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Abstract

Plant sterols have been shown to be cholesterol-reducing agents in human serum. In the present invention, plant sterols, plant stanols, plant sterol esters and other non-toxic sterols are co-crystallized with emulsifiers to form a plant sterol/emulsifier complex or plant stanol/emulsifier complex which can be incorporated into full-fat, reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free and triglyceride-free food products. Plant sterols and plant stanols can be co-crystallized with emulsifiers to produce a blend which has a melting temperature significantly lower than the melting temperature of the plant sterol or plant stanol. Such complexes can be used to incorporate relatively high levels of such sterols/stanols in food products without the adverse organoleptic effect normally associated with the use of such plant sterols and plant stanols.

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First Claim