US4769255A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Spreadable butter-like composition and method for production thereof
Assignee: NATIONAL DAIRY COUNCIL
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Filing: 1987-05-27
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Granted: 1988-09-06
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Expires: 2007-05-27
Abstract
Abstract A method is provided for producing a butter-like composition which has a taste, texture and mouth feel similar to butter but which is speadable at refrigeration temperatures. A feed of at least one liquid dairy product which is primarily and oil-in-water emulsion and has a fat content of at about 8% is prepared. The feed is concentrated by removing water until a concentrate having at least about 40% fat is obtained. The concentrate is homogenized and a phase reversal of the concentrate is caused, either prior to, during or after homogenization, so that the emulsion of the concentrate is converted from a primarily oil-in-water emulsion to a predominantly water-in-oil emulsion. The concentrate, thereby, forms a butter-like composition, and the ratio of oil-in-water emulsion to water-in-oil emulsion in the composition is at least about 6:4, and preferably between 7:3 and 8:2.
Inventors
- 👤 Salah H. Ahmed
- 👤 Anthony J. Luksas
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 03:06
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23D; A23D7/00; A23D7/02; A23C; A23C15/00; A23C15/12; A23C15/16; A23D7/015
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A method for producing a butter-like composition which has a taste, texture and mouth feel similar to butter but which is spreadable at refrigeration temperatures comprising: (a) preparing a feed of at least one liquid dairy product which is primarily an oil-in-water emulsion and has a fat content of at least about 8%; (b) concentrating the said feed by removing water, lactose and ash until a concentrate having at least about 40% fat is obtained; (c) homogenizing the concentrate; and (d) causing a phase reversal of the concentrate, either prior to, during or after homogenization of the concentrate so that the emulsion of the concentrate is converted from a primarily oil-in-water emulsion to a predominantly water-in-oil emulsion, whereby the concentrate forms a butter-like composition, and wherein the ratio of water-in-oil emulsion to oil-in-water emulsion in the composition is at least about 6:4 but is less than about 9:1.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
148 words
A method for producing a butter-like composition which has a taste, texture and mouth feel similar to butter but which is spreadable at refrigeration temperatures comprising: (a) preparing a feed of at least one liquid dairy product which is primarily an oil-in-water emulsion and has a fat content of at least about 8%; (b) concentrating the said feed by removing water, lactose and ash until a concentrate having at least about 40% fat is obtained; (c) homogenizing the concentrate; and (d) causing a phase reversal of the concentrate, either prior to, during or after homogenization of the concentrate so that the emulsion of the concentrate is converted from a primarily oil-in-water emulsion to a predominantly water-in-oil emulsion, whereby the concentrate forms a butter-like composition, and wherein the ratio of water-in-oil emulsion to oil-in-water emulsion in the composition is at least about 6:4 but is less than about 9:1.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the feed has a fat content of up to about 35%.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 1, wherein concentrate has a fat content of up to about 60%.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the feed is selected from the group consisting of skim milk, low-fat milk, whole milk, reconstituted non-fat milk solids, cream and mixtures thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
A process of claim 1, wherein the concentration step is performed by ultra-filtration.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the phase reversal step is at least in part performed during or before the homogenization step.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 6, wherein the phase reversal step is at least in part performed during the homogenization step.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the ratio of water-in-oil emulsion to oil-in-water emulsion in the butter-like composition is at least about 7:3.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 8, wherein the said ratio is about 7:3 to 8:2.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 1, wherein flavoring and coloring are added to the butter-like composition.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
82 words
A butter-like composition which has a taste, texture and mouth feel similar to butter but which is spreadable at refrigeration temperatures and will not substantially oil-out at room temperature comprising a concentrated mixture of at least one water-in-oil emulsion and at least one oil-in-water emulsion of dairy products, where the ratio of water-in-oil emulsion to oil-in-water emulsion is at least about 6:4 but is less than about 9:1 and wherein the fat content of the butter-like composition is at least about 40%.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
82 words
A butter-like composition which has a taste, texture and mouth feel similar to butter but which is spreadable at refrigeration temperatures and will not substantially oil-out at room temperature comprising a concentrated mixture of at least one water-in-oil emulsion and at least one oil-in-water emulsion of dairy products, where the ratio of water-in-oil emulsion to oil-in-water emulsion is at least about 6:4 but is less than about 9:1 and wherein the fat content of the butter-like composition is at least about 40%.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The composition of claim 11, wherein the said fat content is up to about 60%.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The composition of claim 11, wherein the dairy product is selected from the group consisting of skim milk, low-fat milk, whole milk, reconstituted non-fat milk solids, cream and mixtures thereof.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composition of claim 11, wherein the ratio of water-in-oil emulsion to oil-in-water emulsion is at least about 7:3.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The composition of claim 14, wherein the said ratio is about 7:3 to 8:2.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The composition of claim 15, wherein the composition is spreadable at temperatures from about 34° F. to about 85° F.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composition of claim 16, wherein there is no substantial oiling-out of the composition at temperatures up to about 85° F.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
36 words
The composition of claim 11, wherein the ratio of the bulk viscosity of the composition at about 36° F. to the bulk viscosity of the composition at about 75° F. is no greater than about 1:5.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
15 words
The composition of claim 18, wherein the said ratio is no greater than about 1:3.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The composition of claim 11, wherein the percentage of the composition which will "oil-out" at 85° F. is less than about 10%.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
The composition of claim 20, wherein the said percentage is less than about 5%.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4511591A
Cited
US4555411A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-09-06 | 1992-03-07 | 1992-09-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-09-06 | 1996-03-07 | 1996-09-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-09-06 | 2000-03-07 | 2000-09-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |