WO2010084487A1

WO2010084487A1 - Tomato based partial salt replacer for oil based food products

Info

Publication number: WO2010084487A1
Application number: PCT/IL2010/000046
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ehud Zach; Zohar Nir
Original assignee: Lycored Ltd
Current assignee: Lycored Ltd
Priority date: 2009-01-21
Filing date: 2010-01-19
Publication date: 2010-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-21

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for applying a salt-reducing and/or flavor-enhancing tomato derivative to oil-based mixtures and/or to low water activity food products, comprising the steps of forming a mixture of said tomato derivative with salt, stabilizing said mixture by means of the addition of lipids and/or stabilizers and adding the stable slurry thereby formed to said mixtures and/or products.

Description

Tomato based partial salt replacer for oil based food products

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the use of salt, tomato derivatives and/or flavor compounds in order to reduce sodium content of foodstuffs while preventing the softening of crisp food products following the addition of tomato-based preparations or flavoring agents.

Background of the Invention

Salt (sodium chloride) is widely used in the food industry for enhancing flavor and as a functional ingredient. The sodium which makes up 38-40% of the salt compound plays an essential role in the human body in maintenance of cellular fluid balance and in nerve and muscle function. However, while sodium is an essential component of the diet, excessive sodium intake can negatively affect blood pressure and cardiovascular health. A single serving (100 g) of many foods will provide 10%-150% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of sodium. One can consume more than 4 times their daily sodium allowance with just one serving of a variety of common foods. Processed foods, from soups and sauces to breakfast cereals and snacks, may contribute up to 75% of a person's daily sodium intake. Health concerns mandate that sodium consumption in the diet be reduced, and therefore, it is incumbent upon food manufacturers to find a way to reduce the salt content in their products without sacrificing taste and flavor.

The present inventors have previously discovered that a tomato serum concentrate (also referred to elsewhere as a clear tomato concentrate (CTC) ) may be used as a flavor enhancer (US 6,890,574) and also to reduce the amount of salt or sodium in a food product without adversely affecting the flavor of said product (co-owned, co-pending international patent application no. PCT/IL2009/000207, published as WO 2009/104194) .

However, it has been found that the direct addition of tomato derivatives such as tomato serum concentrates, clear tomato concentrate (CTC) or flavor compounds to food products with low water content and/or low water activity such as potato chips or other snack product and baked products, causes said product to lose its typical crisp texture. The product thus becomes pliable, soft and mushy.

A need for an industrial-scale solution to the problem of preserving the desired texture of snack foods following the addition of tomato-based preparations or other flavor compounds therefore exists.

It is thus a primary purpose of the present invention to provide a method for preserving the crisp texture of snack foods during and after the addition of tomato-based products thereto during the manufacturing process.

Another key objective of the invention is to provide a method for reducing the salt and sodium levels of snack foods and other food products while not negatively affecting either the normal flavor or saltiness or the crisp texture of said foods.

A still further purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing the free-water activity of CTC/tomato based products or derivatives, thereby creating conditions that prevent the growth of microorganisms thus obviating the need to incorporate a sterilization or aseptization step in the manufacturing process. A further, indirect, benefit that accrues from the reduction of free-water content is the prevention or reduction in off-flavor formation which often occurs during said sterilization or aseptization process.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention uses common salt (sodium chloride) to bind the free water in tomato-derived extracts and derivatives, su^'ch as CTC, prior to adding it to the food product thus lowering its water activity. However a technical problem encountered in this process is the readiness with which the tomato derivative-salt mixture undergoes separation. The present invention provides a solution to this problem by means of stabilizing the tomato derivative-salt mixture (or 'conjugate' ) by the addition of food grade lipids, stabilizers and emulsifiers to form a uniform and stable slurry. This flavor-enhancing and salt-reducing slurry can then be applied to oil based products and to oil slurries that are used in the snack industry, enabling reduction of salt without changing the original flavor of said products.

The present invention is thus primarily directed to a method for applying a salt-reducing and/or flavor-enhancing tomato derivative, and/or other flavor compounds, to oil-based mixtures such as oil slurries or directly to low water activity food products, comprising the steps of forming a mixture of said tomato derivative with salt, stabilizing said mixture by means of the addition of food grade lipids and/or stabilizers and/or -A-

emulsifiers and adding the stable slurry thereby formed to said oil-based mixtures such as oil slurries or directly to food products .

In one preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the tomato derivative is a tomato serum concentrate having a concentration of between 4.5 and 80 Bx.

In one preferred embodiment, the oil-based food product is a product having a crisp texture, such as a fried snack food (e.g. potato crisps/chips) . In another preferred embodiment, the food product is a baked product (e.g. crackers) .

In one particularly preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the tomato derivative is a tomato serum concentrate or clear tomato concentrate (CTC) .

In another particularly preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the oil-based mixture or slurry is added to a product normally possessing a marked salty flavor, and said method is used in order to reduce the total amount of sodium chloride added to said product without affecting its normal salty flavor.

In one preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the tomato derivative has been hydrolyzed or treated enzymatically to enhance its flavor properties.

In another preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, ribonucleotides (particularly IMP, AMP, GMP) or flavor compounds containing large quantities of said ribonucleotides, yeast extracts, MSG or other flavorings or flavor enhancers have been added to the tomato derivative or to the slurry.

In a further preferred embodiment, the foodstuff in which the slurry is used to reduce salt or sodium content or deliver an enhanced flavor compound is selected from the group consisting of sauces, condiments, seasonings, marinades, dips, spreads, salad dressings , dried meats, dried fish, fish or meat based products and beverages.

In other preferred embodiments, the slurry is encapsulated or ensconced within gelatin, starches, starch derivatives, maltodextrins, sugars, corn syrup solids or gums.

In other preferred embodiments, the tomato derivative has been dried, dried on a suitable carrier, spray dried or encapsulated. Alternatively, the tomato derivative may be in the form of a powder .

In still other preferred embodiments of the presently-disclosed method, the tomato derivative or other flavoring compound, has been combined with an emulsifying agent, lipid, food grade fat or oil. Alternatively, the tomato derivative may be provided as a tomato or tomato seed oil or vinegar.

In another alternative embodiment of the above-disclosed method, the tomato derivative may be replaced by other vegetable derivates, for instance mushroom, pepper, seaweed or derivates from fresh, dried or preserved fish, shell fish, meats, bones or other meat by-products. The present invention is also directed to food products whose process of manufacture incorporates the method of the present invention.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a flavoring composition comprising a salt-tomato derivative conjugate and at least one oil and/or stabilizing and/or emulsifying agent.

The term "salt-tomato derivative conjugate" (and similar terms) used above and throughout this disclosure refers to an intimate mixture of the two components. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the free water in the tomato derivate becomes bound to the salt.

The oil used in the aforementioned flavoring composition may be any suitable food-grade oil or hydrogenated oil commonly used in food manufacture. In one preferred embodiment, however, the oil used is sunflower oil.

Many different types of stabilizing agent may be incorporated into the flavoring composition of the present invention. However, in one preferred embodiment, the stabilizing agent is a monoglyceride .

Many different types of emulsifying agents may be incorporated into the flavoring composition of the present invention. However, in some preferred embodiments, the emulsifying agents are lecithin, monoglycerides and triglycerides.

All the above and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the following ,

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illustrative and non-limitative examples of preferred embodiments thereof.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

As disclosed hereinabove, the method of the present invention may be used to reduce the salt and sodium content of a normally salty, crisp food product without adversely affecting either the salty flavor or the crisp texture of said product. This aim is achieved by means of the following steps:

1. Binding of the free water molecules in tomato derivatives to very fine salt in order to lower the water activity thereof.

2. Mixing the above salt-tomato derivative mixture with lipids stabilizers and emulsifiers and\or other flavoring compounds in order to prepare a uniform and stable slurry.

3. Applying the slurry as a salt and taste enhancer and/or replacer, to oil based mixture such as oil slurries and directly to crispy food products used mainly (but not exclusively) in the salty snack and baking industry.

In addition to the primary aim of this method - i.e. to reduce the sodium chloride of crisp oil-based food products without affecting the salty flavor or texture - said method also provides said food products with certain other advantages. One such advantage is the reduction or prevention of bacterial growth • in the tomato serum concentrate containing seasoning slurry as a result of lowering of the water activity of said slurry due to the addition of salt thereto. A further advantage, which is in fact secondary to the reduction or prevention of microbial growth, is the reduced generation of off-flavors which typically occurs in materials used in the manufacture of food products as a result of subjecting said materials to sterilization and aseptization techniques. Thus, m the case of the method of the present invention, there is no need for such sterilization techniques, as a consequence of the aforementioned effect of reducing water activity below 0.6 and hence preventing microbial growth.

The process for producing a 4.5-80⁰Bx tomato serum concentrate that is suitable for use in working the present invention is described in US 6,890,574, which is incorporated in its entirety into the present disclosure. Briefly, tomatoes are processed (as described in US 5,837,311), in order to obtain two fractions - a tomato serum and a pulp. Following heat treatment, the serum is then concentrated to a Brix level higher than 4.5°, for example 60°Bx.

It is to be noted that the clear (i.e. non-opaque) property of the tomato derivative (which relates to the absence of insoluble tomato solids) is apparent only when it has a Brix value of about 4.5°. At higher levels (including the 60⁰Bx level as used in the CTC of the present invention) , the product becomes opaque.

The following examples are provided for illustrative purposes and in order to more particularly explain and describe the present invention. The present invention, however, is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed in the examples.

Example 1

Preparation of an oil-based composition containing clear tomato concentrate (CTC) , salt and oil

The materials used for preparing the composition are as follows: - LycoRed Clear Tomato Concentrate in liquid form

- Very fine table salt.

- Sunflower oil.

- Distilled monoglycerides : Myverol 18-04, (Kerry Bio- science, Tralee, Ireland) .

Soy lecithin

- Glycerol Mono Stearate

- Tri Glycerol Mono Stearate

- Tri Glycerol Mono Oleate

The composition is prepared according to the following method:

1. Add 50% CTC and 50% fine salt and stir under vacuum while heating to 80-90⁰C.

2. Prepare a mixture of 8% Myverol, 1.6% lecithin, 4% Glycerol Mono Stearate, 4% Tri Glycerol Mono Stearate and 2% Tn Glycerol Mono Oleate in sunflower oil by stirring and heating to 90- 100⁰C, until the lipids are completely melted.

3. Add 25% of 2 to 75% of 1 and stir until the blend is uniform.

4. Allow the mixture to cool down while stirring to 15-20⁰C, in order to obtain a uniform, stable and spreadable blend.

5. Transfer the spreadable blend to a storage container and seal it well.

The composition prepared according to this method comprises the mam components at the following concentrations:

25% lipids

37.5% salt

37.5% Clear Tomato Concentrate. The composition prepared according to the foregoing method may be used in the following manner in order to provide a reduced- salt seasoning for an oil-based salty snack food:

1. A slurry for a salty snack seasoning may contains ingredients as follows: hot (60⁰C) oil or partially hydrogenated oil, seasoning, salt

2. Pump or add the mixture of the conjugated CTC (as prepared according to the foregoing description) into the oil slurry while continuously agitating said slurry.

3. The amount of salt level of the seasoning slurry should be reduced such that the salt concentration of the finished product is lowered by 25-50% (including the amount of salt in the CTC- salt conjugate) .

Example 2 Typical slurry formulation containing CTC and salt

The following table provides a typical seasoning slurry formulation containing salt-conjugated CTC for low water activity product applications:

Examplβ 3

Tomato based flavor and salt: enhancer for oil slurry sprayed on low water activity products

The following table provides the weight percentage composition of a stabilized CTC-salt conjugate that may be used to coat food products. This stabilized conjugate has two distinct advantages over prior art formulations used in this field: firstly, the formulation does not cause crisp texture food products to become soggy or soft when applied thereto; secondly, the presence of CTC as a major component of the formulation permits the total amount of sodium chloride present in the food product to be reduced without altering the natural saltiness of said product and without affecting the finished product taste.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that the invention may be carried out in practice by skilled persons with many modifications, variations and adaptations, without departing from its spirit or exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for applying a salt-reducing and/or flavor-enhancing tomato derivative to oil-based mixtures and/or to low water activity food products, comprising the steps of forming ' a mixture of said tomato derivative with salt, stabilizing said mixture by means of the addition of lipids and/or stabilizers, and adding the stable slurry thereby formed to said mixtures and/or products.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tomato derivative is a tomato serum concentrate having a concentration of between 4.5 and 80 Bx.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the low water activity food product is a crisp-textured snack food or baked product .

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tomato derivative has been hydrolyzed or treated enzymatically to enhance its flavor properties.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein ribonucleotides, or flavor compounds containing large quantities thereof, yeast extracts, MSG or other flavorings or flavor enhancers have been added to the tomato derivative or slurry.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the foodstuff in which the slurry is used to reduce salt or sodium content or deliver an enhanced flavor compound is selected from the group consisting of sauces, condiments, seasonings, marinades, dips, spreads, salad dressings , dried meats, dried fish, fish or meat based products and beverages.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the slurry is encapsulated or ensconced within gelatin, starches, starch derivatives, maltodextrins, sugars, corn syrup solids or gums.

8. The method according to claim 1, in which the tomato derivative has been dried, dried on a suitable carrier, spray dried or encapsulated.

9. The method according to claim, wherein the tomato derivative is in the form of a powder.

10. The method, according to claim 1, in which the tomato derivative or other flavoring compound, has been combined with an emulsifying agent, lipid, food grade fat or oil.

11. The method, according to claim 1, in which the tomato derivative is a tomato or tomato seed oil or vinegar.

12. A flavoring composition comprising a salt-tomato derivative conjugate and at least one oil and/or stabilizing agent and/or emulsifying agent.

13. The flavoring composition according to claim 12, wherein the stabilizing agent is a monoglyceride and the emulsifying agents are lecithin monoglycerides and triglycerides.