Blending of palm oil, palm stearin and palm kernel oil in the preparation of table and pastry margarine

Abstract

Palm oil (PO; iodin value = 52), palm stearin (POsl; IV = 32 and POs2; IV = 40) and palm kernel oil (PKO; IV = 17) were blended in ternary systems. The blends were then studied for their physical properties such as melting point (m.p.), solid fat content (SFC), and cooling curve. Results showed that palm stearin increased the blends melting point while palm kernel oil reduced it. To produce table margarine with melting point (m.p.) below 40°C, the POsl should be added at level of ≤ 16%, while POs2 at level of ≤ 20%. At 10°C, eutectic interaction occur between PO and PKO which reach their maximum at about 60:40 blending ratio. Within the eutectic region, to maintain the SFC at 10°C to be ≤ 50%, POsl may be added at level of ≤ 7%, while POs2 at level of ≤ 12%. The addition of palm stearin increased the blends solidification T_min and T_max values, while PKO reduced them. Blends which contained high amount of palm stearin showed melting point and cooling curves quite similar to that of pastry margarine.