Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Gels or gelable composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2003-03-11
Hendricks, Keith (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Gels or gelable composition
C426S576000, C426S578000, C426S660000, C426S661000, C426S519000, C426S520000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06531174
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a chewy confectionery product, preferably a chewy sweet product, such as a soft centered chew. The present invention preferably provides a chewy confectionery product which is gelatin free. The present invention further provides a method of preparing these chewy confectionery products.
BACKGROUND ART
Chewy confectionery products are products based on a sugar, glucose syrup and a gelatinizing agent. Chewy sugar-based or sugar-free confectionery products available in the prior art typically contain gelatin as the gelatinizing agent so that they have the chewy texture that is desirable for these products. Indeed, gelatin has been used in manufacturing confectionery products for many years due to its diverse functional properties, in particular, its textural, gel-forming, foam stabilizing and emulsification properties. A confectionery comprising gelatin has a unique “gelatin texture” which is especially desirable to consumers. Chewy confectionery products that contain gelatin have a long-lasting cohesive chew.
Food-grade gelatin, however, is obtained from bovine or porcine raw materials and, thus, the use of gelatin is undesirable to the vegetarian population, as well as for ethnic groups who have concerns about the nature of meat used in certain food products and/or who observe certain dietary constraints concerning the consumption of meat and dairy products. In addition, since gelatin is a protein it is highly sensitive to thermal and/or high acid treatments that cause it to undergo degradation, resulting in loss of its functional properties, reduced cooking efficiencies, loss of active ingredient, and possible fouling which necessitates frequent cleaning of the processing apparatus.
Although, gelatin is the most commonly used hydrocolloid, other gelatinizing agents such as gum arabic, maltodextrin, or modified starches may also be used (See, e.g., B. W. Minifie, Chocolate, Cocoa, and Confectionery: Science and Technology, 3
nd
ed. Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY, (1989)). Modified starches includes a variety of polymers derived from starch by chemically or enzymatically modifying the starch. It is generally known, however, that certain modified starches, such as oxidized starch, have low gelling tendency (See, e.g., Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 13
th
ed., revised by Richard J. Lewis, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NY (1997)) and thus, would not be expected to be useful as a gelatinizing agent in a a chewy confectionery product.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a chewy confectionery product that excludes gelatin and, thus, overcomes the problems associated with gelatin, but which retains the texture and properties attributed to gelatin that are desired by the consumer. In particular, it is desirable to provide a chewy sweet product which has a long-lasting cohesive chew, but in which at least a portion, preferably all, of the gelatin is replaced in the product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a chewy confectionery product comprising sugar, glucose syrup, and oxidized starch. The chewy confectionery product may be substantially gelatin-free. The sugar may be present in an amount of between about 20 to 70 percent by weight of the chewy confectionery product, the glucose syrup may be present in an amount of between about 30 to 70 percent by weight of the chewy confectionery product, and the oxidized starch may be present in an amount of between about 0.5 to 20 percent by weight of the chewy confectionery product. The ratio of sugar to glucose syrup may be between about 1/0.4 to 1/4. The glucose may have a dextrose equivalent of between about 39 and 48.
The chewy confectionery product may further include water in an amount of between about 2 and 10 percent by weight of the chewy confectionery product and fat in an amount of between about 0.5 to 20 percent by weight of the chewy confectionery product. The chewy confectionery product may further include one or more additional ingredients selected from humectants, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, proteins, artificial and natural flavors, essential oils, fruit juices, vegetable juices, and colorings. The one or more additional ingredients may be present in an amount of between about 0.5 to 5 percent by weight based on the weight of the chewy confectionery product.
The chewy confectionery product may also further include one or more additional hydrocolloids. The hydrocolloid may be one or more selected from the group consisting of agar agar, xanthane gum, locust bean gum, gellan gum, pectin, carrageenan, and guar gum. The additional hydrocolloid may be gum arabic.
The chewy confectionery product have a center-filled with a liquid, syrup, or powder. The chewy confectionery product may also have at least a part of the sugar replaced with a sugar substitute. The oxidized starch may be obtained from maize or potato.
The invention also relates to a process for preparing the chewy confectionery product. The chewy confectionery product may be prepared by heating the oxidized starch to gelatinize the oxidized starch, mixing the gelatinized starch with the sugar and glucose syrup to produce a formulation mixture, cooking the formulation mixture to provide a cooked mass, and shaping the cooked mass to produce the chewy confectionery product.
The chewy confectionery product may also be prepared by blending a syrup of sugars or sugar substitutes with oxidized starch and water to produce a mixture, heating the mixture to gelatinize the oxidized starch, cooking the mixture to provide a cooked mass, and shaping the cooked mass to produce the chewy confectionery product.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to the present invention, it has surprisingly been found that by substituting oxidizing starch for some or preferably all of the gelatin in a chewy confectionery product, it is possible to overcome the disadvantages associated with gelatin, but still provide the preferred gelatin texture of such products.
By “chewy confectionery product” is meant a product based on a sugar, glucose syrup and a gelatinizing agent. These chewy confectionery products may further include water, humectants such as glycerol, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers such as lecithin, vegetable fat, flavor enhancers such as talin, acids, essential oils, artificial or natural flavorings, colorings, fruit juices, vegetable juices, proteins such as egg white or milk proteins, and other additives, as desired by the skilled artisan when formulating such products.
The present invention provides a chewy confectionery product where oxidized starch is the gelatinizing agent. The oxidized starch replaces at least a portion or all of the gelatin that is typically used as the gelatinizing agent in a chewy confectionery product. Unexpectedly it has been discovered that oxidized starch, although known to have a low gelling tendency, nevertheless provides a chewy confectionery product that has a texture and a long-lasting cohesive chew, similar to that found in a chewy confectionery products that contain gelatin.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the chewy confectionery product is preferably substantially gelatin-free. The term “substantially gelatin-free” is used to mean that the product has no intentional addition of gelatin or that the amount of gelatin present does not contribute to the chewy nature of the product.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a chewy confectionery product is provided in which at least a portion of the gelatin, and preferably all of the gelatin, is replaced with a combination of oxidized starch and one or more additional hydrocolloids, the most preferred of which is gum arabic.
Preferably, the chewy confectionery product of the invention is a chewy sweet product, optionally, a chewy sweet product which is filled with a liquid or syrup center. By “chewy sweet product” is meant a chewy confectionery product containing sugar or a sugar substitute. The chewy confectionery product may also contain a reduced sugar content.
Barrett Louise
Geddes Jamie Edward
Mangano Santi Francesco
Schmick Frank
Whitehouse Andrew Steve
Becker Drew
Hendricks Keith
Nestec S.A.
Winston & Strawn
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