FI65893C - AROMATISERAD TORR KAFFEPRODUKT OCH FOERFARANDE FOER AROMATISERING AV KAFFEMATERIAL - Google Patents

Description

65893 inertia, and the amount of aroma is also rapidly lost from the product after the first opening of the package, with little or no aroma being released from the product at the next opening, which occurs at typical intervals when the product is used.

As used herein, the term coffee product means not only 100% coffee materials but also coffee substitutes or coffee extension agents, which may contain roasted cereals (e.g., wheat), chicory, or other plant materials, either alone or in combination with coffee.

To date, most efforts to add a natural flavor to foods have been to add the flavor of roasted coffee to soluble coffee, such as spray or freeze-dried coffee. It is thus understood that the focus of the present invention is on flavored coffee products, but the application of the invention to the flavoring of other food products is also possible.

Today, virtually all commercial soluble coffee products are made by adding coffee oil to them, for example, by spraying soluble coffee with either pure or flavored coffee oil before packaging. In this way, an aroma is obtained for the soluble coffee product which is more reminiscent of the decaffeinated roasted ground coffee, the addition of oil is usually carried out by an oil coating method (U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,070) or by oil injection (U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,322). . Today, commercial roasted coffee products do not contain added flavor, but all attempts to obtain a more aromatic product are aimed at preserving the flavorings contained in freshly roasted coffee beans.

The most preferred agent for flavoring coffee material is coffee oil, to which aroma may have been added, as such an aromatized product may still be termed pure coffee; Methods used to produce coffee oil (see Sivetz, Coffee Processing Technology, Vol. 2, Avi Publishing Company, 1963, pp. 21-30), such as solvent extraction or evaporation of coffee oil from roasted coffee, are not particularly advantageous because the producer is left with either solvent-containing roasted coffee. or volatile matter 65893 cake, both of which must either be further processed or discarded, the addition of oil to the coffee product has also proved cumbersome because oil droplets may appear on the surface of the beverage made from the oily product. It would thus be advantageous to develop a method for flavoring coffee products which could use all coffee materials and other plant materials, but which would not require the production or addition of coffee oil or other glyceride material.

The aromatized coffee product of the invention comprising a mixture of low aromatic coffee material and highly aromatic plant material particles is characterized in that the plant material is roasted coffee, roasted cereal, roasted chicory or a combination thereof, wherein the plant material particles have a natural oil content of at least 1% 0.5-2% by weight based on the amount of coffee material, and the plant material has a substantially insoluble cellular structure, with more than 0.2% by weight of volatile, roasted coffee aromatic coffee substances adsorbed to the particles sufficient to provide a pleasant aroma to the top of the dry, packaged coffee product package.

Substantially insoluble plant material particles with a cellular structure with a natural oil content of at least 1% and preferably at least 3%, such as coffee, cereals (e.g. wheat) or chicory, which may be whole roasted coffee beans or partially roasted coffee, wheat, are used as the coffee aroma carrier. or chicory, which also includes ground and comminuted particles in a colloid mill. The particles can be obtained from pressed roasted coffee or also from ground coffee waste, such as ground coffee waste from the production of soluble coffee. These particles are contacted with volatile aromatic coffee substances in such a way that more than 0.2% by weight of flavoring substances are adsorbed on them. Although it is theoretically possible to cause flavoring substances to be adsorbed up to 5% by weight, in practice levels of more than 1% are difficult to achieve. Conventional roasted and ground coffee material to which no flavorings have been added contains less than 0.05% by weight.

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The flavored roasted material is combined with the low aromatic coffee material in a suitable weight ratio to obtain the desired aroma. In the manufacture of soluble coffee powder, the preferred amount of addition of particles is about 0.05-2%, whereby the amount of precipitate in the beverage product is very small. Typically, more than 5% of particles with a flavor content of only 0.1% by weight should be added to a low aroma coffee product. When the flavored particles are used in combination with an insoluble material, it is of course possible to use high addition rates, e.g. up to 10% by weight.

In order to obtain particles with a size of less than 200, the cryopowderization method disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,965,267 has proven to be quite useful. Conventional soluble coffee material, such as spray-dried or freeze-dried coffee, has not proven to be a useful carrier for the process of the present invention. It has been found that soluble coffee powder does not adsorb, retain or stabilize flavorings to the same extent as roasted coffee, cereals or chicory used in the process of this invention.

Contacting the roasted particles with the flavoring agents to retain the flavoring agents in the particles can be accomplished in a number of different ways. High pressures and / or low temperatures may be used to maximize aroma absorption or to reduce the time required to achieve the desired level of aromatization, however, such measures are not necessary. However, it is usually desirable that the amount of moisture in contact with the particles be kept to a minimum before, during and after aromatization. The moisture content of the flavoring material added to the roasted particles should be such that the moisture content of the particles is kept below about 15% by weight. Condensation, evaporation, blowing and / or other suitable separation methods can be used to separate moisture and aroma substances from aroma-containing gas streams, aroma dew or liquid aroma condensates. It may also be desirable to separate the flavors from the carrier gas (e.g., CO 2) in which they are contained. Methods that can be used to adsorb flavorings to roasted 65893 particles include: (1) placing the mixture of roasted particles and condensed CO 2 flavor in a vessel equipped with an outlet, preferably above -40 ° C, and allowing the CO 2 to sublimate, (2) and roasted particles and the condensed aroma drip is sealed in one or two interconnected pressure vessels, then the temperature is raised in the dew-containing vessel, whereby the dew evaporates and causes a pressure increase, (3) a very concentrated , (4) the aromatics are condensed on the cooled roasted particles, (5) the aroma-containing, low-moisture gas stream is passed through a layer or collage containing the roasted particles.

The flavoring agents used in the process of the invention can be obtained from a variety of sources well known in the art. Depending on the contact method used, the aroma may be a component of a gas, liquid condensate or condensed mildew. Suitable flavors for use include, for example, coffee oil flavors as described in U.S. Patent No. 2,947,634 (Feldman et al.) For roasting green coffee, as described in U.S. Patent 2,156,212 (Wendt), flavors for roasting coffee as described in U.S. Pat. described in U.S. Patent 3,021,218 (Clinton et al.) for flavorings obtained from steam-roasted and ground coffee, as described in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,562,206 (Nutting), 3,132,947 (Mahlmann), 3,244,521 (Clinton et al.). , 3,421,901 (Mahlmann et al.), 3,532,507 (Cascione) and 3,615,665 (White et al.), And flavorings from vacuum roasted and ground coffee not disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,680,687 to Lemonnier. ) and 3,035,922 (Mook et al.). Of course, it would also be possible to use synthetic chemical compounds which correspond or resemble the flavorings naturally present in roasted coffee. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that by adding volatile aromatic substances to a food product, in addition to the desired addition of flavor to the food, it also has a taste effect which is observed when the food is consumed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the coffee aroma gas, which contains a high content of carbon dioxide, preferably more than 80893% by weight, is obtained, for example, commercially when grinding coffee. This gas is preferably passed through a first condenser where it cools to 2-10 ° C and where most of the moisture in the gas condenses. The gas is then passed to another condenser, such as a heat exchanger with a jacket and wall scrapers, which is cooled with a liquid gas, such as liquid nitrogen, whereupon the gas condenses into a carbon dioxide dew.

The mildew is placed in a pressure vessel where it is heated, for example by means of a surrounding water jacket, to at least -29 ° C, preferably to about 2-65 ° C. The pressure vessel and the amount of mildew are dimensioned so that a gas pressure of at least 6.8 atm is generated in the vessel or vessels. As the temperature of the mildew rises above about -56.6 ° C, the solid carbon dioxide contained in the mucus is converted to an aroma-containing liquid phase and / or a saturated gas phase.

The flavored carbon dioxide gas is then contacted with the roasted coffee, wheat and / or chicory either in the same vessel in which the mildew was vaporized or in another vessel into which the flavored carbon dioxide gas is introduced. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that when two or more vessels are used, the total volume of the vessels and their connecting pipes is inversely proportional to the pressure developed in the system.

After a suitable contact time, the vessel containing the roasted adsorbent having a low aroma content is isolated, if necessary, and then cooled to below 0 ° C, preferably below -45 ° C, before opening the outlet. This cooling step causes more coffee aromas to be adsorbed as the adsorption power / capacity of the adsorbent increases (i.e., aroma condenses in the micropores due to capillary forces). It is, of course, possible to maximize this additional adsorption step by cooling to a point where slurry is formed again. At this point, the pressure in the vessel approaches normal pressure, and it is normally desirable to heat and open the outlet to remove the carbon dioxide by raising the temperature above 0 ° C.

When the mildew and the adsorbent material are in different containers, it is possible to recover some of the flavors that may be removed from the container containing the adsorbent along with the carbon dioxide.

7 65893 This can be accomplished by isolating and cooling the slurry vessel, whereby the carbon dioxide condenses back into the slurry. If this cooled vat container is then contacted with an adsorbent-tia removal line, the effluent vapors pass to a vat vessel where they condense and are used for further aromatization of roasted coffee, wheat and / or chicory.

The particle size of the roasted coffee, wheat, and / or chicory to be flavored according to the invention is not critical. The manner in which the Aromip-containing particles are used may determine the most suitable particle size. The particles are used, for example, (1) to flavor whole coffee beans, some of which can be added to a container containing roasted and ground or soluble coffee product to give a product with a unique appearance, (2) to flavor roasted coffee, wheat and / or chicory with a particle size equivalent to roasted and ground product. the particle size to which they are mixed, and (3) to aromatize particles having a size of 20 mesh (U.S. Standard Screen), i.e., 840 μm or less, which particles can be incorporated into the soluble coffee product. A finely ground toasted material having a particle size of less than 200, preferably about 25, can be preferably obtained by a cryopowdering technique in accordance with the aforementioned U.S. Patent 3,965,267 (Davis). Colloid-sized particles can also be used.

The oil content of the roasted particles, which is at least 1%, preferably at least 3%, is believed to increase the ability of the cellular particles to retain flavoring agents. This improved ability is demonstrated by the adsorption of flavoring agents in a larger amount and / or in a broader spectral flavor. It has also been found that this oil component can be used to flavor powdered coffee material according to the invention packaged in a glass jar, since even small amounts of oil in the packaged product prevent small particles of the material from adhering to the inner surface of the glass jar.

The moisture content of the roasted coffee, wheat and / or chicory used as a starting material should be less than about 7% in order to avoid problems of stability of the attached flavorings, especially before combining the flavored adsorbent with the low aroma coffee product. After incorporation, any excess moisture in the flavor-containing adsorbent is transferred to the 8 65893 low aroma product, which has been pre-dried to a stable moisture content. When the aromatized adsorbent can be added to the low aromatic material in an amount of less than about 2% by weight, the total amount of moisture transferred is hardly significant.

The invention is illustrated by the following examples.

Example 1 300 g of roasted and ground coffee was placed in a 2-liter Parr bomb flushed with CCl 4. A second Parr bomb containing 200 g of grinding gas dew was placed in a 50 ° C water bath, whereby the dew sublimated, and the internal temperature rose to 24 ° C and the maximum pressure to about 62.2 atmospheres. Both Parr bombs were connected with a high pressure tube and left at room temperature for 3 hours. A bomb containing roasted and ground coffee was isolated and then cooled to about -70 ° C, where it was allowed to stand for 10 hours. The outlet was opened and the bomb was warmed to 0 ° C. The resulting aromatized roasted and ground coffee had a strong aroma of fresh roasted coffee.

Example 2 200 g of ground gas mash and 300 g of ordinary ground roasted coffee (average particle size 860 μm) were placed in CO 2 gas in a 2 liter Parr bomb which was sealed. Three layers of paper towels were placed between the mildew and the coffee to adsorb the moisture separating from the mildew component and to minimize the agglomeration of the roasted coffee. The contents of the bomb were then warmed to room temperature (24 ° C) over three hours, at which time the bomb developed a pressure of about 41.8 atm, and the bomb was maintained under these conditions for an additional hour. The bomb was cooled on dry ice for 20 hours until its internal pressure was normal atmospheric pressure. The Parr bomb was then warmed in an ice bath to 0 ° C and a pressure of about 14.6 atm, allowing CO 2 to slowly leave the system. The Parr bomb was opened in a CO 2 atmosphere and the aromatized roasted coffee was removed and added to the agglomerated spray-dried coffee powder in an amount of 0.58% by weight (1 g to 170 g of powder), and the product was sealed in a CC 3 atmosphere in a glass jar.

Example 3

The procedure of Example 2 was repeated using finely ground (average particle size 620 μm) roasted coffee and whole coffee beans instead of normal ground coffee. All 9 65893 of these three variants were periodically evaluated both organoleptically and by carbon gas chromatography (GC) and compared to a control sample flavored by adding 0.2% by weight of ground gas-enriched coffee oil (mildew / oil 1.8: 1) to agglomerate. spray-dried coffee (170 g). Flavored coffee oil was prepared by the high pressure decantation technique described in U.S. Patent 4,119,736 (Howland et al.). The amount of grinding gas mildew used in the preparation of all samples was thus at a comparable level (0.67 and 0.61 g per vessel, respectively). Table I summarizes the relative amount of volatile hydrocarbons contained in the gas (1 cm) of the top 3 of the sealed jars as a function of storage time (at 35 ° C).

Table I

Shelf life of flavored soluble coffee at 35 ° C.

Mean GC readings (-10%), ppm

Aroma Coffee oil- Roasted Roasted Roasted carrier- control coffee, whole-coffee, coffee substance women beans normal- fine grinding grinding Storage time, (weeks) 0 1.75 1.10 4.30 2.00 2 1.81 1.15 3.60 2.20 4 1.75 1.13 - 1.80 6 1.60 1.00 3.10 1.90 8 1.50 1.15 3.10 2.00 10 1.40 1.20 3.10

Examination of Table I shows that soluble coffee flavored with different sizes of flavored roasted coffee particles retained very well the aroma (GC reading) of the top of the vessel regardless of the original aroma level. Organoleptic reviews confirmed this result.

10 65893 For GC measurements, a panel of skilled coffee makers conducted organoleptic reviews of each sample at regular intervals. A typical organoleptic review includes two parts. The oxygen content of the closed vessel is determined with a Beckman oxygen analyzer, model C2. The oxygen content should be less than 4%. The vessel is then opened and the relative quality, strength, and nature of the aroma at the top of the vessel are judged by 3-5 experienced panel members, each with their own samples. Vessels are then generally classified in terms of relative intensity (flattening), scale: 1 (absent) to 9 (very strong), and relative quality, scale: 1 (very weak) to 9 (excellent). In the second stage of evaluation, a beverage made from soluble coffee is judged, in which case a relative aroma pulse and taste are determined for each cup. Finally, a visual inspection of each cup is performed to make observations of any oil, roasted coffee, or other on the surface of the cup. In addition, the liquid is carefully poured out of the cups, and any precipitate left in the cup is noted. In general, it was roughly estimated that about 40% of the cups made from a normally ground sample had 1-5 spots on the surface and / or a precipitate on the bottom. Cups made from finely ground samples contained about 30-40% light precipitate at the bottom after pouring off the beverage. None of the beverages made from the samples had oil droplets on the surface. Coffee made from a control sample containing coffee oil had a significant amount of oil on the surface.

Tables II and III show the average opinions of the panel members on the aroma content and quality of the jar as a function of shelf life.

Table II

Effect of shelf life (35 ° C) on aroma retention in the jar (rating scale 1-9)

Time Coffee- Whole Normal- Fine (weeks) oil beans grind grinding 0 7.5 6.5 6.5 7.0 2 6.0 5.0 6.0 6.5 4 5.5 4.5 6.0 6.0 6 5.7 5.0 6.0 6.0 8 6.0 5.0 6.0 5.5 10 6.0 6.0 6.0 11 65893

Table III

Effect of storage time (35 ° C) on the aroma quality of the jar (rating scale 1-9)

Time Coffee- Whole Normal- Fine- (weeks) oil beans grind grinding 0 7.0 6.5 7.0 7.0 2 5.7 5.0 7.0 6.5 4 5.0 4.0 6, 5 5.5 6 6.0 4.0 5.5 5.5 8 6.0 5.0 6.0 5.0 10 6.0 6.0 6.0

As can be seen from the above results, the aroma deposition and aroma quality of the experimental alternatives are comparable to the oil aromatized control. Gas chromatographic analysis of the experimental alternatives showed that the aroma of the top of the jar was quite similar to that of the control.

After a shelf life of 10 weeks, samples stored in sealed jars at 35 ° C were evaluated by mimicking the conditions in which the consumer consumes coffee on a daily basis. In all three experimental alternatives, aroma sedimentation and quality results comparable to the oil-flavored control were obtained.

Example 4 The ground coffee used was dried to a moisture content of 7% (w / w) and 300 g was placed in a 2 liter Parr bomb with a 200 g layer of grinding gas mildew and a layer of paper towels at the bottom. The bomb was sealed, warmed to room temperature (about 59 atm) and after 3 hours the bomb was cooled with dry ice until the internal pressure was normal atmospheric pressure. The bomb was then placed in an ice bath where it was allowed to warm to 0 ° C with the outlet open. The flavored spent ground coffee was then mixed with 0.5% soluble coffee powder. After storage under inert conditions, the product was judged to have a clear and pleasant coffee-like aroma with a slightly more green hue than the products of Examples 2 and 3.

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Example 5

Dark roasted Colombian coffee was cryopowdered using liquid nitrogen as the cryogenic liquid. The average size of the ground particles was 125 μm and they were stored in a dry atmosphere. The particles were then mixed well with the coffee grounds gas melt in a weight ratio of 1.2: 1. The mixture was transferred to a pre-cooled outlet vessel and kept at -8 ° C overnight. The aromatized particles were then added to the spray-dried coffee agglomerate at 0.2% by weight, and the mixture was packaged in an inert atmosphere in glass jars. After prolonged storage, a pleasant top aroma was observed when the jars were opened.

Claims (7)

13 Claims: ^ An aromatized dry coffee product comprising a mixture of low aromatic coffee material and high aromatic plant material particles, characterized in that the plant material is roasted coffee, roasted cereal, roasted chicory or a combination thereof, wherein the plant material particles have a natural oil content of at least 1% by weight and in an amount of 0.05 to 2% by weight based on the amount of coffee material, and the plant material has a substantially insoluble cellular structure with more than 0.2% by weight of volatile aromatic coffee substances derived from roasted coffee adsorbed on the particles to provide a pleasant aroma of dry, packaged coffee product packaging the upper part. Product according to Claim 1, characterized in that the low-aromatic coffee material is a soluble coffee product. Product according to Claim 1, characterized in that the low-aromatic coffee material is a roasted coffee product. Product according to Claim 3, characterized in that the roasted coffee product is decaffeinated coffee. Product according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the particles of plant material are particles of roasted coffee and have a coffee oil content of at least 3% by weight. Product according to Claim λ, 2 or 3, characterized in that the particles have a diameter of less than 200 microns. 7. A method of providing a pleasant aroma to the top of a package of a dry packaged, low aromatic coffee product, comprising the steps of: a) contacting particles of plant material, such as roasted coffee, roasted cereal, roasted chicory or a combination thereof, with volatile aromatic with substances such that the particles adsorb aromatic substances in excess of 0.2% by weight, the plant material having a substantially insoluble cellular structure and a natural oil content of at least 1% by weight, b) 0.05-2% by weight of the aromatized particles of step (a) mixed with a dry, low-aromatic coffee material, c) the combination of step (b) is packaged in a sealed package. 65893 14