WO1995025435A1

WO1995025435A1 - Process for preparing chocolate

Info

Publication number: WO1995025435A1
Application number: PCT/FI1995/000154
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christof Krüger; Dietmar Freund
Original assignee: Xyrofin Oy
Priority date: 1994-03-23
Filing date: 1995-03-23
Publication date: 1995-09-28
Also published as: DE19581587B4; DE19581587T1; JPH10500285A; FI95435C; FI95435B; FI941355A0; AU2074395A; CH690744A5

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for preparing chocolate, wherein a chocolate mass is prepared by a method comprising mixing, roller refining and conching steps, and wherein only part of the chocolate raw materials is conched, said part containing cocoa liquor and part of cocoa butter and, when milk chocolate is to be prepared, also ingredients derived from milk, and a sweetener or the major part thereof is added to the mass so obtained after the conching step.

Description

Process for preparing chocolate

The present invention relates to a process for preparing chocolate. In particular, the invention rel- ates to a process for preparing chocolate wherewith sig¬ nificant savings in energy are achieved over the prior art processes. The process of the invention yields a chocolate product having good taste properties and a soft mouth feel. The advantages achieved with the invention in energy consumption are particularly sig¬ nificant when the chocolate is prepared using sucrose as a sweetener, but they are considerable also when the sweetener is other than sucrose.

In this description and the appended claims, the term "sweetener" denotes a substance or mixture of sub¬ stances imparting both bulk and sweetness to the choc¬ olate product, and it may be sucrose or a sucrose sub¬ stitute, such as fructose, glucose, a sugar alcohol (e.g. xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, lactitol, maltitol, isomalt) or polydextrose or inulin together with a sugar alcohol and/or an intense sweetener (such as aspartame), or a mixture of these.

Basic processes for preparing chocolate and the effect of the different steps of the processes on the properties of the final product have been described, for instance, in Minifie, B. ., Chocolate, Cocoa and Confec¬ tionery, 2nd Edition, The AVI Publishing Company, Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1982, pp. 107-125, and in Ull- mannε Enzylclop&die der techniεchen Chemie, 4th Edition, Volume 20, Verlag Chemie, einheim, 1981, pp. 682-686.

In the most commonly used process for preparing chocolate, a base mass is formed of the chocolate raw materials (sweetener, cocoa liquor and part of the cocoa butter and, when milk chocolate is to be prepared, milk powder) by mixing and kneading them into a homogeneous, plastic mass. This base mass is processed further by roller refining, the main purpose of which is to dimin¬ ish the particle size, thereafter by mechanical heat treatment, i.e. conching, prior to or during which the remainder of the cocoa butter and the possible emulsi- fiers, flavours and intense sweeteners are added. During the conching the final taste of the chocolate is devel¬ oped and the desired consistency of the mass is achieved. The conching times required in such known methods are rather long, for example 16-24 h (cf. the above book by Minifie, p. 123), which will naturally significantly affect the energy costs and prolong the manufacturing process.

In the process known as the CMC process (Choc- olate liquor-Milk powder-Compounded process; cf. Indus¬ trial chocolate manufacture and use, p. 137), which has been known since c. 1980, off-flavours and moisture are removed from cocoa liquor/milk powder mixes in a Petzo- mate apparatus in which the mass is sprayed downwards in a thin film into a stream of hot air rising upwards.

The object of the present invention is a process by which a chocolate product having good organoleptic properties and texture is obtained while significant savings in time and energy are achieved over the methods previously employed.

These objects are achieved with the process of the invention, wherein only part of the chocolate mass raw materials is mixed, roller refined and conched. This part contains the cocoa liquor and part of the cocoa butter, possibly part of the emulsifier (which is usually lecithin) and, when milk chocolate is to be prepared, also the ingredients derived from milk, and its percentage in the total ingredients of the chocolate mass is about 30-60%, preferably 40-55%. Separate from said first part, another part of the raw materials, i.e. the sweetener or the major part thereof, part of the cocoa butter, the possible flavourings (e.g. vanillin, hazelnut paste) and a small quantity of an emulsifier, is mixed and roller refined; this latter part is not conched. This roller-refined part of the mass is mixed with the conched part of the mass together with the remainder of the cocoa butter and emulsifier and the possible intense sweetener. The roller refining of the mixture containing the sweetener or the major part thereof may be performed in one step when a milled sweetener is employed or in two steps when a crystalline sweetener is employed. If an ultra-fine sweetener (particle size < about 20 μ) is employed, this roller refining step is not needed. The conching can be performed in the conventional manner. It was found that conching in a Petzholdt conche (moving and spraying of mass) at 60-65° C for 16-18 hours removed off-flavours from the cocoa liquor and moisture from full cream and skimmed milk powders. The mixing of the roller-refined and conched part of mass into the remainder of the raw materials can be performed in apparatus generally used in the art, e.g. in a Petzholdt conche or in a Stephan mixer.

In the process of the invention, only about 30- 60%, preferably about 40-55% of the total ingredients is conched. This entails considerable savings in time and energy, since even though the conching time is the same as in the conventional method (for example 8-18 h), twice the necessary amount can be conched in the same time. The quantities of mass to be roller refined (unless an ultra-fine sweetener is used) are the same as in the conventional process; in the process of the invention the ingredients are only roller refined separately in two parts. The time taken up by the final mixing wherein the conched quantity of mass, the quantity of mass that has been only roller refined and the remainder of the raw materials are admixed, is very short in comparison with the conching time.

If it is considered that the presence of cocoa liquor constituents in the roller refining step of the sweetener is preferable for example for reasons of taste, the conched mass portion can be added to the mixture of sweetener and cocoa butter prior to the roller refining thereof. Also this process variant is within the scope of the present invention. Likewise, the invention comprises a process variant in which part of the sweetener is mixed with the ingredients comprising the cocoa liquor, which are to be roller refined and conched. In addition to the savings in energy consumption and production time referred to above, the advantages of the invention include - with the use of special sweet¬ eners (e.g. fructose or lactitol or polydextrose or inulin which are used in the production of reduced- calorie chocolate together with an intense sweetener) - avoiding of agglomerate formation which often attends these sweeteners and which renders the chocolate mass gritty and the chocolate prepared therefrom to have an unpleasantly coarse mouth feel. The process of the in- vention yields a smooth chocolate having a soft mouth feel also when special sweeteners are used.

The invention will be illustrated more closely by means of the following examples, which are in no way intended to restrict the scope of the invention. Example 1

Preparation of sucrose chocolate

A chocolate mass was prepared from the following ingredients (percentages indicated as per cent by weight on the total mass) : Ingredient %

Cocoa liquor 12.00

Cocoa butter 23.00

Sucrose 45.50 Full cream milk powder 18.00 Hazelnut paste 1.00

Lecithin 0.30

Vanilla paste 0.20

The cocoa liquor, milk powder and part of th cocoa butter, about 40% of the total ingredients, wer mixed, roller refined and conched. About 56% of th ingredients (sucrose, part of the cocoa butter, vanill paste, hazelnut paste) were only mixed and rolle refined, and this quantity of mass was added togethe with the remaining ingredients (about 4%) to the conche quantity of mass. The savings in time and costs of th energy-consuming conche process in comparison with th methods previously employed were considerable.

The chocolate prepared from the resultant choc olate mass by conventional means was pleasant in organo leptic properties and texture.

Example 2

Preparation of fructose chocolate

A chocolate mass was prepared from the followin ingredients (percentages indicated as per cent by weigh on the total mass):

Ingredient %

Cocoa liquor 12.00

Cocoa butter 23.00

Fructose 33.00

Full cream milk powder 19.00

Skimmed milk powder 11.48

Hazelnut paste 1.00

Lecithin 0.50

Vanillin 0.02 The cocoa liquor, milk powders and part of the cocoa butter, in all 51.53% of the total ingredients, were mixed, roller refined and conched; conching conditions: 60-65°C, 16-18 hours, Petzholdt conche. The fructose, part of the cocoa butter, a small quantity of the lecithin, vanillin and hazelnut paste, in all 42.32% of the total ingredients, were mixed and roller refined. The quantities of mass obtained and the remaining ingredients (6.15% of the total amount) were mixed in the Petzholdt conche (mixing time < 1 h).

The resultant chocolate mass was tempered and cast into moulds in the conventional manner. The choc¬ olate produced was pleasant in organoleptic properties and texture. Example 3

Preparation of lactitol chocolate

Example 2 was repeated, but instead of fructose lactitol (32.95%) was used, and aspartame (0.05%) was added in the last mixing step which in this case was performed in a Stephan mixer.

The product corresponded in its quality to the product of Example 2.

Claims

Claims:

1. A process for preparing chocolate, wherein a chocolate mass is prepared by a method comprising mixing, roller refining and conching steps, and wherein chocolate is prepared of the obtained mass in a manner known per se, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that only part of the chocolate raw materials is conched, said part containing cocoa liquor and part of cocoa butter and, when milk chocolate is to be prepared, also ingredients derived from milk, and a sweetener or the major part thereof is added to the mass so obtained after the conching step.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, c h a r - a c t e r i z e d in that part of the chocolate raw materials, comprising the cocoa liquor, part of the cocoa butter, possibly a small quantity of lecithin and, when milk chocolate is to be prepared, milk powder, is mixed, roller refined and conched; separate therefrom, part of the ingredients, comprising the sweetener and part of the cocoa butter and possible flavourings and a small quantity of lecithin, is mixed and roller refined; the two quantities of mass so obtained and the remaining ingredients are admixed and a chocolate product is formed of the mass in a manner known per se.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that part of the chocolate raw materials, comprising the cocoa liquor, part of the cocoa butter, possibly a small quantity of lecithin and, when milk chocolate is to be prepared, milk powder, is mixed, roller refined and conched; the mass so obtained or part thereof is mixed with a mixture of the sweet¬ ener, part of the cocoa butter and possibly flavourings and lecithin; the mixture so obtained is roller refined, and the remaining ingredients are mixed with the res- ultant mass, and a chocolate product is formed of the mass in a manner known per se.

4. A process as claimed in any one of the pre¬ ceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the part to be conched comprises about 30-60% by weight of the total amount of chocolate mass to be prepared.

5. A process as claimed in any one of the pre¬ ceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the conching is performed at a temperature 40-80°C.

6. A process as claimed in claim 5, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that milk chocolate is prepared and conching is performed at a temperature 60-65°C.

7. A process as claimed in claim 5, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that dark chocolate is prepared and conching is performed at a temperature 65-75°C.

8. A process as claimed in any one of the pre¬ ceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that vanillin is added as a flavouring.

9. A process as claimed in any one of the pre- ceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the sweetener is selected from a group consisting of sucrose, fructose and sugar alcohols.

10. A process as claimed in claim 9, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that sucrose is employed as the sweetener.

11. A process as claimed in claim 9, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that fructose is employed as the sweetener.

12. A process as claimed in claim 9, c h a r - a c t e r i z e d in that lactitol is employed as the sweetener.

13. A process as claimed in claim 12, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that an intense sweetener, preferably aspartame, is added to the mass in the last mixing step.