Sucrose behenate as a crystallization enhancer for soft fats

The addition of sucrose behenate for the modification of the physical properties of soft fats, such as soybean oil-based interesterified fat, refined palm oil, and palm mid fraction was studied. The addition of sucrose behenate was verified to affect the crystalline network of fats, changing the hardness and solids profile. The isothermal crystallization behaviors of the fat blends with 1% sucrose behenate were analyzed at 20 and 25 °C. Temperature had a greater effect on the speed of crystallization (k) than the presence of the emulsifier. Sucrose behenate did, however, influence the crystallization mechanism, with changes observed in the Avrami exponent (n). These changes were also observed in the microstructure of the fats. Changes in the polymorphic behavior were observed with the addition of sucrose behenate, such as a possible delay in the α → β transition for interesterified fat, and the initial formation of the β polymorph in palm oil.