JP2002272381A - Soft candy-like chewing gum and method for making the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a soft candy-like chewing gum where water content during stored is stably maintained, with such soft candy-like soft chewability having both elasticity and softness when chewed, having smooth palate feeling and new palate feeling not having existed so far, and to provide a method for producing the soft candy-like chewing gum. SOLUTION: This soft candy-like chewing gum is such as to contain a gelatinizer, is characterized by containing a swollen material comprising a gelatinizer and saccharine sweetener, and the other objective method for producing the soft candy-like chewing gum is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a soft candy-like chewing gum and a method for producing the same. The present invention relates to a soft candy-like chewing gum having a smooth texture in the mouth and an unprecedented new texture, and a method for producing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, chewing gum has a gum base,
Sugars, pigments, flavors, etc. are heated and kneaded, and after cooling,
It is obtained by molding into a plate shape or a granular shape. Chewing gum can be chewed for a long time in the mouth and enjoys flavor and elastic texture, and is one of chewable taste confections. On the other hand, as a chewable taste confection other than chewing gum, soft candy obtained by appropriately shaping after gelling agents, sugars, oils and fats, boiling down, adjusting the water content, adding fragrances, pigments, etc. and cooling. Are known. Soft candy has a long-lasting mastication property, but has a smooth, viscous texture with a soft chew and has a texture different from chewing gum.

[0003] Recently, consumers have tended to demand a soft texture due to a decrease in muscular strength of the jaw and an increase in oral diseases, and even chewing gum has a smooth chewable mouth with a soft chew. Development of a type having a feeling is desired.

Therefore, for example, a method of increasing the amount of a softening agent such as glycerin or propylene glycol in order to soften the chewing mouth of chewing gum is generally performed. However, in such a chewing gum, the chewing gum hardens and becomes brittle in a low temperature zone of about 5 ° C. or less, and thus there is a problem that the texture is particularly deteriorated in winter. Further, the above softener is generally used to maintain the flexibility of chewing gum before eating, even if it is included in the chewing gum,
Although it has a texture that seems to melt during chewing, it has been difficult to combine elasticity and softness.

[0005] Therefore, for example, JP-A-1-39947 proposes a chewing gum in which softness is maintained for a long time. This chewing gum, by incorporating a hydrophilic stabilizing system consisting of glycerin, gelatin, and water in addition to the chewing gum base and sweetener, exhibits firm chewing properties at the time of chewing, and due to rapid interaction with saliva, It is a chewing gum composition having soft and moist chewing properties. However, in the above hydrophilic stabilization system, gel setting of gelatin proceeds rapidly, gelation is easy, gelatin is hard to be uniformly dispersed in chewing gum base during chewing gum preparation, and foreign substances of gelatinized gelatin are easily felt during chewing gum chewing. Was something. Furthermore, because gelatin is in an unstable state as described above,
During preservation of the chewing gum, the water content varied greatly. Naturally, the chewing gum cannot provide a texture having both elasticity and flexibility.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to stably maintain the amount of water during storage of chewing gum,
To provide a soft candy-like chewing gum having a new texture and a smooth texture with a soft chew, such as a soft candy having both elasticity and flexibility during chewing gum chewing, and a method for producing the same. is there.

[0007]

An object of the present invention is to provide a chewing gum containing a gelling agent, wherein the chewing gum contains a swelled product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener. Achieved by candy-like chewing gum.

Further, the above object is achieved by a soft candy-like chewing gum comprising a gelling agent, wherein the chewing gum contains a swelling product of gelatin and a saccharide sweetener. You.

[0009] Further, the above object is achieved by a soft candy-like chewing gum comprising a gelling agent and a swelling product of a gelling agent and syrup in the chewing gum. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a chewing gum containing a gelling agent, wherein the chewing gum contains 1 to 15% by weight of a swelling product of the gelling agent and the saccharide sweetener. Achieved by soft candy-like chewing gum.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a chewing gum containing a gelling agent, wherein the chewing gum contains a swelling product of a gelling agent and a saccharide sweetener and has a water content of 1 to 3.
Achieved by a soft candy-like chewing gum characterized by 6% by weight.

[0012] The above object is achieved by a method for producing a chewing gum containing a gelling agent, which comprises the following steps: (A) a step of obtaining a swelled product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener. (B) a step of mixing the swelling product of the gelling agent and the saccharide sweetener of (A) with a chewing gum raw material to prepare a chewing gum;

[0013] That is, the present inventors, when obtaining a chewing gum having both elasticity and flexibility during chewing gum chewing, consider whether a soft chew like soft candy can impart a smooth texture. Was. Focusing on the gelling agent used in soft candy, if the gelling agent is uniformly dispersed in the chewing gum without gelling, it may be possible to obtain a chewing gum having a texture like a soft candy. As a result of thinking, before kneading the chewing gum raw material and the gelling agent, by preparing a swelling product of the gelling agent and the carbohydrate sweetener, the carbohydrate sweetener enters the gelling agent tissue and the gelling agent It has been found that the system can be kept stable without gelling. Next, by kneading the swelled material and the chewing gum raw material to prepare a chewing gum,
It is possible to disperse the gelling agent uniformly in the chewing gum base, keep the water content in the chewing gum stable during storage, and give a smooth texture with a soft chew like soft candy during chewing. The present inventors have found that a soft candy-like chewing gum having an unprecedented new texture can be obtained, and have reached the present invention.

[0014]

Next, the present invention will be described in detail.
The soft candy-like chewing gum of the present invention contains a swelling product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener in the chewing gum.

The gelling agent used in the present invention includes gelatin, agar, egg white, gellan gel and the like. Among them, gelatin is preferably used because a smooth texture can be suitably obtained with a soft chew such as a soft candy.

Gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling collagen-containing substances such as beef bone and pig skin with water and irreversibly changing them to water-soluble. The type of gelatin is not particularly limited, and commercially available edible gelatin or the like may be used. The above-mentioned gelatin includes those obtained by treating a collagen-containing substance with an acid and those treated with an alkali, and both can be used in the present invention. It is desirable to use gelatin having a bloom intensity of 100 to 300 bloom. That is, if the ratio is out of this range, a hard chew mouth tends to be formed, and a flexible texture unique to chewing gum tends to be hardly obtained.

The form of the gelling agent may be appropriately selected from powders, granules, dried products such as granules and crystals, slurries, and those prepared in a liquid state. Among these, dried products such as powders, granules, granules, and crystals are desirable because a swollen product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener can be suitably prepared.

Next, sugar sweeteners include monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, oligosaccharides such as sugar and lactose, non-reducing oligosaccharides such as trehalose, sugar alcohols (maltitol, lactitol, sorbitol, mannitol, etc.). Xylitol, erythritol, starch syrup, reduced xylo-oligosaccharides, palatinit, reduced branched oligosaccharides, tagatose, etc.). These may be used alone or in combination of several kinds. Among these, starch syrup having a relatively large amount of water is preferably used because a smooth texture can be obtained with a soft chew such as a soft candy. Also, the form of the sugar sweetener is
It may be appropriately selected from powder, granules, granules, crystals, slurries, liquids and the like.

Next, a method for producing the soft candy-like chewing gum of the present invention will be described. The chewing gum of the present invention first prepares a swelled product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener using the above-mentioned raw materials. The preparation method is performed, for example, as follows. That is, the gelling agent is heated and dissolved at 60 to 80 ° C. for 30 to 60 minutes using an aqueous medium to swell the gelling agent. Examples of the aqueous medium used in this case include water and an aqueous solution of a sugar alcohol. Among them, water is preferably used in view of the swelling property of the gelling agent.

Next, the swollen gelling agent, separately from this, a sugar sweetener and, if necessary, other auxiliary materials are added in an amount of 40 to 45.
The mixture obtained by heating and dissolving at ℃ is mixed for several minutes in a dissolving pot, a kneader or the like to obtain a swelled product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener. As the auxiliary material, saccharides, pigments, flavors, seasonings, vitamins, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and the like may be appropriately selected and used according to the purpose.

The content of the gelling agent is set so as to be 1 to 15% by weight, more preferably 5 to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the swollen product of the gelling agent and the sugar sweetener. Is desirable. That is, if it exceeds 15% by weight, the elasticity of the chewing gum product is increased, and the chewing mouth tends to be too hard. Conversely, if it is less than 1% by weight, the elasticity and flexibility inherent in the chewing gum of the present invention tend to be poor.

Next, the swelling product of the gelling agent and the saccharide sweetener prepared as described above is mixed with a chewing gum raw material to prepare a chewing gum. At this time, the mixing may be performed using a commonly used mixer such as a kneader for gum.

Examples of the chewing gum raw materials include commonly used gum bases and auxiliary raw materials. As the gum base, for example, an elastic material, wax, an inorganic material or the like is appropriately selected and used. Examples of the elastic body include natural rubber, polyisobutylene, vinyl acetate resin, other synthetic rubbers, synthetic elastic bodies and natural elastic bodies. Examples of the wax include rice wax, carnauba wax, and microcrystalline wax. These may be used alone or in combination. The gum base may be appropriately designed and used, such as a balloon gum type mainly composed of vinyl acetate resin or a regular gum type mainly composed of natural tickle.

As the auxiliary raw materials, saccharides, flavors, pigments, emulsifiers, emollients, acidulants, coloring agents, taste materials, plant extracts and the like may be used in appropriate combination. Examples of the emulsifier include propylene glycol fatty acid ester, glycerin fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, fatty acid monoglyceride, glyceryl monostearate, diglyceride, and propylene glycol monostearate. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The chewing gum may be formed according to the intended purpose, and may be formed into any shape such as plate gum, block gum, sugar-coated gum, centered gum, multilayer gum, laminated gum and the like.

The mixing ratio of the swelling product of the gelling agent and the saccharide sweetener is preferably 1 to 15% by weight, more preferably 8 to 12% by weight, based on the total weight of the chewing gum. That is, when it exceeds 15% by weight, the bite tends to be hard. On the other hand, if it is less than 1% by weight, it tends to be difficult to obtain a smooth texture with a soft bite.

The water content is preferably set to 1 to 6% by weight, more preferably 3 to 5% by weight, based on the total weight of the chewing gum. That is, when the water content is more than 6% by weight, it tends to be too soft to obtain a chewing gum texture. On the other hand, if it is less than 1% by weight, it tends to be difficult to obtain a smooth texture with a soft chew like a soft candy.

[0028]

As described above, the soft candy-like chewing gum of the present invention is prepared by preparing a swollen product of a gelling agent and a saccharide sweetener and then mixing it with a chewing gum raw material to prepare a chewing gum. The gelling agent can be evenly dispersed in the chewing gum base, and when chewing the chewing gum, it has a smooth texture with a soft chew like a soft candy, providing a new texture that has never been seen before. The resulting chewing gum is obtained.
In addition, since the water content of the chewing gum can be suitably maintained during storage, moisture absorption during storage of the chewing gum is also prevented. In addition, the soft candy-like chewing gum of the present invention can be easily manufactured using conventional manufacturing equipment without using special manufacturing equipment.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be specifically described below based on embodiments. <Examples 1 to 9> With the compositions shown in Table 1, chewing gums were prepared as follows. (Preparation of swollen product of gelling agent and sugar sweetener) First, gelatin and water were heated and dissolved at 70 ° C for 40 minutes to prepare a swollen gelatin part. Separately, add syrup and water to 120
The mixture was heated and dissolved until the temperature reached 70 ° C., and cooled to 70 ° C. to prepare syrup. The gelatin part and the starch syrup were mixed in a mixing vessel for 2 minutes to obtain a swelled product of 60% gelatin and starch syrup (water content: 40%). (Preparation of chewing gum) Next, the swelled product was mixed with a chewing gum raw material having the composition shown in Table 1 in a gum kneader for 15 minutes until the temperature reached about 50 ° C. This was molded into 16 × 16 × 20 mm with an extruder to obtain chewing gum.

Comparative Examples 1 to 3 Chewing gums having the compositions shown in Table 1 were prepared in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 9. However,
In Comparative Example 2, chewing gum was prepared without preparing a swollen product of gelatin and starch syrup. First, gelatin and water were heated and dissolved at 70 ° C. for 40 minutes to prepare a swollen gelatin part. Separately, add 1 syrup and water
The syrup was heated and melted at 20 ° C. and cooled to 70 ° C. Then, chewing gum was prepared in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 9 except that both were mixed together with the chewing gum raw material.

The chewing gums obtained in Examples 1 to 9 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were evaluated by 20 expert panelists for texture and water retention during storage of the chewing gum. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0032]

[Table 1]

As is clear from the results in Table 1, the chewing gums of the examples were prepared by swelling the gelling agent and starch syrup by heating and mixing with the chewing gum raw materials. The chewing gum was a chewing gum that could hold a suitable amount of water, had a soft chew like soft candy during chewing, and had a smooth texture. On the other hand, the chewing gum of the comparative example did not use either gelatin or a sugar sweetener, or prepared a swollen product of gelatin and a sugar sweetener, because both were mixed with the chewing gum raw material, The chewing gum was not able to stably maintain the water content during preservation of the chewing gum, and was not able to obtain a texture like soft candy due to rapid gelation of gelatin.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A soft candy-like chewing gum comprising a gelling agent, wherein the chewing gum contains a swelling product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener. 2. The soft candy-like chewing gum according to claim 1, wherein the gelling agent is gelatin. 3. The soft candy-like chewing gum according to claim 1, wherein the sugar sweetener is starch syrup. 4. The soft candy-like chewing gum according to claim 1, wherein the swollen product of the gelling agent and the sugar sweetener is contained in an amount of 1 to 15% by weight based on the total weight of the chewing gum. 5. The amount of water in the whole weight of the chewing gum is 1 to 5.
The soft candy-like chewing gum according to claim 1, which is 6% by weight. 6. A method for producing a chewing gum containing a gelling agent, comprising the following steps: (A) a step of obtaining a swelled product of a gelling agent and a sugar sweetener. (B) a step of mixing the swelling product of the gelling agent and the saccharide sweetener of (A) with a chewing gum raw material to prepare a chewing gum;