WO2006040127A1

WO2006040127A1 - Fat-based confectionery product

Info

Publication number: WO2006040127A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/010928
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bernard Trottet; Ruzbeh Feroze Masani
Original assignee: Nestec S.A.
Priority date: 2004-10-12
Filing date: 2005-10-11
Publication date: 2006-04-20
Also published as: JP2008515414A; MY151166A; HK1107914A1; EP1806972A1; AU2005293726B2; CN101039586B; CN101039586A; GB0422632D0; AU2005293726A1; BRPI0516129A; JP5437577B2; ZA200703834B; EG24821A

Abstract

This invention concerns a film coated fat-based confectionery food product which has one side uncoated. It is resistant to deformation when heated, and also has a surprising bloom resistance even on the non-coated side.

Description

Fat-based confectionery product

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a fat-based confectionery product which is film coated on all sides except one. The film coating makes the fat-based confectionery resistant to deformation when heated and also makes it bloom resistant.

Background of the invention It is well-known that fat-based confectionery products melt and deform when exposed to warm conditions. Fat bloom also frequently appears on these products making them less appealing to the consumer.

Film coating is a process of depositing a thin layer of material onto a substrate. It is extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry for coating drugs in single dose form, e.g. tablets. Generally the coatings are applied to protect the drug against light, moisture and oxygen and to mask unpleasant taste or odour. They also can be used to colour the tablets as a form of identification.

Film coating is distinct from hard and soft sugar panning. In hard sugar panning, successive layers of saturated sugar syrup are spread on tablets or other substrates while they tumble in a revolving drum. The tumbling action spreads the syrup over the surface which then crystallises to form a hard, crisp sugar shell. Hard sugar panning is used in both the pharmaceutical industry and the confectionery industry. An example of a hard sugar panned product is M&M's ® (from Effem Foods). In soft sugar panning, a non- crystallising sugar syrup is spread on tablets or other substrates while they tumble in a revolving drum. Once the syrup has spread, powder, normally including crystalline sugar, is dosed into the pan to adhere to the wet surface and form the coating. Jelly Beans are an example of a soft sugar panned product. Sugar panned coatings are generally applied to fat based confectionery products at levels of greater than 10% final weight, and more usually between 30 and 50% final weight. Lower application levels produce a thin fragile shell.

Applying sugar panned coatings to fat based confectionery changes the texture and appearance of the fat based confectionery which is not always desirable. Film coatings provide protection at much low application levels and do not significantly alter the overall texture of the coated material. If the film coating is chosen to be transparent and without a high gloss finish, the coated fat based confectionery can also be similar in appearance to the uncoated fat based confectionery.

Film coatings are conventionally applied to small objects tumbling in a revolving drum or pan. This process applies a coating over the whole item. Common examples of items coated in this way are film coated pharmaceutical tablets. Many fat-based confectionery items are not suited to tumbling in a revolving drum. For example, chocolate bars such as KitKat Chunky® would be damaged almost to destruction if they were tumbled in a revolving drum.

It is an important challenge to manufacture products which are resistant to heat and also to bloom, using a simple coating process which can be applied without tumbling the products.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to fat-based confectionery product which is film coated on all sides except one. The film coating makes the fat-based confectionery resistant to deformation when heated and also renders it bloom resistant even on the non-coated side. Preferably the uncoated face is the bottom side or the side which supports the product while being coated.

Figures Figure 1 shows white chocolate bars which have been subjected to a Heat Resistance Test. Completely uncoated bars (1) are compared with bars coated on all sides except their base (2)

Figure 2 shows milk chocolate bars before a Heat Resistance Test. The coated bars (4) are coated on all sides except the base. A pigment has been added to the coating. The other bars (3) are completely uncoated.

Figure 3 shows milk chocolate bars after a Heat Resistance Test. The uncoated bars (5) are compared with those having a coating on all sides except the base.

Figure 4 shows the film coated milk chocolate bars from example 1, with either all sides coated (7) or only the bottom side is uncoated (8), after Heat Resistance Test. Figure 5 shows a totally uncoated milk chocolate bar (9) from example 1, after Heat Resistance Test.

Figure 6 shows the (uncoated) bases of milk chocolate bars from example 1. One bar (10) has been coated on all sides except the base, while the other bar (11) is totally uncoated..

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fat-based confectionery product. "Fat-based confectionery product" should be understood as referring to a dark, milk or white chocolate, or to chocolate analogues containing; milk fat, milk fat replacers, cocoa butter replacers, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter equivalents, non metabolizable fats or any mixture thereof; or "Caramac® " sold by Nestle comprising non-cocoa butter fats, sugar and milk; nut pastes such as peanut butter and fat; and/or praline among others. Fat-based confectionery products may include sugar, milk derived components, and fat and solids from vegetable or cocoa sources, or any other usual ingredient for chocolate such as lecithin for example, in different proportions.

In a first aspect of this invention, the fat-based confectionery product is resistant to deformation when heated. By heated, we mean exposure to temperatures such as might be encountered in warm climates transporting the confectionery product from the shop to the home. That is to say between warm temperate conditions (such as 25°C) and 45°C. By resistant to deformation we mean that the product will alter less than 2% in height, width or length after being heated for several hours. In a second aspect, the product is also bloom resistant. Fat bloom is a surface defect, occurring during storage whereby the initial gloss of the confectionery is first lost and then replaced with a white or greyish haze. The bloom is undesirable as it makes confectionery products appear old and sub-standard. Fat bloom becomes visible when fat crystals on the surface grow larger than a critical size (about 4-5 microns). An important cause of bloom is poor storage conditions (exposure to heat) of fat-based confectionery products containing cocoa butter and/or cocoa butter equivalents. By bloom resistant we mean that less than 5% of the global surface shows visible bloom after the product has been heated for several hours and then cooled back down.

It is known that film coating makes a fat-based confectionery product shape resistant and imparts bloom resistance. To obtain such a result, the product is normally totally film coated, covering all sides. In our co-pending application GB 0323668-4 for instance, the invention relates to coated fat-based confectionery products that are heat shape stable and heat resistant. AU sides of the product are film coated. Moreover these coated fat-based confectionery products can be dispersed into and/or scattered onto a food product such as chocolate, baked products etc. They do not deform when baked in a cookie dough, for example, and the colours do not leak.

One industrial method of film-coating fat-based confectionery products such as chocolate bars which cannot be tumbled in a revolving drum would be to spray the film coating onto the bar as it passes below spray guns on a conveyor belt. If a freshly sprayed surface touches a conveyor belt or moving wire mesh then the sprayed surface is marked. To completely cover all the surfaces of the bar, a first application of film- coating is made, the film-coating is dried and then the bar is turned over so that it is supported on a dry film coated surface. Then a second application of film-coating covers the remaining surfaces. This double-spraying process with intermediate drying is time consuming, complex and requires significant factory floor space.

The present invention is about a film coated fat-based confectionery product which is not intended to be incorporated into a food product but it is a product in itself. Not all surfaces of the product are film coated; nevertheless we found surprisingly that when heated the product is resistant to deformation and is bloom resistant even on the uncoated part.

The film coating protects the fat-based confectionery product from heat that is to say the product according to the invention can be exposed to hot or warm conditions without significantly collapsing, or deforming, , as can be seen in figure 1. hi figure 1, the "uncoated" (totally uncoated) white chocolate bars (1) have lost their shape after the Heat Resistance Test. It is not the case for those which are film coated on all sides but one (2), with a film coating according to the present invention. The uncoated bars (1) also show bloom on their base, whereas the bars coated on all sides except the base (2) show no bloom, even on the base. The white bloom on white chocolate was visible to the naked eye, although it did not show up clearly on a black and white photograph. The Heat Resistance Test involved storing the samples at 33⁰C for a period of 2 hours, before allowing them to cool and re-crystallise at room temperature for 24 hours.

So the original shape and appearance are retained when the product is exposed to tropical temperatures (when the product is heated). Figures 2 and 3 also illustrate this point. They show the difference in shape of milk chocolate bars before (Figure 2) and after (Figure 3) the same Heat Resistance Test. The first samples (5) are totally uncoated and they have lost their shape ; the second samples (6) are film coated on all but one side, with a film coating relating to the present invention, and they have kept their shape. Moreover we can see from the samples after the Heat Resistance Test shown in figure 4 that the protection against deformation provided by the film coating corresponding to our invention is equally effective when a milk chocolate bar has all sides coated (7) and when it is film coated on all sides except one(8). The change in height, width or length of the product is < 2% compared with the initial product. This is a surprising discovery.

Furthermore the film coating protects the fat-based confectionery product from blooming ; the product is allowed to cool and re-crystallise and it shows an astonishing bloom resistance even on the uncoated surface. No whitish stains appear on the surface of the product. Such a surprising result is illustrated by figure 6, where the uncoated bases of bars after the Heat Resistance Test are shown. One bar(l 1) is totally uncoated and shows visible bloom, while the other bar (10) is coated on all sides except the base and has not bloomed.

The film coated fat-based confectionery food product of this invention is uncoated on one side. Preferably the uncoated face is the bottom side or the side which supports the product while being coated. This gives practical advantages in ease of coating in that the exposed sides of the product can be sprayed from one side only, normally from above, while the product rests on its base, e.g. on wire-mesh conveyor belt. The uncoated side is essentially flat or concave. The term "flat" has to be understood as follows : the side is more or less flat but may be slightly convex, or have a texture or pattern such as is applied by an embossed conveyer belt, a logo or striation applied by a mould, or small distortions due to the manufacturing process such as ripples in the fat based confectionery from depositing or settling of fillings or contraction of fat based confectionery material as it sets. The "flat" surface may also be formed of planes intersecting at shallow angles between 180° and 170°. The flat surface will not lead to a variation in the height of the fat based confectionery above the flat surface of more than 10% of the maximum height. For example, a small indentation can be seen in sample (10) of figure 6 in the region of the wafer filling. The maximum height of the bar above the presented surface is 19 mm and the indentation in the surface is lmm deep so the surface is flat, having a height variation due to imperfections in the flat surface of 5.3%.

The film coating can comprise any cellulose-based material such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose (MC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) or guar gum, locust bean gum, gum arabic, pectin, xanthan gum, dextrins, malto dextrin, carrageenan, whey protein and/or any mixture thereof. Preferably the film formulation comprises modified starches, plasticizers, an acidity regulator and emulsifier, dissolved or dispersed in water. Film coatings using compounds such as sugars, waxes, Shellac or polyols may also be suitable. Supplementary ingredients such as colorants and flavours can also be added in the film formulation.

Modified starch as to be understood as being starch suitable for human consumption that has been modified by at least one of the following techniques: cross-linking, stabilisation, dextrinisation, enzyme conversion, acid thinning, oxidation, lipophilic substitution, pregelatinisation, thermal treatment, or any other known starch modification.

The invention does not work with an uncoated product. This is illustrated in figure 5. As also shown in figure 3, uncoated milk chocolate bars from figure 2 have lost their shape after the Heat Resistance Test characterised above.

The film coating is preferably water-soluble or water dispersed but can also be prepared from a solution or suspension of the film-forming material in a non-aqueous solvent.

Moreover the film coating has a minimal influence on the textural qualities of the product when it is eaten and if the film coating is chosen to be transparent and without a high gloss finish, the coated fat based confectionery can be similar in appearance to the uncoated fat based confectionery. In our invention the film coating gives products with a smooth and non-sticky touch making them easier to handle, and the products are less susceptible to scuffing. The film also reduces fat leakage.

According to the present invention, at least 50% of the surface of the fat-based confectionery product is covered by the film, more preferably between 50 and 80%, and more preferably between 55 and 70 %.

The fat-based confectionery product of the invention can have any shape such as round, square, rectangular (tablets, bars), triangular, pyramidal, trapezoidal, conical, hexagonal, octagonal, hollow (such as Easter eggs), diamond shapes, but also shapes with rounded peaks or successive segments upper side, other tridimensional shapes with a base, or characteristic shapes such as waves, animals or cartoon characters among others. This list is not exhaustive. The number of sides is not limited. The fat-based confectionery product can be coated by any process capable of leaving one side uncoated, such as dipping, painting or spraying for example. The film is preferably applied with binary spray guns using compressed air to atomise the formulation and, a wire-mesh conveyer belt to pass products below the nozzle to obtain an even film. There is no sudden changes of thickness across the product surface, but for example when a fat-based confectionery product is sprayed vertically from above, the coating on the flat top is thicker (about 100 μm for instance) than on the other sides (about 10-20 μm for instance) and the coating also tends to be slightly thicker around the corners. The mean thickness of the film is between lμm to lmm, preferably between lOμm to 0.5mm and more preferably between 15μm to 0.2mm.

Example

The following example further illustrates the present invention. No limitation of the invention is implied. Changes and modifications can be made with respect to the invention. It is obvious to the skilled person that a variety of applications of the invention exist.

Example 1 : Film coated milk chocolate bars with one side uncoated

The film formulation was prepared using modified starches, a plasticiser, acidity regulator and emulsifier.

1Og lecithin was mixed into 15g of high fructose corn syrup for 10 minutes so that it was homogeneously distributed. A motorized stirrer was used to stir 200ml water, into which was added 2Og Instant PureCote™ B792 (a modified starch from Grain Processing Company) and 2g Sodium Citrate. After stirring for a further 5 minutes, 1Og Crystal Tex™ 626 (a dextrine from National Starch) was added and with stirred for a further 5 minutes. The lecithin/high fructose corn syrup mixture was then added and stirred for a further 10 minutes. If the addition of colouring material were desired, this would be added at this point. If any lumps are present, the formulation should be filtered through a fine sieve. The powered stirrer was used to keep the mixture uniformly dispersed during the spraying operation. The film formulation obtained was applied to KitKat Chunky ® bars with binary spray guns using compressed air to atomise the formulation. A conveyer belt is used to pass products below the nozzles to obtain a film thickness of 10-100 microns and then pass the bars under a stream of drying air. Only the 5 top sides of the chocolate bars were coated not the bottom side. The final milk chocolate bars have 0.3% by weight coating. About 67% of the product surface is coated. The film coating provides a product with a smooth and non-sticky touch and gives it a gloss comparable with the uncoated product.

The film formulation was then applied to all surfaces of further KitKat Chunky ® bars using a similar method, except that after drying the bars were turned over and sprayed on the remaining side.

A Heat Resistance Test was made as follows: Totally coated bars, bars coated on all sides but the base and totally uncoated samples were stored at 33⁰C for 2 hours before being allowed to cool and re-crystallise at room temperature for 24 hours. All the coated milk chocolate bars were resistant to deformation when heated (figure 4) deviating less than 2% in height, width or length after the test. This was true for the totally coated bars (7) and the bars with the base uncoated (8). The totally uncoated products showed appreciable collapse (figure 5). The coated bars showed a surprising bloom resistance (figure 6) on all surfaces even on the bottom uncoated side of the bars with the base uncoated (10) compared with totally uncoated products (11).

Claims

1. A film coated fat-based confectionery product characterised in that one side is uncoated.

2. A film coated fat-based confectionery product according to claim 1 wherein the preferably uncoated side is the bottom side or the side which supports the product while being coated.

3. A film coated fat-based confectionery product according to claim 2 wherein the uncoated side is flat.

4. A film coated fat-based confectionery product according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the uncoated side is concave.

5. A film coated fat-based confectionery product according to one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the coating film formulation comprises modified starch and/or is cellulose based, and comprises at least one emulsifier.

6. A film coated fat-based confectionery product according to one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the film is water-soluble.

7. A film coated fat-based confectionery product according to any preceding claims wherein at least 50% of the surface of the fat-based confectionery product is covered by the film, more preferably between 50 and 80%, and more preferably between 55 and 70%.

8. A film coated fat-based confectionery food product according to any preceding claims where the mean thickness of the film coating is between lμm to lmm, preferably between 1 Oμm to 0.5mm and more preferably between 15 μm to 0.2mm.

9. A film coated fat-based confectionery food product according to any preceding claims characterised in that it is resistant to deformation when heated.

10. A film coated fat-based confectionery food product according to any preceding claims characterised in that it comprises cocoa butter and/or cocoa butter equivalent and in that it is bloom resistant even on the non-coated side.

11. A film coated fat-based confectionery food product according to any preceding claims wherein the food product is a chocolate bar or a chocolate tablet.

12. A process of preparation of a film coated fat-based confectionery product according to one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the film coating is applied by any known process of coating, such as dipping, painting or spraying.

13. A process of preparation of a film coated fat-based confectionery product according to any preceding claims wherein the film coating is applied with binary spray guns using compressed air to atomise the formulation, then a conveyer is used to pass products below the nozzle to obtain an even film.