Spreads and other products including mesomorphic phases

• US 5,620,734 A
• Filed: 06/13/1996
• Issued: 04/15/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Van Den Bergh Foods Company Division of Conopco Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Van Den Bergh Foods Company Division of Conopco Incorporated
• Inventors: Brilhart, Keith D., Wesdorp, Leendert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): PADEN, CAROLYN A
• Application Number:
  US08/661,857
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• Field of Search: 428/601, 428/602, 428/604
• US Class Current: 426/601
• CPC Class Codes: A23D 7/0056 Spread compositions
• CPC Class Codes: A23D 7/013 Spread compositions
• CPC Class Codes: A23D 7/015 Reducing calorie content; Reducing fat content , e.g. "halvarines"
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 27/60 Salad dressings; Mayonnaise; Ketchup
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 29/10 containing emulsifiers
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 35/20 No-fat spreads

Abstract

Mesomorphic phases of edible surfactants can advantageously be added to food products to provide for example structuring or fat-replacement. Preferably the mesomorphic phases are present as bulk phases in finished or ready to eat food products. The compositions include lactose.

Claims

1. A finished foodstuff having bulk regions of a mesomorphic phase of edible surfactant which structures the foodstuff, less than 80% wt edible oil and lactose, cake batters not constituting finished foodstuffs, said surfactant being selected from the group consisting of edible monoglycerides, diglycerides, non-ionic phospholipids, non-fatty carboxylic acid esters of fatty acid esters, partial sugar-fatty acid esters, partial fatty acid esters of polyols, mixtures thereof, cationic surfactants, and anionic surfactants and mixtures thereof, said mesomorphic phase not being made from a cake batter incorporating mesomorphic phase emulsifiers.

2. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1 comprising at least 5% by volume of mesomorphic phase.

3. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1, comprising from 0.1 to 30 wt % of edible surfactant.

4. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1, comprising from 0.1% to 5% by weight lactose.

5. The finished foodstuff according to claim 4 wherein the product is a spread.

6. The spread according to claim 5 wherein the lactose is present at from 0.5 to 2% by weight.

7. The spread according to claim 6 comprising from 0-1% dairy ingredients other than lactose available to buffer the composition.

8. The spread according to claim 7 comprising 0-0.1% dairy ingredients other than lactose available to buffer the composition.

9. The spread according to claim 8 having substantially no dairy ingredients other than lactose available to buffer the composition.

10. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1 wherein the edible surfactant comprises a monoglyceride.

11. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1, comprising from 1 to 30% by weight of edible nonionic surfactants and from 0.005 to 10% by weight of edible ionic surfactant.

12. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1 selected from the group of toppings and spreads.

13. The finished foodstuff of claim 1 further comprising discrete gelled particles embedded in said mesomorphic phase.

14. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1 wherein the mesomorphic phase is a continuous phase.

15. The finished foodstuff according to claim 1 wherein the mesomorphic phase contains 80% or more of water.