OA11559A

OA11559A - Process for the preparation of a coffee surrogate.

Info

Publication number: OA11559A
Application number: OA1200000327A
Authority: OA
Inventors: Leon Cerise
Original assignee: Nestle Sa
Priority date: 1998-06-03
Filing date: 1999-05-19
Publication date: 2004-05-26
Also published as: JP2002536957A; AP2000001967A0; EP0965273A1; CN1304291A; WO1999062349A1; KR20010043175A

Abstract

Process for the preparation of a coffee surrogate, in which a mixture of de-fatted soya flour and water is heated under pressure, and the heating is prolonged so as to obtain a fluid coffee surrogate and its use as a flavouring agent.

Description

011559

Process for the préparation of a coffee surrogate

The présent invention relates to a process for the préparation of a coffeesurrogate. It also relates to the use of the coffee surrogate as a flavouring agent to 5 give coffee taste to beverages or confectionery and the compositions preparedtherefrom.

It has long been tried to dérivé molécules or products which can besubstituted for coffee in the préparation of beverages or confectionery or other 10 food products.

Numerous patents describe such surrogates. The US patent No. 1565736discloses a surrogate for coffee based on chicory, roasted barley, soybeans and acoffee aroma. Also, GB 2 046 076 describes a process for the préparation of a 15 product based on soybeans, in which the cotylédons are grilled then reduced to apowder which can be used as a replacement of cocoa, coffee and/or caramel inaromatized food products.

Patent WO 86/03943 describes a process for the préparation of a coffee 20 aroma based on soya flour which undergoes an enzymatic hydrolysis then anextraction after heating.

Patent EP 0585 632 describes a food product based on soybeans and theprocess for obtaining it in which the beans are coated with a glucidic component, 25 then roasted.

Ail these processes involve steps such as roasting, hydrolysis or othercomplex steps so that making use of them is cumbersome. 30 Soybeans are one of the components which may be used for the préparation of coffee surrogates, but they may also be used for other "aromas" such as, forexample, to imitate the taste of méat. It is also known that isolâtes of soya,thermally treated, undergo a thermolysis or a carbonization, which makes themunusable for the préparation of coffee surrogates. 35 011559

The présent invention aims to provide a simple process for preparing acoffee surrogate.

It has been suiprisingly found that de-fatted soya flour, treatedappropriately, develops a Maillard-type reaction which confers to the obtainedproduct, the bitter taste similar to that of coffee.

Accordingly, in the process according to the invention, a mixture of de-fatted soya flour and water is heated under pressure, and the heating is prolongedso as to obtain a fluid coffee surrogate.

To realize the présent invention, a mixture of de-fatted soya flour and wateris made in order to obtain a soya flour paste which may hâve between about 35and about 50% of dry matter. The soya may be used in the form of de-fatted flour,containing preferably between about 5 and about 10% of dry matter.

The soya flour paste is then heated under pressure, preferably in a twin-screw extrader, at a température of about 130 to about 180°C, during about 20-60seconds. The pressure may be of about 10 to about 40 MPa, for example.

The extruded soya paste is then maintained at a high température so as toobtain a fluid coffee surrogate. This treatment may consist in placing it in arétention vat, kept at a température preferably of about 150 to about 180°C and ata pressure of about 25 to 40 MPa, during about 20 to 80 minutes.

In order to hâve a continuous process, the twin-screw extrader may directlysupply the thermostatted rétention vat.

The fluid coffee surrogate obtained is mostly soluble, it can then be cooleddown on a tubular heat exchanger to a température of less than 100°C, forexample. It may then be dehydrated to powder form with a moisture content of 3to 5%, for example on a dispersion dryer.

The cooled fluid coffee surrogate may also be mixed with differentadditives in a mixer, such as for example, potassium hydroxide KOH at 0.5 to2.5% to increase its solubility, while bringing it to a pH of about 6 to 8. 011559

The coffee surrogate obtained has a bitter taste, similar to that of coffee. Itcan be used in numerous applications. It allows the realization of compositions forbeverages or for use in confectionery, in the latter case these compositions maythen be extruded in the form of pastilles, then dried if necessary.

To préparé such products, preferably 10 to 60% of coffee surrogate ismixed with: - sweeteners at 20 to 50% or, - maltodextrins at 10 to 90% or, - a cereal hydrolysate at 10 to 90% (for confectionery applications forexample) or, - a soya mille powder at 10 to 50%.

The following examples are given by way of illustration only and in no wayshould be construed as limiting the subject matter of the présent application.Percentages and parts are given by weight unless otherwise indicated.

Example 1

In a twin-screw extruder, a mixture is made of 40 kg of de-fatted soya flour and601 of water. The mixture is heated in the extruder at about 160°C during 20 sunder a pressure of 10 MPa. The extruder supplies a thermostatted rétention vatwhere the mixture is thermally treated at 160°C during 60 min under a pressure ofabout 25 MPa.

The product obtained is â fluid coffee surrogate, it is cooled on a tubular heatexchanger down to a température of about 96°C.

To increase the solubility, the coffee surrogate can be neutralized with potassiumhydroxide to a pH of 6.7 (approximately 2% of KOH by dry matter) in batch orcontinuously.

Example 2 011559

The fluid coffee surrogate obtained by the process described in example 1 is driedon a dispersion dryer up to a moisture content of 2%.

This gives the coffee surrogate in the form of a soluble powder for the préparationof beverages with a coffee taste. 5

To préparé one of these beverages, 2.4 g of this powder is mixed with 150 ml ofwater. A sugared beverage can also be obtained by mixing 1.57 g of this powderand 1.57 g of sugar with 150 ml of water.

The drink obtained has an agreeable bitter taste which is similar to that of coffee. 10

Example 3 A mixture is made of 18 g of fluid coffee surrogate obtained according to example 15 1 and 82 g of enzymatically hydrolyzed cereal. The resulting mixture contains approximately 90% of dry matter, it is extruded in the form of pastilles. Thesepastilles are then dried for approximately 10 mins at a température of 100°C.

These chewing pastilles hâve the typical bitter taste of coffee and are stable at 20 ambient température. In addition they hâve the quality of leaving no residues inthe mouth because they are 100% edible.

Example 4 25 . . 12g of coffee surrogate powder as obtained by the process described in example 1are added to aromatize a soya milk comprising 44 g of powdered soya extract and44 g of sugar. This powder mixture gives an instant beverage of soya aromatizedwith coffee taste when 10 g of the mixture is dispersed in 90 ml of water.

Claims

Claims 011559

1- Process for the préparation of a coffee surrogate in which a mixture of de-fattedsoya flour and water is heated under pressure, and the heating is prolonged so as 5 to obtain a fluid coffee surrogate.

2- Process according to claim 1 in which the mixture is heated at about 130-180°Cunder a pressure of about 10-40 MPa during about 20-60s.

3- Process according to claims 1 or 2, in which the mixture is heated under pressure in a twin-screw extrader.

4- Process according to any of claims 1 to 3, in which the heating is prolonged in avat kept at about 150 to about 180°C under a pressure of about 25 MPa to about 15 40 MPa during about 20 to about 80 minutes.

5- Process according to any of claims 1 to 4, in which the mixture of soya flourand of water has a dry matter of 35-50%.

6- Process according to any of claims 1 to 5, in which the fluid coffee surrogate is dehydrated to a moisture content of within the range of 3-5%.

7- Process according to any of claims 1 to 6, in which the fluid coffee surrogate isbrought to a pH of about 6 to 8. 25

8- Use of the fluid coffee surrogate obtained by the process according to any ofclaims 1 to 7 as a flavouring agent.

9- Composition for preparing a beverage, comprising 10-60% of coffee surrogate30 powder which may be obtained by the process according to any of claims 1 to 7, and 20 to 50% of sweetener, as well as 10-90% of maltodextrin, and/or 10-90% ofa cereal hydrolysate, and/or 10-50% of a soya milk powder.