PRODUCTION OF COCOA BUTTER-LIKE FAT FROM INTERESTERIFICATION OF VEGETABLE-OILS

Cocoa butter-like fat was prepared from completely hydrogenated cottonseed and olive oils by enzymatic interesterification. The optimum reaction time to produce the major-component of cocoa butter, 1(3)-palmitoyl-3(1)-stearoyl-2-monoolein (POS), was 4 hr. The cocoa butter-like fat was isolated from the reaction mixture by two filtration steps. The yield of cocoa butter-like fat was 19%, based on the weight of the original oils. Chromatographic analysis of the product by reversephase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has shown it contains triglyceride components similar to those of cocoa butter, but that it has slightly more diglycerides. The melting point of this product, as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter, is 39°C, which compares well to the 36°C melting point of natural cocoa butter. © 1990 AOCS Press.