Method of preparing reduced fat spreads

Abstract

A food composition useful as a table spread and having a reduced level of fat and/or oil is provided. The composition is a macroscopically homogeneous blend of an oil and an aqueous phase associated with a fragmented granular starch hydrolysate. The fragmented granular starch hydrolysate is capable of forming an aqueous dispersion at 20% starch hydrolysate solids having a yield stress of from about 100 to about 1,500 pascals. Also provided is a method of preparing a table spread which comprises making a premix of the granular starch hydrolysate and oil and then homogenizing the premix to fragment the granular starch hydrolysate and form a macroscopically homogeneous blend.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A composition of matter useful as a table spread comprising a macroscopically homogenous blend of: (i) a disperse aqueous phase having dispersed therein a fragmented granular starch hydrolysate derived from a starch having a major proportion of amylopectin and having a molecular weight of from about 4,000 to about 7,500 g/mol and comprised of a major amount of cold-water insoluble starch hydrolysate and a minor amount of cold-water soluble hydrolysate, the ratio of said major amount of cold-water insoluble starch hydrolysate to said minor amount of cold-water soluble starch hydrolysate is from about 3.0:1 to no greater than about 9:1, wherein said granular starch hydrolysate will form an aqueous dispersion having a yield stress of from about 100 to about 1,500 pascals when fragmented in a aqueous medium at 20% starch hydrolysate solids, and   (ii) a disperse oil phase, wherein the oil of said dispersed oil phase is a partially hydrogenated oil selected from the group consisting of corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, and mixtures of two or more thereof, and wherein the amount of said oil is less than about 40% by weight of the composition and wherein the amount of said fragmented granular starch hydrolysate dispersed in said aqueous phase is sufficient in relation to the amount of said oil to make said composition non-flowable, said composition further comprising a salt selected from the group consisting of alkali metal chlorides, alkali metal sulfates, alkaline earth metal chlorides, alkaline earth metal sulfates, and mixtures of two or more thereof, in an amount of at least about 0.1% by weight of said starch hydrolysate.   
     
     
       2. A method of preparing a composition useful as a table spread comprising: preparing a premix of (i) a granular starch hydrolysate derived form a starch having a major proportion of amylopectin and having a molecular weight of from about 4,000 to about 7,500 g/mol and comprised of a major amount of cold-water insoluble starch hydrolysate and minor amount of cold-water soluble hydrolysate, the ratio of said major amount of cold-water insoluble starch hydrolysate to said minor amount of cold-water soluble starch hydrolysate is from about 3.0:1 to no greater than about 9:1, wherein said granular starch hydrolysate will form an aqueous dispersion having a yield stress of from about 100 to about 1,500 pascals when fragmented in a aqueous medium at 20% starch hydrolysate solids, and (ii) a partially hydrogenated oil selected from the group consisting of corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, and mixtures of two or more thereof, wherein the amount of said oil is less than about 40% by weight of the premix, said premix further comprising a salt selected from the group consisting of alkali metal chlorides, alkali metal sulfates, alkaline earth metal chlorides alkaline earth metal sulfates, and mixtures of two or more thereof, in an amount of at least about 0.1% by weight of said starch hydrolysate, and   homogenizing said premix under conditions effective to fragment said granular starch hydrolysate by mechanical disintegration and result in the production for macroscopically homogeneous blend of (i) a partially continuous aqueous phase having dispersed therein a fragmented granular starch hydrolysate comprised of a major amount of cold-water insoluble starch hydrolysate and a minor amount of cold-water soluble hydrolysate, and (ii) an oil phase, wherein the amount of said oil is less than about 40% by weight of the blend and wherein the amount of said fragmented granular starch hydrolysate dispersed in said aqueous phase is sufficient in relation to the amount of said oil to make said blend non-flowable.