Dados do Trabalho

Título

NEW TRANS-FAT-FREE AND PALM OIL-FREE LIPID-BASED

Introdução

Due to the growing concern about the consumption of trans fatty acids and their adverse health effects, coupled with the prohibition of their use and the proposal to restrict or limit the use of saturated fats, the food industry has had to adopt alternative technologies. Thus, structured lipids (SLs) have emerged as a viable, promising, and environmentally friendly method for producing dietary lipids without trans-fat. This method modifies the properties of oil and fat blends by rearranging the fatty acids in the glycerol structure. Soybean oil and palm oil and their fractions are widely applied as the lipid base in SLs. However, the use of palm oil has faced discrimination due to growing environmental concerns and social associated with the expansion of cultivation areas, and during its processing, it can generate excess diacylglycerols (DAGs) and contaminants such as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPD) and glycidyl esters. So, importance of utilizing new sources of hard fats and low-cost vegetable oils.

Material e Métodos

This study aimed to produce trans-fat-free and palm oil-free SLs for possible application as a lipid base in margarines by blending soybean and peanut oils with the gradual addition of fully hydrogenated crambe hard fat (at low, medium, and high concentration). Enzymatic catalysis was carried out with Lipozyme TL IM (3-5 wt. %) at 60 °C for 6 hours. SLs were evaluated for fatty acid composition, triglycerides (TAGs), solid fat content (SFC), polymorphism, and thermal behavior and compared to commercial margarines with 20 to 80% fat.

Resultados e Discussão

Main fatty acids identified in the SLs were C16:0, C18:1, C18:0, and C22:0, with saturated fat levels ranging from 25 to 39%. TAGs were over 90% with up to 7% DAGs. SLs formed new heterogeneous TAGs with an increase in mono- and di-unsaturated TAGs, with tri-saturated TAGs found only in SLs with high concentrations of hard fat, causing changes in thermal behavior during crystallization, with melting points suitable for margarine preparation (35 to 45 °C). All blends exhibited β' + β crystals. The produced SLs showed potential characteristics for use as a lipid base in table margarine preparation as an alternative to partially hydrogenated and palm fats.

Conclusão

SLs formed new heterogeneous TAGs with an increase in mono- and di-unsaturated TAGs, with tri-saturated TAGs found only in SLs with high concentrations of hard fat, causing changes in thermal behavior during crystallization, with melting points suitable for margarine preparation (35 to 45 °C). All blends exhibited β' + β crystals. The produced SLs showed potential characteristics for use as a lipid base in table margarine preparation as an alternative to partially hydrogenated and palm fats.