Low water activity filling

Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Foam or foamable type

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C426S549000, C426S601000, C426S604000, C426S607000, C426S610000, C426S613000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06770316

ABSTRACT:

The subject invention relates generally to an improved filling, and more particularly to a low water activity fruit filling for use in a food product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Filled food products, such as pies, cakes, waffles, donuts, candies, cereal bars, and the like are commonly filled with various types of flavored fillings such as fruit fillings, marshmallow fillings, peanut putter fillings, vegetable fillings, and the like. These food products are commonly prepackaged for later use by the consumer. The process for filling the food product, packaging the food product and imparting adequate shelf-life to the food product has presented numerous problems relating to food product quality. One such problem is the introduction and retention of high flavoring of the filling. To provide high flavoring and other qualities, such as pleasing mouth feel, the flavored filling traditionally needed to be formulated with a high water content. While the high water content provides pleasing qualities to the consumer, it also causes stability problems for the filled food product. One such problem is the migration of water from the filling material into the casing material of the filled food product. The area of surface contact between the two materials provides a potential for instability between the two materials leading to chemical reactions that can cause the degradation of the food product. Water migration also can cause the casing material to become soggy and the filling material to lose its flavoring, each of which reduces the overall satisfaction of the consumer.
One method for preventing the degradation of the filled food product due to water migration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,542. The '542 patent discloses the use of a dough and a roll-in shortening laminated pad to prevent the migration of water from the filling material to the casing material. Additionally, the filling material is formulated to act as a moisture sink while cooking the filled food product in preparation for storage.
Another method for preventing the migration of water has been simply to reduce the water content of both the filling material and the casing material and/or to maintain the water activity of the filling to be less than or equal to the casing material. The lower water content of the filling and/or casing material reduces the amount of free water in the food product thereby reducing the amount of water that is capable of migrating between the filling material and the casing material. However, the lack of water in the filled food product also reduces the overall flavor and mouth-feel and eating quality resulting in reduced consumer satisfaction. The following is an example of typical water activities for a variety of high solids fillings and confections:
Filling
Water Activity
Crème Cookie Filling
0.535
Peanut Butter Pecan Cookie Filling
0.552
Fudge Cookie Filling
0.421
Mint Confection Filling
0.661
Caramel Crème Filling
0.538
Gelatin Gummis
0.666
Caramels
0.567
Circus Peanuts
0.641
Cereal Bar Fruit Filling
0.660
Strawberry Fruit Filling
0.805
Typical fruit fillings have water activities of 0.60 or greater. Fruit fillings that have lower water activities generally have a rubbery, grainy texture with poor flavor release and eating characteristics. The typical method for achieving a lower water activity primarily relies on increasing solids at the expense of moisture. Lowering the water activity in this manner frequently results in a fruit filling with poor flavor release, poor textural and poor rheological attributes. In addition, low water activity fruit fillings typically have excessive viscosity development during the manufacture of the fruit filling thus making it difficult to incorporate dry ingredients. Often, additional moisture must be added to the fruit filling to provide a fluid matrix in which the dry ingredients can be either dispersed or dissolved. This requires that the moisture be removed at some later step (i.e., using vacuum and heat) if the final low water activity is to be achieved. The rheological characteristics of a low water activity fruit filling also makes it more difficult to pump and/or extrude the fruit filling for packaging and/or insertion in a final food product.
The maintaining of the water activity of the filling so as to not be greater than the food casing material reduces the tendency of the water in the filling to migrate to the case material. However, many types of fillings, especially fruit fillings, need to have a high water activity to obtain the desired overall flavor and mouth feel associated with the fruit filling. Such high water activities of the filling resulted in poor quality and unstable food casings when the water activity of the food casing is raised so as to be equal or greater than the water activity of the filling. As a result the shelf life and quality of the filling food product was reduced.
Therefore, it would be desirable to develop a filled food product having a filling with a low water activity and which filling has desirable organoleptic characteristics and which can be manipulated both in manufacture and during end use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a low water activity food product and more particularly to a low water activity filling for use as a filling for a food product. The filling can be a fruit filling or a filling that includes substantially little or no fruit. The filling is formulated to have a high solids content and a low water activity. The solids content of the filling typically constitutes a majority of the filling. The water activity of the filling is generally selected so as to reduce the amount of moisture transfer to a food casing. The filling is formulated to maintain the sweetness, flavor and other desired organoleptic characteristics while maintaining a low water activity. The viscosity of the filling is such that the filling can be pumped, extruded and/or otherwise deposited on and/or in a food casing in a manner similar to fillings with higher water activities.
In one aspect of the present invention, the water activity of the filling is sufficiently low to reduce or substantially prevent moisture migration from the filling to a food casing. In one embodiment, the water activity (A
w
) of the filling is less than or equal to the water activity of the finished food casing. In one aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling is less than the water activity of a food casing generally made from a dough or butter comprised at least partially of flour. Typically the flour includes, but is not limited to, all-purpose flour, hard wheat flour, soft wheat flour, whole wheat flour, corn flour, oat flour, rice flour, and/or barley flour. Food products that have food casing made from flour include, but are not limited to, pies, cakes, cup cakes, strudels, cobblers, bagels, breads, crepes, toast, tarts, pancakes, waffles, muffins, cookies, crackers, pastries, donuts, crusts, granola bars, cereal bars, biscuits, turnovers, pizzas, pot pie, pasta, burritos, and calzones. In one specific aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling when used in food casings including flour is less than about 0.8. In another specific aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling when used in food casings including flour is less than about 0.7. In still another specific aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling when used in food casings including flour is less than about 0.65. In yet another specific aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling when used in food casings including flour is less than about 0.6. In still yet another specific aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling when used in food casings including flour is less than about 0.5. In a further specific aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling when used in food casings including flour is less than about 0.4. In still a further specific aspect of this embodiment, the water activity of the filling when used in food casing made of flour i

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