Filled Hollow Body Consisting of Sucrose, Glucose Syrup and Fruit Fibers

Abstract

The invention related to a body with a shell forming a hollow body and filling a material surrounding said shell, characterized in that the shell comprises sucrose, glucose syrup and fruit fibers.

Claims

1. A product comprising a casing forming a hollow body; and a filler enveloped by the casing, wherein the casing includes saccharose, glucose syrup and fruit fibers.

2. The product according to claim 1, wherein the casing contains sodium bicarbonate.

3. The product according to claim 1, wherein the fruit fibers are citrus fibers.

4. The product according to claim 1, wherein the glucose syrup is a low level hydrolyzed glucose syrup.

5. The product according to claim 1, wherein the glucose syrup has a dextrose equivalent of DE42.5.

6. The product according to claim 1, wherein the dry weight of the casing is at most 96%.

7. The product according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a glass transition temperature of 50 C. and 60 C.

8. The product according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a water activity of w=0.3 to w=0.5.

9. The product according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a water activity of w=0.4 to w=0.5.

10. The product according to claim 1, wherein the casing includes 24.99-33.99 wt.-% saccharose, 66-75 wt.-% glucose syrup and of 0.01-0.1 wt.-% fruit fibers.

11. The product according to claim 1, wherein the filler is a liquid.

12. The product according to claim 1, wherein the filler is a food.

13. The product according to claim 11, wherein the liquid is honey.

14. A method for producing a casing forming a closed hollow body, said method comprising: a. preparing of a mixture of 24.99-33.99 wt.-% saccharose, 66-75 wt.-% glucose syrup and 0.01-0.1 wt.-% fruit fibers, b. producing of a solution consisting of 70 wt.-% of the mixture and 30 wt.-% water, c. heating and allowing the solution to be vaporized until it has a dry weight of 90% to 96%, and d. cooling the evaporated solution and allowing the solution to solidify so as to form a casing in the form of a closed hollow body.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein step d. includes the encapsulating a filler in the casing.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising step e., filling the closed hollow body through the casing with a filler.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the filler is liquid honey.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein that the filler is liquid honey.

19. The product according to claim 1, wherein that the liquid is honey.

20. The product according to claim 12, wherein that the liquid is honey.

Description

[0040] The invention is described in greater detail using a particularly preferred example embodiment:

[0041] For this special example embodiment, transparent balls with a bee honey filling, which dissolve without forming streaks and residues, are to be produced for the catering trade and supermarkets, for use in hot beverages, e.g. tea. A hollow body, which is stable at room temperature and made of non-animal, natural material is to be used as the casing.

[0042] To produce the casing (sugar casing) the raw materials (consisting of 24.99-33.99 wt-% saccharose (Nordzucker), 66-75 wt-% glucose syrup (Glucose Syrup C Sweet 01444Cargill Germany GmbH, Krefeld) and 0.01-0.1 wt-% citrus fibers (Herbacel AQ Plus CitrusN 01Herbafood Ingredients GmbH, Werder (Havel)) were dissolved upon the addition of 30% water under constant agitation and brought to the boil until the desired dry substance content was within the range of 90% to 96%, most preferably 95%. The casing material was cast into the desired shape. The sugar mass was solidified in the mold at room temperature.

[0043] After solidifying, the hollow bodies were filled with liquid honey and the puncture in the casing was closed with casing material.

[0044] In carrying out this operation, attention had to be paid, on one hand, to the water activity of the casing material. To obtain a ball with honey filling, which is stable at room temperature over the storage time, it is necessary for the casing and the core to have approximately the same water activity. Water would otherwise migrate from the material with higher .sub.w-value to the material with lower .sub.w-value in the course of storage. The consequence would be crystallization of the sugar due to the reduction of the glass transition temperature with increasing water content, along with turbidity and mechanical instability. It was therefore necessary to find a material system for the honey casing, which system has this relatively high .sub.w-value, but at the same time sufficient strength as well as a transparent appearance. Typical hard caramels only have an .sub.w-value of 0.20.

[0045] On the other hand, attention had to be paid to the glass transition temperature (Tg). This describes a critical temperature of amorphous systems, which entails a change of the mechanical characteristics of the system (sugar) when it is exceeded. Below the glass transition temperature sugar is in the so-called glassy state and is both solid and transparent.

[0046] If the ambient temperature increases above the glass transition temperature, the viscosity of the sugar decreases strongly and the sugar tends to crystallize, because of which the sugar can become cloudy. One calls this state rubber-like.

[0047] The glass transition temperature of a material system depends on its water content. The glass transition temperature decreases with increasing water content. On the other hand, a low glass transition temperature entails decreased mechanical stability of the hardened sugar caramels. It is for this reason that hard caramel formulations with as high a glass transition temperature as possible were sought in this project.

[0048] It was finally possible to produce a product that is storable and transparent with the present formulation and processing. The water activity of the hardened casing material within a range of .sub.w=0.3 to .sub.w=0.5 was quite close to the water activity of .sub.w=0.57 of the liquid honey used and was found to be adequate. The glass transition temperature between 50 C. and 60 C., which was achieved, was of advantage in allowing a transparent and storable casing to be produced.

[0049] Tests with casing material wall thicknesses of 1 to 3 mm could be performed by way of different mold covers. Storage tests showed that honey balls produced according to this invention are still stable and without visible haze after storage at room temperature for nine months.

[0050] The diameter of the balls that were produced was 25 mm with a total mass of about 12 g. The honey content in the total mass of the ball depends on the wall thickness: with a wall thickness of 2 mm it is 57%, at 3 mm it is 42%.