GB748402A - Improvements in or relating to methods of making gel-forming composition and resulting product - Google Patents

Abstract

In preparing edible jellies, there is employed a composition obtained by drying an aqueous solution or paste of a partially demethoxylated pectin which is reactive with calcium ions and has a methoxyl content of 2-7 per cent, a monovalent metal salt of a weak acid and/or a monovalent metal salt of either a complex acid of phosphorous or ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid. A dry powder which forms the jelly merely on addition of cold water comprises a mixture of such dried solution or paste and a calcium salt having a limited solubility in water e.g. calcium sulphate, citrate, mono-, di- or tribasic phosphate, carbonate, or tartrate, the particles of the calcium salt being preferably coated with cold water-dispersible substance, e.g. casein, gelatine, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, locust bean gum, gum karaya, polyvinyl alcohol. The particle size of the components of the mixture is preferably less than 0,009 in. Examples of the coating of the calcium salts are concerned with spray-drying a hot water suspension of tricalcium phosphate stirred with low viscosity methyl cellulose and a hot water suspension of gypsum stirred with low viscosity carboxymethyl cellulose. Such coated granules may be treated further in order to prevent too rapid access of water to the calcium salt in incompletely coated granules during the gel formation, e.g. the granules may be stirred with hot water, hot ethanol containing hydroxylamine hydrochloride, or hot ammonium tartrate solution, filtered off, and dried in hot air. Examples of preparing the modified low methoxyl pectin are concerned with drum-drying or spray-drying hot water solutions of alkali-hydrolyzed citrus pectins to which sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium acetate or sodium citrate have been added, the alkali hydrolyzed pectin being, if desired, a "pectinic acid amide" obtained by the partial demethoxylation of pectin with alcoholic ammonia or concentrated aqueous ammonia. Examples of jelly preparations which set in 5-15 minutes are mixtures of (a) modified low methoxyl pectin, a coated calcium salt, sugar, citric acid, and, if desired, colouring matter and fruit flavouring, stirred into cold water.