The present invention is concerned with spread products, in particular with spread products having a continuous aqueous phase and a low fat content, and processes for their preparation.

Many attempts have been made to formulate low fat spread products. Amongst the various reasons why such products are desired is the wish to reduce the caloric content of the spread and other dietetic considerations. Also there are dietetic reasons to base low fat spreads on liquid oils.

Conventional margarines, halvarines and low-fat spreads have a continuous fatty phase and only recently similar products having a continuous aqueous phase have been disclosed.

For example EP-A-298 561 (Unilever) describes the preparation of edible plastic dispersions not having a continuous fat phase, said composition including at least two gelling agents forming two gel-forming compositions. Gelatin and gelling hydrolysed starch are exemplified as preferred gelling agents.

O-A-93/17565 (Unilever) describes low fat water-continuous 30 spread in the form of an edible plastic dispersion comprising gelatin, gelling, hydrolysed starch and low levels of fat.

EP-A-355 908 (Unilever) relates to thermoreversible microgels of polysaccharides being substantially less rigid than a gel of the same composition formed under quiescent conditions. These gels can be used in stable water-in-oil dispersions

EP-A-432 835 (Unilever) relates to chemically set gels prepared under shear, said gels being substantially less rigid than the same composition prepared under quiescent conditions. Fat continuous low fat spreads based thereon are also disclosed.

A problem with spreads which are water continuous, of low fat content and containing a combination of gelatin and gelling starch is that under normal processing conditions the product is liquid at the end of the production line. This creates the need for liquid filling of the spread when the viscosity is still low. This filling route is less preferred, because it often leads to sloshing in the tub which leads to a less desired appearance of the product. When the conveyor belt of a filling machine displaces a tub just filled with liquid product, movement of the liquid product in the tub occurs, causing the liquid product to adhere to the walls of the tub and sometimes the lid and generally causes a skinning effect of the product due to drying and this results in an unappetizing and often glossy appearance for the customer.

It is the object of the present invention to formulate low fat spread products having good characteristics like flavour, texture, appearance and which are not grainy. Also it is an object of the invention is to provide a low fat spread which has a relatively high viscosity during filling, thereby reducing the amount of sloshing or eliminating this undesirable phenomenon completely. It is another object of the present invention to provide a low fat spread product in a tub wherein the inner surfaces of the tub (including the inner surface of the lid) above the fill level are not coated with the spread. It is another object of the present invention to provide low fat spreads in a tub with a cover sheet on top of the spread in the tub.

Surprisingly it has been found that these high quality, low fat products of the appropriate viscosities during filling and shortly thereafter in the tub can be obtained if the spreads contain specific ingredients and/or if specific conditions are fulfilled during processing.

Accordingly an aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a spread comprising 0 to 40% of a fatty phase and an aqueous phase comprising water and: (A) from 0.1 to 7 wt% of gelatin;

(B) from 2 to 30 wt% of gelling hydrolysed starch; and

(C) from 0.3 to 5 wt%, and preferably 0.5 to 5 wt%, of a gelling polysaccharide selected from the group of agar, kappa-carrageenan, iota-carrageenan, gellan, furcelleran, alginate, pectin and mixtures thereof; wherein the levels of (A) , (B) and (C) are based on the weight of the water; said method comprising the preparation of a premix comprising (A) , (B) and (C) in water by gelling (C) optionally together with (B) in the presence of shear, said premix having a temperature of more than 50°C and cooling said premix to a temperature below 30°C. According to a special embodiment the method comprises the preparation of a premix comprising (A) , (B) and (C) in water by gelling (C) in the presence of shear, said premix having a temperature of more than 50°C and cooling said premix to a temperature below 30°C.

There is no necessity to carry out the method at critical shear. For the purpose of the invention the critical shear is determined as indicated in the experiment.

Surprisingly it has been found that the above method for the first time allows at a commercial scale the filling of the spread according to the invention into tubs whereby the filling viscosity is relatively high. This in turn may lead to spreads comprising the above ingredients, which in the tub instead of having a generally horizontal upper surface which is characteristic for spreads filled at a low viscosity, have a non-horizontal upper surface wherein the outer edge is lowered as compared to the rest of the upper surface.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a method for producing a spread comprising 0 to 40% of a fatty phase, an aqueous phase comprising water and: (A) from 0.1 to 7 wt% of gelatin;

(B) from 2 to 30 wt% of gelling hydrolysed starch; and

(C) from 0.3 to 5 wt%, and preferably 0.5 to 5 wt%, of a gelling polysaccharide selected from the group of agar, kappa-carrageenan, iota-carrageenan, gellan, furcelleran, alginate, pectin and mixtures thereof; wherein the levels of (A) , (B) and (C) are based on the weight of the water; said method comprising the filling of the spread in a tub, whereby the viscosity of the spread at the moment of filling is more than 1.5 Pa.s when measured at 5°C and 20 s ^"1 .

According to a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a spread in a tub, said spread comprising 0 to 40% of a fatty phase, an aqueous phase comprising water and:

(A) from 0.1 to 7 wt% of gelatin;

(B) from 2 to 30 wt% of gelling hydrolysed starch; and (C) from 0.5 to 3 wt% of a gelling polysaccharide selected from the group of agar, kappa-carrageenan, iota-

carrageenan, gellan, furcelleran, alginate, pectin and mixtures thereof; wherein the levels of (A) , (B) and (C) are based on the weight of the water, wherein the upper surface of the spread is provided with a cover leaf.

Although applicants do not wish to be bound by any theory it is believed that the good quality and quick thickening properties of the product may be caused by the fact that ingredient (C) in water forms polysaccharide "globules" at a temperature and time within the process. After the process the hydrolysed starch phase forms the continuous phase, the gelatin phase being discontinuous. The total product, hence would contain three gelled phases, one being continuous and two being dispersed in this continuous phase. The thickening effect leading to an increased viscosity upon filling is believed to be caused by the quick formation of the discrete polysaccharide "globules" upon cooling under shear. The discrete "globules" then are believed to form a network type structure in the product, providing the desired rigidity upon filling. After filling the other two condensed phases will become gelled, providing the final rigidity and plasticity to the product.

It is believed that this specific structure of three gelled phases is only formed when the method of preparation in accordance to the present invention is used.

According to another embodiment, the invention also relates to a spread product containing three gelled phases, one being a continuous phase and two being dispersed phases, wherein one dispersed phase comprises a gelled polysaccharide selected from the group of agar, kappa- carrageenan, iota-carrageenan, gellan, furcelleran, alginate, pectin and mixtures thereof.

The ability of the gelling agents to form three gelled phases may be detected by any suitable method. A convenient method involves the preparation of an intimate mixture of water and the gelling agents, above the gel-forming temperature of these materials, followed by cooling to ambient temperature. The presence of the two phases may then be detected by conventional methods e.g. microscopy or separation by centrifuging above the gelling temperature. Generally the average particle sizes of the dispersed phases are from 0.1 to 100 μ , more preferred 0.5 to 20 μm. The mean size of of the aggretaes is suitably determined from microphotographs. By another method, the size can be determined by NMR methods as e.g. described in J. of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol. 140. No.l 105-113 (1990) .

The gelatin level in spreads of the invention is from 0.1 to 7 wt% based on the weight of the water, more preferred from 0.5 to 6 wt%, most preferred from 2 to 5 wt%. Any commercially available gelatin may be used, although it is preferred to have a gelatin having a bloom strength between 100 and 300, such as 120, 150 and 250. Especially preferred is the use of gelatin having a bloom strength of about 200 to 270.

The level of gelling hydrolysed starch is from 2 to 30 wt% based on the weight of the water, preferably it is maltodextrin. Generally these materials will have a low DE value, for example less than 10, more preferred 1-7, most preferred 1.5 to 4. DE stands for Dextrose Equivalent which is a measure for the degree of hydrolysis. The level of gelling hydrolysed starch is preferably from 5 to 30 wt%, more preferred 7-25 wt%, most preferred from 10-20 wt%. Especially preferred is the use of Paselli SA2 (ex AVEBE, Foxhol, The Netherlands) and N-oil2 (ex National Starch and Chemical Corporation, Bridgewater USA) as gelling

hydrolysed starch materials. Also preferred is the use of a rapidly gelling starch as marketed by National Starch and Chemical Corp. under the code number 97-2.

The level of a gelling polysaccharide selected from the group of agar, kappa-carrageenan, iota-carrageenan, gellan, furcelleran, alginate, pectin and mixtures thereof is between 0.5 and 5 wt%. Especially preferred is the use of pectin, agar and carrageenan (kappa and iota) as well as mixtures thereof. Carrageenan and agar are commercially available. Agar is generally obtained from Gracilaria and/or Gelidium species. Commercially available carrageenan often is a mixture of iota- and kappa carrageenan. Most preferably the gelling polysaccharide is pectin, especially a calcium sensitive pectin meaning that it gels in the presence of alkaline earth ions, more in particular calcium ions. For gelation the R-value is important wherein R=2 [M ²⁺ ) / [COO-) and M represents a divalent metal, preferably calcium or magnesium. Preferably the R-value is of between 0.3 and 1.5, more preferably between 0.4 and 1. of course it is the total calcium concentration which counts which includes calcium salt added, calcium from tap water and from dairy products. The term pectin as used herein also includes esterified pectins with 5-50% of the hydroxyl groups esterified, furthermore amidated and methoxylated pectins. The preferred level of pectin is from 0.3 to 4 wt% based on the water, more preferred 0.5 to 3 wt%. and further preferred between 0.6 and 3 wt%. The preferred level of agar and carrageenan is 1.0 to 5 wt% based on the water, more preferred 1.5 to 4 wt%, and most preferred 1.7 to 4 wt%.

The water level in the product will generally be more than 50 wt%, for example 70 to 99 wt%, especially 75 to 95 wt%. Preferably spreads of the invention are water-continuous i.e. they contain a continuous water-phase. The presence of

a continuous water-phase can for example be evidenced by conductivity measurements.

Compositions of the invention preferably comprise less than 40 wt% of fat, more preferred the level of fat is less than 30 wt%, most preferably below 20% or even below 5 wt%. In an especially preferred embodiment of the invention the product is substantially free from fat. For other purposes, for example flavour or appearance enhancement, however, it may be preferred to use low amounts of fat for example 0.5 to 6 wt%, more preferred from 1.2 to 4 wt%.

Throughout this specification the terms oil and fat are used interchangeably. They are meant to include triglycerides of natural or synthetic origin such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, fish oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil, and hydrogenated, fractionated and/or interesterified triglyceride mixtures as well as edible substances that are physically similar to triglycerides such as waxes, e.g. jojoba oil and poly fatty acid esters of mono- or di-saccharides, and that can be used as replacement for or in admixture with triglycerides.

Preferably the fat is present in the form of small fat globules, having an average volume weighted mean diameter of less than 20 μm, more preferred from 0.1 to 5 μm, most preferred from 0.5 to 2 μm. The presence of these small fat globules in low fat spreads of the invention has the distinct advantage of providing an improved appearance to the product.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention at least part of the fat is dairy fat. Preferably at least 10 wt% based on the total weight of the fat is dairy fat, more preferred more than 50 wt%, most preferred more than 90 wt% or even 100 wt%. The dairy fat can be derived from any dairy source

such as whole milk, semi-skimmed milk, skimmed milk, (cultured) buttermilk, butter milk powder, skimmed milk powder, (Greek) yoghurt, quark, (low fat) fromage frais, (low fat) cottage cheese, butter, cream cheese (Philadelphia) , (double) cream, Ricotta cheese etc. The use of dairy sources wherein the ratio of fat to protein is high, for example cream cheese and cream, is preferred. These materials provide an excellent flavour to the product.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention all of the fat is non-hardened, highly unsaturated oil such as, e.g. sunflower oil, low erucic acid rapeseed oil, soya or the like.

Preferably spreads of the invention are plastic in the sense that they can be spread onto bread without tearing the bread. Generally plastic spreads will have a stress strain relation with a maximum stress occurri at strain of 0.001-0.3, the maximum stress at this strain being 0.01-100 kPa and with a ratio of plastic stress and the maximum stress of 0.1 to 1 kPa. A suitable method for determining these values is given in EP 298 561 which is incorporated by reference.

In addition to the above mentioned ingredients, according to the invention may comprise a number of optional traditional ingredients such as proteins, flavouring, salt, preservatives, acidifiers, vitamins, colouring materials etc. The total level of these ingredients is preferably from 0 to 10 wt%, for example 0.1 to 5 wt%.

Preferably the level of flavouring materials (other than those which are incorporated through the dairy ingredients)

is less than 5 wt%, for example 0.01 to 2 wt% or 0.01 to 0.5 wt%. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, spreads are free from flavouring ingredients other than those incorporated through the dairy ingredients. Preferably the level of salt (sodium chloride) is from 0- 4 wt%, more preferred 0.1 to 3 wt%, most preferred 0.5 to 1.2 wt%. Preservatives are preferably incorporated at a level of 0 - 4 wt%, more preferred 0.01 to 1 wt%, most preferred 0.05 to 0.3 wt%. Especially preferred is the use of potassium sorbate. A preferred colouring material is carotene; preferred levels of colouring material are from 0 - 1 wt%, more preferred 0.01 to 0.2 wt%. Acidifiers may be incorporated to bring the pH of the product to the desired level, preferably the pH of the product is from 3 to 10, more preferred 3.5 to 7. A suitable acidifier is for example lactic acid or citric acid.

The spread may further containing small particles such as herbs and vegetables. The total level thereof will generally be less than 10 wt%.

Spreads of the invention can suitably be used as bread spreads to replace e.g. margarine or halvarine, but they can also suitable be used as flavoured spread, for example cheese spreads, meat spreads, nut spreads, sweet spreads or vegetable spreads.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention spreads are prepared by cooling under shear. The premix temperature is more than 60°C, more preferred 65 to 95°C. The cooling is carried out under shear. Any suitable method for applying shear can be used, for example the spread can be cooled in a homogeniser or a votator unit. The shear during cooling is sometimes above the critical shear rate (see the experiment below) , sometimes the shear rate is 10% above the critical shear rate. Cooling is to a temperature of

below 30°C. Generally the filling temperature will be from 0 to 30°C, e.g. from 5 to 25°C.

Preferably the viscosity of the spread at the moment of filling is more than 1.6 Pa.s when measured at 5°C and 20 s ^"1 , more preferably 1.8 to 10 Pa.s, most preferred 1.8 to 8 Pa.s after shearing for one minute. The viscosity can e.g. be determined with a Haake RV20 viscometer with a coaxial cylinder geometry.

The invention will further be illustrated by means of the following examples. Unless indicated otherwise all parts and percentages mentioned are on a weight basis.

Experiment

Determination of the critical shear rate

The critical shear rate can be determined as follows: For a certain production line, wherein the shear is applied e.g. in a homogeniser or votator all conditions such as throughput, cooling rate etc except for the shear rate are set at the values as to be used in the actual production process of the spread.

A reference formulation is prepared of 1.3 wt% carrageenan 15 (70 : 30 kappa : iota), 0.41 % sodium chloride and 0.15 % potassium sorbate in deionised water at 80 C. The mixture is passed through the production line as described above while the shear rate is varied.

At the end of the production line the shear modulus G' of the composition is measured as described in EP 355 908. The shear modulus is compared with the shear modulus of the same composition when prepared under quiescent conditions. The critical shear rate is the rate at which the shear modulus for the material that was processed is at least 5

times as low as the shear modulus of the material gel led under quiescent conditions.

Example I

A spread of the following composition was prepared:

Ingredient wt parts

97-2 (ex National Starch) 9.5 Gelatin (250 bloom) 2.85

Sodium chloride 0.95

Potassium sorbate 0.19 β-Carotene 0.0475

Double cream 10 Carrageenan (Danagel 6660) 1.425

Water (deionised) 74.874

Flavours 0.04

40% lactic acid to pH 5.0

The method of preparation was as follows: the water was pre-heated to 91°C, 97-2 was added and mixed with a Silverson for 10 minutes. The cream was added under continuous mixing and at 60°C the remaining ingredients except for the flavour were added. Mixing was continued for 5 minutes after which the flavours were added. The pH was adjusted to 5.0 using 40% lactic acid. The tub surfaces above the fill level were not coated.

The resulting composition had a fill viscosity of 2.0 Pa.s at 5°C and 20 s ^"1 . The spread could be filled into a tub without sloshing. The resulting spread had a good appearance and taste. The upper surface of the spread was generally non-horizontal and the outer edge (5 mm area from the rim) was a few millimetres lower than the rest of the upper surface.

The amount of sloshing observed was low. The tub surfaces above the fill level were not coated.

Example II

The procedure of Example I was repeated with the following formulation:

Ingredient wt parts

97-2 (ex National Starch 0 9.5

Gelatin (250 bloom) 2.85

Sodium chloride 0.95

Potassium sorbate 0.19 β-Carotene 0.0475

Double cream 10

Agar 1.425

Water (deionised) 74.875

Flavours 0.04

40% lactic acid to pH 5.0

The fill viscosity was about 1.7 Pa.s at 5 °C and 20 s ^"1 The taste and appearance were similar to example I. No skinned surface was observed on the surfaces of the tub.

Example III

Example I was repeated with the following formulations:

Ingredient wt parts

97-2 (ex National Starch) 9.5

Gelatin (250 bloom) 2.85

Sodium chloride _a 0.95

Potassium sorbate 0.19 β-Carotene 0.0475

Double cream 9.5

Calcium chloride 0.107

Pectin (DE35X2918) 0.475 0.7125 0.95 1.1875

Water (deionised) 76.22 75.98 75.74 75.50 Flavours 0.04 40% lactic acid to pH 5.0

The fill viscosities as measured at 5 C and 20 s ^"1 were 1.7, 2.2, 5.2 and 6.8 Pa.s respectively. The taste and appearance was similar to the spreads of example I. The amount of sloshing observed was minimal. No surface coverage above the fill level was observed.

Example IV

The procedure of Example 1 was repeated with the following formulation:

Ingredient wt parts

97-2 (ex National Starch) 11 Gelatin (250 bloom) 3.5

Sodium chloride 1.0

Potassium sorbate 0.2 β- Carotene 0.05

Double cream (44% fat) 10 Pectin (DE35X2918) 0.35

Calcium chloride 0.08

Water (deionised) ' 75.71

Flavours 0.04

40% lactic acid to pH 5.0

The R-value as defined above was 1 and the viscosity determined one minute after filling the tubs was 5 000 mPa.s at 5°C and 20 at 20 ^"1 . Sloshing in an automatic filling machine was reduced and the product had an excellent appearance.

Example V

The procedure of Example 1 was repeated with the following formulation:

Ingredient wt parts

97-2 (ex National Starch) 8

Gelatin (250 bloom) 2.5

Sodium chloride 1.0 Potassium sorbate 0.2 β-Carotene 0.05

Double cream 10

Pectin (DE35X2918) 1.0

Calcium Chloride) 0.23 Water (deionised) 77

Flavours 0.04

40% lactic acid to pH 5.0

The R-value used was 1 and the viscosity was determined one minute after filling the tubs was 5 000 mPa.s at 5°C and 20 at 20 ^"1 . Sloshing in an automatic filling machine was reduced and the product had an excellent appearance.