Described herein is a food product comprising a solid chocolate body (2) having an outer surface. The product is characterized in that it comprises a closed wafer shell (4), containing said chocolate body (2) inside it.

The invention relates to a reduced-sugar fat-based confectionery composition and to a process for the manufacture of said fat-based confectionery composition. The invention also relates to the use of sucrose having a small particle size distribution D90 and bulking agents for reducing the sugar and/or calories in fat-based confectionery compositions. It also covers the fat-based compositions obtained from the process and the use of said fat-based composition in food products.

A shelf-stable mousse comprising (i) an aerated fat-free composition of a protein whipping agent, water and a sugar syrup, which composition is in admixture with (ii) at least one of a fat-containing substance; wherein the mousse has a water activity of less than 0.75, a hardness of less than 0.8N (measured as the force required to insert a probe to a depth of 7 mm into the mousse), and a loss factor tan δ value of greater than 0.95.

Provided are roasted cacao beans with high total polyphenol content and reduced bitterness and the like, and a method for roasting raw cacao beans. Roasted cacao beans are obtained by roasting raw cacao beans in a state in which the pressure has been reduced below atmospheric pressure by heating for a prescribed period using microwaves so that the bean surface temperature reaches a temperature in the range of 50-90° C. The microwave heating time is preferably in the range of five to ten minutes.

A method for the production of a product mass, in particular a chocolate mass, as a basic mass for foodstuffs, with a plurality of ingredients and a recipe total fat content, using a conching device with a conching container, which can be opened and closed hermetically sealed. The method includes filling of the conching container with a low-fat partial mass, which includes at least a part of the plurality of ingredients and has a fat content which is smaller than the recipe total fat content. Furthermore, the method includes a first conching of the low-fat partial mass with a closed conching container and second conching of the low-fat partial mass with an opened conching container with simultaneous active drying of the low-fat partial mass. Before the second conching, the method includes an addition of a further part of the plurality of ingredients to the low-fat partial mass until a fat content is reached in the range from approximately 11% to approximately 17%. The method also includes liquefaction of the partial mass while adding the rest of the plurality of ingredients and mixing the latter with the low-fat partial mass to form a total mass representing the product mass, which at least essentially includes the recipe total fat content.

Provided are an oil or fat based confectionery having the original pleasant flavor of a functional ingredient, and a method for producing the oil or fat based confectionery. The oil or fat based confectionery is an oil or fat based confectionery that includes a functional food containing a functional ingredient having at least one of bitterness and astringency, and an oil or fat having a solid fat content (SFC) of 70% or more at 25° C. and a SFC of less than 15% at 35° C.; has a granularity of 30 μm or less; has a content of the functional food of 8% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less and a content of sucrose of less than 24% by mass with respect to the oil or fat based confectionery as a whole; and contains no milk ingredient.

A conching apparatus having: a container, which forms an accommodating space for a product mass, a shaft, which is accommodated, at least in part, in the container and is designed to rotate about its longitudinal axis, and at least one conching tool, which is coupled to the shaft for joint rotation therewith, the conching tool therefore, during conching operation of the conching apparatus, moving in a first direction of circulation along a circulatory path. The conching tool here includes an operative surface, which is directed towards the inner wall of the container and is designed such that a radial gap between the inner wall of the container and the operative surface decreases, at least in part, counter to the first direction of circulation. The invention also relates to a method for conching a product mass.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cacao bean-derived food material showing little oil seepage and various foods using the same. A composition having a particle size distribution in the range of 10 μm to 1.5 mm and containing undisrupted cacao bean cells is provided. A composition containing undisrupted cacao bean cells, which has a free fat content ratio of 60% by weight or lower based on oil content is also provided. A composition containing 30% or more of undisrupted cells in cacao bean cells is further provided. A composition containing undisrupted cacao bean cells, which has a breaking strength of 3 kgf or lower is further provided.

A confection mold conveying system and methods for manufacturing of confection products, the system including a first conveyor segment and a second conveyor segment. The first conveyor segment has a first pusher bar and a series of spaced apart first pusher fingers extending therefrom. The first pusher fingers are oriented to engage confection mold trays while the first pusher bar is translated in a first direction. The first pusher fingers are re-oriented to avoid engagement with the confection mold trays while the first pusher bar is translated in a second direction opposite the first direction. The second conveyor segment receives the confection mold trays from the first conveyor segment and can include a first rotatable shaft with a first helical channel to receive a first tab of one of the confection mold trays. Rotation of the rotatable shaft thereby continuously advances the respective confection mold tray in the first direction.

Provided herein are exemplary embodiments including a computing device comprising a processor, a memory and a display, the computing device being configured to dynamically display a specific, structured interactive graphical user interface paired with a prescribed functionality directly related to the interactive graphical user interface's structure, the specific structured interactive graphical user interface configured to receive input information including an entry of a desired type of food to be prepared, and a desired characteristic of the food, the computing device processor automatically generating a food preparation parameter based on the received input information, and the computing device processor automatically generating a custom recipe for preparation of the food. Additionally, the specific structured interactive graphical user interface may be configured to receive an entry to modify the food preparation parameter or the custom recipe.