ES2255456B1 - "CHOCOLATE AROMA EXTRACT". - Google Patents

Abstract

Chocolate aroma extract. This invention is related to the extraction of chocolate aroma from low-fat chocolate powder using aqueous solvents to produce a highly water soluble chocolate aroma extract. This chocolate aroma extract must be in the form of powder or concentrated liquid and can be used in the manufacture of flavored foods and beverages. The solvent used in the extraction is preferably a mixture of ethanol and water.

Description

Chocolate aroma extract.

Application area

The investigation describes the method of obtaining of a chocolate extract from chocolate powder using solvents.

Research Background

Traditional preparation procedures of chocolate are described in books like:

"Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use", edited by S. T Beckett, (3rd edition, 1999, Backwell Science) or "Chocolate, cocoa, and confectionery: Science and technology" edited by B. W. Minifie (3rd edition, 1989, Van Nostrand Reinhold).

In summary, the procedures for making dark chocolate are performed by mixing cocoa, (it can be liquid cocoa, cocoa powder, and / or cocoa butter), sugar (but not limited to sucrose and / or sugars substituted by polyols), emulsifiers (lecithin), and vanilla or vanillin. For milk chocolate , milk (whole milk powder, semi-skimmed milk powder, skimmed milk powder, whey, casein and caseinates) is added. Milk chocolate is obtained by mixing the main components individually or using the crumb process.

In the crumb process, the milk is evaporated up to 30-40% in solids, mixed with sugar and condensed in vacuo through rapid heating at 75 ° C to a concentration of 90% in solids where some crystallization of sugar usually occurs. This is then kneaded with cocoa liquor for 20 minutes, obtaining additional crystallization. The pasta is dried in vacuum stoves. Afterwards, the dried pasta is ground and mixed with cocoa butter, and refined. Then this mixture of refined chocolate is shell and tempered.

The aroma of chocolate develops depending of the origin, degree of fermentation of cocoa beans and process employee (eg roasting and shell).

During roasting and conching, the Maillard reactions that are very important contributors to Chocolate aroma development. They involve a certain type of non-enzymatic darkening in reactions between sugars reducing agents (carbonyl groups), amino acid and short peptides (groups free terms).

Fermentation, initial stage in the Cocoa bean processing is important for the development of the desired aromas or their precursors; and is from general knowledge in the state of the art, that the aromas present in the final chocolate they are intimately linked to the fermentation.

Roasting is one of the most important stages in the development of aroma. The process involves heating the beans to 110-120ºC depending on the type of grain, and is necessary for the reduction of moisture, the shedding of the shell and the development of flavor and aroma. One of the most important reactions occurred during roasting is non-enzymatic browning or Maillard reaction (see Beckett pp 107). This reaction between free amino acids and reducing sugars has an important role in the development of aroma. Roasting generates high amounts of free amino acids and high amounts of precursors for aromas.

The shell can be described as the process to bring the chocolate-making ingredients to a fluid paste, being immediate products of this process Ingredients such as topping and / or chocolate powder. At shell is allowed a good mix and is very important for the aroma variation Typically, the chocolate shell is described as the "maturation" of it, and its sensory profile It is different if compared with cocoa aromas obtained from non-shell products derived from cocoa.

During the shell process, the humidity is diminished, she drags some volatilization unwanted aromatic compounds. It takes 30% acid acetic, up to 50% of low boiling aldehydes and short chain fatty acids (see Beckett pag 113 and 117).

The shell of milk chocolate usually It is done at temperatures of 45-70ºC and chocolate black at temperatures of 50-90ºC, although for caramelization are sufficient temperatures of 45-75ºC depending on the weather and the type of sugar. Caramelization is an important factor in the formation of aromas through reactions that are not part of the reaction of Maillard mentioned above.

Research in aromas suggests that the development of the Maillard reaction develops mostly in only the roasting and shell processes (Ziegleder et al . Deusche Lebensmittel Rundschau, 1982, 78 (9), 315-318; Counet et al . J Agric Food Cham. 2002, 50, 2385-2391).

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The manufacturing process of chocolate powder is described in US Patent 5882709, this process provides a method of obtaining a low-fat chocolate, which may or may not contain added sugar, and that provides a similar taste and palatability. to that of traditional chocolate. This invention develops the chocolate aroma through a conventional chocolate manufacturing process, including the shell, where immediately after the shell a part where the fat is removed through the pressing of liquid cocoa, the final fat content being in the cake less than 12%. The resulting pressed cake is chopped and granulated into small particles of about 10 mm in diameter, which are suggested to be ground to reduce the particle size. During this particle size reduction, a mill-classifier system is used. A separate air classifier is used after passing through the mill-classifier to remove fine particles of less than 5 µ. A second air classifier is used for the removal of particles larger than 80 µ. In the event that the composition of chocolate
Containing more than 15% fat, it is necessary to use cold air (usually at 0ºC) in the air classifier.

The processes described in US patents 2823124 and US 3579349 obtain extracts of cocoa aromas through of aqueous extraction of cocoa products. The extract Flavored produced through this process, it is soluble in water, and can be used in different drinks (milk, drinks carbonated, etc.) and in many culinary applications.

EP 1139792 describes a method of obtaining a concentrated cocoa aroma, using an extraction solid-liquid followed by a technique of evaporation. The patent describes and compares various methods of extraction.

EP 1253200 A1 reports a method for production of chocolate and cocoa aromas based on the content of polypeptides These and / or their fragments may react with reducing sugars in the aroma production process of chocolate.

GB 2370213 A details a method for chocolate aroma manipulation through reactions aromatic at various temperatures and with various ingredients, at ambient pressure

A disadvantage of the patents above described is that the profiles of the obtained aromas resemble more to cocoa than chocolate because of the type of matter bonus they use. This invention suggests the use of Chocolate powder as raw material to develop an extract With a real chocolate profile.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides us with a method of production of a water soluble chocolate aroma extract understanding,

a) a mixture of chocolate powder low in grease with aqueous organic solvent solution to produce a suspension of solids in a liquid,

b) removal of solids from the liquid and

c) at least partial withdrawal of the solvent from the liquid recovered to obtain the aroma extract of chocolate.

This is a method to recover and concentrate the Chocolate aroma of a low-fat chocolate powder.

Chocolate aroma extract can be used in the manufacture of flavored edibles of Chocolate such as drinks and food. Therefore, this invention also covers chocolate flavored foods comprising the chocolate aroma extract according to the present invention Such foods include yogurt, pudding, jam and other desserts, pastry products, milk and / or water-based drinks, ice cream, biscuits, bakery products, Flavors and other culinary products.

Figures

Figure 1 is a flow chart presenting the Chocolate aroma extraction process of the invention.

Figure 2 presents extracted aroma molecules of traditional chocolate (left) and shell chocolate powder Low fat (right).

Detailed description of the invention

The method for the production of the extract of Chocolate aroma soluble in aqueous solution starts with powder of low fat chocolate. This chocolate powder refers to a composition in which cocoa powder, sugars and others Chocolate making ingredients can interact to Chocolate aroma development. Such interaction occurs in a stage of aroma development like the shell.

Shell chocolate powder has many advantages compared to conventional chocolate, and the development of aroma is identical in both cases. The chocolate shell has the flavor and palatability of traditional chocolate, being the only one difference between them fat content.

Chocolate powder is ideal as a matter premium in the present invention. One of the most properties important is its small particle size. This increases the contact area between solvent and solid particles, turning the aroma extraction in a more efficient process. Other property important is the low fat content, which is about 10% compared to 25-40% for chocolate traditional. Traditional chocolate is a fatty medium in which solid particles, where the molecules meet aromatic, are surrounded by fat which makes it difficult to aqueous solvent extraction (eg alcohol-water) decreasing the efficiency of the process (see Figure 2). In conclusion, the chocolate shell powder for its low content in grease allows greater contact between solvent and particles, improving aroma extraction.

The use of shell chocolate powder it presents other technical advantages for the procedure of extraction. Chocolate aromas can be extracted in room temperature while with traditional chocolate the Sample needs to be heated (at least more than 30ºC) to melt the chocolate fat before extraction. Fat present in traditional chocolate also adds problems to the extraction process because 2 liquid phases are present (water-alcohol and fat), taking the separation more complex and expensive.

A low-fat chocolate powder has a fat content less than 22 or 20%, preferably less than 12%, more preferably even less than 10%, even more preferably less than 5%, even more preferably less than 2% by weight of powder of chocolate and even more preferably it is substantially fat free Chocolate powders with higher fat content not they will be sufficiently loose and fluid, on the contrary, the dust it will begin to be added in a paste and consequently the mixture with Aqueous solvent will be less efficient or will need high forces of shear to achieve the same results.

Low fat chocolate powder is mixed with aqueous solvent to produce a suspension of solids in a liquid. The aqueous solvent must be water or a mixture of water and a solvent selected from the alkanes group C 1-4, C 2-4 glycol, dialkyl C 1-4 ketone or alkyl ester C 1-4 alkanoic acid C_ {2-4}. It is preferred that the aqueous solvent is hydroalcholic (alkanolic) because alkanes are relatively volatile and extract a series of aroma components  containing highly desirable flavor. It is preferable that the solvent aqueous is a mixture of water and ethanol, and can even be used methanol, these mixtures have the property of extracting components more polar like salts. Yields of quite high extraction using aqueous solvents with 40 to 80% of ethanol by volume.

When the low fat chocolate powder is mixed with the solvent, it is present in greater quantity than the dust For example, the proportion between chocolate powder Low fat and aqueous solvent is between 1: 2 and 1:25 p / v, preferably between 1: 5 and 1:15 p / v.

These proportions of chocolate powder low in grease and aqueous solvent make it possible to obtain high yields of aroma extract at room temperature. Mix it can also be done at higher temperatures giving as result in greater efficiency and increased performance of extraction. However, the temperature should not be too high. because changes in aromas usually occur in high temperatures, which would decrease the desired properties For the extract. The mixture must be made in temperatures between 20 and 80 ° C, preferably between 20 and 50 ° C and more preferably in a minimum ambient temperature, as well as 20ºC or more.

The extraction may preferably be conducted in a stirred reactor, whose stirring speed It is adjusted to obtain a homogeneous mixture. The pressure of Proper work is atmospheric.

The extraction stage for high performance it is between 3 h and 8 h depending on the temperature and quantity of the solvent.

Once the low-fat chocolate powder and the aqueous solvent have been perfectly mixed to produce a suspension of solids in a liquid and transfer the molecules of chocolate aroma from solids to aqueous solvent, solids They are removed from the solvent. The separation operation can be driven by filtration or decantation, these operations of separation are conducted in the same temperature range extractive It is preferable to avoid heating or cooling additional.

The removal of solids must be done by filtration, vacuum filtration, centrifugation, separation solid-liquid, decantation or other process appropriate. An appropriate size filter removes particles greater than 150 µm, preferably particles with larger size than 80 µm. Vacuum filtration through single plate filter. The loss of solvent is monitored during the extraction and the cake obtained in the separation solid-liquid contains about 25% of solvent in weight.

If instead of using chocolate powder partially defatted a chocolate powder was used conventional (completely fatty, which can be produced through of cryogenic grinding), there may be a problem at the stage of filtration. It is possible that the filter is blocked when Cocoa butter begins to solidify below 25 ° C. With a completely fatty chocolate powder it would be necessary that the mixture is cooled before filtering in order to solidify the fat and its subsequent withdrawal by difference of densities in the same reactor.

Solids removed in the filtration can be re-processed through reinstatement to reactor and be mixed again with an aqueous solvent and the production of the suspension of solids in the liquid. The process of Extraction can be conducted one, two or more times. In each new extraction the proportion of solvent and time should be changed.

The liquid phase is then modified by the at least partial removal of the solvent and obtaining the extract of chocolate aroma

Solvent removal must be done through concentration and / or drying of the liquid phase. The filtrates are mixed and preferably concentrated in vacuo (<150 mmHg) at 45-65 ° C. Vapors are condensed and solvent recovered for subsequent extractions. The concentrate should be dried, for example, in a vacuum tray oven (<50 mmHg) at 50 ° C for 24 hours. Solvent removal can be performed alternatively with spray-drying, preferably using dispersing agents such as gum arabic and / or maltodextrin. The addition of agents to the powdered aroma extract is advantageous for some applications by optimizing the characteristics of
fluency.

The removal of much of the solvent generates a concentrated liquid chocolate aroma extract. This can be mixed with a small amount of liquid diluent to produce The extract of liquid chocolate aroma. Liquid diluent preferable is propylene glycol and / or an aqueous solution of sorbitol.

Alternatively, all aqueous solvent can be substantially removed to obtain an aroma extract of solid chocolate, which is preferably mechanically processed for the production of the aroma extract of chocolate powder. This product must be a fine powder. Chocolate powder can be very hygroscopic and can be stabilized by the addition of small amount of silicone dioxide, usually 0.5% w / w. It has been  found that the vanillin or vanilla present in chocolate is removal with fat if it is extracted from chocolate in the Low fat chocolate powder manufacturing. In this way the vanillin and / or vanilla is / are optionally added to the extract Chocolate aroma

Both liquid chocolate aroma extracts and the powder possesses the advantages that they have a profile of aroma, flavor and color of real chocolate and are highly soluble in Water. This allows the extracts to be very suitable for employment in food and beverages by conferring a real aroma to chocolate.

Conventional chocolate powder (not low in fat) is water soluble, but chocolate aroma extract it is even more soluble in water (approximately more than ten times at use an ethanol / water extractive mixture). For example, yes we pass a fine chocolate powder with solubility of 0.08 g / L to through filter 0.45 µm we get a chocolate extract 1 g / L soluble. The intense aroma obtained here can be used as a source of aromas, and also in combination with powder chocolate and / or shell chocolate powder in the preparation of Chocolate-flavored drinks and foods.

Several low-fat chocolate powders can be used in the process of the invention, in general powders of shell chocolate, depending on the type of aroma extract from chocolate required Different types of chocolate shell are available: white chocolate shell powder, chocolate powder Concha milk and concha dark chocolate powder.

The final extraction yield is situated between 10 and 55% by weight, depending on the conditions of extraction.

Example

50 kg of chocolate shell powder low in fat ("extra bitter", from 70% cocoa chocolate) were added to 350 L of an ethanol / water mixture (7: 3, v / v) to the room temperature. The mixture was stirred until homogenization. complete. Stirring was maintained for 2 h after filtering. the mixture through a single plate filter. The cake was returned to agitator reactor and an additional 150 L of solvent Extraction was added by continuous stirring. The removal continued for 2 h and the mixture was filtered under vacuum through single plate filter once again. This filtering was combined with the first filtrate and the final mixture was concentrated at 55 ° C and 125 mmHg for 2 h. The concentrate weighed 73 kg and was dried in an oven vacuum tray at 55 ° C and pressure <50 mmHg.

The dry product was weighed 17 kg, equivalent to a yield of 34% by weight. The product was ground in mill hammers resulting in a fine brown powder with intense aroma of chocolate. In order to avoid a hygroscopic product, added 0.2% silicon dioxide powder. The final product is It showed completely soluble in water.

The powder was subjected to tastings with a panel of 3 experienced tasters who rated the aroma and taste of according to its intensity using a three-point scale (very low - low - high), in addition to assessing acceptability. The Hygroscopicity characteristics were evaluated. The results for this product are presented in the following table and represented with code 2211.

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The table also shows that the results obtained in trials of similar processes. In the table the proportion of solvent used is indicated. The materials of heading that were not in powder form (all low fat) were ground at room temperature before the start of extraction. "Agitation" refers to the method described above, and "recirculation" refers to the system of extraction using a peristaltic pump where the flow of extractant for through the material.

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Claims (14)

1. Method for the production of an extract of chocolate aroma understanding, a) low fat chocolate powder mixture and aqueous solvent to obtain suspension of solids in a liquid. b) removal of solids from the liquid. c) at least partial withdrawal of the solvent from the liquid recovered to produce an extract of the aroma of chocolate. 2. Method according to claim 1, in which solids removed in stage b) follow the stages d), e), f) and the optional step g), comprising, d) mixture of solids removed with solvent aqueous to produce a suspension of solids in the liquid. e) removal of solids from the liquid. f) at least partial withdrawal of solvent from product recovered to produce chocolate aroma extract and optionally g) repeated from stages d), e), f). 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, whereby the proportion of low-fat chocolate powder and the aqueous solvent is between 1: 2 and 1:25 p / v preferably between 1: 5 p / v and 1:15 p / v. 4. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solvent comprises water and a solvent selected from the group consisting in C 1-4 alkanes, glycols C 2-4, diakyl ketones C_ {1-4}, or alkyl esters C 1-4 alkanoic acid, preferably ethanol. 5. Method according to claim 4, in which the aqueous solvent comprises ethanol 40-80% by volume 6. Method according to any of the preceding claims in which the mixing step occurs at the temperature of 20 to 80 ° C, preferably at the temperature of 20 to 50 ° C. 7. Method according to any of the preceding claims in which the chocolate powder has a fat content of less than 22%, preferably less than 20%, more preferably less than 12%, even more preferably less than 10%, even more preferably less than 5% and even more preferably less than 2% by weight of chocolate powder and preferably substantially fat free. 8. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the aroma extract of Chocolate is combined with a liquid diluent to produce a liquid chocolate aroma extract, preferably in which The liquid diluent is propylene glycol and / or an aqueous solution of sorbitol. 9. Method according to any of the claims 1 to 7, wherein all the solvent is substantially removed to obtain a solid aroma extract, and in which the solid extract is mechanically processed to Produce an extract of chocolate powder aroma. 10. Method according to any of the preceding claims in which the solvent is removed to through evaporation, preferably under pressure at reduced (empty). 11. An extract of chocolate aroma produced by a method according to any of the claims previous. 12. Use of aroma extract from chocolate according to claim 11, in the manufacture of an edible product flavored with chocolate. 13. An edible product flavored with chocolate comprising an extract of chocolate aroma from according to claim 11. 14. An edible product flavored with chocolate according to claim 13 within of the food ranges of yogurt, pudding and drinks.