Method for Making a Reduced Fat Product

This invention relates to foodstuffs and more particularly to a method for making a reduced fat foodstuff by replacing a portion of the fats and/or oils in the foodstuff with a high amylose starch hydrolysate.

Consumer awareness of the caloric content of foods has increased dramatically over the past few years and has brought about a demand for foods having a reduced fat content. This demand has created a need in the food industry to replace at least a portion of the fat and/or oil in prepared foodstuffs with a component that does not detract from the taste, appearance, smell and mouthfeel of the foodstuffs and which has reduced caloric content.

It has been suggested that certain starch hydrolysates may be used as fat and/or oil replacers in foods, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,166 issued April 9, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,465 issued June 8, 1976 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,890 issued Oct. 19, 1976. The '166 patent teaches using starch hydrolysate having a DE less than 5 as a fat and/or oil replacer. A problem with these less than 5 DE starch hydrolysates is that they have poor taste and impart an undesirable starchy or roasted taste to the foodstuff. Additionally, it has been found that these less than 5 DE starches produce a gel that has a gray or tan color which is also undesirable.

The '465 patent teaches a detailed stepwise process for converting starch to a starch hydrolysate having a DE between 5 to 25. This process is extremely long and tedious and is not deemed acceptable for a large commercial operation.

The '890 patent teaches mixing two different starch hydrolysates to make a product having a DE between 5 to 10.

It has now been discovered that a foodstuff with reduced fat content may be made by replacing at least a portion of the fat and/or oil in the foodstuff with water and an effective amount of a high amylose starch hydrolysate having a DE between about 5 to about 15 and having a peak average molecular weight less than about 10,000, said starch hydrolysate being made from a base starch having an apparent amylose content greater than about 40%.

It has been found that an aqueous dispersion of the high amylose starch hydrolysate of the present invention possesses good gel strength, an important attribute in a fat replacer. The gels produced by the fat replacer of the present invention are smooth, creamy and white and do not have a sticky-pasty consistency.

It has also been found that the gels of the fat replacer of the present invention do not have a starchy or roasted flavor. This makes the fat replacer of the present invention a suitable substitute for natural fats and oils which generally have a non-distinct flavor.

Suitable forms of the fat replacer of the present invention are an aqueous dispersion of the hydrolysate and a paste.

The aqueous dispersion is formed by mixing the dried starch hydrolysate with water. The paste is formed by cooking the aqueous dispersion. Cooking entails raising the temperature of the dispersion to above about 90.degree. C. and holding the dispersion at that temperature for about 5 minutes while subjecting the dispersion to agitation. More preferably the temperature of the dispersion is raised to about 100.degree. C. Stirring is done in a conventional manner such as by an impeller. Gels are formed by cooling the paste.

In situ formation of the aqueous dispersion and paste can be performed. If the foodstuff contains water, then the high amylose starch hydrolysate of the present invention can be added directly to the foodstuff and mixed in. The aqueous dispersion will form therein. If the foodstuff containing the high amylose starch hydrolysate is then cooked, a paste will form. The paste, whether made in situ or prior to addition to the foodstuff is the preferred form of the fat replacer of the present invention.

An effective amount of the high amylose starch hydrolysate of the present invention is dispersed in water to form the fat replacer of the present invention. Preferably, the dispersion has a solids content of about 5% to about 50% and more preferred is a dispersion with a solids content of about 15% to about 30%.

Starch obtained from corn, potato, wheat, rice, sago, tapioca, or sorghum are acceptable base starches so long as they have an apparent amylose content greater than about 40%. Suitable sources for such high amylose starch include high amylose corn starch and high amylose barley starch. Preferably, high amylose corn starch is used.

The apparent amylose content must be above about 40% and more preferably about 50% and above. Good results have been obtained with a corn starch having an apparent amylose content of about 50-65%. Such a high amylose Products Company under the trademark Amaizo.RTM.5.

The term "amylose content" or "apparent amylose content" of the base starch as used in the specification and claims means the amylose content of the base starch as determined by conventional spectrophotometric iodine absorption, Sowbhagya and Bhattacharya, Die Starke 23 Jan. 1971 Nr. 2, p. 53-56.

The high amylose starch hydrolysate has a DE greater than about 5 and less than about 15. Good results have been obtained when the DE is about 5 to about 9.

The dextrose equivalent, DE, is a conventional term used to describe the degree of conversion of starch to starch hydrolysate. There are a number of methods of determining DE. For the purposes of this specification and the claims herein, the DE is determined by Lane-Eynon Procedure (E 26, Standard Analytical Methods, revision 5/27/68, CRA Manual).

The high amylose starch hydrolysate of the present invention has a peak average molecular weight of less than about 10,000 when measured by Gel Permeation Chromatography. More preferably, the high amylose starch hydrolysate of the present invention has a peak average molecular weight less than about 7500 and even more preferably about 6000 and below.

Peak average molecular weight is determined by the Gel Permeation Chromatograph using two ULTRAHYDROGEL.TM. linear columns in series, each measuring 11.81 inches (30 cm) in height and 0.31 inches 0.78 cm) in diameter. 100 microliters of a 0.1% wt./vol. sample was eluted with 0.1 M NaN0.sub.3 containing 0.02% ( NaN.sub.3 (40.degree. C.) at a flow rate of 0.8 cc/minute. A Refractive Index detector maintained at 40.degree. C. is used. The peak average molecular weight is the value of the molecular weight at the highest point of the chromatogram generated by the chromatograph.

The gels made from the fat replacer of the present invention must have a gel strength of about 25 grams and above and, preferably, a gel strength of about 100 to about 1200 grams. More preferred is a gel strength between about 500 to about 1100.

The gel strength of the fat replacer of the present invention is determined by preparing an aqueous dispersion of the high amylose starch hydrolysate at 25% solids and cooking the dispersion at about 95.degree. C. for about 15 minutes. The paste is then placed in 4 ounce short glass jars, the jars covered and placed into cold storage, 4.degree. C., for 16 hours. After 16 hours at 4.degree. C. the jars are allowed to stand at ambient temperature, 25.degree. C., for 11/2 hours. A Stevens LFRA Texture Analyser is then used to measure the gel strength. Plunger No. 5 is used at a speed of 0.2 mm/second and a distance of 4 mm. The average of 3 readings is used to determine the gel strength.

The term "foodstuffs" as used in the specification and claims means foods that have been formulated from more than one component. Examples of such foodstuffs are spoonable and pourable salad dressings, frozen novelties, ice cream, whipping toppings, icings, and sauces.

Replacing the fat and/or oil in order to make a reduced fat foodstuff in accordance with the present invention is accomplished by replacing at least a portion of the fat and/or oil used in formulating the foodstuff with water and an effective amount of a starch hydrolysate of the present invention. Suitably the fat replacer of the present invention is substituted for the fat and/or oil on about a 1 to 1 weight basis, i.e. about 1 gram of fat replacer for about 1 gram of fat and/or oil.

Since the caloric content of fat and/or oil is about 9 calories per gram and the caloric content of the fat replacer of the present invention in a 25% solids dispersion is about 1 calorie per gram, a caloric decrease of more than about 90% is obtained by replacing all of the fat and/or oil.

Typically, formulated foodstuffs contain up to about 80% by weight fat and/or oil. Preferably, in any foodstuffs formulated with a fat and/or oil, up to about 50% by weight of the fat and/or oil is replaced with the water and an effective amount of the starch hydrolysate of the present invention and more preferably up to about 90% of the fat and/or oil is replaced.

The high amylose starch hydrolysate of the present invention is preferably made by treating a slurry of high amylose starch with bacterial alpha amylase to the desired DE. More specifically, a high amylose starch is slurried with water to about 20% solids and the pH is adjusted to about 6. To this slurry is added about 0.4% by weight bacterial alpha amylase based on dry starch weight. This slurry is then subjected to a prepaster at a temperature of about 105.degree. C. to gelatinize the starch The starch slurry is then held at about long enough to convert the starch to a hydrolysate having a DE greater than 5 and less than 15, typically about 30 to about 45 minutes. The enzyme is then inactivated by adjusting the pH to about 2.5. After inactivating the enzyme the pH is adjusted to about 4.5 and the slurry is filtered and carbon bleached at about 90.degree. C. The slurry is then dried by evaporation followed by spray drying in a conventional manner. Preferably the high amylose starch hydrolysate is dried to a moisture of less than about 12% and more preferably, about 4% and below.

These and other aspects of the present invention may be more fully understood by reference to the following examples.

This example illustrates making a frozen novelty in accordance with the present invention. Two formulations were made. Each formulation was found to have comparable taste, appearance and mouthfeel. Table I below illustrates these formulations.

The numbers in Table I are based on percent by weight of formulation. The fat replacer was a paste made from a high amylose starch hydrolysate wherein the DE was 8.6 and the apparent amylose content of the base starch was about 60%. The paste was made by forming an aqueous dispersion at a solids content of 25% by weight, heating the dispersion to about 100.degree. C. and holding the dispersion at that temperature for about 5 minutes. The dispersion was stirred constantly during heating.

The gel strength of the fat replacer was about 695 grams and the hydrolysate had a peak average molecular weight of about 2874. Both gel strength and peak average molecular weight were determined as outlined above.

Both formulations were prepared by adding the preblended dry components to the butter, milk, water and corn syrup. The mix was then pasteurized, homogenized, cooled to 4.degree. C. and aged for 24 hours. The mix was then processed in an ice cream maker. The fat replacer paste was combined with the butter, milk, water and corn syrup initially.

This example illustrates making a chocolate chip cookie with the fat replacer of the present invention. The cookies made by this formulation were found to have good taste, appearance and mouthfeel. Control was a chewy cookie while the test was a cake-like cookie.

The numbers in Table II are based on the percent by weight formulation. The fat replacer used in this formulation is the same as in Example 1 above.

The cookies were made by creaming the sugar and shortening and then adding the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Then the liquid together with the fat replacer was added and mixed in. Finally the chocolate chips were added and the dough was dispersed and baked in a 190.degree. C. oven for about 12 minutes.

This example compares the gel strength of the fat replacer of the present invention to other starch hydrolysates.

The gel strength measurements were made in the manner as outlined above and the dextrose equivalents were likewise measured in the manner outlined above.

Starch hydrolysates 1-3, 6 and 7 were made in a continuous process where a slurry of starch and water was made to about 20% solids. The pH of the slurry was adjusted to about 6 and bacterial alpha amylase was added to the slurry. The slurry was then subjected to a prepaster which raised the temperature of the slurry to about 104.degree. C. and the slurry was subsequently held at about 106.degree. C. in plug flow convertors until the indicated DE was obtained. Then the enzyme was deactivated by adjusting the pH and the slurry was subsequently filtered, carbon bleached and spray dried to produce a dry starch hydrolysate. The base starch used for 1-3 was a high amylose corn starch while 6-7 was a waxy corn starch.

Starch hydrolysates 4 and 5 were made in accordance with Example 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,465 except different DE's were obtained. It is readily evident that the 6.4 DE and 10 DE material made in accordance with the teachings of the '465 patent did not have the gel strength of the fat replacer of the present invention.

Starch hydrolysate 8 was a commercial product sold by National Starch and Chemical Company under the trade name N-OIL. This is thought to be made from a tapioca starch and the apparent amylose content listed in Table III above for N-OIL is that of a typical tapioca starch, see 10.

Starch hydrolysate 9 is a conventional common corn starch hydrolysate converted by enzyme to the desired DE while starch hydrolysate 10 is a conventional tapioca starch hydrolysate also made by an enzymatic process to the desired DE. Starch hydrolysates 9 and 10 were made by making a slurry with the starch to a solids level of about 20% adjusting the pH to about 6; adding bacterial alpha amylase to the slurry; heating the slurry to about 80.degree. C. and holding the slurry at this temperature until the desired DE was obtained. The enzyme was then inactivated ,#and the slurry filtered, bleached and dried to form a dried starch hydrolysate.

Starch hydrolysate 11 was a commercial product sold by Avebe under the name PASELLI SA-2. Such material is thought to be made from a potato starch base. The apparent amylose content listed in Table III is that of a typical potato starch, see 4 and 5.

It is apparent from Table III above that the fat replacer of the present invention has both a higher amylose content and gel strength than starch hydrolysates of comparable DE's.

This example compares the peak average molecular weights of the fat replacer of the present invention with other starch hydrolysates.

Starch hydrolysate 12 was a commercial product sold by Avebe under the name PASELLI SA-2. It was thought that this material was made from potato starch and the amylose content as reported above is typical for potato starches.

Starch hydrolysates 13 and 14 were commercial products sold by National Starch and Chemical Company under the names N-OIL and INSTANT N-OIL respectively.

Starch hydrolysates 15 and 16 were made in accordance with the present invention.

Starch hydrolysate 17 was made in accordance with Example 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,465.

It will be understood that the claims are intended to cover all modifications and changes of the preferred embodiment of the invention herein chosen for illustration which do not constitute a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.