Industrial butter with increased hardness (II)

Abstract

Industrial butter with increased hardness is suggested, obtainable or obtained by (a) separating raw milk into a skimmed milk fraction and a cream fraction; (b) while adding water, separating the cream fraction of step (a) into a milk phase and an aqueous protein-lactose phase; (c) adding hard fat to the milk phase of step (b), and homogenising it; and (d) cooling the homogenised mass while shearing.

Claims

1. Industrial butter with increased hardness, obtained by a process consisting of (a) separating raw milk into a skimmed milk fraction and a cream fraction; (b) while adding water, separating the cream fraction of step (a) into a milk phase and an aqueous protein-lactose phase, which aqueous protein-lactose phase contains more than 90% by weight of the proteins contained in the cream fraction; (c) adding anhydrous milk fat to the milk phase of step (b) in an amount of about 2% by weight to about 25% by weight, and homogenising it; and (d) cooling the homogenised mass while shearing to obtain an industrial butter having a hardness of about 1.5 to about 4.5 N at a temperature of about 10° C., and which industrial butter has a lower tendency to oil than an industrial butter obtained from a process employing ripening and churning steps.

2. The industrial butter of claim 1, wherein the anhydrous milk fat is added to the milk phase of step (b) in an amount of about 3% by weight to about 15% by weight.

3. The industrial butter of claim 1, wherein the anhydrous milk fat is added to the milk phase of step (b) as hard fat.

4. The industrial butter of claim 1, wherein the homogenised mass of step (c) is subjected to cooling within at least two serially connected scraped surface heat exchangers.

5. A method, consisting of the following steps: (i) separating raw milk into a skimmed milk fraction and a cream fraction; (ii) while adding water, separating the cream fraction of step (i) into a milk phase and an aqueous protein-lactose phase, which aqueous protein-lactose phase contains more than 90% by weight of the proteins contained in the cream fraction; (iii) adding anhydrous milk fat to the milk phase of step (ii) in an amount of about 2% by weight to 25% by weight, and subsequently homogenising; (iv) cooling the homogenised mass while shearing; and (v) shaping the hardened industrial butter thus obtained to obtain an industrial butter having a hardness of about 1.5 to about 4.5 N at a temperature of about 10° C.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein cream is used, having a fat content of at least 30% by weight.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the anhydrous milk fat is added to the milk phase of step (ii) in an amount of about 3% by weight to about 15% by weight.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the anhydrous milk fat is added to the milk phase of step (ii) as hard fat.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the homogenized mass of step (iii) is subjected to cooling within at least two serially connected scraped surface heat exchangers.

10. A bake-off product, comprising (a) a dough phase, and (b) butter of claim 1.

11. The bake-off product of claim 10, wherein the dough phase is a standard puff pastry.

12. A method for the production of baked goods, comprising the following steps: (i) providing a dough phase; (ii) providing the industrial butter of claim 1; (iii) incorporating the industrial butter into the dough phase, obtaining a bake-off product; and (iv) baking the bake-off product.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the baked goods are puff pastry good.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(1) A first subject-matter of the invention relates to industrial butter with increased hardness, which is obtainable or obtained by

(2) (a) separating raw milk into a skimmed milk fraction and a cream fraction;

(3) (b) while adding water, separating the cream fraction of step (a) into a milk phase and an aqueous protein-lactose phase;

(4) (c) adding hard fat to the milk phase of step (b) and homogenising it; and

(5) (d) cooling the homogenised mass while shearing.

(6) Another subject-matter of the invention relates to a process for the production of industrial butter with increased hardness, comprising or consisting of the following steps:

(7) (i) separating raw milk into a skimmed milk fraction and a cream fraction;

(8) (ii) while adding water, separating the cream fraction of step (a) into a milk phase and an aqueous protein-lactose phase;

(9) (iii) adding hard fat to the milk phase of step (b) and subsequent homogenisation;

(10) (iv) cooling the homogenised mass while shearing;

(11) (v) shaping the hardened industrial butter such obtained.

(12) Surprisingly, it was found that this manner does not only allow to obtain industrial butter with a hardness within the desired range, but both ripening and churning may be saved as time-consuming, energy-consuming and costly steps.

Separation of Raw Milk

(13) Churning is typically based on a cream fraction which is obtained by separation while obtaining skimmed milk from raw milk or whole milk. Said cream fraction typically has a fat content of about 40% by weight and may, if necessary, be adjusted to this value by standardisation, i.e., the addition of cream from other sources.

Separation of Protein and Lactose

(14) The cream is pasteurised or sterilised and subsequently treated with water, for example, in a separator. This may be performed at room temperature, but also in cold conditions (e.g., 8 to 12° C.) or in warm conditions (e.g., about 35 to about 85° C., and preferably at about 45 to about 65° C.). In doing so, an aqueous phase is produced, containing more than 90% by weight of the proteins and the lactose contained in the cream. A milk phase remains, which is further processed.

Addition of Hard Fat

(15) Two effects are achieved by adding hard fat to the milk phase: on the one hand, this increases the fat content, which makes churning obsolete, at the same time, a product is obtained, which has a greater hardness and a lower tendency to oil out than conventional industrial butter (typically, 1 to 2 N) and which is thus particularly suited to produce baked goods of the croissant type.

(16) The addition of the hard fat may be performed in a conventional agitator or kneader at room temperature or also at an increased temperature of about 25 to 45° C., as long as the fat does not start to melt. The amount added may typically be from about 2 to about 25% by weight and particularly from about 3 to about 15% by weight.

(17) Suitable hard fats within the meaning of the present invention are technical mixtures of mono-, di- and triglycerides which are obtained, for example, on the basis of palm oil or coconut oil. Hard fats mostly contain saturated fatty acids having 10 to 18 and particularly 12 to 16 carbon atoms. From a physical perspective, they are wax-like, brittle masses with melting points of between 35 and 45° C. and iodine values of below 10.

(18) In a preferred embodiment, so-called Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF) or other hard milk fat fractions are added to the milk phase. AMF is liquid at above 36° C. and is solid at below 18° C., because of which it is also referred to as hard fat, at least within the present invention. Herein, this is, by definition, a fat phase which is exclusively obtained on the basis of milk from which water and any liquid non-fat products have been completely removed. The production of AMF can be performed according to various methods. The process is typically based on cream having a fat content of 40%, which is concentrated to a fat content of 75% by weight in two steps. This is followed by a phase inversion step within a homogeniser where a type of buttermilk and butter oil are obtained. The latter is then treated under vacuum conditions, obtaining AMF as a final product.

(19) At this point, in addition to the hard fats also butter cultures may be added for the formation of flavour, or an acidification process may be performed.

Combinator Treatment

(20) After the addition of hard fat or AMF, the homogenised, plastic mass is cooled while shearing. To do so, a scraped surface heat exchanger is particularly suitable, or particularly at least two, preferably 4 to 5 serially connected scraped surface heat exchangers, which in this arrangement are also referred to as “combinators”.

(21) In such a component, the product to be cooled is pumped into the lower end of the vertical heat exchanger and flows through the cylinder. It is constantly stirred and is removed from the cylinder wall by scrapers. Heating or cooling media are flowing within the annular gap between the heat exchange cylinder and the isolated casing.

(22) In this manner, industrial butter with a temperature of about 10° C. is obtained at the outlet of the exchanger as a product which has a hardness within the range of about 1.5 to about 4.5 N, and particularly about 2 to about 4 N, and which may now, for example, be shaped into bars and be packaged.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

(23) A further subject-matter of the invention relates to bake-off products, comprising or consisting of

(24) (a) a dough phase, and

(25) (b) hardened industrial butter as described above.

(26) The dough phase, preferably, is a standard puff pastry as initially described.

(27) A further subject-matter of the invention relates to a method of production of baked goods, preferably croissants, comprising the following steps:

(28) (i) providing a dough phase;

(29) (ii) providing hardened butter as described above,

(30) (iii) incorporating the hardened butter into the dough phase, obtaining a bake-off product;

(31) (iv) baking the bake-off product.

(32) Alternatively, the bake-off product may be folded repeatedly such that a layered structure is obtained, as is usual for puff pastries.

(33) Eventually, the present invention also comprises the use of butter as described above for the production of baked goods, particularly puff pastry goods, and more preferably croissants.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

(34) Producing Industrial Butter with Hard Fat

(35) 500 kg of cream with a fat content of 40% by weight were placed into a separator and were washed with 500 kg of water. 750 kg of an aqueous phase were obtained, which contained 2.1% by weight protein and 2.9% by weight lactose, and which was further processed separately. The remaining milk phase was transferred into a stirring vat with a kneader where 25 kg of palm fat were added to it in portions. The mixture was heated to 35° C. and kneaded until a homogeneous plastic mass was formed. The mass was continuously placed onto a combinator, consisting of 4 serially connected scraped surface heat exchangers of the type SPX (GERSTENBECK-SCHRÖDER). The combinator had four cooling zones, i.e., 27° C./18° C./11° C./14° C., and was operated at a pressure of 17.3 bar. Industrial butter of a temperature of 6° C. was obtained, having a hardness of 2.7 N after crystallising.

Example 2

(36) Producing Industrial Butter with AMF

(37) 500 kg of cream with a fat content of 40% by weight were placed into a separator and were washed with 500 kg of water. 750 kg of an aqueous phase were obtained, which contained 2.0% by weight protein and 2.8% by weight lactose, and which was further processed separately. The remaining milk phase was transferred into a stirring vat with a kneader where 15 kg of AMF were added to it in portions. The mixture was kneaded at room temperature until a homogeneous plastic mass was formed. The mass was continuously placed onto a combinator, consisting of 4 serially connected scraped surface heat exchangers of the type SPX (GERSTENBECK-SCHRÖDER). The combinator had four cooling zones, i.e., 19° C./15° C./9° C./12° C., and was operated at a pressure of 18.3 bar. Industrial butter of a temperature of 6° C. was obtained, having a hardness of 1.65 N after crystallising.