JP7281920B2 - Method for producing fats and oil-based confectionery - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for producing oil and fat, and more specifically, to a method for tempering oil, a method for producing a seeding agent, a method for tempering chocolate, and a method for producing chocolate.

US Pat. No. 6,300,004 discloses tempering of cocoa butter-containing mass. In this technique, tempering is carried out by stirring, in particular chocolate dough, as a cocoa butter-containing mass using an agitator equipped with a scraper and an impeller.

JP 2011-97937 A

In the prior art including Patent Document 1, there is room for further improvement from the viewpoint of realizing efficient tempering.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for tempering oils and fats, a method for producing a seeding agent, a method for tempering chocolate, and a method for producing chocolate, which can realize efficient tempering.

According to the present invention, the following methods for tempering fats and oils can be provided.
1. A method for tempering fats and oils, comprising a step of tempering the melted fats and oils by treating them with a pulverizer.
2. 2. The method for tempering fats and oils according to 1 above, wherein the pulverizer is selected from the group consisting of media mills, disc mills, pin mills, hammer mills, and ring-mediated pulverizers.
3. 3. The method for tempering fats and oils according to 2 above, wherein the pulverizer is a media mill.
4. 4. The fat according to any one of 1 to 3 above, wherein the fat is one or more selected from the group consisting of cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter equivalents and cocoa butter improvers. tempering method.
5. 5. The method for tempering fats and oils according to any one of 1 to 4 above, wherein the fats and oils are treated with the grinder so that the viscosity of the fats and oils is 1 Pa·s or more.
6. 6. The oil and fat according to any one of 1 to 5, wherein the amount of power per unit weight of the oil and fat supplied to the grinder is adjusted to the range of 0.001 kW hr/kg to 0.020 kW hr/kg. tempering method.
7. 7. A method for producing a seeding agent, comprising tempering the oil by the method for tempering oil according to any one of 1 to 6 above to produce a seeding agent containing the tempered oil.
8. 8. A method for tempering chocolate, comprising producing the seeding agent by the method for producing the seeding agent according to 7 above, adding the produced seeding agent to chocolate dough, and tempering.
9. 8. The chocolate according to 8 above, wherein in the step of treating and tempering the fat with a grinder so that the temper index of the tempered chocolate dough is 3.0 or more, the fat is treated with the grinder. tempering method.
10. 10. A method for producing chocolate, comprising tempering the chocolate dough by the chocolate tempering method according to 8 or 9 above to produce chocolate containing the tempered chocolate dough.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the tempering method of fats and oils, the manufacturing method of a seeding agent, the tempering method of chocolate, and the manufacturing method of chocolate which can implement|achieve efficient tempering can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a chocolate manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a photograph of appearance of chocolate in bloom test.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below.

1. Fat Tempering Method A fat tempering method according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including a step of tempering a melted fat by treating it with a pulverizer. The significance of the present invention will be described below.

Phenomena such as blooming and graining, which impair the appearance of chocolate, may occur. In order to suppress this, a process called tempering is applied to the melted chocolate dough before molding. Tempering is conventionally performed by temperature control. By tempering, the crystal form of cocoa butter in the chocolate dough can be aligned to the stable β form.

An ATM (Automatic Tempering Machine) is known as a device for tempering chocolate dough. ATM produces stable crystal nuclei in the chocolate dough by adjusting the temperature. However, ATM limits the viscosity of the chocolate dough that can be efficiently tempered, and because of its complicated internal structure, it is difficult to clean when changing the type of chocolate dough to be processed.

On the other hand, tempering can be performed by adding a commercially available seeding agent to the chocolate dough. Seeding agents act as nuclei for the formation of stable crystals in the chocolate dough. Therefore, by adding a seeding agent to the chocolate dough, the crystalline form of fats and oils in the chocolate dough can be uniformed. However, it is necessary to purchase a seeding agent and also to adjust the temperature at the time of addition, which is costly and troublesome.

The present inventors have studied a method of tempering fats and oils, which are one of raw materials for chocolate, and using the tempered fats and oils as a seeding agent. However, it has been found that efficient tempering is difficult when a stirrer such as "Seedmaster" manufactured by Buehler is used for tempering oils and fats. Specifically, for example, a large amount of rotational power is required to achieve tempering by stirring, and high energy is required, such as cooling water for cooling the oil to about 15 ° C. during stirring. be done.

On the other hand, according to the method for tempering fats and oils according to one embodiment of the present invention, efficient tempering can be achieved by including the step of tempering the melted fats and oils by treating them with a pulverizer. Here, "efficient tempering" may mean, for example, reduction of processing time, reduction of energy required for processing, and the like. The method for tempering fats and oils according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail below.

The fats and oils used in this embodiment are preferably one or more selected from the group consisting of cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter equivalents and cocoa butter improvers.

Cocoa butter is obtained by processing cocoa mass according to conventional methods. Cocoa mass is obtained by crushing cocoa beans and grinding the endosperm (cocoa nibs) obtained by removing the bean shells and embryos.

Cocoa butter substitute (CBR) means a fat with a similar fatty acid composition to cocoa butter, a similar triglyceride content, and exhibiting approximately the same physical properties. Specifically speaking, the fatty acid composition similar to cocoa butter can be said to be predominantly C16 and C18 fatty acids, consisting primarily of symmetrical 2-oleo-di-saturated triacylglycerols.

Cocoa butter substitutes (CBS) are composed mainly of laurin as the main component of fatty acids, so they differ greatly from cocoa butter in fatty acid composition and triglyceride content, but have partially similar physical properties (especially melting point) to cocoa butter. is.

Cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) means a vegetable fat consisting of symmetrical 2-oleo-di-saturated triacylglycerols of C16 and C18 fatty acids. These vegetable fats have an affinity for cocoa butter in the ratios normally used in chocolate.

Cocoa butter improvers (CBIs) are oils and fats that can improve the properties of chocolate or cocoa butter, usually referring to high melting point CBEs.

Cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter equivalents, and cocoa butter improvers can be commercially available.

(tempering of fats and oils)
As used herein, the term "tempering of fats and oils" means to generate seed crystals in the fats and oils, preferably to generate β-type crystals. β-type crystals contribute to inhibiting blooming of chocolate. In addition, it is preferable from the viewpoint of suppressing blooming of chocolate that at least one of the γ, α, sub-α, pseudo-β' and β' type crystals in the fat is reduced by tempering the fat. Here, to reduce also includes to disappear. Disappearance means that it becomes undetectable, for example, by X-ray diffraction measurement as described in the Examples.

(Crusher)
As used herein, a pulverizer is a device generally used for the purpose of pulverizing solids. For example, a normal stirrer that stirs only by the action of stirring blades does not correspond to a grinder because it is not configured to be able to grind solids.

In the present embodiment, a grinder is used for the purpose of processing fats and oils, more specifically, for the purpose of generating β-type crystals in fats and oils. Therefore, the present embodiment does not necessarily intend to crush solids, which is the original purpose of the crusher. The inventors have found that the stress provided by the grinder, ie the stress for grinding solids, contributes to the efficient formation of β-form crystals in the melted fat.

By treating the melted fat with a pulverizer, β-type crystals can be efficiently produced in the fat, and the fat can be tempered efficiently. As will be detailed later, tempered fats and oils can be suitably used as a seeding agent. Also, by adding the tempered fat as a seeding agent to the chocolate dough, the chocolate can be tempered efficiently.

(Operating conditions of crusher)
It is preferable to treat the fat with a grinder so that the viscosity of the fat is 1 Pa·s or more. If the viscosity of the fat is 1 Pa·s or more, it is presumed that a large amount of β-type crystals are formed in the fat, and it can be determined that the fat is in a well-tempered state. The viscosity of the fat is, for example, 1.5 Pa s or more, 2.0 Pa s or more, 2.5 Pa s or more, 3.0 Pa s or more, 3.5 Pa s or more, or 4.0 Pa s or more. There may be. Moreover, it is preferable to process fats and oils with a grinder so that the viscosity of fats and oils may be set to 1 Pa.s or more and 5 Pa.s or less. If the oil has a viscosity of 5 Pa·s or less, it is excellent in handleability when added to chocolate as a seeding agent and in dispersibility in chocolate.

It is preferable to adjust the amount of electric power per unit weight of fat to be supplied to the grinder within the range of 0.001 kW·hr/kg to 0.020 kW·hr/kg. This provides the effect of realizing more efficient tempering. The amount of electric power per unit weight of oil supplied to the grinder is a value measured by the method described in Examples.

The grinder can be equipped with temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the fat during processing. Examples of temperature control means include a water jacket. The temperature of water flowing through the water jacket (also referred to as "conditioning water") is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 15°C or higher, 18°C or higher, or 20°C or higher, or 30°C or lower and 28°C or lower. Or it may be 25° C. or less. According to the present embodiment, for example, in the case of cocoa butter, efficient tempering is possible even when the temperature of the conditioned water is around room temperature (23° C.), so energy saving can be achieved. The temperature (product temperature) of the oil during processing by the grinder may be the same as the temperature of the regulated water or higher than the temperature of the regulated water. When the product temperature is higher than the temperature of the regulated water, the temperature difference can be, for example, 10°C or less, 8°C or less, or 5°C or less.

The type of pulverizer is not particularly limited, and preferred examples thereof include media mills, disc mills, pin mills, hammer mills, and ring-mediated pulverizers, with media mills being particularly preferred.

(media mill)
A media mill is a grinder configured to impart motion to grinding media unconnected to a power source to grind solids within a vessel. In this embodiment, the movement of the grinding media impacts or compresses the fat to generate β-type crystals in the fat.

The major diameter of the grinding media can be, for example, 50 mm or less, 10 mm or less, 5 mm or less, 4.5 mm or less, 4 mm or less, or 3.5 mm or less. In particular, when the major diameter of the grinding media is 5 mm or less, 4.5 mm or less, 4 mm or less, or 3.5 mm or less, the formation of β-type crystals in the molten oil is remarkably promoted. It is presumed that the reason why such an effect is obtained is that the contact area between the grinding media and the molten oil increases. Also, the major diameter of the grinding media can be, for example, 0.01 mm or more, 0.1 mm or more, 0.5 mm or more, 1 mm or more, 1.5 mm or more, or 2 mm or more. The major axis is the length of the line connecting the two furthest points on the surface of the grinding media. If the grinding media are spherical, the diameter corresponds to the major axis.

Examples of media mills include media agitation mills and media non-agitation mills. A media agitation grinder is a grinder that has means or elements within the vessel for directly agitating the grinding media. Specifically, for example, a vertical ball mill configured to agitate balls or beads as grinding media by rotation of an agitator (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "ball mill"), a bead mill, an attritor, etc. mentioned. On the other hand, a non-stirring medium grinder is a grinder that does not have means or elements for directly stirring the grinding media balls or beads in the vessel. , planetary ball mills, and the like. In this specification, "balls", which are grinding media such as ball mills, refer to those having a major diameter (ball diameter) of 2 mm or more, and "beads", which are grinding media such as bead mills, have a major diameter (bead diameter) of less than 2 mm. refers to the

The material of the grinding media used in the media mill is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include metals. The metal is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include iron, stainless steel, zirconia and the like.

The mass (filling amount) of the grinding media used in the media mill is not particularly limited. It can be 5000 parts by mass or less, 4000 parts by mass or less, 3000 parts by mass or less, 2500 parts by mass or less, or 2300 parts by mass or less.

The processing time of fats and oils by the media mill is, for example, 1 minute or more, 2 minutes or more, 3 minutes or more, 5 minutes or more, 7 minutes or more, 10 minutes or more, 12 minutes or more, 15 minutes or more, 17 minutes or more. It can be 90 minutes or less, 70 minutes or less, 50 minutes or less, 40 minutes or less, 35 minutes or less, or 30 minutes or less.

Especially when using a media mill configured to agitate the grinding media balls or beads by rotation of an agitator (e.g., ball mill, bead mill, attritor, etc.), the rotation speed of the agitator is, for example, 30 rpm or more. , 50 rpm or more, or 80 rpm or more, and may be 500 rpm or less, 400 rpm or less, 350 rpm or less, 300 rpm or less, 250 rpm or less, 200 rpm or less, or 150 rpm or less.

A ring-mediated pulverizer (also referred to as a "ring medium type pulverizer") rolls a ring (also referred to as a "ring medium") as a pulverizing medium in a cylindrical container along the inner wall of the container. The crusher is configured to rotate together with the cylindrical container and apply centrifugal force to crush the material to be processed in the cylindrical container. As such a ring-mediated pulverizer, for example, a batch-type vibration mill (tandem ring mill) using ring media described in JP-A-2009-233542, or Takehiko Takahashi, Hideaki Mori, "Pulverization using ring media Grinding Performance Evaluation for Kg-class Grinding Machine", Akita Prefectural University Web Journal B, Japan, 2015, vol. 2, p. 149-153, a continuous vibrating mill (tandem ring mill) using ring media, and "Micros" manufactured by Nara Machinery Co., Ltd., and the like.

2. Method for producing seeding agent A method for producing a seeding agent according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises tempering fats and oils by the method for tempering fats and oils described above to produce a seeding agent containing the tempered fats and oils. characterized by

As used herein, the seeding agent includes seed crystals for tempering chocolate. The above-described β-type crystals in fats and oils function well as seed crystals.

3. Chocolate Tempering Method A chocolate tempering method according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises producing a seeding agent by the above-described method for producing a seeding agent, adding the produced seeding agent to chocolate dough, and tempering. characterized by

(chocolate tempering)
As used herein, tempering chocolate means generating β-type crystals in the chocolate dough. In the chocolate dough, the β-type crystals, which are seed crystals in the fat and oil added as a seeding agent, act as crystal nuclei to make the fat and oil in the chocolate dough into a stable β-type.

In the step of treating and tempering fats and oils with a grinder, it is preferable to treat the fats and oils with a grinder so that the temper index of the tempered chocolate dough is 3.0 or more. The temper index of the tempered chocolate dough is preferably 3.0 or more, 3.8 or more, and more preferably 4.0 or more from the viewpoint of suppressing chocolate blooming. The upper limit of the temper index is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 8.0 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.0 or less, or 5.0 or less.

The temper index is an index of the tempering state, and the shape of the curve obtained by cooling the melted chocolate dough under certain conditions and plotting the relationship between the temperature change and the cooling time due to crystallization of the fat at this time The degree of tempering is digitized with one decimal place from 1.0 to 9.0. As used herein, the temper index is a value measured using a Solich temper meter.

When adding the seeding agent to the chocolate dough, a mixer for mixing the seeding agent into the chocolate dough can be used. The mixer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a kneader having a single or multiple shaft stirring blade or screw, a static mixer, and the like. Among them, a kneader having biaxial stirring blades is suitable.

4. Method for producing chocolate A method for producing chocolate according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by tempering a chocolate dough by the chocolate tempering method described above to produce chocolate containing the tempered chocolate dough. . A detailed description will be given below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a chocolate manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is the tempering process for fats and oils, and 2 is the tempering process for chocolate.

In the method for producing chocolate according to one embodiment of the present invention, fats and oils are subjected to a tempering step 1 for fats and oils. In the oil tempering step 1, the oil is tempered by treating it with a pulverizer.

On the other hand, the chocolate dough is subjected to a chocolate tempering step 2. In the chocolate tempering step 2, the tempered fat from the fat tempering step 1 is added as a seeding agent (also referred to as “seeding”) to the chocolate dough. By adding such a seeding agent to the chocolate dough, good tempering can be performed. The tempered chocolate can be subjected to optional post-treatments such as molding treatments and the like.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to Examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the description of these Examples.

(Example 1)
1.0 kg of melted fat (cocoa butter) is put into a grinder (ball mill (media mill) manufactured by Nippon Coke Co., Ltd., capacity 5.4 L), and the fat is tempered by processing for 5 to 20 minutes under the following processing conditions. was performed and evaluated by the following evaluation method.

[Ball milling conditions]
Ball diameter (major diameter of grinding media): 3.2 mm
Agitator rotation speed: 100 rpm Jacket-controlled water temperature: 23°C
Ball filling amount: 19kg
Ball material: SUS304

<Evaluation method>
(1) X-ray diffraction measurement The crystalline form of the oil was confirmed by measurement with an X-ray diffractometer ("RINT-Ultima III" manufactured by Rigaku). The fats and oils treated for a predetermined period of time with a grinder were collected, placed in a dedicated glass sample container, and subjected to measurement after being ground once. The measurement equipment and measurement conditions are as follows.

[Measuring equipment]
Measurement Folder: Standard Detector: Scintillation Counter Optical System: Parallel Beam Optical System Divergence Vertical Limiting Slit: 10 mm
Solar slit: 5°
Selection slit: long slit

[Measurement condition]
Start angle: 5.0000°
End angle: 40.0000°
Sampling width: 0.0200°
Scan speed: 1.0000°/min
Voltage: 40kV
Current: 40mA
Divergence slit: 1.00mm
Divergence longitudinal limiting slit: 10 mm
Scattering slit: open Receiving slit: open

(2) Viscosity measurement The viscosity of fats and oils treated with a grinder for a predetermined period of time was measured. Viscosity was measured with a Brookfield viscometer, No. No. 6 cone was used, and the measurement was performed under the conditions of 30° C. and 20 rpm.

(3) Temper index measurement A chocolate dough having the following composition was melted by heating and cooled to 30°C while maintaining the melted state. Next, fat (seeding agent) treated with a grinder for a predetermined time is added to the chocolate dough at a rate of 0.5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the chocolate dough, mixed well, and then placed in a dedicated chamber ( 5 ml), and the temper index was measured using a Sorich temper meter. The lower limit of the temper index measurable by a temper meter is 1.0, and when it is less than that, it is indicated as "not measurable" in the following table.

[Composition of chocolate dough (milk chocolate dough)]
Cocoa mass: 20% by mass
Sugar: 40% by mass
Whole milk powder: 20% by mass
Cocoa butter: 19.5% by mass
Lecithin: 0.5% by mass

(4) Bloom test After mixing the seeding agent with the chocolate dough in the same manner as in "(3) Temper index measurement", the mold was filled and cooled at 13°C for 30 minutes to solidify. The solidified chocolate was then demolded and stored at 20°C for one week. After that, some of the chocolates were stored for 4 days while performing 4 cycles/day of heating from 15°C to 25°C and cooling from 25°C to 15°C (a total of 16 cycles). Some other chocolates were stored for 4 days while carrying out 4 cycles/day of temperature increase from 20°C to 30°C and temperature decrease from 30°C to 20°C (a total of 16 cycles). For each chocolate after storage, the state of bloom on the surface was visually observed and evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria.

[Evaluation Criteria for Bloom]
-: No bloom +: Slight bloom observed ++: Significant bloom observed

Table 1 shows the above results. Moreover, the appearance photograph of the chocolate in a bloom test is shown in FIG.

<Evaluation>
From the results of X-ray diffraction, it was found that β-type crystals were rapidly formed in the fat by the treatment with the grinder, and the fat could be tempered efficiently. In addition, it was found that by appropriately setting the treatment time with the pulverizer, a good temper index can be achieved and blooming can be preferably prevented.

(Example 2)
The effect of the presence or absence of grinding media in the grinder on tempering was investigated.

<Control group: no grinding media>
1.0 kg of cocoa butter was placed in a container of the same crusher as in Example 1 without filling the crushing media (in this state, the crusher is not a crusher but a substantially agitator). . The treatment was performed at 350 rpm for 10 minutes without passing the conditioned water, and the temperature difference of the cocoa butter before and after the treatment was confirmed. Based on this temperature difference and specific heat, the calorific value of cocoa butter derived from the mechanical action (stress) applied to cocoa butter (hereinafter simply referred to as "calorific value of cocoa butter") was calculated. It was 7 kcal/h.
Next, after all the cocoa butter in the container was discharged and cleaned, the same amount of cocoa butter was put into the container again, and the container was treated at 350 rpm for 90 minutes while running water at 20°C through the water jacket. Cocoa butter was sampled every 10 minutes during the treatment, and the sampled cocoa butter was mixed with chocolate dough under the same conditions as in Example 1 and tempered to measure the temper index. The temper index was measured in the same manner as in Example 1.

<Test group: with grinding media>
3.8 kg of balls (2 mm in diameter) as grinding media were filled in the same container of the grinder as in the control section, and 1.0 kg of cocoa butter was added. The treatment was carried out for 10 minutes at a rotation speed of 50, 80, 100, 120 or 150 rpm while omitting the flow of conditioned water, and the temperature difference of the cocoa butter before and after the treatment was confirmed. Based on this temperature difference and specific heat, the calorific value of cocoa butter was calculated. As a result, it was confirmed that the calorific value at a rotational speed of 100 rpm was 2.7 kcal/h, which was equivalent to that in the above-described control section.
Next, after all the cocoa butter and balls in the container were discharged and cleaned, the same amount of cocoa butter and balls were put in the container again, and the water jacket was passed through the water jacket at 20 ° C., and the temperature was 90 at 100 rpm. processed for a minute. Cocoa butter was sampled every 10 minutes during the treatment, and the sampled cocoa butter was mixed with chocolate dough under the same conditions as in Example 1 and tempered to measure the temper index. The temper index was measured in the same manner as in Example 1.

<Results and evaluation>
In test plots, it was confirmed that cocoa butter treated for at least 50 minutes achieved a temper index of 3.0 or higher. Moreover, it was confirmed from the results of X-ray diffraction that β-type crystals were formed in this cocoa butter. On the other hand, in the control plot, even though the calorific value of cocoa butter was equivalent to that of the test plot, even after 90 minutes of treatment, a temper index of 3.0 or more could not be achieved. From the above, it was found that the pulverizer, especially the media mill (test section), is effective in tempering oils and fats, and energy saving can be realized in comparison with the stirrer (control section).

(Example 3)
The effect of the filling amount of grinding media in a grinder on tempering was investigated.

1.0 kg of melted fat (cocoa butter) was put into the same pulverizer as in Example 1, and the same procedure as in Example 1 was performed except that the filling amount of the pulverizing media (balls) was changed to the value shown in Table 2. The oils and fats were tempered by treating for 20 minutes under the treatment conditions and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. Table 2 shows the results.

<Evaluation>
From Table 2, in the case of using grinding media (test group), β-type crystals are easily formed, and β'-type crystals are reduced and disappear, compared to the case where grinding media are not used (control group). It turned out to be easier. It was also found that the larger the amount of grinding media filled, the easier the formation of β-type crystals, and the easier the display of a good temper index.

(Example 4)
The effect of the rotation speed of the crusher on tempering was investigated.

Example 1 except that 1.0 kg of melted fat (cocoa butter) was put into the same grinder as in Example 1, and the rotation speed of the agitator for stirring the grinding media was changed to the value shown in Table 3. The oil was tempered by treating for 20 minutes under the same treatment conditions as in Example 1 and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. Table 3 shows the results.

<Evaluation>
From Table 3, it was found that the lower the rotational speed (100 rpm), the better the tempering.

(Example 5)
The effects of the grinder and stirrer on tempering were investigated.

<Test group: tempering by crusher>
A continuous processing apparatus equipped with a pulverizer (media mill) was prepared. This continuous processing apparatus is configured to treat the introduced cocoa butter with a grinder to continuously produce tempered fats and oils. Using this continuous processing apparatus, cocoa butter is tempered under the conditions of a processing capacity of 5 kg/hr, an agitator rotation speed of a grinder of 100 rpm, a ball filling amount of 19 kg (ball diameter of 3.2 mm), and a controlled water temperature of 23°C. A sample was taken from the department.

<Control section: tempering with stirrer>
Using Buehler's "Seed Master", cocoa butter was tempered under the conditions of a processing capacity of 12 kg / hr, a blade rotation speed of 700 rpm, a 1-zone cooling of 15 ° C., and a reheat zone of 23 ° C., and a sample was collected from the outlet. .

<Measurement method>
(1) Measurement of Particle Size Samples collected from each of the test plot and the control plot were measured for the maximum particle size of the particles contained in the samples using a micrometer. A set of sample collection and maximum particle size measurement was performed three times, and the average value of the maximum particle sizes was taken as the particle size.

(2) Measurement of Viscosity Samples collected from each of the test plot and the control plot were measured using a BH viscometer (manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.) at a temperature of 30°C, a speed of 20 rpm, and rotor No. 6 to measure the viscosity.

(3) Power consumption per unit weight of oil supplied to the grinder In each of the test plot and the control plot, record various conditions at the time of sample collection, power of the machine) and no-load power (power of the crusher or stirrer in a state where the cocoa butter is filled with liquid, omitting cooling with a water jacket), and supply it to the crusher. The amount of electric power per unit weight was calculated by the following formula.
Power consumption per unit weight of oil [kW hr/kg] = (power during operation [kW] - power during no load [kW]) / processing capacity [kg/hr]

Table 4 shows the above results.

<Evaluation>
From Table 4, it was found that the particle size of the tempered oil was lower in the test section using the grinder than in the control section using the stirrer. It was also found that the viscosity of the tempered fats and oils was significantly lower in the test group than in the control group. Furthermore, when the power unit was compared, it was found that tempering was possible with about half the energy in the test plot compared to the control plot. From the above, the process using a grinder has better tempering efficiency than the process using a stirrer, and the crystal size in the tempered oil is fine and the viscosity is low. was found to be generally good. In addition, in the test group, it was found that the oils and fats had low viscosity, so that they were excellent in handleability as a seeding agent and excellent in dispersibility in chocolate dough.

(Example 6)
Same as Example 1, except that grinding media (balls) with a major diameter (ball diameter) of 5.0 mm were used in place of the grinding media (balls) with a major diameter (ball diameter) of 3.2 mm. Then, the oil was tempered by treating with a grinder for 20 minutes or 30 minutes, and evaluated by the same evaluation method as in Example 1. Table 5 shows the results.

<Evaluation>
From Table 5, when grinding media with a major axis of 5.0 mm are used, it is possible to generate β-type crystals, but in Example 1 (Table 1) using grinding media with a major axis of 3.2 mm In comparison, it was found that longer processing times were required to achieve a given temper index. Moreover, from these results, it is presumed that a longer treatment time is required when grinding media having a major diameter exceeding 5.0 mm are used.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the tempering method of fats and oils, the manufacturing method of a seeding agent, the tempering method of chocolate, and the manufacturing method of chocolate can be provided.

Claims (9)

A method for tempering fats and oils, comprising a step of treating and tempering melted fats and oils with a grinder,
The fat is one or more selected from the group consisting of cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter equivalents and cocoa butter improvers.
A method of tempering fats . The method of tempering fats and oils according to claim 1, wherein the grinder is selected from the group consisting of media mills, disc mills, pin mills, hammer mills, and ring-mediated grinders. The method for tempering fats and oils according to claim 2, wherein the pulverizer is a media mill. The method for tempering fats and oils according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the fats and oils are treated with the grinder so that the viscosity of the fats and oils becomes 1 Pa·s or more. The fat and oil according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the amount of electric power per unit weight of the fat and oil supplied to the grinder is adjusted to a range of 0.001 kW hr/kg to 0.020 kW hr/kg. tempering method. A method for producing a seeding agent, comprising tempering the oil and fat by the oil and fat tempering method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to produce a seeding agent containing the tempered oil and fat. A method for tempering chocolate, comprising producing the seeding agent by the method for producing a seeding agent according to claim 6 , adding the produced seeding agent to chocolate dough, and tempering. The chocolate according to claim 7 , wherein in the step of treating and tempering the fat with a grinder so that the tempered chocolate dough has a temper index of 3.0 or more, the fat is treated with the grinder. tempering method. A method for producing chocolate, comprising tempering the chocolate dough by the chocolate tempering method according to claim 7 or 8 to produce chocolate containing the tempered chocolate dough.

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