Calculation of the solid fat content of vegetable fats using the
Hildebrand equation
Abstract
Vegetable fats are complex multi-component mixtures of triglycerides.
Here, the solidification behavior of a few vegetable fats is calculated
using the Hildebrand equation. This calculation assumes, in the liquid
phase, ideal mixing of the different components, in combination with
literature data about the temperatures and enthalpies of fusion of the
individual triglycerides. It further assumes a decomposition of the
triglyceride blend into binary blends dissolved in an inert solvent. The
solid fat content is calculated as function of the temperature, assuming
that all triglycerides solidify in a single crystal habit (all α or all
β or all β’). The minor triglyceride components are explicitly taken
into account. The calculated solid fat contents for cocoa butter, palm
oil, inter-esterified palm oil and palm kernel olein oil are compared to
pNMR data, reported in the literature. Temperature ranges are found, in
which specific crystal modifications match to the pNMR data for the
solid fat content. These temperature ranges are found to be consistent
with literature data obtained using X-ray diffraction. As a by-product,
the calculation presented here, enables the construction of scenarios
that describe which triglyceride solidifies in which temperature
interval.