POWDERED CHOCOLATE

Abstract

Provided is a powdered chocolate containing a fat and/or oil composition in a powder form wherein the fat and/or oil composition contains: 65 to 99% by mass of a XXX triglyceride having fatty acid residues X, each with x carbon atoms, at positions 1 to 3; and 35 to 1% by mass of one or more types of X2Y triglycerides each having a fatty acid residue Y with y carbon atoms in place of one of the fatty acid residues X of the XXX triglyceride, provided that a total triglyceride content is 100% by mass, where x number of carbon atoms is an integer selected from 8 to 20, and y number of carbon atoms is each independently an integer selected from x+2 to x+12 and satisfying y22.

Claims

1. A powdered chocolate comprising a fat and/or oil composition in a powder form satisfying the following condition (a), wherein (a) the fat and/or oil composition comprises: 65 to 99% by mass of a XXX triglyceride having fatty acid residues X, each with x carbon atoms, at positions 1 to 3; and 35 to 1% by mass of one or more types of X2Y triglycerides each having a fatty acid residue Y with y carbon atoms in place of one of the fatty acid residues X of the XXX triglyceride, provided that a total triglyceride content is 100% by mass, x number of carbon atoms is an integer selected from 8 to 20, and y number of carbon atoms is each independently an integer selected from x+2 to x+12 and satisfying y22.

2. The powdered chocolate according to claim 1, comprising: 80 to 99% by mass of the XXX triglyceride; and 20 to 1% by mass of the one or more types of X2Y triglycerides in total.

3. The powdered chocolate according to claim 1, wherein the x is an integer selected from 10 to 18, and the y is each independently an integer selected from x+2 to x+10 and satisfying y22.

4. The powdered chocolate according to claim 1, wherein the x is an integer selected from 10 to 12, and the y is each independently an integer selected from x+4 to x+8 and satisfying y22.

5. The powdered chocolate according to claim 1, which has a loose bulk density of 0.1 to 0.6 g/cm.sup.3.

6. The powdered chocolate according to claim 1, wherein the powdered chocolate comprises a lipid, a protein, and a saccharide, a ratio (mass ratio) of the lipid to a total of the protein and the saccharide is 2.0 or more, and the fat and/or oil composition in the powder form satisfying the condition (a) is incorporated as the lipid and accounts for 50% by mass or more of the lipid.

7. The powdered chocolate according to claim 6, wherein a total energy per 100 g (dry mass) of the powdered chocolate is 500 to 850 kilocalories.

8. The powdered chocolate according to claim 6, wherein a ketone index (Woodyatt's formula) of the powdered chocolate is 1.0 to 4.0.

9. The powdered chocolate according to claim 1, comprising at least one flavoring substance selected from the group consisting of a cocoa powder, matcha, and powdered milk.

10. The powdered chocolate according to claim 9, further comprising a flavoring and/or a sweetener.

11. A food or drink comprising the powdered chocolate according to claim 1.

12. A method for producing a powdered chocolate, comprising blending the fat and/or oil composition in the powder form according to claim 1 into a powdered chocolate.

13. The method for producing a powdered chocolate according to claim 12, comprising blending the fat and/or oil composition in the powder form such that a content thereof in the powdered chocolate is 30 to 96% by mass.

14. The method for producing a powdered chocolate according to claim 12, comprising blending at least one flavoring substance selected from the group consisting of a cocoa powder, matcha, and powdered milk.

15. The method for producing a powdered chocolate according to claim 14, further comprising blending a flavoring and/or a sweetener.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0110] Next, the present invention will be described in further details based on Examples and Comparative Example. However, the present invention is not limited to these at all. Moreover, in the following description, % means % by mass, unless otherwise noted.

<Raw Material Fat and/or Oil>
(1) Powdered Fat and/or Oil Composition A (Melting Point: Approximately 28 C.):
[x=10, y=18, Tempering Process]

[0111] Into a 500-mL four-necked flask equipped with a stirrer, a thermometer, a nitrogen gas inlet tube, and a water separator, 44.1 g (0.479 mol) of glycerin (manufactured by Sakamoto Yakuhin Kogyo Co., Ltd.), 25.9 g (0.091 mol) of stearic acid (Palmac 98-18 (manufactured by Acidchem International Sdn Bhd)), and 266.0 g (1.544 mol) of capric acid (Palmac 99-10 (manufactured by Acidchem International Sdn Bhd)) were placed. These were reacted under a nitrogen stream at a temperature of 250 C. for 15 hours. Excessive capric acid was distilled off at 190 C. under a reduced pressure, followed by bleaching, filtration, and deodorization. Thus, 245 g of a pale yellow liquid reaction product at 50 C. was obtained (XXX type: 80.6% by mass, X2Y type: 17.3% by mass). Raw material fats (XXX type: 94.0% by mass, X2Y type: 5.2% by mass) were prepared by mixing 60 g of the obtained reaction product with 140 g of tricaprin (manufactured by The Nisshin OilliO Group, Ltd.). The raw material fats were maintained at 80 C. for 0.5 hours and completely melted. The resultant was cooled in a thermostatic chamber at 10 C. for 1 hour, and then left standing in the thermostatic chamber at 20 C. for 12 hours. A solid having voids with an increased volume was formed and then loosened. Thus, a powdered crystalline composition was obtained (loose bulk density: 0.3 g/cm.sup.3, average particle diameter of 116 m). The powdered fat and/or oil composition thus obtained was used in the following Examples.

[0112] Here, the loose bulk density was calculated from a bulk specific gravity measured based on JIS K-6720 (or ISO 1060-1 and 2) by using a bulk specific gravity measuring device manufactured by Kuramochi Kagaku Kikai Seisakusho Co. Specifically, 120 mL of the sample was let fall toward a receiver (a 100-mL cylindrical container with an inner diameter of 40 mma height of 85 mm) from a height position 38 mm above an upper opening of the receiver. Subsequently, the sample protruding from the receiver was slid off, and the mass (A g) of the sample corresponding to the internal capacity (100 mL) of the receiver was weighed. The loose bulk density was determined from the following formula.

Loose bulk density (g/mL)=A(g)/100 (mL)

[0113] The measurement was repeated three times to obtain the average as the measurement value.

[0114] Here, the average particle diameter was measured based on laser diffraction/scattering methods (ISO133201, ISO9276-1) using Microtrac MT3300ExII manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.).

(2) Fat Powder (Melting Point: 67.8 C.)

A Fat Powder (Spray Fat PM: Manufactured by RIKEN VITAMIN CO., LTD.)

<Other Raw Materials>

[0115] Used in Examples described later were commercially-available: a cocoa powder (Cocoa Powder DF500: manufactured by Daito Cacao Co., Ltd.), powdered sugar (MGP Huntou: manufactured by Tokukura Corporation), a chocolate flavoring (Chocoreito Kouton IL36882: manufactured by Ogawa & Co. , Ltd.), a sweetener A (Mirasee NK: manufactured by DSP Gokyo Food & Chemical Co., Ltd.), a sweetener B (Sucralose: manufactured by San-Ei Gen F. F. I., Inc.)., a matcha powder (Kyoto Matcha Powder (Wakakusa): manufactured by Cuoca Planning Co., Ltd.), a matcha flavor (Matcha Kouton IL36883: manufactured by Ogawa & Co., Ltd.), and powdered milk (whole milk powder: manufactured by Yotsuba Milk Products Co., Ltd.).

Example 1

Production of Powdered Chocolate (Plain)

[0116] According to the formulas in Table 1 below, a powdered chocolate (plain) of Example 1 was produced. More specifically, the cocoa powder, the powdered sugar, the chocolate flavoring, and the sweeteners A and B were added to the powdered fat and/or oil composition put in a container, and mixed together using a spatula. Thus, a powdered chocolate (plain) was prepared. Note that the following cocoa powder contained 11% by mass of a lipid, 20% by mass of a protein, and 44.5% by mass of a saccharide.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Powdered chocolate (plain) formula, nutritional ingredients, and sensory evaluation Example 1 Blended raw Lipid Protein Saccharide materials content content content Energy (g) (g) (g) (g) (kcal) Powdered fat 74.00 74.0 666.0 and/or oil composition Cocoa powder 20.00 2.2 4.0 8.9 40.0 Powdered 5.05 5.1 19.5 sugar Chocolate 0.75 flavoring Sweetener A 0.15 Sweetener B 0.05 Raw material 100.00 76.2 4.0 14.0 725.5 total Ketone ratio 4.2 Ketone index 2.9 Oily taste Ease of eating Palatability Cooling Sensation

<Evaluation of Powdered Chocolate>

[0117] The powdered chocolate (plain) of Example 1 produced as described above was subjected to a sensory evaluation according to the following evaluation methods.

<Powdered Chocolate Evaluation Methods>

(1) Oily Taste Evaluation Method

[0118] A comprehensive evaluation was conducted by five skilled panelists according to the following criteria.

[0119] : not oily

[0120] : slightly oily

[0121] x: oily

(2) Ease-of-Eating Evaluation Method

[0122] A comprehensive evaluation was conducted by five skilled panelists according to the following criteria.

[0123] : easy to eat

[0124] : slightly hard to eat

[0125] x: hard to eat

(3) Palatability Evaluation Method

[0126] A comprehensive evaluation was conducted by five skilled panelists according to the following criteria.

[0127] : having favorable flavor and melt-in-the-mouth, and delicious

[0128] : lacking flavor and melt-in-the-mouth, but somewhat delicious

[0129] x: poor in flavor and melt-in-the-mouth, and not delicious

(4) Cooling-Sensation Evaluation Method

[0130] A comprehensive evaluation was conducted by five skilled panelists according to the following criteria.

[0131] : having a cooling sensation in the mouth.

[0132] : slightly having a cooling sensation in the mouth.

[0133] x: having no cooling sensation in the mouth.

[0134] As apparent from the result of Table 1, the powdered chocolate (Example 1) produced by using the powdered fat and/or oil composition of the present invention was one that can be evaluated as non-oily, easy to eat, also having favorable chocolate flavor and melt-in-the-mouth, and delicious, even though the ratio (mass ratio) of the lipid to the total of the protein and the saccharide was 4.0 or more and quite high. Moreover, the powdered chocolate had a unique cooling sensation, and was quite highly preferable. Further, since this powdered chocolate can be produced simply by mixing the raw materials together, anyone can produce the powdered chocolate at low cost, and the industrial applicability is quite high. Furthermore, the palatability is comparable to those of normal powdered chocolates (rather the powdered chocolate had a cooling sensation and was highly preferable). Accordingly, the powdered chocolate not only can substitute for conventional powdered chocolates but also can be utilized as, for example, a ketogenic diet without getting tired of continuous eating for a long period.

Example 2

Production of Powdered Chocolate (Matcha)

[0135] According to the formulas in Table 2 below, a powdered chocolate (matcha) of Example 2 was produced. More specifically, the matcha powder, the powdered milk, the powdered sugar, the matcha flavor, and the sweeteners A and B were added to the powdered fat and/or oil composition put in a container, and mixed together using a spatula. Thus, a powdered chocolate (matcha) was prepared. Note that the matcha powder contained 5.3% by mass of a lipid and 30.6% by mass of a protein. In addition, the powdered milk contained 26.2% by mass of a lipid, 25.5% by mass of a protein, and 39.3% by mass of a saccharide. Moreover, the values of the lipid content, the protein content, and the saccharide content were rounded off to one decimal place.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Powdered chocolate (matcha) formula, nutritional ingredients, and sensory evaluation Example 2 Blended raw Lipid Protein Saccharide materials content content content Energy (g) (g) (g) (g) (kcal) Powdered fat 75.00 75.0 675.0 and/or oil composition Matcha 10.00 0.5 3.1 32.4 powder Powdered 3.00 0.8 0.8 1.2 15.0 milk Powdered 11.05 11.1 42.8 sugar Matcha 0.75 flavor Sweetener A 0.15 Sweetener B 0.05 Raw material 100.00 76.3 3.9 12.3 765.2 total Ketone ratio 4.7 Ketone index 3.2 Oily taste Ease of eating Palatability Cooling sensation

<Evaluation of Powdered Chocolate>

[0136] The powdered chocolate (matcha) of Example 2 produced as described above was subjected to a sensory evaluation according to the evaluation methods described above in Example 1.

[0137] As apparent from the result of Table 2, the powdered chocolate (Example 2) produced by using the powdered fat and/or oil composition of the present invention was one that can be evaluated as non-oily, easy to eat, also having favorable matcha flavor and melt-in-the-mouth, and delicious, even though the ratio (mass ratio) of the lipid to the total of the protein and the saccharide was 4.0 or more and quite high. Particularly, the flavor of the matcha material was strongly tasted, so that the powdered chocolate adds a matcha flavor to various foods which can be widely utilized as foods having a combination of tastes. Further, because of the unique cooling sensation, the powdered chocolate has a possibility of meeting new needs of consumers, such as by making powdered chocolates for summer, suppressing a decrease in the demand in summer.

Comparative Example 1

Production of Powdered Chocolate (Plain)

[0138] According to the formulas in Table 3 below, a powdered chocolate (plain) of Comparative Example 1 was produced. More specifically, the cocoa powder, the powdered sugar, the chocolate flavoring, and the sweeteners A and B were added into a container in which the aforementioned fat powder had been put in place of the powdered fat and/or oil composition of Example 1, and mixed together using a spatula. Thus, a powdered chocolate (plain) was prepared. Note that the cocoa powder contained 11% by mass of a lipid, 20% by mass of a protein, and 44.5% by mass of a saccharide.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Powdered chocolate (plain) formula, nutritional ingredients, and sensory evaluation Comparative Example 1 Blended raw Lipid Protein Saccharide materials content content content Energy (g) (g) (g) (g) (kcal) Fat powder 74.00 74.0 666.0 Cocoa powder 20.00 2.2 4.0 8.9 40.0 Powdered 5.05 5.1 19.5 sugar Chocolate 0.75 flavoring Sweetener A 0.15 Sweetener B 0.05 Raw material 100.00 76.2 4.0 14.0 725.5 total Ketone ratio 4.2 Ketone index 2.9 Oily taste x Ease of x eating Palatability x Cooling x sensation

<Evaluation of Powdered Chocolate>

[0139] The powdered chocolate (plain) of Comparative Example 1 produced as described above was subjected to a sensory evaluation according to the evaluation methods described above in Example 1.

[0140] As shown in the result of Table 3, when the above-described fat powder was used for the production in place of the powdered fat and/or oil composition, the powdered chocolate (plain) of Comparative Example 1 had a gritty mouthfeel and also a strong oily taste, hard to eat and not delicious. In conclusion, Comparative Example 1 was one that can be hardly said as a powdered chocolate. Moreover, unlike the case of using the powdered fat and/or oil composition, the use of the fat powder imparted no unique cooling sensation.