EP2903455A1

EP2903455A1 - Shelf-stable liquid concentrate or paste

Info

Publication number: EP2903455A1
Application number: EP13759756.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sophie Lagarrigue; Konca Yasmin DURBEN; Martina SCHWÄGERL; Christoph HANLE; Alexandros TSIOULPAS
Original assignee: Nestec SA
Current assignee: Nestec SA
Priority date: 2012-10-05
Filing date: 2013-09-11
Publication date: 2015-08-12
Also published as: CN104684410A; MX2015004270A; RU2015116911A; CL2015000821A1; AU2013327218A1; WO2014053287A1; BR112015007122A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrate for preparing a food product, to a process for preparing such a concentrate and food product comprising said concentrate. In particular, the invention relates to a concentrate comprising xanthan gum and un-gelatinised starch for preparing savoury food products such as sauces, gravies and soups.

Description

Title Shelf-stable liquid concentrate or paste The present invention relates to a shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrate for preparing a food product, to a process for preparing such a concentrate and food product comprising said concentrate. In particular, the invention relates to a concentrate comprising xanthan gum and un-gelatinised starch for preparing savoury food products such as sauces, gravies and soups.

Concentrated food products, such as dehydrated gravies and sauces, and bouillon or stock cubes, have been known for many years. Savoury dehydrated products are becoming increasingly unattractive to consumers due to a perception that they are not natural, they have an old fashioned image, and they have an artificial appearance. Some products have a pasty texture, but these are typically fat-based and therefore have a high fat content and consequently a poor health or nutritional profile .

In the search for alternative product types having different characteristics and advantages over traditional food

concentrates, food compositions concentrated in gel form have been developed. A number of such products are known today. They are typically based on the presence of a gelling agent or a combination of two or more gelling agents. A disadvantage of those new food concentrates in gel form is that they are usually offered for sale in single portions with a fixed quantity of the concentrate per such single portion, to be used by a consumer in one single cooking step all at once. The consumer has little possibility to dose the amount of concentrate he or she wants to use in the preparation of his particular dish. He may need to discard a part of the provided portion, if he wishes to season his dish less strongly, or he may need to add some more concentrate from a second portion, if he wishes to season his dish a little bit more strongly.

Hence, there is still a need in the industry to provide consumers with liquid or pasty concentrates which can be individually dosed by the consumer at home in regard to his or her specific requirements and preferences.

Traditional liquid and/or pasty food concentrates are fat- based and hence have relatively high fat contents. This is not desired anymore by many consumers today, mainly because of nutritional concerns.

Some alternative ready-for-use binders or thickeners are available on the market. These are mainly in the form of powdery or granulated products made of non-gelatinized and/or pre-gelatinized starch agglomerated alone or with

maltodextrines , fat and optionally emulsifiers. However, such products are not always easy to dissolve and often lead to the formation of lumps in the saucepan.

Starch containing dry-foods mixtures are easily manufactured and known today. Alternatively, directly consumable, aqueous based starch thickeners are convenient, but prone to

degradative changes (microbial, enzymatic, chemical or

physical spoilage) . In order to preserve the shelf-stability of such product, pasteurization is necessary; such process step increases the cost as well as the complexity of the manufacture. Moreover once the product is opened, its shelf- stability is not ensured anymore. In order to ensure good shelf-stability once opened, such compositions contain

chemical preservatives which are not always well perceived by consumers .

EP 0 012 465 discloses pasteurized water-based concentrates in sealed containers. In order to minimise the swelling of the starch during pasteurisation, the osmotic pressure of the composition is increased as to obtain a water activity (aw) of 0.77 to 0.92 using a series of suitable compounds like salts, glycerol, glucose, protein hydrolysates . The disposable sealed containers (portions) are stored at room temperature until consumption. The concentrates are packaged in single-use container in order to avoid the problem of stability once the packaging is opened.

EP 0 970 619 describes ambient stable concentrates which yield, upon dilution with an aqueous liquid, a finished sauce, soup or gravy. The microbial stability is achieved here mainly by a pH of 4 or lower. Since kitchen salt is also added in a proportion of 1 % to 8 %, the accompanying lowering of the water activity also helps slightly to increase the microbial stability of the concentrate. The water activity of the examples given in EP 0 970 619 is of 0.96 to 0.98 at a kitchen salt concentration of 5 %.

Another product is known from US 3 949 104. In contrast to the above examples using hot swellable (or so called cook-up starches, e.g. native starches), US 3 949 104 describes a formulation were granular cold swellable starches (e.g.

chemically modified starches) are dispersed in an aqueous dispersing system containing a swelling inhibitor. In this way, the concentrate will not thicken until it is added to a sufficient amount of water as to dissipate the inhibitor effect of the dispersing medium. WO 2004/049822 discloses a shelf-stable, fluid and portionable food thickener which contains non-gelatinized starch. The composition is a starch-based fluid concentrate that was obtained by suspending the starch within the aqueous base by the presence of a water activity (a_w) depressing agent. This allowed shelf stability without the need of pasteurization. However, this composition presents the disadvantage that a high amount of sorbitol (5 to 50 wt%) , a polyol, is used in the composition to get the right texture of the incorporation of the un-gelatinised starch. Sorbitol might not be perceived as very natural and attractive to consumers. Furthermore, certain polyols in too high amounts may have not desired side effects with some consumers, such as e.g. a non-desired laxative effect. EP 0 835 614 discloses a semi-fluid, pasty seasoning product that can be used as a sauce aid. The product comprises an oil- in-water emulsion which includes the un-gelatinized starch and a vegetable or fruit powder in a finely divided form

containing cell wall and fibre material, which does not completely dissolve in the water phase. The emulsion together with the vegetable or fruit powder reduces the sedimentation of the starch in the product. However, starch will always sediment in an emulsion and hence the disclosed product may not have the long shelf-life stability as desired and may also be prone to degradation of its textural quality while handling of the product in trade or during transportation. The object of the present invention is to improve the state of the art and to provide a liquid or paste composition that at least goes part way to overcoming one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages of existing liquid or paste

compositions or at least provides a useful alternative.

Particularly, the objective is to provide a liquid or paste composition which: i) further thickens upon use of said liquid or paste product during the preparation of a food product for example by heating or dissolution of the product in hot water, e.g. at a consumer's home; ii) dissolves easily in hot or cold water; iii) is not based on fat as a binder or thickener material and preferably is even substantially free of fat; and iv) does not make use of chemical substances such as polyol, which may not be favourably perceived by consumers; and v) is based on mainly natural ingredients.

The object of the present invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims further develop the idea of the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides in a first aspect a composition in the form of a shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrate for preparing a food product, the composition consisting of:

i) water in the amount of 30 to 40 % (by weight of the total composition) ,

ii) flavourings in the amount of 10 to 45 % (by weight of the total composition) ,

iii) salt in the amount of 6 to 20% (by weight of the total composition) ,

iv) a food thickening agent in the form of xanthan gum in the amount of 0.05 to 0.2 % (by weight of the total

composition) , v) oil in the amount of 2 to 15 % (by weight of the total composition) ,

vi) un-gelatinised starch in the amount of 10 to 40 % (by

weight of the total composition) , and

vii) optionally fat in the amount of not more than 1.5 % (by weight of the total composition) .

In a second aspect, the invention relates a process for

preparing a composition in the form of a shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrate for preparing a food product comprising the steps:

a) mixing water in the amount of 30 to 40 %, flavourings in the amount of 10 to 45 %, salt in the amount of 6 to 20%, xanthan gum in the amount of 0.05 to 0.2 %, and oil in the amount of 2 to 15 % (all % by weight of the total composition) ,

b) heating the mixture to a temperature of at least 70°C, preferably to at least 80°C;

c) cooling the mixture after the heating step to below 60°C, preferably below 50°C; more preferably below 45°C; and d) adding un-gelatinised starch in the amount of 10 to 40 %

(by weight of the total composition) to the mixture of step c) after the cooling and mixing further to form the composition .

A third aspect of the invention relates to the use of the composition according to claim 1 for the preparation of a food product .

A still further aspect of the invention is a food product comprising the composition of claim 1. It has now been found by the inventors that a simple combination of xanthan gum with un-gelatinised starch in a composition with certain concentrations of water, flavourings and salt has some particular desirable and surprising

characteristics. Particularly, a liquid or paste concentrate can now be manufactured that comprises un-gelatinised starch in the final product and that the starch does not sediment therein, that the concentrate is microbiologically safe and has a long shelf-life at room-temperature without forming syneresis or other textural deteriorations of the concentrate product. The composition forms a thick liquid or paste at room temperature and is easily dosed into packaging containers and is easily dosed to food preparations therefrom by a consumer; it is easily and directly dissolvable in hot or cold water without forming lumps; it can be used to prepare a thick sauce or gravy by directly applying it into a heating pan; upon heating either in an aqueous solution or in a pan it further develops a nice creamy and thick texture of e.g. a sauce, gravy or soup; and it delivers a smooth mouth-feel which is ideal for a thick sauce or gravy.

The specific composition as disclosed by the inventors has further important advantages over known similar compositions in the art. Particularly, there is no need to add any further additives as e.g. chemical preservatives, emulsifiers such as egg yolk, lecithin or sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL) , chemical stabilisers, and any other further thickeners than xanthan gum in an amount 0.05 to 0.2 wt%, to the present composition. In fact, the composition as disclosed per se meets the full requirements as to shelf-stability as well as to the textural and organoleptic properties as described above. Hence, the present composition addresses some of the needs of today' s consumers who request that food products be natural and devoid, as much as possible, of Artificial' additives usually labelled by E-numbers on such products.

Shelf-stability of the present composition is assured by the specific composition of the selected ingredients and their amounts. Particularly, the water activity of the present compositions are below an aw value of 0.86. It is known from the prior art that products with such low aw value are

microbiologically safe and can be stored for a longer period of time. As an example, reference is made to Adams M.R. and Moss M.O., Food Microbiology, Second Edition, The Royal

Society of Chemistry 2000, e.g. on page 255.

Further textural and organoleptic properties for shelf- stability of the present composition are preserved by the selection of the specific ingredients and their amounts.

Particularly, it has been found by the inventors that despite the presence of liquid oil as well as native un-gelatinized starch, and this in the absence of any added Artificial' emulsifiers, in the present composition, there is no syneresis or separation into different phases of the composition upon a prolonged storage of said composition. Hence, also shelf- stability of the textural properties of the present

composition is provided herewith.

A still further advantage of the present composition is that fat does not need to be present to function for example as a binder and to provide the necessary textural functionality and/or mouth feel sensation as it is presently the case with known products on the market place. In fact, the present composition can be substantially free of fat and/or have fat present at only very low levels. Advantageously, therefore, the composition of the present invention provides a shelf-stable liquid or paste food

concentrate which has a better health and nutritional profile over the prior art products: it has no chemical preservatives, it has no artificial emulsifiers, it has no potential

allergenic proteins such as egg proteins, it has no or very low fat content, and still is has a shelf-stability assuring microbiological safety as well as conservation of textural and organoleptic properties.

The expression "liquid or paste concentrate" means that the viscosity of the composition according to the present

invention is less than about 1500 Pa.s, preferably less than about 1000 Pa.s and more preferably less than about 500 Pa.s, at a shear rate comprised between about 1 and 100 s^-1 and at a temperature of about 25 °C. The viscosity of the composition may be evaluated by measuring the flow curve using a Physica MCR 300 rotational viscometer and a plate (plate geometry 50 mm and 1 mm gap) at the specified shear rate and temperature. It can be noticed that the composition according to the present invention is characterized by a non-Newtonian

behaviour, i.e. the viscosity decreases when the shear rate applied is increased. The present composition may thus be pourable or spoonable in order to allow easy portioning.

Advantageously, the viscosity of the composition according to the present invention may be adjusted in order to be displayed in a squeezable packaging such as a squeezable bottle fitted with a re-closable cap, for example. This will enable the product to be packed in jar, bottles, tubes for example. The packaging used for packing the composition may be a re-usable one (openable and re-closable) or disposable one for

delivering one dose of composition suitable for thickening one portion meal, for example. The term "flavourings" in the context of this invention means flavouring agents, taste enhancing ingredients, herbs, spices, vegetables, meat and fish components (in liquid or powder form) , carbohydrates such as sugars and maltodextrin, yeast extract, flavor extracts from plant materials, food grade organic acids and their salts, and any mixtures thereof, which are suitable for being used to flavour a food product or food concentrate product.

"Salt" refers to any suitable alkali metal salt or mixture thereof. The salt used in the composition of this invention is typically, but not limited to, sodium chloride. For example, potassium chloride may be used or any low-sodium product having a taste impression of sodium chloride may be used, as long as the taste in the end formulation is acceptable.

The term "un-gelatinised starch" refers to starch that is in an un-swollen, semi-crystalline state. Due to birefringence, it presents maltese crosses when examined under the microscope with polarized light. During cooking the starch loses the birefringence, starts to absorb water which results in

swelling of the starch granules and product thickening. The starch or mixtures of starches are selected among starches that have a rather high gelatinization temperature such as corn starch, chemically modified starches, physically modified starches such as annealed or heat-moisture treated starch, preferably heat-moisture treated potato starch. Flours can also be used as a source of starch.

The term "shelf-stable" refers to product stability during a certain period of storage time after production, wherein the product maintains its microbiological safety and organoleptic suitability at a specific storage temperature. Typically, shelf-stability for liquid or paste food concentrates is for at least 3 months at room temperature of 20°C, preferably for at least 6 months at room temperature of 20°C, more preferably for at least 12 months at room temperature of 20°C.

The term ^xoil' according to the present invention refers to an oil/fat which is liquid at a room temperature of 20°C. The term ^xfat' according to the present invention refers to an oil/fat which is solid at a room temperature of 20°C.

Typically, the water activity of the composition of the present invention is below an aw value of 0.85. Preferably, the water activity is below an aw value of 0.83, more

preferably even below an aw value of 0.82.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition of the present invention comprises the water in the amount of 30 to 38 %, preferably of 30 to 36 % (by weight of the total composition) .

In one embodiment, the flavourings in the composition of the invention are present in an amount in the range 15 to 35 % (by weight of the total composition) . Preferably, the flavourings in the composition of the invention are present in an amount in the range 20 to 30 % (by weight of the total composition) .

In a preferred embodiment, the amount of salt in the

composition is in the range 7 to 10 % (by weight of the total composition) . This range of salt content allows achieving an acceptable product from an organoleptic and textural point of view and still having an as much as possible reduced salt content to satisfy requirements from a nutritional point of view .

In a further embodiment, the composition of the invention has the amount of the un-gelatinised starch in the composition in the range 15 to 35 %, more preferably in the range 20 to 30 % (by weight of the total composition) . Preferably, the un- gelatinised starch is physically modified potato starch or corn starch.

In a still further embodiment, the composition of the

invention contains xanthan in the amount in the range 0.1 to 0.15 % (by weight of the total composition) . In a further preferred embodiment, the oil in the composition of the invention is present in the range 3 to 13 %, more preferably in the range 4 to 12 % (by weight of the total composition) . Preferably, the oil is a vegetable oil selected from the group consisting of olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil, sesame oil, cottonseed oil, and combinations thereof. The oil mainly contributes to the taste and flavor of the final product and helps in the cooking step when used by the consumer as well. Furthermore, it makes the liquid or paste concentrate very smooth for a good

application and portioning by the consumer.

The composition according to the invention comprises

flavourings selected from the group consisting of sugar, caramel, yeast extract, meat extract, vegetable and herb powders, flavor extract from a plant material, vegetable and herb pieces, organic acid and its salts, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the flavourings are selected from the group consisting of yeast extract, meat extract, vegetable and herb powders, vegetable and herb pieces, glutamate, and combinations thereof.

The composition according to the invention may optionally comprise fat in the amount of not more than 1.5 % (by weight of the total composition) . Preferably, the content of fat in the composition of the invention is not more than 1.0 ~6 , even more preferably not more than 0.5 % (by weight of the total composition) . Ideally, the composition is substantially free of fat. It is one of the purposes of the present invention to reduce the amount of fat in shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrates used for food preparations. Traditionally, fat is used because of its texturing properties as well as of its contribution to taste and flavor in such pasty food

concentrates. However, today's consumer are demanding more and more low fat and/or fat-free products and are concerned about nutritional and health impacts on consuming too much fat.

Advantageously, the composition of the present invention allows to substantially reduce the content of fat and still provides an organoleptically excellent food concentrate product in respect to taste, flavor and texture qualities.

Another aspect of the invention is a process for preparing a composition in the form of a shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrate for preparing a food product comprising the steps: a) mixing water in the amount of 30 to 40 %, flavourings in the amount of 10 to 45 %, salt in the amount of 6 to 20%, xanthan gum in the amount of 0.05 to 0.2 %, and oil in the amount of 2 to 15 % (all % by weight of the total

composition) ,

b) heating the mixture to a temperature of at least 70°C,

preferably to at least 80°C; c) cooling the mixture after the heating step to below 60°C, preferably below 50°C; more preferably below 45°C; and d) adding un-gelatinised starch in the amount of 10 to 40 % (by weight of the total composition) to the mixture of step c) after the cooling and mixing further to form the composition .

Typically, the water activity of the composition resulting from the process of the present invention is below an aw value of 0.85. Preferably, the water activity is below an aw value of 0.83, more preferably even below an aw value of 0.82.

Preferably, the mixture in step c) is cooled to a temperature of not below 20°C, more preferably not below 25°C, and even more preferably not below 30°C.

Preferably, the un-gelatinised starch is added in the form of a solid powder or as a slurry of starch in oil. The starch must be un-gelatinised starch and must remain in this state during preparation of the composition. This is so that the thickening function of the starch is preserved until such time as a user or a consumer at home adds hot water to the composition or adds the liquid or paste composition to hot water and cooks it for a few minutes. The starch then

gelatinises to provide the desired thickening to the sauce or gravy. The un-gelatinised starch used for the preparation of the concentrate composition can be selected according to a specific gelatinisation/pasting profile so that it can be incorporated into the composition at a temperature below the gelatinising (or swelling) temperature. The preferred un- gelatinised starch of the invention is corn starch or

physically modified starch, for example heat-moisture treated potato starch. The un-gelatinised starch is added in the form of a solid powder or in the form as a slurry of starch in oil. This has the advantage that they are industrially feasible and convenient forms of adding un-gelatinised starch to a

composition.

In a still further aspect, the invention relates to a food product comprising the composition of the invention, and wherein the food product is a condiment, seasoning, sauce, soup or gravy.

Those skilled in the art will understand that they can freely combine all features of the present invention disclosed

herein. In particular, features described for the composition of the present invention may be combined with the process for the preparation of the composition, and vice versa. Further, features described for different embodiments of the present invention may be combined. Further advantages and features of the present invention are apparent from the examples.

EXAMPLES

The invention is further described with reference to the following examples. It will be appreciated that the invention as claimed is not intended to be limited in any way by these examples.

Example 1

The general procedure for preparing a liquid or paste

concentrate compositions of the invention is as follows:

- mixing water, flavourings, salt, oil and xanthan gum;

heating the mix to a temperature of 85°C for a few minutes, but for at least 6 minutes in order to pasteurize the mix; cooling the mix to between ca. 45-50 °C; adding un-gelatinised starch to the mixture, either in solid form or as a slurry in oil; and

filling the composition into containers and allow to cool to room-temperature.

Example 2

A composition according to the invention was prepared

according to the general method as described in Example 1 using the amounts of ingredients in the following table:

The water activity of this composition was aw=0.773. The composition was shelf-stable .

Example 3

A composition according to the invention was prepared

according to the general method of Example 1 using the amounts of ingredients as in the following table:

Ingredient Amount [wt %]

Water 34.5

Salt 9.0

Flavourings 20.375

Oil 12.0

Xanthan gum 0.125

un-gelatinised Starch 24.0 The water activity of this composition was aw=0.784. The composition was shelf-stable . Example 4

A composition according to the invention was prepared

The water activity of this composition was aw=0.774. The composition was shelf-stable .

Example 5

A composition according to the invention was prepared

Ingredient Amount [wt %]

Water 32.97

Salt 19.1

Flavourings 22.43

Oil 2.4

Xanthan gum 0.10

un-gelatinised Starch 23.0 The water activity of this composition was aw=0.720. The composition was shelf-stable . Example 6

A composition according to the invention was prepared

The water activity of this composition was aw=0.818. The composition was shelf-stable .

Example 7

A composition according to the invention was prepared

The water activity of this composition was aw=0.811. The composition was shelf-stable .

Example 8

The resulting products from the Examples 2 to 7 were a pasty composition which had a viscosity of below 200 Pa.s. at room- temperature and which when dissolved in water and heated for 1 min delivered the texture of a creamy thick sauce. It is also to be mentioned that the prepared sauce maintained its

thickened texture after the preparation of the sauce and during cooling thereafter.

Claims

A composition in the form of a shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrate for preparing a food product, the composition consisting of:

i) water in the amount of 30 to 40 % (by weight of the total composition) ,

iii) salt in the amount of 6 to 20% (by weight of the total composition) ,

iv) a food thickening agent in the form of xanthan gum in the amount of 0.05 to 0.2 % (by weight of the total composition) ,

v) oil in the amount of 2 to 15 % (by weight of the total composition) ,

vi) un-gelatinised starch in the amount of 10 to 40 %

(by weight of the total composition) , and

vii) optionally fat in the amount of not more than 1.5

% (by weight of the total composition) .

The composition according to claim 1, wherein the water activity of the composition is below an aw value of 0.85, preferably below an aw value of 0.82.

The composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of flavourings in the composition is in the range 15 to 35 %, preferably in the range 20 to 30 % (by weight of the total composition) .

The composition according to one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the amount of salt in the composition is in the range 7 to 10 % (by weight of the total composition) .

The composition according to one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the amount of the un-gelatinised starch in the composition is in the range 15 to 35 % (by weight of the total composition) .

The composition according to one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the un-gelatinised starch is physically modified potato starch or corn starch.

The composition according to one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the amount of xanthan in the composition is in the range 0.1 to 0.15 % (by weight of the total composition) .

The composition according to one of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the amount of oil in the composition is in the range 3 to 13 %, preferably in the range 4 to 12 % (by weight of the total composition) .

The composition according to one of the claims 1 to 8, wherein the flavourings are selected from the group consisting of sugar, caramel, yeast extract, meat extract, vegetable and herb powders, flavor extract from a plant material, vegetable and herb pieces, organic acid and its salts, and combinations thereof.

The composition according to one of the claims 1 to 9, wherein the amount of fat is not more than 1.0 %,

preferably not more than 0.5 % (by weight of the total composition) .

11. A process for preparing a composition in the form of a shelf-stable liquid or paste concentrate for preparing a food product comprising the steps:

b) heating the mixture to a temperature of at least

70°C, preferably to at least 80°C;

c) cooling the mixture after the heating step to below 60°C, preferably below 50°C; more preferably below 45 °C; and

d) adding un-gelatinised starch in the amount of 10 to 40 % (by weight of the total composition) to the mixture of step c) after the cooling and mixing further to form the composition.

12. The process according to claim 11, wherein the un- gelatinised starch is added in the form of a solid powder or as a slurry of starch in oil.

13. A use of the composition according to one of the claims 1 to 10 for the preparation of a food product.

14. A food product comprising the composition according to one of the claims 1 to 10.

15. The food product according to claim 14, wherein the food product is a condiment, seasoning, sauce, soup or gravy.