Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of milk or milk product
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-10
2003-04-08
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of milk or milk product
C426S041000, C426S043000, C426S074000, C426S583000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06544567
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to preparation of creamy, calcium-fortified yogurt. In its more preferred aspects, it provides yogurt products having less fat than those prepared with whole milk, yet which have higher calcium contents and consistencies reminiscent of whole milk products.
Consumer interest in weight control and healthy eating is driving food processors to increase their offerings of foods having reduced fat contents and high nutritional value. Yogurt is perceived as a healthy food for a number of reasons. It is natural, contains calcium derived form milk and is associated with healthy digestion and other benefits. Typically, yogurt has a fat content only as high as cows milk, from which it is most often made. Even so, many health-conscious consumers would want even lower fat contents and even higher calcium contents. Unfortunately, the removal of fat decreases the smooth texture and nice color associated with yogurt, and the addition of calcium has caused a number of problems, including gritty mouthfeel and reduced protein heat stability.
While a number of efforts have been made to address these interrelated problems, the art is in need of effective solutions.
BACKGROUND ART
Yogurt has been prepared for centuries in essentially the same way. It was reportedly developed out of the need to preserve milk in warm climates like the Middle East. See, for example, Hui,
Dairy Science
&
Technology Handbook,
Vol. 2., Product Manufacturing, 1993, pp. 1-5. As originally developed, it has been considered a health food, but there is interest in reducing its fat content and/or increasing its calcium content. However, these modifications have proved to be significant technical challenges.
Yogurt is prepared by heating milk sufficiently to inactivate microorganisms in it, cooling from the high temperature, inoculating with a suitable culture (e.g., adding a small amount of a previous batch of yogurt), holding at a temperature near ambient or just above for long enough (e.g., 3 to 6 hours) for the active cultures to produce enough acid to coagulate the milk, and then cooling the resulting yogurt. A natural consequence of the culturing process is the production of lactic acid. The acid has several benefits, including creating a smooth, creamy texture, providing a clean, fresh taste and aiding preservation. If the yogurt is made with good manufacturing practices and cultured until the pH is less than about 4.6, the product should be stable for several weeks under refrigeration. Thus, maintaining the natural culturing process and results are important.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,523 to Hansen, et al., identifies a number of problems with adding calcium to yogurt. The patent indicates that some sources of calcium can cause grittiness and that others can cause the protein in milk to coagulate during heat treatment. Their solution to the problem involves adding chelating and/or alkaline agents, in addition to a calcium supplement, to maintain the pH above 6.7 prior to pasteurization. They were unable to identify any calcium supplement that did not require at least some change in the yogurt manufacturing procedure.
Attempts by the prior art to reduce fat in yogurt have also been met with technical challenges. By definition, yogurt must contain at least 8.25% milk-solids-non-fat before the addition of any bulky flavors. The milkfat content of regular yogurt must be at least 3.25%. (21 C.F.R. §131.200) When either lowfat yogurt (21 C.F.R. §131.203) or nonfat yogurt (21 C.F.R. §131.206) is prepared, the fat content is reduced, thereby reducing the total solids and making the yogurt thin and watery. Various food additives have been identified to return the rheological properties and mouthfeel of these products to those of their full-fat counterparts. Widely used among these are whey and whey protein concentrates. Whey is the dried residue of the liquid obtained by the separation of curd in cheese making. Whey protein concentrate is a product obtained from whey wherein whey is “modified by partial or complete removal of lactose and or minerals, to increase the nonfat solids content of the food” (e.g., see 21 C.F.R. §131.203(d)).
It is common for whey and/or whey protein concentrates to be employed along with other stabilizers such as gelatin, starch, vegetable and synthetic gums and the like. These materials as a group tend to increase the smoothness of the yogurt and decrease syneresis. An ideal stabilizer would yield a yogurt product which at the time of making and to the end of its shelf life, was the same in taste and texture as a full-fat, natural yogurt. The stabilizer should be easily mixed and should not adversely affect processing, flavor or texture. Stabilizers as currently available, however, do not significantly increase the calcium content.
There remains a need for a yogurt stabilizer and process for utilizing it that improves yogurt texture and increases the calcium content without adversely affecting taste, processing or product stability.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a yogurt product with enhanced texture.
It is another object of the invention to provide a yogurt product with increased calcium content.
It is another object of the invention to provide a yogurt product having an enhanced smooth and creamy texture.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a yogurt-based product or ingredient with enhanced texture and/or calcium content.
It is another and more specific object of the invention to provide a process for preparing yogurt products having reduced fat contents, without sacrificing the viscosity and mouthfeel of yogurt prepared from whole milk.
It is yet another and more specific object of the invention to provide a process for preparing low-fat yogurt products exhibiting viscosity and mouthfeel reminiscent of yogurt prepared from whole milk.
It is another and more specific object of the invention to provide a process for preparing yogurt products having increased calcium contents, without causing processing, texture or stability problems.
It is yet another and more specific object of the invention to provide a process for preparing high-calcium, low-fat yogurt products exhibiting viscosity and mouthfeel reminiscent of yogurt prepared from whole milk.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention, which provides a process for preparing a yogurt having an improved texture and containing active cultures, comprising: admixing milk with a modified whey characterized, on an as is basis, by a calcium content of at least 3%, protein content of from 10 to 20%, and a phospholipid content of at least 2% and a yogurt culture; holding the culture at a temperature and for a time effective to produce yogurt. The process is applicable to yogurt made from whole milk or meeting the standards for lowfat or nonfat products. The products prepared in the above manner are unique in composition and properties.
Many of the preferred aspects of the invention are described below.
Industrial Applicability
The following description will illustrate the preparation of preferred yogurt products according to the invention. The processing will be described in terms of the procedures effective for the materials employed in the various formulations.
The term “yogurt” is used herein to mean all of those products meeting the definition as set forth in 21 C.F.R. §§131.200, 131.203, and 131.206. Of the above sections, 21 C.F.R. §131.203 specifically relates to lowfat yogurt and 21 C.F.R. §131.206 specifically relates to nonfat yogurt. The invention improves the production of products of these types by providing better body and added calcium. For lowfat and nonfat products, the invention provides more of the body and mouthfeel of regular full-fat yogurt than has been achievable using ingredients described in the prior art.
The preferred products of the invention contain live and active cultures, as is required by the definition agreed to by the National Yogurt Association. Generally, these products are made by fermenting milk or a mi
Bruneau Jean Claude
Davis Martin E.
Nelson Laurie
Davisco Foods International, Inc.
Schwegman Lundberg Woessner & Kluth P.A.
Wong Leslie
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