PROCESS FOR PREPARING A HARD CARAMEL CONTAINING A TREHALULOSE-CONTAINING COMPOSITION

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a hard caramel containing a trehalulose-containing composition, and to a hard caramel prepared according to the process.

Claims

1. A process for preparing a hard caramel containing a trehalulose-containing composition, comprising the steps of: a) providing an aqueous medium containing a trehalulose-containing composition in an amount of 50 to 100 wt. % (based on the total dry substance) comprising 5 to 50 wt. % of isomaltulose and 20 to 95 wt. % of trehalulose (each based on dry substance of the trehalulose-containing composition), b) applying a reduced pressure of at most 0.4 bar with mixing at a temperature of at most 135° C., in particular at most 130° C., c) cooling the aqueous medium to a temperature of 70 to 90° C. at atmospheric pressure to obtain a plastic mass, and d) moulding the plastic mass obtained in step c) and obtaining a hard caramel containing a trehalulose-containing composition.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous medium provided in step a) has a trehalulose-containing composition in an amount of 50 to 100 wt. % (based on total dry substance) comprising 15 to 25 wt. % of isomaltulose and 75 to 85 wt. % of trehalulose (each based on dry substance of the composition).

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous medium provided in step a) is heated to a temperature of 80 to 100° C., preferably 85 to 95° C., before step b) in a process step al).

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein in step b) the temperature is 120 to 135° C., preferably 125 to 135° C.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the mixing in step b) is continuous.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous medium in step a) has at least one sweetener selected from the group consisting of sucrose, fructose, glucose, isomalt or a mixture thereof in an amount of at most 50 wt. % (based on total dry substance).

7. A hard caramel containing 50 to 98 wt. % (based on total dry substance of the hard caramel) of a trehalulose-containing composition comprising 5 to 50 wt. % of isomaltulose and 20 to 95 wt. % of trehalulose (each based on dry substance of the composition), prepared by a process according to claim 1.

8. The hard caramel according to claim 7, wherein the hard caramel contains 50 to 98 wt. % (based on total dry substance of the hard caramel) of a trehalulose-containing composition comprising 15 to 25 wt. % of isomaltulose and 75 to 85 wt. % of trehalulose (each based on dry substance of the composition).

9. The hard caramel according to claim 7, wherein the hard caramel has at least one sweetener selected from the group consisting of sucrose, fructose, glucose, isomalt or a mixture thereof in an amount of at most 55 wt. % (based on total dry substance of the hard caramel).

10. The hard caramel according to claim 7, wherein the trehalulose-containing composition is not crystalline in the hard caramel.

11. The hard caramel according to claim 7, wherein the hard caramel is transparent.

12. The hard caramel according to claim 7, wherein the hard caramel has a residual water content of 1.5 to 3 wt. %, preferably 1.9 to 2.6 wt. % (based on total weight of the hard caramel).

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0131] 4 kg of a Vitalose® syrup was prepared as an aqueous medium containing a trehalulose-containing composition in water with a dry matter content of 69.56 wt. % (based on total mass of the Vitalose® syrup) and containing 0.62 wt. % fructose, 0.63 wt. % glucose, 0.26 wt. % sucrose, 0.03 wt. % turanose, 1.13 wt. % leucrose, 76.2 wt. % trehalulose, 20.4 wt. % isomaltulose, 0.31 wt. % isomaltose, 0.04 wt. % raffinose, 0.01 wt. % DP1 (further undetermined monomeric sugar units) and 0.04 wt. % DP2 (further undetermined dimeric sugar units) (each based on total dry substance of the syrup, determined by gas chromatography, GC), weighed in a batch cooker (process step a)) and heated to 100° C. at atmospheric pressure with mixing (process step al)). The aqueous suspension of a trehalulose-containing composition (Vitalose®) thus prepared was then heated to 125° C. at a pressure of 0.3 bar (process step b)). The vacuum was then released, the batch cooker emptied and the resulting cooked, plastic mass cooled to 70 to 80° C. on a steel table (process step c)).

[0132] The cooked mass was then stamped into hard caramels on a roller (process step d)).

EXAMPLE 2

[0133]

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Recipes glucose added trial designation syrup Vitalose ® sucrose water 1 reference 2367 2367 500 2 approx. 1400 1308 200 50% Vitalose ® approx. 50% Sucr.. 3 80% Vitalose ® 2400 600 0 20% Sucr. 4 100% Vitalose ® 3650 0 0

[0134] The amount of ingredients is given in grams and % figures are related to the total mass of the hard caramel produced in the trial.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Preparation isomaltulose max. T pressure duration water and trehalulose trial designation [° C.] [bar] [min] content recovery 1 reference 140 0.2 25 1.9% 2 approx. 50% Vitalose ® 125 0.3 10 1.9% 100% approx. 50% sucr. 3 80% Vitalose ® 125 0.3 9 2.2% 100% 20% sucr. 4 100% Vitalose ® 127 0.3 9 2.2% 100%

[0135] The hard caramels indicated in Table 1 were prepared according to the process indicated in Example 1 with the temperature, pressure and duration of process step b) indicated in Table 2. The trehalulose-containing composition used was the Vitalose® given in Example 1.

[0136] Trial 1 is a reference test not according to the invention.

[0137] As shown in Table 1, appropriate amounts of sucrose and/or water were added to the Vitalose® in Experiments 2 and 3.

[0138] The water content given in Table 2 is the water content of the hard caramel obtained in process step d).

[0139] The trials according to the invention showed a high recovery (see Table 2) of both isomaltulose and trehalulose in the hard caramel, whereby the plastic mass obtained was very easy to process and mould and showed no tendency to crystallise.