CONFECTIONERY COMPOSITION

Abstract

A confectionery product having a first portion comprising a fruit and/or nut composition and a binder; a second portion comprising a ganache; and a third portion comprising a chocolate composition. The composition has an indulgent taste while having similar nutritional values to snack bars associated with healthy living.

Claims

1: A confectionery product comprising: a first portion comprising a fruit and/or nut composition and a binder; a second portion comprising a ganache; and a third portion comprising a chocolate composition.

2: The confectionery product according to claim, 1 wherein the ganache is a dark chocolate flavoured ganache.

3: The confectionery product according to claim 1, comprising 55 to 75% of the first portion; 5 to 25% of the second portion; and 10 to 20% of the third portion.

4: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the first portion comprises 60 to 90% of the fruit and/or nut composition, and 10 to 40% of the binder.

5: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the fruit and/or nut composition comprises one or more of: whole and/or partial nuts, nut pastes, whole and/or partial fruits, whole and/or partial dried fruits, and fruit pastes.

6: The confectionery product according to claim 5, wherein the fruit and/or nut composition further comprises one or more of: seeds, legumes, baked and/or unbaked cereals and grains, herbs and spices.

7: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the fruit and/or nut composition comprises almonds and peanuts, and optionally, dried cranberries.

8: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the binder is a syrup, toffee or caramel.

9: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the binder is a syrup and comprises oligofructose, honey, glucose syrup and invert sugar syrup.

10: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the confectionery composition of the second portion comprises one or more of: white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and cocoa liquor.

11: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the confectionery composition of the second portion comprises a sweetener, wherein the sweetener is one or more of: sugars, sugar alcohols, intense sweeteners, and combinations thereof.

12: The confectionery product according to claim 11, wherein the sweetener comprises glucose syrup and invert sugar syrup.

13: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the chocolate composition of the third portion comprises one or more of white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, couverture and compound chocolate.

14: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second portions form a discrete region or a layer of the confectionery product.

15: The confectionery product according to claim 1, wherein the third portion forms a discrete region or a layer of the confectionery product.

16: The confectionery product according to claim 15, wherein the third portion forms a half shoulder enrobing of the confectionery product.

17: The confectionery product according to claim 15, wherein the confectionery product comprises three layers, wherein the second portion is located between the first portion and the third portion.

18: A process for making a confectionery product, the process comprising: forming a first portion comprising a fruit and/or nut composition, and a binder; forming a second portion comprising a confectionery composition; and combining the first and second portions to form an intermediate; applying a chocolate composition to the intermediate to form a third portion.

19: The process according to claim 18, wherein the first and second portions are formed as layers, and optionally, wherein applying the chocolate composition comprises fully or partially coating the intermediate.

20: The process according to claim 18, wherein the confectionery product is a confectionery product comprising: a first portion comprising a fruit and/or nut composition and a binder; a second portion comprising a ganache; and a third portion comprising a chocolate composition.

21: The process according to claim 18, wherein the step of forming the first portion comprises using a first sheeter or roller to form a first layer and, optionally, wherein the first layer has a thickness in the range of 9 mm to 19 mm.

22: The process according to claim 18 wherein the step of forming the second portion comprises using a second sheeter and/or roller to form a second layer and, optionally, wherein the second layer has a thickness in the range 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

23: The process according to claim 18, wherein the process comprises forming the second portion first, and wherein combining the first and second portions comprises forming the first portion directly on the second portion.

24: The process according to claim 18, wherein the first and second layers are formed separately, and wherein combining the first and second layers comprises positioning one of the first and second layers on top of the other of the first and second layers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0075] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0076] FIG. 1 shows a series of confectionery products;

[0077] FIG. 2 is a graph showing the results of a consumer test; and

[0078] FIG. 3 shows a further series of confectionery products.

EXAMPLE 1

[0079] A confectionery product was prepared according to the following method.

[0080] A chocolate flavoured filling, in particular a dark chocolate ganache, was prepared according to the following recipe:

TABLE-US-00001 Ingredient Wt % Dark chocolate mass 19.9% Cocoa Liquor 14.9% Glucose Syrup 44.7% Invert Sugar Syrup 14.9% Anhydrous Milk Fat 5.0% Salt 0.4% Soy lecithin 0.3%

[0081] The ingredients were gently mixed in a Hobart-type mixer at about 40° C. The fat was added first, followed by the emulsifier (lecithin), and then the syrups, chocolate and cocoa were progressively added.

[0082] Separately, two fruit and/or nut compositions (Ex 1. and Ex. 2) were formed by mixing 78 wt % of the dry ingredients with 22 wt % of the binder according to the two following recipes:

TABLE-US-00002 Dry Ingredient (wt %) Ex 1 Ex 2 Nuts-Almonds-Medium Roasted 21.0% 21.0% Chopped roasted almonds 6-9 mm 35.0% 43.0% Nuts-Peanuts-blanched-Roasted Medium-Halves 38.0% 20.0% Protein-Whey-Crisps 6.0% 10.0% Crunchy Cranberries — 6.0%

[0083] The ganache portion was transported to a first sheeter, having a 30-60 cm diameter roller which was cooled to below 0° C., and formed into a planar sheet of approximately 1 mm thickness. The fruit and/or nut compositions were transported to a second sheeter arranged in series and downstream of the first. The fruit and/or nut compositions were formed into a second layer directly on top of the ganache portion to provide two different intermediate products of approximately 14 mm thickness. The intermediate products were cooled for 15-25 minutes as they travelled through a temperature gradient from about 9 to about −5° C., and then cut into strips approximately 29 mm wide. Lastly, the intermediate products were enrobed with a conventional milk chocolate composition to provide a half-shoulder enrobing and thus form a third layer which extended across a face and up the sides of the intermediate products. The ganache portion was thus obscured between the fruit and/or nut composition and the chocolate enrobing. The chocolate composition was allowed to cool and the strips were cut to a length of approximately 100-110 mm to form the finished products with a weight of approximately 40 g.

[0084] Two final confectionery products were produced comprising fruit and/or nut compositions according to either Ex 1 or Ex 2, thereby forming Example Product 1 (EP1) and Example Product 2 (EP2) respectively. EP1 and EP2 had the following proportions:

TABLE-US-00003 Proportion of final product Portion (wt %) Fruit and/or nut composition (Ex 1 or Ex 2) 65% Chocolate flavoured filling 15% Chocolate composition enrobing 20%

[0085] The final confectionery products had the following nutritional properties per 100 g:

TABLE-US-00004 EP 1 EP 2 Kcal 507 491 KJoules 2047 1977 Fat 33 31 Saturated 8 8 Carbs 31 35 Sugar 23 26 Sodium 0 0 Protein 16 14 Fibre 12 12

EXAMPLE 2

[0086] The example products EP 1 and EP 2 were compared against existing confectionery products. Comparative products 1 to 3 are commercially available confectionery products. These products are typically perceived as indulgent treats by consumers. The nutritional data is set out in the table below:

TABLE-US-00005 Comp 1 Comp 2 Comp 3 EP 1 EP 2 Energy, kcal per 430 445 479 507 491 100 g Fat, g 15.5 17 23 33 31 of with sat fat, g 8.1 8.9 9.8 8 8 Carbohydrates, g 65 64.5 60 31 35 of which sugar, g 41.5 37.5 45 23 26 Fibre, g 4.5 4.8 2.5 12 12 Protein, g 5.4 6.1 7.3 16 14 Salt, g 0.57 0.63 0.45 0 0

[0087] EP1 and EP2 were found to provide similar consumer enjoyment to the comparative products 1 to 3. It was also noted that both EP 1 and EP2 had similar calorific characteristics as the comparative products, but had significantly lower levels of sugar. Similarly, EP 1 and EP2 both had higher levels of unsaturated ‘healthy’ fats, due to the increased nut content of the confectionery products.

[0088] EP1 and EP 2 were then compared with other commercially available products that are perceived as “healthy living” snacking products. Comparative products 4 and 5 are commercially available snack bar products.

TABLE-US-00006 Comp 4 Comp 5 EP 1 EP 2 Energy, kcal per 493 464 507 491 100 g Fat, g 37 24 33 31 of with sat fat, g 8.1 9.5 8 8 Carbohydrates, g 40 45.5 31 35 of which sugar, g 14 22 23 26 Fibre, g 18 13 12 12 Protein, g 14 10.1 16 14 Salt, g 0.87 0.79 0 0

[0089] EP 1 and EP 2 were shown to have comparable sugar and saturated fat content as the commercially available products, and had a similar perception of healthiness with consumers.

EXAMPLE 3

[0090] During the development process, the inventors tested 6 different prototype products, A to E, as shown in FIG. 1. The compositions are set out in the table below in percentage by weight (wt %) of the final prototype product:

TABLE-US-00007 A Milk chocolate 36.4%; Nut mix and decoration comprising whole roasted almonds 21.7%, peanuts 19.7%, binder 11.9% (comprising inuline, honey, glucose syrup, flavourings and additives), rice/corn crisp 2.7%; and Praline comprising chocolate mass 6.4%, roasted hazelnut 5.3%, whole roasted almond 2.3%. B Milk chocolate 25%; Nut mix and decoration comprising whole roasted almonds 35.8%, chopped hazelnuts 10.7%, binder 11% (comprising inuline, honey, glucose syrup, flavourings and additives), rice/corn crisp 2.5%; and Ganache comprising dark chocolate (70% cacao) 6.9%, Invert sugar syrup 6.0%, milk fat <1%, water <1%. C Milk chocolate 25%; Nut mix and decoration comprising whole roasted almonds 35.8%, chopped hazelnuts 10.7%, binder 11% (comprising inuline, honey, glucose syrup, flavourings and additives), rice/corn crisp 2.5%; and Milk chocolate caramel comprising invert sugar syrup 7.1%, white chocolate mass 6%, milk chocolate <1%, milk fat <1%, water <1%. D Milk chocolate 35%; Nut mix and decoration comprising whole roasted almonds 38.4%, chopped hazelnuts 11.8%, binder 12.1% (comprising inuline, honey, glucose syrup, flavourings and additives), rice/corn crisp 2.8%. E Milk chocolate 20%; Nuts mix comprising whole roasted almonds 23.7%, peanuts 23.7%, binder 14.3% (comprising inuline, honey, glucose syrup, flavourings and additives), rice/corn crisp 3.3%; and Ganache comprising dark chocolate (70% cacao) 6.9%, Invert sugar syrup 6.0%, milk fat <1%, water <1%. F Milk chocolate 32%; Nuts mix comprising whole roasted almonds 14%, peanuts 14%, binder 8.8% (comprising inuline, honey, glucose syrup, flavourings and additives), rice/corn crisp 1.9%; and Confectionery rope comprising binder 8.8%, rice/corn crisp 3.2%.

[0091] A panel of 32 consumers was then asked to compare the 6 prototypes A to F and score them from 1 to 5 according to their liking of the product and their perception of its healthiness. The results are plotted in the graph in FIG. 2. The results showed that prototype E, comprising a ganache layer, was the preferred option with the consumers and had the second highest score for healthiness. Products E and F had the highest scores for perceived healthiness, due in part to a high proportion of visible whole nuts. Prototype E was then referred for further development.

EXAMPLE 4

[0092] The inventors then carried out a further series of tests with the compositions as set out in the table below:

TABLE-US-00008 G Ganache 1: Hidden ganache layer with visible nut layer of chopped almonds, chopped hazelnuts and crispies H Praline 1 - praline upper layer (50% nut butter; 50% milk chocolate) of approx. 1-2 mm thick on top of a nut layer comprising almonds and 10% crispies (milder nut taste) I Base of mixed nuts (chopped almonds and chopped hazelnuts) with caramel rope in the centre J Ganache 2 - Hidden ganache layer with visible nut layer of almonds (50% whole; 50% chopped), chopped hazelnuts and crispies K Praline 2 - praline upper layer (50% nut butter; 50% milk chocolate) of approx. 1-2 mm thick on top of a nut layer comprising almonds, hazelnuts and 6% crispies (stronger nut taste) L G or J nut layer with no Ganache

[0093] This trial was devised in order to identify the drivers of consumer liking. For example: L was compared against G to determine the effect of ganache on consumer perception; G was compared against J to determine the impact of almond size on the eating experience (i.e. how hard is it to chew); and H was compared against K to determine the flavour profile preference between almond and a mix of almond and hazelnuts.

[0094] Prototypes G and J comprised a chocolate ganache layer positioned between a first layer of a fruit and nut composition and a chocolate composition.

[0095] A panel of 50 consumers was then asked to compare the 6 prototypes G to L and score them from 1 to 9 on a range of criteria. Prototypes G and J comprising the ganache layer performed the best with the highest scores for being liked as well as having a healthy perception. Products containing a praline performed the least well. Prototype I was polarising—while it was largely popular with the consumers it was not perceived as healthy or being “better for you” than the alternative products, which was also supported by the nutritional data for this product which comprises 30% sugar. Prototype L was substantially the same as prototypes G and J, but without the ganache layer. Prototype L was found to perform more weakly than either G or J. The panel were then asked to score the prototypes on their appeal.

TABLE-US-00009 Appearance Flavour Texture appeal appeal appeal G 7.1 6.6 6.5 H 5.0 6.1 5.5 I 6.4 6.8 6.2 J 7.0 6.2 6.1 K 5.2 5.7 5.5 L 6.2 6.0 5.6

[0096] The results show that prototypes G and J, with high proportions of visible nuts and low proportions of visible chocolate had the highest visual appeal. In comparison, prototype H, comprising a layer of chocolate praline on the upper surface, had the lowest score for appearance. G and J, with the ganache layer, scored better than L, without ganache, for flavour. Both G and J scored highly for texture, with G (chopped nuts) being slightly preferred over J (chopped and whole nuts). The praline-containing products (H and K) again scored the lowest for texture.

[0097] The examples show that the inclusion of a ganache layer improves the flavour and overall appeal of the product, while an upper, visible layer of nuts provides an appearance which appeals to consumers and contributes to the product being perceived as healthy. Furthermore, a product that combines a visible nut layer, a ganache layer and chocolate enrobing has been found to have comparable levels of sugar and saturated fat as existing snack bars which are associated with healthy living.