FROZEN CONFECTION MANUFACTURE

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for manufacturing a concentrate for making a premix for a frozen confection, wherein the concentrate is in the form of granules. The process comprises the steps of: (a) forming an oil-in-water emulsion wherein the fat droplets in the emulsion have an average particle size (D.sub.3,2) of less than 1 micron, the emulsion comprising fat in an amount of at least 65% by weight of the emulsion; (b) providing powder comprising saccharides, non-saccharide sweetener and/or protein; (c) combining, in a granulation step, the powder and the emulsion to form a mixture with a moisture content of less than 10% by weight of the mixture, wherein the emulsion binds the powder into granules; and (d) recovering the granules from step (c).

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing a concentrate for making a premix for a frozen confection, wherein the concentrate is in the form of granules and the process comprises the steps of: (a) forming an oil-in-water emulsion wherein the fat droplets in the emulsion have an average particle size (D.sub.3,2) of less than 1 micron, the emulsion comprising fat in an amount of from 70 to 87% by weight of the emulsion; (b) providing powder comprising saccharides, non-saccharide sweetener and/or protein; (c) combining, in a granulation step, the powder and the emulsion to form a mixture with a moisture content of less than 10% by weight of the mixture, wherein the emulsion binds the powder into granules; and (d) recovering the granules from step (c).

2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixture is formed in step (c) with a moisture content of less than 8% by weight of the mixture, preferably from 0 to 7%.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein during the granulation step (c), the temperature of the mixture does not exceed 60 C. for more than 1 minute.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises homogenisation with a Controlled Deformation Dynamic Mixer and/or a Cavity Transfer Mixer, preferably a Controlled Deformation Dynamic Mixer.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emulsion comprises from 72 to 84% fat by weight of the emulsion, preferably from 74 to 82%.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fat droplets in the emulsion have an average particle size (D.sub.3,2) of from 0.1 to 0.7 micron.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emulsion comprises caseinate, preferably sodium caseinate.

8. A process for manufacturing a premix for a frozen confection, the process comprising the steps of: manufacturing a concentrate according to the process of claim 1; (ii) optionally providing an adjunct composition comprising saccharides, non-saccharide sweetener, protein or a combination thereof; (iii) providing an aqueous liquid, preferably water; and (iv) combining the concentrate and the aqueous liquid and optionally the adjunct composition.

9. The process as claimed in claim 8 wherein step (iv) comprises dispersing and/or dissolving the granules of the concentrate in the aqueous liquid.

10. A process for manufacturing a frozen confection comprising manufacturing a premix according to the process of claim 8 and then freezing and optionally aerating the premix.

11. A concentrate for making a premix for a frozen confection, wherein the concentrate is in the form of granules and comprises: a) saccharides and/or non-saccharide sweeteners in a total amount of from 40 to 90% by weight of the concentrate; b) protein in an amount of from 1 to 15% by weight of the concentrate; and c) fat in an amount of from 1 to 25% by weight of the concentrate; or a) saccharides and/or non-saccharide sweetener in a total amount of from 70 to 95% by weight of the concentrate; and b) fat in an amount of from 3 to 25% by weight of the concentrate; or a) protein in an amount of from 10 to 50% by weight of the concentrate; and b) fat in an amount of from 3 to 25% by weight of the concentrate; wherein the fat comprises emulsified fat droplets with an average particle size (D.sub.3,2) of less than 1 micron and wherein the concentrate is obtainable from the process of claim 1 and is substantially free from hexanal.

12. The concentrate as claimed in claim 11 wherein the granules have a bulk density of less than 1000 kg m.sup.3.

13. The concentrate as claimed in claim 12 wherein the granules have a bulk density in the range 600 to 900 kg m.sup.3.

14. The concentrate as claimed in claim 1 wherein the granules have an average particle size (D.sub.50) of at least 300 microns, preferably in the range 400 micron to 4 mm.

15. The concentrate as claimed in claim 11 wherein the fat droplets are not uniformly distributed within the granules, but are located in discrete regions within the granules.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the FIGURES, wherein:

[0068] FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram for frozen confection manufacture according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the invention an ice cream manufacturing process begins with forming two phases: a fat phase and an aqueous phase. The fat phase is a mix of fat and emulsifier. The aqueous phase is a mix of water and emulsifier which may be the same or a different emulsifier than in the fat phase. The two phases may be gently heated in separate tanks to melt the fat and/or ensure good dissolution/dispersion of the emulsifiers.

[0070] Part of the fat phase is added to the tank containing the aqueous phase and the resulting mixture is mixed and/or homogenized to produce a crude concentrated emulsion (the pre-emulsion). The pre-emulsion may, for example have a fat content of from 60 to 70% by weight.

[0071] The remaining fat phase and the pre-emulsion are then then fed together and homogenized through a CDDM to produce a concentrated oil-in-water emulsion wherein the fat droplets have an average particle size below 1 micron. The concentrated emulsion is a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) and may, for example have a fat content of around 80% by weight.

[0072] The concentrated emulsion may also be optionally pasteurized or sterilized at this point which, for example, gives more flexibility in the manufacturing process as the emulsion can be stored until needed or even transported to a remote location for further processing.

[0073] In the next step of the process shown in FIG. 1 the concentrated emulsion is used to agglomerate powder ingredients (for example sugars, stabilizer, skimmed milk powder and emulsifier) into granules. Because of the low water content of the HIPE, it can be used to granulate the powders without requiring a drying step. Granulation equipment is widely available and preferred types include, for example, ploughshare mixers, Nauta mixers, screw extruders and the like.

[0074] The granules are much more storage stable than a liquid emulsion and so can be stored for longer and/or transported for longer distances. The concentrate can be shipped to a remote location in the form of granules which simply need dissolving/dispersing at the remote location without any need for handling and blending multiple powders.

[0075] Furthermore shipping the powder ingredients as preformed granules avoids any issues of powder separation which may be encountered if powders were simply blended prior to shipping.

[0076] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, formation of the premix requires simply combining the granules with water to disperse/dissolve the granules. Surprisingly the present inventors have found that granules wherein the emulsion is used as binder can form ice cream premixes of good quality without the use of complex mixing equipment. Without being bound by theory the inventors believe this may be due to the presence of the fat as discrete droplets within the powder or at least the localization of such droplets in discrete regions within the granules.

[0077] The full premix can then optionally be pasteurized. An additional or alternative step is ageing the premix at temperatures between 0 and 10 C. in order to promote fat crystallization which helps in aerating the mix in subsequent steps.

[0078] The next step shown in FIG. 1 is freezing & aerating the premix which can conveniently be achieved simultaneously in a scraped surface heat-exchanger, to produce the ice cream. Finally the frozen and aerated ice cream is optionally hardened, for example by blast-freezing at a temperature below 20 C., and is then ready for storage and/or distribution.

[0079] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are apparent to those skilled in the relevant fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

[0080] Except in the examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use may optionally be understood as modified by the word about.

[0081] All amounts are by weight unless otherwise specified.

[0082] It should be noted that in specifying any range of values, any particular upper value can be associated with any particular lower value.

[0083] For the avoidance of doubt, the word comprising is intended to mean including but not necessarily consisting of or composed of. In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

[0084] The disclosure of the invention as found herein is to be considered to cover all embodiments as found in the claims as being multiply dependent upon each other irrespective of the fact that claims may be found without multiple dependency or redundancy.

[0085] Where a feature is disclosed with respect to a particular aspect of the invention (for example a concentrate of the invention), such disclosure is also to be considered to apply to any other aspect of the invention (for example a process of the invention) mutatis mutandis.

EXAMPLES

Comparative Example A

[0086] This example demonstrates formation of a concentrate in the form of granules wherein an emulsion was used as binder but wherein drying is required to produce stable granules.

[0087] An oil-in-water emulsion containing 60 wt % coconut fat (Cargill), 4.2 wt % sodium caseinate (Frieslandcampina) and 35.8 wt % water was prepared as follows: Hot water at 82 C. was added to a mix vessel, followed by the sodium caseinate. The contents of the vessel were vigorously mixed for 5-7 minutes to ensure complete dispersion/dissolution of sodium caseinate. The pre-melted fat/oil was then metered into the vessel and the mixture was agitated at high speeds for further 10 minutes. The mixing operation typically took around 20 minutes. The resulting coarse emulsion was then pumped through a two stage homogenizer (Tetra Alex S05 A supplied by Tetra Pak) at a pressures of 175 bar and 30 bar in the 1st and 2nd stages respectively. The homogenized emulsion was then stored in the storage vessel before being used for granulation.

[0088] The ingredients shown in Table 1 were then blended into a single powder:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Amount Ingredient (% by weight of total powder blend) Mono-diglyceride emulsifiers 1.2 Stabilizers (Locust Bean Gum, 0.65 Guar Gum + Carrageenan) Skimmed Milk Powder 23 Whey Protein Concentrate 6.1 Maltodextrin and Glucose Syrup 31 Sucrose Balance

[0089] A Nauta mixer (Hosokawa Micron) of 60 liter working volume was used to prepare granules using the concentrated emulsion as binder. In total 25 kg of the powder blend (composition shown in Table 1) was loaded into the mixer. The powder was allowed to mix for 5 minutes using a screw speed of 120 rpm. The concentrated emulsion was then added manually by scoop. The amount of emulsion was 5 kg which was added slowly over the duration of 25 minutes. When the binder/emulsion addition was complete, the mixer was allowed to run for further 5 minutes before discharge. The water activity of these granules was greater than 0.6.

[0090] The granules were then loaded into a batch fluid bed dryer (GEAAeromatic Fielder MP1). The batch size of the dryer was 6 kg. The bed was first fluidized at ambient temperature at inlet air flow in the range of 20% to 30%. Temperature of the fluidizing bed was then raised at the rate of 10-15 C. per minute to 60-65 C. After 10 minutes of drying at elevated temperature, the inlet air temperature was switched back to ambient and the bed was discharged after cooling down to 35 C. The water activity of the dried granules was less than 0.6 and the moisture content was around 4% by weight.

[0091] GC-MS (Agilent 6890) was used to characterize the granules for the presence of hexanal (an indicator of lipid oxidation). An analytical grade hexanal standard was used to identify retention times of the compound. The analysis was undertaken by extracting ions with an m/z value of 560.3 and integrating peaks at a time of 5.45-5.55 mins. A PAL ITEX-2 auto sampling system (CTC Analytics) was used to prepare and load samples into an Rxi-5 ms column (30 m0.25 mm0.25 m film thickness, fused silica capillary; Restek), used in conjunction with an Agilent 5973 Network Mass Selective Detector. 1 g samples of granules were diluted in 5 g of deionised water in vials and shaken by hand for 20 seconds, to ensure complete dissolution prior to loading into the auto sampler. Measurements were repeated at least once.

[0092] For granules, PAL system settings were 20 extraction strokes and 10 mins incubation time at 60 C. 1000 L of headspace was extracted with each stroke, and a split ratio of 10:1 was used upon injection into the column. Chemical standards underwent only one extraction stroke, following 30 secs incubation time at 60 C. Additionally a split ratio of 75:1 was used for the chemical standards. A blank/empty vial was run between each sample, and trap cleaning was carried out prior to running and after the chemical standards.

[0093] Hexanal was clearly present (peak area of over 26000 arbitrary units) in the fresh granules indicating that fat oxidation had occurred during the drying process.

Example 1

[0094] This example demonstrates formation of a concentrate in the form of granules wherein a concentrated emulsion was used as binder with sufficient fat content to avoid any requirement for drying to produce stable granules.

[0095] An aqueous phase, an oil phase and an emulsion were prepared and the said oil phase and emulsion were then combined to form a HIPE as set out below. The composition of the HIPE is shown in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Ingredient % by weight of emulsion Coconut oil 76 Mono-di glyceride 3 Sodium Caseinate 3 Water 18

[0096] The aqueous and oil phases and emulsion were prepared according to the following method: [0097] 1.1 A 2 litre steel container was placed on a hot plate into which 0.425 kg of boiling water was introduced. 75 grams sodium caseinate was added slowly to the boiling water while stirring with an IKA ULTRA-TURRAX T18 with a S 18 N-19 G Dispersing element. Stirring was continued until visually the sodium caseinate was judged to be in solution. The temperature of the resultant aqueous phase was held at 80 C. [0098] 1.2 2880 grams of coconut oil was slowly melted in a 5 litre vessel. The coconut oil temperature was raised to 90 C. 120 g of Mono-di glyceride (HP60) was added to the molten oil. The mixture was stirred by hand until the HP60 dissolved to form a transparent solution. The temperature of the resultant oil phase was held at 80 C. [0099] 1.3 1.17 kg of the oil phase prepared according to 1.2 was transfered into the steel container over a period of 10 minutes while stirring with an IKA EUROSTAR overhead stirrer fitted with a Jiffy Mixer [HS-1] O.D. 67 mm. Stirring speed was maintained at 1000 rpm to produce a concentrated oil-in-water emulsion. Stirring was continued for a further 10 minutes throughout which the temperature of the resultant oil-in-water emulsion was held at 80 C.

[0100] The oil phase and emulsion prepared according to 1.2 and 1.3, respectively, were combined and mixed in the appropriate proportion to form the HIPE of Table 2 via a continuous mixing assembly comprising the following: [0101] 2.1 Two hoppers, the first hopper (1 litre capacity) containing the oil phase from 1.2 and the second hopper (5 litre capacity) containing the emulsion from 1.3. [0102] 2.2 Two progressive cavity pumps [Supplier=Mono Pumps, Spec. No.=LF052], the first being gravity fed from the first (oil phase) hopper and the second being gravity fed from the second (emulsion pre-mix) hopper. [0103] 2.3 A gear pump [Supplier=Pump Solutions Group, Spec. No=MARG CI NO CX22/13], which is attached to the outlets of each of the progressive cavity pumps by pipework configured as a T piece, which enables the output streams from each of the two progressive cavity pumps to be combined into a single feed stream to the inlet of said gear pump. [0104] 2.4 A CDDM [Supplier=Maelstrom Advanced Process Technologies Limited, Spec. No.=MaPP Benchtop System mk 1.0] attached at the inlet to the outlet of said gear pump, and from the outlet of which a HIPE is discharged.

[0105] The resulting HIPE had a droplet size D.sub.3,2 of 0.57 m.

[0106] The ingredients shown in Table 3 were then blended into a single powder:

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Amount Ingredient (% by weight of total powder blend) Mono-diglyceride emulsifiers 0.31 Stabilizers (Locust Bean Gum, 0.64 Guar Gum + Carrageenan) Skimmed Milk Powder 23 Whey Protein Concentrate 6.2 Maltodextrin and Glucose Syrup 31 Sucrose Balance

[0107] A Nauta mixer of 20 liter working volume was used to prepare granules using the HIPE as binder. In total 10 kg of powder blend (composition shown in Table 3) was loaded into the mixer. The powder was allowed to mix for 5 minutes using a screw speed of 120 rpm. The HIPE was then added manually by scoop. The amount of HIPE was around 2.6 kg which was added slowly over the duration of 25 minutes. When the binder/HIPE addition was complete, the mixer was allowed to run for further 5 minutes before discharge. The water activity of these granules was less than 0.6 (moisture content of about 5% by weight), which shows appropriate microbiological stability without the need of drying step.

[0108] The hexanal content of the granules was analyzed using the same GC-MS method as set out in Example A. In this case no peak for hexanal was detectable even after storage for 12 weeks.