Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Foam or foamable type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-09
2002-12-10
Bhat, Nina (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Foam or foamable type
C426S101000, C426S656000, C426S660000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06491960
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to novel ice confections containing an antifreeze protein. In particular the invention relates to novel ice confections in the form of thin, unsupported discrete pieces which are stable during packaging, storage and distribution.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
It is highly desirable to be able to manufacture ice confections having novel shapes, properties and/or textures. Until now, however the ability to provide such a high degree of novelty and interest to the products has been limited. Products have to be manufactured with the ability to survive packaging, storage and distribution.
In particular, until now it has not been possible to provide thin, unsupported pieces of ice confection that are sufficiently strong enough to withstand packaging, storage and distribution regimes. Additionally, it has not been possible to provide such thin, unsupported pieces of ice confection which are also crispy, hard and brittle but still able to be bitten (i.e. they can fracture when eaten in the mouth). Obviously such thin, crispy, brittle products have a particularly high risk of breaking during packaging or transport
We have now shown that inclusion of specific antifreeze proteins into unaerated ice confections results in the formation of a strong, close-packed continuous network of ice crystals within the ice confection. As a result the ice confection is provided with specific defined mechanical properties. Such ice confections are able to be manufactured into thin, unsupported pieces which are brittle and crispy but nevertheless able to withstand packaging, storage and transportation.
WO 98/04146 (Unilever) discloses that AFPs can be incorporated into frozen food products such as ice confections to provide desirable product properties providing that the product and processing conditions are varied such that the ice crystals provided in the product have an aspect ratio of more than 1.9, preferably from 1.9 to 3.0. The specific examples given are all aerated ice cream compositions. As shown by comparative Examples A to C below, the addition of antifreeze proteins to aerated ice cream does not significantly change the mechanical properties of the ice cream. WO 98/04146 does not teach that it is possible to provide specific ice confection products having novel mechanical properties and that such ice confections can advantageously be used to provide thin, unsupported pieces.
WO 96/39878 (The Pillsbury Company) discloses a method for making a frozen composition for storage, the method not requiring a hardening step prior to storage. The frozen composition contains an antifreeze protein, in particular Type I AFP. Examples show the preparation of an aerated ice cream and an aerated frozen yogurt. As shown by comparative Examples A to C below, the addition of antifreeze proteins to aerated ice cream does not significantly change the mechanical properties of the ice cream. WO 96/39878 does not teach that it is possible to provide specific ice confection products having novel mechanical properties and that such ice confections can advantageously be used to provide thin, unsupported pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,792 (Warren et al) discloses the addition of fusion proteins, and in particular the fusion protein protein A-Saf5 into foods which are to be consumed frozen, for example, ice cream, frozen yogurt, ice milk, sherbet, popsicles and frozen whipped cream. No examples are given where a final ice confection product is provided containing such fusion proteins. It is shown in Example 3B that when a popsicle formulation is used within the “splat assay”, growth of the ice crystals is restricted.
In our co-pending application PCT/EP98/08552 (published as WO 99/37164 on Jul. 29, 1999 after the priority date of the present application) a frozen food product comprising AFPs having an average ice crystal size of from 0.01 to 20 micrometers is disclosed. The application is concerned with reducing the aggregation of ice crystals as much as possible such that a soft, creamy product is provided. The examples disclose the manufacture of ice cream flakes. However, the ice cream used is aerated and as shown by Comparative Examples A to C below, such ice cream flakes are not self-supporting in that they collapse during storage and distribution. WO 99/37164 does not disclose that it is possible to provide thin, self-supporting, discrete pieces of ice confection which are stable to storage and distribution, providing that the ice confection has specific mechanical properties.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly the invention provides an unaerated ice confection in the form of thin, unsupported, discrete pieces which are stable during packaging, storage and distribution wherein the ice confection comprises an antifreeze protein and has the following mechanical properties;
&Dgr; modulus/original modulus≧0.4, and/or
&Dgr; strength/original strength≧0.4; providing that when
&Dgr; modulus/original modulus≦6.0, &Dgr; modulus≧50 MPa, and/or
when &Dgr; strength/original strength≦2.0,
&Dgr; strength≧0.2 MPa.
By thin is meant 5 mm or less in thickness. Typically the thin layers will be from 0.5 to 5 mm in thickness. In particular approximately from 2 to 3 mm.
By pieces is meant for example flakes, sheets, tablets, slabs, shavings, chips, hoops, crisps or layers. In general the pieces will not be spherical. All dimensions are not identical. One dimension is from 0.5 to 5 mm and at least one other dimension is substantially longer than this.
By unsupported is meant that the thin crispy pieces are substantially in contact only with air and are not, for example, a layer upon a second ice confection which provides the thin layer with support.
Preferably &Dgr; modulus/original modulus≧0.4; providing that when &Dgr; modulus/original modulus≦6.0, &Dgr; modulus≧70 MPa, preferably ≧90 MPa, most preferably ≧100 MPa.
Most preferably &Dgr; modulus/original modulus≧1.0; providing that when &Dgr; modulus/original modulus≦6.0, &Dgr; modulus≧100 MPa, preferably ≧200 MPa
Preferably &Dgr; strength/original strength≧0.7. Most preferably &Dgr; strength/original strength≧1.5.
By modulus is meant the apparent elastic modulus (E) as determined using a four point bend test. Example 1 gives the standard procedure for performing a four point bend test.
Therefore &Dgr; modulus (&Dgr;E) means the change in modulus between two ice confections whose formulation and process of manufacture are identical in all respects except that the first ice confection includes in its composition an antifreeze protein, and the second ice confection has no antifreeze protein included in its composition (the control composition). Original modulus (E
orig
) is the modulus measured in the control composition.
By strength is meant the flexure strength (&sgr;
u
) which can be defined as the maximum stress that a material can withstand, under the particular conditions. The flexure strength is given by the stress at a point of maximum force on the force versus displacement curve recorded during a four point bend test.
Therefore &Dgr; strength (&Dgr;&sgr;
u
) means the change in strength between two ice confections whose formulation and process of manufacture are identical in all respects except that the first ice confection includes in its composition an antifreeze protein, and the second ice confection has no antifreeze protein included in its composition (the control composition). Original strength (&sgr;
u orig
) is the modulus measured in the control composition.
In addition to changes in the apparent elastic modulus and flexure strength, an increase in product hardness is provided by the ice confections according to the invention.
For ice confections frozen with agitation, for example in an ice cream freezer (such as a scraped surface heat exchanger), the increase in hardness can be measured using the Vickers hardness test. Details of the Vickers hardness test are given in Example 3.
The degree to which the Vickers Hardness (H
v
) of the ice confection is increased by
Daniel Adrian
Fenn Richard Anthony
Oldroyd Jon Richard
Bhat Nina
Good Humor - Breyers Ice Cream, division of Conopco, Inc.
McGowen, Jr. Gerard J.
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