METHOD FOR PRODUCING TRANSPARENTLY SUGAR-COATED CHEWING GUM HAVING COLOURED CARBOHYDRATE PARTICLES

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing transparently sugar-coated chewing gum having a heterogeneously structured chewing gum core and a transparent sugar-coated surface layer enveloping this core, wherein colored carbohydrate particles, which are scattered on and rolled into a surface of the extruded shaped chewing-gum body before the sugar-coating, are visible through the transparent sugar-coated surface layer.

Claims

1. A method for producing transparently sugar-coated chewing gum, having a heterogeneously structured chewing gum core and a transparent sugar-coated surface layer enveloping this core, comprising the following method steps: a) providing chewing gum core components, in particular at least one chewing gum base and at least one first carbohydrate, colored carbohydrate particles with a particle diameter of 0.2 to 2 mm, and a transparent sugar-coating medium containing at least one second carbohydrate, b) mixing and kneading the chewing gum core components to obtain a chewing gum core mass, c) extruding the chewing gum core mass to obtain an extruded shaped chewing-gum body, d) Scattering the colored carbohydrate particles on a surface of the extruded shaped chewing-gum body, e) rolling the shaped chewing-gum body scattered with colored carbohydrate particles, f) cutting the rolled shaped chewing-gum body obtained in step e) to obtain heterogeneously structured chewing gum cores, g) sugar-coating the heterogeneously structured chewing gum cores obtained in step f) with the transparent sugar-coating medium and h) obtaining transparently sugar-coated chewing gum, having a heterogeneously structured chewing gum core.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the proportion of the colored carbohydrate particles in the chewing gum core mass is from 3 to 20% by weight (based on the total chewing gum core mass).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the colored carbohydrate particles are polyol particles.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least 80% by weight of the colored carbohydrate particles provided in method step a) (based on the total dry matter of the colored carbohydrate particles) have a particle diameter of 0.2 mm to 2 mm, in particular 0.5 to 1.6 mm.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the colored carbohydrate particles contain at least one flavoring substance.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the chewing gum core mass obtained in method step b) has 40 to 70% by weight of the at least one first carbohydrate (based on the total dry matter of the chewing gum core components).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first carbohydrate is a polyol, in particular isomalt.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein in addition to the at least one chewing gum base and the at least one first carbohydrate, further chewing gum core components are selected from the group consisting of taste producing substances, colorings, processing aids such as release agents or lubricants, intense sweeteners, flavoring substances and combinations thereof.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the intense sweetener is selected from the group consisting of aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose, saccharin, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, cyclamate, stevia extract, steviol glycosides, stevioside, rebaudioside A, monellin, alitame, and combinations thereof.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shaped chewing-gum body is cut in step f) in the form of a strip, pillow, stick or disc.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second carbohydrate contained in the transparent sugar-coating medium is a polyol.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second carbohydrate contained in the transparent sugar-coating solution is isomalt, preferably with a ratio of 1,6-GPS (6-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol) to 1,1-GPM (1-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol) from 70 to 80% by weight 1,6-GPS to 30 to 20% by weight 1,1-GPM (in each case based on the total dry matter of 1,6-GPS to 1,1-GPM of isomalt).

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein method step g) is carried out in at least two cycles, in particular 5 to 100 cycles.

14. The method according to claim 1, in which the transparently sugar-coated chewing gum obtained in method step h) comprises 15 to 50% by weight of sugar-coated chewing gum (based on the total dry matter of the sugar-coated chewing gum).

15. A sugar-coated chewing gum that can be produced with a transparent sugar-coated surface layer enclosing a heterogeneously structured chewing gum core, in particular produced by a method according to claim 1.

16. A transparently sugar-coated chewing gum comprising a chewing gum core containing at least a first carbohydrate and a transparently sugar-coated surface layer containing at least a second carbohydrate enveloping this chewing gum core, wherein one surface of the chewing gum core is designed as a crunchy intermediate layer with a height of 0.2 to 2 mm containing colored carbohydrate particles.

Description

[0122] The figures show:

[0123] FIG. 1 schematically shows the implementation of the method according to the invention.

[0124] FIG. 2 schematically shows the colored carbohydrate particles that are scattered on and subsequently rolled into the surface of an extruded shaped chewing-gum body.

[0125] FIG. 3 schematically shows a comparison of the visual effect of colored carbohydrate particles (3A, 3B) incorporated into the chewing gum core mass and colored carbohydrate particles (3C, 3D) scattered on and rolled into the surface of the shaped chewing-gum body.

[0126] FIG. 4 shows transparently sugar-coated chewing gum obtained according to the invention.

EXAMPLES

[0127] The following chewing gum core components were provided for the production of transparently sugar-coated chewing gum, having a heterogeneously structured chewing gum core and a transparent sugar-coated surface layer enveloping this core.

Chewing Gum Core Components:

[0128]

TABLE-US-00001 Chewing Gum Base “TFL3” (Euobase) 16.00% by weight Chewing Gum Base “TULI Mod 2” (Euobase) 16.00% by weight Sorbitol (P60, Roquette, average particle 29.20% by weight diameter 230 μm) Isomalt ST PF (Beneo) 25.00% by weight Maltitol Syrup (Lycasin 80/55) (Roquette) 10.60% by weight Peppermint Flavor  1.50% by weight Menthol Flavor  1.50% by weight Acesulfame-K  0.10% by weight Aspartame  0.10% by weight

[0129] In addition, Isomalt ST-PNC particles were provided. Isomalt ST-PNC particles are Isomalt ST particles with a particle diameter of 0.8 to 1.25 mm. The Isomalt ST-PNC particles were colored with color solution in a sugar-coating pan with constant agitation. In order to obtain green-colored particles, 12.5 kg of Isomalt ST-PNC particles were colored with 600 g of 0.05% “Bright Green P-WS” (419167-0010, Sensient). In order to obtain blue-colored particles, 12.5 kg of Isomalt ST-PNC particles were colored with 600 g of 0.05% “Spirulina Blue P-WS” (409422-0001, Sensient). The color solutions were poured onto a moving bed of Isomalt ST-PNC particles. Four other Isomalt ST-PNC particle sets of different colors were produced analogously.

[0130] In addition, a transparent sugar-coating solution was provided. This contained 65% by weight of Isomalt GS and 35% by weight of demineralized water.

[0131] The chewing gum core components were mixed at room temperature, kneaded and then extruded at a temperature of 40 to 45° C. in the form of a flat, beige-colored extruded strand (web).

[0132] The colored Isomalt-PNC particles (mixture of six different Isomalt-PNC particles, each of a different but not beige color) were scattered on one surface of the extruded chewing gum strand (extruded chewing gum shaped body), the scattered shaped chewing-gum bodies were then rolled and cut into pillow shapes, so that heterogeneously structured chewing gum cores were obtained. Based on the total mass of the entire chewing gum core, the amount of colored Isomalt-PNC particles was 7%.

[0133] The pillow-shaped, heterogeneously structured chewing gum cores obtained in this way were 19 mm long, 12 mm wide and 6 mm high, with a total surface area of 530 mm.sup.2 and a volume of 960 mm.sup.3. In the subsequent conditioning step, the chewing gum cores obtained in this way were cooled to room temperature.

[0134] The transparent sugar-coating solution consisting of 65% by weight Isomalt GS and 35% by weight demineralized water was sprayed onto the pillow-shaped chewing gum cores at a temperature of 60° C. in 10 phases and 95 cycles over a total period of 313 minutes and was dried with dry air having a temperature of 25° C. (relative humidity <15%). A phase is a combination of several cycles with approximately the same parameters such as application quantity, distribution time and crystallization or drying time, wherein these phases can have build-up phases and main phases, smoothing phases and growth phases, each of which can comprise several cycles. Based on the total weight of the finished, sugar-coated chewing gum (FIG. 4), the sugar-coated surface layer made up 26.8% by weight.

[0135] FIG. 1 schematically shows the implementation of the method according to the invention. Accordingly, the chewing gum core components provided in method step a) are mixed and kneaded in method step b) in a mixing and kneading device 10 shown in FIG. 1 to obtain a chewing gum core mass. The chewing gum core mass transferred from the mixing and kneading device 10 is then extruded in an extruder 20 and an extruded shaped chewing gum body in the form of a flat chewing gum strand 30 is obtained. Colored carbohydrate particles 40 are scattered on this extruded shaped chewing-gum body 30, and the scattered carbohydrate particles 40 are rolled into the surface of the extruded shaped chewing-gum body 30 in a rolling device 50, resulting in the structure shown in FIG. 2 with colored carbohydrate particles 40 rolled into the surface of the shaped chewing-gum body 30. In a cutting device 60, the rolled shaped chewing-gum body 30 is cut after optionally a conditioning step has taken place, so that heterogeneously structured chewing gum cores 70 are obtained, which are then sugar-coated in a sugar-coating apparatus 80 using a transparent sugar-coating solution, so that sugar-coated chewing gum 100 having a transparent sugar-coated surface layer 90 having a heterogeneously structured core is obtained.

[0136] Considering a pillow surface area of about 530 mm.sup.2, a pillow volume of about 960 mm.sup.3, an average Isomalt ST-PNC particle diameter of 1 mm and a resulting cross-sectional area of the particles of 0.785 mm.sup.2, about 135 Isomalt ST-PNC particles are required to cover 20% of the surface area of a chewing-gum core pillow. This applies when—as provided according to the invention—the particles are pressed into the chewing gum core from the outside, so that essentially the entire hemisphere of the Isomalt ST-PNC particle is visible from the outside.

[0137] If, in a procedure, which is not in accordance with the invention, the same colored Isomalt ST-PNC particles are not scattered on the surface of an extruded shaped chewing-gum body, but rather mixed and kneaded together with the chewing gum core components to obtain a chewing gum core mass (FIG. 3A), the particles are mixed in and only about half of the hemisphere, i. e., the cross-sectional surface, is visible (FIG. 3B) since the chewing gum mass is almost completely opaque. Accordingly, twice as many, i.e., about 270 particles, are required on the surface in order to cover 20% of the surface. The color of these particles does not appear as light as in the method according to the invention because, even if they are close to the surface, they are nevertheless partially covered by the chewing gum mass. In order to achieve a proportion of 270 particles on the surface, the entire chewing gum core must have the same density as the surface, i. e., about 27% of the chewing gum core must consist of colored Isomalt ST-PNC particles, i.e., about 487 particles. Accordingly, about 3.6 times as many particles are required as in the method according to the invention in order to ensure comparable visibility.

[0138] FIG. 3A shows the result of a procedure, which is not in accordance with the invention, according to which particles are mixed into the chewing gum core mass, so that the particles that are not on the surface remain invisible. In contrast, FIG. 3C shows the result of the procedure according to the invention, according to which the particles are superficially rolled into the chewing gum core mass and are therefore visible from the outside. FIG. 3B shows in detail that—if the particles are mixed into the mass—only half of the cross-sectional surface, i.e., the hemisphere, is visible, while in the case that the particles are only rolled into the surface of the mass in the procedure according to the invention, the entire cross-sectional surface, i.e., the entire hemisphere (FIG. 3D) is visible.

[0139] The localization of the colored Isomalt ST-PNC particles provided according to the invention exclusively on the surface of the chewing gum core results in a crunchy intermediate layer which leads to an advantageous two-stage crunch, i. e., crunchy mouthfeeling.

[0140] The procedure according to the invention therefore leads to the provision of visually and organoleptically improved transparently sugar-coated chewing gum (FIG. 4) with heterogeneously colored structured chewing gum cores, with this method advantageously requiring a smaller amount of colored carbohydrate particles in order to achieve a comparable, in particular even improved, optical effect.