PROCESS FOR PREPARING A PRODUCT COMPRISING A GELLED COMPOSITION

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for preparing a food product having a gelled layer. The process involves heating a heat-activable gelling composition.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A process for preparing a product comprising a container and in the container a food composition comprising a gelled composition comprising a gelled matrix and optionally fruit, preferably in the form of fruit pieces, said process comprising the following steps: Step a) providing a heat-activable gelling composition comprising a heat-activable aqueous gelling matrix composition and from 0 to 180 parts by weight of fruit, for 60 parts by weight of the heat-activable aqueous gelling matrix, at a temperature T.sub.0, Step b) heating the heat-activable gelling composition to a temperature T.sub.1>T.sub.0, to activate gelling, Step c) cooling the composition to a temperature T.sub.2, Step d) dosing a volume of the activated composition in the container at temperature T.sub.2, to obtain a lower layer, and Step e) dosing a volume of another composition in the container, to obtain an upper layer.

19. A process according to claim 18, wherein: G′.sub.Tf/G″T.sub.Tf≧4, wherein G″.sub.Tf is the loss modulus at final temperature T.sub.f after cooling.

20. A process according to claim 18, wherein V.sub.T2>650 mPa.Math.s wherein V.sub.T2 is the viscosity at temperature T.sub.2.

21. A process according to claim 18, wherein G′.sub.T0/G″.sub.T0<4, wherein G′.sub.T0 is the elastic modulus at temperature T.sub.0 before heating, and G″.sub.T0 is the loss modulus at temperature T.sub.0 before heating.

22. A process according to claim 18, wherein (G′.sub.Tf/G″.sub.Tf)/(G′.sub.T0/G″T.sub.0)≧1.2, wherein G″.sub.Tf is the loss modulus at final temperature T.sub.f after cooling and G″T0 is the loss modulus at temperature T0 before heating.

23. A process according to claim 18, wherein: 40° C.<T.sub.1<80° C.

24. A process according to claim 18, wherein the time between step d) and step e) is of at most 15 seconds.

25. A process according to claim 18, wherein: G′.sub.T2<G′.sub.T0 wherein G′.sub.T2 is the elastic modulus at temperature T.sub.2 upon cooling.

26. A process according to claim 18, wherein: 20° C.<T.sub.2<40° C.

27. A process according to claim 18, wherein a cooling step d′) to a temperature T.sub.3 is implemented before step e).

28. A process according to claim 27, wherein the cooling step d′) is implemented by applying a liquefied gas.

29. A process according to claim 18, wherein the heat-activable aqueous gelling matrix comprises: water, at least one viscosity agent, and at least one heat-activable gelling agent.

30. A process according to claim 29, wherein: the viscosity agent(s) comprise(s) starch and optionally guar, and the heat-activable gelling agent(s) comprise(s) carrageenan and optionally locust bean gum.

31. A process according to claim 29, wherein the viscosity and/or heat-activable gelling agents comprise starch, carrageenan, locust beam gum, and guar.

32. A process according to claim 18, wherein the other composition dosed at step e) is a fermented dairy product.

33. A process according to claim 18, wherein the other composition dosed at step e) has a temperature of from 10° C. to 45° C.

34. A process according to claim 18, wherein the food composition has: at the bottom of the container a lower layer of a gelled composition comprising an aqueous gelled matrix composition and from 0 to 180 parts of fruit, for 60 parts of the aqueous gelled matrix, and above the lower layer, another composition.

35. The process of claim 18, wherein the heat-activable gelling composition comprises 20 to 90 parts by weight of fruit.

36. The process of claim 35, further comprising: Step f) further cooling to a final temperature T.sub.f, and/or allowing a gelling time, to obtain a lower layer gelled composition, wherein: the heat-activable aqueous gelling matrix composition is such that: G′.sub.Tf>G′.sub.T0 wherein G′.sub.T0 is the elastic modulus before heating, at temperature T.sub.0, and G′.sub.Tf is the elastic modulus at final temperature T.sub.f after cooling.

37. The process of claim 20, wherein V.sub.T2>750 mPa.Math.s.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1—Fruit Gelling Compositions

[0113] Some fruit gelling compositions are prepared. Then they undergo heating and cooling steps. Rheology at various stages is evaluated.

[0114] The procedure for preparing the fruit compositions is detailed below. The compositions are given in table I below (as weight %).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE I Example Example 1b 1a Comparative Pear cubes, 10 mm 40.50 40.5 Citric Acid 0.15 0.15 Sodium citrate 0.05 0.05 Sugar 15.03 15.03 Modified starch Tapioca Frigex HV, Ingedion 1.17 1.80 Carrageenana Genulacta P100, CP Kelco 0.34 0.00 Pectin LM102, CP Kelco 0.00 0.40 Locust Bean Gum 0.12 0.00 Guar gum 0.23 0.25 Flavour 0.06 0.06 Water 42.35 41.76

Procedure

[0115] Preparing a fruit mix by mixing fruit, sugar, water, and acidity correctors, [0116] Adding the rheology agents (modified starch, carrageenan, locust bean gum, pectin and/or guar gum), [0117] Pasteurizing (90° C./5 min), [0118] Adding color and/or flavor, [0119] Cooling to 10° C.

Heating and Cooling Steps and Rheology Evaluations

[0120] The fruit compositions are subjected to the following steps: [0121] Heating from 10° C. to 50° C. with a ramp of 2° C. increase per minute, then [0122] Cooling from 50° C. to 4° C. with a ramp of 2° C. decrease per minute.

Rheology Evaluations

[0123] Various rheology evaluations are carried out during heating and/or cooling, on the compositions with fruits or without fruits. For the compositions with fruits, the evaluations are performed directly on the compositions of table I. For the compositions without fruits, the evaluation is performed on the gelling matrix, obtained by filtering the compositions of table I at 20° C. on a 5 mm sieve, to remove the fruit pieces.

[0124] The results are reported on table II below.

Viscoelasticity: Elastic Modulus (G′) and Loss Modulus (G″) are evaluated at various temperatures during heating and cooling, in Rheometer MCR30, set at oscillary test with an amplitude of 0.05% and constant frequency of 1 Hz (very low shear). The results are shown on FIG. 1a for composition of example 1a without fruit and FIG. 1b for composition of comparative example 1b without fruit.
Gel strength: analysis performed with TA.XT2 texture analyzer, with the following settings: [0125] Speed before analysis: 0.5 mm/s [0126] Speed during analysis: 1 mm/s [0127] Speed after analysis: 10 mm/s [0128] Length: 4 mm [0129] Time: 30 s [0130] Strength mini: 0.5 g [0131] T° C.: 10° C.
Viscosity: analysis performed with Rheomat RM 200 (Module 1 and Cylinder 1, shear of 64 s.sup.−1 after 10 s).

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE II Step and Example Example 1b Temperature 1a (comparative) Start 10° C. G′ (Pa) - without fruit 327 364 G″ (Pa) - without fruit 106.5 92.9 Viscosity (mPa .Math. s) - 1069 1376 without fruit Heating 50° C. G′ (Pa) - without fruit 90 146 G″ (Pa) - 32.3 38.8 without fruit Viscosity (mPa .Math. s) - 761 475 without fruit Cooling 35° C. G′ (Pa) - without fruit 102 171 G″ (Pa) - without fruit 36.3 42.9 Viscosity (mPa .Math. s) - 801 633 without fruit Cooling 10° C. G′ (Pa) - without fruit 445 248 G″ (Pa) - without fruit 98.8 67 Gel Strength (g) - 51 11 without fruit Gel Strength (g) - with fruit 73 26 Cooling 4° C. G′ (Pa) 474 289 G″ (Pa) 110.5 74.6

Example 2—Preparation of Layered Products

[0132] One prepares products having a lower layer of a gelled fruit composition and an upper layer of a fermented milk composition packaged in a cup.

[0133] Cup: transparent cup, having a circular bottom of 70 mm diameter, conical side walls, a circular opening of 85 mm, and a height of 55 mm.

[0134] Fermented milk composition: stirred sweetened fermented milk having a viscosity of 900 mPa.Math.s (10° C., 64 s.sup.−1).

Procedure/Process

[0135] a) The fruit composition is provided, at a temperature of 10° C., in a tank,
b) The fruit composition is transferred in a first heat exchanger and heated to 50° C., in 10 minutes,
c) The fruit composition is transferred in a second heat exchanger and cooled to 35° C., in 5 minutes,
d) 37.5 g of fruit composition is dosed at 35° C. in the yogurt cup,
e) after 8 seconds 87.5 g of fermented milk composition is dosed at 20° C.,
f) the cup is sealed, allowed to cool to 4° C., and stored at 4° C.
Evaluations with Fruit Composition of Example 1a [0136] A picture is presented on FIG. 2a. [0137] The upper part of the cup (where the fermented milk composition is located) does not present any fruit composition projection. [0138] The interface between the lower layer (fruit composition) and the upper layer (fermented milk composition), visible through the transparent cup, is substantially plane (variation of height of interface of at most 5 mm). [0139] The lower layer has a gel texture, presenting some perceivable resistance when a spoon meets it. [0140] The lower layer is a brittle gel melting in mouth, with the fruit pieces being perceived in mouth. The firmness of the fruit pieces is not degraded. [0141] During a shelf life of 35 days at a chilled temperature of from 4° to 10° C., the gel strength of the lower layer shows an acceptable increase (up to twice the gel strength of day 1).
Evaluations with Fruit Composition of Comparative Example 1b [0142] A picture is presented on FIG. 2b. [0143] The interface between the lower layer (fruit composition) and the upper layer (fermented milk composition), visible through the transparent cup, is not substantially plane (variation of height of interface of higher than 10 mm). [0144] The lower layer is not a gel.