CLA-Rich Soy Oil Shortening Production and Characterization

Abstract

Conjugated linoleic acid-rich soy oil (CLARSO) has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including anti-obesity and anti-carcinogenic properties. This oil was previously used to produce CLA-rich margarine that showed physical characteristics similar to commercially available margarine. The objective of this study was to produce CLA-rich shortening and analyze its physical properties relative to commercially available shortenings and soy oil control shortenings. The shortenings were prepared and their rheology, thermal behavior, and solid fat content (SFC) were determined and compared to the commercial samples. The CLA-rich shortening samples showed similar rheological properties to the commercial samples and showed a better consistency (more solid-like behavior) compared to the soy oil control samples. In addition, the CLA-rich shortenings also have a higher SFC (% SFC) as well as higher latent heat of crystallization and melting than the soy oil controls indicating a comparatively higher crystalline fraction. Thus, CLARSO produced firmer shortenings than did conventional soy oil by interacting with the crystallizing stearin fraction and consequently increasing the crystalline mass fraction without significantly altering the microstructure kinetics of solid fat crystallization.