Crystallization characteristics of hydrogenated canola oil as affected by addition of palm oil

Addition of palm oil at levels of 5, 10 and 15% to selectively and nonselectively hydrogenated canola oil increased the time of isothermal crystallization at 20°C and delayed the appearance of the isothermal crystallization peak as determined by DSC. The degree of supercooling was also increased. Addition of palm oil to canola oil before selective or nonselective hydrogenation decreased the time of the appearance of the isothermal crystallization peak. Rates of crystallization were determined in selectively hydrogenated canola palm oil mixtures which followed first order kinetics.     

Crystallization Behavior and Kinetics of Chocolate-Lauric Fat Blends and Model Systems

Binary mixtures of cocoa butter and lauric fats have widespread use in chocolates and confections, yet incompatibilities between these fats can present formulation and processing constraints. This study examined the phase behavior and crystallization kinetics of cocoa butter-lauric fat model systems and chocolate-lauric fat blends. Solid fat content (SFC) profiles and isosolid diagrams confirmed eutectic and diluent interactions, indicating a softening of cocoa butter by lauric fat addition. Crystallization kinetics of model systems adhered to an exponential growth model. High lauric fat levels delayed crystal growth and reduced equilibrium SFC of cocoa butter. Coconut and palm kernel oils altered the solidification mechanisms of cocoa butter to a greater extent than fractionated palm kernel oil. Chocolate systems displayed multi-step crystal growth that contrasted with the exponential growth observed in the model systems. At high lauric fat levels (30%), crystallization onset was significantly lengthened. Blends with high lauric fat contents showed low \(G_{{\text {max}} }^{\prime }\) and did not achieve final equilibrium after 60 min of cooling, indicating incomplete crystallization.     

Cocoa Butter Substitute (CBS) Produced from Palm Mid-fraction/Palm Kernel Oil/Palm Stearin for Confectionery Fillings

This study investigated the physicochemical properties of ternary mixtures of palm mid-fraction (PMF):refined bleached deodorized palm kernel oil (RBDPKO):refined bleached deodorized palm stearin (RBDPS) for cocoa butter substitute (CBS). Fatty acid constituents, triacylglycerol constituents, solid fat contents (SFCs), melting behavior, polymorphism and crystal morphology were determined using gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (p-NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and polarized light microscopy (PLM), respectively. Eight blends of various ratios of ternary mixtures were investigated based on the previously studied binary fat mixtures. The composition of palmitic (P) and oleic (O), POP, and crystal morphology (size and shape) of the PMF/RBDPKO/RBDPS [14.9/59.6/25.5 (%w/w)] mixture were comparable to cocoa butter (CB), while its melting profile (18.5 and 37 °C), SFC at 20 °C and polymorphism were different from CB. The iso-solid diagrams of the mixture displayed a monotectic effect at 20–25 °C. Therefore, the 14.9/59.6/25.5 PMF/RBDPKO/RBDPS mixture could be used as a CBS in confectionery fillings because of the crystal morphology and monotectic behaviors comparable to those of CB.     

Shear and Rapeseed Oil Addition Affect the Crystal Polymorphic Behavior of Milk Fat

The effect of shear on the crystallization kinetics of anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and blends with 20 and 30 % w/w added rapeseed oil (RO) was studied. Pulse ¹H NMR was used to follow the α to β′ polymorphic transition. The NMR method was confirmed and supported by SAXS/WAXS experiments. Samples were crystallized at 5 °C and shear of 0, 74 or 444 s^?1 was applied during early crystallization, in the NMR tube. High shear rates decreased the amount of α polymorph formed and accelerated the polymorphic transition; however, shear did not affect the final solid fat content (SFC). The α to β′ transition occurred faster in the presence of RO allowing more room for the conformational changes to occur. Final SFC decreased with increasing RO content. Shear applied in 20 and 30 % blends caused the destruction of β′‐related 3L structure leaving only 2L packing. In AMF and statically crystallized samples, both 3L and 2L packing existed. Shear did not affect the amount of β crystals formed. The study shows that both shear and RO affect the polymorphic behavior of milk fat, and that ¹H NMR is able to detect polymorphic transition in blends with up to 30 % w/w RO.     

Performance of a Cocoa Butter-Like Fat Enzymatically Produced from Olive Pomace Oil as a Partial Cocoa Butter Replacer

Olive pomace oil is a by-product of olive oil processing and it is considered a low-quality oil. Considering its suitable triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, this work aimed to convert refined olive pomace oil (ROPO) to a cocoa butter (CB)-like fat using sn-1,3 specific lipase, and to investigate its performance as a partial CB replacer. CB-like fat was produced from olive pomace oil by sn-1,3-specific lipase-catalyzed acidolysis in a packed bed reactor. Binary blends of CB and CB-like fat (CB:CB-like fat) were prepared in different proportions, and their physicochemical characteristics [TAG content, melting profile, solid fat content (SFC) and microstructure] were investigated. The contents of 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol (POP), 1(3)-palmitoyl-3(1)stearoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol (POS) and 1,3-distearoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol (SOS) in the 100:0 blend were 18.9, 33.1 and 24.7%, respectively. These contents decreased to 11.0, 20.0 and 11.7%, respectively, in the 0:100 blend. Although the melting point (28.5 °C) did not change significantly above 30% CB-like fat addition, the shape of the melting peak became wider and irregular. An isothermal solid diagram of SFC showed that better compatibility was observed at temperatures above 35 °C for all blends. Addition of over 30% CB-like fat caused significant difference in the microstructure.     

Melting behavior of blends of milk fat with hydrogenated coconut and cottonseed oils

The melting behavior of milk fat, hydrogenated coconut and cottonseed oils, and blends of these oils was examined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Solid fat profiles showed that the solid fat contents (SFC) of all blends were close to the weighted averages of the oil components at temperatures below 15°C. However, from 15 to 25°C, blends of milk fat with hydrogenated coconut oils exhibited SFC lower than those of the weighted averages of the oil components by up to 10% less solid fat. Also from 25 to 35°C, in blends of milk fat with hydrogenated cottonseed oils, the SFC were lower than the weighted averages of the original fats. DSC measurements gave higher SFC values than those by NMR. DSC analysis showed that the temperatures of crystallization peaks were lower than those of melting peaks for milk fat, hydrogenated coconut oil, and their blends, indicating that there was considerable hysteresis between the melting and cooling curves. The absence of strong eutectic effects in these blends suggested that blends of milk fat with these hydrogenated vegetable oils had compatible polymorphs in their solid phases. This allowed prediction of melting behavior of milk-fat blends with the above oils by simple arithmetic when the SFC of the individual oils and their interaction effects were considered.     

Development of a Coconut- and Palm-Based Fat Blend for a Cookie Filler

Thirteen fat blends intended for cookie filler (CF) production that consist of 20–70 % palm mid-fraction (PMF), 20–70 % virgin coconut oil (VCO), and 0–10 % palm stearin (POs) were developed based on the solid fat contents (SFC) of the fat portions extracted from five commercial CF samples: A, B, C, D, and E. A mixture design was applied for fat blend optimization, and the combination that best approached the target SFC values was composed of 70 % PMF, 20 % VCO, and 10 % POs. The optimized coconut- and palm-based fat blend (O-CP) exhibited a steeper SFC profile, with 8.2 % (±0.2) SFC at 25 °C (room temperature) and 0.2 % (±0.2) SFC at 37 °C (body temperature); lower slip melting point of 34.0 °C (±0.0); and a lower iodine value (IV) of 40.25 g/100 g (±1.04). In addition, O-CP contained higher proportions of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) and lauric acid (C12:0) of 3.2 % (±0.18) and 9.7 % (±0.43), respectively. In terms of its thermal profile, O-CP showed no significant difference in terms of its crystallization range, 49.7 °C (±2.66) with the exception of sample C, but it exhibited a smaller melting range, 65.8 °C (±1.47), compared to the fat portions of the commercial samples. The ranges represented the span between the onset and offset temperatures of both crystallization and melting profiles as determined by differential scanning calorimetry.     

Crystallization Enhancement by a High Behenic Acid Stabilizer in a Palm Oil-Based Model Fat Blend and its Corresponding Fat-Reduced Water-in-Oil Emulsion

A high behenic stabilizer (HBS) at concentrations of 0.3%, 0.6%, and 0.9% w/w was added to the oil phase of a fat-reduced water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion intended for margarine manufacture. The crystallization kinetics, thermal behavior, and microstructure of an oil phase and its 35/65 w/w fat-reduced W/O emulsion were studied. The oil phase was composed of a palm oil-based model fat blend, three emulsifiers, and the HBS. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that, when 0.9% of stabilizer was added, the crystallization started 2.5 °C higher than when no HBS was added, hence reducing the time needed for crystallization. Polarized light microscopy results showed that the cocrystallization of the high-melting triacylglycerols of the oil phase with the HBS significantly decreased the fat crystal size and increased the number of crystals. The solid fat content also was increased by 2.4%. Interfacial tension experiments corroborated that HBS was located in the oil phase and not at the emulsion interface. This work shows that margarine can be successfully manufactured by adding 0.9% HBS to a 35/65 w/w fat-reduced W/O emulsion without losing functionality, as shown by the presence of the β′ polymorph. This work also suggests that 15% fat could be removed from the system without changing functionality by merely adding up to 0.9% of HBS.     

Enzymatic Interesterification of Lauric Fat Blends Formulated by Grouping Triacylglycerol Melting Points

Lauric fat blends (appreciable amount of lauric fat with liquid oil and hard fat) initially formulated for shortening production by grouping triacylglycerol (TAG) melting points were further modified by enzymatic interesterification (EIE) to improve their key functionalities as plastic fats. At a similar fat blend formulation, only the high melting fat and medium melting fat were interesterified in binary‐EIE. Meanwhile, both fats and the liquid oil were interesterified in ternary‐EIE. The solid fat content (SFC) of all binary‐EIE blends was generally retained as similar in the temperature range between 0 and 20 °C when the amount of unsaturated TAGs was limited by excluding the liquid oil during EIE. However, the SFC was significantly reduced at temperatures above 20 °C compared to that of the initial blends. Furthermore, the melting point of binary‐EIE blends at BH50H15 formulation prepared with palm stearin and fully hydrogenated rapeseed oil as the hard fat was found to be drastically reduced from 54.6 to 35.3 °C and from 62.8 to 39.2 °C, respectively. In contrast, the SFC of ternary‐EIE blends was generally reduced when more unsaturated TAGs were available for EIE by including the liquid oil. However, higher SFC was noticed at temperatures around 10 °C in ternary‐EIE blends, as the amount of high‐melting fractions in their initial blends was increased from BH50H5 to BH50H15. Eventually, both binary and ternary‐EIE were also found to significantly alter the crystal microstructure of lauric fat blends, in terms of crystal morphology, size and network density.     

Blending of Palm Mid-Fraction,Refined Bleached Deodorized Palm Kernel Oil or Palm Stearin for Cocoa Butter Alternative

This study evaluated the physicochemical properties of palm mid‐fraction (PMF), refined bleached deodorized palm kernel oil (RBDPKO) and refined bleached deodorized palm stearin (RBDPS) as binary mixtures in terms of their fatty acid compositions (GC), triacylglycerols (HPLC), solid fat contents (p‐NMR), melting behaviors (DSC) and polymorphisms (XRD) for cocoa butter (CB) alternative formulations. All the PMF/RBDPKO and RBDPS/RBDPKO blends showed mixtures of short/long‐chain fatty acids with corresponding triacylglycerols. 10–70 % PMF in RBDPKO showed a eutectic effect between 20 and 30 °C. However, a monotectic effect was observed at 10–15 °C for 20–40 % PMF in RBDPKO and 40–80 % of RBDPS in RBDPKO. For PMF/RBDPS blends, a monotectic effect was observed at less than 30 °C. Broad endotherms at 20–38 °C were observed for 30–50 % RBDPS in RBDPKO which are closer to CB, with polymorphs of β′₁ > β′₂ ? β₂ based on XRD analysis. 50–80 % PMF in RBDPS exhibited significantly higher contents of long‐chain fatty acids with the exception of stearic and lower constituents of monounsaturated triacylglycerols compared to CB. Broad endotherms were observed at 20–38 °C for 50–80 % PMF in RBDPS which are closer to CB, with β′₁ ? β′₂ > β₂. Therefore, 20–40 % PMF in RBDPKO, 30–50 % RBDPS in RBDPKO and 50–80 % PMF in RBDPS could be used as CB substitutes because of their comparable physicochemical behaviors.     

Crystallization Rates of Palm Oil and Modified Palm Oils

Differential scanning calorimetry and pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance were used in the estimation of crystallization kinetics of palm oil and modified palm oils. Differential scanning calorimetry was found to be more sensitive and could differentiate between crystallization during cooling and crystallization during isothermal conditions. Hydrogenated palm oils crystallized quickly and completely when cooled from 60° to 20°C, while palm oil and fractionated palm stearin continued to crystallize when held isothermally at 20°C.     

The influence of chemical interesterification on physicochemical properties of complex fat systems 1. Melting and crystallization

The effects of blending palm oil (PO) with soybean oil (SBO) and lard with canola oil, and subsequent chemical interesterification (CIE), on their melting and crystallization behavior were investigated. Lard underwent larger CIE-induced changes in triacylglycerol (TAG) composition than palm oil. Within 30 min to 1 h of CIE, changes in TAG profile appeared complete for both lard and PO. PO had a solid fat content (SFC) of ∼68% at 0°C, which diminished by ∼30% between 10 and 20°C. Dilution with SBO gradually lowered the initial SFC. CIE linearized the melting profile of all palm oil-soybean oil (POSBO) blends between 5 and 40°C. Lard SFC followed an entirely different trend. The melting behavior of lard and lard-canola oil (LCO) blends in the 0–40°C range was linear. CIE led to more abrupt melting for all LCO blends. Both systems displayed monotectic behavior. CIE increased the DP of POSBO blends with ≥80% PO in the blend and lowered that of blends with ≤70% PO. All CIE LCO blends had a slightly lower DP vis-à-vis their noninteresterified counterparts.     

Mixtures of palm kernel oil with cocoa butter and milk fat in compound coatings

Thermal behavior of binary mixtures of palm kernel oil (PKO), cocoa butter (CB), and anhydrous milk fat was used to study mixed-lipid crystallization. This study was related to the physical properties of compound coatings made with these fats. Phase behavior was studied by evaluating changes in melting behavior with composition and time, by creating isosolid diagrams, and by monitoring polymorphic behavior. For binary mixtures, multiple melting peaks and eutectic formation were observed for 30–50% addition levels of CB to PKO, but not for addition of milk fat to PKO. For compound coatings and binary mixtures, made with the same fat composition, hardness of compound coatings increased as solid fat content (SFC) at 25°C of binary mixtures increased. Also, as SFC at 25°C of the binary mixtures increased, induction time for bloom formation and time to fully bloom for compound coatings decreased. Observation of eutectic behavior for binary mixtures indicated softness in a compound coating with the same fat composition, but the converse was not necessarily true.     

Application of palm olein in the production of zero‐trans Iranian vanaspati through enzymatic interesterification

The utilization of palm olein in the production of zero‐trans Iranian vanaspati through enzymatic interesterification was studied. Vanaspati fat was made from ternary blends of palm olein (POL), low‐erucic acid rapeseed oil (RSO) and sunflower oil (SFO) through direct interesterification of the blends or by blending interesterified POL with RSO and SFO. The slip melting point (SMP), the solid fat content (SFC) at 10–40 °C, the carbon number (CN) triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, the induction period (IP) of oxidation at 120 °C (IP₁₂₀) and the IP of crystallization at 20 °C of the final products and non‐interesterified blends were evaluated. Results indicated that all the final products had higher SMP, SFC, IP of crystallization and CN 48 TAG (trisaturated TAG), and lower IP₁₂₀, than their non‐interesterified blends. However, SMP, SFC, IP₁₂₀, IP of crystallization and CN 48 TAG were higher for fats prepared by blending interesterified POL with RSO and SFO. A comparison between the SFC at 20–30 °C of the final products and those of a commercial low‐trans Iranian vanaspati showed that the least saturated fatty acid content necessary to achieve a zero‐trans fat suitable for use as Iranian vanaspati was 37.2% for directly interesterified blends and 28.8% for fats prepared by blending interesterified POL with liquid oils.     

Effect of Palm Oil Enzymatic Interesterification on Physicochemical and Structural Properties of Mixed Fat Blends

The physicochemical properties of binary and ternary fat systems made of commercial samples of palm oil (PO) blended with anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and/or rapeseed oil (RO) were studied. Physical properties such as solid fat content by pulsed‐Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (p‐NMR), melting profile by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polymorphism of the blends were investigated. Palm oil was then batch enzymatically interesterified for 27 h, using Lipozyme^® TL IM as biocatalyst, and further blended with AMF and/or RO in the same way. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of batch enzymatic interesterification (B‐EIE) of palm oil on physical characteristics of the investigated fat blends. For that purpose, iso‐solid diagrams have been constructed from p‐NMR data. It was shown that B‐EIE of palm oil modifies its melting behaviour, but also its polymorphic stability and miscibility with other fats. Under dynamic conditions, after B‐EIE, the non‐ideal behaviour (eutectic) detected at low temperatures in the ternary PO/AMF/RO system disappears in the corresponding EIE‐PO/AMF/RO. After static crystallization followed by a tempering, the hardness of palm oil is increased after B‐EIE, as well as the hardnesses of the blends containing this fat compared to the native one. Polymorphism stability of the binary and ternary fat systems is also modified after B‐EIE compared to the corresponding native systems.     

Characteristics of Eutectic Compositions of Restructured Palm Oil Olein,Palm Kernel Oil and Their Mixtures

The physico-chemical characteristics of blends of palm olein and palm kernel oil which were further modified by chemical interesterification were studied. The slip melting points of non-interesterified blends were 19.7, 16.2, 14.5, 14.5 and 14.4 °C while those of the chemically interesterified blends were 17.7, 16.2, 19.8, 18.7 and 18.7 °C at 40, 30, 20, 10 and 0% palm kernel oil, respectively. Chemical interesterification lowered the solid fat content of the pure samples and blends across different temperatures except 90% palm olein at 15 °C where the solid fat content was higher than for non-interesterified samples. Palm kernel oil, palm olein and their blends before and after chemical interesterification, crystallized mainly in the β′ form. However, chemical interesterification modified the microstructure from a combination of fat particles with void regions of crystalline materials to fat particles without regions of void crystalline materials. Palm olein and palm kernel oil blends are mainly used for food preparation in Nigeria. This study has shown that there are no significant differences in the physical and chemical properties of non-chemically interesterified and chemically interesterified blends of palm olein and palm kernel oil. This implies that blending of palm olein and palm kernel oil without chemical interesterification can provide the fluidity desirable at ambient temperatures for food applications in the tropics.     

Solid contents of palm‐based biofuel mixtures with respect to storage and handling

The solid content (SC) of biofuel mixtures obtained from mixing crude palm oil (CPO) with medium fuel oil (MFO), and refined palm oil (RPO) with petroleum diesel (PD), was investigated. The SC of these mixtures will impact on their applications, storage and handling. The concentrations of CPO and RPO in the investigated mixtures ranged from 5 to 90% for the CPO‐MFO system and from 0 to 10% for the RPO‐PD system. For CPO/MFO mixtures, their SC exhibited eutectic behavior over the temperature range measured (5–20 °C). Eutectic minima were observed in the 80–90% CPO concentration range for all temperatures. These eutectic minima are due to dilution effects and the formation of van der Waals hydrogen bonds between the asphaltenes in MFO and the triacylglycerols. RPO/PD mixtures did not show any eutectic behavior. The SC for the RPO/PD mixtures were observed to be below 4% at 5 °C after 24 h of tempering and 0% at 15 °C over the same tempering period. When semi‐solid, ambient PO is used as a biofuel, heating is required to liquify it for ease of handling. When mixed with petroleum‐based fuels in the correct proportion, present handling and storage equipment and facilities are adequate for handling these mixtures.     

Preparation and Characterization of Human Milk Fat Substitutes Based on Triacylglycerol Profiles

Human milk fat substitutes (HMFS) having similarity in (TAG) composition to human milk fat (HMF) were prepared by Lipozyme RM IM‐catalyzed interesterification of lard blending with selected oils in a packed bed reactor. Four oil blends with high similarity in fatty acid profiles to HMF were first obtained based on the blending model and then the blending ratios were screened based on TAG composition similarity by enzymatic interesterification in a batch reactor. The optimal ratio was determined as lard:sunflower oil:canola oil:palm kernel oil:palm oil:algal oil:microbial oil = 1.00:0.10:0.50:0.13:0.12:0.02:0.02. This blending ratio was used for a packed bed reactor and the conditions were then optimized as residence time, 1.5 h; reaction temperature, 50 °C. Under these conditions, the obtained product showed high degrees of similarity in fatty acid profile with 39.2 % palmitic acid at the sn‐2 position, 0.5 % arachidonic acid (n‐6) and 0.3 % docosahexaenoic acid (n‐3) and the scores for the degree of similarity in TAG composition was increased from 58.4 (the oil blend) to 72.3 (the final product). The packed bed reactor could be operated for 7 days without significant decrease in activity. The final product presented similar melting and crystallization profiles to those of HMF. However, due to the loss of tocopherols during deacidification process, the oxidative stability was lower than that of the oil blend. This process for the preparation of HMFS from lard with high similarity in TAG composition by physical blending and enzymatic interesterification, as optimized by mathematical models in a packed bed reactor, has a great potential for industrialization.     

Physical properties of palm‐based diacylglycerol and palm‐based oils in the preparation of shelf‐stable margarine

Ternary mixtures containing palm olein (POL), palm kernel oil (PKO) and palm oil‐based diacylglycerol (PO‐DAG) were designed using mixture design. The corresponding physical properties such as solid fat content (SFC) as well as deviation from SFC (ΔSFC) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and melting and crystallization properties using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were studied. Ternary phase behaviour was analysed using isosolid diagrams. The most intensive eutectic interaction among the three binary blends studied was observed along the binary line of PKO/PO‐DAG followed by POL/PKO and POL/PO‐DAG. The higher ΔSFC did not always lead to the more intensive eutectic behaviour among the blends. Addition of pure POL, 33.33 and 66.66% POL, and no POL to 50/50 mixture of PKO/PO‐DAG decreased heat of crystallization (ΔHc) as well as crystallization onset (T_O). However, as the same amounts of PO‐DAG and PKO were added to the 50/50 mixtures of POL/PKO and POL/PO‐DAG, respectively, blend containing the equi‐mixture of POL, PKO and PO‐DAG (33.33/33.33/33.33) was found to have the lowest ΔHc. This was also reflected in the corresponding eutectic effect observed at 20–25 and 5–10°C, respectively. Palm‐based DAG‐enriched shelf‐stable margarine consisting of POL/PKO/PO‐DAG (42.5/42.5/15 w/w) was optimally formulated through analysis of multiple isosolid diagrams and was found to have quite similar SFC profile with commercial shelf‐stable margarine. Practical applications: In this study, valuable information about complicated interactions among the palm oil‐based diacylglycerol (PO‐DAG) and palm‐based oils with different FA chain length was obtained in the ternary system. These informative data may be useful in future exploitation of solid fat‐based DAG in blend with natural fats for various DAG‐enriched plastic fat products. Furthermore, Design Expert software was found to be a valuable tool to optimize the new fat blend formulation using the minimum number of blend preparation. By using this tool, assessment of complicated behaviour among the blend components through construction of the corresponding phase diagrams which are critical for optimization purposes as well as fat product development, would also be possible.     

Phase equilibrium and crystallization behavior of mixed lipid systems

As complex lipid systems, the phase and crystallization behavior of mixtures of a high-melting milk fat fraction with a low-melting milk fat fraction or canola oil was studied. A turbidity technique was developed to estimate solubility and metastability conditions of these lipid mixtures. Both solubility and metastability of the high-melting milk fat fraction in liquid lipids increased exponentially with temperature. At a given equilibration temperature, liquid phases and solid fractions with nearly identical melting profiles and TAG compositions were obtained regardless of the original concentration of the lipid mixture. The maximum melting temperature (MMT), as measured by DSC, of the liquid phase increased dramatically in the equilibrium temperature range of 27.5–35.0°C but did not change at temperatures below and above this range (down to 25.0°C and up to 40°C in this study). The content of long-chain TAG (C₄₆−C₅₂) increased and short-chain TAG (C₃₆−C₄₀) decreased in the liquid phases as the equilibrium temperature increased. A plot of the TAG group ratio (i.e, long-short-chain TAG) vs. equilibrium temperature was generated to illustrate the phase behavior of the complex lipid system and to represent a solubility curve, from which the supersaturation level for crystallization kinetics was determined. Higher supersaturation and lower temperature resulted in higher nucleation and crystallization rates. Compared to the system with a low-melting milk fat fraction, mixtures of the high-melting milk fat fraction with canola oil had higher nucleation and crystallization rates due to the lower solubility found for this system.