Dried fat emulsion products having improved resistance to oxidation at elevated temperatures are produced by the two stage encapsulation of oil or fat globules with a hydrophilic film forming material. An aqueous dispersion of an edible fat or oil, a hydrophilic film forming material, a carbohydrate and water is emulsified to form an oil-in-water emulsion concentrate in which fat globules are encapsulated by the film forming material. After formation of the emulsion concentrate, a second portion of a hydrophilic film forming material is added to the emulsion concentrate in an amount substantially equivalent to the amount of film former in the aqueous dispersion, to provide an additional coating layer of film forming material encapsulating the fat globules. This second portion of film forming material may be added to the emulsion prior to or subsequent to drying of the emulsion concentrate.

A powdery or granular fat or oil composition in the form of a powder or granules having a water content of 15 % by weight or less, a maximum particle diameter of not greater than 10 mm, an average particle diameter of not greater than 5 mm and an angle of repose of not greater than 70 %. The composition is produced simply by mixing only a fat or oil, a base material capable of occlusion or absorption of the fat or oil and a liquid polyol at a temperature at which the fat or oil is molten.

A method of making cream involves separating high and low melting point fractions from butter oil, and emulsifying one of the fractions with a low fat milk fraction enriched in membrane substances. Emulsification of the high melting point fraction can give whipping creams of low fat content and temperature sensitivity and good viscosity, especially if the cream is homogenised, pasteurised and then homogenised again and if the cooled cream is tempered by warming and recooling. Emulsification of the low melting fat fraction yields cream churnable to butter which spreads at refrigerator temperatures. The low fat milk fraction may be the serum separated in the production of the butter oil, but there may be used instead or in addition buttermilk or butter serum from another source. The butter fat fraction may be emulsified together with a non-milk fat.

The invention relates to a spreadable water-in-oil emulsion based on a high melting butterfat fraction and a liquid oil which is free of solid fat crystals at 5°C and to a process for producing said emulsion. The use of a high melting fraction obtained by dry fractionation at 15-30°C, as one of the fat components of the fatty phase of the emulsion enables the incorporation of up to 80% of liquid oil, preferably an oil having a relatively high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The invention relates to a low-calorie spread based on a low-melting butterfat fraction, which has an improved spreadability at 10°C as compared with low-calorie butter. The low-melting butterfat fraction is an olein preferably obtained by dry fractionation of butterfat within the temperature range of 20-30°C.

The invention relates to an apparatus for melting refrigerated butter, cream or similar substances. According to the invention, a block (3) of butter to be melted is forced by a mechanically energized punch (4) through a grating (2), which grating (2) is composed of heated tubes (102) that are substantially triangular in transverse section. The block of butter is faced by angular top edges (7) of the tubes (102). The wall (12) of the grating tubes facing away from the block (3) of butter is preferably furnished with a heat barrier (11), the angular edges (9) of this wall being as sharp-cornered as possible and preferably equipped with aprons (13) which are at least substantially perpendicular to the plane of the grating.