Effects of branched‐chain fatty acid triacylglycerols on the crystallization of palm oil‐based blends

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess how branched‐chain fatty acid triacylglycerols (BCFA‐TAG) at different concentrations (1–10 g/100 g) affect palm oil‐based blend PO‐PS (palm olein/palm stearin = 7/3, wt/wt) crystallization and other related performance. The addition of BCFA‐TAG significantly affected the crystallization of PO‐PS by accelerating the onset of PO‐PS crystallization through promoting the nucleation of PO‐PS crystals while delaying the growth of the crystals as a whole. The reduction in t 1/2 provided good evidence of the delay, with the effect of high concentrations (10 g/100 g) being the most pronounced. Adding BCFA‐TAG to PO‐PS reduced its solid fat content (SFC), with a more significant effect at higher concentrations (5, 8, and 10 g/100 g). After 48 h of crystallization at 25°C, BCFA‐TAG induced a more compact and orderly crystalline network of PO‐PS with an increase in space‐filling, resulting in an increase in hardness. The crystal density of the higher concentration samples (PO‐PS + 10% BCFA‐TAG) decreased over storage time, suggesting a crystal dilution effect of high concentrations of BCFA‐TAG. The PO‐PS + 10% BCFA‐TAG sample maintained the β′ crystalline form throughout the 30 days of storage without conversion to the β crystalline form, thus showing a positive effect of BCFA‐TAG in alleviating the post‐hardness of the palm oil.