CA1041364A - Spoonable frozen gelatin dessert concentrate - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A spoonable frozen or shelf-stable concentrate which when diluted with hot tap water and thereafter refrigerated pro-duces a gelatin-type dessert.

Description

-This invention relates to the preparation of a spoonable gelatin concentrate capable of being frozen or stored at room temperature, which concentrate, when placed in water of a moderate temperatuxe readily dissolves therein. More specifically, this invention pertains to a novel method of preparing a readily solu-ble, spoonable gelatin concentrate by soaking the gelatin in a cold polyhydric alcohol.
Gelatin, like other hydrophilic colloids, is essentially soluble in water at moderate temperatures of, for example, 80F.
10 However, when large amounts of this colloid are attempted to be solubilized in water at this temperature, the gelatin does not readily go into solution. Thus, it is with gelatin desserts that a substantial increase in the temperature of the water is neces-sary in order that the gelatin dessert mixture dissolve and sub-sequently gel to form a homogeneous des~ert of desired texture.
The increased temperature required to dissolve the gelatin requires , up to 4 hours of refrigeration for the dessert to gel.
There have bçen numerous methods suggested for improving .::
the solubility of gelatin, chie~ among them being those methods which teach combining gelatin with a polyhydric alcohol or ester thereof. For example, in United S~ates Patent No. 2,558,065 issued June 26, 1951, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerine is poured over the gelatin in proportions providing a 30-55~ concen-tration by weight of gelatin in the resulting mixture, after which a vacuum is applied until the glycerine has wetted all of the granules of the gelatin. ~his method requires subsequent heat-ing of the polyhydric alcohol and gelatin mixture to temperatures i of about 80C. to 100C. until the solution of gelatin in glycer-ine is complete. When the solution is cooled to room tempera-i l ture, it hardens to a viscous gelatinous mass of sliceable con-` sistency. Although this method of allowing the gelatin to com~
pletely solubilize in glycerine yields a glycerinated gelatin, large quantities of which are soluble in aqueous systems, "~

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C;4 consistency of the resultant product is such that i~ lacks both the desirable solubility in water appreciably below boiling temperatures and the degree of viscosity necessary for use as a ~` spoonable gelatin concentrate.
Similarly, in United Sta~es Patent No. 2,819,970, it was suggested that the gelatin be coated with a dispersant such as a silicone, esters of polyhydric alcohols and fatty acids.
However, a major shortcoming in the use of such compounds is that solutions in which they are used acquire a cloudy character, making them particularly undesirable for gelatin dessert~type products.
It has been ound that by soaking gelatin in a poly-hydric alcohol of a temperature no~ exceeding room tempera~ure - for a specific period o~ time, a gelatin which is readily solu-ble and dispersible in hot tap water is obtained which, when mixed with other ingredients of a gelatin dessert-type nature and allowed to stand at room temperature for a short period, yields a spoonable gelatin dessert concentrate which may either be frozen or retained as a shelf stable product. When dissolved in hot water and thereafter refrigerated, a completely gelled dessert is derived in about one quarter of the time required by the conventional gelatin dessert product due at least in part to having eliminated the need of dissolving the gelatin in boil-ing water.
~ ccording to the invention there is provided a thick stirrable gelatin dessert concentrate which is readily dispers-ible and soluble in hot tap water and quick-setting to produce a gelatin dessert comprising a mixture of gelatin impregnated with a polyhydric alcohol in combination with sucrose, food acids, flavoring and coloring, the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol being present in sufficient amounts and soaked for a period of time sufficient to allow the gelatin to imbihe the polyhydric alcohol and appear as discrete swollen particles~

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There is also provided a method of making a hydrophilic colloid readily dispersible and soluble in hot tap water which comprises soaking the hydrophilic colloid in a polyhydxic alcohol not exceeding ambient temperatures for a period of time sufficient to allow the hydrophilic colloid to appear as discrete swollen particles impregnated with ~he polyhydric alcohol but prior to .~ assuming a cohesive solid appearance.
There is further provided a method of producing a thick, stirrable gelatin-based suspension which can be readily cl.eaved 1~ with a spoon for use as a gelatin dessert concentrate that is readily dispersible and soluble in hot tap water and quick-setting on subsequent refrigeration to produce a convenient-to-serve gelatin dessert, which method comprises:
a) soaking gelatin in a polyhydric alcohol for an initial period o at least one hour to allow the gelatin to become dis-crete and swollen but prior to assuming a cohesive appearance, the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol being in a respective weight ' ratio of 5:1 to 1:3;
b) dry blending sucrose, rood acid, flavoring and coloring and mixing these dry ingredients with the gelatin and polyhydric : alcohol suspension to form a homogenous mixture;
c) allowing the homogenous mixture to stand for the purpose : of equilibration.
., The behavioral characteristics of gelatin with regards to its poor solubility in water indicates a fundamental arrange-ment of its molecular structure whereby the amino acid radicals are joined together by peptide linkages in chains of varying lengkhs and molecular weights. Due to this structural configura-tion therefore, the granulated gelatin when placed in cold water, ~ 30 tends to imbibe the same and remain as discrete swollen particles :. rather than dissolving therein~
The present invention is based on khe fact that gelatin imbibes a cold polyhydric alcohol in much the same way a6 it does . --3 ..... .
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water which accounts for the low sol~bility of gelatin in the latter. To date, pol,yhydric alcohols have been regarded as poor : dispersants for gelatin since they tend to dissolve h~drophilic colloids as a whole (United States Patent No. 3,36'1,036 issued January 16, 1968). However, it has been found that when the gelatin is allowed to absorb the polyhydric alcohol for a period of time sufficient for the gelatin granules to become swollen but prior to actual dissolution in the alcohol, the gelatin, when ; dispersed in hot tap water is readily soluble and enjoys a degree , lO of viscosity appropriate for use as a spoonable gelatin concen-trate. It is theorized that this increased solubility is due to , the particles being swo}len by the glycerine so that much more j sur~ace area of the gelatin particle~ is in contact with the water thus increasing the rate of solution of the gelat.in into J ~he water phase. In addition since glycerine and other poly-hydric alcohols are strongly hydrophilic due to the presence of :~ ' numerous hydroxyl groups in their chemical structures, their ,. ' . presence on the surface of the gelatin particles also enables them ~ :
" to function as a bridge between gelatin and water thus increasing the rate o~ solubility. In addition, when the swollen gelatin composition is stored at temperatures not exceeding room tempera~
ture, it provides a stable product with no tendency for the gelatin to be dissolved by the polyhydric alcohol, a result which could . not have been anticipated from existing facts concerning the be- , '~ havior of gelatin in the same. Although a wide range of hydro-: philic aolloids have not been tested, it is foreseeable that such colloids, especially those having a molecular configuration close-ly resembling gelatin, and thus demonstrating similar solubility problems, would demonstrate similarly improved solubility by the ~ 30 practice of this invention.
:,' ,~ The composition of the present invention is, in its .
; basic form, therefore, a hydrophilic colloid impregnated with a cold polyhydric alcohol to a swollen state so as to obtain a thick 7 ,~

3L3ti4 stirrable suspension having a bead-like appearance that is easily cleaved with a spoon and readily soluble in hot tap water~ "sus- .
pension" in this context referring ~o the polyhydric alcohol being "suspended" or encapsulated in the gelatin granule rather than the conventional definition of the term which would indicate that the gelatin granules were suspended in the polyhydric alcohol.
As far as commercial applications are concerned, the preferred colloid of this invention is gelatin, since this colloid is in ! wide use for forming gelatin desserts and the principle component of the dessert concentrate of this invention. Of the polyhydric alcohols, glycerine has been found to be the most desirable in te~ms of having the least afect on the taste of the resulting product.
The features of this invention which are belie~ed to be novel are distinctly set forth and claimed in the concluding portion of this specification.
Although the method of this invention may be practiced ; on a wide range of hydrophilic colloids such as carrageenan, furcellaran~ agar, and the like in order to obtain a hydrophilic colloid which is soluble in water appreciably below boiling temp~
erature and at the same time of an easy-to-work-with consistency, the preferred use of this invention is as a gelatin dessert con-centrate. Hence, further discussion will be directed solely to the use of gelatin but is not intended to limit the scope of this invention.
The composition of this invention is prepared by soak-ing a gelatin in a polyhydric alcohol, the temperature of the alcohol AS well as duration of soaking in the same being critical to this in~ention. It has been found that the gelatin must be soaked in a polyhyaric alcohol not exceeding room temperature for a period of time sufficient to allow the colloid granules to im-, . . .
bibe the alcohol and assume tne appearance of dlscrete swollenparticles or beads which requires a minimum time of about one hour. At the same time it is ess ~ ial that the impregnating process not be so long as to allow the gelatin to appear solid and cohesive as this indicates that the gelatin has begun to dissolve in the alcohoL. It is important that these parameters be strictly observed since an appreciable variance therefrom will result in a gelatin of either poor so:Lubility and dispers-ibility or poor workability from a manufacturing as well as consumer standpoint. For example, if gelatin is soaked in glycerine for appreciably less than one hour or alternatively allowed to dissolve in the glycerine, the improved solubility in hot tap water will not be derived. Similarly, if the gelatin is soaked in glycerine exceeding ambient temperature, a tough rubbery ball which is less solub}e and difficult to handle is obtained, making use of the same as a spoonable concentrate in-feasible.
The ratio of gelatin to polyhydric alcohol may en-compass a wide range but that most appropriate for this invention is 5:1 to about 1:3 b~ weight of the gelatin to alcohol since the gelatin imbibes all of the aicohol and thus eliminates the need for subsequent removal of any remaining "solvent", the final product in both instances having the appearance of a composition of discrete beads with the absence of any solvent. Both the liquid polyhydric alcohols and solutions of normally solid poly-hydric alcohols may be utilized to achieve the desired result bu~
glycerine is particularly preferred since it demonstrates the ,,;, least off-taste of this class of alcohols. The preferred embodi-ment of this invention is therefore a 5:3 weight ratio of gelatin to glycerine.

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The other product ingredients of the gelatin dessert ; 30 concentrate of this invention such as the sucrose, food acids, flavoring and coloring may be added either while the gelatin is soaking in the alcohol for the initial one hour period or may ` be added at the conclusion of that period~ in both instances the ,...... , , . . , . ::
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mixture being allowed to equilibrate at room temperature for an additional period of time usually an hour, being careful not to - allow dissolution of the gelatin in the polyhydric alcohol to occur in either instance~
J' Although this invention is in the form of a spoonable - concentrate it is easy to prepare the product in other convenient forms, i.e., a squeezable mass contained in a toothpaste-type tube, individual cubes or balls of convenient recipe sizes, etc.
Similarly, fresh or cooked fruit may be added to the product for a fruited gelatin dessert. Where the fruited gelatin concentrate is to be used as a shelf-stable product, this would involve in-corporating intermediate moisture fruits in order that both the desirable organoleptic qualities of the fruit as well as the overall ~tability of ~he product be maintained.
Accordingly, the resultant compo~ition of this inven-tion may be either frozen or maintained at room temperature as a shelf-stable product. In both instances, a readily dispersible, hot tap water-soluble product of a thick, stirrable consistency is obtained which when dissolved in water yields a consumable gelled product in about 45 minutes when refrigerated immediately after dissolution. This rate of gelation may be further excelled i by placing the gelatin/glycerol composition in the freezer, where, unlike the conventional gelatin preparation, gelation occurs at a more rapid rate than the crystallization o the water and thus renders a completely gelled product in about 30 minutes.
l In order to more fully explain the invention, the fol-i lowing illustrative examples are set ~orth.
EXAMPLE I
" A 3:5 weight ratio of gelatin to glycerine (30 50 g.) was prepared and allowed to stand at room temperature for l hour during which time the following ingredients were added-Sugar 130 g.
Citric Acid 3 g Water 70 g-Flavor and color q.s. (~uantity sufficient) . ~
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At the completion of the first hour the en~ire mixture was allowed to stand for an additional hour at room temperatur~
after mixing the gelatin/glycerol phase and ingredient phase to-gether.
The mixture was refrigerated at 0F. and thereafter

2 teaspoonqful (30-40 gms.) of the concentrate were stirred into , 120 cc. hot tap water (125F.). The concentrate dispersed within 1 minute and gradually went into solution upon standing. It was then refrigerated and ready to consume as a gelatin dessert in 45 minutes.
EXAMPLE II
The following ingredients were weighed out separately and the dry ingredients mixed prior to addition to the polyhydric ; alcohol solution:

Gelatin 50 g-Sucrose 260 g.
Citric Acid 10 g.
~, Water 138 g ,, Flavor and color q.s. (quantity sufficient) Sorbitol (70~ solution)42 g.
The entire mixture was allowed to stand for 1 hour a room temperature afterwhich it was frozen for 24 hours at 0F.
For reconstituting, 60 grams of the gelatin composition was mixed with 1/2 cup of hot tap water (125F.) and refrigerated for 1 hour to ~ield a completely gelled dessert.
EXAMPLE III
The following dry ingredients were blended together~

i Sucrose 260 g.
Gelatin 50 g.
~- 30 Citric Acid 10 g.
Flavor and color q.s. (quantity sufficient) This dry mixture was subsequently added to a polyhydric alcohol , solution comprising the following ingredients and concentrations:

Mannitol (dry) 30 g.
Water 180 g.
'~ The same procedure was thereafter followed as in Example II and provided a completely gelled product in about 40 minutes.

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In Example III, the mannitol was replaced by 30 g. of 1,3-butylene glycol and the dry ingredients allawed to soak therein for 1 hour after which it was frozen at 0F. It was then evaluat-ed as in Example II. The same desirable spoonable gelatin con-centrate was derived which, when dissolved in hot tap water of approximately 125F. and refrigerated for about 1 hour rendered a completely gelled aessert.
EXAMPLE V
Identical samples of the gelatin dessert concentrate of Example I were prepared, one of which was fro2en at ODF. and the other having been stored at room temperature. The samples were allowed to remain undisturbed in their prospective storage area~ for five months, aEter which they were evaluated as against a recently prepared sample.
Both samples were spoonable, exhibited no evidence of i spoilage such as mold, discoloration, etc., and gelatin desserts !
prepared therefrom functioned as well in terms of flavor, gelling and solubility properties as the recently prepared sample of con-centrate. The water-activity tAw) of the product measured 0.83 l and was within the range of stability for shelf-stable, soft-,~ moist products. To prevent the development of mold on the sur-face, anti-mycotic agents such as potassium sorbate were added.
EXAMPLE VI
A 3:5 weight ratio of gelatin to glycerine (30:50) was prepared and allowed to stand at room temperature for one hour during which time the same ingredients and concentrations thereof as in Example I were added.
At the completion of the first hour, the entire mixture was allowed to stand for an additional hour at room temperature after ~ixing the gelatin/glycerol phase and ingredient phase to-gether.
This concentrate was thereafter frozen at 0F. for 2 . `
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hours afterwhich two teaspoonsful (30-40 g.) were added to 100 ml.
hot tap water and stirred until dissolved. One ice cube (about 20 g.) was then added and the entire mixture stirred until the ice cube melted completely. The sample was then refrigerated (35-40F.) for about five minutes at which timle a comple~ely gelled ;~ ready-to-serve dessert was obtained.
Larger preparations such as two-serving and four-serving units can be prepared by adjusting the quantities of concentrate, hot tap water and ice in proper proportions. Thus, a four-unit preparation was prepared by stirring 160 g. of concentrate into 360 ml. hot tap water until dissolved. Six ice cubes (about 120 g.) were added and the mixture stirred until the ice cubes melted. An edible gel was formed and was ready to qerve a~ter only five minutes of re~rigeration.
: Thus, use of the frozen gelatin concentrate in combina-tion with hot tap water and ice cubes resulted in an appreciable decrease in gel set time, further improving the setting time from abouk 40 minutes ko about 5 minutes. By frozen, we mean refriger- ;
., ated to a temperature which normally solidifies conventional foods such as ice cream, ice, and other frozen foods.
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Claims (14)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method of making gelatin readily dispersible and soluble in hot tap water which comprises soaking the gelatin in polyhydric alcohol at about room temperature for at least one hour to allow the gelatin to appear as discrete swollen particles impregnated with the polyhydric alcohol but prior to assuming a cohesive solid appearance, the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol being in a respective weight ratio of 5:1 to 1:3.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol are in a respective weight ratio of 5:3.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the polyhydric alcohol is glycerine.

4. A method of producing a thick, stirrable gelatin-based suspension which can be readily cleaved with a spoon for use as a gelatin dessert concentrate that is readily dispersible and solu-ble in hot tap water and quick-setting on subsequent refriger-ation to produce a convenient-to-serve gelatin dessert, which method comprises:
a) soaking gelatin in a polyhydric alcohol at about room temperature for an initial period of at least one hour to allow the gelatin to become discrete and swollen but prior to assuming a cohesive appearance, the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol being in a respective weight ratio of 5:1 to 1:3;
b) dry blending sucrose, food acid, flavoring and coloring and mixing these dry ingredients with the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol suspension to form a homogenous mixture;
c) allowing the homogenous mixture to stand for the purpose of equilibration.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol are in a respective weight ratio of 5:3.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the polyhydric alcohol is glycerine.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein the dry ingred-ients are added to the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol suspension during the initial hour of soaking.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein the dry ingred-ients are added to the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol suspension after the initial hour of soaking.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein the gelatin des-sert concentrate is frozen after equilibration.

10. A method according to claim 4, where the gelatin des-sert concentrate is kept at ambient temperatures after equili-bration.

11. A thick, stirrable gelatin dessert concentrate prepared by the method of claim 4 which is readily dispersible and soluble in hot tap water and quick-setting to produce a gelatin dessert comprising a mixture of gelatin impregnated with a polyhydric alcohol in combination with sucrose, food acids, flavoring and coloring, the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol being present in sufficient amounts and soaked for a period of time sufficient to allow the gelatin to imbibe the polyhydric alcohol and appear as discrete swollen particles.

12. A spoonable gelatin dessert concentrate according to claim 11, wherein the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol are in a respective weight ratio of about 5:1 to about 1:3.

13. A spoonable gelatin dessert concentrate according to claim 12, wherein the gelatin and polyhydric alcohol are in a respective weight ratio of 5:3.

14. A spoonable gelatin dessert concentrate according to claim 12, wherein the polyhydric alcohol is glycerine.