Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Foam or foamable type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-23
2001-03-27
Paden, Carolyn (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Foam or foamable type
C426S567000, C426S571000, C426S581000, C426S591000, C426S569000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06207216
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed generally to food products and to their methods of preparation. In particular, the present invention is directed to improved aerated confectionery products such as dried marshmallows that dissolve quickly in cold water or milk and to processes for making such quick dissolving aerated, confectionery products.
BACKGROUND
Aerated confections products are popular food items. Some products are fabricated from aerated confection compositions that comprise a fat constituent while others are substantially free of such fat constituents. An illustrative fat free aerated confection is the common marshmallow. Such marshmallow products are familiar in both larger and smaller sizes.
It is well known that such marshmallows when fresh are soft and pliable but will stale by losing moisture and become hard. Indeed, purposefully pre-dried aerated confections are also well known. These products, particularly in smaller or bit sizes, are commonly added to certain popular Ready-To-Eat (“RTE”) breakfast cereals, particularly those marketed to children. Due to their small size (i.e., having a number count of 4 to 6/g), these dried aerated confectionery marshmallow products are sometimes colloquially referred to as “Mar.” bits or “marbits”. The marbits must be pre-dried prior to admixture with the RTE cereal in order to reduce unwanted moisture migration from the marbit to the cereal and thus to forestall the multiple problems resulting therefrom. These dried marshmallow pieces exhibit desirable crisp, frangible eating qualities.
While there are many types of marshmallow products on the market, their methods of preparation generally fall into two main process groups: extruded marshmallow and deposited marshmallow. In both types, a sugar syrup and a structuring agent (such as agar or, preferably a gelatin) are the two main ingredients. Typically, the sugar syrup is heated to reduce moisture and is thereafter cooled down, and then combined with the gelatin solution to form a slurry. That slurry is then aerated to form a foam, and after aeration, colors and flavors are then added to the foam. The particular marshmallow product may be formed into its final shape by an extrusion process. That is, after aeration, the foam is extruded through a die to form a rope. The die imparts the desired peripheral shape to the extrudate rope. The rope is allowed to rest briefly to set, and then is cut into desired sizes. For dried marshmallows, the process can additionally include one or more drying steps. (See, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,551 issued Nov. 2, 1988 to W. J. Meyer entitled “Method of Drying Confection Pieces”).
While marshmallows of a single color are most common, marshmallows having two or even a plurality of colors (collectively herein, “multi-colored”) are also known (see, for example, D 376,039 issued Dec. 3, 1996 entitled “Food Product” showing a two color marbit design) as well as methods for their preparation. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,380 issued Oct. 20, 1986 entitled “Multicolor Confection Extrusion System and U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,404 issued Feb. 28, 1990 entitled “Multicolor Confection Extrusion System”, each of which are incorporated herein by reference). Both the '404 and '380 well describe the difficulties and sensitivities of such foam product preparation. The conventional processes for making multi-colored marshmallows teach to divide the aerated foam into a plurality of sub-streams, to admix a desired colorant to each sub-stream, and then extrude these colored sub-streams in substantially equal portions into a single rope or multiplicity of such ropes.
While multicolored marshmallow pieces have enhanced consumer appeal particularly for children's products, there is a continuing need for new confection products having novel appearance and appeal.
Generally, dried marshmallow pieces soften but do not dissolve upon exposure to cold milk and rapidly loose their desirable crisp and frangible eating qualities. Efforts have been thus been made at extending the bowl life of dried marshmallow pieces in cold milk, i.e., to lessen their propensity to soften in cold milk. Thus, previously, dried marshmallow piece that remained crisp in milk for times exceeding three minutes were considered to be desirable.
In contrast, however, the present invention provides dried marshmallows that dissolve quickly in cold water or milk and to methods of preparing such quick dissolving aerated confection pieces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In its product aspect, the present invention resides in dried aerated confections that dissolve quickly in cold water or milk.
The aerated confections comprise:
About 50 to 95% of a saccharide component;
About 0.5 to 30% of a structuring agent; and,
About 1% to 5% of a whipping agent.
About 1 to 6% moisture;
The balance of the composition can be supplied by various conventional optional ingredients.
The confection compositions have densities of 0.10 to 1 g/cc.
The products are additionally characterized by a size count of 0.2 to 6/g and having moisture content of 1 to 8%. These products can have a body of one color or the body can comprise a plurality of disparately colored phases.
In its principal method aspect, the present invention provides methods for preparing a composite products comprising a first portion quickly dissolving aerated confections, and a second portion of a slowly dissolving aerated confection comprising the steps of:
A. providing a first stream of first aerated confection composition having one portion fabricated from a quickly dissolving aerated confection composition having:
a moisture content of about 8% to about 25%;
a density of about 0.1 to about 1.0 g/cc;
a temperature of about 70 to 180° F.; and,
B. providing a second stream of a second aerated confection composition fabricated from a slowly dissolving aerated confection composition having:
a moisture content of about 8% to about 25%;
a density of about 0.1 to about 1.0 g/cc;
a temperature of about 70 to 180° F.; and C. coextruding the first stream and second stream under pressure in an extruder without substantial intermingling of the extrusion steam to form a combined steam;
D. severing the combined steam into pieces;
E. drying the aerated confection pieces to a moisture content of about 1% to 6% to form dried aerated confections having a first quickly dissolving portion and that dissolve in second slowly dissolving portion.
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Minifee 1980 Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionary AVI Publishing Co., Inc. Westport CT p. 86.*
Van Der Schaaf Dec. 17, 1974The Mondomix Process for the Manufacture of Aerated Sugar Confectionery.
Anon 1992 Commercial Brochu
Ajao Diran
Helser Michael A.
Zietlow Philip K.
Diederiks Everett G.
General Mills Inc.
O'Toole John A.
Paden Carolyn
Taylor Douglas J.
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