Bestfoods, the US food manufacturer that recently merged with Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever, has been awarded a US patent protecting its new cream substitution for addition to hot meals. The invention is intended to improve upon cream powder already commercially available, which Bestfoods claims is unsuitable for addition to hot meals as it tastes of dried milk and cannot be evenly dispersed. The present invention is intended to fulfil the functions of cream in terms of its whitening power, its sensation in the mouth and its taste.

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Protected under US patent number 6,248,389, the abstract reads:


A formed cream substitute for the addition to hot meals and a method for its preparation. The formed cream substitute for the addition to hot meals is formed by working 20 to 60% cream powder and 10 to 50% fat powder in a 15 to 50% matrix of pure fat. The cream substitute according to the invention can be provided in the form of lumps, in the form of cubes, or in the form of a granulate. The cream substitute can be stored well at room temperature and has, on a weight basis, a higher effectiveness than liquid cream.


The first claim (of 7) is for:


A method for the preparation of a lumpy cream substitute for addition to hot meals, comprising mixing a mixture of cream powder and fat powder in a molten fat mixture such that the cream powder and the fat powder are worked into a matrix of the pure fat, cooling to an extrudable mass, adding a 1:1 mixture consisting of tetrasodium pyrophosphate and disodium dihydrogen diphosphate, and forming into single portions by molding machines wherein said lumpy cream substitute has no binding effect on the hot meal.

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To see full details of the patent, please click here.

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