Process for the production of glycerides having melting points differing from the starting glyceride material

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FATS HAVING MELTING POINTS DIFFERING FROM THE STARTING FAT MATERIAL, BY INTRA- AND INTER-MOLECULAR REARRANGEMENT OF THE FATTY ACID RADICALS PRESENT IN THE MOLECULES OF SAID FAT AND SEPARATION OF THE SOLID FAT FRACTION FROM THE LIQUID FAT FRACTION THEREBY FORMED BY CRYSTALLIZATION, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE CONTACTING A FAT HAVING A TRI-GLYCERIDE STRUCTURE CONTAINING BOUND FATTY ACID RADICALS WITH 0.05 TO 2.0 WEIGHT PERCENT REFERRED TO THE REARRANGEMENT MIXTURE OF AN ALKALINE MOLECULAR REARRANGEMENT CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL ALCOHOLATES OF LOWER ALKANOLS, ALKALINE EARTH METAL ALCOHOLATES OF LOWER ALKANOLS, ALKALI METALS AND METAL ALLOYS CONSISTING OF SODIUM AND POTASSIUM, AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 5 TO 20*C. BELOW THE MELTING POINT OF THE SOLID FAT DESIRED TO BE PRODUCED, TO EFFECT THE INTRA- AND INTER-MOLECULAR REARRANGEMENT OF THE FATTY ACID RADICALS IN THE MOLECULES OF THE FAT, COOLING THE REARRANGEMENT MIXTURE TO FORM A MIXTURE OF CATALYST, SOLID PHASE FAT MOLECULES AND LIQUID PHASE FAT MOLECULES, ADDING TO SAID MIXTURE WATER IN A QUANTITY OF FROM 1/2 TO 5 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF REARRANGEMENT MIXTURE PRESENT AND SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT THE ALKALINE CATALYST INTO A FLUID PHASE SOAP CONTAINING DISPERSED THEREIN THE SOLID PHASE AND LIQUID PHASE FAT FRACTIONS, SUBJECTING THE SAID DISPERSION TO CENTRIFUGATION FOR SEPARATING A LIGHTER PHASE COMPRISING THE LIQUID FAT PHASE FRACTION AND A HEAVIER PHASE COMPRISING THE FLUID PHASE SOAP CONTAINING THE SOLID FAT PHASE FRACTION DISTRIBUTED THEREIN.