MXPA00003724A - Method to process chocolate precursor particles into solid blocks - Google Patents

Method to process chocolate precursor particles into solid blocks

Info

Publication number
MXPA00003724A
MXPA00003724A MXPA/A/2000/003724A MXPA00003724A MXPA00003724A MX PA00003724 A MXPA00003724 A MX PA00003724A MX PA00003724 A MXPA00003724 A MX PA00003724A MX PA00003724 A MXPA00003724 A MX PA00003724A
Authority
MX
Mexico
Prior art keywords
further characterized
precursor
granulated
weight
granulated precursor
Prior art date
Application number
MXPA/A/2000/003724A
Other languages
Spanish (es)
Inventor
Weaber Kenneth
De Santi William
Mahoney Hugh
Original Assignee
Hawley & Hoops Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hawley & Hoops Inc filed Critical Hawley & Hoops Inc
Publication of MXPA00003724A publication Critical patent/MXPA00003724A/en

Links

Abstract

Solid blocks of crumb precursor are formed by compressing masses of crumb precursor particles. The crumb precursor particles contain milk powder, crystalline sugar, and optionally chocolate liquor.

Description

METHOD FOR PROCESSING CHOCOLATE PRECURSOR PARTICLES AS SOLID BLOCKS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method for processing chocolate precursor particles as solid blocks. In particular, this invention relates to a method for forming solid blocks from a mass of free flowing particles composed of dry concentrated milk, granulated crystalline sugar and cocoa liquor by subjecting the mass of particles to a compressive pressure. This invention also relates to the solid block formed by the method of this invention.
RELATED BACKGROUND Previously in the process of making milk chocolate, the particles ("the granulated precursor") composed of granulated crystalline sugar, milk powder and chocolate liquor are mixed with water to form a dispersion / aqueous solution. The dispersion / aqueous solution is then dried under vacuum to form the granule with milk. These steps of (i) mixing with water to the granulated precursor with milk followed by (ii) drying under vacuum are essential for the formation of the granule with milk in order to transform the sugar from the crystalline form to the amorphous form necessary for the granule Milky. The milk-granulated precursor, being in the form of free-flowing particulate material, presents inherent transportation and handling problems to free-flowing particle masses. Specialized transportation vehicles and transfer equipment are required to handle such masses of fluid particles. In addition, the problems associated with the formation of dust and static electricity, particularly with regard to health and safety, are a concern. It would be desirable to be able to transport the granulated precursor with milk in the form of a solid block. Individual solid blocks allow for easy transportation and handling. By compressing the granulated precursor as individual solid blocks, the tendency of the free flowing material to "clump" during storage is avoided. Such randomly added material causes problems in equipment designed to handle a free-flowing material. In addition, the solid blocks are substantially free of dust. An additional benefit is obtained from the reduced surface area of the solid block compared to that of the particles. The reduced surface area provides a longer shelf life than that of particulate materials. The compressive force used to form a solid block can also increase the density of the milk granulated precursor.
Therefore, the volume required to transport a given weight of granulated precursor is reduced. This can lead to benefits during the shipping and packing of the material. The patent E.U.A. No. 4,084,011 discloses a process in which sugar-containing granules are taken which is substantially amorphous and the granule is subjected to compression in order to induce rapid crystallization of the amorphous sugar. The granule is spread in thin layers and milled between the plates of a press to form tablets or small cylindrical granules. The patent E.U.A. No. 5,419,635 discloses a machine for treating chocolate masses and a method for producing granules. The patent E.U.A. No. 5,591, 476 describes a method and system for producing chocolate shells. The E.U.A. Nos. 4,519,304 and 4,688,177 describe devices for handling chocolate that include feeding chocolate masses between rolls. The patent E.U.A. No. 5,181, 456 discloses an apparatus and method for forming a food dough from food pieces, without a binder, by subjecting the food pieces to compression and decreased temperature.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention subjects a free flowing mass composed of a multitude of particles containing powdered milk, sugar in substantially crystalline form and optionally, but preferably, compressive pressure chocolate liquor to form a block of solid mass. The invention forms a solid block of granulated precursor by compressing a confined mass of granulated precursor particles with free flow at an effective pressure to form a substantially contiguous mass, wherein the granulated precursor includes sugar in substantially crystalline form and milk powder.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In this invention a mixture of free flowing particles composed of milk powder, granulated crystalline sugar, and chocolate liquor is subjected to compressive pressure to form a solid block. The solid block can be characterized as a substantially contiguous mass. The individual particles can be pure particles and / or mixtures of milk powder, sugar and chocolate liquors. The percentages are by weight unless specifically defined otherwise. The granulated precursor particles can be of any convenient size. Typically, the particles have an average particle size of about 20 μm in diameter to about 2000 μm in diameter. As described above, the density of the granulated precursor mass can change as a result of the compressive force.
For example, the bulk density of the granulated precursor particles is typically in the range of about 0.7 g / cc to about 0.9 g / cc. After compression, the bulk density can increase from about 1.4 g / cc to about 1.5 g / cc in the solid block. The granulated precursor mixture can include from about 20% by weight to about 38% by weight of milk powder, from about 40% by weight to about 70% by weight of sugar and optionally, but preferably, about 8% by weight. up to about 20% by weight of chocolate liquor. The milk powder can contain fat levels from about 0.5% by weight (skimmed milk powder) to about 75% by weight (for cream powder). An example contains 40% by weight of fat (for whole milk powder with high fat content). The sugar can be any convenient sugar such as, for example, sucrose, brown sugar, refined sugar, fructose, maltose, glucose, lactose, or any combination, which is substantially crystalline. With "substantially crystalline", it is meant that at least 50% by weight is in a crystalline phase, preferably more than 70% by weight, and more preferred more than 80% by weight is crystalline. In certain circumstances it may be desirable to subsequently add the chocolate liquor to the chocolate granules, but typically it is conveniently included in the granulated precursor mixture. The granulated precursor mixture may conveniently include other nutritive, flavoring carbohydrate sweeteners such as, for example, nut seeds, coffee, spices, salt or malted cereal extract and other forms of dairy ingredients and emulsifiers. Other nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners that can be added in minor amounts, in addition to the crystalline sugar component, include for example, sucrose, lactose, glucose, corn syrup solids, maltose and fructose. Other forms of dairy ingredients include, for example, skim milk, whole milk, whey solids, milk fat, butter and cream. Emulsifiers include, for example, lecithin obtained from plant sources such as soybeans, sunflower, corn, etc., fractionated lecithins rich in phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine or phosphatidylinositol or any combination thereof, monophosphate derivatives of mono- and diglyceride esters. / diacetyl tartaric acid of mono- and diglycerides (also known as PMD / DATEM), monosodium phosphate derivatives of mono- and diglycerides of edible fats or oils, sorbitan monostearate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, hydroxylated lecithin, acid esters fatty lactylate of glycerol and propylene glycol, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, sucrose esters, propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fatty acids and fats and the like. The compressive pressure should be above approximately 169 kg / cm2. It is advantageous that the compressive pressure is from about 211 kg / cm2 to about 492 kg / cm2. A small amount of moisture may be added to the granulated precursor mixture before subjecting the particulate mixture to compressive pressure. Up to about 6% by weight of water can be added, preferably up to about 4% by weight, more preferred up to about 2% by weight to the granulated precursor particles. When water is included in the granulated precursor mixture, the compressive pressure needed to form individual solid blocks may be less than the compressive pressure needed to form blocks from comparable mixtures of granulated precursor without added moisture. With the presence of moisture, the compressive pressure should be above 141 kg / cm2. It is advantageous if the compressive pressure is from about 141 kg / cm2 to about 352 kg / cm2 when water is included in amounts of about 1% to about 4% in the granulated precursor mixture. The solid block formed by the method of this invention can take any form, but is typically rhombic, orthohombic, cylindrical or cubic in shape. The blocks can be formed with any convenient device that can apply the desired pressure to the granulated precursor mixture within a defined space. Those skilled in the art can easily achieve such devices. The solid blocks formed by the method of this invention will generally have a volume greater than about 25 cm2, more preferred greater than 1000 cm2 and more preferred even greater than 5000 cm2. The compressive pressure can be applied at any convenient temperature as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.
Temperatures from about room temperature to about 50 ° C can be used without a damaging effect on the formed blocks. The compressive pressure must be applied for an effective duration of time easily determined by the person skilled in the art. Preferably, the granulated precursor particles are subjected to compressive pressure for at least 12 seconds. However, smaller amounts of granulated precursor can be conveniently subjected to compressive pressure for shorter periods, easily determined by the person skilled in the art. For example, quantities of 5 grams of granules were compressed for about one second to produce small size solid blocks in tablets according to this invention, using a block forming machine available from K.R. Komarek Co., Elk Grove Village Illinois. It is intended that the following examples be only an illustration of certain preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitation of the invention be implied.
EXAMPLE 1 A mixture of granulated precursor (19.78 kg) having about 32% by weight of whole milk powder, 60% granulated crystalline sugar and 8% by weight of chocolate liquor was subjected to pressure (457 kg / cm2) for 15 seconds to form a solid block having a dimension of approximately 25 cm x 25 cm x 30 cm.
EXAMPLE 2 A mixture of granulated precursor particles (5.45 kg) essentially the same as in Example 1 was subjected to a pressure of 316 kg / cm2 for 40 seconds to form a solid cylindrical block of 15.24 cm in diameter and 20.96 cm in height.
EXAMPLE 3 About 2% by weight of moisture was added to the mixture of precursor particles in granules described in Example 2 before compression. Blocks were formed from this mixture using a lower pressure than that used for the comparable blocks without added moisture. In this case, the mixture with 2% water added was subjected to 253 kg / cm2 for 20 seconds to form a solid cylindrical block of . 24 cm in diameter and 20.96 cm in height. Other variations and modifications of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after carefully studying this application. The invention should not be limited except as indicated in the following claims.

Claims (24)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS
1. A method for forming a solid block of granulated precursor by compressing a confined mass of free-flowing granular precursor particles at an effective pressure to form a substantially contiguous mass, characterized in that said granulated precursor includes sugar in substantially crystalline form and milk powder.
2. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said granulated precursor further includes chocolate liquor.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that said pressure is greater than about 211 kg / cm2.
4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that said pressure is from about 211 kg / cm2 to about 492 kg / cm2.
5. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said granulated precursor particles have an average particle size of about 20 μm to about 2000 μm.
6. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount less than about 6% by weight.
7. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount of less than about 4% by weight.
8. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount less than about 2% by weight.
9. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount of about 1% by weight to about 4% by weight, and said pressure is about 141 kg / cm2 to about 352 kg. / cm2.
10. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said milk powder includes milk fat from about 0.5% to about 75%.
11. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said granulated precursor further includes other nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, and other forms of dairy ingredients, emulsifiers and / or flavorings.
12. A solid block of granulated precursor prepared by the process of compressing a confined mass of free-flowing granular precursor particles at an effective pressure to form a substantially contiguous mass, characterized in that said granular precursor includes sugar in substantially crystalline form and milk powder.
13. The block according to claim 12, further characterized in that said granulated precursor further includes chocolate liquor.
14. The block according to claim 12 or 13, further characterized in that said pressure is greater than about 211 kg / cm2.
15. The block according to claim 12 or 13, further characterized in that said pressure is from about 211 kg / cm2 to about 492 kg / cm2.
16. The block according to claim 12, further characterized in that said granulated precursor particles have an average particle size from about 20 μm to about 2000 μm.
17. The block according to claim 12, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount of less than about 6% by weight.
18. The block according to claim 12, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount of less than about 4% by weight.
19. The block according to claim 12, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount less than about 2% by weight.
20. The block according to claim 12, further characterized in that said granulated precursor also includes water in an amount of about 1% by weight to about 4% by weight, and said pressure is from about 141 kg / cm2 to about 352 kg / cm2.
21. The block according to claim 12 or 13, further characterized in that said milk powder includes milk fat from about 0.5% by weight to about 75% by weight.
22. The block according to claim 12 or 13, further characterized in that said granulated precursor includes other nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, other forms of dairy ingredients, emulsifiers and / or flavorings.
23. A method for transporting the granulated precursor, said method comprising forming an individual solid block containing the granulated precursor and transporting the individual solid block.
24. The granulated precursor transport method according to claim 23, further characterized in that the individual solid block comprising the granulated precursor is formed from a multitude of granulated precursor particles and wherein the volumetric density of the solid block individual is greater than the volumetric density of the multitude of granulated precursor particles.
MXPA/A/2000/003724A 1999-04-14 2000-04-14 Method to process chocolate precursor particles into solid blocks MXPA00003724A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US09291002 1999-04-14

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
MXPA00003724A true MXPA00003724A (en) 2002-07-25

Family

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