Cognis IP Management Gmbh

Basf Se Corporation

Jörg Schwarzer

Peter Horlacher

Rolf Kawa

Rainer Eskuchen

Peter Kempers

Ulrich Schörken

Dieter Hietsch

Thomas Wolf

Robert Salacz

Jürgen Gierke

Bernd Jenzer

The present invention relates to a process for preparing esters from fatty alcohols, in which fatty alcohols and fatty acids are reacted in the presence of an enzyme at a temperature in the range of 30 to 50&#xb0; C., the water which forms is removed and the reaction is completed under reduced pressure at a temperature of 50 to 80&#xb0; C.

Ester synthesis

The invention relates to a wet grinding method for producing sterol formulations having good wettability. According to said method, a) an additive selected from the group consisting of proteins, proteinaceous adjuvants, carbohydrates, cellulose derivatives, sugar alcohols, fruit concentrates and vegetable concentrates is dissolved or dispersed in water or in an aqueous suspension medium, b) sterol and/or stanol particles having a median particle size of at least 1 mm are added to this solution/dispersion, c) the dispersion thus obtained is homogenized and size-reduced in a mill that works according to the rotor/stator principle, and d) is then optionally dried, with the proviso that the sterol and/or stanol particles are present in the final formulation with a particle size distribution of Dof not more than 50 &#x3bc;m. Owing to their good wettability, the sterol-containing formulations produced according to this method can be incorporated into food items without complex technology and have good organoleptic and sensory properties especially when used in drinks and dairy products.

Method for producing sterol formulations

The invention relates to aqueous dispersions containing (a) 5 to 50% by weight of sterols and/or stanols; and (b) 0.5 to 20% by weight of citric acid esters of mono- and/or diglycerides, based on the total weight of the dispersion, wherein the citric acid esters of mono- and/or diglycerides are partially neutralised; and to a process for the production of an aqueous sterol/stanol-containing dispersion, which process comprises (a) dissolving citric acid esters of mono- and/or diglycerides that are partly neutralised, in water; (b) dispersing sterols and/or stanols in the emulsifier solution to form a pre-dispersion; and (c) grinding the pre-dispersion in a ball-mill until the dispersion has a particle mass diameter, d, of less than 5 &#x3bc;m. Optionally, this dispersion is spray-dried.

Water-dispersable sterol containing dispersions

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Hilden, Germany

Jörg Schwarzer