JPS629295B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to products with cocoa-like flavor notes, and in particular to cocoa bulking agents,
Concerning roasted yeast products that can be used as substitutes and/or substitutes.

Cocoa powder and thiokolate are widely used as food products with a wide range of applications, including as beverage bases, formulated drinks, ice creams, cakes and biscuits, icings and confectionery coatings. This includes use as a flavoring ingredient in sugar confectionery, etc. Cocoa powder and tiyocolate are both made from cocoa beans that grow only in tropical and subtropical regions.

Most of the world's cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, Brazil, Trinidad, Ecuador, Venezuela and Java. Since cocoa beans are a natural agricultural product, the global supply of cocoa powder and tyokolate is subject to variable and often unpredictable weather conditions. Moreover, the major cocoa powder and tiyocolate consuming regions of the world must import cocoa beans, thus making cocoa powder and tiyocolate relatively expensive foodstuffs. For this and other reasons, the aim is to produce products that can be substituted for or used to bulk up cocoa powder or thiocholate, thereby reducing the dependence on natural cocoa beans. Plans have been made in the past. Such cocoa powder or thiokolate substitutes or fillers ideally resemble the color, flavor, aroma and mouthfeel or texture of cocoa powder or thiokolate. However, cocoa contains carbohydrates, fats, proteins,
Being a complex natural product consisting of minerals, theobromine, caffeine, water and fiber, it is difficult to obtain substitutes or bulking agents that resemble the full properties of cocoa powder or thiocholate.

Prior art cocoa powder and thiokolate substitutes and fillers include processed locust beans, toasted defatted wheat malt and other processed grain products. U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,816 also describes a method for producing a beverage flavor from yeast and sugar for use with other flavors such as bitter, astringent, aromatic, etc. to mimic natural beverage flavors, the method comprising: % moisture, preferably 2 parts water to 1 part solids, and heating this mixture to at least 176.7°C (350°C) in a closed reactor. 5.2725 ~ above normal pressure due to saturated steam at reaction temperature
After obtaining a headspace pressure of 15.8175 Kg/cm ² gauge pressure (75-225 p.sig), the temperature of the reaction mixture was suddenly increased.
It describes a manufacturing method by lowering the temperature to 121.1℃ (250〓) or below. However, the above methods produce products that must be used with other flavor factors to mimic natural products, require the presence of reducing sugars in the reaction mixture, require relatively high levels of energy input, and A relatively large capital level of equipment expense is required to carry out the method.

According to the present invention, a product having the characteristic texture, color, taste, aroma and mouthfeel of powdered cocoa is produced by baking edible yeast at temperatures of about 100 to about 300°C for about 1 to about 50 minutes. can get. The resulting product can be used to completely replace cocoa powder as a replacement without the addition of other flavor factors in regular cocoa powder or thiokolate applications, or as a bulking agent for cocoa in food formulations. Can be used.

As used herein, the term yeast shall mean a fungus whose normal and predominant form is unicellular. Yeasts useful in the present invention include any yeast and mixtures of yeasts suitable for human consumption, preferably yeasts generally classified as edible yeasts. An illustrative example of such yeast is
These include, but are not limited to, yeasts of the genera Saccharomyces, Candida, and Brettanomyces, such as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis [Saccharomyces ubarum].
uvalum)], Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces fragilis, Candida utilis [Syn. Torulopsis utilis,
ver. Torrela] and Candida tropicalis species yeast. Brewer's yeast, baker's yeast, wine yeast (wine
These yeasts, known as yeasts, are included in the above class and are currently particularly preferred in the practice of the present invention since they are commercially available. Although the breeding history of the yeast is not limiting for the scope of the inventive concept, particularly good cocoa and/or tyokolate color has been obtained from yeast grown in hopped substrates or substrates consisting of hopped fractions. , flavor and aroma properties were found to be obtained.

Accordingly, yeast or hops or acids, resins,
Another currently particularly preferred method of practice is to utilize yeast propagated on synthetic media containing hop fractions such as oils, tannins and gums. However, suitable products can also be obtained from yeasts which do not have the above-mentioned association with brewing wort, hops or hop fractions.

As used herein, the term "roast" or "roasting" refers to a process such as exposure to radiant heat or a suitable medium such as air having a high temperature level and a relatively low moisture content. “Dry” means heating by exposure to a heat source. These terms do not include heating in the presence of a substantial amount of "wet" heat source, such as steam heating, nor do they include the use of abnormally or artificially high pressure levels. Yeast with a water content higher than about 5% by weight is dried prior to baking, as described below, either as a separate step or as a result of the application of dry heat during the yeast baking process.

In making the products of this invention, the yeast is baked by heating it to a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient period of time to produce the desired texture, color, flavor and aroma characteristics and intensity. The optimum baking temperature and time will depend on the characteristics of the particular yeast or yeast mixture being treated and the particular texture desired;
Varies by color, flavor and aroma characteristics.
But for most purposes, about 100 to about 300
°C, more preferably about 150 to about 275 °C, most preferably about 200 to about 250 °C, for 1 to about 50 minutes, more preferably about 2 to about 25 minutes, most preferably about 4 to about 15 minutes. It has been found that baking the yeast provides desirable texture, color, flavor and aroma properties. During baking, chemical reactions occur to some extent, depending on the baking temperature and time, resulting in the development and intensity increase of yeast color, flavor and aroma. Preferably, the yeast is baked at a temperature sufficient for a sufficient time to obtain a baked yeast product with the characteristic texture, color, flavor, and aroma of cocoa.

Yeast can be baked by heating it in or on a suitable supporting or transporting container, bed, cylinder, etc. suitable for uniformly heating and baking the yeast. Baking may be done in batches or continuously by passing a uniform layer of yeast on a continuous belt or other flat surface through a long oven. as a means of mixing the yeast layer on the belt during baking,
It is preferable to provide means to ensure uniform baking of the yeast. Alternatively, the yeast can be baked by dispersing it in a cocurrent or countercurrent hot air column, or by other suitable means.

If the moisture content of the yeast to be baked as described herein is greater than about 5% by weight, the yeast may be treated prior to baking to contain up to about 5% by weight, more preferably up to about 2.5% by weight. Most preferably, it is dried to a moisture content of about 1.0% by weight or less. The yeast may be dried by heat and agitation alone, such as in a drum dryer, or by spraying the yeast in a spray dryer with counter-current or co-current hot air, or by heated or unheated vacuum devices, etc. Depending on the method, the baking process can be carried out separately from the baking process. If drying is carried out as a separate step by applying heat before baking, it is preferable to carry out drying under conditions such that thermal decomposition of the yeast does not occur. Spray drying is currently a particularly preferred means of yeast drying, as it is particularly suitable for maintaining reliable process control, high yields and uniform dry yeast particle size. Drying of the yeast can also be done while the yeast is being heated for baking. This is because the actual baking of the yeast does not occur until after the moisture content of the yeast has fallen below about 5% by weight.
However, it has been found that when drying is performed during the baking process, it is difficult to prevent yeast from flocculating and to bake uniformly. It is therefore currently preferred to carry out drying of the yeast as a separate step before baking. High water content yeast such as aqueous yeast dispersions or slurries, yeast recovered from brewer's wort fermentation or other liquid yeast mixtures are preferably first subjected to one or more suitable yeast separation steps such as centrifugation, filtration, etc. Then dry as above. Although it is currently preferred to dry the yeast before baking, drying and baking may be combined with each other in any degree of association, ranging from simultaneous single unit processing to tandem processing, or separately. May be processed.

Because brewer's yeast is commercially available as a by-product of commercial brewing operations and has a unique chemical composition, brewer's yeast recovered from malt beverage fermentation processes is the presently preferred source of yeast for the process of the present invention. It is. Malt beverage production typically involves various types of yeast. Yeast that is cleanly and effectively separated from the malt beverage during the final stages of fermentation is commonly known as "flocculen" yeast. These yeasts readily respond to brewing methods and can be easily recovered by the treatments described herein. Yeast, commonly known as "powder" yeast, is not very easy to manage in post-fermentation brewing methods. However, some brewers prefer powdered yeast to ensure relatively high yeast cell densities, small amounts of product synthesis and/or flavor ripening over long periods of time for secondary fermentation. Cotton yeast, powder yeast and ale yeast as well as yeast collected from any stage of the brewing process can be used as a yeast source for the process of the present invention.

In normal malt beverage fermentation, about 3 to about 5 kg of yeast are obtained for every 1 kg initially inoculated into the wort. When bottom-fermenting yeasts such as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis (Saccharomyces uverum) are used in the wort, the yeast crop is deposited on the bottom of the fermenter along with various sediments. It settles and accumulates during the residence time of the malt beverage in the fermenter, hereafter referred to as the “yeast crop”.
and cell inclusions" or simply "yeast populations." The yeast populations include, for example, yeast cells at all stages of viability and proteins, protein-polyphenol complexes, tannins, carbohydrates, The so-called "cold break" consists of the hop fraction and various cell-containing solids derived from the basic brewing raw materials.
All of these are residually captured and dispersed in the malt beverage liquid. This complex yeast population accumulates on the bottom of the fermenter and becomes a progressively thicker, heavier, pasty, heterogeneous mass as the fermentation process progresses, while the supernatant malt beverage becomes relatively clear and, when sufficiently diluted, Relatively low yeast density. However, beverages designed for secondary fermentation can by design contain relatively heavy suspended yeast densities in excess of 2,000,000 yeast cells/ml.

For example, to recover a yeast population for use in the present invention from a malt beverage bottom fermentation process, the supernatant malt beverage is removed from the yeast by decantation and used for inoculation of the next process wort or for culture propagation. Isolate a sufficient amount of yeast to continue the process (propagator). In the case of surface-fermenting yeast such as ale yeast, the yeast group is skimmed off from the surface of the supernatant malt beverage using the usual method. The remaining yeast population is then preferably separated from the remaining malt beverage by physical separation means such as centrifugation, filtration, etc., and the recovered malt beverage is sent back to the beverage production process. At this stage, the recovered yeast group, which has a physical form of high-density yeast paste, is further processed as described below to obtain yeast for baking.

Since the recovered yeast population may contain hop residue and other foreign substances, it is necessary to suspend or mix the yeast in an aqueous solution of a suitable yeast detergent to create a yeast slurry. Therefore, it is preferable to subject it to a cleaning treatment. Suitable yeast detergents include, but are not limited to, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides, carbonates and bicarbonates, including sodium,
Compounds that produce cations selected from the group consisting of calcium, potassium and mixtures thereof and anions selected from the group consisting of hydroxides, carbonates and bicarbonates and mixtures thereof. Since the solubility of CaO in water is limited, i.e. 185 mg CaO/100 g H ₂ O at 0°C,
It provides a convenient means of controlling the properties and concentration of yeast detergent aqueous solutions. Accordingly, a currently particularly preferred solution for this purpose is saturated slaked lime, ie an aqueous lime solution with a concentration of calcium hydroxide of about 1500 ppm. The yeast slurry is preferably prepared by suspending or mixing about 1 part recovered yeast mass paste with about 1 part aqueous yeast detergent solution, and then adding sufficient additional aqueous solution to adjust the pH of the slurry to the desired value. It is made by hand. The pH of the slurry may be about 6.0 or higher, more preferably about 6.0 to about 8.0, and most preferably about
6.5 to about 6.7. Suspension or mixing of the yeast population in slightly acidic or neutral or slightly alkaline solutions leads to the removal of a significant portion of the soluble and insoluble substances associated with the yeast population upon separation of the yeast population from the subsequent solution. make it easier. Suspension or mixing of the yeast population in an alkaline solution with a relatively high PH can also result in debittering of the yeast population.

The yeast slurry may also be sieved, such as through a fine mesh sieve with a mesh size sufficient to pass through the yeast cells, such as an approximately 100 mesh sieve, to remove large sediments and the various cells of the brewing process. It is also preferred to remove the inclusion product. Alternatively, sieving of the yeast population can be carried out prior to the initial centrifugation and separation of the entrained malt beverage in the yeast population or at another stage during the process.

Yeast is separated from the yeast slurry by concentrating the yeast population and removing a substantial proportion of the yeast detergent from the yeast population using physical separation means such as centrifugation, filtration, and the like. This yeast is then baked as described above to obtain a baked yeast product.

When yeast is dispersed in an aqueous yeast detergent solution as described above, it may be desirable to remove all or most of the yeast detergent that remains associated with the yeast. Such removal can be accomplished by eluting the yeast with water or other suitable solvent, and can occur at any point during the process after yeast washing.

Optionally, "live" yeast recovered from a commercial brewing process can be inactivated prior to drying. Inactivation of yeast can be achieved, for example, by heating yeast to a temperature of about 55 to about 100°C for about 1 hour.
This can be done by heating for a minimum time of minutes.

After separating the brewer's yeast recovered from the fermenter from the entrained malt beverage, it is contemplated that it can be directly dried and baked without washing, sieving and elution as described above.

It is also contemplated that the baked yeast product of the present invention can be ground before baking or after baking, or both, to obtain a baked yeast product with the desired average particle size for a particular end use. There is. Preferably, the baked yeast product is ground to a cocoa powder of average particle size, such as from about 99% passing through a 200 mesh tyler to about 99% passing through a 325 mesh tyler.

The baked yeast product, as described above, is in powder form, has the characteristic texture, color, aroma and flavor of cocoa powder, can be ground to the particle size of ground cocoa powder, and can be used in beverages, baked goods, dairy products, etc. Cocoa and/or products, such as candy, confectionery, coatings, syrups, etc.
Thiyocolate can be used directly to replace some or all of the cocoa powder in foods that utilize it. The baked yeast product of the present invention is also free of cocoa powder theobromine and caffeine;
It can be used by people who are unable to take these alkaloids or who do not want to take them.

The following illustrative examples show some of the conditions in which the baked yeast products of the invention are used and some of the different food products in which they can be used in place of cocoa powder. . These examples are given for illustrative purposes only and are in no way intended to limit the process conditions or possible uses of the yeast and the methods and products of the invention.

Example 1 Beer bottom-fermenting yeast, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, var. Frohberg
[Saccharomyces ubarum (Saccharomyces
uvarum)] is conventionally collected from commercial brewer's yeast processes after conventional, intense, single-vessel primary beer fermentation.

The yeast is centrifuged to separate the entrained beer from the yeast and suspended solids. This yeast is slurried in water to create a suspension with a solid content of about 30%, and then spray-dried using a commercially available countercurrent hot air dryer to obtain a finely powdered dried yeast with a water content of about 5% by weight. The weight percentage composition of this dry yeast is approximately as shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Dry yeast composition Before baking and after baking Protein 45% 44% Fat 2% 1% Carbohydrate 40% 43% Fiber 1% 4% Ash 7% 7% Moisture 5% 1% The above yeast should be washed. It should be noted that the product is not debittered or subjected to any treatment to alter the cell or cell absorption or cell content product.

This dry yeast powder mixture was then spread sparsely into a series of flat shallow pans and placed in a preattemperated static hot air oven at 205°C (400°C) and baked at this temperature for 20 minutes without interruption. . During baking, the yeast powder was stirred regularly to ensure even baking. Before baking, the dry yeast had a pale beige color, a faint aroma, and a sharp, strong bitter taste. After baking, the product had a bright, pleasant aroma and a dark brown color best described as a tyokolate color. The baked product is removed from the oven and air cooled. During this time, the entire process is protected from accidental contamination.

A beverage resembling "hot cocoa" or "hot chocolate" is made from this baked product as follows. Make the drink base according to the recipe in Table 2.

Table 2 Drink base composition Fine granulated sugar 592 Skimmed milk powder 300 Keltrol 20 Salt 10 Vanilla PFW 8 Imitation cream flavor PFW 5 Finely ground sugar beet powder 5 940 g 9.4 g of this drink base was mixed with 0.6 g of baked yeast product sample. This mixture was stirred into 100 ml of boiling water. The resulting beverage had a characteristic hot cocoa appearance, aroma, flavor and general appeal.

Example 2 The dried brewer's yeast described in Example 1 is spread over a series of shallow pans and baked in a pre-tempered, static hot air oven at about 300°C (572°C) for 12 minutes without interruption. During baking, the dried yeast develops a pleasant aroma and acquires a dark brown or tyokolate-like color, all markedly different from the starting material.

This baked yeast product was used to make a beverage as described in Example 1, resulting in an acceptable and enjoyable cocoa substitute beverage comparable to beverages made with cocoa powder.

Example 3 The un-de-bittered, dried and baked brewer's yeast product produced in Example 1 is used in the formulation of the sugar confectionery substitute tiyocolate shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Cocoa butter 52.50g Unbittered, dried and baked brewer's yeast 15.00g Powdered sugar 10.00g Imitation vanilla cream flavor 3.00g Veltol 0.02g Baked dry yeast product, powdered sugar, imitation vanilla cream Mix flavor and Bertol together intimately and set aside. Meanwhile, melt the cocoa butter to a smooth, free-flowing liquid in the pot of a double boiler with boiling water. While the fluidized cocoa butter is heated in a double boiler and constantly stirred, all the dry mix ingredients listed in Table 3 are gradually added to the "melt" and mixed uniformly.

The product thus obtained is light brown in color and has a sweet, pleasant aroma, both resembling enrobing thiokolate.

This mixed fluid product is poured into a mold and allowed to "cure" at room temperature to yield a flexible but stiff solid bar. The resulting bar had the characteristic texture, appearance, aroma and flavor of a tyokolate enrobing bar and was found to be an enjoyable sugar confection.

Example 4 In the same manner as in Example 2, dried without removing bitterness,
Baked brewer's yeast is prepared and used in the formulation of Example 3, Table 3, in place of the baked yeast product produced in Example 1.

Sugar confections are made with this new formulation according to the method outlined in Example 3.

The resulting confectionery has the characteristic texture of an enrobed bar,
It has color, flavor, aroma and texture.

Example 5 The un-de-bittered, dried, baked brewer's yeast product produced in Example 1 is used in the formulation of a cocoa substitute for baked goods as shown in Table 4.

Table 4 Baked Good Ingredients Sugar 887.85g Butter 325.8g Eggs 144g Flour 765.6g Salt 4.5g Buttermilk Powder 81g Butter Vanilla #218 18g Water 21/4 cup Baking Soda 3g Not de-bittered, dried , Baked Yeast Product 160.5g Cream the sugar, butter and eggs together and add the buttermilk powder, butter vanilla #218 and water to form a mixture. flour, yeast products,
Baking soda and common salt are thoroughly mixed and then added to the above mixture to form a dough-like composition;
Drop this with a round teaspoon onto a lightly oiled pan. Next, place the pot and contents in a preheated oven at 205℃ (400℃) for about 8 minutes. The resulting baked product resembles an ordinary tyokolate kutsky, which is removed from the oven and allowed to cool.

The resulting kutsky has the characteristic flavor, texture, aroma and color of tyokolate kutsky.

Example 6 The unde-bittered, dried, baked brewer's yeast produced in Example 2 was used in place of the yeast product in the formulation of Example 5, Table 4. Baked products are made and tested according to the method described in Example 5.

The baked product thus produced was equivalent to the baked product of Example 5.

Example 7 Dry beer bottom-fermenting yeast without removing bitterness is obtained from a yeast source unrelated to the yeast source used in Examples 1 to 6. This yeast is known to be of a different culture and variety, and has been used in commercial beer fermentations using completely different wort media, brewing and fermentation methods than those given in the yeast history of Examples 1-6. It is also known that it was obtained from a group of yeasts.

This completely different, non-de-bittered, dry brewer's yeast is baked according to the method described in Example 1. The product obtained is identical to the product of Example 1 in all relevant properties.

Beverages made as described in Example 1 using this yeast product were found to have a pleasant, sweet cocoa aroma and flavor and pass as cocoa flavored beverages.

Example 8 The dry brewer's yeast described and used in Example 7 without bittering was baked in the method described in Example 2,
Examples 1, 2, and 7 using the resulting products
Make the drink described. The resulting beverage resembles a cocoa drink or a "hotsutochiyocolate"drink;
I found it completely satisfying and pleasant.

Example 9 An un-de-bittered, dried, baked ale yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was prepared according to the method of Example 1 and from which a palatable yeast was prepared according to the method described in Example 1. , making a separate cocoa drink.

Example 10 The yeast source is ale yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
The resulting un-de-bittered, dried and toasted yeast is made into an acceptable cocoa beverage according to the method of Example 2.

Example 11 Baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whose history is thought to be unrelated to brewing methods and exposure to wort, was experimentally propagated in wort and collected after regular closed vessel primary fermentation. do. The yeast slurry was centrifuged, spray dried, and baked according to Example 1. After baking, the product had the color, flavor, aroma and mouthfeel of natural cocoa.

This product is used to make the beverage described in Example 1. Although the resulting beverage had cocoa flavor notes in the beverage, the quality of the beverage appeared to be poorer in approximation of the thiocolato flavor than the beverage made in Example 1.

Example 12 Baker's yeast propagated as described in Example 11 is prepared and baked according to the method of Example 2. This product is used to make a beverage as described in Example 1. Although this beverage had cocoa flavor notes, the flavor was not equivalent to the flavor of the beverage made in Example 2.

Example 13 Beer bottom-fermenting yeast, Saccharomyces carlesbergensis
The yeast population consisting of Saccharomyces uvarum (Saccharomyces uvarum), ver. . This mixture is centrifuged to separate the entrained beer from the yeast.

Immediately after centrifugation, the yeast population is dispersed in a sufficient amount of saturated lime water to create a yeast slurry with a pH of 6.6. The yeast slurry is passed through a vibrating 100 mesh sieve to remove debris and then centrifuged to yield a relatively thick yeast paste with a solids content of about 15% by weight. The yeast is then inactivated by heating for 1 minute in a wiped-film heat exchanger at a temperature of 75°C. The inactivated yeast was prepared by spraying the yeast at a rate of 2 kg/hour into a spray dryer with countercurrent air flow at an inlet temperature of about 250°C and an outlet temperature of about 100°C. Dry to moisture content.

Spread the dried yeast on a continuous belt to a thickness of 6.35 mm (1/
1.3725 in a band oven 4.575 m (15 ft) long at a belt envelope inlet temperature of 23°C and a belt exit temperature of 238°C.
Pass at a speed of m/min (4.5 ft/min). The yeast is then cooled to room temperature. Next, about 1 part by weight of this baked yeast is suspended in about 8 parts by weight of medium-hard portable water, the suspension is mixed for 15 minutes, and the baked yeast is recovered by centrifuging the suspension. Residual CaO and other soluble substances are leached from the baked yeast by drying the yeast to a moisture content of 5% by weight.

This baked yeast product was prepared in Examples 1, 3 and 5.
It was used in place of baked yeast. Foods made in this way have the characteristic texture, color, flavor, and texture of corresponding foods made from cocoa powder.
It has aroma and mouthfeel.

Although the products and methods of this invention have been described in terms of presently preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made. Such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the following claims unless excluded by the prior art.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A baked yeast production characterized by baking dry edible yeast at a temperature of about 200° C. to about 250° C. for a sufficient period of time to develop natural cocoa color, flavor, and aroma. How things are manufactured. 2. A method for producing a baked yeast product according to claim 1, characterized in that prior to baking the yeast, the yeast is dried to a moisture content of less than about 5% by weight, preferably less than 1% by weight. A method for producing a baked yeast product. 3. A method for producing a baked yeast product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, prior to baking the yeast, the edible yeast is preferably placed in an aqueous solution containing a yeast detergent and having a pH greater than about 6.0. washing by mixing to form an aqueous yeast slurry; separating the yeast from the yeast slurry; eluting the yeast to remove a significant portion of the residual detergent; A method for producing a baked yeast product, characterized in that it consists of drying to a moisture content of less than %; and finally baking the yeast. 4. A method of making a baked yeast product according to claim 3, characterized in that the yeast slurry is sieved to remove suspended solids having a particle size greater than about 50 to 150 mesh tiles. A method for producing a baked yeast product. 5. In the method for producing a baked yeast product according to claim 3, the yeast detergent contains Na+, K
Baked yeast product characterized in that it is a soluble compound having an in-solution cation consisting of +, Ca++ or a mixture thereof and an in-solution anion consisting of OH ^- , CO ⁼ ₃ , HCO ^- ₃ or a mixture thereof. Production method.