GB2413932A

GB2413932A - Almond milk

Info

Publication number: GB2413932A
Application number: GB0410480A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Minal Vohra
Original assignee: HIGHER LIVING Ltd
Current assignee: HIGHER LIVING Ltd
Priority date: 2004-05-11
Filing date: 2004-05-11
Publication date: 2005-11-16
Also published as: GB0410480D0

Abstract

A method for making an almond paste having a shelf life of at least one month, said paste containing only natural ingredients, said method comprising the steps of: <SL> <LI>(a) providing crushed or ground fresh almonds; <LI>(b) providing raw cane sugar; <LI>(c) mixing the almonds from step (a) and the raw cane sugar from step (b) with water and boiling the mixture to form a paste. The paste is diluted with water to give almond milk. </SL> An almond drink is prepared as above, the drink comprising a stabiliser, e.g. gum arabic and the boiling step is replaced by UHT heat treatment.

Description

ALMOND MILK

The present invention relates to the manufacture of an almond paste that is suitable for use in the preparation of almond milk and to an almond paste made by the process. The present invention further relates to processes for the manufacture of almond milk and to almond milk made by the processes.

Almond milk is a beverage similar to dairy milk. It can be drunk directly or used as a milk substitute, for example with cereals, in milkshakes, in ice cream or in other foods products.

Recipes for making almond milk at home date back for centuries.

In its most basic form, a recipe for almond milk calls for ground almonds and water. The almonds and water are combined; the almonds are allowed to soak; and then the mixture is blended at room temperature. Some recipes may recommend passing the mixture through a fine mesh so that a homogeneous, smooth cream is made.

Some recipes suggest including some honey, maple syrup or dates as a sweetener.

Some recipes also suggest including a spice such as vanilla, cardamom or cinnamon.

Whilst recipes for making almond milk at home are easy and readily available, problems exist when trying to make almond milk on a commercial scale since fresh almond milk as described above is not a stable mixture and has a very short shelf life.

This is due particularly to the fresh almond content. Fresh almonds introduce microorganisms so as to increase the total viable count, Salmonella count, Mesophilic spore count, Mesophilic anaerobic spore count, staphylococcus aureus count, Clostridium perfringens count, Enterobacteriaceae count, Bacillus cereus count, Yeasts count, Moulds count, Listeria spp count, and Escherichia cold count in the milk. When the almond milk is kept, there is microbial growth, which leads to spoiling of the product. This problem is added to by any spices that are present.

As such, commercially available ready-to-drink almond drinks contain artificial preservatives in order to increase the shelf life of the drink. They also contain artificial stabilizers to prevent the mixture from separating.

Also, almond flavours rather than fresh almonds (or a combination of the two) often are used since this helps to increase the shelf life of the product and keep the cost of production economical. As such, typical ingredients in commercially available almond milk are: water, glucose syrup, agave syrup, artificial flavours, artificial stabilisers and artificial preservatives.

US 5,656,321 discloses a process for preparing almond milk. The milk contains artificial ingredients such as a stabilising hydrocolloid.

It is known that, at present, consumer demand for so-called natural products which do not use any artificial flavourings or preservatives is high. An almond milk containing almond flavourings and artificial preservatives cannot compete in this market. In this regard, GB 282,088 discloses a method of producing an almond-milk syrup. Further, Pacific Foods make an almond beverage containing almonds, water, brown rice sweetener, natural flavour, malt, sea salt, guar gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, and carob bean gum. Fabbri s.p.a. manufactures an almond paste that is free from food preservatives. The paste is sold to consumers and coffee houses, and the paste is diluted with water to make the almond milk. The ingredients of the paste are sugar, fresh almonds, glucose syrup, water and bitter almond flavour. It will be appreciated that whilst this product goes some way to producing a natural almond milk on an industrial scale, the product still contains flavourings and also glucose syrup, which would not be considered to be natural ingredients.

Also, Ecomil produces a natural almond drink made with almonds (7%), water, agave syrup and maltodextrin. However there is a difference in flavour between the Ecomil drink and fresh home- made almond milk, made from fresh almonds, water and sugar. As such the drink does not resemble in flavour a freshly made almond milk.

As such, there remains a need to manufacture a natural almond milk on an industrial scale that closely resembles the flavour of a fresh, home-made almond milk.

Meeting this need is not trivial. As mentioned above, when using fresh almonds in an almond milk, there are serious problems relating to microorganism growth which must be considered. Since artificial preservatives may not be used in a natural product, one must devise an alternative way to kill harmful microorganism and/or enzymes in the product. There also are problems relating to the flavour and stability of the mixture. This is complicated by the fact that treatments that kill microorganisms and/or enzymes will not necessarily result in a stable product. In summary, there are considerable problems to overcome to increase the shelf life of the product.

Any treatments during manufacture or additional ingredients that are used to increase the shelf life should not spoil the taste, flavour or colour of the product. Again this represents a problem since, typically, processing steps and additional ingredients do affect these properties of the final product.

The present invention aims to address the aforementioned need and to at least partially overcome the aforementioned problems by providing a method for manufacturing on an industrial scale an almond milk containing only natural ingredients and having a flavour that closely resembles that of a fresh, home-made almond milk.

Accordingly a first aspect of the present invention provides a method for making an almond paste having a shelf life of at least one month and containing only natural ingredients comprising the steps of: (a) providing crushed or ground fresh almonds; (b) providing raw cane sugar; (c) mixing the almonds from step (a) and the raw cane sugar from step (b) with water and boiling the mixture to form a paste.

Unless stated otherwise, in the first aspect of the present invention, all % concentrations of components of the present paste are weight % concentrations.

The shelf life of the paste made by the method according to the first aspect of the present invention is at least one month. As such, the paste is a long life product. More typically the shelf life is at least three months. The shelf life of the paste can be measured according to the following protocol. The shelf life is measured through microbiological testing to determine the total viable count, Salmonella count, Mesophilic spore count, Mesophilic anaerobic spore count, staphylococcus aureus count, Clostridium perfringens count, Enterobacteriaceae count, Bacillus cereus count, Yeasts count, Moulds count, Listeria spp count, and Escherichia cold count. The shelf life is calculated as the time after production of the paste when any one of these counts rises above safe levels as specified by the UK Food Standards Agency or equivalent regulatory authority so that the paste no longer is fit for human consumption.

The very fact that it is possible to make a stable almond paste with a satisfactory shelf life that can be used to make almond milk containing only natural ingredients with a flavour that closely resembles that of a fresh, home-made almond milk is surprising. In this sense there was a general thinking in the art prior to the present invention that an artificial preservative and/or a small percentage of almonds together with almond flavouring and other flavourings was essential for a stable product with a satisfactory shelf life.

The paste made by the method according to the first aspect of the present invention not only has a shelf life that makes it suitable as a commercial product but almond milk made from the paste has an unexpectedly superior mouthfeel and flavour, which closely resembles that of fresh, home-made almond milk. Without wishing to be bound by theory it is thought that the heating to an elevated temperature not only significantly decreases the presence of bacterium but also softens and smoothes the mixture, which improves the texture and flavour. This was surprising since it was in fact expected that, whilst heating would have advantages relating to the shelf life, this would be at the cost of the flavour of the product. It further was thought that this would be at the cost of the texture of the product because the texture of the sugar content would change upon heating.

The paste made by the method according to the first aspect of the present invention does not contain glucose syrup or concentrated almond flavourings.

In a first embodiment, mixing and boiling in step (c) are carried out simultaneously. In a second embodiment, mixing and boiling in step (c) are carried out sequentially.

Preferably, prior to mixing in step (c), the method has a further step of liquidising the almonds with water to form a concentrated paste. The optional liquidising is carried out to soften the almonds and coarse particles. The quantity of water used in the liquidizing step desirably just is sufficient to moisten the almonds so that a concentrated paste is formed.

Also preferably, prior to mixing in step (c), the method has a further step of dissolving the raw cane sugar in water to form a raw cane sugar solution. This ensures that the sugar is dissolved in/absorbed into the final paste rather than simply being physically mixed into the final paste. Suitably, this can be achieved by boiling the raw cane sugar with water. Boiling is carried out so that the sugar dissolves into the water. By way of example, a boiling time of about 30 minutes is preferable.

Sufficient water should be used so that all of the sugar is dissolved. As an example lkg of raw cane sugar advantageously is boiled in 3/4 lithe water for about 30 minutes.

As specified above, boiling in step (c) is carried out until the mixture forms a paste. Preferably, the mixture is a thick paste having a consistency similar to that of freshly kneaded dough (although the present paste will be less sticky). By way of example, a boiling time of about 45 minutes in step (c) is preferable.

Preferably, in the method according to the first aspect, the almonds provided in step (a) are peeled, crushed or ground whole almonds. Using peeled almonds has been found to decrease the bacterium count in the product and also to improve the colour of the paste; making it lighter.

Preferably, the almonds are present at a concentration in the range of from about 20 to about 45% in the final paste. More preferably, the almonds are present at a concentration in the range of from about 25 to about 40%, still more preferably about 33 to about 35%, most preferably about 33% in the final paste.

In the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, one or more other natural ingredients can be added for flavouring. Other natural ingredients include dates, and spices. As such, in one embodiment, preferably one or more spices additionally are mixed with the almonds. Preferably, the other natural ingredients are added directly to the mixture in step (c). The spices improve flavour and/or impart health benefits to the paste. Preferred spices include ginger and cardamom. These spices are known to aid digestion. Other preferred spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, and saffron.

The one or more spices preferably are incorporated into the final paste at any desirable concentration. For guidance only, desirable concentrations have been found to be in the range of from about 0.01 to about 1%, more preferably about 0.01 to about 0.05%, most preferably about 0.01%.

Referring to the raw cane sugar, this acts as a sweetener and a natural preservative to prevent decay of the paste. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is thought that the sugar binds with the water in the paste so that it is not available for microbial growth.

Without any artificial preservative (and with a high percentage of almonds, typically over 20%) a sufficiently high concentration of sugar is needed in order to have sufficient preserving effect. However, this must be balanced against the sweetness of the product. As such, it is preferred that the raw cane sugar is present at a concentration in the range of from about 45 to about 80%, more preferably about 60 to about 70%, still more preferably about 60 to about 66%, most preferably about 66% in the final paste.

A second aspect of the present invention provides an almond paste obtained or obtainable by the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. Preferred features of the paste discussed above in relation to the first aspect apply also to the second aspect of the invention.

Preferably, the paste has a pH in the range of from about 6.5 to about 7, more preferably about 6.7.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a method of making an almond drink using the almond paste as defined in the second aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of diluting the almond paste with sufficient water or milk to form a drink.

By way of example, in the third aspect, a suitable drink can be prepared by combining about lOOg of paste with about 1 litre of water or milk. Further, a suitable drink consists of about 10- 15% paste and 85-90% water or milk.

In the method according to the third aspect of the invention, a stabiliser can be added in order to increase the shelf life of the drink, if desirable. Preferred stabilizers and preferred quantities of stabiliser are as discussed below in relation to the fourth aspect of the invention. For a drink that contains a stabiliser, a suitable composition is: 10-15% paste, x% stabiliser, (100 - tpaste - x)% water. For a drink that contains a stabiliser it may be desirable to subject the drink to UHT conditions as described below in relation to the fourth aspect of the invention.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a method for making an almond drink having a shelf life of at least one month and containing only natural ingredients comprising the steps of: (i) providing crushed or ground fresh almonds) (ii) mixing the almonds with water; raw cane sugar and a natural stabiliser; (iii)subjecting the mixture to a UHT heat treatment; (iv) aseptically packaging the mixture.

For the UHT heat treatment, the temperature, holding time and pressure can be selected according to the composition of the drink. A suitable UHT heat treatment for a drink containing 6% almonds, 0.1% spices, 9% sugar and 84.9% water is: processing at 137 C for 4 seconds with upstream homogenization at 250/50 bar pressure in a steritube sterilizer.

Unless stated otherwise, in the fourth aspect, all % concentrations of components of the present paste are weight % concentrations.

The shelf life of the drink made by the method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is at least one month. As such the drink is a long life product. More typically the shelf life is at least three months. Still more typically the shelf life is at least six months. The shelf life of the drink can be measured through microbiological testing to determine the total viable count, Salmonella count, Mesophilic spore count, Mesophilic anaerobic spore count, staphylococcus augers count, Clostridium perfringens count, Enterobacteriaceae count, Bacillus cereus count, Yeasts count, Moulds count, Listeria spp count, and Escherichia cold count. The shelf life is calculated as the time after production of the drink when any one of these counts rises above safe levels as specified by the UK Food standards Agency or equivalent regulatory authority so that the drink no longer is fit for human consumption.

The very fact that it is possible to make a stable almond drink with a satisfactory shelf life; containing only natural ingredients; and with a flavour that closely resembles that of a fresh, home-made almond milk is surprising. In this sense there was a general thinking in the art prior to the present invention that an artificial preservative and/or a small percentage of almonds together with almond flavouring and other flavourings was essential for a stable product with a satisfactory shelf life.

The drink made by the method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention not only has a shelf life that makes it suitable as a commercial product but almond milk made from the paste has an unexpectedly superior mouthfeel and flavour, which closely resembles that of fresh, home-made almond milk. As explained in relation to the first aspect of the present invention, it is thought that the heating to an elevated temperature not only significantly decreases the presence of bacterium but also softens and smoothes the mixture, which improves the texture and flavour. This was surprising since it was in fact expected that, whilst heating would have advantages relating to the shelf life, this would be at the cost of the flavour of the product.

Preferably, prior to mixing in step (ii), the method has a further step of liquidizing the almonds with water to form a concentrated paste. The optional liquidising is carried out to soften the almonds and coarse particles. The quantity of water used in the liquidising step desirably just is sufficient to moisten the almonds so that a concentrated paste is formed. This concentrated paste then is added to and mixed with further water; raw cane sugar and natural stabilizer in step (ii).

In a first embodiment, steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out simultaneously. In a second embodiment, steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out sequentially. Preferably, steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out sequentially.

In the fourth aspect, it is preferred that steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out while the mixture is in a single container so that the process is a "one-pot" process.

For the reasons discussed above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention, in the method according to the fourth aspect, preferably the almonds provided in step (i) are peeled almonds.

Preferably, the almonds are present at a concentration in the range of from about 2 to about 8% in the drink. More preferably, the almonds are present at a concentration in the range of from about 5 to about 7%, most preferably about 6% in the drink.

Preferably the stabilizer is used at a concentration of about 0.05 to about 1.5% in the present drink. More preferably the stabilizer is used at a concentration of about 0.08 to about 0.12%, most preferably about 0.1% in the present drink.

The stabilizer keeps the drink in an unchanging state after production. There are few natural stabilizers. Further, the natural stabilizer must be water soluble and compatible with the present product.

Suitable stabilizers include Xanthan gum, and carrageenan (e.g. Seakem (RTM) CM 611). A particularly preferred stabilizer is gum Arabic. Gum Arabic is the dried gum of the Acacia Senegal. It consists of high molecular weight polysaccharides and is water soluble. Gum Arabic is better known as an emulsifier or thickener. However, in the present drink, gum Arabic has been found to act as an excellent stabilizer and further particularly is compatible with the product in so far as the superior flavour, which closely resembles that of a fresh, home-made almond milk, is retained.

A preferred concentration for gum Arabic in the present drink is in the range of from about 0.08 to about 0.1%.

As discussed in relation to the first aspect of the present invention, preferably in the method according to the fourth aspect, one or more other natural ingredients can be added for flavouring. Other natural ingredients include dates, and spices.

As such, in one embodiment, preferably one or more spices additionally are mixed with the almonds in step (ii). The one or more spices preferably are incorporated into the drink at a concentration in the range of from about 0.01 to about 1%, more preferably about 0.01 to about 0.05%, most preferably about 0.01%. Preferred spices are those discussed above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention.

Referring to the raw cane sugar, in the fourth aspect of the invention, this acts as primarily as a sweetener since the UHT heat treatment prevents decay of the product. As such, it is preferred that the raw cane sugar is present at a concentration in the range of from about 3 to about 12%, more preferably about to about 10%, most preferably at about 9% in the drink.

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides an almond drink obtained by or obtainable by the method of the fourth aspect of the invention. Preferred features of the drink discussed above in relation to the fourth aspect apply also to the fifth aspect of the invention.

Preferably, the drink has a pH in the range of from about 6.7 to about 6..

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides an almond drink having a shelf life of at least one month containing peeled, cooked, fresh crushed or ground almonds) raw cane sugar; water; gum Arabic; and optionally one or more spices. Preferred features of the almond drink according to the sixth aspect, including preferred quantities for the ingredients, are as discussed above in relation to either the third or the fifth of the invention, provided that the drink according to he sixth aspect contains peeled, cooked, fresh crushed or ground almonds; raw can sugar; water; gum Arabic; and optionally one or more spices.

EXAMPLES AND EXPERIMENTS

EXAMPLE 1: PREPARATION OF A PASTE Method: Peeled whole, ground, fresh almonds were liquidised with water to form a concentrated paste. Raw cane sugar was boiled in water for 30mins to form boiled raw cane sugar solution. The concentrated almond paste and the boiled raw cane sugar solution were combined with ginger and cardamom and boiled for 45 minutes to form the final paste. The final paste contained: almonds - 33%, sugar 66.99% Spices - 0.01%.

Microbiological analysis of final paste in Example 1 Table 1: Microbiological Analysis Paste - Tub Total Viable Count 2.3 x 105 cfu/g 5'almonella spp. Not detected in 25g Mesophilic spore count <10 cfu/g Mesophllic anaerobic spore count <10 cfu/g St.aphylococcMs agrees <50 cfu/g C'lost.ndnm perfnngens < 10 cfu/g L'Mtero/'aCtenaGeae <10 cfu/g Bacillus cereals <50 cfu/g Yeasts 2.3 x 10 cfu/g Moulds <10 cfu/g L,stena spp. Not detected in 25g F;.rchericha Co/l < 10 cfu/g

Conclusion:

Bacillus cereus is the main bacterium that causes food poisoning. The level of Bacillus cereus found in the tested final paste was considered to be within safe levels. Further, the Total Viable Count also was within safe levels.

EXAMPLE 2: PREPARATION OF A DRINK Drinks containing 90% water were prepared in accordance with the method according to the fourth aspect of the invention. Peeled whole, ground, fresh almonds were liquidised with water to form a concentrated paste. This concentrated paste was added to a solution containing raw cane sugar, the natural stabilizer, ginger and cardamom. In Experiment 1, the drink was subjected to a UHT heat treatment, namely processing at 137 C for 4 seconds with upstream homogenization at 250/50 bar pressure in a steritube sterilizer. In Experiment 2, the drink was not subjected to a UHT heat treatment.

Experiment 1: Sample 1: Gum Arabica 0.05% Sample 2: Gum Arabica 0.75% Sample 3: Gum Arabica 0.1% The coarse particles were settled at the bottom.

Experiment 2: Sample 1: Gum Arabica 0.05% Sample 2: Gum Arabica 0.75% Sample 3: Gum Arabica 0.1% The products were kept at 5 C and observed for product separation.

Results: The Gum Arabica @0.1% concentration was found to give the best stability to the product.

Products containing gum Arabic had a flavour that most closely resembled fresh, home-made almond milk.

The product using the paste without heat treatment had better product stability with respect to product separation.

EXAMPLE 3: PREPARATION OF A DRINK Experiment 3: Drinks containing 90% water were prepared in accordance with the method according to the fourth aspect of the invention. Peeled whole, ground, fresh almonds were liquidised with water to form a concentrated paste. This concentrated paste was added to a solution containing raw cane sugar, the natural stabiliser, ginger and cardamom. Different stabilisers and quantity of stabiliser were tested. The drinks were subjected to a UHT heat treatment, namely: processing at 137 C for 4 seconds with upstream homogenization at 250/50 bar pressure in a steritube steriliser.

The samples prepared in the laboratory were: Sample 1: Saekem CM611 0.02% Sample 2: Xanthan Gum 0.03% Results: There was slight pinkish colour tinge to the product after the heat treatment.

Sedimentation was observed but the consistency of the product was improved for the product that had undergone the heat treatment.

The xanthan gum gave a good mouthfeel, with no oily taste.

The Seakem CM 611 also gave a good mouthfeel.

Experiment 4: Drinks were prepared as follows for evaluation using the final paste from Example 1: Almond paste: 10%, 12% and 13 % Xanthan Gum: 0.03%, 0.04% Seakem CM 611: 0.02%, 0.025% i SAMPLE_ PASTE XANTHAN GUM CARAGEENAN l l 0% 0.03% Nil I 2 10% 0.04% Nil 3 10% Nil 0.02% 4 10% Nil 0.025% 13% 0.035% 6 13% Nil 0.025% 1 7 15% 0.035% g 15% Nil 0.025% 1 9 Control 10% Nil Nil Control 0% Nil Nil Method: The paste was ground. Water and the stabiliser were added to the ground paste while stirring vigorously. The product was autoclaved at 110 C for 10 minutes. The product was cooled.

Results: The product with 15% paste was similar to the desired product.

The product stabilized using Seakem CM 611 gave the better mouthfeel.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A method for making an almond paste having a shelf life of at

least one month, said paste containing only natural ingredients, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing crushed or ground fresh almonds; (b) providing raw cane sugar; (c) mixing the almonds from step (a) and the raw cane sugar from step (b) with water and boiling the mixture to form a paste.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method has a further step of liquidising the almonds with water to form a concentrated paste, prior to mixing in step (c).
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the method has a further step of dissolving the raw cane sugar in water to form a raw cane sugar solution, prior to mixing in step (c).
4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein mixing and boiling in step (c) are carried out simultaneously and for a period of 45 minutes.
5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the almonds are peeled almonds.
6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the almonds are present at a concentration in the range of from about 20 to about 45% in the final paste.
7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the raw cane sugar is present at a concentration in the range of from about 45 to about 80% in the final paste.
8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more spices additionally are mixed with the almonds.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the one or more spices are ginger and/or cardamom.
10. An almond paste obtainable by the method of any one of the preceding claims.
11. A method of making an almond drink using the almond paste as defined in claim 10, comprising the steps of diluting the almond paste with sufficient water to form a drink.
12. A method according to claim 14, wherein the almond paste is used at a concentration of 10%-15% in the drink.
13. A method for making an almond drink having a shelf life of at least one month, said drink containing only natural ingredients, said method comprising the steps of: (i) providing crushed or ground fresh almonds; (ii) mixing the almonds with water; raw cane sugar and a natural stabiliser; (iii) subjecting the mixture to a UHT heat treatment; (iv) aseptically packaging the mixture.
14. A method according to claim 13, wherein steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out sequentially.
15. A method according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the almonds are peeled almonds.
16. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the almonds are present at a concentration in the range of from about 2 to about 8% in the drink.
17. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the stabiliser is present at a concentration of about 0.05 to 1.5% in the drink.
18. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the natural stabiliser comprises gum Arabic.
19. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein one or more spices additionally are mixed with the almonds in step (ii).
20. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein the one or more spices are ginger and/or cardamom.
21. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the raw cane sugar is present at a concentration in the range of from about 3 to 12% in the drink.
22. An almond drink obtained by the method of any one of claims 13 to 21.
23. An almond drink having a shelf life of at least one month containing peeled, cooked, fresh crushed or ground almonds) raw cane sugar; water; gum Arabic; and optionally one or more spices.