Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L25/00—Food consisting mainly of nutmeat or seeds; Preparation or treatment thereof
  • A23L25/10—Peanut butter
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L25/00—Food consisting mainly of nutmeat or seeds; Preparation or treatment thereof
  • A23L25/30—Mashed or comminuted products, e.g. pulp, pastes, meal, powders; Products made therefrom, e.g. blocks, flakes, snacks; Liquid or semi-liquid products

Definitions

• This invention relates to improved nut spreads, especially peanut butters having significantly more peanut flavor than conventionally processed peanut butters.
• the invention provides a peanut butter having both the desired nut flavor intensity and a reduced stickiness impression.
• peanut and other nut butters typically consist of a mixture of solid nut particles, liquid oil, and other optional ingredients including flavorants, an emulsifier and a stabilizer.
• the pnmary component of peanut butter, peanut paste is generally prepared by roasting, blanching, then g ⁇ nding shelled peanuts The g ⁇ nding operation breaks the cellular structure of the peanut kernels, liberating oil in which the comminuted nut particles are suspended to form a peanut paste having a pasty and spreadable consistency.
• the flavorants, emulsifier, stabilizer and other optional ingredients are then added to the peanut paste to provide a peanut butter having a desirable taste and consistency Consumers consider a number of factors when evaluating the desirability of peanut butter.
• peanut flavor perception
• the flavor of the nut paste can be that of the natural (raw) nut
• the desired flavor is more typically developed by subjecting the nuts to a thermal operation such as roasting
• peanuts can be roasted m a hot air convection roaster (e.g., a Jet ZoneTM roaster manufactured by Wolve ⁇ ne).
• the roast temperature and the roast time control the nut flavor character and intensity.
• roasting peanuts at a higher roast temperature and shorter time results in the most desirable peanut flavor.
• Roasting peanuts at higher temperatures creates a non-uniform temperature profile and, m turn, a non-uniform flavor profile within the peanut (darker roast outside and lighter roast inside). This non-uniformity produces a peanut flavor more desirable than that of peanuts roasted to the same color but at a lower roast temperature.
• roasting to a darker roast color to further intensify peanut flavor can cause over-roastmg of the outer peanut, leading to undesirable burnt and bitter flavors.
• Past efforts to intensify peanut flavor by over-roasting required the use of high levels of sweeteners such as sucrose to diminish the negative overroasted flavors.
• the level of sweetener required to mask the over-roasted flavors was so great that excessive sweetness resulted and/or the product fell outside the peanut butter standard of identity.
• the particle size dist ⁇ bution (PSD) of the nut solids affects the resulting peanut butter viscosity.
• Peanut butters made by finely milling the nut solids to a mono-modal particle size dist ⁇ bution have relatively low viscosities. See U.S. Patent 5,079,027, issued January 7, 1992 to Wong et al. (Roll-milling Nut Solids To A Mono-modal Particle Size Distnbution), and U.S Patent 5,508,057, issued Ap ⁇ l 16, 1996 to Wong et al. (Process Of Making Monomodal Nut Butters And Spreads), both herein incorporated by reference.
• chunky type peanut butters made with larger, coarsely-ground peanut granules have more peanut flavor than creamy style peanut butters, but the processing conditions creating these larger particle size peanut solids generally lead to stickier peanut butters.
• finely grinding the nut solids to reduce viscosity, and in turn reduce stickiness decreases peanut flavor. It is believed that peanut flavor release is a function of the extent that the nut solids are hydrated. During the mastication process, a less sticky peanut butter product is in the mouth for a shorter pe ⁇ od of time, thus reducing the degree of hydration of the nut solids and, in turn, leading to a decrease in peanut flavor.
• the present invention relates to nut spreads, especially peanut butters, having intense nut flavor and reduced stickiness.
• the method of preparing the nut spread composition compnses the steps of:
• the roast color difference between the darker and the lighter roasted peanuts comp ⁇ smg the darker roasted and the lighter roasted nut compositions, respectively is at least about 5 L' color units, and preferably about 10 L' color units or more.
• the lighter roasted nut composition compnses nuts that have been roasted to a color of less than about 39 L' color units, and more preferably from about 35 L' to about 38 L' color units.
• the darker roasted nut composition compnses nuts that have been roasted to a color of less than about 32 L' color units, and more preferably from about 24 L' to about 30 L' color units.
• the darker roasted nut composition is defatted and processed to make a reduced fat peanut flour.
• Applicants have found that a significant reduction in the undesirable burnt/bitter flavor components produced by darker roasting is achieved by defattmg the peanuts, since the oil phase contains a significant portion of the compounds responsible for the burnt/bitter flavors.
• Combining defatted peanut flour from darker roasted peanuts with a lighter roasted peanut butter base provides a peanut butter having the desired increase m peanut flavor but having only minimal burnt bitter taste.
• roll-refinmg a mix of defatted peanut flour and sugar to form a roll-refined mix provides an additional means of masking any remaining burnt/bitter flavors.
• Processing the sugar and defatted flour mix through a roll-refinmg mill transforms the sugar into its amorphous state.
• Sugar m its amorphous state has selective aroma-bmding properties that alter the flavor display of the roll-milled peanut solids. The result is a peanut butter with the intense flavor of darker roasted peanuts but without burnt/bitter notes.
• a preferred embodiment of the present invention has significantly reduced stickiness. This is achieved by greatly reducing the viscosity of the nut spread, preferably to an apparent viscosity of about 1000 centipoise (cP) or less (measured at 150° F at 6.8 sec "1 ). Viscosity is reduced by adding "added oil” to the darker roasted nut composition, to the nut spread composition and/or by high shear mixing the nut spread composition until the desired viscosity is obtained.
• the nut solids can be finely milled to a mono-modal particle size distribution (PSD) to further reduce the viscosity of the nut spread.
• PSD mono-modal particle size distribution
• reducing the viscosity of Applicants' nut spread does not create an undesired trade-off between flavor and reduced stickiness. Due to Applicants' unique process for manipulating peanut flavor (increasing peanut flavor by over-roastmg a portion of the peanuts and decreasing over-roasted flavors by defattmg and roll-millmg), an intense nut flavor is maintained even at lower viscosities.
• applicants' invention may be used to produce nut spreads with bi -modal or multi-modal PSD nut solids.
• the spreads can be prepared as full-fat, reduced-fat and/or flavored nut spread va ⁇ ations. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Figure 1 is a graphical representation showing the bi-modal particle size distribution curve of the water insoluble solids that are typical of conventional peanut butter.
• Figure 2 is a graphical representation showing the mono-modal particle size distribution curve of the water insoluble solids that comp ⁇ se the base butter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 3a is a graphical representation showing the particle size distribution curve of a bi-modal composition of a roll-milled mix according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 3b is a graphical representation showing the particle size distribution curve of a mono-modal composition of the water insoluble solids that comp ⁇ se a roll-milled mix according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 4a is a graphical representation showing the particle size distribution curve of a mono-modal composition of a nut spread according to one embodiment of the present invention, where a mono-modal base butter is combined with a roll-milled mix.
• Figure 4b is a graphical representation showing the particle size distribution curve of a mono-modal composition of the water insoluble solids that comp ⁇ se a nut spread according to one embodiment of the present invention, where a mono-modal base butter is combined with a roll-milled mix.
• the Y-axis is in units of weight percent and the X-axis (log scale) is units of microns.
• Figure 5 is a graphical representation showing how roast color affects the level of total volatile sulfur compounds formed m peanuts.
• the X-axis is roast color and the Y-axis is total volatile sulfur compounds ratio (ratio of total volatile sulfur compounds GC peak area to internal standard GC peak area).
• Figure 6 is a graphical representation showing how roast color affects the level of total volatile nitrogen compounds formed in peanuts.
• the X-axis is roast color and the Y-axis is total volatile nitrogen compounds ratio (ratio of total volatile nitrogen compounds GC peak area to internal standard GC peak area).
• Figure 7a is a bar graph that illustrates the effect of defattmg on the total volatile sulfur compounds ratio (ratio of total volatile sulfur compounds GC peak area to internal standard GC peak area). The graph shows the total volatile sulfur compounds ratio of the darker roasted paste, the peanut oil expelled from the darker roasted paste and the peanut flour.
• Figure 7b is a bar graph that illustrates the effect of defattmg on the total volatile nitrogen compounds ratio (ratio of total volatile nitrogen compounds GC peak area to internal standard GC peak area). The graph shows the total volatile nitrogen compounds ratio of the darker roasted paste, the peanut oil expelled from the darker roasted paste and the peanut flour.
• nut paste means a suspension of nut solids and oil resulting from the milling of nuts, which milling ruptures the nut oil cells.
• nut spread means a spreadable food product made p ⁇ manly from nut solids and fat/oil, plus other ingredients such as nut butter stabilizers, flavorants, flavor enhancers, bulking agents, emulsif ⁇ ers, etc. Nut spreads include, but are not limited to, “nut butters” and “peanut butters” as these terms are defined by the standards of identity of the Food and Drug Administration.
• total fat refers to the total amount of fat and oil present m the nut spread. While the terms “fat” and “oil” are used somewhat interchangeably, the term “fat” usually refers to tnglyce ⁇ des (and their corresponding substitutes) that are solid or plastic at ambient temperature, while the term “oil” usually refers to tnglyce ⁇ des (and their corresponding substitutes) that are liquid or fluid at ambient temperature.
• defatted means that some oil or fat has been removed.
• Defatted nut solids means nut solids that have had some of their oil or fat removed.
• peanut flour is a flowable solid that is obtained after mechanically defattmg peanut paste into a cake, followed by milling the cake into a granular powder.
• nut solids are the fat free peanut solids.
• mono-modal refers to a particle size distribution of solids having essentially a single peak.
• a mono-modal particle size dist ⁇ bution is illustrated in Figure 2.
• a “peak” is a local maxima which is at least 2 weight percent units greater than the local minima on either side of the local maxima.
• multi-modal or “poly-modal” refers to a particle size distribution curve having multiple peaks.
• a bi-modal distribution is illustrated m Figure 1 and shows two peaks.
• GC Gas Chromatography
• total volatile sulfur compounds ratio refers to a peanut sample's ratio of total volatile sulfur compounds GC peak area to internal standard GC peak area, as analyzed by capillary gas chromatography using a sulfur chemilummescence detector (as set forth below m “Analytical Test Methods”).
• total volatile nitrogen compounds ratio refers to a peanut sample's ratio of total volatile nitrogen compounds GC peak area to internal standard GC peak area, as analyzed by capillary gas chromatography using a nitrogen phosphorus detector (as set forth below in "Analytical Test Methods").
• lighter roasted nut composition means a nut composition comp ⁇ s g nuts of a lighter roast color than those compnsing the darker roasted nut composition.
• darker roasted nut composition means a nut composition compnsing nuts of a darker roast color than those compnsing the lighter roasted nut composition.
• D 90 is the diameter of the ninetieth (90th) percentile particles, i.e. 90% of the particles m a sample have a smaller particle size than the size indicated.
• D 50 is defined m a similar manner and represents the fiftieth (50th) percentile particles.
• “added oil” means additional oil over and above that which is normally expressed from the nut du ⁇ ng paste formation. Thus, the “added oil” does not include oil that is used to replace the burnt/bitter flavored oil that is removed from the darker roasted peanuts.
• the lighter roasted nut composition compnses nuts that have been roasted to a color of less than about 39 L' color units, and more preferably from about 35 L' to about 38 L' color units.
• These lighter roasted peanuts typically comp ⁇ se from about 50% to about 95%, and more typically from about 75% to about 90%, of the nut solids present m the nut spread.
• the flavor profile of the finished spread can be modified by varying the proportion of nuts roasted to different roast colors.
• the lighter roasted nut composition is prepared in the form of a "base butter.”
• peanuts are roasted to the desired roast color, then blanched.
• the clean nuts are then ground to a paste, such as by processing through a Bauer mill Next, the paste is mixed with added oil, sugar, salt, molasses, fat stabilizer or any other desired optional ingredients.
• the nut paste mixture is processed through a high pressure homogenizer to convert the mixture into a mono-modal particle size dist ⁇ bution.
• a process for making mono-modal nut butters and spreads is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,508,057, issued Apnl 16, 1996 to Wong et al.
• the particle size distribution of the water insoluble solids is mono-modal and typically has the particle size distribution illustrated m Figure 2.
• Conventionally processed nut butters have a bi-modal particle size distribution, as illustrated in Figure 1.
• the mixture can be processed to have a multi-modal PSD if a less creamy or a stickier product is desired.
• the resulting mixture is a base butter that can be used m prepanng the finished nut spread.
• the roast color difference between the darker and the lighter roasted peanuts compnsing the darker roasted and the lighter roasted nut compositions, respectively, is at least about 5 L' color units, and preferably about 10 L' color units or more.
• the darker roasted nut composition compnses nuts that have been roasted to a color of less than about 32 L' color units, and more preferably from about 24 L' to about 30 L' color units.
• These darker roasted peanuts typically compnse from about 5% to about 50%, and preferably from about 10% to about 25%, of the total nut solids in the finished nut spread.
• the flavor profile of the finished spread can be modified by varying the proportion of nuts roasted to different roast colors.
• Figures 7a and 7b illustrate the significantly lower levels of total volatile sulfur and total volatile nitrogen compounds, respectively, in the defatted peanut flour of the present invention as compared to the onginal dark roast peanut paste.
• Roll-milled Mix In a preferred embodiment, the darker roasted nut composition is prepared in the form of a roll-milled mix. To prepare the roll-milled mix, peanuts are roasted to the desired roast color, blanched and then milled to form a fluid paste. Next, the peanut paste is mechanically defatted to from about 10% to about 42%, preferably from about 15% to about 33%, and more preferably from about 20%) to about 30% total fat, by weight. Any press, expeller or similar device used to deoil or defat solids can be used.
• a hydraulic press similar to that used to remove cocoa butter from cocoa solids can be used.
• a nut cake or paste results from the defattmg process.
• the nut cake is made into a peanut flour by using conventional milling or de- lumpmg equipment.
• the peanut flour has a total volatile sulfur compounds ratio of less than about 1500, and a total volatile nitrogen compounds ratio of less than about 10.
• the peanut flour is mixed with sugar and roll-refined.
• the ratio of peanut flour to sugar is determined by the fat content of the mix.
• the mix should have a fat content of from about 20% to about 30%.
• the ratio of peanut flour to sugar is about 3: 1.
• Roll-refinmg the peanut flour with sugar significantly reduces the overroasted flavors in the peanut flour.
• roll-refinmg the mix results m the sugar becoming amorphous. Amorphous sugar is known to selectively bind and entrap flavors.
• the resultant mix has a bi-modal particle size distnbution, as illustrated in Figure 3 a It has a D 50 and a D 90 that are 9.3 and 26.7 microns, respectively.
• the particle size distnbution of the water insoluble solids compnsing the roll-milled mix is mono-modal, as illustrated by Figure 3b. These water insoluble solids have a D 50 and a D 90 that are 10.7 and 24.0 microns, respectively. It should be noted that the fineness of the particle size reduction is controlled by the composition (% fat, % sugar) of the roll-milled mix.
• Roll-milling the water insoluble solids to a mono-modal particle size distnbution is preferred, since this reduces the amount of processing needed to convert the roll-milled mix to a fluid paste by adding peanut oil.
• U.S. Patent 5,079,027, issued January 7, 1992 to Wong et al. Nut Butter and Nut Solid Milling Process.
• the roll-milled mix can be converted into a fluid paste by adding oil prior to combination with the base butter. This allows for easy mixing with the base butter to make the finished product.
• a mixture of the lighter roasted and darker roasted paste can be used to make the roll-milled mix.
• This mixture can be prepared before the defattmg step by blending the two paste streams, or m the roll-refining step by adding the lighter roasted paste to the darker roasted peanut flour.
• the nut spreads of the present invention contain "added oil.”
• the added oil is used to further reduce the viscosity of the nut spread, which m turn reduces stickiness perception and enhances peanut flavor display.
• U.S. Patent 5,714,193, issued February 3, 1998 to Fix et al Adding Oil To Nut Paste Pnor to Homogenization To Reduce Viscosity and Stickiness Without Loss of Nut Flavor), herein incorporated by reference, teaches that stickiness perception can be reduced without loss of peanut flavor by adding peanut oil to help make low viscosity peanut butters or spreads.
• the amount of added oil is greater than about 3%, and preferably from about 3% to about 6.5%.
• the added oil used m the nut spreads is typically of the same type naturally expressed from the nut or seed, such as du ⁇ ng the formation of a nut paste.
• the added oil is preferably peanut oil.
• oils such as soybean oil, palm oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, walnut oil, sunflower seed oil and other suitable edible oils or mixtures thereof can also be used.
• Low calone and zero calo ⁇ e oil substitutes such as sucrose polyesters of long chain fatty acids (Olestra) and other polyol polyesters of fatty acids, can be used as the added oil in making these nut spreads.
• sucrose polyesters of long chain fatty acids Olestra
• other polyol polyesters of fatty acids can be used as the added oil in making these nut spreads.
• U.S. Patent 3,600,186 issued August 17, 1971 to Mattson et al.
• U.S. Patent 5,422,131 issued June 6, 1995 to Elsen, et al.
• U.S. Patent 5,419,925 issued May 30, 1995 to Seiden et al.
• U.S. Patent 5,071,669 issued December 10, 1991 to Seiden, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.
• the nut spreads of the present invention can also comp ⁇ se from about 5% to about 50%, preferably from about 10% to about 25%, water-soluble solid components.
• These water-soluble solids can include flavorants, flavor enhancers, and bulking agents, as well as mixtures thereof.
• flavorant refers to agents that cont ⁇ bute to the flavor of the nut spread. These include sweeteners, natural and artificial flavors, and other agents, including natural or artificial peanut flavors, roasted flavors, pralme/caramel flavors, walnut flavors, almond flavors and flavor compositions. Sweeteners can be selected from sugars, sugar mixtures, artificial sweeteners and other naturally sweet matenals. Sugars include, for example, sucrose, fructose, dextrose, honey, high fructose corn syrup, lactose, maltose, and maltose syrups. Preferably, the sweetener will have a sweetness intensity the same or similar to that of sucrose or fructose. Sugars are typically included m the nut butters of the present invention at a level of from about 0.5% to about 10%, preferably from about 1% to about 7%.
• Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfam, saccha ⁇ ne, cyclamate and glycerrhizin can also be used in the nut spreads of the present invention.
• the amount of artificial sweetener used depends on its sweetness intensity. Typically, these artificial sweeteners are included at a level that provides a sweetness intensity equivalent to the addition of from about 0.5%) to about 10%), preferably from about 1%> to about 7%, sucrose. Usually from about 0.001% to about 2% artificial sweetener is used.
• flavor enhancers refer to agents that enhance or complement the flavor of the nut spread. Flavor enhancers include salt or salt substitutes such as sodium chlonde, potassium chlonde, sodium chlonde/potassium chlo ⁇ de mixtures and seasoned salts.
• the level of flavor enhancer used is a matter of the desired taste level, but usually is from about 0.1% to about 2%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 1 5%, of the nut spread.
• the nut spreads of the present invention can also compnse from about 0.01% to about 0.02% cit ⁇ c acid as a flavor enhancer. Preferably from about 0.01% to 0.015% cit ⁇ c acid is used.
• cit ⁇ c acid enhances the roasted nut flavor and the saltiness impression, thereby reducing the amount of salt required to give the nuts spreads of the present invention, especially peanut butters, an acceptable flavor
• the addition of cit ⁇ c acid, especially m the presence of a metallic ion salt also allows the nut spread to achieve oxidative stability through chelation of the metal ions by the citnc acid.
• Particularly preferred flavor systems for use in the nut spreads of the present invention are those involving a combination of sugar and salt.
• the sugar is typically present in the spread at a level from about 0.5% to about 10%>, preferably from about 1% to about 7%
• the level of salt is typically present m the spread at a level of from about 0.1%o to about 2%, preferably from about 0.8% to about 1.5%.
• Water soluble bulking agents can also be used in the nut spreads of the present invention. These bulking agents typically add body or texture to the spread and can be non-nutntive or low calone materials. Suitable bulking agents include corn syrup solids, maltodext ⁇ n, dextrose, polydextrose, mono- and disaccha ⁇ des, starches (e.g., corn, potato, tapioca, wheat), as well as mixtures of these agents. Corn syrup solids, polydextrose (from Pfizer Chemicals) and maltodextrm are preferred bulking agents. Sugar substitutes which function like sugars but which are non-nutntive can also be used herein. Such sugar substitutes include the 5-C- hydroxyalkylaldohexoses descnbed m U.S. Patent 5,041 ,541, issued August 20, 1991 to Mazur.
• these water-soluble solids preferably have a relatively fine particle size.
• Water soluble solids included in the nut spreads of the present invention typically have a mean particle size of about 25 microns or less. Especially preferred water soluble solids have a mean particle size of about 20 microns or less.
• Nut spreads of the present invention can comprise solids other than nut solids and water soluble solids. These other solids can be present in the nut spreads of the present invention in combined amounts of up to about 20%, preferably up to about 10%. These other solids can include fibers (e.g., cellulose), flours (e.g., wheat, rye, pea) and protein supplements (e.g., additional peanut solids, soy flour, soy concentrate, soy isolate, casem, egg whites, protein from other animal or vegetable sources), or any combination thereof.
• fibers e.g., cellulose
• flours e.g., wheat, rye, pea
• protein supplements e.g., additional peanut solids, soy flour, soy concentrate, soy isolate, casem, egg whites, protein from other animal or vegetable sources
• the nut spreads of the present invention can also optionally, but preferably, comp ⁇ se a nut butter stabilizer in effective amounts of up to about 5%. Preferably from about 1% to about 3% nut butter stabilizer is used.
• These nut butter stabilizers can be any of the known peanut butter stabilizers, for example, hydrogenated rapeseed oil or other hydrogenated t ⁇ glyce ⁇ des having a high proportion of C20 and C22 fatty acids. For example, see U.S. Patent 3,265,507, issued August 9, 1966 to Japikse, and U.S. Patent 3,129,102, issued Ap ⁇ l 14, 1964 to Sanders, which are herein incorporated by reference.
• These stabilizers are usually tnglyce ⁇ des which are solid at room temperature. They solidify in the nut spread m specific crystalline states and keep the oil from separating.
• These matenals can be mixed with a second hydrogenated oil having an iodine value of less than 8, for example hydrogenated palm oil, canola oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil and similar matenals.
• This stabilizer can also be mixed with lower melting fat fractions as, for example, the peanut butter stabilizer composition disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,341,814, issued July 27, 1982 to McCoy, which is herein incorporated by reference.
• Suitable nut butter stabilizers for nut spreads of the present invention include tailored ⁇ ' stable hardstocks, referred to as "PSP/PSS" hardstocks, as disclosed in U.S. Patent. 4,996,074, issued February 26, 1991 to Seiden et al., which is herein incorporated by reference.
• Emulsifier can also be used in the nut spreads of the present invention to achieve the proper texture.
• the emulsifier can be any food compatible emulsifier such as mono- and diglycendes, lecithin, sucrose monoesters, polyglycerol esters, sorbitan esters, polyethoxylated glycols and mixtures thereof. Up to about 5%, preferably from about 0.1% to about 3%, emulsifier is used.
• Nut chunks can be included at va ⁇ ous levels m the nut spreads of the present invention.
• These other components include chocolate chips or bits or other flavored bits (e.g , butterscotch, peanuts), jellies (either low calone jelly, regular jelly or preserves), praline nuts or other candies. These other components are usually included at levels up to about 20% of the nut spread.
• the finished nut spread is made by mixing the lighter roasted nut composition with the darker roasted nut composition, along with added oil and any other desired components.
• the lighter roasted nut composition is in the form of a base butter
• the darker roasted nut composition is m the form of a roll-milled mix or in the form of a paste prepared by refattmg the roll-milled mix with peanut oil
• the nut solids of the darker roasted peanuts compnse from about 5% to about 50%>, preferably from about 10% to about 25%, of the total nut solids in the nut spread.
• the base butter and the roll-milled mix are mixed together, along with added oil and any other desired components.
• the mixture can be re-circulated through a homogemzer and/or a colloid mill.
• the low viscosity nut spread is then processed through any approp ⁇ ate conventional peanut butter finishing process in order to increase its oxidative stability and to set up its crystalline structure.
• the preferred nut spread of the present invention has an apparent viscosity of less than about 1000 cP.
• the particle size distnbution of the finished product and the particle size distribution of the water insoluble solids in the finished product have mono-modal particle size distributions. See Figures 4a and 4b. For a peanut butter product where peanuts comp ⁇ se at least about 90%> of the formulation, the particle size distribution of the water insoluble solids is about the same as that of the finished product.
• the D 50 is about 10 microns or less, and the D 90 is about 30 microns or less.
• the particle size distributions of the finished product and its water insoluble solids can differ due to the admix of water soluble solids. In these products, the water insoluble solids are typically finer than the finished product and typically have the dist ⁇ bution illustrated in Figure 2.
• a Brookfield Viscometer (HAT senes), 5C4-13R chamber with a 8C4-27 spindle is used. This arrangement consists of a spmdle "bob" of 0.465 inches (1.12 cm). The inner diameter of the sample cell is 0.750 inches (1.87 cm). The instrument is calibrated at 65°C (149° F) and all samples are measured at 65°C (149°F).
• a sample of 14.0 g of the nut spread or nut paste (unaerated) is placed in the sample cell.
• the sample cell is then inserted into the jacketed cell holder.
• the water temperature ente ⁇ ng the jacketed cell holder should be a few degrees higher than the desired sample temperature of 65°C (149°F).
• the sample is pre-sheared for five minutes at 50 rpm.
• the speed is then changed to 100 rpm and a measurement taken after the dial reading settles to a constant value.
• Scale readings are recorded at 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 rpm, for a total of five scale readings.
• the time before reading should be as set forth m Table I. Table 1
• the dial reading and rpm are converted into shear stress and shear rate values by multiplying the dial reading and the rpm by 17 and 0 34, respectively.
• a plot of the square root of shear stress vs. the square root of shear rate results in a straight line. Readings where the dial pointer goes off-scale are ignored.
• a least squares linear regression is made over the data to calculate the slope and intercept.
• the Casson plastic viscosity is a measurement of the viscosity of the nut spread or nut paste at an infinite shear rate. It accurately predicts the resistance to flow in pumping, moving or mixing situations.
• the Casson plastic viscosity is measured in poise.
• the second value is the yield value, which is equal to the value of the y-mtercept
• the yield value is a measure of the amount of force or shear that is necessary to get the nut spread or nut paste to start moving.
• the yield value is measured in dynes/cm 2 .
• the relationship between the plastic viscosity and the yield value determines how a nut spread or nut paste will behave in additional processing.
• the apparent viscosity is the viscosity measured at 6.8 sec "1 (Brookfield setting at 20 rpm).
• the apparent viscosity, reported in centipoise (cP), is: 250 x (the Brookfield Viscometer dial reading at 20 rpm)
• a Malvern 2600D particle size analyzer with an J-BM PS/2 computer is used to analyze the particle size of the samples.
• a small amount (about 0.01 g) of the sample after completion of Step 12, above, is placed in a 25 ml test tube and about 15 ml of acetone are added to it.
• the sample is dispersed in the acetone by using a Vortex mixer
• a transfer pipette is then used to add this diluted solution dropwise to the acetone filled cell of the analyzer.
• the sample is added until the obscuration is from about 0.2 to about 0.3 (20% to 30% of the light energy is reduced).
• the obscuration refers to the amount of light which is obscured by the sample because of diffraction and absorption.
• the instrument reads more accurately when the obscuration is from about 0.05 to about 0.5, and preferably from 0.2 to 0.3.
• the apparatus is fitted with a 100 mm lens to determine the particle size of the paste or spread. Particle sizes from 0.5 to 188 microns can be measured using a 100 mm lens.
• a magnetic stirrer is used to insure that the sample is being dispersed dunng the readings. Each sample is swept 250 times by the laser for each reading. Each sample is read a minimum of three times with a five (5) mmute wait between each reading. 3. Peanut Roast Color Measurement
• This method is used for measunng the color of roasted peanuts.
• the color of peanut paste or peanut butter is established p ⁇ manly by the degree to which peanuts are roasted. Color measurements are expressed in terms of “L” (lightness) and in terms of “a” (redness or greenness). Increases in degree of roast color decrease “L” and increase “a”. A change in the degree of roast color influences “L” more strongly than “a”, and a change in nut va ⁇ ety will influence "a” more strongly. Thus, to improve color control, the "L” and “a” values are converted to "L pnme” (L') values.
• the sample is prepared by g ⁇ nding 300 - 400 g of roasted, blanched peanuts into a homogenous paste by using a laboratory mill.
• the paste is then placed into a peanut butter lid (outside diameter 3 3/8 inches x depth 7/8 inch x inside diameter 3 1/8 inches), over-filling it.
• the paste is spread with a spatula to form a slightly convex surface and to cover the edges of the hd.
• a Hunter Color Difference Meter Model D2SA-9 (available from Hunter Associates Laboratory, Inc.) is used. The meter is calibrated and the color of the sample is read according to the following instructions:
• This procedure applies to the analysis of steam distillable volatile components from peanut spreads, peanut paste, peanut oil and peanut flour.
• Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detector S levers 350 with 355 upgrade Nitrogen-Phosphorus Detector (NPD) Available with Hewlett-Packard 6890 GC Autosampler (optional) Hewlett Packard 7673A Capillary Column
• NPD Nitrogen-Phosphorus Detector
• 6890 GC Autosampler
• Hewlett Packard 7673A Capillary Column For Sulfur analysis: Stabilwax 30 m x 0.32 mm ID, 0.25 um df (Restek); For Nitrogen analysis: DB Wax 30m x 0.32 mm J-D, 0.25 um df (J&W)
• Deionized water Such as that produced using a Milh-Q system Dry Ice Pellets
• Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) for volatile nitrogen compound analysis Weigh 0.10 g ( ⁇ 0.001 g) TMP into a 100 ml volumetnc flask. Add fresh deionized distilled water to volume. Label flask (0.1% N-ISTD) Add 50 ul of this standard to the 2000 ml sample flask when performing extraction.
• Ethyl 2-hydroxyethyl sulfide for volatile sulfur compound analysis Weigh 0.10 g ( ⁇ 0.001 g) Ethyl 2-hydroxyethyl sulfide into a 100 ml volumetnc flask. Add methylene chlonde to volume. Label flask (0.1% S-ISTD). Dilute 10 times by adding 1 ml of 0.1% stock solution to a 10 ml volumetric flask and adding methylene chlo ⁇ de to volume. Label flask (0.01% S-ISTD). Add 50 ul of this standard to the 2000 ml sample flask when performing extraction.
• Peanut spread, Peanut paste or Peanut flour 30.0 ⁇ 0.1 g (also add 216 ⁇ 0.1 g powdered NaCl to peanut flour sample)
• the extract may be stored either before step “a” or after step “d” below in an explosion-proof freezer. If stonng extract after step “h", MeCl 2 may evaporate and the volume may need to be adjusted before further analysis. a. Set up the third hot plate with the second metal pan containing distilled
• the GC oven temperature program is initial isotherm of 32°C for 10 minutes, temperature program of 3°C/m ⁇ n to 90°C with no hold time, second temperature program of 8°C/mm to 230°C, then a 10 minute hold.
• the signal from the SCD is sent to the Turbochrom workstation (Perkm Elmer) for peak integration
• the integration parameters are :
• EPC Electronic Pressure Control
• NPD operation conditions are the following :
• the signal from the NPD is sent to HP Chemstation for peak integration
• the integration parameters are :
• Example 1 Preparation of a Roll-milled Mix from Darker Roasted Peanuts and Methods for Reducing Over-Roasted Flavor
• Peanuts are roasted in a Jet ZoneTM roaster at 400° F to a 25 L' color. The roasted nuts are then blanched. The clean nuts are then ground to a paste by processing them through a Bauer mill. The peanut paste has an intense peanut flavor but also has a very strong burnt/bitter taste at this point.
• the peanuts are defatted to about 28% fat.
• a mechanical press similar m pnnciple to a cocoa powder press, used in the chocolate industry to make cocoa powder, is used. After defattmg, the peanut cake is then delumped and milled to a flour-like consistency.
• Defattmg removes a significant portion of the undesirable burnt/bitter components. As shown m Figures 7a and 7b, defattmg decreases the amount of total volatile sulfur and total volatile nitrogen compounds. Before defattmg, the peanut paste's total volatile sulfur compounds ratio is about 1665 and the total volatile nitrogen compounds ratio is about 34. After defattmg, the resulting peanut flour's total volatile sulfur compounds ratio is about 1189 and the total volatile nitrogen compounds ratio is about 7.
• the mix is "choke" fed into the mill, i.e., the product is constantly fed into the roll-mill so that there is always a supply of product in the trough formed by the intakes of the first nip.
• the mills are operated at zero gap between three rolls. The rolls are pressed together by a hydraulic system and are moved apart by the product. The pressure to the rolls is set to produce a mono-modal PSD. In the embodiment disclosed herein, a suitable pressure is from about 250 to about 400 psi.
• Milling the product through the roll-refiner reduces the particle size of the mix Specifically, this reduces the nut solids to a mono-modal particle size distnbution.
• the sugar particles are also reduced in size.
• the particle size of the mix is reduced to a D 50 and a D 90 of 9.3 and 26.7 microns, respectively.
• the roll-milled mix has a particle size distnbution that is dispersed in a bi-modal distribution of the type shown in Figure 3a.
• the nut solids are dist ⁇ ubbed m a mono-modal particle size distribution of the type shown in Figure 3b and have a D 50 and a D 90 of 10.7 and 24 microns, respectively.
• the sugar particles become amorphous.
• the amorphous state of the sugar allows it to selectively bind aromas and flavors and, as a result, the flavor is altered.
• the roll-milling process eliminates any trace of the undesired burnt/bitter flavors m the finished product.
• Example 2 Improved Peanut Butter Prepared By Incorporating a Roll-Milled Mix with a Base Butter
• the base butter is prepared by roasting peanuts at 400° F for about 4 minutes in a Jet ZoneTM roaster to a 36 L' roast color.
• the roasted nuts are then blanched.
• the clean nuts are ground to a paste by processing through a Bauer mill.
• the paste is deposited into a 100 gallon Hamilton kettle heated to 150°F.
• Sugar, peanut oil, salt, molasses and fat stabilizer are then added and mixed with the paste for 10 minutes.
• the amount of each ingredient is listed in the formulation table above.
• the nut mix is processed through a model 18.72 Rannie homogenizer operated at 12,000 psi to reduce the particle size of the mix.
• the homogenized mix has a mono-modal particle size distribution, with a D 50 and a D 90 that are 7.7 microns and 19.7 microns, respectively. After homogenization, the mix is deposited into another mix tank heated to 150°F. b. Combining the base butter with the roll-milled mix
• the roll-milled mix is then added to the homogenized base butter and mixed for 5 minutes.
• the roll-milled mix makes up about 10.85%, by weight, of the final product formulation.
• the mix is processed through a colloid mill(s) until its apparent viscosity is about 1000 cP or less (measured at 6.8 sec "1 ).
• the low viscosity butter is then processed through a conventional peanut butter finishing process in order to increase its oxidative stability and to set up its crystalline structure.
• the butter is processed through a Versator at 21 inches of water vacuum. Nucleation of the fat crystals is achieved by cooling the butter to about 90°F by passing it through a scrape wall heat exchanger. Cooling fluid, typically brine at -10° F, is circulated through the outside of the heat exchanger. Fat crystalline growth is promoted by passing the nucleated butter through pickers.
• the nucleated butter is then deposited into jars and is nitrogen blanketed. The jars are then placed in a 90°F room for 24 hours, and then at 70°F for another 24 hours, in order to finish the tempering process.
• Example 3 Improved Peanut Butter Prepared By Incorporating a Paste Mixture of a Roll- Milled Mix with a Base Butter
• the peanut butter of this development is made by combining a base butter with a fluid peanut paste prepared from a mixture of peanut oil and the roll-milled mixture of defatted peanut flour and sugar. The steps are as follow:
• the roll-milled mix as prepared in Example 1 , is combined with peanut oil to make a fluid paste mixture.
• the mixture consists of about 73 66% roll-milled mix and about 26.34% peanut oil.
• the mixture can be made in a suitable sized mixing bowl, such as a Hobart mixer, or made continuously by co-mixing the roll-milled solids with peanut oil in a twin screw Readco mixer.
• the paste mixture has a fat content of about 42% and is fluid.
• the paste mixture is added to the homogenized base butter and mixed for 5 minutes.
• the paste mixture makes up about 14.73% of the final product formulation.
• the mix is processed through a colloid mill(s) until its apparent viscosity is about 1000 cP or less (measured at 6.8 sec "1 ).
• the low viscosity butter is then processed through a conventional peanut butter finishing process, as in Example 2, in order to increase its oxidative stability and to set up its crystalline structure.
• Example 4 Improved Peanut Butter Prepared by Incorporating Defatted Peanut Flour with a Base Butter
• the peanut butter of this development is made by combining a base butter with a defatted peanut flour.
• the formulation for the product is given above.
• the base butter is prepared m the manner of Example 2, substituting the ingredients in the table above.
• the mixture of base butter, defatted peanut flour and added peanut oil are re-circulated through a Gaulm homogemzer at 6000 psi and a colloid mill until the entire batch undergoes about two re-circulation passes.
• the product has a mono-modal particle size distnbution and an apparent viscosity that is less than about 1000 cP (measured at 6.8 sec "1 ).
• the low viscosity butter is then processed through a conventional peanut butter finishing process, as in Example 2, in order to increase its oxidative stability and to set up its crystalline structure.
• the finished product made with the defatted peanut flour has more peanut flavor than conventional peanut butters. Since the defatted peanut flour is not roll-milled with sucrose, the burnt/bitter flavor is slight, but noticeable.
• Example 5 An Improved Reduced Fat Peanut Spread with More Peanut Flavor Prepared by Incorporating a Roll-milled Mix with a Base Butter
• An improved reduced fat peanut butter with more peanut flavor is made by adding roll- milled peanut solids to its formulation.
• the ingredients and levels used to make the improved reduced fat peanut butter are disclosed below.
• the base butter is prepared in the manner of Example 2, substituting the ingredients in the table above.
• the roll-milled mix is added to the homogenized base butter.
• the roll-milled mix makes up about 10%) of the final product formulation.
• the com syrup solids and soy protein isolate are then gradually added into the mixture while the mixture is re-circulated through a Gaulin homogenizer at 6000 psi and a colloid mill.
• the mixture is re-circulated for another 30 minutes in order to reduce the apparent viscosity to about 850 cP or less (measured at 6.8 sec "1 ).
• the vitamins are added to the mix.
• the low viscosity nut spread is then processed through a conventional peanut butter finishing process m order to increase its oxidative stability and to set up its crystalline structure, as in Example 2.

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• 2000
  • 2000-02-29 WO PCT/US2000/005298 patent/WO2000051449A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2000-02-29 EP EP00915961A patent/EP1158874A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-02-29 CN CNB008056919A patent/CN1268236C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-02-29 AU AU37143/00A patent/AU3714300A/en not_active Abandoned
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