METHOD FOR PACKAGING A HIGH TEXTURED DAIRY PRODUCT

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for filling a container with a dairy product having a viscosity comprised between 1400 and 3800 mPa.Math.s comprising the steps of: (a) filling the container with the dairy product by means of a dispenser equipped with a nozzle comprising at least one opening, at a flow rate by surface of the nozzle opening(s) between 0.5 and 1.2 kg/(h×mm.sup.2) and at a temperature comprised between 4 and 30° C., and (b) if the temperature of the dairy product in step (a) is above 10° C., cooling the dairy product in the container to a temperature comprised between 2 and 10° C.

Claims

1. A method for filling a container with a dairy product having a viscosity comprised between 1400 and 3800 mPa.Math.s measured by a viscosimeter equipped with a measuring bob/measuring tube system of type 2/2 with a shear rate of 64 s.sup.−1 during 90 s at 10° C. comprising the steps of: (a) filling the container with the dairy product by means of a dispenser equipped with a nozzle comprising at least one opening, at a flow rate by surface of the nozzle opening(s) between 0.5 and 1.2 kg/(h×mm.sup.2) and at a temperature comprised between 4 and 30° C., and (b) if the temperature of the dairy product in step (a) is above 10° C., cooling the dairy product in the container to a temperature comprised between 2 and 10° C.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dairy product has a viscosity comprised between 1400 and 2500 mPa.Math.s and step (a) is carried out at a flow rate by surface of the nozzle opening(s) comprised between 0.5 and 0.8 kg/(h×mm.sup.2).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dairy product has a viscosity comprised between 2600 and 3800 mPa.Math.s and step (a) is carried out at a flow rate by surface of the nozzle opening(s) comprised between 0.8 and 1.2 kg/(h×mm.sup.2).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the total surface of the opening(s) of the nozzle is comprised between 150 and 400 mm.sup.2.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises at least two openings.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the nozzle comprises 2 to 30 openings.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein all the openings have the same size and the same shape.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the openings are disposed uniformly at the end of the nozzle.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dairy product is cooled in step (b) at a rate comprised between 5 and 15° C./h.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dairy product is cooled in step (b) with fresh air, with an air flow between 3 and 6 m/s and an air temperature between 1.5 and 6° C.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dairy product has a total protein content comprised between 6 and 14%.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the container used in step (a) already contains a food preparation layer.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the food preparation is a fruit-based preparation, a flavoured milk-based preparation, a cereal-based preparation, honey or a mixture thereof, optionally further containing chocolate pieces, caramel pieces, nut pieces or a mixture thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: the fruit-based preparation is selected from fruit puree, fruit compote, fruit sauce, fruit coulis, fruit jam, fruit jelly and mixtures thereof, and optionally further contains fruit pieces; the flavoured milk-based preparation is a cream or a sauce with a chocolate, vanilla, caramel, praline, pistachio, hazelnut or coffee flavor; the cereal-based preparation is corn flakes or puffed rice, optionally coated with chocolate; and the nut pieces are pieces of almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, Macadamia nuts, Queensland nuts or mixtures thereof.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the fruit of the fruit-based preparation is selected from strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, apricot, peach, pear, apple, plum, pineapple, mango, banana, papaya, passion fruit, pomelo, orange, lemon, kiwi, coconut, vanilla and mixtures thereof.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of step (a) is comprised between 8 and 20° C.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the total surface of the opening(s) of the nozzle is comprised between 200 and 350 mm.sup.2.

18. The method according to claim 6, wherein the nozzle comprises 5 to 10 openings.

19. The method according to claim 9, wherein the dairy product is cooled in step (b) at a rate comprised between 7 and 12° C./h.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the dairy product has a total protein content comprised between 8 and 10%.

Description

FIGURES

[0123] FIG. 1 represents a nozzle with (A) 9 openings or (B) 6 openings which can be used in the present invention.

[0124] FIG. 2 represents photographs of the surface of dairy products obtained after the filling step when the viscosity of the dairy product is (A) in the range according to the invention, (B) below this range, or (C) above this range.

[0125] FIG. 3 represents photographs of the surface of dairy products obtained after the cooling step when the cooling step is (1) slow or (2) fast.

[0126] FIG. 4 represents various containers which can be used in the present invention.

EXAMPLES

[0127] 1. Material

[0128] 1.1. Dairy Product

[0129] The dairy products used in the following examples were strained yoghurts having the following features:

TABLE-US-00001 Ex. A Ref. Ex. B Ref. Ex. C according to with a low with a high Dairy Product the invention viscosity viscosity Total protein content 9.75 to 10.25 9.5 to 9.75 9.75 to 10.4 Fat content 0.1-0.25 0.1-0.25 0.1-0.25 Viscosity 3200 (+/−300) ≦1400 ≧3800 (at the filling stage)

[0130] These strained yoghurts have been prepared as follows: [0131] pre-heat at 75° C. of fresh prepasteurized skimmed milk having a total protein content of 3 to 3.6%, [0132] homogenization at 5 to 25 MPa, [0133] pasteurization at 92° C. and holding during 5 min [0134] cooling to fermentation temperature (40° C.), [0135] inoculation at 80% of tank filling with thermophilic yoghurt strains consisting of L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus, [0136] fermentation during 5.5 h, [0137] thermoshock at 58° C. during 2.5 min, [0138] cooling to mechanical separation temperature at (40° C.), [0139] centrifugal separation to increase the total protein content, [0140] smoothing with a dynamic rotary smoother, [0141] cooling to 18° C., [0142] storage under moderate intermittent agitation conditions

[0143] 1.2. Food Preparation

[0144] The food preparation used in some of the following examples was: [0145] peach fruit preparation with 47% brix, pH=3.8, cenco 5, [0146] passion fruit preparation with 50% brix, pH 3.6, cenco 5.5, [0147] strawberry fruit preparation with 45% brix, pH 3.8, cenco 5, or [0148] cherry fruit preparation with 50% brix, pH 3.8, cenco 5.

[0149] It was prepared by mixing and heating up to 70° C. the ingredients in batch as pre-heat, reaching the pasteurising temperature of 95° C. up to 5 min, decreasing the temperature in batch to 25° C.

[0150] 1.3. Container

[0151] The containers used in the following examples were plastic cups having a circle form (more particularly a form of a truncated cone) (see FIG. 4). They are intended to receive 150-160 g of dairy product.

[0152] 1.4. Dispenser

[0153] Various dosing dispensers were used in the following examples. They were equipped with a nozzle comprising 6, 8 or 9 openings having the following features: [0154] nozzle (1) with 6 openings: the openings are identical, have the form of an enlarging oval and an area of 55 mm.sup.2 and are arranged in circle; [0155] nozzle (2) with 8 openings: the openings are identical, have the form of a circle and an area of 28.26 mm.sup.2 and are arranged in circle; [0156] nozzle (3) with 9 openings: the openings are identical and have the form of a circle and an area of 28.26 mm.sup.2; 8 of the openings are arranged in circle and the last openings is placed in the center of the circle formed by the other 8 openings.

[0157] The nozzle with 9 openings and the one with enlarging ovals are represented on FIG. 1.

[0158] 2. Effect of Viscosity

[0159] Dairy products having various viscosities have been used in this example, i.e. the dairy products A, B and C as disclosed in paragraph 1.1 above.

[0160] Plastic cups defined above have been first filled with 30-32 g of a food preparation defined previously. These plastics cups comprising a food preparation layer have been then filled with 150-160 g of these dairy products in the following conditions: [0161] flow rate: 1200 kg/h; [0162] number of cups filled/stroke: 5; [0163] nozzle: 6 holes of 55 mm.sup.2; [0164] flow rate by surface of nozzle openings: 0.73 kg/(h×mm.sup.2); [0165] pressure applied on the piston: 30-80 kPa.

[0166] FIG. 2 presents photographs of the surface of the dairy products obtained for the three cases.

[0167] A perfectly defined and reproducible surface having a “flower print” is obtained with the dairy product having a viscosity according to the invention (FIG. 2A).

[0168] On the contrary, when the dairy product has a too low viscosity, no defined and reproducible surface is obtained and the dairy product mixed with the food preparation (FIG. 2B).

[0169] When the dairy product has a too high viscosity, a surface in the form of a mountain is obtained which has the further disadvantage to touch the lid (FIG. 2C).

[0170] 3. Effect of Cooling Step

[0171] Plastic cups filled with a dairy product according to the invention have been cooled from about 18° C. to about 6° C. in the following various conditions:

TABLE-US-00002 1 2 (slow cooling) (fast cooling) Cooling means Fresh air with an air Fresh air with an air flow of about 3.6-4 m/s flow ≧ 6 m/s and an and an air temperature air temperature of of about 4° C. about 0-1° C. Cooling duration 1.5 h-2 h 45 min-1 h

[0172] FIG. 3 presents photographs of the surface of the dairy products obtained for these two cases.

[0173] FIG. 3-2 shows that the too fast cooling step leads to a significant release of whey and a fragmentation of the cooled dairy product between the portions issued from the various openings of the nozzle, compared to the dairy product obtained after a slower cooling step (FIG. 3-1).