub.i is the volume of each oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO, in the blend in ml.

[0030] i is the number from 1 to n, each representing separate pure or individual vegetable oil (derived from a single plant or vegetable or any of their parts) that is to be blended with HOVO (e.g. as shown in FIG. 2A, part 112).

[0031] n is the total number of vegetable oils, that are to be blended with HOVO, in a given bend where n can range anywhere from 1 to 10 or higher, representing blend of HOVO, such as flaxseed oil, with one or more of the other vegetable oils.

[0032] V.sub.Blend is the total volume of the vegetable oil blend in ml.

[0033] ω6.sub.Blend is the total omega 6 fatty acid in a given vegetable oil blend in mg per ml.

[0034] ω3.sub.Blend is the total omega 3 fatty acid in a given vegetable oil blend in mg per ml.

[0035] For the purpose of obtaining vegetable oil blends that will provide ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5 etc., constraints (steps 103 and 104 in FIG. 1), including but not limited to the ones shown in equation (4), (4a), (4b), and (4c), are applied when solving the above equations (1) through (3) (or their variations as illustrated in this invention). For example, constraint (4a) can be used to obtain a vegetable oil blend that provides a ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 {(i.e. p=1 and q=1 in equation (4)}, constraint (4b) can be used to obtain a vegetable oil blend that provides a ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 2:1 {(i.e. p=2 and q=1 in equation (4)}, and constraint (4c) can be used to obtain a vegetable oil blend that provides a ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:2 {(i.e. p=1 and q=2 in equation (4)}. Additionally, constraints limiting the amount of each of ω6 and ω3 fatty acids in the blend and the amount or percentage of each individual oil in the blend can also be applied. These and the constraints shown in equations (4), (4a), (4b) and (4c) are only exemplary and are not meant to limit the number and type of constraints that may be applied in solving equations (1) through (3) and their variations (as illustrated in the present invention), and several other combinations and permutations of constraints are possible when solving equations (1) through (3) and their variations (as illustrated in the present invention). The examples of some of such additional constraints may include but are not limited to defined values of V.sub.HOVO, V_Oil.sub.i, V.sub.Blend, etc. The following equations (4), (4a), (4b), and (4c), where p and q are the multiplier variables having values of full integers or fractional numbers, show exemplary constraints for ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratios when solving equations (1) through (3) and their variations as illustrated in the present invention.

p×ω6.sub.Blend=q×ω3.sub.Blend  (4)

ω6.sub.Blend=ω3.sub.Blend, where p=q=1  (4a)

2×ω6.sub.Blend=ω3.sub.Blend, where p=2and q=1  (4b)

ω6.sub.Blend=2×ω3.sub.Blend, where p=1and q=2  (4c)

[0036] Once a vegetable oil blend is formulated as described, the amounts of the other nutrient and fatty acid components in such a blend can be determined using, including but not limited to, such as the following equations (5a), (5b), (5c) and their variations as illustrated in the present invention, either during or after the numerical simulation/calculations are performed.

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}{\mathrm{PUFA}}_{\mathrm{Blend}}=\frac{\left({\mathrm{PUFA}}_{\mathrm{HOVO}}\times V_{\mathrm{HOVO}}\right)+{.Math.}_{i=1}^n\left({\mathrm{PUFA}}_i\times {\mathrm{V\_oil}}_i\right)}{V_{\mathrm{Blend}}}& \left(5a\right)\end{array}$$\begin{array}{cc}{\mathrm{MUFA}}_{\mathrm{Blend}}=\frac{\left({\mathrm{MUFA}}_{\mathrm{HOVO}}\times V_{\mathrm{HOVO}}\right)+{.Math.}_{i=1}^n\left({\mathrm{MUFA}}_i\times {\mathrm{V\_oil}}_i\right)}{V_{\mathrm{Blend}}}& \left(5b\right)\end{array}$$\begin{array}{cc}\omega 9_{\mathrm{Blend}}=\frac{\left(\omega 9_{\mathrm{HOVO}}\times V_{\mathrm{HOVO}}\right)+{.Math.}_{i=1}^n\left(\omega 9_i\times {\mathrm{V\_oil}}_i\right)}{V_{\mathrm{Blend}}}& \left(5c\right)\end{array}$

[0037] These equations are embedded in the worksheet cells of last few rows of part 111, the last two columns of part 116 and worksheet cells of part 117b of FIG. 2A. Wherein,

[0038] PUFA.sub.HOVO is the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as flaxseed oil, in mg per ml.

[0039] MUFA.sub.HOVO is the amount of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content of High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as flaxseed oil, in mg per ml.

[0040] ω9.sub.HOVO is the amount of omega 9 fatty acid content of High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as flaxseed oil, in mg per ml.

[0041] PUFA.sub.i is the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO, in mg per ml.

[0042] MUFA.sub.i is the amount of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO, in mg per ml.

[0043] ω9, is the amount of omega 9 fatty acid content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO, in mg per ml.

[0044] PUFA.sub.Blend is the total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in a given vegetable oil blend in mg per ml.

[0045] MUFA.sub.Blend is the total amount of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) in a given vegetable oil blend in mg per ml.

[0046] ω9.sub.Blend is the total amount of omega 9 fatty acids in a given vegetable oil blend in mg per ml.

[0047] i is the number from 1 to n, each representing separate pure or individual vegetable oil (derived from a single plant or vegetable or any of their parts) that is to be blended with HOVO.

[0048] It is understood that, although not specifically described above, the present invention also enables the development of equations similar to equations (5a), (5b), and (5c) for any other additional nutrients or fatty acid components of the vegetable oils and their blends, wherein PUFA, MUFA or ω9 can be replaced with any other vegetable oil component. Thus, the above equations are not meant to limit the scope of the invention but rather provide exemplary equations and descriptions for one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

Use of More than One HOVO

[0049] In certain embodiments, this invention can also be used for creating desired vegetable oil blends using the equations and the methods described in this invention where more than one High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as, including but not limited to, flaxseed oil, chia seed oil, algal oil, hemp seed oil etc., can be used in the final blend to achieve a certain predetermined balance of fatty acids (omega 3, omega 6, omega 9, and other fatty acids and oil nutrients) and a certain predetermined ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio. Additional factors and constraints, such as, including but not limited to, the percentages of oils other than HOVO desired in a blend, a certain flavor profile desired in the final blend, etc. may also be used when selecting one specific HOVO or more than one HOVO. For example, in certain embodiments, if flaxseed oil and algal oil are desired in a given blend, they will serve as HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2 respectively and the remaining desired oils will be added to the summation part of equations (1) through (3) and equations (5a) through (5c). Thus, for this example, equations (1) through (3) and equations (5a) through (5c) can be written as equations (1a) through (3a) and equations (5d) through (5f) respectively as follows.

(ω6.sub.HOVO.sub.1×V.sub.HOVO.sub.1)+(ω6.sub.HOVO.sub.2×V.sub.HOVO.sub.2)+Σ.sub.i=1.sup.n(ω6.sub.i×V_oil.sub.i)=ω6.sub.Blend×V.sub.Blend  (1a)

(ω3.sub.HOVO.sub.1×V.sub.HOVO.sub.1)+(ω3.sub.HOVO.sub.2×V.sub.HOVO.sub.2)+Σ.sub.i=1.sup.n(ω3.sub.i×V_oil.sub.i)=ω3.sub.Blend×V.sub.Blend  (2a)

V.sub.Blend=V.sub.HOVO.sub.1+V.sub.HOVO.sub.2Σ.sub.i=1.sup.n(V_Oil.sub.i)  (3a)

[0050] Wherein, [0051] ω6HOVO.sub.1 and ω6.sub.HOVO2 are the amount of omega 6 fatty acid content of Vegetable Oils HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2, in mg per ml. [0052] ω3HOVO.sub.1 and ω3HOVO.sub.2 are the amount of omega 3 fatty acid content of Vegetable Oils HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2, in mg per ml.

[0053] ω6i and ω3i are the amounts of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acid content, in mg per ml, of oil that is to be blended with HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2.

[0054] V_oil.sub.1 is the volume, in ml, of oil that is to be blended with HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2.

[0055] V.sub.HOVO1 and V.sub.HOVO2 are the volumes of the Vegetable Oils HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2, in the blend in ml.

[0056] Rest of the variables in the above equations (1a) through (3a) are as defined above for equations (1) through (3). Similarly, equations (5a) through (5c) can also be written as follows:

[00002]$\begin{array}{cc}{\mathrm{PUFA}}_{\mathrm{Blend}}=\frac{\begin{array}{c}\left({\mathrm{PUFA}}_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_1}\times V_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_1}\right)+\\ \left({\mathrm{PUFA}}_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_2}\times V_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_2}\right)+{.Math.}_{i=1}^n\left({\mathrm{PUFA}}_i\times {\mathrm{V\_oil}}_i\right)\end{array}}{V_{\mathrm{Blend}}}& \left(5d\right)\end{array}$$\begin{array}{cc}{\mathrm{MUFA}}_{\mathrm{Blend}}=\frac{\begin{array}{c}\left({\mathrm{MUFA}}_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_1}\times V_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_1}\right)+\\ \left({\mathrm{MUFA}}_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_2}\times V_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_2}\right)+{.Math.}_{i=1}^n\left({\mathrm{MUFA}}_i\times {\mathrm{V\_oil}}_i\right)\end{array}}{V_{\mathrm{Blend}}}& \left(5e\right)\end{array}$$\begin{array}{cc}\omega 9_{\mathrm{Blend}}=\frac{\begin{array}{c}\left(\omega 9_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_1}\times V_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_1}\right)+\\ \left(\omega 9_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_2}\times V_{{\mathrm{HOVO}}_2}\right)+{.Math.}_{i=1}^n\left(\omega 9_i\times {\mathrm{V\_oil}}_i\right)\end{array}}{V_{\mathrm{Blend}}}& \left(5f\right)\end{array}$

[0057] These equations are embedded in the worksheet cells of last few rows of part 111, the last two columns of part 116 and worksheet cells of part 117b of FIG. 2A. Wherein,

[0058] PUFA.sub.HOVO1 and PUFA.sub.HOVO2 are the amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of vegetable oils HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2 respectively, in mg per ml.

[0059] MUFA.sub.HOVO1 and MUFA.sub.HOVO2 are the amounts of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content of vegetable oils HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2 respectively, in mg per ml.

[0060] ω9.sub.HOVO1 and ω9.sub.HOVO2 are the amounts of omega 9 fatty acid content of vegetable oils HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2 respectively, in mg per ml.

[0061] PUFA.sub.i is the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2, in mg per ml.

[0062] MUFA.sub.i is the amount of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2, in mg per ml.

[0063] ω9, is the amount of omega 9 fatty acid content of vegetable oil i, that is to be blended with HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2, in mg per ml.

[0064] PUFA.sub.Blend, MUFA.sub.Blend, and ω9.sub.blend are the total amount of PUFA, MUFA and omega 9 fatty acids respectively in the vegetable oil blend, in mg per ml.

[0065] V_oil.sub.i is the volume, in ml, of oil that is to be blended with HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2.

[0066] V.sub.HOVO1 and V.sub.HOVO2 are the volumes of the Vegetable Oils HOVO.sub.1 and HOVO.sub.2, in the blend in ml.

[0067] Rest of the variables in the above equations (5d) through (5f) are as defined above for equations (5a) through (5c).

Solution and Simulation Strategy for the Equations

[0068] The goal of the solution strategy described and presented below is in no way to admit any limitation of the scope of the solutions but to simply provide examples and embodiments for demonstration purpose and thus the applications of the above equations can go beyond the examples and embodiments demonstrated below.

[0069] The above equations (1) through (5) and their variations (as described in this invention) can be solved using several different strategies. For demonstrating the utility of the above equations in formulating desired vegetable oil blends that provide ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5 etc., following example embodiments will use the GRG Nonlinear Solver in Microsoft Excel (FIG. 1, step 104, FIGS. 2A and 2B), but in practice any other nonlinear solution strategy and software can be used. For solving the equations (1) through (5) several known values will be used (FIG. 1, step 102, FIG. 2A parts 108, 113, 114). For example, the values for ω6 and ω3 fatty acids and other fatty acids for the individual oils that are being blended will be known and can be used for solving the above equations. For demonstration purpose, flaxseed oil is used as the HOVO in the following examples and embodiments, but in practice any other HOVO can be used (FIG. 1, step 101). Also, for the examples and embodiments demonstrated below, three additional oils, i.e., olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil, will be used for formulating exemplary vegetable oil blends, for demonstration purpose (FIG. 1, step 100). To enable and practice the present invention, these and any other vegetable oils can be used for formulating various vegetable oil blend possibilities. For the examples and embodiments demonstrated below, the known values for HOVO flaxseed oil and the other three oils are as shown in Tables 1 and 2 below (also shown in FIG. 2A parts 108, 113, 114). These values are obtained from various literature and commercial sources and in certain instances their average values are used for demonstration purpose.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Known values for HOVO, flaxseed oil. Variable Value (mg/ml) ω6.sub.HOVO 133.73 ω3.sub.HOVO 498.13 ω9.sub.HOVO 170.93 PUFA.sub.HOVO 633.33 MUFA.sub.HOVO 172.07

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Known values for avocado, coconut and olive oil. ω6.sub.i ω3.sub.i ω9.sub.i PUFA.sub.i MUFA.sub.i i Vegetable oil (mg/ml) (mg/ml) (mg/ml) (mg/ml) (mg/ml) 1 Olive oil 91.13 7.13 665.20 98.20 681.00 2 Coconut oil 15.80 0.20 58.53 15.87 58.87 3 Avocado oil 116.93 8.93 633.60 125.87 658.53

[0070] The ω6 and ω3 and other fatty acid values, shown above (Tables 1 and 2) for flaxseed oil, avocado, coconut and olive oil, and similar values for other vegetable oils, can be obtained from the literature or the manufacturers of these vegetable oils or can be determined using physical and chemical analysis of the vegetable oils (FIG. 1, step 102).

[0071] In certain embodiments for the example vegetable oil blends described below, the total volume of each blend is set at 1000 ml (as shown in FIG. 2A, cell 110 and 115 and FIG. 2B, parts 118 and 118a) for demonstration purpose, but any desired volume can be used or higher and lower volumes of vegetable oil blends can also be calculated using the results obtained using 1000 ml vegetable oil blend. For solving the above equations (1) through (5) and their variations using GRG Nonlinear Solver, initial values for certain unknown variables for the iterations will need to be defined. For this purpose, the following initial values for the variables are used for each blend iteration: V.sub.HOVO (for flaxseed oil), (for olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil) are all set equal to 100 ml when all four oils are used in the blend (FIG. 2A, parts 109 and 115). When only three oils are used for a blend, the fourth oil that is not in the blend is set equal to 0 ml for the iterations in the GRG Nonlinear Solver (FIGS. 2A and 2B, parts 108 through 122).

[0072] The equations (1), (2) and (3) above can be re-written as follows {equations (1b), (2b), and (3b)} for use in the solution strategy described here and for the exemplary blends including but not limited to the ones described below, but these are not intended to limit combinations and permutations of solution strategies and vegetable oil blend possibilities but rather serve as examples of certain embodiments.

(ω6.sub.HOVO×V.sub.HOVO)+(ω6.sub.1×V_oil.sub.1)+(ω6.sub.2×V_oil.sub.2)+(ω6.sub.3×V_oil.sub.3)=ω6.sub.Blend×V.sub.Blend  (1b)

(ω3.sub.HOVO×V.sub.HOVO)+(ω3.sub.1×V_oil.sub.1)+(ω3.sub.2×V_oil.sub.2)+(ω3.sub.3×V_oil.sub.2)=ω3.sub.Blend×V.sub.Blend  (2b)

V.sub.Blend=V.sub.HOVO+V_oil.sub.i+V_oil.sub.2+V_oil.sub.3  (3b)

[0073] Wherein,

[0074] ω6.sub.1, ω6.sub.2, and ω6.sub.3 are the amounts of omega 6 fatty acid content, in mg per ml, of olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil respectively that are to be blended with HOVO flaxseed oil.

[0075] ω3.sub.1, ω3.sub.2, and ω3.sub.3 are the amounts of omega 3 fatty acid content, in mg per ml, of olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil respectively that are to be blended with HOVO flaxseed oil.

[0076] V_oil.sub.1, V_oil.sub.2, and V_oil.sub.3 are the volumes, in ml, of olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil respectively that are to be blended with HOVO flaxseed oil.

[0077] Similarly, equations (5a), (5b), and (5c) can be similarly solved where i=1, 2, 3 for olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil respectively.

[0078] Rest of the variables are as defined previously in the above equations.

[0079] Certain embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to the example vegetable oil blends 1 through 16 described below. In fact, several other combinations and permutations of vegetable oil blends can be formulated using the methods described in the present invention that will provide optimal balance of fatty acids and other fat/oil nutrients.

Example Vegetable Oil Blend 1

[0080] This example blend is formulated such that it contains more than 70% olive oil with the rest being coconut oil and flaxseed oil and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 {i.e., using constraint/equation (4a)}, with ω6 and ω3 each equal to 93.33 mg/ml or the equivalent of 1400 mg of each in one tablespoon of the final vegetable oil blend (defined as constraints in FIG. 2A, parts 117, 117a and FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). Using these constraints and the known values in Tables 1 and 2, equations (1) through (3) or {(1a) through (3a) where values for HOVO.sub.2 are zero} or equations (1b) through (3b) are solved using the GRG Nonlinear Solver in Microsoft Excel to determine the values of V.sub.HOVO and V_oil.sub.i for this example vegetable oil blend (FIGS. 2A and 2B, parts 108 through 122). Final values for this blend determined in this way are shown in Table 3 along with their percentage in the whole blend (auto-populated in parts 109 and 115 of FIG. 2A after calculations/simulations are completed) where the total blend volume is 1000 ml (set in part 118a, FIG. 2B) for this example.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Compositions of Example Vegetable Oil Blend 1. Vegetable oil in Blend Blend Example Blend 1 composition (ml) composition (%) Olive oil 752.81 75.3 Coconut oil 70.64 7.0 Flaxseed oil 176.56 17.67

[0081] This vegetable oil blend has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 and contains 1400 mg of each of the ω6 and ω3 (i.e., ω6.sub.Blend and ω3.sub.Blend, fatty acids in one tablespoon, these values will appear in part 117a of FIG. 2A. This vegetable oil also contains 8026 mg, 2803 mg, 8208 mg of ω9, PUFA and MUFA respectively, calculated using equations (5a), (5b), and (5c); these values will appear in part 117b of FIG. 2A. This exemplary blend shows that by using the methods described in the present invention, PUFA (ω6 and ω3 fatty acid) profile of olive oil can be improved such that the final blend contains majority olive oil (70% or higher) and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 and provides 1400 mg ω3 fatty acids and maintains the ω6 fatty acid amounts of pure olive oil (i.e., about 1400 mg per tablespoon).

Example Vegetable Oil Blend 2

[0082] This example blend is formulated such that it contains more than 70% avocado oil with the rest being coconut oil and flaxseed oil and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 {i.e., using constraint/equation (4a)}, with ω6 and ω3 each equal to 113.33 mg/ml or the equivalent of 1700 mg of each in one tablespoon of the final vegetable oil blend (defined as constraints in FIG. 2A, parts 117, 117a and FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). Using these constraints and the known values in Tables 1 and 2, equations (1) through (3) or {(1a) through (3a) where values for HOVO.sub.2 are zero} or equations (1b) through (3b) are solved using the GRG Nonlinear Solver in Microsoft Excel to determine the values of V.sub.HOVO and V_oil.sub.i for this example vegetable oil blend (FIGS. 2A and 2B, parts 108 through 122). Final values for this blend determined in this way are shown in Table 4 along with their percentage in the whole blend (auto-populated in parts 109 and 115 of FIG. 2A after calculations/simulations are completed) where the total blend volume is 1000 ml (set in part 118a, FIG. 2B) for this example.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Compositions of Example Vegetable Oil Blend 2. Vegetable oil in Blend Blend Example Blend 2 composition (ml) composition (%) Avocado oil 714.06 71.41 Coconut oil 71.26 7.13 Flaxseed oil 214.68 21.47

[0083] This vegetable oil blend has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 and contains 1700 mg of each of the ω6 and ω3 (i.e., ω6.sub.Blend and ω3.sub.Blend) fatty acids in one tablespoon, these values will appear in part 117a of FIG. 2A. This vegetable oil also contains 7399 mg, 3405 mg, 7671 mg of ω9, PUFA and MUFA respectively, calculated using equations (5a), (5b), and (5c); these values will appear in part 117b of FIG. 2A. This exemplary blend shows that by using the methods described in the present invention, PUFA (ω6 and ω3 fatty acid) profile of avocado oil can be improved such that the final blend contains majority avocado oil (70% or higher) and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 and provides 1700 mg ω3 fatty acids and maintains the ω6 fatty acid amounts of pure avocado oil (i.e., about 1700 mg per tablespoon).

Example Vegetable Oil Blend 3

[0084] This example blend is formulated such that it contains four vegetable oils, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 {i.e., using constraint/equation (4a)}, with ω6 and ω3 each equal to 46.67 mg/ml or the equivalent of 700 mg of each in one tablespoon of the final vegetable oil blend (defined as constraints in FIG. 2A, parts 117, 117a and FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). One more constraint is used for this blend that is for coconut oil is defined to be greater than or equal to 700 ml (i.e., >=70%). Using these constraints and the known values in Tables 1 and 2, equations (1) through (3) or {(1a) through (3a) where values for HOVO.sub.2 are zero} or equations (1b) through (3b) are solved using the GRG Nonlinear Solver in Microsoft Excel to determine the values of V.sub.HOVO and for this example vegetable oil blend (FIGS. 2A and 2B, parts 108 through 122). Final values for this blend determined in this way are shown in Table 5 along with their percentage in the whole blend (auto-populated in parts 109 and 115 of FIG. 2A after calculations/simulations are completed) where the total blend volume is 1000 ml (set in part 118a, FIG. 2B) for this example.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Compositions of Example Vegetable Oil Blend 3. Vegetable oil in Blend Blend Example Blend 3 composition (ml) composition (%) Avocado oil 172.19 17.22 Olive oil 38.04 3.80 Coconut oil 700.00 70.00 Flaxseed oil 89.77 8.98

[0085] This vegetable oil blend has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 and contains 700 mg of each of the ω6 and ω3 (i.e., 6.sub.Blend and ω3.sub.Blend, fatty acids in one tablespoon, these values will appear in part 117a of FIG. 2A. This vegetable oil also contains 2861 mg, 1401 mg, 2939 mg of ω9, PUFA and MUFA respectively, calculated using equations (5a), (5b), and (5c); these values will appear in part 117b of FIG. 2A. This exemplary blend shows that by using the methods described in the present invention, PUFA (ω6 and ω3 fatty acid) profile of coconut oil can be improved such that the final blend contains majority coconut oil (70% or higher) and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:1 and provides 700 mg of ω6 and ω3 fatty acids each per tablespoon of the blend.

Example Vegetable Oil Blend 4

[0086] This example blend is formulated such that it contains four vegetable oils, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 2:1 {i.e., using constraint/equation (4b)}, with ω6 and ω3 each equal to 100 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml respectively or the equivalent of 1500 mg and 750 mg of ω6 and ω3 respectively in one tablespoon of the final vegetable oil blend (defined as constraints in FIG. 2A, parts 117, 117a and FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). Using these constraints and the known values in Tables 1 and 2, equations (1) through (3) or {(1a) through (3a) where values for HOVO.sub.2 are zero} or equations (1b) through (3b) are solved using the GRG Nonlinear Solver in Microsoft Excel to determine the values of V.sub.HOVO and V_oil.sub.i for this example vegetable oil blend (FIGS. 2A and 2B, parts 108 through 122). Final values for this blend determined in this way are shown in Table 6 along with their percentage in the whole blend (auto-populated in parts 109 and 115 of FIG. 2A after calculations/simulations are completed) where the total blend volume is 1000 ml (set in part 118a, FIG. 2B) for this example.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Compositions of Example Vegetable Oil Blend 4. Vegetable oil in Blend Blend Example Blend 4 composition (ml) composition (%) Avocado oil 463.82 46.38 Olive oil 359.03 35.90 Coconut oil 90.27 9.03 Flaxseed oil 86.88 8.69

[0087] This vegetable oil blend has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 2:1 and contains 1500 mg and 750 mg of the ω6 and ω3 (i.e., ω6.sub.Blend and ω3.sub.Blend) fatty acids respectively in one tablespoon, these values will appear in part 117a of FIG. 2A. This vegetable oil also contains 8293 mg, 2251 mg, 8553 mg of ω9, PUFA and MUFA respectively, calculated using equations (5a), (5b), and (5c); these values will appear in part 117b of FIG. 2A. This exemplary blend shows that by using the methods described in the present invention, despite a slightly higher ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 2:1 in this blend, the amount of ω6 fatty acids is maintained close to the relatively healthy pure vegetable oils available on the market (e.g., olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil etc.).

Example Vegetable Oil Blend 5

[0088] This example blend is formulated such that it contains four vegetable oils, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil and has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:2 {i.e., using constraint/equation (4c)}, with ω6 and ω3 each equal to 50 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml respectively or the equivalent of 750 mg and 1500 mg of ω6 and ω3 respectively in one tablespoon of the final vegetable oil blend (defined as constraints in FIG. 2A, parts 117, 117a and FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). One more constraint is used for this blend that is V_oil.sub.i for avocado oil is defined to be greater than or equal to 30 ml, i.e., >=3% (defined in FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). Using these constraints and the known values in Tables 1 and 2, equations (1) through (3) or {(1a) through (3a) where values for HOVO.sub.2 are zero} or equations (1b) through (3b) are solved using the GRG Nonlinear Solver in Microsoft Excel to determine the values of V.sub.HOVO and V_oil.sub.i for this example vegetable oil blend (FIGS. 2A and 2B, parts 108 through 122). Final values for this blend determined in this way are shown in Table 7 along with their percentage in the whole blend (auto-populated in parts 109 and 115 of FIG. 2A after calculations/simulations are completed) where the total blend volume is 1000 ml (set in part 118a, FIG. 2B) for this example.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Compositions of Example Vegetable Oil Blend 5. Vegetable oil in Blend Blend Example Blend 5 composition (ml) composition (%) Avocado oil 30.00 3.00 Olive oil 103.01 10.30 Coconut oil 668.52 66.85 Flaxseed oil 198.47 19.85

[0089] This vegetable oil blend has ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:2 and contains 750 mg and 1500 mg of the ω6 and ω3 (i.e., ω6.sub.Blend and ω3.sub.Blend) fatty acids respectively in one tablespoon, these values will appear in part 117a of FIG. 2A. This vegetable oil also contains 2409 mg, 2253 mg, 2451 mg of ω9, PUFA and MUFA respectively, calculated using equations (5a), (5b), and (5c); these values will appear in part 117b of FIG. 2A. This exemplary blend shows that by using the methods described in the present invention, it is possible to formulate a vegetable oil blend that has an ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio of 1:2 with low amounts of ω6 fatty acids (750 mg).

Additional Example Vegetable Oil Blends

[0090] More example blends of flaxseed oil with olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil are shown in the following Tables 8 and 9 for additional exemplary demonstrations. These are also determined using the above equations (1) through (5) and their variations as described in this invention. The target ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio for these blends is 1:1 with varying amounts of ω6 and ω3 fatty acids as shown in Table 8 (defined as constraints in FIG. 2A, parts 117, 117a and FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). The following blends are formulated by solving equations (1) through (3) or {(1a) through (3a) where values for HOVO.sub.2 are zero} or equations (1b) through (3b) using the GRG Nonlinear Solver in Microsoft Excel (FIGS. 2A and 2B, parts 108 through 122) and using the constraints (a) V.sub.HOVO and V_oil.sub.i are all greater than or equal to 20 ml, (b) V.sub.Blend is 1000 ml, (c) constraint equation (4a) holds true, and (d) ω3.sub.Blend is varied from 400 mg to 1600 mg for each blend iteration as shown in Table 8 (defined as constraints in FIG. 2A, parts 117, 117a and FIG. 2B, parts 120 and 120a). Final values for the resulting blends determined in this way are shown in Table 8 in percentage in the whole blend (auto-populated values in ml in parts 109 and 115 of FIG. 2A after calculations/simulations are completed) where the total blend volume is 1000 ml (set in part 118a, FIG. 2B) for these examples. Similarly, the ω9, PUFA and MUFA values for each of the blends in Table 8 were calculated, using equations (5a), (5b), and (5c), which are shown in Table 9 below (auto-populated in part 117b of FIG. 2A). This process of calculations/simulations for formulating multiple vegetable oil blends can also be automated, if necessary, in Microsoft Excel using Excel Macro to generate the values in tables 8 and 9 instead of manually solving for each blend, or using entirely different software or calculation tool that enables such calculations/simulations and/or automation.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Compositions of additional vegetable oil blends Resulting omega 6 and 3 fatty ω6.sub.Blend + acid content per ω3.sub.Blend tablespoon Resulting total Vegetable Blend Composition (%) (tbsp) ω6:ω3 per Oil Blend Olive Coconut Avocado Flaxseed ω6.sub.Blend ω3.sub.Blend Ratio in tbsp # Oil Oil Oil Oil (mg) (mg) the blend (mg) Blend 6 3.55 89.22 2.00 5.23 400 400 1:1 800 Blend 7 10.46 81.07 2.00 6.47 500 500 1:1 1000 Blend 8 17.36 72.92 2.00 7.72 600 600 1:1 1200 Blend 9 20.39 65.77 4.88 8.96 700 700 1:1 1400 Blend 10 20.46 59.36 9.96 10.21 800 800 1:1 1600 Blend 11 20.00 53.10 15.45 11.46 900 900 1:1 1800 Blend 12 19.24 46.91 21.14 12.71 1000 1000 1:1 2000 Blend 13 18.27 40.77 27.00 13.96 1100 1100 1:1 2200 Blend 14 24.21 32.87 27.72 15.20 1200 1200 1:1 2400 Blend 15 30.42 12.13 38.50 18.94 1500 1500 1:1 3000 Blend 16 32.37 5.25 42.19 20.19 1600 1600 1:1 3200

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Other fatty acid compositions (per tablespoon) of Blends 6-16 Vegetable ω9.sub.Blend PUFA.sub.Blend MUFA.sub.Blend Oil Blend # (mg) (mg) (mg) Blend 6 1461.82 799.33 1483.11 Blend 7 2111.05 999.70 2148.50 Blend 8 2760.28 1200.07 2813.89 Blend 9 3305.66 1400.45 3377.09 Blend 10 3771.64 1600.86 3862.13 Blend 11 4223.17 1801.26 4332.96 Blend 12 4666.98 2001.67 4796.19 Blend 13 5104.94 2202.08 5253.66 Blend 14 5728.43 2402.45 5893.72 Blend 15 7287.23 3003.63 7507.17 Blend 16 7803.63 3204.02 8041.84

[0091] These example blends are shown here for demonstration purpose and do not intend to show any limitations for the blend possibilities but rather show representative blends out of several blend possibilities, including of several other vegetable oils.

[0092] As shown by the example blends (Blends 1 through 16) above, depending on the consumer preference and/or the ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio desired and/or the amounts of ω6 and ω3 fatty acids desired in the blend, precise amounts of one or more High Omega 3 fatty acid containing Vegetable Oil (HOVO), such as including but not limited to flaxseed oil, can be combined with precise amounts of one or more of the other vegetable oils {e.g. olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, rapeseed (canola) oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil and so on and combinations thereof}, such that several unique vegetable oil blends can be formulated with ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio, including but not limited to, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5 etc., with ω6 and ω3 fatty acids in the desirable and optimal amounts that improve the nutritional profile and potential health benefits of the resulting vegetable oil blends.

Vegetable Oil Blends Containing a Range of Omega 6:Omega 3 Fatty Acid Ratios

[0093] The exemplary embodiments above show how the present invention can be used to generate vegetable oil blends with omega 6:omega 3 (ω6:ω3) fatty acid ratios of whole integers, including but not limited to, of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1, 2:2, 3:1, and so on. Similarly, the present invention can also be used to generate vegetable oil blends that contain ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratios of fractional number such as, including but not limited to, of 1.1:1, 1.2:1, 1.1:1.1, 1.2:1.2, 2.1:2.1, 2.1:2.2, 1.5:1, 2.5:1, 1.5:2, 2.5:2, 1:1.5, 2:1.5, and so on. The constraint defined in equation (4) where the values of the variables p and q can be varied to include whole integers and fractional numbers to achieve the above range of ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratios. Thus, the present invention enables the generation or production of vegetable oils that will provide ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratios that can have a wide range of combinations and permutations of various such ratios as described above.

Blending of the Vegetable Oils

[0094] The individual vegetable oils in a given vegetable oil blend, quantities and proportions of which are determined as described in the present invention (e.g., as shown in the example blends 1-16 above), can be combined together, to formulate a vegetable oil blend of the desired properties (as described in the present invention), in a vat or a container or a mixing chamber and then thoroughly mixing until uniformly blended together (parts 105, 105a, 106, 106a, 107 in FIG. 1). This process is only exemplary and is not intended to limit how the vegetable oils are mixed and blended together for the purpose of producing the vegetable oil blends and related products described in the present invention.

Other Products Using Vegetable Oil Blends

[0095] The vegetable oils formulated in the present invention, as shown in the examples above and more of such vegetable oil blends, that will provide ω6:ω3 fatty acid ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5, etc., with desired and optimal amounts of ω6 and ω3 fatty acids, can also be used to produce other products, including but not limited to, such as table spreads, margarines, etc., such that these other products will provide the ω6:ω3 ratio, not limited to but including, of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1.5:1, 1:1.5, etc., with ω6 and ω3 fatty acids (as well as other fatty acids and vegetable oil components) in the desirable, optimal amounts that improve the nutritional profile and potential health benefits of the resulting vegetable oil blend based products.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

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