WO2018224546A1

WO2018224546A1 - Confectionery product

Info

Publication number: WO2018224546A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/064892
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marina DUPAS-LANGLET; Vincent Daniel Maurice MEUNIER; Andrew Steven WHITEHOUSE; Rodolfo De Acutis; Julien Philippe Nicolas MAHIEUX; Laurent FORNY
Original assignee: Nestec S.A.
Priority date: 2017-06-07
Filing date: 2018-06-06
Publication date: 2018-12-13
Also published as: EP3634140A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to confectionery products, in particular to confectionery products having a filling comprising porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase. Further aspects of the invention relate to a process for manufacturing a confectionery product and a fat-based confectionery product having an enhanced sweetness perception.

Description

Confectionery product Field of the invention

The present invention relates to confectionery products, in particular to confectionery products having a filling comprising porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase. Further aspects of the invention relate to a process for manufacturing a confectionery product and a confectionery product having an enhanced sweetness perception.

Background of the invention

The increasing interest in reduced sugar intake in the diet by health conscious consumers has led to a strong demand for food products with lower sugars. Sugar, however, is a key food ingredient that, in addition to imparting natural sweetness to food products, also functions to provide bulk and therefore plays a significant role in the structure, volume and mouthfeel of the finished food product.

One approach to reduce sugar in food products is to use high intensity sweeteners to replace natural sugar. This is very successful in beverage products, where water provides the bulk of the product, and where the viscosity and mouthfeel of the beverage is largely unchanged by the substitution. However, food products such as confectionery are highly structured systems, maintained by physical-chemical interactions and each ingredient is important. The suppression or the change of one component can have a huge impact on the structure, the stability, the nutritional properties, the texture and the taste. Not just the sweetening role of sugar needs to be replaced, but also its role in providing bulk, and interacting with the other ingredients.

Replacing or reducing sugar in confectionery products such as chocolate products usually negatively impacts the flavour and texture. For instance, sugar replacers may be slower in onset of the sweetness perception and longer in duration compared to natural sugar and so therefore change the taste balance of a food composition. In addition sugar replacers may not deliver as sweet a taste as natural sugar and may also exhibit, metallic, cooling, astringent, liquorice-like, and bitter after tastes. Milk ingredients are well perceived by consumers and at least some of the sugar in confectionery products may be replaced with milk powder. However, as well as leading to a reduction in sweetness when used to replace sugar, high levels of milk powder lead to undesirable powdery and sticky textures

With respect to filings for chocolate products it is a big challenge to replace the sucrose content of fillings while keeping sweetness, organoleptic requirements such as mouthfeel, taste and smell, texture, body, processibility (for example laminating, extruding , depositing, moulding and enrobing), hygroscopic characteristics and viscosity at least similar or improved compared to conventional sucrose containing fillings.

There thus remains the problem of providing low calorie or reduced sugar versions of confectionery products without having a detrimental impact on the sweetness perception and/or any of the above associated problems of the prior art solutions.

Furthermore there remains a need to provide reduced sugar confectionery products that contain ingredients familiar to consumers.

There thus exists a need to solve one or more of the above mentioned problems. Any reference to prior art documents in this specification is not to be considered an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field. As used in this specification, the words "comprises", "comprising", and similar words, are not to be interpreted in an exclusive or exhaustive sense. In other words, they are intended to mean "including, but not limited to". Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to improve the state of the art and to provide an improved solution to overcome at least some of the inconveniences described above or at least to provide a useful alternative. An object of the present invention to ameliorate at least one disadvantage of reduced sugar confectionery products and to find alternatives to confectionery products containing artificial sweeteners. In particular, to provide confectionery products with reduced sugar levels and high milk levels, but with a good texture. The object of the present invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims further develop the idea of the present invention.

Accordingly the present invention provides in a first aspect a confectionery product comprising an outer layer and a filling, wherein the outer layer has a wall thickness of between 0.1 and 6 mm, and the filling comprises porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase comprising a sweetener, a bulking agent and optionally a surfactant.

In a further aspect the invention provides a process of making a confectionery product comprising the steps of subjecting a mixture comprising sweetener, bulking agent and surfactant to high pressure;

adding gas to the mixture;

drying the mixture to form porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase; mixing the porous particles with fat and optionally ingredients selected from the group consisting of milk powder, cocoa powder, crystalline sugar, soluble fibre, lecithin and combinations of these to form a filling composition;

refining at least part of the filling composition to reduce the particle size of at least one of its components;

providing a mould, the interior surface of the mould coated with a fat based confectionery material;

depositing the filling composition in the mould;

applying further fat-based confectionery material to cover the filling composition; cooling the filled mould to solidify the fat-based confectionery material and form a shell-moulded confectionery product; and

removing the shell-moulded confectionery product from the mould. In a further aspect, the invention provides a fat based confectionery product having the same sweetness as a control fat based confectionery product, the control having a sugar content between 20 and 45 %, but wherein the sugar content has been reduced by at least 20 % compared to the control, and wherein the fat based confectionery product contains no mono, di or tri -saccharides apart from sucrose or lactose and contains no sugar alcohols or high intensity sweeteners or additives.

It has been surprisingly found by the inventors that by preparing a confectionery product using amorphous porous particles comprising a sweetener and bulking agent, the overall level of sweetener (e.g. sucrose) can be reduced without having a detrimental effect on the sweetness of the confectionery product. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that porous particles comprising sweetener (for example sucrose) in the amorphous state and having porosity (particularly internal closed porosity) provide a material which dissolves more rapidly than crystalline sugar particles of a similar size. This rapid dissolution in the oral cavity when consumed leads to an enhanced sweetness perception and ensures that more of the sugar is dissolved and reaches the tongue rather than being swallowed untasted. Thus, the porous particles provide a reduction of sugar content without the need to use artificial sweeteners (for example high-intensity sweeteners) and/or without the need to use materials such as silica or cellulose.

Furthermore, it has been found that when milk powders are used to formulate the amorphous porous particles comprising sweetener, higher levels of milk powder may be incorporated into the confectionery product without undesirable textural changes. This is also believed to be due to the rapid dissolution of the amorphous porous particles. Advantageously there is provided according to the invention a reduced sugar fat based confectionery product having reduced sugar and high milk content. In has been further found by the inventors that by adding soluble fibre to the filling compositions not only is further sugar reduction achieved , it enables better particle size control and better processibility in handling the filling composition.

The sweetness perception of the confectionery product may be further enhanced by designing the product so that the component of the product which is tasted first by the consumer is sweeter than the rest of the product. Initial taste delivery is the main driver for overall taste perception, so by delivering a sweet material first into the consumer's mouth, the overall sweetener content of the product may be reduced without the overall product being perceived as less sweet. Similarly, a powdery or sticky texture in the centre of a confectionery product is less noticeable if the outer layer of the product is smooth and melting in texture.

Brief description of the drawings

Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the description of the presently preferred embodiments which are set out below with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a scanning electron micrograph of a sample of the skimmed milk and sucrose amorphous porous particles formed by example 1 b the particle has been fractured during preparation

Figure 2 is a plot of glass transition temperature (Tg/ °C) versus sucrose content for amorphous porous particles of sucrose and skimmed milk powder at 25 °C and a water activity of 0.1 .

Figure 3 is a plot of dissolution (%) (vertical axis) versus time (s) (horizontal axis) for porous amorphous powders with different compositions.

Figure 4 is a plot of dissolution (%) (vertical axis) versus time (s) (horizontal axis) for amorphous powders with different levels of closed porosity.

Figure 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d are synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy images for amorphous powders.

Figure 6 shows a cryo-scanning electron microscopy image of agglomerated amorphous porous particles made according to the present invention. Figure 7 shows a cryo-scanning electron microscopy image of non-agglomerated amorphous porous particles which have not been refined according to the present invention

Figure 8 shows a microscopic image transmitted in light of the filling composition according to the present invention comprising the porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase and having been fractured during preparation Figure 9 is image of a moulded fat based confectionery product according the present invention Detailed Description of the invention

Consequently the present invention relates in part to a confectionery product comprising (for example consisting of) an outer layer and a filling, the outer layer comprising a sweetener and having a thickness between 0.1 and 6 mm (for example between 0.5 mm and 4 mm, for further example between 1 mm and 3.5 mm), the filling comprising porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase comprising a sweetener, a bulking agent and optionally a surfactant. The outer layer may cover at least 60% of the surface of the confectionery product, for example the outer layer may cover all the surface of the confectionery product. The sweetener comprised within the outer layer and the amorphous continuous phase of the particles may be the same, for example they may both be sucrose.

The confectionery product may be a fat-based confectionery product. In the present invention the term 'fat-based confectionery product' is to be understood as meaning a confectionery product which comprises chocolate or chocolate-like material, or fat- continuous filling material. The confectionery product may comprise a chocolate-like centre (or filling) with a panned sugar shell (or outer layer).

In an embodiment, the outer layer of the confectionery product of the invention comprises (for example consists of) a fat continuous confectionery material such as chocolate or chocolate-like material. The confectionery product may be a shell-moulded product, for example where the outer layer is formed first in a mould and then filled with the filling, or the confectionery product may be an enrobed product, where the filling is formed first and then coated in liquid chocolate. The outer layer may comprise between 10 and 60 wt.% (for example between 30 and 50 wt.%) of the confectionery product and the filling may comprise between 40 and 90 wt.% (for example between 50 and 70 wt.%) of the confectionery product. The outer layer of the confectionery product of the invention may comprise chocolate or chocolate-like material such as tempered or non-tempered, dark, white or milk chocolate or compound coating. For a shell-moulded product, the composition of the material used for backing-off (usually forming the base of the finished product) may be different from the material of the shell. For example, the back may be a white chocolate while the shell is a milk chocolate.

The invention also encompasses varied possibilities of decorating the confectionery product, for instance the receiving surface of the shell product may comprise graphic patterns or surface inclusions (for example, sugar-panned chocolate lentil shapes such as Smarties® chocolates). Thus the exterior of the shell may be imparted with a design to enhance premium appearance and increase consumer appeal. The shell design may be created as a result of features (shapes, letters, etc) incorporated into the mould.

Porous particles comprising an amorphous continuous phase may be present in the filling at a level of between 2 and 40 wt.%, for example between 5 and 35 wt.%, for further example between 10 and 30 wt.%.

In an embodiment, porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase comprising a sweetener, a bulking agent and optionally a surfactant may also be present in the outer layer. According to the present invention the term 'amorphous' as used herein is defined as being a glassy solid, essentially free of crystalline material.

According to the present invention the term glass transition temperature (Tg) as used herein is to be interpreted as is commonly understood, as the temperature at which an amorphous solid becomes soft upon heating. The glass transition temperature is always lower than the melting temperature (Tm) of the crystalline state of the material. An amorphous material can therefore be conventionally characterised by a glass transition temperature, denoted Tg. A material is in the form of an amorphous solid (a glass) when it is below its glass transition temperature.

Several techniques can be used to measure the glass transition temperature and any available or appropriate technique can be used, including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) In an embodiment of the present invention the amorphous continuous phase of the porous particles is characterised as having a glass transition temperature of 40°C or higher, for example 50°C or higher and for further example 60°C or higher.

According to the present invention the term porous as used herein is defined as having multiple small pores, voids or interstices, for example of such a size to allow air or liquid to pass through. In the context of the present invention porous is also used to describe the aerated nature of the particles of the present invention.

In the present invention the term porosity as used herein is defined as a measure of the empty spaces (or voids or pores) in a material and is a ratio of the volume of voids to total volume of the mass of the material between 0 and 1 , or as a percentage between 0 and 100%

Porosity can be measured by means known in the art. For instance, the particle porosity can be measured by the following equation:

Porosity= Vp-Vcm/Vp x 100 wherein Vp is the Volume of the particle and Vcm is the volume of the matrix or bulk material.

According to the present invention the term closed or internal porosity as used herein refers in general terms to the total amount of void or space that is trapped within the solid. As can be seen in figure 1 , fragmented amorphous porous particles of the present invention show the internal micro structure wherein the voids or pores are not connected to the outside surface of the said particles. In the present invention the term closed porosity is further defined as the ratio of the volume of closed voids or pores to the particle volume.

Increasing the porosity of the particles increases their dissolution speed in water. This increased dissolution speed enhances the sweetness impact of the particles. However, increasing the porosity of the particles also increases their fragility. It is advantageous that the porous particles according to the present invention exhibit closed porosity. Particles with closed porosity, especially those with many small spherical pores, are more robust than particles with open pores, as the spherical shapes with complete walls distribute any applied load evenly. When added to a filling with a fat-continuous phase, closed porosity has a further advantage over open porosity in that fat does not penetrate inside the particle. This penetration inside the particles would reduce the "free" fat available to coat all the particles in the composition and lead to an increase in viscosity.

The porous particles comprised within the food composition of the invention may have a closed porosity of between 10 to 80%, for example between 15 and 70 %, for further example between 20 and 60%.

The porous particles according to the invention may have a normalized specific surface of between 0.10 and 0.18 nr¹, for example between 0.12 and 0.17 nr¹. The porous particles according to the invention may have a normalized specific surface of between 0.10 and 0.18 nr¹ (for example between 0.12 and 0.17 nr¹) and a particle size distribution D90 of between 30 and 140 microns (for example between 40 and 90 microns).

interstitial surface area of pores + external surface area of material

Normalized specific surface = — _{; ;}

solid volume of material

According to the present invention the term density is the mass per unit volume of a material. For porous powder, three terms are commonly used; apparent density, tap density and absolute density. Apparent density (or envelope density) is the mass per unit volume wherein pore spaces within particles are included in the volume. Tap density (or bulk density) is the density obtained from filling a container with the sample material and vibrating it to obtain near optimum packing. Tap density includes inter-particle voids in the volume whereas apparent density does not. In absolute density (or matrix density), the volume used in the density calculation excludes both pores and void spaces between particles.

In an embodiment of the present invention the porous particles according to the composition of the present invention have an apparent density of between 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm³, for example between 0.5 and 1 .0 g/cm³, for further example between 0.6 and 0.9 g/cm³.

As previously described, the amorphous and porous nature of the particles leads to faster dissolution in the mouth. This not only enhances sweetness impact but is believed to make the particles less easily detected by the tongue and palate. Advantageously the highly porous and amorphous nature of the particles of the present invention provides an enhanced sweetness and attractive mouthfeel, particularly improving the mouthfeel of confectionery products with high milk levels, where milk powder may be comprised within the porous particles.

The D90 value is a common method of describing a particle size distribution. The D90 is the diameter where 90 % of the mass of the particles in the sample have a diameter below that value. In the context of the present invention the D90 by mass is equivalent to the D90 by volume. The D90 value may be measured for example by a laser light scattering particle size analyser. Other measurement techniques for particle size distribution may be used depending on the nature of the sample. For example, the D90 value of powders may conveniently be measured by digital image analysis (such as using a Camsizer XT) while the D90 value of particles comprised within a fat continuous material such as chocolate may be measured by laser light scattering.

The porous particles comprised within the composition of the present invention may have a particle size distribution D90 below 450 microns, for example below 140 microns, for further example between 30 and 140 microns. The porous particles comprised within the beverage powder of the invention may have a particle size distribution D90 of less than 90 microns, for example less than 80 microns, for further example less than 70 microns. The porous particles comprised within the beverage powder of the invention may have a particle size distribution D90 of between 40 and 90 microns, for example between 50 and 80 microns.

The porous particles comprised within the composition of the present invention may be approximately spherical, for example they may have a sphericity of between 0.8 and 1. Alternatively, the particles may be non-spherical, for example they may have been refined, for example by roll refining.

The porous particles comprised within the composition of the present invention may be obtained by foam drying, freeze drying, tray drying, fluid bed drying and the like. Preferably the porous particles are obtained by spray drying with pressurized gas injection.

The spray in a spray drier produces droplets that are approximately spherical and can be dried to form approximately spherical particles. However, spray driers are typically set to produce agglomerated particles, as agglomerated powders provide advantages as ingredients in terms of flowability and lower dustiness, for example an open top spray drier with secondary air recirculation will trigger particle agglomeration. The agglomerated particles may have a particle size distribution D90 of between 120 and 450 μηη. The size of spray-dried particles with or without agglomeration may be increased by increasing the aperture size of the spray-drying nozzle (assuming the spray-drier is of sufficient size to remove the moisture from the larger particles). The porous particles comprised within the composition of the invention may comprise un-agglomerated particles, for example at least 80 wt.% of the amorphous porous particles comprised within the composition of the invention may be un-agglomerated particles. The porous particles comprised within the composition of the invention may be agglomerated particles which have been refined.

Advantageously, the harsh processing conditions of confectionery manufacture such as refining of fat-based confectionery materials does not destroy the porosity of the particles of the present invention, for example the particle size of agglomerated particles described above could be reduced by roller refining whilst still retaining much of their original closed porosity. For example, after refining the particles may retain at least 20 %, 30 %, 40 % or 50 % of their initial closed porosity, for further example the particles after refining may have a closed porosity between 20 and 60%.

When formed into agglomerates, the agglomerated particles generally retain convex rounded surfaces composed of the surfaces of individual spherical particles. Refining spherical or agglomerated spherical particles causes fractures in the particles which leads to the formation of non-rounded surfaces. The refined particles according to an embodiment of the invention may have less than 70 % of their surface being convex, for example less than 50 %, for further example less than 25 %.

After refining, less than 30 % of the particles may be substantially spherical, for example less than 20 % may be substantially spherical, for example less than 10 % may be substantially spherical, for example less than 5 % may be substantially spherical, for example essentially none of the particles may be substantially spherical. According to the present invention the term sphericity as used herein refers to in conventional terms a measure of how spherical (round) an object is. In the context of the present invention sphericity refer to the sphericity of the particles and is defined as

Sphericity = 4πΑ/Ρ² wherein A is defined as the measured area covered by a particle projection and P is the measured perimeter of a particle projection. For instance, an ideal sphere would have an expected the sphericity of 1. It is to be commonly understood however that a high degree of sphericity can still be achieved with values less than 1 . For example a value between 0.6 and 1 for an object or particle would be considered substantially spherical.

Imaging experiments show clearly that the porous particles comprised within the filing according to the present invention retain significant porosity after preparation steps.

The use of spherical particles in a fat-continuous system allows a lower fat contents to be used without increasing viscosity. Spherical particles allow higher packing fractions than irregularly shaped particles due to reduced steric interactions between the particles. For the same particle-size distribution and fat content, spherical particles provide a smoother mouth-feel. However, even when refined, the porous amorphous particles according to the composition of the invention dissolve rapidly and so are less noticeable in the mouth than the equivalently sized crystalline material.

The porous particles comprised within the composition of the invention may comprise sweetener, bulking agent and surfactant, all distributed throughout the continuous solid phase of the particles. Higher concentrations of surfactant may be present at the gas interfaces than in the rest of the continuous phase, but the surfactant is in the continuous phase inside the particles, not just coated onto the exterior. For example, the surfactant may be present in the interior of the particles according to the composition of the invention.

According to the present invention the term sweetener as used herein refers to substance which provides a sweet taste. The sweetener may be a sugar, for example a mono, di or oligo-saccharide. The sweetener may be selected from the group consisting of sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, allulose, maltose, high dextrose equivalent hydrolysed starch syrup, xylose, and combinations thereof. Accordingly, the sweetener comprised within the amorphous porous particles according to the invention may be selected from the group consisting of sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, allulose, maltose, high dextrose equivalent hydrolysed starch syrup xylose, and any combinations thereof. The sweetener may be sucrose. In an embodiment the porous particles according to the present invention comprise sweetener (for example sucrose) in the amount of 5 to 70%, for example 10 to 50%, for further example 30 to 50%.

In one preferred embodiment the porous particles according to this invention comprise at least 70% sweetener (for example sucrose). According to the present invention the term bulking agent refers to a food ingredient that increases food volume or weight without significantly impacting flavour. The bulking agent according to the present invention may be a material which increases food volume or weight without impacting the utility or functionality of a food. In an embodiment of the present invention, the bulking agents of the present invention are low or non-calorific additives which impart bulk and provide advantageously healthier alternatives to for example sucrose. The bulking agent may be a biopolymer, for example a sugar alcohol, saccharide oligomer or polysaccharide. In an embodiment, the bulking agent may be a sugar alcohol, saccharide oligomer or polysaccharide which is less sweet than crystalline sucrose on a weight basis.

In an embodiment, the porous particles according to the present invention comprise a bulking agent in the amount of 5 to 70%, for example 10 to 40%, for further example 10 to 30%, for still further example 40 to 70%.

In one embodiment, the porous particles of the present invention comprise 10 to 25% of the bulking agent.

According to the present invention the bulking agent may be selected from the group consisting of sugar alcohols (for example isomalt, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythritol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates), lactose, maltose, fructo-oligosaccharides, alpha glucans, beta glucans, starch (including modified starch), natural gums, dietary fibres (including both insoluble and soluble fibres), polydextrose, methylcellulose, maltodextrins, inulin, dextrins such as soluble wheat or corn dextrin (for example Nutriose®), soluble fibre such as Promitor® and any combination thereof.

In an embodiment of the present invention the bulking agent may be selected from the group consisting of lactose, maltose, maltodextrins, soluble wheat or corn dextrin (for example Nutriose®), polydextrose, soluble fibre such as Promitor® and any combinations thereof.

The porous particles according to the invention may have a moisture content between 0.5 and 6 wt.%, for example between 1 and 5 wt.%, for further example between 1 .5 and 3 wt.%.

The surfactant comprised within the particles according to the composition of the invention aids the formation of porosity, in particular closed porosity. In an embodiment, the amorphous porous particles of the present invention comprise a surfactant in the amount of 0.5 to 15 wt.%, for example 1 to 10 wt.%, for further example 1 to 5 wt.%, for further example 1 to 3 wt.%.

According to the present invention the surfactant may be selected from the group consisting of lecithin, milk proteins, non-dairy proteins and combinations thereof.

In an embodiment of the present invention the surfactant may be sodium caseinate or lecithin.

In embodiments of the invention where the amorphous continuous phase does not comprise a surfactant, the amorphous continuous phase may comprise another type of colloid stabilizer, for example particles providing Pickering stabilization.

In embodiments according to the present invention wherein the bulking agent is derived from milk powder such as skimmed milk powder, sodium caseinate is inherently present. In embodiments according to the present invention wherein the bulking agent is whey powder, whey protein is inherently present. The surfactant according to the composition of the invention may be a non-dairy protein. In the context of the present invention the term "non-dairy proteins" refers to proteins that are not found in bovine milk. The primary proteins in bovine milk are caseins and whey proteins. Some consumers desire to avoid milk proteins in their diets, for example they may suffer from milk protein intolerance or milk allergy and so it is advantageous to be able to offer food products free from dairy proteins. The non-dairy protein comprised within the particles of the invention may act as a surfactant, promoting the formation of a porous structure within the particles and stabilising the structure during processing. The non-dairy protein may enhance the formation of particles with closed porosity, in particular multiple internal pores which are spherical or nearly spherical in shape and are resistant to being ruptured during processing of the particles. The non-dairy protein comprised within the particles of the invention may be selected from the group consisting of pea proteins, potato proteins, almond proteins, hazelnut proteins, wheat gluten, oat protein, egg albumin proteins (for example ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, ovomucoid, ovoglobulin, ovomucin and/or lysozyme), clupeine, soy proteins, tomato proteins, Brassicaceae seed protein and combinations of these. For example the non-dairy protein comprised within the particles of the invention may be selected from the group consisting of pea proteins, almond proteins, wheat gluten, soy proteins, and combinations of these.

In an embodiment, the porous particles according to the present invention comprise a non- dairy protein in the amount of 0.5 to 15%, preferably 1 to 10%, more preferably 1 to 5%, even more preferentially 1 to 3%.

The porous particles of the invention may be coated, for example they may be coated in a thin layer of fat such as cocoa butter. A thin layer of fat further enhances the stability of the particles during transport and storage.

The porous nature of the particles of the invention may lead to them being lighter in colour than solid crystalline materials such as sucrose crystals. This can be counteracted by the addition of opaque or coloured materials. The porous particles according to the invention may comprise coloured ingredients, for example caramelized sugars or permitted food colours, for example natural food colours.

The amorphous continuous phase of the porous particles comprised within the confectionery product of the invention may comprise (for example consist on a dry basis of) sucrose and milk, the sucrose being present at a level of at least 10 wt.% in the particles. Providing milk in a confectionery product as a component of the amorphous phase of the porous particles allows a higher level of milk to be added without undesirable textural impact. The ratio of sucrose to milk may be between 0.5 to 1 and 2.5 to 1 on a dry weight basis, for example between 0.1 to 1 and 1 .5 to 1 on a dry weight basis. The milk may be skimmed milk. The skimmed milk may have a fat content below 1 .5 wt.% on a dry weight basis, for example below 1.2 wt.%. The components of skimmed milk may be provided individually and combined with sucrose, for example the amorphous continuous phase of the porous particles of the invention may comprise sucrose, lactose, casein and whey protein. The amorphous continuous phase of the porous particles comprised within the confectionery product of the invention may comprise (for example consist on a dry basis of) sucrose and whey (for example sweet whey), the sucrose being present at a level of at least 10 wt.% in the particles. Sucrose and milk (or milk components) provide an amorphous continuous phase which has good stability against recrystallization without necessarily requiring the addition of reducing sugars or polymers. For example the porous particles of the invention may be free from reducing sugars (for example fructose, glucose or other saccharides with a dextrose equivalent value. The dextrose equivalent value may for example be measured by the Lane-Eynon method). For example the amorphous continuous phase of the porous particles may be free from reducing sugars. For further example the porous particles of the invention (for example the amorphous continuous phase of the particles) may be free from oligo- or polysaccharides having a three or more saccharide units, for example maltodextrin or starch.

The confectionery product of the invention may be free from ingredients not commonly used by consumers when preparing food in their own kitchen. For example, the porous particles of the present invention may consist of so-called "kitchen cupboard" ingredients. In an embodiment of the composition of the invention where the amorphous continuous phase of the particles comprises (for example consists on a dry basis of) sucrose and skimmed milk, increasing the proportion of skimmed milk to sucrose reduces the amount of sucrose in the overall composition. This can be advantageous, as many consumers would welcome a good tasting filing or spread with reduced sugar, and appreciate a high milk content. Reducing the proportion of sucrose in the particles reduces their sweetness directly, but it also reduces the dissolution speed of the particles which further reduces sweetness impact in the mouth. However, by increasing the porosity of the particles, in particular the closed porosity of the particles, the dissolution speed can be increased so counteracting the reduction of sweetness. In an embodiment, the outer layer of the confectionery product is sweeter than the filling. This increases the initial taste delivery, allowing the overall sweetener content of the product to be reduced without the overall product being perceived as less sweet. The outer layer material may be sweeter on an equal volume basis with the filling, or on an equal mass basis. The volume fraction of sweetener (for example sucrose) in the outer layer may be greater than the volume fraction of sweetener (for example sucrose) in the filling.

In an embodiment, the filling according to the invention comprises soluble fibre. The soluble fibre may for example be Promitor® from Tate & Lyle, or Nutriose® from Roquette. When seeking to communicate reduced sugar in confectionery products, many food and labelling jurisdictions require that all sugars are considered. So for example, the lactose in milk ingredients contributes to the total sugar. Porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase comprising sucrose and skimmed milk allow an increases sweetness perception and increased milk content as previously described. However, the lactose content contributes to the overall sugar in the product. The inventors have found that up to 20 wt. soluble fibre may be included in the filling while still retaining an attractive mouthfeel. This reduces the overall sugar content of the product. The soluble fibre may be added to the filling in addition to the porous particles, and/or the porous particles may comprise the soluble fibre. For example the filling of the confectionery product of the invention may comprise porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase comprising a sweetener, soluble fibre and optionally a surfactant. For example the filling of the confectionery product of the invention may comprise porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase comprising sucrose, soluble fibre and a protein. For further example the porous particles may have an amorphous continuous phase comprising sucrose, soluble fibre and a protein selected from the group consisting of casein, whey protein, wheat gluten and almond protein. In an embodiment, the filling according to the invention comprises inclusions. The inclusions may be selected from the group consisting of crispy inclusions (for example puffed rice puffed wheat, extruded cereal pieces, cereal crispies such as oat or rice crispies); fruits (for example raisins, cranberries, blueberries, blackcurrant, apples, pear, orange, apricot, freeze-dried fruit pieces, candied fruit); nuts (for example hazelnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts, peanuts, pecans); chocolate or chocolate-like material (for example chocolate vermicelli, chocolate shapes); sugar confectionery (for example cinder toffee pieces, marshmallow, sugar-panned centres) and combinations thereof. Fruit and nut inclusions are typically pieces of fruit or nuts. The inclusions may have a particle size between 1 and 8 mm, for example the inclusions may pass through a sieve having 8 mm openings but be retained by a sieve having 1 mm openings.

In an embodiment, the filling according to the invention comprises flavours. In a further embodiment the confectionery product, for example the filling, may comprise sweetness enhancers. In an embodiment, the filling according to the invention comprises fat. For example the filling may comprise between 5 and 70 wt.% porous particles, between 0 and 20 wt.% soluble fibre, between 0 and 15 wt.% inclusions (for example cereal crispies) and between 20 and 60% wt.% fat. In the context of the present invention, the term fat refers to triglycerides. Fats are the chief component of animal adipose tissue and many plant seeds. Fats which are generally encountered in their liquid form are commonly referred to as oils. In the present invention the terms oils and fats are interchangeable. The filling according to the invention may have a continuous fat phase. The fat comprised within the confectionery product of the invention may be selected from the group consisting of shea butter, kokum butter, sal butter, cocoa butter, palm oil, algal oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil such as canola oil, olive oil, macademia nut oil, hazelnut oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, grape-seed oil, cotton-seed oil, corn oil and combinations of these.

In an embodiment, the confectionery product of the invention may comprise more than 30 wt.% milk solids, for example more than 35 wt.% milk solids, for further example more than 40 wt.% milk solids. Several nutritional benefits are desired by a consumer because of the content of milk. Milk is a complex biological fluid containing proteins, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, fats and sugar. Milk contains a high amount of fat which typically contributes to the quality of chocolate products, but which can detract from milk's nutritional value if excessively increased. However, it would be beneficial to increase the content of the nonfat nutritional value of milk in milk chocolate.

In an embodiment the confectionery product may be a chocolate (or chocolate-like) product, for example it may comprise at least 20 wt.% chocolate (or chocolate-like) material. In an embodiment, the confectionery product of the invention may comprise milk chocolate. In a further embodiment the confectionery product of the invention may comprise white chocolate, white chocolate comprising sugar, milk powder and cocoa butter but not dark cocoa material.

The filling according to confectionery product of the invention may comprise biscuit.

The biscuit may be a wafer. Wafers are baked products which are made from wafer batter and have crisp, brittle and fragile consistency. They are thin, with an overall thickness usually between < 1 and 4 mm and typical product densities range from 0.1 to 0.3 g/cm3. The surfaces are precisely formed, following the surface shape of the plates between which they were baked. They often carry a pattern on one surface or on both. Wafers may also be produced by extrusion. Two basic types of wafer are described by K.F. Tiefenbacher in "Encyclopaedia of Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition p 417-420 - Academic Press Ltd London - 1993":

1 ) No- or low-sugar wafers. The finished biscuits contain from zero to a low percentage of sucrose or other sugars. Typical products are flat and hollow wafer sheets, moulded cones or fancy shapes.

2) High-sugar wafers. More than 10% of sucrose or other sugars are responsible for the plasticity of the freshly baked sheets. They can be formed into different shapes before sugar recrystallization occurs. Typical products are moulded and rolled sugar cones, rolled wafer sticks and deep-formed fancy shapes. In an embodiment, the confectionery product of the invention may be a shell-moulded chocolate product comprising biscuit. In an embodiment, the confectionery product of the invention may be a shell-moulded chocolate product comprising wafer layers with a fat- continuous material between the wafer layers, the fat-continuous material comprising dispersed particles having an amorphous continuous phase. In one embodiment of the present invention there is provided a multi-layer laminated product such as confectionery product comprising a plurality of layers of wafer (a sandwich wafer) or a product comprising a plurality of layers of baked foodstuff or biscuit layers, such as a fat-continuous cream layer in a sandwich biscuit. The outer layer of the shell-moulded chocolate product may also comprise porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase. The amorphous continuous phase of the particles may for example comprise sucrose, a bulking agent such as maltodextrin or soluble fibre and wheat gluten.

An aspect of the invention provides a process of making a confectionery product comprising the steps of subjecting a mixture comprising sweetener, bulking agent and surfactant to high pressure, for example a pressure greater than 2 bar, for further example 50 to 300 bar, for still further example 100 to 200 bar; adding gas to the mixture; drying the mixture (for example spraying and drying the mixture) to form porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase; mixing the porous particles with fat and optionally ingredients selected from the group consisting of milk powder, cocoa powder, crystalline sugar, soluble fibre, lecithin and combinations of these to form a filling composition; refining at least part of the filling composition to reduce the particle size of at least one of its components; providing a mould, the interior surface of the mould coated with a fat based confectionery material (for example chocolate such as milk chocolate or white chocolate); depositing the filling composition in the mould; applying further fat-based confectionery material to cover the filling composition; cooling the filled mould to solidify the fat-based confectionery material and form a shell-moulded confectionery product; and removing the shell-moulded confectionery product from the mould. The filling composition may be layered between biscuits (such as wafers) before being deposited in the mould. The recipe of the further fat- based confectionery material applied to cover the filling composition may be the same or different from the recipe of the fat-based confectionery material coated on the interior surface of the mould. In the process of the invention, the quantity of fat based confectionery material coated on the interior surface of the mould may be between 2 and 4 times the quantity of fat-based confectionery material applied (for example after excess is scraped off level with the mould) to cover the filling composition, for example it may be between 2.5 and 3.5 times the quantity of fat-based confectionery material applied to cover the filling composition.

The gas added to the mixture in the process of the invention is preferably dissolved in the mixture before drying (for example spraying and drying). The mixture comprising dissolved gas being held under high pressure up to the point of drying (for example spraying and drying). Typically the gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, air, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and argon. The gas may be air. For example the gas may be nitrogen and it is added for as long as it takes to achieve full dissolution of gas in the said mixture. For example the time to reach full dissolution may be at least 2 minutes, for example at least 4 minutes, for further example at least 10 minutes, for further example at least 20 minutes, for further example at least 30 minutes.

The drying may occur during the process of spray-drying. The pressurised mixture being sprayed to form droplets which are then dried in a column of air, for example warm air, the droplets forming a powder. The porous particles may be agglomerated during or after spray drying. Providing a mould, the interior surface of the mould coated with a fat based confectionery material, may be performed by the various shell-moulding techniques known in the art. For example, fat based confectionery material may be deposited into the mould and the mould inverted to leave the interior surface coated with fat-based confectionery material. For further example, fat based confectionery material may be deposited into the mould and a biscuit (for example a layered wafer) may be pushed into the mould to spread the fat-based confectionery material onto the interior surface. For still further example, a cooled plunger may be pushed into a mould which is partly filled with fat-based confectionery material such as chocolate. The fat-based confectionery material forms a partly set shell in the mould, the shape being retained when the plunger is withdrawn. In a further embodiment, the invention provides a process of making a confectionery product comprising the steps of subjecting a mixture comprising sweetener, bulking agent and surfactant to high pressure, for example a pressure greater than 2 bar, for further example 50 to 300 bar, for still further example 100 to 200 bar; adding gas to the mixture; drying the mixture (for example spraying and drying the mixture) to form porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase; mixing the porous particles with fat and optionally ingredients selected from the group consisting of milk powder, cocoa powder, crystalline sugar, soluble fibre, lecithin and combinations of these to form a filling composition; refining the filling composition to reduce the particle size of at least one of its components; forming the filling into individual units; and enrobing the filling units with a fat based confectionery material (for example chocolate such as milk chocolate or white chocolate).

The porous particles according to the invention allow the sucrose content of a fat based confectionery material such as chocolate to be reduced without the need for ingredients that are unfamiliar to consumers. A still further aspect of the invention provides a fat based confectionery product (for example a chocolate product, for further example a white or milk chocolate product) having the same sweetness as a control fat based confectionery material (for example a chocolate product, for further example a white or milk chocolate product), the control having a sugar content (for example a sucrose content) between 20 and 45 wt.% (for example between 25 and 40 wt.%), but wherein the sugar content (for example the sucrose content, for further example the sucrose content on a mass basis or the sucrose content on a volume basis) has been reduced by at least 20 % (for example at least 30 %) compared to the control, and wherein the fat based confectionery product contains no mono, di or tri -saccharides apart from sucrose or lactose and contains no sugar alcohols or high intensity sweeteners. For example, the fat based confectionery product may contain no saccharides apart from sucrose or lactose and no sugar alcohols or high intensity sweeteners. For example the control and the fat based confectionery product provided by the invention may consist of the same ingredients, merely in different proportions. For further example the crystalline sucrose content of the fat based confectionery product provided by the invention may be lower than that of the control. The fat based confectionery product provided by the invention may comprise porous particles comprising an amorphous continuous phase comprising sweetener, bulking agent and surfactant (for example protein).

Those skilled in the art will understand that they can freely combine all features of the present invention disclosed herein. In particular, features described for the product of the present invention may be combined with the process of the present invention and vice versa. Further, features described for different embodiments of the present invention may be combined. Where known equivalents exist to specific features, such equivalents are incorporated as if specifically referred to in this specification.

Experimental Section

Determination of Glass transition temperature

Glass transition temperatures (Tg) were measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TA Instrument Q2000). A double scan procedure was used to erase the enthalpy of relaxation and get a better view on the glass transition. The scanning rate was 5 °C/min. The first scan was stopped approximately 30 °C above Tg. The system was then cooled at 20 °C/min. The glass transition was detected during the second scan and defined as the onset of the step change of the heat capacity.

Determination of structures using cryo-scanning electron microscopy

Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy (Cryo-SEM) and X-ray Tomography (· CT) are used to investigate the microstructure of the amorphous porous particles of the present invention within a fat based food matrix.

A 1 cm³ piece of sample was glued into a Cryo-SEM sample holder using TissueTek. It was rapidly frozen in slushy nitrogen prior to its transfer into the cryo-preparation unit Gatan Alto 2500 at -170 °C. The frozen sample was fractured using a cooled knife, making its internal structure accessible. The fracture was not performed when the external surface of the chocolate was analysed. A slight etching of superficial water was performed in the preparation unit for 15 min at -95 °C, followed by sample stabilization at -120 °C. A final coating was done by an application of a 5 nm platinum layer onto the surface. For visualization a FEI Quanta 200 FEG at 8 kV in high vacuum mode was used.

Determination of sphericity

Sphericity was measured by the Camsizer XT. It is an opto-electronic instrument, allowing the measurement of the size and shape parameters of powders, emulsions and suspensions. The technique of digital image analysis is based on the computer processing of a large number of sample's pictures taken at a frame rate of 277 images/seconds by two different cameras, simultaneously. The sample is lightened by two pulsed LED light sources during the measurement. Particle size and particle shape (including sphericity) are analysed with a user-friendly software which calculates the respective distribution curves in real time.

The perimeter of a particle projection and the covered area were measured to obtain the sphericity.

Particle size

The particle size values given herein may be measured by a Coulter LS230 Particle Size Analyser (laser diffraction) or any other similar machine as known to those skilled in the art. In present invention the term particle size as used herein is defined as D90. The D90 value is a common method of describing a particle size distribution. The D90 is the diameter where 90 % of the mass of the particles in the sample have a diameter below that value. The D90 value may be measured for example by a laser light scattering particle size analyser. For example, the particle size of particles comprised within fat based confectionery materials such as chocolate may be measured by laser light scattering. The particle size values of powders may be measured by digital image analysis such as by using a Camsizer XT (Retsch Technology GmbH, Germany).

The invention will now be described in further details in the following non-limiting examples. The following Examples are provided of illustrative purposes only and they are not to be considered in any way limiting to the scope of the present invention.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

It will be appreciated that if (for example in the Examples herein) the weight percentages herein do not add up to 100% (e.g. due to rounding) they can also be considered as recipes where the same numbers for the weight percentage of each ingredient is considered as a relative part by weight.

Examples

The following examples are illustrative of the products and methods of making the same falling within the scope of the present invention. They are not to be considered in any way limitative of the invention. Changes and modifications can be made with respect to the invention. That is the skilled person will recognise many possible variations in these examples covering a wide range of compositions, ingredients, processing methods and mixtures and can adjust the naturally occurring levels of the compounds of the invention for a variety of applications.

Example 1

Example 1a

Preparation of agglomerated amorphous porous particles of the present invention

The porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase were prepared according to the formulation listed in the table below Ingredients Amount (wt%)

Concentration of aqueous solution (g/g) 50

Sucrose 40

Milk powder 60

Sucrose (40%) and skimmed milk powder (60%) are mixed in water until complete dissolution (50%) for about 15 minutes to 1 hour at 60°C, then for a further 5 minutes at 75°C . The homogenous solution is injected into the tube at between 60°C and 70°C , nitrogen is then added before pressurising at 50 to 300 bars. When the solution reaches the nozzle it is spray-dried, in the tower. In this example an open-top industrial spray-drier was used.

In an another method all ingredients were weighed separately and then mixed with a polytron PT3000D mixer until full dissolution at room temperature with a speed rate between 6000 and 12000 rpm. The inlet solution is transferred in a vessel at controlled temperature of 55°C and is then pumped at 100-130 bar. High pressure nitrogen is injected at 0.5-3 NL/min to allow full dissolution of the gas in the solution. After a pre-heating at 60 deg C, the solution is spray-dried using an open-top industrial spray drier according to the parameters listed in the table below:

Main Spray-drying parameters

Nozzle High pressure (diameter 0.35 to 0.55)

Outlet air absolute humidity 18-35 g/kg

Inlet air temperature 120-160 deg C

Outlet air temperature 70-88 deg C

Pump pressure 100-130 bars

Gas injection 0.5-3 NL/min

Solution flowrate 2000-4000 L/h For the preparation of the agglomerated amorphous porous particles; sucrose (40%) and skimmed milk powder (60%) were mixed with water at a total solids of 50% until all solids dissolved at a temperature of around 60 °C. After pasteurization (5 minutes at 75 °C), the homogeneous solution was spray dried with gas injection. The spray drier used was an open top spray drier with secondary air recirculation to trigger particle agglomeration. The solution temperature was controlled between 60 and 70 °C and nitrogen was added under pressure in a similar manner to Example 1. The output powder moisture content was 20 - 30 g/kg. The powder had a closed porosity of 46.5 % and a particle size distribution D90 of 200 μπι. Agglomerated amorphous porous particles of the present invention were prepared in accordance with example 1 , further samples were prepared with the following characteristics:

Agglomerated porous particle having an amorphous were obtained having an internal structure with closed porosity. The powders contained between between 1 .99/1 OOg to 2.09 g/100g moisture content, had closed porosity from 50.8 to 55.8%, a D90 of between 160 to 200 microns and a Tg of 52.1 °C.

Similar amorphous porous particles were produced from a mixture containing 50 wt% water, 39.95 wt% sucrose, 14.55 wt% Promitor soluble fibre (tate & yle) and 1 .5 wt% sodium caseinate. Example 1 b

Preparation of non-agglomerated or primary particles of the amorphous porous particles of the present invention

Ingredients Amount (wt%) water 50

Sucrose 24.25-38.8

Bulking agent 1 1.8-24.25

Sodium caseinate 1 .5 All ingredients were weighed separately and then mixed with a polytron PT3000D mixer until full dissolution at room temperature with a speed rate between 6000 and 12000 rpm. The inlet solution is transferred in a vessel at controlled temperature of 55°C and is then pumped at 100-130 bar. High pressure nitrogen is injected at 0.5-2 NL/min for at least 10 mins or a least until full dissolution of the gas in the solution is achieved. After a pre-heating at 60 deg C, the solution is spray-dried using a one-stream closed-top spray drier according to the parameters listed in the table below:

Amorphous porous particles were obtained having an internal structure with closed porosity, see micrograph figure 1 . The powder contained 2.17 wt% moisture, had a closed porosity of 50.3 to 53%, a D90 of 46.3 microns and a Tg of 52.1 °C. Similar amorphous porous particles were produced from a mixture containing 50 wt% water, 39.95 wt% sucrose, 14.55 wt% Promitor® soluble fibre (Tate & Lyle) and 1 .5 wt% sodium caseinate. Measured sphericity values were between 0.85 and 0.89 Example 2

Reference - Preparation of a traditional fat-based confectionery filling

A traditional fat-based confectionery filling was prepared according to the recipe given in the table herebelow:

Process

The traditional filling is prepared using a conventional process of mixing together all dry ingredients and part of the cocoa butter and then refining using conventional roll-refiners to produce the preferred particle size in the range of 25 to 55 microns. The remainder of the fat is added to the refined mixture and further mixed to obtain a depositable or layerable filling composition.

Example 3

Preparation of a fat based confectionery filling according to the invention

A fat based confectionery filling according to the present invention, using the amorphous porous particles prepared according to examplel a, was prepared according to the recipe given in the table herebelow,;

Ingredients Amount (wt%)

Palm oil 36.6

Sucrose:SMP 40:60 porous particles 14

from example 1 a

Skimmed milk powder 34 Promitor® 12.5

Cocoa powder 2.5

Emulsifier 0.4

The dry ingredients and 70 % of the fat were mixed at around 50 °C for 15 minutes. After mixing, the resulting paste was passed through a two-roll refiner and a five-roll refiner to produce flakes. The resulting D90 particle size was around 34 microns. After refining, the refined mass was liquefied with the addition of the remaining fat, emulsifier and flavour to produce a liquid chocolate material.

Alternatively a filling composition without Promitor® was also made according to the recipe given in the table herebelow:

Example 4

A filling composition was prepared according to example 3 but additional oat crispies inclusions in the amount of 8 wt% were added into the filling mixture. The rest of the ingredient amounts were adjusted accordingly as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art to achieve a total of 100 wt%. Example 5 A filling composition was prepared according to example 4 but 13 wt% Promitor® and 2 wt% cocoa powder was added. The rest of the ingredient amounts were adjusted accordingly as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art to achieve a total of 100 wt%

Example 6 A filling composition was prepared according to example 4 but 13.50 wt% Promitor® and 1 .5 wt% cocoa powder was added. The rest of the ingredient amounts were adjusted accordingly as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art to achieve a total of 100 wt%

Example 7

A filling composition was prepared according to example 4 but with additional oat crispies inclusions in the amount of 4 wt% and no cocoa powder was added to give a white chocolate filling. The rest of the ingredient amounts were adjusted accordingly as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art to achieve a total of 100 wt%

Example 8

A filling composition was prepared according to example 7 but with additional oat crispies inclusions in the amount of 8 wt% and no cocoa powder was added to give a white chocolate filling. The rest of the ingredient amounts were adjusted accordingly as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art to achieve a total of 100 wt%

Example 9

A filling composition was prepared according to examples 4 and 5 but with additional oat crispies inclusions in the amount of 4 wt% . The rest of the ingredient amounts were adjusted accordingly as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art to achieve a total of 100 wt%

Example 10

A filling composition was prepared according to example 7 but with additional oat crispies inclusions in the amount of 8 wt% and no cocoa powder was added to give a white chocolate filling. The rest of the ingredient amounts were adjusted accordingly as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art to achieve a total of 100 wt% Preparation of a traditional shell moulded fat based confectionery product

A traditional fat-based confectionery was prepared according to the recipe given in the table herebelow:

A standard process for the preparation of chocolate was employed. All dry ingredients and about 26% of cocoa butter fat is heated at 45 deg C for 3 mins. After mixing, the resulting paste is refined to produce flakes with particle sizes ranging between 50 and 55 microns.

After refining, the mixture comprising the refined mass is mixed with the rest of the fat and emulsifier to liquefy it at 45 deg C for 3 mins to produce a liquid chocolate ready for moulding.

The traditional shell moulded product was made according to a typical process, a moulding plate, typically comprising three or four rows of eight individual moulds, is moved along a conveyor. Each mould is filled to overflowing with a flowable material for example chocolate, following which it is inverted in order that excess chocolate may be discharged. On reverting the mould plate to its upright position, a shell of chocolate is left on the bottom and sides of the mould. Excess chocolate is scraped off the top of the mould plate. Filling materials for example, traditional chocolate filling as described in example 2 or similar edible material may then be charged into the mould, which is vibrated to distribute the cream over the chocolate at the bottom of the mould. Further flowable chocolate material is charged onto the top of the filling, and the mould plate again vibrated to cause the top layer of chocolate to bed down. Excess chocolate is scraped off to form the back of the shelled product. The mould is cooled, inverted to remove the formed chocolate-shelled product.

Example 11

Preparation of shell moulded fat based confectionery product according to the invention A fat based shell moulded confectionery product according to the present invention was prepared according to the recipe given in the table herebelow,;

The dry ingredients and 70 % of the cocoa butter were mixed at around 50 °C for 15 minutes. After mixing, the resulting paste was passed through a two-roll refiner and a five- roll refiner to produce flakes. The resulting D90 particle size was around 34 μηη.

After refining, the refined mass was conched in a Frisse conche with the addition of the remaining cocoa butter, the milk fat, lecithin and vanilla. The resulting liquid chocolate was then used for producing the shell moulded products of the invention according to the recipie given in the table herebelow, and further described in the method below.

Ingredients Amount (wt%)

Filling using examples 4-12 52 to 56

inclusions 4 to 8

chocolate 40 A moulding plate Is moved along a conveyor. Each mould is filled to overflowing with the chocolate flowable material, following which it is inverted in order that excess chocolate may be discharged. On reverting the mould plate to its upright position, a shell of chocolate is left on the bottom and sides of the mould. Excess chocolate is scraped off the top of the mould plate. The filling composition according to the invention (using the fillings as described in example 3 to example 10 of the present invention) is cooled to between 31 °C to 32°C before being charged into the mould, which is vibrated to distribute the filling over the chocolate at the bottom of the mould. Further flowable chocolate material is charged onto the top of the filling, and the mould plate again vibrated to cause the top layer of chocolate to bed down. Excess chocolate is scraped off to form the back of the shelled product. The mould is cooled and then inverted to remove the formed chocolate-shelled product.

Samples of the chocolate-shelled product using the fillings of the present invention were prepared according to the method described above.

As will be obvious to a person skilled in the art the shell and lid of the chocolate moulded product may be milk chocolate, or white chocolate or a combination thereof. Similarly the filling of the composition may be milk chocolate or white chocolate and any combination thereof.

Sample Filling Sugar Fat SFA content (%) Milk content composition content Content

(%} (%}

Reference Example 2 55 30.3 18.5

A Example 4 23 7\8 1 1.5 33.25

& Example 5 23 LI 1 1.5 33.25

C Example 6 23 1A 1 1.5 33.25

D Example 7 25 6,8 12.5 38.80 E Example 8 23 12.5 31.49

P Example 5 23 6 5 12.5 36.56

G Example 9 24 IA 13.5 39.33

H Example 10 22 72 1 1.5 37.86

1! Example 5 25 9,6 10.5 31.49 sample is a chocolate product having a white chocolate shell, milk chocolate back (or lid) layer and milk chocolate filling)

²sample is a chocolate product having a white chocolate shell, white chocolate back (or lid) and milk chocolate filling ³sample is a chocolate product having a milk chocolate shell, milk chocolate back (or lid) and milk chocolate filling

Advantageously the products of the present invention have lower sugar, lower SFA and fat and high milk content. SFA content is the percentage of saturated fatty acids. In this context, the quantity of saturated fatty acids includes fatty acids that are part of fat molecules, indeed it is not expected that the confectionery product of the invention would have an appreciable level of free fatty acids.

Surprisingly, it was found that by replacing the sugar with 100% of the amorphous porous particles of the present invention in chocolate filling recipes as described in the examples above provided chocolate samples which closely matched the reference sample in terms of texture, flavour and sweetness..

In addition the samples prepared according to the present invention and comprising the amorphous porous particles instead of sugar showed a strong correlation with additionally desirable flavours such as milky, caramel, vanilla and butter.

Example 13

The effect of altering the composition of the amorphous matrix was examined for different ratios of skimmed milk powder (SMP) and sucrose. The amorphous matrix should be stable against crystallization, for example, in the case of chocolate manufacture the matrix should remain amorphous under the temperature and humidity conditions experienced in the conche. If processing or storage conditions approach those at which the amorphous material passes through the glass transition then there is a possibility that crystallization will occur leading to a collapse of the particles, for example the lactose present in amorphous porous particles of skimmed milk powder and sucrose may crystallize.

Amorphous porous particles with different ratios of sucrose:SMP were produced; 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, 70:30 and compared to pure amorphous sucrose and SMP. The amorphous SMP was spray dried. The amorphous sucrose was obtained by freeze drying (Millrock, US). A solution containing10% (weight basis) of sucrose was prepared. It was frozen at - 40 °C for 6 hours allowing the formation of ice crystals. Primary drying is performed at 150 mTorr. Ice crystals sublimate and leave voids behind leading to a highly porous structure. Secondary drying consists of a temperature ramp from -40 °C to 40 °C at 1 °C/hour. During that stage residual water bound to the matrix is removed by desorption leading very low moisture content, typically 1 -2% as measured by ThermoGravimetric Analysis.

As the samples initially have different water activity (a_w) values the sorption isotherms were drawn to calculated Tg at the same a_w.

1) Sorption isotherms were built by collecting samples during short periods of time (i.e. typically over 48h) stored in two types of desiccators (one for partial drying and one for humidification). The Tg of each sample was obtained by using the second scan of DSC experiment at 5 °C/min heating ramp. The first scan should stop at about 30 °C above the T_g in order to avoid relaxation enthalpy interference with T_g measurement. Onset T_g of the product is then determined using a second scan. After 2h heating at T_g+5°C <¾ is measured at 25°C.

2) BET fitting is performed over the data of moisture content as a function of aw (0.08- 0.35) and the Gordon Taylor over the data of Tg as a function of a_w (corresponding range). a. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller equation (BET):

M fa ^M ^^{C a} w

d^{b ( w ) "} (l - a_w ) [l ₊ (C - l) aj where Cis a constant and M_m is the BET monolayer moisture content (on dry basis)

b. Gordon-Taylor equation (Gordon and Taylor, 1952):

j, _ ^fcw¾,w ter+(l^~w)^7'g,dry

9 ~ fcw + fc(l-w) where w is water content on a weight basis, T_g,_Water is the glass-transition temperature of water estimated at -135 °C, T_g,d_ry is the glass-transition temperature of sucrose and k is a curvature constant.

The glass transition temperature (Tg) is plotted against sucrose content in Figure 3 for amorphous particles at a water activity of 0.1 and 25 °C. It can be seen that there is a much more pronounced decrease in glass transition temperature for increasing sucrose content at or above 40 % (a ratio of 0.66 : 1 ). This means that there is a significant decrease in stability (against crystallization) when the level of sucrose in an amorphous matrix containing sucrose and skimmed milk powder exceeds 40 %. Therefore, when seeking to reduce the sucrose content in a food product by replacing crystalline sucrose with amorphous porous particles of the invention containing sucrose and skimmed milk an optimum proportion to use is around 40 % sucrose and 60 % skimmed milk powder.

Example 14

The effect of altering porosity and composition on dissolution speed and sweetness impact was investigated. Amorphous porous particles were prepared as in Example 1 , with the inlet solution containing 50 wt.% water and 50 wt.% of sucrose + SMP (skimmed milk powder) at the appropriate ratio. No sodium caseinate was added as this is already present in SMP. Particle size distribution was measured using a Camsizer XT (Retsch Technology GmbH, Germany).

Powder Ratio sucrose : Closed porosity Particle size distribution D90

SMP

A 70:30 50 % 50 μηη B 60:40 53 % 53 μηι

C 50:50 51 % 52 μηι

D 40:60 57 % 60 μηι

E 30:70 60 % 55 μηι

Samples with different levels of porosity, but with similar particle size distributions and the same composition were prepared. Sample G was prepared with no gas injection. This produced a very low level of closed porosity (6 %). Varying the gas flow up to 2 normal litres per minute allowed increasing levels of closed porosity to be generated.

The closed porosity was obtained by measuring the matrix and apparent densities.

The matrix density was determined by DMA 4500 M (Anton Paar, Switzerland AG). The sample was introduced into a U-shaped borosilicate glass tube that is excited to vibrate at its characteristic frequency which depends on the density of the sample. The accuracy of the instrument is 0.00005 g/cm³ for density and 0.03 °C for temperature.

The apparent density of powders was measured by Accupyc 1330 Pycnometer (Micrometrics Instrument Corporation, US). The instrument determines density and volume by measuring the pressure change of helium in a calibrated volume with an accuracy to within 0.03 % of reading plus 0.03 % of nominal full-scale cell chamber volume. Closed porosity is calculated from the matrix density and the apparent density, according to the following equation:

Papparent

Closed porosity = 100. 1 1

Pmatrix

The dissolution test was performed as follows. 30.0 g ±0.1 g of water (milliQ grade) was placed in a 100 ml. beaker (h = 85 mm 0 = 44 mm) with a magnetic stirrer (L = 30 mm 0 = 6 mm). The stirring rate was adjusted to 350 rpm and 1.000 g ±0.002 g of powder was added in the solution. During the dissolution, the refractive index of the solution was registered each second until a plateau corresponding to complete dissolution was reached. Refractive index was measured using a FISO FTI-10 Fiber Optic Conditioner These experiments were performed at room temperature (23-25 °C). The result of varying composition is shown in Figure 4. Powders with a lower proportion of sucrose dissolve more slowly. The result of varying the porosity is shown in Figure 5. The powders with significant porosity (A and F) dissolved much more rapidly than the un-gassed sample (G).

Some of the powders were used to prepare fat based confectionery in the style of white chocolate tablets. All the tablets had a total sugar content by mass of 58 % and were moulded in the same sized mould. A panel of 10 tasters assessed the sweetness of the tablets, tasting samples with the same volume of chocolate. Due to the different densities of the powders the tasted pieces contained different amounts of sugar by weight. For comparison, a reference was prepared with refined crystalline sugar. The tablets were compared in pairs:

First tablet % Second tablet % Result

sugar sugar

Powder, ratio, porosity Powder, ratio, porosity

by by

volume volume

A, 70:30, 50 % 31 D, 40:60, 57 % 39 A was sweeter

G, 70:30, 6 % 55 F, 70:30, 33 % 41 F was sweeter G, 70:30, 6 % 55 A, 70:30, 50 % 31 Similar sweetness

Reference 58 D, 40:60, 57 % 39 Similar sweetness

Increasing the ratio of sucrose to skimmed milk powder (A compared to D) increases the sweetness. Increasing the porosity (F compared to G) also increases the sweetness. Increasing the porosity from 6 to 50 % (G to A) gave similar sweetness despite a reduction of sugar in the sample from 55 to 31 %. This demonstrates that increasing the porosity of the amorphous particles increases their sweetness impact and allows a reduction in overall sugar (by volume). The tablet with amorphous porous powder D gave a similar sweetness to the reference with crystalline sugar, despite containing less sugar by volume. This demonstrates that particles in accordance with the invention may be used to replace conventional sugar, providing similar sweetness at a lower level of addition per chocolate tablet.

Example 15

The porous structure of amorphous particles was examined using synchrotron radiation X- ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM), at the TOMCAT beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland. The acquisition followed a standard approach with the rotation axis located in the middle of the field of view. Exposure time at 15 keV was 300 ms and 1 ,501 projections equi-angulary distributed over 180° were acquired.

Projections were post-processed and rearranged into corrected. Stacks of 2161 16 bits Tiff images (2560 X 2560 pixel) were generated with a resolution of 0.1625 μηη per pixel. Slice data were analysed and manipulated using Avizo 9.0.0 (https://www.fei.com/software/amira-avizo/) software for computed tomography.

The routine used for the measurement was the following. For each sample, 3 stacks of 500 images were analysed. After sub volume extraction, stacks of images were thresholded using an automatic routine to specifically select the matrix material and calculate its volume. Then the surface of each sample was estimated using the surface generation module of the software and the surface values were extracted. Normalized specific surface was calculated as the ratio of the matrix volume by the total material surface (external and pores).

Powders with different levels of closed porosity (A, F and G from Example 5) were imaged, together with a powder (H) as a comparative example which did not contain a surfactant. Powder H was prepared in a similar manner to that described in Example 1 , except that the inlet solution contained 50 % water, 25 % sucrose and 25 % of a 21 DE maltodextrin (Roquette) and carbon dioxide was used instead of nitrogen. Powder H had a closed porosity of 31 % and a particle size D90 of 184 μηη. The images are shown in Figure 6a (A), Figure 6b (F), Figure 6c (G) and Figure 6d (H). The calculated normalized specific surfaces (mean of three sets of 500 slices) were as follows:

As can be seen from the images, the porous structure of powders A and F comprise multiple small pores. The internal surface of these pores leads to a high normalized specific surface value. The normalized specific surface for sample F is lower than sample A, consistent with the measured lower closed porosity value. Sample G, where no gassing was applied, has a low porosity and a low normalized specific surface value. For sample H it can be seen that although it has a similar closed porosity value to sample F, the structure is very different, with large voids within the particles. Such a structure is physically weaker than multiple small pores, and if the outer walls of the particles are broken, no (or very little) porosity remains. Sample H has a correspondingly lower normalized specific surface value.

A reference filling was made in the same manner as aforementioned above, but the amorphous porous powder was replaced at 1 .9 times its mass by crystalline sucrose; effectively occupying the same volume as the replaced amorphous porous powder. The density measurement of the tablets were measured using a Geopyc 1360 instrument (Micrometrics, US). To calculate the envelope density of a sample, the envelope volume of the chamber without sample is first determined. A blank run is done with the chamber filled with a medium (DryFlo) and the volume is measured. The sample is then placed in the chamber with the medium and the volume is measured again. The difference between these two measurements is the envelope volume of the sample including its pores. Knowing the sample's weight, the envelope density is calculated.

Before measuring the chocolate tablets sample, some preliminary tests were performed. The size of the chamber, the force and the number of cycles are factors which can influence the envelope volume measurements. For chocolate tablets, the optimized conditions used for the measurements were a chamber of 38.1 cm of diameter, a force of 90 N and 5 cycles. With those conditions, an accuracy of 1.1 % was obtained. The value was taken as an average of triplicates.

The porosity (Φ) provided by the amorphous porous particles remaining in the chocolate filling is calculated by comparing the volume density (p_ref) of the reference filling and volume density of the filling product manufactured with agglomerated amorphous porous powder (Psampie). The porosity is calculated as shown in the equation below:

Φβθΐτι ΐΘ^— 1 "(Psampie )/Pref

The survival rate of the porosity of the particles in the chocolate corresponds to the ratio between the measured porosity of the tablet and the theoretical porosity obtainable from the initial porosity of the amorphous porous powder.

Survival rate = 0_Sam ie

The survival rate was found to be 51 %; this corresponds to the particles having an effective porosity of 23 % after processing into chocolate filling product.

A sample of the chocolate filling was examined by transmitted light microscopy after being dispersed in sunflower oil. Images are shown in Figure 8. The amorphous porous particles look dark in transmitted light due to light scattering by their internal porosity. The initial powder has largely been fragmented but some porosity remains. The fine debris in the background includes crystalline sugar. The amorphous particle has been fragmented by the refining process, but its internal porosity is retained.

A small panel of tasters compared the chocolate filling product made with amorphous porous powder to the reference chocolate filling product. The same sized piece was taken of each. Due to the different densities of the powders the tasted pieces contained different amounts of sugar by weight. The chocolate made with amorphous porous powder was described as slightly more "powdery" but with a similar sweetness to the reference. This is despite it containing 68 % less sucrose for the same volume. Neither sample was found to be "gritty".

Claims

1. Confectionery product comprising an outer layer and a filling,

the outer layer comprising a sweetener and having a thickness between 0.1 and 6 mm,

the filling comprising porous particles having an amorphous continuous phase comprising a sweetener, a bulking agent and optionally a surfactant.

2. A confectionery product according to claim 1 wherein the outer layer

comprises a fat continuous confectionery material.

3. A confectionery product according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the

confectionery product is a shell-moulded product.

4. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the porous particles have a closed porosity of between 10 and 80 %.

5. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the porous particles have been refined.

6. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the outer layer is sweeter than the filling.

7. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the sweetener is sucrose.

8. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the amorphous continuous phase of the porous particles comprises sucrose and skimmed milk.

9. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the filling comprises soluble fibre

10. A confectionery product according to claim 1 wherein the filling comprises inclusions group consisting of crispy inclusions; fruits; nuts; chocolate or chocolate-like material; sugar confectionery and combinations thereof.

1 1 . A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the filling comprises between 5 and 70 wt.% porous particles, between 0 and 20 wt.% soluble fibre, between 0 and 15 wt.% inclusions (for example cereal crispies) and between 20 and 60% wt.% fat.

12. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 1 1 comprising more than 30 wt.% milk solids.

13. A confectionery product according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the confectionery product is a chocolate product.

14. Process of making a confectionery product comprising the steps of

subjecting a mixture comprising sweetener, bulking agent and surfactant to high pressure;

adding gas to the mixture;

depositing the filling composition in the mould;

removing the shell-moulded confectionery product from the mould.

15. Fat-based confectionery product having the same sweetness as a control fat-based confectionery product, the control having a sugar content between 20 and 45 %, but wherein the sugar content has been reduced by at least 20 % compared to the control, and wherein the fat-based confectionery product contains no mono, di or tri -saccharides apart from sucrose or lactose and contains no sugar alcohols or high intensity sweeteners or additives.