Abstract: The invention relates to a method of preparing a low-calorie butter-based spread, and to low calorie butter-based products obtainable by those methods and provides: a process for the preparation a low fat spread in which a lacteal fluid, preferably dairy cream, containing less than 45% wt. butterfat is:a) enriched to 55%-75% wt. fat,b) diluted with an aqueous phase relatively free of lactose, and,c) cooled and worked whereby phase inversion occurs and a spread comprising 30-60% wt. of a fat results.The use of non-dairy aqueous phase enables the copper and lactose content of the product to be controlled avoiding microbiological and organoleptic difficulties. The presence of other dairy substances in the water phase, such as caseinate and/or whey proteins, is optional. The term "lacteal fluid" as applied to the starting material is intended to include relatively low fat creams and milks as well as 40% fat creams.

Abstract: A process for preparing an edible plastified dispersion comprising a continuous fat phase and a dispersed aqueous phase, said process comprising the steps of:(a) working buttermilk with a non-dairy fat to obtain an emulsion, and,(b) mixing the emulsion obtained in step (a) with butter under mild working conditions.By employing such a process, it is possible to obtain a melange product in which the characteristic microstructure of butter has not been destroyed. Moreover, only a proportion of the total fat content of the final product need be passed through the churn, enabling a higher production figure to be obtained with a fixed size of churn.

Abstract: An edible plastified dispersion having a continuous fat phase and a dispersed aqueous phase, in particular low-calorie spread, is prepared by a process that includes (i) cooling a constituted emulsion having a continuous aqueous phase and a dispersed fat phase and comprising essentially no solid fat, by passing it through a static heat exchanger to cause partial crystallization of fat, the emulsion leaving the heat exchanger as a dispersion having a continuous aqueous phase and containing crystallized fat, and (ii) feeding the dispersion from step (i) directly to means for imparting kinetic energy so as to invert the dispersion into a dispersion having a continuous fat phase and a dispersed aqueous phase. The use of scraped-surface heat exchangers can be dispensed with, without adverse effects on the product properties.

Abstract: An edible plastified product comprising a continuous fat phase and a dispersed gas phase which includes helium. The products according to the invention exhibit an improved spattering behavior when used for frying.A process for preparing an edible plastified product involves incorporating gas that includes helium in the composition that is to constitute the product and subjecting the gas-containing composition to plastifying conditions at super-atmospheric pressure. It is an advantage of this process that, with the use of gas containing helium, relatively small gas bubbles can be obtained relatively easily.