Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-14
2003-12-23
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
C426S522000, C426S585000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06667068
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a method for preparing a solid milk product. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for preparing a solid milk product having a moisture level of less than about 40 percent and a fat/protein ratio of less than about 2.5. The present invention also relates to a solid milk product which is a solid at ambient temperatures, has a moisture level of less than about 40 percent, and has a fat/protein ratio of less than about 2.5.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Dairy products such as liquid milk which are high in protein can form an important part of a nutritious diet. Unfortunately, many people do not generally consume liquid milk in sufficient quantities for a number of reasons. Thus, there has been considerable effort to prepare milk-based products in solid form which are more convenient to consume.
Barta, U.S. Pat. No.4,497,834 (Feb. 5, 1985) provided a simplified process for preparing a nutritious dairy-based product. This process involved condensing fatted or defatted milk to essentially the solids and moisture content desired in the final product, reducing the lactose content to below about 15 percent, and then cooking the mixture to produce, upon cooling, a gel-like material. If desired, fat could be added to a level of about 5 to 40 percent. The moisture content of the gel-like material was generally less than about 50 percent. However, to achieve low moisture levels, Barta was required to add significant levels of fat. Based on the reported examples in Barta, for example, a 48 percent moisture level product would have a fat/protein ratio of about 1.1; a 30 percent moisture level product would have a fat/protein ratio of about 6.2; and a 15 percent moisture level product would have a fat/protein ratio of about 19.6. Thus, Barta was only able to obtain relatively low moisture levels by significantly increasing the fat/protein ratios. Of course, such high fat/protein ratios result in a less desirable high-fat product, thereby significantly reducing the nutritional characteristics of the product.
Cillario, U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,625 (Nov. 3, 1981) provided a low moisture foam consisting of an oil-in-water emulsion prepared from edible fat, milk proteins, water, and optionally added sugars. Cillario was able to produce both “creamy” (i.e., viscosity of about 400,000 cps) and “paste-like (i.e., viscosity of about 3,500,00 cps) products with moisture levels of about 17 to about 35 percent. Fat/protein ratios for both the creamy and paste-like products generally ranged from about 3.9 to about 12, with the “optimum” ratios reported at about 7 to about 7.5. Of course, such high fat/protein ratios result in a less desirable high-fat product, thereby significantly reducing the nutritional characteristics of the product.
It would be desirable, therefore, to produce solid milk products having low moisture levels as well as low fat/protein ratios. The present invention provides such solid milk products and methods for producing such solid milk products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method of preparing a solid milk product having a moisture level of less than about 40 percent and a fat/protein ratio of less than about 2.5, and preferably a moisture level of about 10 to about 30 percent and a fat/protein ratio of less than about 2.0. More preferably, the solid milk product has a fat/protein ratio of about 0.5 to about 1.5 and, even more preferably, about 1 to about 1.2. Generally, the solid milk product of the present invention has less than about 50 percent added sweetener (e.g., sugar), preferably about 12 to about 35 percent added sweetener, and more preferably about 25 to about 35 percent added sweetener. Generally, the total sweetener (i.e., added sweetener plus sugars added with other ingredients) is less than about 57 percent, preferably about 25 to about 52 percent, and more preferably about 25 to about 40 percent.
The present solid milk product is a high solids, low moisture, high-protein, shelf-stable milk product which is solid at ambient temperatures.
Thus, the present product can be conveniently transported and consumed by hand. Moreover, the present product can be produced in various forms—for example, solid bars, candy-type bars, cookies, cookies or bars with other ingredients (e.g., granola, grains, peanuts, other nuts, chocolate bits or chips, and the like), bite-sized forms or pieces, enrobed solid forms (e.g., coated with yogurt, yogurt-coated raisins, chocolate, and the like), shapes (e.g., animal, stars, letters), and the like—and can be produced with varying levels of sweetness. The present product can also be produced in an aerated form.
The present invention provides a method for preparing a solid milk product, said method comprising:
(1) blending an aqueous liquid, an edible fat, and concentrated milk protein source at a temperature of about 40 to about 95° C. and under high shear conditions with a bulk peak shear rate of greater than about 950 sec
−1
to form a first blend, wherein the blending continues until essentially all components in the first blend are hydrated and wherein the edible fat has a melting point less than about 50° C;
(2) adding 0 to 1 percent of an emulsifier to the first blend either before or after essentially all components in the first blend are hydrated;
(3) adding, once essentially all components in the first blend are hydrated, 0 to about 3 percent of an emulsifying salt and 0 to about 1 percent TiO
2
to form a second blend;
(4) continuing to heat the second blend to the temperature of about 65 to about 95° C. under the high shear conditions until a homogeneous paste is obtained;
(5) pasteurizing the homogenous paste; and
(6) cooling the pasteurized homogenous paste to form the solid milk product,
wherein the relative amount of the aqueous liquid, the edible fat, and the concentrated milk protein source in the first blend are adjusted such that the solid milk product has a moisture level of less than about 40 percent and a fat/protein ratio of less than about 2.5 and wherein the solid milk product is a solid at ambient temperatures.
The present invention also provides a method for preparing a solid milk product having a moisture level of less than about 40 percent, said method comprising:
(1) blending an aqueous liquid, an edible fat, and concentrated milk protein source at a temperature of about 40 to about 95° C. and under high shear conditions with a bulk peak shear rate of greater than about 950 sec
−1
to form a first blend, wherein the blending continues until essentially all components in the first blend are hydrated and wherein the edible fat has a melting point less than about 50° C.;
(2) adding 0 to about 1 percent of an emulsifier to the first blend either before or after essentially all components in the first blend are hydrated;
(3) added 0 to about 3 percent of an emulsifying salt and 0 to about 1 percent TiO
2
to the first blend to form a second blend; wherein, if the moisture level of the solid milk product is to be greater than about 25 percent, the emulsifying salt and the TiO
2
are added to the first blend either before or after essentially all components in the first blend are hydrated; and wherein, if the moisture level of the solid milk product is to be less than about 25 percent, the emulsifying salt and the TiO
2
are added to the first blend after essentially all components in the first blend are hydrated;
(4) continuing to heat the second blend to the temperature of about 65 to about 95° C. under the high shear conditions until a homogeneous paste is obtained;
(5) pasteurizing the homogenous paste; and
(6) cooling the pasteurized homogenous paste to form the solid milk product,
wherein the relative amount of the aqueous liquid, the edible fat, and the concentrated milk protein source in the first blend are adjusted such that the solid milk product has a moisture level of less than about 40 percent and a fat/protein ratio of less than about 2.5; and wherein the solid milk product is a solid
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery
Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.
Wong Leslie
LandOfFree
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