Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-04
2003-11-04
Paden, Carolyn (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
C426S660000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06641857
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a new chocolate-based fat system which has improved organoleptic properties. Specifically, the present invention relates to an edible anhydrous chocolate-based fat system having a granulated sugar component which provides the improved organoleptic properties, and which also results in a distinctly different mouth sense. In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the edible anhydrous chocolate-based fat system is flavor infused with an additional sweet flavor, which is brought into the chocolate-based fat system by way of flavor-saturated granulated sugar.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Chocolate has been known in many forms for many years. Traditional forms of chocolate include dark, light, white, and milk chocolates which may be used as a snack item or confection, or for coating other food items. More recently, chocolate has been utilized not only as a flavor but in chip or chunk form as an additive in baked goods and flour confections such as cookies and the like. Finally, chocolate endures almost universal appeal simply for its flavor, its mouth feel—generally, confection chocolates are based on fat systems which melt easily in the mouth, whereas chocolate chips and the like are based on harder fat systems so as to retain their integrity during the baking process—and because of its relatively easy portability. Chocolate may be packaged or wrapped in relatively small portions, for consumption as a snack, for example.
However, until now all chocolate products where chocolate is a principal constituent, and where the chocolate is presented as a stable fat system at room temperature, have been smooth and with a distinct chocolate flavor. That flavor may range from quite sweet to bitter, depending on the sugar content, and whether or not the chocolate is a milk chocolate, light or dark brown chocolate, or white chocolate. Some chocolates may be flavored, typically by the use of mint; but all chocolates are highly conched—that is, they have a high degree of fineness.
Of course, the degree of fineness may be controlled by varying the mechanical pressure on the conching rollers, but chocolate is nonetheless a fine and smooth consistency fat system, in all of its embodiments. Usually, therefore, in order to impart an additional flavor to chocolate, so as to create a different taste sensation, the chocolate is used to coat another item having that other flavor, and the flavor combination is determined organoleptically in the mouth, as the product is eaten and the flavors of the chocolate and the other item mix together. However, if the additional flavor comes from an item such as a peanut—chocolate coated peanuts, for example—the flavor release and mixture may be quite slow; on the other hand, if the additional flavor is a creme filling such as a fruit or sweet syrup flavor, or a liqueur flavor, that flavor is organoleptically released very quickly, and may—and generally does—overwhelm the flavor of the chocolate.
The present inventors have discovered, quite unexpectedly, that a very different mouth sense can be obtained, which mouth sense is quite pleasant, by incorporating coarse sugar into a chocolate formulation which otherwise is constituted as highly refined chocolate, after the conching step and before the product is molded or otherwise manufactured for further use or consumption.
Still further, the inventors herein quite unexpectedly discovered that chocolate-based products can be produced having additional sweet flavor incorporated therein, and with an improved organoleptic property, by incorporating flavor infused granulated sugar into the chocolate-based fat system. That additional sweet flavor is generally derived by saturating the granular sugar with essential oils, or by centrifuging moisture away from highly sweetened juices. The details of such additional flavored sugars are discussed hereafter.
It will be noted hereafter that traditional chocolate equipment, that is chocolate which is used to mold chocolate into chocolate chips and the like, or to enrobe chocolate on other items, cannot be used with the chocolate-based fat system of the present invention, due to the inherent granularity of that chocolate system as a consequence of the granulated sugar component thereof. All of the piping, pumping, nozzle orifice sizes, and so on, in ordinary chocolate handling equipment, are sized and dimensioned so as to accommodate very fine particle sizes as are found in ordinary chocolate which is highly conched.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
MILLER U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,735, issued Sep. 5, 1995, teaches a sweet cinnamon or other flavored fat-based anhydrous flake. The fat-based product is particularly intended as a flavoring additive for incorporation into baked goods and flour confections, or as a principal component in snack items which may be produced by being molded together with a baked flour-based sweet biscuit. The product consists of a bakery-compatible oil or fat system which is cooled and set at relatively low temperatures so as to be firm and stable at room temperatures.
MILLER U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,474 issued Jan. 7, 1997, teaches a method of preparation of chocolate crumb. The invention is particularly directed to the preparation of chocolate crumb for use in the manufacture of milk chocolate, and comes about by caramelizing a portion of the sugar content and hydrating it with a portion of the milk to be used in the process. The thus produced caramelized slurry batch is added to the remainder of the milk to be used in the formulation of the chocolate crumb, and the remaining water is driven off to produce a dried mix which is thereafter mixed with cocoa butter and anhydrous cocoa liquor. Additional anhydrous butter fat can be also added to the crumb, if necessary, to bring the fat content to a predetermined level.
A further patent issued to MILLER, U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,900 dated May 6, 1997, teaches another method for preparation of chocolate crumb and a precursor component therefor. In this invention, molasses or brown sugar is hydrated with milk, then dried, and processed by the addition of the balance of sugar, fats, cocoa butter, and cocoa liquor if used. That precursor component is then set aside for subsequent pasting and conching so as to result in the production of milk chocolate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A purpose of the present invention is to provide a chocolate-based fat system having an improved organoleptic quality, whereby a new mouth sensation is created. It has essentially the same constituent analysis as ordinary chocolate, but displays a distinct crunchiness, a fat system which may be used as a snack item, but more particularly as a flavoring additive to baked goods and flour confections, and ice cream.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a chocolate-based fat system as discussed immediately above, where the product has an additional sweet flavor imparted thereto.
Thus, a purpose of the present invention is to provide chocolate-based fat systems as described above, which may be molded in a mold or spread onto a belt for manufacture into flake or chunk products, easily and economically.
To that end, the present invention provides an edible anhydrous chocolate-based fat system which may be molded in a mold or spread onto a belt for manufacture into flake or chunk products, and which comprises not more than 2% by weight of water—so as to be thereby described as being anhydrous or essentially anhydrous. More particularly, the chocolate-based fat system comprises about 10% to about 15% by weight of chocolate liquor, from about 15% to about 25% by weight of cocoa butter, and from about 45% to about 60% by weight of sugar. However, a component of the sugar, being from about 5% to about 30% by weight, is granulated sugar. The remaining ingredients of the chocolate-based fat system in keeping with the present invention, apart from the granulated sugar component, have been conched.
In a particular variant of the present invention which is directed to the production of a white chocol
Choy Edward
Miller Van
Miller Vladimir
(Marks & Clerk)
Paden Carolyn
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