Mono- and diglycerides prepared by chemical glycerolysis from a butterfat fraction

A solid butterfat fraction was prepared by controlled crystallization of the melt. Products of glycerolysis and rate of reaction were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography and compared to those of a tricaprilin model system. Physical and functional properties of the resulting mixture of mono- and diglycerides were compared to commercial monoglyceride-based emulsifiers. The emulsifier from the butterfat fraction consisted of similar to 60% mono- and 40% diglycerides and presented a very different FA profile from the commercial emulsifiers. The butterfat-derived emulsifiers had a lower melting range and imparted a significantly lower surface tension at oil/water and oil/skim milk interfaces.