Cheese whey candy and method of making same

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of dairy by-product deep processing, and discloses a cheese whey sugar and a manufacturing method thereof. The cheese whey sugar is made of the following raw materials in parts by weight: whey 15-60 parts, white granulated sugar 5-30 parts, glucose syrup 2-10 parts, cheese powder 1-5 parts, and citric acid 0.1-0.5 parts. The preparation steps include four processes of whey preparation, whey nanofiltration, cheese whey syrup boiling, and cooling, shaping and packaging. The present application takes cheese processing by-product whey as the main raw material, and is matched with cheese powder to give the product a rich cheese fragrance. The segmented temperature control boiling process optimizes the physicochemical properties of the syrup. The prepared cheese whey sugar is sweet and sour, has pure cheese aroma, delicate texture, and is not sticky, has complete block shape and uniform color, does not contain additional artificial pigment and preservative, fully retains whey protein, lactose and mineral nutrients in the whey, has both nutritional value and leisure food edible properties, and has a good market application prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of deep processing technology of dairy by-products, and discloses a cheese whey candy and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] Whey is a byproduct of cheese production or milk concentration, typically considered waste and disposed of directly. However, with in-depth research into dairy products and their byproducts, it has become clear that whey is rich in whey protein, lactose, and other bioactive components. Whey protein contains all eight essential amino acids required by the human body in a balanced ratio, making it easily absorbed and utilized. It is considered a high-quality protein source, meeting the nutritional and health needs of different ages and populations. Furthermore, the lactose in whey provides energy and also possesses nutritional and health benefits.

[0003] With a growing understanding of the nutritional value of whey, various food products using whey as the main ingredient have been developed, such as whey protein powder and other protein supplements. However, the variety and flavor of whey products are currently relatively limited. Therefore, expanding the product categories of whey and developing healthier, tastier, and convenient whey products for daily consumption has become a research hotspot. Among these, whey candy, made from whey, represents a promising direction with both development potential and market prospects. Whey candy is a type of functional confectionery made primarily from whey, supplemented with natural sweeteners. Whey candy retains the original whey protein, lactose, minerals, and various nutrients found in whey. Compared to traditional candies, whey candy significantly reduces the intake of simple sugars while providing higher nutritional value, making it an innovative food that combines deliciousness and health. Compared to ordinary candies or some protein products on the market that contain added preservatives, colorings, and flavorings, the naturally formulated whey candy has no unnecessary additives, satisfying people's sweet tooth while leveraging the health benefits of whey, making it a healthy and leisure food with broad development prospects.

[0004] Existing whey candy formulations and processing techniques have significant shortcomings: the lack of cheese powder results in a weak, bland flavor and low consumer appeal; the absence of a glucose syrup compounding system leads to poor candy shaping, brittleness, rough edges, and uneven, dull color; the lack of precise control over cooking temperature, power, and time intervals results in either excessive stickiness or a coarse texture and broken shapes; and the simple coarse filtration of whey leaves suspended impurities unremoved, resulting in a dull surface, internal sediment particles, and poor sensory quality. Therefore, developing a whey candy that fully utilizes whey waste, possesses a cheese flavor, exhibits stable shaping, a delicate texture, and retains its full nutritional value is a pressing technical challenge for the dairy processing industry. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing whey candies, such as limited flavor, poor shaping, rough texture, and low whey resource utilization, this invention provides a cheese whey candy and its production method. This product has a rich cheese aroma, a balanced sweet and sour taste, a smooth and non-sticky texture, intact block shape, and a translucent color. No artificial colors or preservatives are added throughout the process, fully preserving the nutrients of whey. The process is simple and easy to scale up, realizing the high-value utilization of whey by-products.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a cheese whey candy, which is prepared from the following raw materials in parts by weight: 15-60 parts whey, 5-30 parts white sugar, 2-10 parts glucose syrup, 1-5 parts cheese powder and 0.1-0.5 parts citric acid.

[0008] Furthermore, it is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 15 parts whey, 5 parts white sugar, 2 parts glucose syrup, 1 part cheese powder and 0.5 parts citric acid.

[0009] Furthermore, it is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 60 parts whey, 30 parts white sugar, 10 parts glucose syrup, 5 parts cheese powder and 0.1 parts citric acid.

[0010] Furthermore, it is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 40 parts whey, 30 parts white sugar, 9 parts glucose syrup, 2.5 parts cheese powder and 0.25 parts citric acid.

[0011] Furthermore, it is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 40 parts whey, 25 parts white sugar, 14 parts glucose syrup, 2.5 parts cheese powder and 0.25 parts citric acid.

[0012] A method for preparing cheese whey sugar includes the following steps: S1: Whey preparation: Heat raw milk to 45°C and maintain for 3 minutes. Remove impurities by centrifugation at 8000 rpm, then defatted in a pressurized centrifuge at 0.8 MPa and 10000 rpm to obtain whey semi-finished product.

[0013] S2: Whey filtration: The whey feed solution is filtered using a filter membrane with a precision of 1-100nm to remove suspended solids and precipitates, thus obtaining whey.

[0014] S3: Preparation of cheese whey syrup: Mix the whey obtained in S2 with cheese powder and heat to 100℃ on an induction cooker at 1000W, maintaining the temperature for 20-40 minutes. Add granulated sugar, glucose syrup, and citric acid, stir to dissolve, then reduce the induction cooker power to 400W and continue boiling to between 120-125℃. Then reduce the induction cooker power to 300W and maintain the temperature for 30-60 minutes to obtain cheese whey syrup.

[0015] S4: Canning: Pour the cheese whey syrup obtained in S3 into a mold while it is still hot. After cooling at room temperature for 40 minutes, the cheese whey candy is completely solidified. Then it is packaged to obtain the whey candy of the present invention.

[0016] Furthermore, in step S3, after the refined whey and cheese powder are mixed, the temperature is kept at 100°C for 30 minutes and maintained at 300W for 50 minutes.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: Synergistic formulation enhances both flavor and formability. (1) Add 1 to 5 parts of cheese powder, which will fully blend with whey protein during the cooking stage, releasing natural cheese aroma and solving the problem of weak milk aroma and monotonous flavor in traditional whey candy; compared with the ratio without cheese powder, the aroma score is more than doubled. (2) The combination of glucose syrup and white sugar regulates the crystallization rate of the syrup and inhibits the formation of large sugar crystals. The finished product has a delicate and smooth texture, is not easy to break, and has neat edges. Samples without glucose syrup are easily damaged and have a dark color. (3) A trace amount of citric acid regulates the sweet and sour balance, masks the slight fishy and astringent taste of whey, and improves palatability without the need for artificial flavoring.

[0018] Two-stage purification of whey pretreatment improves the appearance and texture of the finished product. First, centrifugation removes impurities and defatting, then fine filtration is performed using a nanofiltration membrane to remove fine suspended matter and protein precipitates; the finished product is crystal clear and glossy, free of particulate impurities, and has a smooth and intact surface, solving the defects of coarsely filtered whey turning gray and having internal sediment in sugar production.

[0019] Segmented power-controlled temperature cooking process optimizes taste and stability. Three-stage gradient heating logic: ① High temperature and high power 1000W boiling and heat preservation: fully extracts the cheese flavor and allows whey protein and cheese powder to blend evenly; ② Medium power 400W, heat to 120~125℃: quickly remove excess moisture to ensure the solid content required for sugar formation; ③ Low power 300W long-term constant temperature: Slowly balances sugar crystallization, avoids local over-burning and uneven moisture distribution, and reduces stickiness and deformation problems; insufficient constant temperature time will result in stickiness and rough texture, while extending the constant temperature time can improve the texture.

[0020] Resource utilization by-products: green and high added value Using waste whey as the main raw material, the cost of raw materials is greatly reduced and the pollution from whey wastewater discharge is reduced. The product retains whey protein, lactose, and minerals, and belongs to functional leisure candy, which can replace traditional candies with high additives and meet the needs of healthy consumption.

[0021] The process is simple, easy to mass-produce, and has high production efficiency. The entire process involves only four steps: centrifugation, filtration, boiling, and cooling. The equipment is universal, the segmented heating parameters are controllable, the product quality is stable between batches, and cooling only takes 40 minutes, shortening the production cycle.

[0022] Equivalent alternatives to raw materials (1) Cheese powder can be replaced with cheddar cheese powder or mozzarella cheese powder. The amount added should be maintained at 1 to 5 parts by weight to adjust the strength of the cheese flavor. (2) Whey raw materials can replace the direct discharge of whey from cheese, eliminating the need for secondary centrifugation of milk and making them suitable for in-situ processing in cheese production lines; (3) In the sweetness system, white sugar can partially replace erythritol and maltitol, which is suitable for the low-sugar and sugar-free market segments.

[0023] Equivalent alternatives to the process (1) The heating equipment can replace the jacketed steam pot and the special gas cooking pot for boiling sugar. The power control of the induction cooker is replaced by the temperature sensor to achieve the same segmented heating curve. (2) The nanofiltration membrane can be a ceramic nanofiltration membrane or an organic polyethersulfone nanofiltration membrane, with the pore size maintained in the range of 1 to 100 nm; (3) Cooling molding can be assisted by low temperature air cooling, shortening the cooling time to 20-30 minutes without changing the sensory quality of the finished product.

[0024] Product derivative uses This cheese whey candy can be eaten directly as a ready-to-eat snack candy; after being crushed, it can be used as a filling for baking, as a grain additive for oatmeal, or as an ingredient in yogurt; after being melted, it can be coated on the surface of milk tablets and biscuits, which also has the functions of enhancing flavor and nutritional fortification. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Example 1: This example is a preferred embodiment of cheese whey candy and its preparation method.

[0027] It is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 40 parts whey, 30 parts white sugar, 9 parts glucose syrup, 2.5 parts cheese powder and 0.25 parts citric acid.

[0028] A method for preparing cheese whey sugar includes the following steps: S1: Whey preparation: Heat raw milk to 45°C and maintain for 3 minutes. Remove impurities by centrifugation at 8000 rpm, then defatted in a pressurized centrifuge at 0.8 MPa and 10000 rpm to obtain whey semi-finished product.

[0029] S2: Whey filtration: The whey feed solution is filtered using a filter membrane with a precision of 50nm to remove suspended solids and precipitates, thus obtaining whey.

[0030] S3: Preparation of cheese whey syrup: Mix the whey obtained in S2 with cheese powder and heat to 100°C at 1000W on an induction cooker, maintaining the temperature for 30 minutes. Add granulated sugar, glucose syrup, and citric acid, stir to dissolve, then reduce the induction cooker power to 400W and continue boiling to 123°C. Finally, reduce the induction cooker power to 300W and maintain the temperature for 50 minutes to obtain cheese whey syrup.

[0031] S4: Canning: Pour the cheese whey syrup obtained in S3 into a mold while it is still hot. After cooling at room temperature for 40 minutes, the cheese whey candy is completely solidified. Then it is packaged to obtain the whey candy of the present invention.

[0032] Example 2: Prepared from the following ingredients by weight: 40 parts whey, 25 parts white sugar, 14 parts glucose syrup, 2.5 parts cheese powder and 0.25 parts citric acid.

[0033] The process steps are the same as in Example 1.

[0034] Example 3: Prepared from the following ingredients by weight: 15 parts whey, 5 parts white sugar, 2 parts glucose syrup, 1 part cheese powder and 0.5 parts citric acid.

[0035] A method for preparing cheese whey sugar includes the following steps: S1: Whey preparation: Heat raw milk to 45°C and maintain for 3 minutes. Remove impurities by centrifugation at 8000 rpm, then defatted in a pressurized centrifuge at 0.8 MPa and 10000 rpm to obtain whey semi-finished product.

[0036] S2: Whey filtration: The whey feed solution is filtered using a filter membrane with a precision of 1 nm to remove suspended solids and precipitates, thus obtaining whey.

[0037] S3: Preparation of cheese whey syrup: Mix the whey obtained in S2 with cheese powder and heat to 100°C on an induction cooker at 1000W, maintaining the temperature for 20 minutes. Add granulated sugar, glucose syrup, and citric acid, stir to dissolve, then reduce the induction cooker power to 400W and continue boiling to 120°C. Finally, reduce the induction cooker power to 300W and maintain the temperature for 30 minutes to obtain cheese whey syrup.

[0038] S4: Canning: Pour the cheese whey syrup obtained in S3 into a mold while it is still hot. After cooling at room temperature for 40 minutes, the cheese whey candy is completely solidified. Then it is packaged to obtain the whey candy of the present invention.

[0039] Example 4: Prepared from the following ingredients by weight: 60 parts whey, 30 parts white sugar, 10 parts glucose syrup, 5 parts cheese powder and 0.1 parts citric acid.

[0040] A method for preparing cheese whey sugar includes the following steps: S1: Whey preparation: Heat raw milk to 45°C and maintain for 3 minutes. Remove impurities by centrifugation at 8000 rpm, then defatted in a pressurized centrifuge at 0.8 MPa and 10000 rpm to obtain whey semi-finished product.

[0041] S2: Whey filtration: The whey feed solution is filtered using a filter membrane with a precision of 1-100nm to remove suspended solids and precipitates, thus obtaining whey.

[0042] S3: Preparation of cheese whey syrup: Mix the whey obtained in S2 with cheese powder and heat to 100°C on an induction cooker at 1000W, maintaining the temperature for 40 minutes. Add granulated sugar, glucose syrup, and citric acid, stir to dissolve, then reduce the induction cooker power to 400W and continue boiling to 125°C. Finally, reduce the induction cooker power to 300W and maintain the temperature for 60 minutes to obtain cheese whey syrup.

[0043] S4: Canning: Pour the cheese whey syrup obtained in S3 into a mold while it is still hot. After cooling at room temperature for 40 minutes, the cheese whey candy is completely solidified. Then it is packaged to obtain the whey candy of the present invention.

[0044] Comparative Example 1 This comparative example provides a method for preparing cheese whey sugar, which differs from the preparation method in Example 1 only in that the cheese powder in the whey sugar formula is removed.

[0045] Comparative Example 2 This comparative example provides a method for preparing cheese whey sugar, which differs from the preparation method of Example 1 only in that glucose syrup is removed from the whey sugar formula.

[0046] Comparative Example 3 This comparative example provides a method for preparing cheese whey sugar, which differs from the preparation method in Example 1 only in that the induction cooker power is switched to 300W and the temperature is maintained for 40 minutes.

[0047] Experimental Example: Sensory Evaluation Test of Cheese Whey Sugar of the Invention Sensory evaluation was conducted on cheese whey sugar samples from Examples 1-2 and Comparative Examples 1-2. The sensory evaluation was completed by 20 trained evaluators who scored the samples on a comprehensive basis, including aroma, color, texture, and shape. The average score was taken. The evaluation criteria are shown in Table 8, and the tasting results are shown in Table 9.

[0048]

[0050]

[0051] Test Results: In Example 1, the cheese whey sugar had a rich cheese aroma, a smooth and glossy surface, was translucent, and did not stick to the teeth. Examples 2 and Comparative Example 3 showed slight stickiness. Comparative Example 1 had a weaker cheese aroma. Comparative Example 2 was fragile, had irregular edges, and a darker color.

Claims

1. A cheese whey candy, characterized in that, It is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 15-60 parts whey, 5-30 parts white sugar, 2-10 parts glucose syrup, 1-5 parts cheese powder and 0.1-0.5 parts citric acid.

2. The cheese whey candy according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is prepared from the following ingredients by weight: 15 parts whey, 5 parts white sugar, 2 parts glucose syrup, 1 part cheese powder and 0.5 parts citric acid.

3. The cheese whey candy according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 60 parts whey, 30 parts white sugar, 10 parts glucose syrup, 5 parts cheese powder and 0.1 parts citric acid.

4. The cheese whey candy according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is prepared from the following ingredients by weight: 40 parts whey, 30 parts white sugar, 9 parts glucose syrup, 2.5 parts cheese powder and 0.25 parts citric acid.

5. The cheese whey candy according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 40 parts whey, 25 parts white sugar, 14 parts glucose syrup, 2.5 parts cheese powder and 0.25 parts citric acid.

6. A method for preparing cheese whey sugar as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Whey preparation: Heat raw milk to 45°C and maintain for 3 minutes; The heat-treated milk was centrifuged at 8000 rpm to remove impurities, and then defatted in a pressurized centrifuge at a pressure of 0.8 MPa and a centrifugation rate of 10000 rpm to obtain whey semi-finished product. S2: Whey filtration: The whey feed solution is filtered using a filter membrane with a precision of 1-100nm to remove suspended solids and precipitates, thus obtaining whey; S3: Preparation of cheese whey sugar: Mix the whey obtained in S2 with cheese powder and heat it to 100℃ under the condition of 1000W power on an induction cooker, and maintain it for 20-40 minutes. Add granulated sugar, glucose syrup and citric acid, stir to dissolve, then turn the induction cooker to 400W and continue boiling to 120-125℃. Then turn the induction cooker to 300W and maintain the temperature for 30-60 minutes to obtain cheese whey syrup. S4: Canning: Pour the cheese whey syrup obtained in S3 into a mold while it is still hot. After cooling at room temperature for 40 minutes, the cheese whey candy is completely solidified. Then it is packaged to obtain the whey candy of the present invention.

7. The method for preparing cheese whey sugar according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S3, after the refined whey and cheese powder are mixed, the temperature is kept at 100℃ for 30 minutes and maintained at 300W for 50 minutes.

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