JPS59224653A - Treatment for improving taste and flavor of cacao bean or its processed product - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain roast product having rich and mild taste and flavor and excellent color, and free from astringency, by roasting cacao bean or its processed product in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas at high concentration keeping the bean at a specific temperature. CONSTITUTION:The objective product can be prepared by roasting cacao beans, cacao nib, cacao mass, or cacao mass mixture in an atmosphere containing >=40vol% of exygen at 110-150 deg.C preferably for 1-30min. The roasting is carried out preferably by an indirect heating process for cacao beans and cacao nib, or by a heat-exchanger furnished with inner wall scraper for cacao mass.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or processed products thereof, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or processed products thereof. It relates to a method for improving products by roasting them in an atmosphere containing them to have good flavor and color tone.

Conventionally, it has been known that the flavor and color tone of roasted cocoa mass and roasted mixed cocoa mass, which are the raw materials for chocolate products, have a strong influence on the flavor and color tone of the chocolate product. The flavor, flavor and color of the cocoa beans that are the raw material for the roasted cocoa mass and roasted mixed cocoa mass vary depending on the region of origin, variety, harvest time, fermentation conditions, etc. There are cocoa beans and low-grade cocoa beans produced in Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. that lack flavor, have strong bitterness, astringency, and sourness, and exhibit a reddish-brown color.

If the low-grade cacao beans are used as raw materials for chocolate products, the quality of the products will be low.
Various methods have been proposed to improve the flavor.

For example, there is a method of adding flavoring to roasted cacao mass, but with this method it is difficult to blend the flavoring and it is impossible to artificially add all the aroma components of the flavoring contained in chocolate. However, there are drawbacks that result in a product that differs in flavor from the original chocolate product.

On the other hand, a method in which a predetermined amount of alkaline reducing sugar, amino acids, and tannins are added to cacao nibs or cacao mass and then roasted (
Special Publication No. 53-31943) has been proposed. However, in this method, the composition of the raw material cacao beans is measured in advance and a predetermined amount of the required additive substance is added, which makes the work complicated, and the flavor cannot be sufficiently improved.
In order to further improve the flavor completely, it is necessary to immerse the raw cacao beans and cacao nibs in an aqueous solution containing the above-mentioned components so that they are uniformly penetrated. There are drawbacks such as difficulty.

On the other hand, the present inventors have already proposed a method (Japanese Patent Application No. 196232/1983) in which cacao beans or their processed products are adsorbed with ammonia, roasted, and the acid components are neutralized with ammonia to improve the flavor. . However, this method produces low pH acidity,
Although it is effective for low-grade cacao beans with a strong sour odor or processed products thereof, it improves flavors other than sourness such as astringency and bitterness, and improves high-grade cacao beans with a suitable pH to a more complete flavor. It is difficult to do so.

The present invention has been made in view of such prior art, and is intended to improve the overall flavor and color tone such as bitterness, astringency, and sourness of low-grade and high-grade cacao beans or processed products thereof, and to improve the aroma of cacao beans. The object of the present invention is to provide roasted cacao mass and roasted mixed cacao mass that suppress the expression of components that cause discomfort to the human body and exhibit a good flavor.

That is, the first method of the present invention involves cacao beans, cacao nibs,
Cocoa mass or mixed cocoa mass is heated at a temperature of 110 to 150'C in an atmosphere containing 40% by volume or more of oxygen gas.
The second method is to adsorb ammonia to cocoa beans or cocoa nibs, and then roast them by roasting them. In an atmosphere where the product temperature is 110 to 150
A method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or processed products thereof, which is characterized by roasting the cacao beans or a processed product thereof, and a third method include cacao mass or mixed cacao mass in an atmosphere containing 40% by volume or more of oxygen gas. While contacting with ammonia-containing gas to adsorb ammonia, the product temperature is 110 to 150℃.
This method consists of a method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or their processed products, which is characterized by roasting them.

Specifically, cacao beans or processed products thereof that are subjected to flavor improvement treatment by the method of the present invention include cacao beans that have undergone a normal fermentation and drying process, cacao nibs that have been peeled from cacao beans, and cacao nibs that have been ground into a paste. , high-grade or low-grade cacao mass, such as mixed cacao mass, which is made by adding and mixing vegetable oils such as shear fat and palm oil to partially defatted cacao mass, which has been pressed and pressed to have a fat content of 8 to 35% by weight. cacao beans or processed products thereof.

Next, the first method of the present invention will be explained.

In this method, the above-mentioned cocoa beans, cacao nibs, cacao mass or mixed cacao mass as raw materials are heated at a temperature of 110 to 150°C in an atmosphere containing 40% by volume or more of oxygen gas.
Roast for a minute.

The roasting method is carried out by hot air or indirect heating, but these roasting methods differ depending on the type of raw material. Specifically, granular cocoa beans and cacao nibs are roasted indirectly, and cocoa mass is roasted using a heat exchanger with an internal wall scraping device. Roast using.

This roasting is performed by blowing hot air with the oxygen gas concentration adjusted to a predetermined concentration of 40% by volume or more, or by blowing a predetermined amount of oxygen gas continuously or intermittently into a roasting machine or a heat exchanger with an internal wall scraping device. The process is carried out while maintaining an atmosphere containing oxygen gas of 40 volumes x R or more, preferably 80 volumes or more.

When roasted in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas at a high concentration of 40% by volume or more, the flavor of raw cocoa beans or their processed products is significantly improved. When roasted in normal air at 21% by volume,
Analysis of aroma components by gas chromatography shows that the total amount of aroma components is 80 ppm, but when roasted in an atmosphere containing 40% by volume oxygen gas, the total amount of aroma components is 160 ppm.
ppm, and the amount of all aroma components is increased. In particular, the amount of aldehydes is relatively decreased, so that the irritating odor is suppressed and the flavor can be improved to be good.

The roasting temperature is preferably 110 to 150°C, which is the temperature of the product. In this temperature range, inert nitrogen gas in the air is not considered to be involved in flavor forming reactions, and the remaining oxygen gas is relatively activated at high temperatures. The flavor-forming reaction is further promoted by roasting in an atmosphere of oxygen gas with a high concentration of 40% by volume. If the product temperature is less than 110°C, the flavor will not be improved sufficiently and roasting will take a long time, and if it exceeds 150'C, it will become over-roasted and the flavor will deteriorate, which is not preferable.

The roasting time requires a short time when the roasting temperature is high, and a long time when the roasting temperature is low, but usually 1 to 30 minutes is preferable.
If it exceeds 1 minute, an over-roasted odor (burnt odor) will be generated along with the chocolate aroma, and if it is less than 1 minute, the chocolate aroma will not be sufficiently developed, and in either case, the chocolate will not be delicious when prepared.

After the cocoa beans roasted in this manner are peeled by a conventional method, the roasted cocoa nibs are ground as they are to form a paste to obtain roasted cocoa mass.

By processing in this way, the high-grade cocoa beans or their processed products can be transformed into roasted cocoa mass and roasted mixed cocoa mass that have a richer, stronger flavor and a milder flavor with less astringency. It can be improved.

Next, the second method of the present invention will be explained.

In this method, after ammonia is adsorbed onto cocoa beans or cocoa nibs, 40 volumes of t'
Product temperature 110 to 1 in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas of X or more
It is roasted at 50°C for 1 to 30 minutes.

In this method, ammonia is adsorbed onto cacao beans or cacao nibs, the acid components contained in the cacao beans or cacao nibs are neutralized, and then roasted in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas at a high concentration of 40% by volume. The flavor is improved by the mutual action of ammonia and oxygen residue.

The amount of ammonia adsorbed is the amount necessary to neutralize the acid component contained in the raw material, and it varies depending on the quality of the raw material, but it is usually 0.000% for cacao beans or cacao nibs.
5 to 09% by weight, particularly 0.05 to 03% by weight for high-grade cacao beans or cacao nibs with low acid components,
Further, for low-grade cacao beans and cacao nibs containing a large amount of acid components, the amount is preferably 02 to 09% by weight. Regular Ghanaian and Venezuelan cacao beans and cacao nibs have a pH of 5.6 by themselves.
-59, but when the ammonia adsorption amount is less than 0.05% by weight, the above-mentioned cacao beans and cacao nibs do not have the effect of producing a more preferable flavor. However, the cacao beans and cacao nibs have their own buffering effect, so even if they adsorb 0.05 to 0.3% by weight of ammonia, the pH remains
There are few fluctuations. If it exceeds 0.3% by weight, excess ammonia will be adsorbed and the ammonia will be wasted, and the buffering effect of the cacao beans or cacao nibs will be lost, and the pH will exceed 64 and when made into chocolate products, the acidity will be extremely low and the nutty smell will be too strong. It is undesirable because it differs from the original flavor of chocolate. For low-grade cacao beans and cacao nibs, if the ammonia adsorption amount is less than 0.2 weight, the amount of ammonia will be insufficient, and the acid component contained in the cacao beans or cacao nibs will be neutralized and the optimum pH will be 5.3 to 64, preferably pH 56.
If it exceeds 0.9% by weight, excess ammonia will be adsorbed and the ammonia will be wasted, and the pH of the cacao beans or cacao nibs will exceed 64, resulting in extremely low acidity when made into chocolate products. I like the strong nutty smell, which is different from the original flavor of chocolate, so I don't like it.

Ammonia is adsorbed by a method in which cacao beans or cacao nibs are placed in a closed container and ammonia is introduced into the container, or by a method in which a concentrated aqueous ammonia solution is brought into contact with ammonia vapor.

Next, the cacao beans or cacao nibs on which ammonia has been adsorbed are heated to 40% by volume in the same manner as in the first method, and the product temperature is 110%. This allows the product to be maintained at an optimal pH value.

After the roasted cacao beans are peeled and roasted cacao nibs are formed, the roasted cacao nibs are ground as they are to form a paste to obtain roasted cacao mass or roasted mixed cacao mass with good flavor.

By processing in this way, the sour taste and sour odor of both low-grade and high-grade cacao beans or cacao nibs disappear, and the roasted cacao mass has a strong flavor, a rich, mild flavor with little astringency, and a good color tone. and roasted mixed cocoa mass can be obtained.

Next, a third method of the present invention will be explained.

In this method, raw cocoa mass or mixed cocoa mass is stored in a heat exchanger equipped with an internal wall scraping device, and while maintaining an atmosphere containing 40% by volume or more oxygen gas, a gas containing ammonia is simultaneously blown into the raw material cocoa mass or mixed cocoa mass. The mixed cacao mass is brought into contact with ammonia and adsorbed, and roasted at a temperature of 110 to 150° C. for 1 to 30 minutes.

As the ammonia-containing gas, a mixed gas of ammonia and air, nitrogen gas, inert gas, or the like is used.

The amount of ammonia adsorbed by the cocoa mass or mixed cocoa mass is the amount necessary to neutralize the acid component in the raw material and bring it to an optimum pH of 5.3 to 64, preferably pH 5.6 to 5.9.
0.0% for normal raw cacao mass or mixed cacao mass.
01 to 035% by weight, especially 0.01 to 03% for high-grade cacao mass or mixed cacao mass with little acidity.
% by weight, and 0.005 to .035% by weight for low-grade cocoa mass or mixed cocoa mass with a high acidity. Ordinary cacao, beans, and cacao nibs produced in Ghana and Venezuela have a pH of 5.6 to 59 by themselves, but when the ammonia adsorption amount is less than 0.001, the above-mentioned cacao beans and cacao nibs have a more favorable flavor generation effect. Not worth it. However, due to the buffering effect of the cacao beans and cacao nibs themselves, even when adsorbing ammonia to 0.05 to 0.03% by weight, there is little change in pH. If the amount exceeds 0.3% by weight, excessive ammonia is used, which is uneconomical, and the pH of the roasted product exceeds 64, which is undesirable since the original flavor of chocolate is lost.

For low-grade cacao beans and cacao nibs, if the ammonia adsorption amount is less than 0.05 weight, the amount of ammonia is insufficient, and the acid component in the raw material is neutralized and the pH is adjusted to an optimum pH of 5.3 to 6.4, preferably pH 5.fi. It is difficult to modify to ~59,
Moreover, if it exceeds 0.35% by weight, excessive ammonia is used, which is uneconomical, and the pH of the roasted product exceeds 64, which is undesirable as it differs from the original flavor of chocolate.

In this method, roasting is carried out in an atmosphere containing a high concentration of oxygen gas of 40 volumes or more at the same time as the ammonia-containing gas is brought into contact with the ammonia-containing gas. Since the flavor improvement and the neutralization of the acid component in the raw material by adsorption of ammonia are carried out at the same time and in a complementary manner, an extremely good flavor improvement effect can be obtained.

In addition, since the above flavor improvement treatment involves roasting while stirring using a heat exchanger equipped with an internal wall scraping device, contact and mixing of the raw materials with ammonia and oxygen gas is uniformly and quickly carried out, and a small amount of ammonia is removed. The flavor improvement process is completed in a short time with the amount of oxygen gas consumed, and almost no unreacted ammonia remains in the roasted cacao mass or roasted cacao mass after roasting.

The method of the present invention has the above-mentioned advantages, and further effects are listed below.

1) In the present invention, the roasted cacao mass or roasted mixed cacao mass obtained by roasting in an atmosphere containing 40% by volume or more of oxygen gas has a flavor-improving effect compared to products obtained by conventional methods. In particular, high-grade cacao beans or processed products thereof are improved to have a superior flavor, and low-grade cacao beans or processed products thereof are improved to have a flavor and color tone equal to or better than that of high-grade cacao beans. .

2) When ammonia is used in flavor improvement treatment, the mutual effect of oxygen gas and ammonia is particularly effective in improving acidity and flavor.

3) Since oxygen gas or a mixed gas of oxygen gas and ammonia is used for flavor improvement treatment, adsorption to raw materials and flavor formation reactions are easily carried out, and the roasted product does not have ammonia odor, alkaline odor, There are almost no unpleasant odors caused by other volatile components.

4) The method of the present invention can be carried out with extremely simple operation by improving a conventional roasting machine or a heat exchanger with an internal wall scraping device.

Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail by showing examples and comparative examples. The various measurement methods are as follows.

・pH value In the case of raw material cacao beans, after peeling them and making them into cacao nibs, they are ground in a roller mill until they pass through a 325 mesh Japanese standard sieve to form a paste, and the 507 is suspended in deionized water at 50°C. When the temperature of the suspension drops to room temperature, the pH
Measured with a meter.

On the other hand, in the case of roasted cacao mass, it was similarly strained and measured using a pH noter.

・Oxygen gas concentration Blow the same volume of nitrogen gas into the roasting machine as the amount of oxygen gas blown during roasting of cocoa beans, cacao nibs, cacao mass, or mixed cocoa mass, and collect the gas inside the roasting machine with a 10ml syringe. By measuring the residual oxygen gas concentration with a densitometer, it was calculated from the following formula.

Oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere - Total gas volume in the atmosphere (volume %) Sum of concentrations (100%) x Volume concentration of gases other than oxygen gas in the atmosphere (794%) ・Ammonia gas concentration 10ml of gas containing ammonia It was collected with a syringe, dissolved in +-5 ml of 01N aqueous sulfuric acid solution, neutralized and titrated with 01N aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, and calculated using the following formula.

× (normality x titer x amount of sulfuric acid aqueous solution (me) - normality x titer x titer of sodium hydroxide (mJ))
Suspend this in 10 times the volume of warm water, and create a titration curve by measuring the relationship between the amount of ammonia added and the pH of the suspension using 3N ammonia water at 25°C. The adsorption amount of ammonia was calculated from this titration curve by measuring the pH of the sample.

・Preparation of chocolate Using various roasted cacao masses obtained by various processing methods shown in each example and comparative example, 200 parts by weight of roasted cacao mass, 20.0 parts by weight of whole milk powder, and 175 parts by weight of cacao butter. , 42.0 parts by weight of sugar, and 05 parts by weight of lecithin.

・Chocolate flavor evaluation by sensory test A panel of 30 experts with excellent chocolate flavor discrimination ability conducted the evaluation. The rating is 0 if the flavor is similar to chocolate made from roasted cacao mass obtained by the normal roasting method of cacao beans with a suitable flavor such as Cacao beans from Cana or Venezuela, and 0 if the flavor is good. 1. Very good 2.
The flavor was evaluated on a five-point scale from 1 to 1, which had a bad flavor, and 2, which had a very bad flavor.

Example 1 A compressed oxygen gas cylinder was connected to the circuit of a hot air type rotary closed-circuit roasting machine with an internal volume of 100 fl, -, and oxygen gas was introduced at a rate of 7.6 per minute in terms of standard Q to complete the process. Heat with a shielded hot wire to bring the air temperature inside the roasting machine to 150°C. Venezuelan cacao beans (pH 6.0) are placed in the rotating part of the roaster.
) 8009 is installed, the oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere inside the roaster is 80% by volume, and the cacao beans are roasted for 19 minutes at a temperature of 130°C. Roasted cacao beans (pH 5,8) were peeled and ground in a conventional manner to obtain roasted cacao mass.

The flavor evaluation of the chocolate prepared using the roasted cacao mass was that the flavor was stronger and richer, and the astringency was less and milder than that of the control product prepared using Venezuelan cacao beans in a conventional manner. Compared to the average score of 00 for the product, the product of this example received a score of 17.

Example 2 About 200 ml of 28% by weight ammonia water was put into the bottom of a desiccator with a capacity of 2.4 tons, and cacao nibs (pH 5, 90) was stored in 5 oz. and left at room temperature of 25° C. for 30 minutes. At this time, the ammonia gas concentration in the desiccator was 30 (397 m), and the amount of ammonia adsorbed on the cacao nibs was 0.1% by weight.

Next, the cacao nibs were heated in a hot-air rotary closed-circuit roaster in the same manner as in Example 1, and oxygen gas was heated at 1/min in terms of standard conditions.
53 was introduced and roasted in an atmosphere containing 85% by volume of oxygen gas. After roasting for 19 minutes at an air temperature of 150°C and a product temperature of 145°C, the mixture was ground by a conventional method to obtain roasted cacao mass. The pH of the roasted cocoa mass was 590.

Regarding the flavor evaluation of the chocolate prepared using the roasted cocoa mass, the control sample prepared using nibs obtained from Ghanaian cocoa beans in a conventional manner had an average score of OO, while the average score of this example was 17. , and was evaluated as having a stronger flavor and weaker astringency than the control sample.

Example 3 Cocoa nibs (pH 4,80) prepared from Indonesian cacao beans with a moisture content of 47% were ground in a roller mill to obtain cacao mass, and the mixture was placed into a heat exchanger with an internal wall scraping device having a capacity of 3 tons. 3 to the heat exchanger jacket part.
．． Q Ky /Cm of steam is passed through the scraping device.
Heat treatment was performed by rotating at 0 Orpm.

At that time, 01 kg (converted to standard condition) from the bottom sample extraction hole
7 m3 of ammonia gas and 153 t/min of oxygen gas are blown into the cocoa mass. Oxygen gas is continuously injected until the end of roasting after the temperature of the cocoa mass reaches 80°C or higher, while ammonia gas is injected for 5 minutes to increase the temperature of the cocoa mass to 50 to 86°C. and 105-120
°C): The cocoa mass is blown for 75 minutes.
A total of 32 g of ammonia was supplied to Kq, followed by further heat treatment at 125° C. for 4 minutes to obtain roasted cacao mass having a pH of 6.60. At this time, the oxygen gas concentration is 90% by volume.
Met.

The flavor evaluation of the chocolate prepared using the roasted cocoa mass was that the sour and sour odor had completely disappeared and the color tone was deep dark brown, which was good, but there was a strong chocolate aroma and a hidden nutty odor, and it had a normal chocolate flavor. What is
It was evaluated as having a slightly different and unique flavor. As a result of comparison with the control sample of Example 2, the average score of the control sample was 00, whereas the average score of the chocolate of this example was 02.

Example 4 1.5 Kq of cacao mass obtained by peeling and grinding Ghanaian cacao beans (pH 5,90) was put into a heat exchanger with a wall scraping device of a 3 ton capacity, and the heat exchanger jacket was removed. Part 3. Heat treatment was carried out by rotating the scraper at 20 Orpm while passing Q Kg /Ca of steam. At that time, a compressed oxygen gas cylinder was connected to the bottom outlet hole, and oxygen gas was blown into the cocoa mass at a rate of 153 tons per minute (converted to standard conditions).
The cocoa mass was roasted at a warm temperature of 120° C. for 8 minutes to obtain roasted cocoa mass (pH 5.8). At this time, the oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere inside the heat exchanger was 90% by volume.

The flavor evaluation of the chocolate prepared using the roasted cacao mass was that the flavor was increased without changing the color tone of the chocolate, it was rich, and it was mild with less astringency, compared to the average flavor rating of 20.00 for the control sample. In this example, the number was 15.

Example 5 After peeling Venezuelan cacao beans and grinding them with a roller mill to obtain cacao mass (pH 6,0), the cacao butter was separated using a hydraulic press to obtain partially defatted cacao mass with a cacao butter content of 22% by weight. I got it. Next, the partially defatted cacao 7
733 parts by weight of shea butter was added to 7100 parts by weight and mixed to obtain a mixed cacao mass having an oil content of about 55% by weight. The mixed cacao mass 15 and 7 were put into a heat exchanger with an inner wall scraping device having an internal capacity of 3 tons, and 3.0 kg was added to the jacket part of the heat exchanger.
/ cm of steam through the scraping device at 20 Orp.
It was heated and rotated at m. At this time, a mixed gas of 50% by volume of oxygen gas and 50% by volume of nitrogen gas is sent from the bottom outlet hole at a rate of 153% per minute in terms of standard conditions, and the mixed cocoa mass is roasted for 8 minutes at a temperature of 120°C. pH
5,8) were obtained. At this time, the oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere inside the heat exchanger was 50% by volume.

The flavor evaluation of the chocolate prepared using the roasted mixed cacao mass showed that the chocolate had an increased flavor and richness without any change in the color tone, and was milder with less astringency than the mixed cacao mass of this example. The average flavor score of the control sample obtained in Example 1 was 00, whereas the average flavor score of this example was 08.

Example 6 A mixed cacao mass was obtained in the same manner as in Example 5 from Indonesian cacao beans with a moisture content of 495% and a pH of 4.95. 1.5 K9 of the mixed cacao mass was put into a heat exchanger with an internal wall scraping device having an internal capacity of 3 tons, and 3. Heat treatment was carried out by rotating the scraper at 200 rpm while passing Q Kg /Cm' of steam. At that time, the same amount of ammonia and oxygen residue as in Example 3 was introduced into the heat exchanger, and the mixed cacao mass was roasted for 8 minutes at a temperature of 124°C to obtain a roasted mixed cacao mass (pH 90).

The flavor evaluation of chocolate prepared using the roasted mixed cacao mass revealed that the color changed from reddish-brown, which is not typical of chocolate, to dark brown, which is typical of chocolate, and the sour and sour odor characteristic of Indonesian cocoa beans disappeared, and the flavor was enhanced. It has a rich flavor with less astringency and is mild, and the comparison sample obtained by using Ghanaian cacao beans as a mixed cacao mass in the same manner as above and roasting it in the usual manner had an average flavor rating of 0.
0, whereas it was 05 in the sample of this example.

Example 7 A hot air rotary closed-circuit roaster with an internal volume of 100 tons was heated at a rate of 7.7% per minute in terms of quasi-state. While introducing fi A, mix air from the air intake port and heat with a completely shielded heat wire to bring the air temperature inside the roasting machine to 150°C. At this time, the oxygen gas concentration in the roasting machine was 40% by volume. 800 g of cacao nibs obtained by dehulling Ghanaian cacao beans (pH 5,90) were attached to the circulation part of the roasting machine, and roasted for 19 minutes at a cacao nib temperature of 130-C.

The roasted cacao nibs were ground by a conventional method to obtain roasted cacao mass having a pH of 5.70.

The flavor evaluation of the chocolate prepared using the roasted cacao mass was that the flavor was slightly stronger, less astringent and milder, and the color and flavor were chocolate-like, compared to the control layer roasted using the usual method. An average rating of 0.7 was obtained.

Examples 8 to 11 and Comparative Examples 1 to 2 i6o' in which the various cacao beans or cacao nibs shown in Table 1 were adjusted to a predetermined oxygen gas concentration using a hot air roaster.
The product was roasted with hot air at a temperature of 145'C for 19 minutes. Table 1 shows the results of flavor evaluation of chocolate prepared by roasting and grinding to obtain roasted cacao mass, and using the roasted cacao mass.

Examples 12 to 14 Cocoa beans of each type shown in Table 2 were left in air with an ammonia gas concentration of 300 g/m3 at 25°C for a predetermined period of time to adsorb ammonia, and then roasted in a hot air roaster to reduce the oxygen gas concentration to 95 g/m3. The cocoa beans were roasted under hot air at 150°C for 19 minutes at a temperature of 145°C. Table 2 shows the results of flavor evaluation of chocolate prepared by roasting and then crushing to obtain roasted cacao mass.

As is clear from the results in Tables 1 and 2, high-grade cacao beans, such as cacao beans from Venezuela and Ghana, which have moderate acidity and a suitable chocolate-like flavor and color tone, lose their color tone when processed by the method of the present invention. The resulting roasted cacao mass or roasted mixed cacao mass had a strong chocolate aroma with moderate sourness and richness, and a mild taste without astringency.

- Low-grade cacao beans such as those from Indonesia, Malaysia, and New Guinea have a strong chocolate aroma with a strong acidity and low chocolate aroma, and a reddish-brown color that does not resemble chocolate. Roasted cacao manu mata has a mild taste with no astringency, and has a flavor and color tone equal to or better than roasted cacao mass or roasted mixed cacao mass obtained from high-grade cacao beans with a color similar to chocolate. A roasted mixed cacao mass was obtained.

Procedural Amendment Written by Kazuo Wakasugi, Commissioner of the Patent Office, August 26, 19821, Indication of Case Patent Application No. 58-0994912, Title of Invention Process for Flavor Improvement Treatment of Cocoa Beans or Processed Products thereof3, Person making an amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant: 2-4-16 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (80!3) Meiji Seika Co., Ltd. Representative: Takeshi Nakagawa 4, Agent: 1-4 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. 1 Sanshin Building Room 204 Telephone 50+-2138 Sanshin Building 2
Room 04 Telephone: 501-21385 Column 6 of "Detailed Description of the Invention" of the specification to be amended, contents of the amendment The detailed description of the invention is corrected as follows.

1) Book lIJJm, page 7, line 8 Correct "80 volume %" to [60 volume %J.

2)ll Page 13, line 11, ``rO, less than 01%'' is corrected to ``rO, less than 01% by weight''.

3) //Page 14, line 1, ``rO,05 weight'' is corrected to ``rO,05% by weight''.

4) tt Page 22, line 17 Correct "bottom extraction hole" to "bottom sample extraction hole".

5)ll　Page 23, line 19 Correct "bottom extraction hole" to "bottom sample extraction hole".

6)ll The color tone of Example 9 in Table 1 VJ1 on page 27 was changed to [chocolate color].
Corrected to "slightly light chocolate color."

Hand, continued amendment Written by Kazuo Wakasugi, Commissioner of the Patent Office, November 15, 19811, Indication of the case, Patent Application No. 1983-0994912, Name of the invention: Method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or processed products thereof3 , Relationship with the case of the person making the amendment Patent applicant: 2-4-16 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (809) Meiji Seika Co., Ltd. Representative Tsuyoshi Nakagawa 4, Agent 5, The specification subject to the amendment "Detailed Description of the Invention" Column 6, Contents of Amendment 1) Specification, page 16, line 15 to page 17, line 7 4%)” is corrected as follows.

[0 Oxygen Force Concentration] The oxygen gas concentration is measured in advance by measuring the oxygen gas volume concentration in the air or in the mixed gas of air and ammonia gas when the oxygen residue in the roasting atmosphere is not blown. Next, nitrogen gas is blown into the roasting machine under the same conditions as the oxygen gas blown conditions during roasting, and the oxygen gas moisture content is measured. To measure the oxygen gas concentration, collect the gas inside the roasting machine with a 10m syringe and use a zirconia oxygen concentration meter model L manufactured by Toshi Co., Ltd.
Measured using C-700F. Since this oxygen concentration meter cannot measure oxygen gas concentrations of 22% by volume or higher, nitrogen scum is blown into the roasting machine as described above, and the residual rate of oxygen gas is determined relative to air or a mixture of air and ammonia gas. The substitution rate of nitrogen gas was calculated, and assuming that the nitrogen gas introduced next was oxygen/oxygen gas, it was specifically calculated using the following formula.

Oxygen gas volume concentration in the roasting atmosphere (2) = Sum of all gas volume concentrations in the roasting atmosphere (100X) - [Total gas volume concentration (100%) - Oxygen gas volume of air or air and ammonia gas mixture Concentration] × Oxygen gas volume concentration of ammonia gas mixture

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) Cocoa beans, cacao nibs, cacao mass, or mixed cacao mass, which are roasted at a temperature of 110 to 150°C in an atmosphere containing 40% by volume or more of oxygen gas, or A method for improving the flavor of processed products. 2) Cacao beans or cacao nibs (after adsorbing ammonia, the cacao is roasted at a temperature of 110 to 150°C in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas of 40% by volume or more) A method for improving the flavor of cocoa beans or processed products thereof. 3) A method for improving the flavor of cocoa beans or processed products thereof according to claim 2, wherein the adsorption amount of ammonia is 0.05 to 0.09% by weight. 4) 40% by volume of cacao mass or mixed cacao mass is brought into contact with ammonia-containing gas in an atmosphere containing oxygen gas to adsorb ammonia while raising the product temperature to 1.
A method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or processed products thereof, which comprises roasting at 10 to 150°C. 5) The method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or processed products thereof according to claim 4, wherein the adsorbed amount of ammonia is 0.01 to 035% by weight. 6) The method for improving the flavor of cacao beans or processed products thereof according to claim 4, which comprises roasting using a heat exchanger equipped with an internal wall scraping device.