HK1118173A - Highly aerated confection - Google Patents

Description

Highly aerated confectionery

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a highly aerated fat based confectionery material and a process for its production.

Background

Aerated fat-based confectionery products are well known and there are a large number of international aerated chocolate brands on the market, for example nestle Aero^®And Milka Luflee^®。

In 1935 a method of preparing aerated chocolate was described in GB459583(Rowntree) which involves introducing air or other gas into molten chocolate, for example by using stirring, and then expanding bubbles (bubbles) by reducing the pressure. Cooling the chocolate to solidify it.

Other methods of reducing the density of fat-based confectionery products are now available. Jeffery [ The Manufacturing Confector, 1989, month 11, pages 53-56]Chocolate aeration techniques are outlined. In his introduction, it was noted that the process of aerating chocolate generally reduces its density from 1.3 to 0.4-0.7g/cm³. Furthermore, Jeffery describes a process in which it is carried out while it is being usedAir or other gas is introduced into the fat phase as it is cooled and crystallized. Although this generally reduces the density to 0.7-0.8g/cm³However, he found that by using a 1: 1 mixture of glyceryl monostearate and soy lecithin in the chocolate, it was possible to achieve as low as 0.2g/cm³The density of (c).

US4272558 discloses a process for producing a foamed chocolate (cellular chocolate), wherein gas is introduced into the chocolate under pressure. When the pressure is released, bubbles form in the chocolate, which then solidifies by cooling.

Different gases may be introduced into the chocolate. EP0575070 (page 4, lines 27-28) teaches that nitrogen produces finer bubbles in chocolate than carbon dioxide does. When nitrogen or air is used to create small bubbles that are not readily detectable to the naked eye, this is sometimes referred to as microaeration. A method of using such micro aerated chocolate as a coating is described in WO 0064269.

In EP 0230763 (Morinaga)&Co), the process combines the introduction of gas by stirring with cooling and expansion under reduced pressure. Air, N may be used₂Or CO₂. The density of the confectionery product made by the method is between 0.23 and 0.48g/cm³In the meantime. EP 0230763 describes when its density is less than 0.23g/cm³When this happens, large voids appear in the aerated chocolate and the product is so brittle that it cannot retain its shape.

GB 1490814 describes "reverse phase" aerated chocolate in which the continuous phase is sugar glass. The density of the obtained product is 0.1-0.3 g/cm³However, the sugar glass produces a crunchy texture that is not characteristic of chocolate.

Some aerated chocolate products can produce a dry sensation in the mouth. However, for lower density aerated chocolate, there is only a very small amount of material in the mouth and therefore it melts rapidly. This overcomes the problem of dry mouthfeel.

There is a need to find a method of producing a fat-based confectionery product with a continuous fat phase which is highly aerated (lower density than existing aerated products) but has an essentially uniform structure without large voids. These articles should have a soft, melting texture and, despite their very low density, should be sufficiently stable to retain their shape and shape to provide articles with improved appearance and structure.

Summary of The Invention

The present invention relates to highly aerated fat-based aerated confectionery materials and methods for their production. Said material having a very low density, less than 0.2g/cm³And at least equal to 0.1g/cm³And has improved soft texture and sensory properties. In this process, nitrogen is introduced into the fat-based aerated confectionery material at elevated pressure, the material is allowed to settle (dispose) at reduced pressure and then allowed to expand further by reducing the pressure even further as the material cools.

Drawings

Figure 1 shows slices of tomographic CT data of chocolate products produced according to example 1, comparing the effect of using nitrogen and using carbon dioxide.

Figure 2 shows a highly aerated chocolate of the invention, aerated with nitrogen and sandwiched between two wafers.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to a fat-based confectionery material having a continuous fat phase and a process for its production. In the present invention, "fat-based confectionery material" is understood to mean dark, milk or white chocolate, or chocolate analogues containing, inter alia; milk fat, milk fat substitute,Cocoa butter replacers (cocoa butter replacer), cocoa butter replacers (cocoa butter substitee), cocoa butter equivalents (cocoa butter equivalent), non-metabolizable fats (non-metabolizable fat), or any mixture thereof; or Caramac sold by nests^®(ii) it contains non-cocoa butter fat, sugar and milk; nut pastes such as peanut butter and fat; and/or praline. The fat-based confectionery material may comprise sugar, milk-derived ingredients, fats and solids from vegetable or cocoa sources, or any other common ingredients for chocolate, such as lecithin, for example in varying proportions.

The pressure unit herein is bar, where 1bar equals 100,000 Pa. In everyday use, pressure is usually measured with reference to atmospheric pressure; namely: "gauge pressure". For example, if one says that their car tyres are pressurised up to 2.3bar, they are actually referred to as bar gauge: the pressure in the tyre is in fact 3.3bar, but only 2.3bar above atmospheric pressure. For convenience, all pressures herein are given as absolute pressures unless otherwise indicated. Thus, 0bar is a complete vacuum, whereas atmospheric pressure is about 1 bar. For small pressures, units of mbar are used, of which 1000mbar is 1 bar.

In the present invention, a fat-based confectionery material having a continuous fat phase is "highly aerated", that is to say the material is of low density. The material contains a number of gas-filled bubbles and the proportion of gas volume in the product is very high. However, the material of the present invention has a stable structure: it does not break or crumble when taken up by hand, it retains its shape and can be sandwiched between wafers or moulded in a chocolate shell.

Fat-based confectionery material with a continuous fat phase having a very low density, below 0.2g/cm is disclosed³And at least equal to 0.1g/cm³. Preferably, the density is comprised between 0.15 and 0.19g/cm³Between 0.17 and 0.19g/cm, even more preferably³In the meantime. This means that 84-92% of the volume is gas. The average bubble diameter is 0.3 to 0.7mm, preferably 0.4 to 0.6mm, in terms of practiceMeasured by the method described in example 3. Although some bubbles may be interconnected, less than 10% of the volume is occupied by large voids, preferably up to 8%. Large voids are understood to mean volumes greater than 9mm³The voids of (a).

The fat-based confectionery material with a continuous fat phase of the present invention differs from any known confectionery product in appearance and organoleptic properties. In fact, the material is lighter in colour than its non-aerated version equivalent and looks more like a baked product such as a cake than a traditional aerated chocolate product.

It is known that carbon dioxide produces large bubbles when aerating chocolate and nitrogen produces microscopic aeration. This has led some to attempt to minimize the density of fat-based confectionery products with carbon dioxide. Surprisingly, we have found that by introducing N under pressure₂And then applying reduced pressure as the confectionery material cools, we can produce confectionery materials with this attractive cake-like structure. In addition, the confectionery material has unique properties including a silky texture, a very soft mouth feel and a very rapid melting. Replacing nitrogen with carbon dioxide gave a failed result because the material contained large voids and its density could not be significantly reduced without the resulting material collapsing.

Other gases may produce results equivalent to those obtained with nitrogen. These include air and argon, both of which produce a microaerated structure when chocolate is aerated under pressure (for example using the method of US 4272558). Without wishing to be bound by theory, we believe this is due to the solubility of the gas in chocolate. For example, nitrogen, air and argon all produce microaerated structures and have lower solubility in chocolate than carbon dioxide and nitric oxide, all of which lead to macroscopic aeration.

The highly aerated fat based confectionery material with a continuous fat phase of the invention may be used as such or may be moulded in a chocolate shell, used as a layer between wafers (figure 2), or for example as a filling for other products.

A method of producing a highly aerated fat-based confectionery material having a continuous fat phase is also disclosed. The method introduces a gas into a confectionery material having a continuous fat phase at an elevated pressure, expands the confectionery material at a lower pressure, and then applies a further lower pressure as the confectionery material cools and solidifies.

In a first step, a fat-based confectionery material having a continuous fat phase is aerated by dissolving nitrogen or an equivalent gas (e.g. air or argon) using elevated pressure. The fat-based confectionery material has a temperature of 22 ℃ to 42 ℃, preferably 25 ℃ to 37 ℃, more preferably 27 ℃ to 33 ℃. For a tempering fat based confectionery, the material will have been tempered. The elevated pressure is preferably 1.5 to 50bar, more preferably 2 to 10bar, even more preferably 3 to 8 bar. While still under pressure, the materials were mixed to introduce nitrogen as dispersed bubbles and/or dissolved gas that were not visible to the naked eye. The fat-based confectionery material with a continuous fat phase is then expanded by being discharged at a lower pressure, typically atmospheric pressure. Depending on the type of product contemplated, the fat-based confectionery material with a continuous fat phase may be discharged in various forms, such as into a mold, or placed in a layer between wafers. At this time, the density of the material is 0.6-1.0 g/cm³。

In a second step, the molten pre-aerated confectionery material with a continuous fat phase is allowed to cool and solidify under reduced pressure. The temperature in the vacuum chamber is preferably between-10 ℃ and 20 ℃, more preferably between 12 ℃ and 16 ℃, and the pressure is preferably between 1 and 100mbar, more preferably between 10 and 80 mbar. During this step, the small nitrogen or equivalent gas bubbles increase in size and the confectionery material expands to as low as 0.1-0.2 g/cm³The density of (c). This means that 84% to 92% of the volume is enclosed gas. Once the confectionery material has solidified sufficiently to retain a solid structure,it can be returned to atmospheric pressure and removed from the cooling system. Typically, this second step takes 15 to 20 minutes.

Optionally, during the first 2 to 5 minutes of the cooling process, the pressure may be increased and then reduced again. This is particularly effective for obtaining lower densities. For example, the pressure may be reduced to 20mbar during the first 2 minutes of cooling, held for 10 seconds, then raised to atmospheric pressure, and then reduced again to 20 mbar.

Examples

The invention will now be described with reference to the following examples, which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Example 1: effect of different gases

A milk chocolate refined to a d90 of 30 μm (90% by weight of the particles are less than 30 μm) and having 30.5% total fat, 45.5% sugar and 0.46% lecithin and 0.50% polyglycerol polyricinoleate as emulsifier and tempered with R&Grade D Mondomix^TMInflation system model a05 inflates it. A series of three different gases were used. Mondomix^TMThe unit is arranged as follows:

cylinder head pressure: 10bar gauge pressure

Mondomix^TMInput pressure: 8bar gauge pressure

Setting the mixing head pressure: 7bar gauge pressure

Actual mixing head pressure: 6bar gauge pressure

Gas flow rate: 120 on a rotameter (about 20l/hr)

Chocolate flow rate: 419g/min when the chocolate density is 0.8 g/ml.

Pump speed: 300rpm

Mixing head speed: 200rpm

Chocolate temperature: 28.2 deg.C

Using Mondomix^TMThe aerated chocolate produced was placed in a mould and then transferred to a vacuum oven equipped with a 10 ℃ water cooling system. Once the chocolate was in the tank, the pressure was reduced to 20mbar, causing the chocolate to expand further. The chocolate was held in a vacuum oven at a pressure of 20mbar for 20 minutes during which time the chocolate temperature had dropped to 13 ℃ and the chocolate had solidified.

The chocolate was removed from the vacuum box and its density was measured by water displacement (averaging 5 values). Recording the mass (m) of aerated chocolate_f) Placed in a glass filled with water at 20 ℃ and plugged with a stopper. Recording the mass as m_a. The mass (m) of the container filled with water alone is also recorded_c). The density of water at 20 ℃ is known to be 0.998gcm^-3[ Lide D.R. (eds.). Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 80^thVersion, CRC Press, 1999]The density of the aerated chocolate was calculated as follows,

wherein: rho_wIs the density of water (gcm)^-3)，m_fIs the mass (g) of the aerated chocolate.

This procedure was carried out three timesWherein different gases are fed to Mondomix^TMPerforming the following steps; carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon. For both nitrogen and argon, Mondomix was vented^TMThe aerated chocolate of (a) contains fine bubbles, which are not easily detectable with the naked eye. In the case of carbon dioxide, Mondomix is discharged^TMThe aerated chocolate of (a) contains larger bubbles that are easily visible.

For carbon dioxide, the chocolate produced at the end of the process has an open, brittle structure, the final chocolate density being 0.320g/cm³. The aerated chocolate produced at the end of the process using nitrogen had a consistency of 0.180g/cm³Low density, but strong structure. The aerated chocolate produced at the end of the process using argon was very similar to that produced using nitrogen, and its density was measured to be 0.178g/cm³。

Example 2

The procedure of example 1 was repeated with milk chocolate having a fat content of 37.5% and a sugar content of 41%, but with 0.46% lecithin as the only emulsifier. The gas used was nitrogen. The final density reached was 0.188g/cm³。

Example 3

The mean bubble size of the chocolate in example 1 was measured by tomography. This is a non-destructive and non-invasive technique, so that the microstructure of the aerated chocolate sample can be detected without having to physically cut the chocolate into sections, which can destroy its structure. The instrument used was a 3 rd generation cone beam X-ray CT (Department of Soil Science, the university of Reading) scanner, described in Jenneson et al (2002) [ Jenneson PM, Gilboy WB, Morton EJ, Gregory, PJ, 2002, An X-ray micro-tomophysys optimized for the low-dose student of observing organization, applied radiation and Isotips 58: p.177-181 ]. The attenuation of X-rays (source: Oxford XTF5011) in a cone beam (0.1Gy dose) was measured by passing them through a chocolate column (diameter 2.1cm, length 2.6cm) using an image intensifier (Hamamatsu, C7336). The chocolate bars were reconstructed in 100 μm slices with the relative attenuation values using built-in software (fan-beam-logic filtered-back projection algorithm, Barrett and Swindell, 1981[ Barrett, HH and Swindell W, 1981, radial imaging. New York: Academic Press, p. 307-398 ]).

By Image Pro^TMThe Plus software (Media Cybernetics, Silver Spring, MD20910, USA) uses the reconstructed slices to visualize the bubble cross-section to determine the bubble cross-sectional area and diameter. The cross-sectional diameter of the bubble so measured does not represent the true bubble diameter, as the bubble may be cut off-center at any cross-section. The cross-sectional diameter may therefore be smaller than the diameter of a spherical bubble. However, such cross-sectional analysis of bubbles at various cross-sections correlates with the sensory response of the article. Calibrating Image-Pro with a micrometer^TMPlus (Version 4.5) program to determine the number of pixels per measurement length of the micrometer. The diameter of each bubble cross section is then determined by the software. For each processing condition, 5 independent cross sections (height 0.2, 0.6, 1, 1.4 and 1.8cm) were examined, each having 1.65cm²To determine the total average bubble cross-sectional diameter, the standard deviation related to the bubble size dispersion (size spread), the number of bubbles.

Figure 1 shows a tomographic image of chocolate of example 1. Chocolate aerated with nitrogen is on the left and chocolate aerated with carbon dioxide is on the right.

Claims (12)

1. A highly aerated fat-based confectionery material having a continuous fat phase characterised in that the material has a density of less than 0.2g/cm³And at least equal to 0.1g/cm³It retains its shape and can be shaped.

2. A highly aerated fat based confectionery material with a continuous fat phase according to claim 1 wherein the mean bubble cross-sectional diameter is from 0.3 to 0.7 mm.

3. A highly aerated fat based confectionery material with a continuous fat phase as claimed in claim 2 wherein less than 10% by volume is greater than 3mm³Is occupied by the void.

4. A highly aerated fat based confectionery material according to claims 1-3 wherein 80-100% of the fat phase is cocoa butter and milk fat.

5. A confectionery product consisting of or having a part consisting of a highly aerated confectionery material according to claims 1 to 4.

6. An ice cream product comprising a highly aerated confectionery material according to claims 1 to 5.

7. The production density is 0.1-0.2 g/cm³A highly aerated confectionery material characterised by the steps of:

1) aerating the confectionery material by dispersing and/or dissolving nitrogen or equivalent gas with an elevated pressure, and then reducing the pressure to obtain bubbles in the confectionery material of a size not readily detectable by the naked eye,

2) further reducing the pressure of the aerated confectionery material, thereby causing the small bubbles to expand, an

3) Solidifying the confectionery material by cooling while maintaining the reduced pressure.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the temperature of the confectionery material used in step 1) is from 22 ℃ to 42 ℃, preferably from 25 ℃ to 37 ℃, more preferably from 27 ℃ to 33 ℃.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein the elevated pressure used in step 1) is 1.5-50bar, preferably 2-10bar, more preferably 3-8 bar.

10. The method of claims 7-9, wherein the confectionery material has a continuous fat phase.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the confectionery material is tempered.

12. The process of claims 7-11, wherein the pressure is reduced in step 2) to 1-100mbar, more preferably 10-80 mbar.