Abstract
BackgroundFood industries aim to replace trans fat in their products by formulations having equivalent functionality and economic viability. Enzymatic transesterification can be a technological option to produce trans free fats targeting commercial applications.ResultsPalm stearin and palm olein blends in different ratios were enzymatically transesterified in a solvent free system using a Rhizopus oryzae lipase immobilised onto CaCO3 to produce a suitable fat for margarine formulation. Slip melting points and triacylglycerols profiles were evaluated upon transesterification. Results indicated that all transesterified blends had lower slip melting points than their non transesterified counterparts. Furthermore, the triacylglycerols profile showed a decrease in the concentration of the high melting point triacylglycerols. The rheological analysis showed that margarine prepared with the transesterified blend showed a better spreadability than that of a control margarine prepared with non transesterified fat. Adding powder of dry bark orange to margarine preparation improved its colour and fairly affected its spreadability and rheological behaviour. The margarine prepared with transesterified fat displayed a rheological behaviour that was comparable to that of commercial sample.ConclusionsThis study is an ecofriendly approach to the utilization of relatively low value bioresources like palm stearin and palm olein for making margarine free of trans fatty acids that are now implicated as risk factor for heart diseases.
Highlights
Food industries aim to replace trans fat in their products by formulations having equivalent functionality and economic viability
Fractionation of palm oil Dry fractionation process was applied to separate palm oil into two fractions, olein and stearin, without the addition of chemicals or solvents
The dry fractionation is based on differences in melting points of triacylglycerols [25,26,27], and is a thermomechanical separation process where the high and low melting triacylglycerols are separated by partial crystallization, followed by filtration [28]
Summary
Food industries aim to replace trans fat in their products by formulations having equivalent functionality and economic viability. The fatty phase, which contributes to the polymorphic behaviour of margarine, is a blend of oils and fats, antioxidants and emulsifiers. The solid fat content of margarine is obtained by hydrogenation of liquid oils. Hydrogenation results in the formation of trans fatty acids where some cis double bonds are rearranged to trans bonds [2,3]. Several studies have suggested a direct relationship between trans fatty acids and increased risk for coronary heart diseases as well as raise of plasmatic lipid levels [3,4,5,6,7]. Different processes are currently available for the production of zero-trans solid fats in the food industry including chemical [8] or enzymatic
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
