DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The invention relates to edible fat compositions and processes for preparing the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Cocoa butter is a major ingredient in practically all types of chocolates. It finds its application in the confectionary industry because of its highly desirable characteristics. The other application of cocoa butter apart from the confectionary industry is in pharmaceutical industry, personal care, especially in soaps and lotions.

[003] The most common form of cocoa butter has a melting point of around 34–38 °C, which makes the chocolates made from it to easily melt. Also, cocoa butter is obtained from whole cocoa beans, which many a times have an issue of availability. Also, the price of cocoa butter is high.

[004] At present, mostly the confectionary industry uses alternatives of cocoa butter. The most commonly used alternatives of cocoa butter are:

A. Cocoa Butter Replacer (CBR)
Non Lauric Cocoa butter substitutes derived from high polyunsaturated oils by selective hydrogenation & fractionation are used as Cocoa Butter Replacer.

B. Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE)
Cocoa Butter Equivalents derived from exotic fat range comprising of kokum fat, sal fat, mango fat etc have SUS type triglyceride structures, like cocoa butter.

C. Cocoa Butter Substitute (CBS)
Lauric Cocoa Butter substitutes derived from lauric fats like palm kernel oil by fractionation & hydrogenation are used as total cocoa butter replacers as they are incompatible with cocoa butter

Out of these alternatives, CBR and CBE are expensive, which makes them economically unsuitable to be used on a wide scale in the food industry as the manufacturing cost increases. Consequently, the cost to the consumer also increases. Amongst the above three variants, conventionally available CBS is relatively cheaper. Conventional CBS has a sharp melting curve and the confectionery products made from it are not very suitable or stable especially in tropical climates. Also, CBR, CBE, CBS have a steep melting curve and confectionery products made from these especially chocolates tend to soften at high temperatures (>35°C).

[005] Conventionally available CBS has a very sharp melting curve. Confectionary products made from CBS are not temperature resistant and melts or softens in tropical climates where temperatures exceed 35°C.

[006] The conventionally known processes for preparing CBS uses initial fractionation of palm kernel oil to obtain stearin, which is refined and hydrogenated to obtain the product, which is further refined. Such techniques do not provide thermally stable confectionery products made from such fats, thus compromising on the organoleptic and functional properties of the confectionery products.

[007] In tropical climates, the temperature in summer reaches 45° C. The confectionary product made from the conventional CBS tends to become soft due to the melting of the fat in the product.

[008] CA 2016393 A1 relates to chocolate confectionery compositions and in particular to chocolate fillings comprising hard fat in which an aqueous phase is dispersed having a particle size not exceeding 50 microns, preferably 35 microns or less and more preferably not exceeding 10 microns, and preferably including flavoring agents and sugar. These confectionery compositions exhibit a sharp melting curve and are therefore not suitable for use in higher temperatures.

[009] CN200980144707A relates to Cocoa Butter Equivalents produced by the enzymatic interesterification process and method for preparing the Same, particularly it relates to a process for preparing hard butter having high SOS content by mixing oil for preparing butter with fatty acid or fatty acid ester, adding 1,3 regio-specific enzymes to the obtained mixture to carry out interesterification, distilling the obtained reactants to remove fatty aicd, ethyl ester, and monoglyceride and diglyceride formed after the reaction and fractionally extracting the obtained reactants to separate a solid phase, and to cocoa butter equivalents prepared by the hard butter and a process for preparing the same. These CBE products as mentioned above are expensive, which makes them economically unsuitable for large scale manufacturing.

[010] Therefore, there is a need for edible fat compositions that retain the organoleptic and functional properties of the food products, particularly confectionery products in tropical climates.

SUMMARY
[011] The present invention relates to a fat composition comprising hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated olein, wherein at least one of the hydrogenated stearin or hydrogenated olein is interesterified.

[012] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a process of preparing a fat composition, the process comprising of:
hydrogenating stearin and olein; and
interesterifing at least the hydrogenated stearin or hydrogenated olein to obtain the fat composition.

[013] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a process of preparing a fat composition, the process comprising of:
interesterifing a blend of stearin and olein; and
hydrogenating the interesterified blend to obtain the fat composition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[014] Figure 1 illustrates the spreading of the melted fat composition of the present invention and conventionally known cocoa butter substitutes.

[015] Figure 2 illustrates the spreading of the melted fat composition of the present invention and conventionally known cocoa butter substitutes.

[016] Figure 3 illustrates the spreading of the melted fat composition of the present invention and conventionally known cocoa butter substitutes.

[017] Figure 4 illustrates the spreading of the melted fat composition of the present invention and conventionally known cocoa butter substitutes.

[018] Figure 5 illustrates the spreading of the melted fat composition of the present invention and conventionally known cocoa butter substitutes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Definitions:

[019] Unless otherwise indicated, this disclosure uses the following definitions.

[020] “CBS” refers to Cocoa Butter Substitutes.

[021] “Confectionary product” includes products related to food items that are rich in sugar. The confectionery product includes bar chocolates, coated products, centre filled products etc.

[022] “Stearin and Olein” in reference here means stearin derived from palm kernel oil fractionation and having Iodine value in the range of 5-9 and olein having Iodine value in the range of 20-25.

[023] According to various embodiments of the present invention that are described below a fat composition comprising of hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated olein is disclosed, wherein at least one of the hydrogenated stearin or hydrogenated olein is interesterified.

[024] The melting point of the composition is 35- 40 °C.

[025] The stearin and olein are derived from palm kernel fractionation.

[026] In an embodiment of the present invention, stearin is present in the range of 10-80%, preferably 10-40% of the total fat composition and olein is present in the range of 20-90%, preferably 60-90% of the total fat composition.

[027] In an embodiment of the present invention, the interesterified stearin is present in the range of 10-80%, preferably10-40% of the total fat composition and the interesterified olein is present in the range of 20-90%, preferably 60-90% of the total fat composition.

[028] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention a fat composition comprises of hydrogenated interesterified stearin and hydrogenated interesterified olein.

[029] According to an embodiment of the present invention the fat composition comprises of hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated interesterified olein.

[030] According to an embodiment of the present invention the fat composition comprises of hydrogenated interesterified stearin and hydrogenated olein.

[031] The melting point of hydrogenated stearin is 30-40°C and that of hydrogenated olein is 35-50°C.

[032] The melting point of hydrogenated interesterified olein is 38-50°C

[033] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a process for preparing a fat composition, wherein the process comprises of:
hydrogenating stearin and olein; and
interesterifing at least one of the hydrogenated stearin or hydrogenated olein to obtain the fat composition.

[034] In a preferred embodiment, olein is interesterified and blended with the hydrogenated stearin to obtain the fat composition.

[035] In an embodiment of the present invention, the process comprises of hydrogenating stearin and olein separately before interesterification.

[036] In an embodiment of the present invention, the process comprises of blending the stearin and olein before hydrogenation.

[037] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a process for preparing a fat composition, wherein the process comprises of:
interesterifing a blend of stearin and olein; and
hydrogenating the interesterified blend to obtain the fat composition.

[038] In an embodiment of the present invention, the process for preparing a fat composition further comprises of refining the fat composition to obtain a final fat composition.

[039] In a further embodiment of the present invention stearin and olein are obtained from fractionation of refined palm kernel oil.

[040] In one embodiment of the present invention stearin and olein are obtained by fractionation of crude palm kernel oil. After fractionation, stearin and olein are refined before subjecting to hydrogenation.

[041] In another embodiment of the present invention crude palm kernel oil is first refined and then subjected to fractionation to give stearin and olein, which is further hydrogenated.

[042] In an embodiment of the present invention the process for preparing a fat composition further comprises of refining the hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated olein.

[043] In an embodiment of the present invention, the process for preparing a fat composition further comprises of refining the interesterified olein and interesterified stearin.

[044] In an embodiment of the present invention stearin and olein are hydrogenated separately.

[045] In the aforesaid embodiments, hydrogenation of a blend of stearin and olein is carried out in the presence of a catalyst and hydrogen gas under pressure at a temperature in the range of 100-180° C. The catalyst is Nickel used in the range of 0.01-0.5%, preferably 0.1%. The typical Hydrogen gas pressure ranges from 0.1kg-4kg/cm2.
[046] In the aforesaid embodiments, interesterification is carried out in the presence of a catalyst. Preferably the catalyst is an alkoxide selected from sodium methoxide or sodium ethoxide at a temperature in the range of 70-140°C, preferably 90-110° C. The catalyst is present in a range of 0.01-0.5%, preferably 0.05-0.25%.

[047] Crude palm kernel oil or stearin or olein or the fat composition obtained by the aforesaid methods is refined by the following processes:

A. Degumming – Crude palm kernel oil or stearin or olein or the fat composition obtained by the aforesaid methods is treated with water and phosphoric acid to reduce gums. The process is carried out at 75-80° C.

B. Bleaching – The above crude palm kernel oil or stearin or olein or the fat composition obtained by the aforesaid methods is further bleached to reduce color and remove any metal impurities. Bleaching earth and carbon is added to the palm kernel oil or stearin or olein or the fat composition. The process is carried out at 90° C under vacuum. Bleaching earth is then filtered to give bleached oil. Bleached oil is passed through polish filters and then to deodorizer.

C. Deodorization- The above bleached palm kernel oil or stearin or olein or the fat composition obtained by the aforesaid methods is heated to a temperature in the range of 230-245° C under vacuum (2-4 mm Hg) to remove odorous compounds, volatiles, secondary oxidation products, etc. The deodorized oil is treated with citric acid.

[048] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a confectionary product containing an edible fat composition comprising of hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated olein, wherein at least one of the hydrogenated stearin or hydrogenated olein is interesterified.
[049] The confectionary product does not soften in tropical regions with high temperature conditions.

[050] In one non-limiting implementation, the fat composition according to the present disclosure includes the following process steps:
1) fractionation of palm kernel oil to obtain stearin and olein
2) refining the fractionated stearin and olein
3) hydrogenating stearin and olein
4) refining the hydrogenated stearin and olein
5) interesterifying the hydrogenated olein
6) refining the hydrogenated and interesterifiedolein
7) blending the refined hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated interesterified, refined olein
8) refining the above blend to obtain the fat composition.

[051] In another non-limiting implementation, the fat blend according to the present disclosure includes the following process steps:
1) refining of crude palm kernel oil
2) fractionation of the refined palm kernel oil to obtain stearin and olein
3)blending of stearin and olein
4) interesterification of the blend
5) hydrogenation of the interesterified blend
6) refining the hydrogenated, interesterified blend to obtain the fat composition.

[052] In yet another non-limiting implementation, the fat blend according to the present disclosure includes the following process steps:
1) refining of crude palm kernel oil
2) fractionation of palm kernel oil to obtain stearin and olein
3) blending of stearin and olein
4) hydrogenation of the blend
5) interesterification of the blend
6) refining the hydrogenated, interesterified blend to obtain the fat composition.

[053] In yet another non-limiting implementation, the fat blend according to the present disclosure includes the following process steps:
1) refining of crude palm kernel oil
2) fractionation of palm kernel oil to obtain stearin and olein
3) hydrogenation of stearin and olein
4) refining the hydrogenated stearin and olein
5) interesterification of the hydrogenated olein
6) refining the hydrogenated and interesterified olein
7) blending the refined hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated, interesterified, refined olein to obtain the fat composition.

[054] The various options of forming the fat composition

Table 1.0
Steps Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4
1 Fractionation of crude palm kernel oil to obtain stearin and olein Refining of crude palm kernel oil to obtain Refined palm kernel oil Refining of crude palm kernel oil to obtain Refined palm kernel oil Refining of crude palm kernel oil to obtain Refined palm kernel oil
2 Stearin and Olein Refining Fractionation to stearin and olein Fractionation to stearin and olein Fractionation to stearin and olein
3 Stearin and Olein Hydrogenation Blending of stearin and olein Blending of stearin and olein Stearin and Olein Hydrogenation
4 Hydrogenated stearin and olein refining Interesterification of the blend Hydrogenation of the blend Hydrogenated stearin and olein refining
5 Hydrogenated olein Interesterification Hydrogenation of the Interesterified blend Interesterification of the blend Hydrogenated olein Interesterification
6 Hydrogenated and Interesterified olein refining Refining of the above Refining of the above Hydrogenated and Interesterified olein refining
7 Blending of refined hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated , interesterified, refined olein Blending of refined hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated , interesterified, refined olein

[055] The edible fat compositions according to the present invention have wide applicability, especially in the food industry, which makes them commercially utilizable. A very important feature of the edible fat composition is that they improve the thermal stability of a food product, especially in tropical climates. Confectionary products which otherwise cannot withstand a high temperature of 40-45° C have been found to be stable with the incorporation of the fat composition of the present invention.

[056] It has been surprisingly found out that the fat composition of the present invention makes an edible product highly stable under high temperatures or tropical climates. The organoleptic and functional properties of the food product remain intact under high temperatures.

[057] It has also been surprisingly found out that the aforesaid processes of making the fat compositions imparts a unique characteristic to the edible fat compositions making the confectionary product thermally stable under tropical climates while still preserving the organoleptic and functional properties of the product.

[058] The edible fats of the present invention have wide application in pharmaceutical as well as personal care industry.

Examples
The following examples illustrate the invention but are not limiting thereof.

Example 1
Refining of crude palm kernel oil, stearin, olein or the fat composition.
Crude Palm kernel oil, stearin, olein or the final fat composition was treated with water and phosphoric acid at 75°C for degumming to reduce gums. Bleaching was performed after degumming with the aid of bleaching earth and carbon at 90 °C under vacuum. Bleaching earth was then filtered and the filtrate was passed through polish filters and then to a deodorizer. Deodorization was carried out by heating the filtrate at 230°C under vacuum 2 mm Hg and was treated with citric acid before storage.

Example 2
Refined stearin and olein were hydrogenated using 0.1% Nickel catalyst. The blend was heated to 100°C and hydrogen gas pressure was passed at a pressure of 1 kg/cm2to obtain hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenated oil was then filtered to remove Nickel catalyst.
The Hydrogenated olein was interesterified in the presence of 0.01%sodium methoxide and at temperature of 70°C. The interesterified olein was bleached and deodorized as given in Example 1.
The hydrogenated stearin and the interesterified hydrogenated olein were blended in a ratio of 25:75 to get the final fat composition.

Example 3
Crude Palm kernel oil was fractionated in order to remove solid portion (Stearin) to give liquid oil (Olein) and to improve the clarity of oil at ambient temperatures.
The stearin and olein were refined by the process as mentioned in Example 1
The stearin and olein were then hydrogenated using Nickel catalyst 0.15% and hydrogen gas pressure. The oil was heated to 120°C and hydrogen gas was passed at pressure 3 kg/cm2. Hydrogenated oil was then filtered to remove Nickel catalyst. Stearin and olein were then further refined as per Example 1 to get refined hydrogenated stearin and refined hydrogenated olein. The Hydrogenated olein was interesterified. Interesterification was carried out with the help of sodium methoxide catalyst having concentration of 0.25% and at temp 130°C. The interesterified hydrogenated olein was bleached and deodorized as given in Example 1. The hydrogenated stearin and the interesterified hydrogenated olein were blended in a ratio of 10: 90 to get the final product.

Example 4
Crude Palm kernel oil was fractionated in order to remove solid portion (Stearin) to give liquid oil (Olein) and to improve the clarity of oil at ambient temperatures.
The stearin and olein were refined by the process as mentioned in Example 1
The stearin and olein were then hydrogenated using Nickel catalyst 0.25%and hydrogen gas pressure. The oil was heated to 135°C and hydrogen gas was passed at pressure 2.5 kg/cm2. Hydrogenated oil was then filtered to remove Nickel catalyst.
Stearin and olein were then further refined as per Example 1 to get refined hydrogenated stearin and refined hydrogenated olein.
The Hydrogenated olein was interesterified. Interesterification was carried out with the help of sodium methoxide catalyst having concentration of 0.25% and at temp 100°C. The interesterified hydrogenated olein was bleached and deodourised as given in Example 1.
The hydrogenated stearin and the interesterified hydrogenated olein were blended to get the final product.

Example 5
Stearin and olein fractions were blended in a ratio of 80:20 and interesterified as described in Example 2. The interesterified fat was hydrogenated and refined to obtain the final fat composition.

Example 6
Crude Palm kernel oil was refined as per Example 1 to obtain refined palm kernel oil which was fractionated to give stearin and olein. The stearin and olein fractions were blended in a ratio of 10:90 and interesterified as described in Example 3. The interesterified fat was hydrogenated and refined to obtain the final fat composition.

Example 7
Crude Palm kernel oil was refined as per Example 1 to obtain refined palm kernel oil which was fractionated to give stearin and olein. The stearin and olein fractions were blended in a ratio of 40:60 and interesterified as described in Example 4. The interesterified fat was hydrogenated and refined to obtain the final fat composition.

Example 8
Crude Palm kernel oil was refined as per Example 1, which was fractionated to give stearin and olein. The stearin and olein fractions were blended in a ratio of 10:90. The blend was hydrogenated followed by ineresterification in a manner as per Example 2 and then refined as per Example 1 to obtain the final fat composition.

Example 9
Stearin and olein fractions were blended in a ratio of 80:20. The blend was hydrogenated followed by ineresterification in a manner as per Example 3 and then refined as per Example 1 to obtain the final fat composition.

Example 10
Crude Palm kernel oil was refined as per Example 1 to obtain refined palm kernel oil which was fractionated to give stearin and olein. The stearin and olein fractions were blended in a ratio of 40:60. The blend was hydrogenated followed by ineresterification in a manner as per Example 4 and then refined as per Example 1 to obtain the final fat composition.

Example 11
Crude Palm kernel oil was refined as per Example 1 to obtain refined palm kernel oil which was fractionated to give stearin and olein. The stearin and olein were hydrogenated as per Example 2 and then refined as per Example 1 to get refined hydrogenated stearin and refined hydrogenated olein. The hydrogenated olein was interesterified as per Example 2. The hydrogenated stearin and the interesterified hydrogenated olein fat was then blended in a ratio of 10:90 to get the final fat composition.

Example 12
Stearin and olein were hydrogenated as per Example 3 and then refined as per Example 1 to get refined hydrogenated stearin and refined hydrogenated olein. The Hydrogenated olein was interesterified as per Example 3. The hydrogenated stearin and the interesterified hydrogenated olein fat were then blended in a ratio of 80:20 to get the final fat composition.

Example 13
Crude Palm kernel oil was refined as per Example 1 to obtain refined palm kernel oil which was fractionated to give stearin and olein. The stearin and olein were hydrogenated as per Example 4 and then refined as per Example 1to get refined hydrogenated stearin and refined hydrogenated olein. The hydrogenated olein was interesterified as per Example 4. The hydrogenated stearin and the interesterified hydrogenated olein fat was then blended in a ratio of 40:60 to get the final product.

Example 14
Stearin and olein fractions were blended in a ratio of 30:70 and interesterified as described in Example 3. The interesterified fat was hydrogenated as described in Example 3 and refined as described in Example 1 to obtain the final fat composition.

Experimental Data
A. Fat composition comprising 25% hydrogenated palm kernel stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm kernel olein.
The extent of melting of conventionally available natural cocoa butter (pure) and cocoa butter substitutes (RC) were compared with the fat composition (HS) of the present invention comprising 25% hydrogenated palm stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm olein. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show the melting effect of the products at a temperature of 40°C. A bar of natural Cocoa butter (pure), Cocoa butter substitute (RC) and fat composition of the present invention comprising 25% hydrogenated palm stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm olein (HS) were placed under 40°C for over 5 hours. The ‘pure’ bar completely melted within the first 1 hour, the ‘RC’ bar was de-shaped and softened after 3 hours, whereas the ‘HS’ bar containing the fat composition of the present invention only softened but did not de-shape even after 5 hours under 40°C. The marked lines in the figures show the spreading of the melted product. Greater the area marked, the higher is the melting of the product. This indicates that the fat composition of the present invention can withhold at a temperature as high as 40°C.

Table 1.1
Product Temperature Exposure Time Result: extent of melting
Natural Cocoa butter (Pure) 40°C 1 hour Completely melts
Cocoa Butter Substitute (RC) 40°C 3 hour De-shapes and softens
Fat composition containing 25% hydrogenated palm kernel stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm kernel olein HS 40°C 5 hour Softens but does not de-shape even after 5 hours

B. Fat composition comprising an interesterified hydrogenated blend of 30% palm kernel stearin and 70% palm kernel olein
The extent of melting of conventionally available natural cocoa butter (pure) and cocoa butter substitutes (RC) were compared with the fat composition (HS) of the present invention comprising an interesterified hydrogenated blend of 30% palm kernel stearin and 70% palm kernel olein. A bar of natural Cocoa butter (pure), Cocoa butter substitute (RC) and fat composition of the present invention comprising an interesterified hydrogenated blend of 30% palm kernel stearin and 70% palm kernel olein were placed under 40°C for over 5 hours. The ‘pure’ bar completely melted within the first 1 hour, the ‘RC’ bar was de-shaped and softened after 3 hours, whereas the ‘HS’ bar containing the fat composition of the present invention only softened but did not de-shape even after 5 hours under 40°C. The marked lines in the figures show the spreading of the melted product. Greater the area marked, the higher is the melting of the product. This indicates that the fat composition of the present invention can withhold at a temperature as high as 40°C.

Table 1.2
Product Temperature Exposure Time Result: extent of melting
Natural Cocoa butter (Pure) 40°C 1 hour Completely melts
Cocoa Butter Substitute (RC) 40°C 2hour De-shapes and softens
Fat composition containing an interesterified hydrogenated blend of 30% palm kernel stearin and 70% palm kernel olein (HS) 40°C 5 hour Softens but does not de-shape even after 5 hours

D. Organoleptic properties
1. Table 1.3: shows the beneficial effects of the fat composition comprising 25% hydrogenated palm kernel stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm kernel oleinin dark chocolates Fig 3, Fig 4 and Fig 5 are the pictorial images of the spreading and deforming of the melted dark chocolate, which incorporates the pure cocoa butter (Pure), Cocoa butter substitute (RC) and the fat composition of the present invention comprising 25% hydrogenated palm kernel stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm kernel olein (HS-CBS).
Dark chocolate bars were prepared using equal fat components, the first bar contained pure cocoa butter (pure) as the fat component, the second bar contained cocoa butter substitute (RC) as the fat component and the third bar contained 25% hydrogenated palm kernel stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm kernel olein (HS-CBS) as the fat component.
When the three chocolate bars were placed at 40°C for 24 hours and the fat spread of the bars was compared to indicate the extent of melting of the fat components present in the chocolate bars. The spread of the ‘pure’ bar extended over 5.3cm, the spread of the ‘RC’ bar extended to 4.5cm, whereas the spread of the ‘HS-CBS’ bar extended only upto 3.5cm after 24 hours under 40°. This indicates that the HS-CBS bar of the present invention can retain it’s shape that is does not undergo a rapid melting and deforms at a high temperature of 40° C as that of the conventionally known products, which were observed to deshape after 2 or 3 hours.

Table 1.3
Organoleptic property Dark chocolate containing pure coco butter (Pure) Dark chocolate containing Cocoa butter substitute (RC) Dark chocolate containing 30 % of fat composition comprising 25% hydrogenated palm kernel stearin and 75% hydrogenated interesterified palm kernel olein(HS-CBS)
Sensory (taste and odour) Acceptable Acceptable Acceptable
Snap @ 20 °C Good Good Good
Heat Stability @ 40°C Softens and starts deshaping after 2 hours Softens after and starts deshaping3 hours After 5hr – It softens but does not de-shape
Stickiness to wrapper Sticks firmly to wrapper and completely de shapes Sticks firmly to wrapper and de shapes Slightly sticks to wrapper but retains its shape as it is.

2. Table 1.4: shows the beneficial effects of 35% of the fat composition of the present invention comprising an interesterified hydrogenated blend of 20% palm kernel stearin and 80% palm kernel olein in dark chocolates.
Dark chocolate bars were prepared using equal fat components, the first bar contained 35% pure cocoa butter (pure) as the fat component, the second bar contained 35% cocoa butter substitute (RC) as the fat component and the third bar contained 35% of the fat composition comprising an interesterified hydrogenated blend of 20% palm kernel stearin and 80% palm kernel olein (HS-CBS) as the fat component.
When the three chocolate bars were placed at 40°C for 24 hours and the fat spread of the bars was compared to indicate the extent of melting of the fat components present in the chocolate bars. The spread of the ‘pure’ bar extended over 5.7cm, the spread of the ‘RC’ bar extended to 4.8cm, whereas the spread of the ‘HS-CBS’ bar extended only up to 3.8cm after 24 hours under 40°.
Table 1.4
Dark chocolate containing 35% pure coco butter (Pure) Dark chocolate containing 35% Cocoa butter substitute (RC) Dark chocolate containing 35 % of fat composition comprising an interesterified hydrogenated blend of 20% palm kernel stearin and 80% palm kernel olein (HS-CBS)
Sensory (taste and odour) Acceptable Acceptable Acceptable
Snap @ 20 °C Good Good Good
Heat Stability @ 40°C Softens and deshapesafter 2 hours Softens and deshapesafter 3 hours After 5hr – It softens but does not de-shape
Stickiness to wrapper Sticks firmly to wrapper and completely deshapes Sticks firmly to wrapper and deshapes Slightly sticks to wrapper but retains its shape as it is.

,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. A fat composition comprising hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated olein wherein at least one of the hydrogenated stearin or hydrogenated olein isinteresterified.

2. The fat composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrogenated stearin and hydrogenated olein are derived from fractionation of palm kernel oil.

3. The fat composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein stearin is present in a range of 10-80% , preferably 10-40% and olein is present in a range of 20-90%, preferably 60-90%of the total fat composition.

4. The fat composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interesterified stearin is present in a range of 10-80%, preferably 10-40% and the interesterified olein is present in arange of 20-90%, preferably 40-90% of the total fat composition.

5. A process for preparing a fat composition, the process comprising:
hydrogenating stearin and olein; and
interesterifing at least one of the hydrogenated stearin or hydrogenated oleinto obtain the fat composition.

6. The process as claimed in claim 5, wherein the stearin and olein are blended before hydrogenation.

7. A process for preparing a fat composition, the process comprising of:
interesterifing a blend of stearin and olein; and
hydrogenating the interesterified blend to obtain the fat composition.

8. The process as claimed in any of the claims 5 to 7, wherein hydrogenation is carried out in the presence of Nickel used in the range of 0.01-0.5%, preferably 0.1%.

9. The process as claimed in any of the claims 5 to 7, wherein interesterification is carried out in the presence of an0.01-0.5%alkoxide selected from sodium methoxide or sodium ethoxide at a temperature in the range of 70-140°C, preferably 90-110°C.

10. The fat composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein hydrogenated stearin has a melting point of 30-40°C and hydrogenated olein has a melting point of 35-50°C

11. A confectionery product comprising the fat composition as claimed in claim 1.
Dated this 20th day of February, 2015
For Kamani Oil Industries Pvt Ltd
By their Agent

(GIRISH VIJAYANAND SHETH) (IN/PA 1022)
KRISHNA & SAURASTRI ASSOCIATES