Sheet butter and method for producing same

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of sheet butter and to the sheet butter produced in this way, the method comprising the following steps: pasteurising milk; skimming the pasteurised milk to recover the cream from the milk; pasteurising the cream; maturing the pasteurised cream, comprising at least one biological maturation; churning the matured cream to obtain butter grains; and mixing the butter grains to obtain the butter. The method is characterised in that it additionally comprises at least one cycle, preferably at least two cycles, which may be identical or different, of processing the butter, the cycle(s) comprising a step of mechanical shearing of said butter from 500 s-1 to 3000 s-1 and cooling the butter by at least 12°C at kinetics of from -7.0 °C / min to -45°C / min; and crystallising the butter sheared and cooled in this way.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] TITLE: PASTRY BUTTER AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS

[0003] The invention relates to the field of the dairy industry and relates to the production of a puff pastry butter with a high butane-2,3-dione content.

[0004] Butter is obtained from milk cream by churning, a mechanical operation involving strong agitation during which the cream fat is separated from the buttermilk and recovered in the form of agglomerated grains which are kneaded, after possible washing with water, to obtain a smooth texture. In Europe, the term "butter" corresponds to a butter containing at least 82% fat, at most 16% water and at most 2% defatted dry extract (essentially lactose, casein and mineral salts) of cow's milk, the percentages being expressed by weight relative to the weight of the butter. This definition is part of EC Regulation No. 1234 / 2007, which applies more broadly to spreadable yellow fats. In some countries, such as the United States, the regulations (USDA, United States Department of Agriculture) stipulate that butter has a fat percentage of at least 80%.

[0005] However, depending on the origin of the milk, in particular the animal's diet, the season in which the milk is collected, depending on the cream used, for example raw milk cream or pasteurized milk cream, light cream, more or less matured cream, but also depending on the treatments applied to the butter, such as fractional crystallization, salting, there are different types of butter which do not all meet the same criteria.

[0006] Dry butter, or puff pastry butter, is a butter with a high fat content and low water content, giving it plasticizing properties that standard butter does not have. For these reasons, it is the butter used by pastry chefs to make puff pastry, where it is present in varying amounts depending on the puff pastry product, raw or cooked, sweet or savory.

[0007] The technique for making puff pastry involves preparing a dough based mainly on flour and water, the dough, then the lamination, which consists of incorporating the butter in the form of strips into the dough, without mixing them, to obtain a structure of alternating layers of dough and butter. This structure is then folded several times during an operation called tourage, then laminated to reduce the thickness to a few millimeters. To obtain a well-drained and developed puff pastry after baking, the choice of butter is crucial; it must remain in continuous and homogeneous layers and not mix with the dough.

[0008] Thus, the puff pastry butter obtained by fractionation process intended for this use is generally a butter having a fat content of at least 84% and a higher saturated fatty acid content than traditional butter to have a melting point of at least 30 °C, up to 40 °C. It is also advantageously obtained from a cream which has undergone maturation by heat treatment, we speak of physical maturation, and / or by fermentation with the inoculation of lactic ferments, we speak of biological maturation. During this / these maturation stage(s), the cream will develop aromas and organoleptic and rheological qualities which will be found in the puff pastry butter which will result from it.

[0009] Butter remains a highly regulated product and, during its manufacture, beta-carotene is the only permitted additive. Flavored "butters" have been available for several years, but these are intended more for direct consumption and cannot, either legally or technically, be used as puff pastry butter. For this reason, it is difficult to improve the taste qualities of puff pastry butter and, if they could be improved, they must withstand the conditions of making puff pastry in order to find them in the puff pastry product.

[0010] In the article M. Kashaninejad et al., International Journal of Dairy Technology, vol. 70, No. 1 (2017), the authors studied the influence of several parameters in a butter manufacturing process comprising the following steps: pasteurization of milk (78°C for 30 s) using a plate heat exchanger, skimming of pasteurized milk by centrifugation at 40°C to recover the cream from the milk, standardization of the cream to 40% fat, pasteurization of the cream (88°C for 90 s), immediate cooling to 6°C, maturation of the pasteurized cream (18°C for 3 h) cooling and holding at 6°C, churning of the matured cream to obtain butter grains, separation of butter and buttermilk and washing of the butter grains at 8°C, mixing of the butter grains in the churn at low speed (15 min) then faster (1 min) to obtain the butter, and storage at 5°C for one week.

[0011] After one week, the butter is kept for 4 hours at different temperatures (5, 7, 10, 13 and 15°C) then extruded under different conditions (shear rate: 500-1750 s 1 ). After 15 days of storage at different temperatures (5, 7, 10, 13 and 15°C), the analyses are carried out.

[0012] This study shows the effect of the above parameters on the acidity index of butter, on its color and its rheological properties, but without mentioning any specificity for the manufacture of a puff pastry butter. According to the invention, a process for the continuous manufacture of a puff pastry butter has been developed which, thanks to the steps implemented, makes it possible to obtain a butter which has retained the diacetyl content of the original matured cream.

[0013] Diacetyl, or butane-2,3-dione, or butanedione, the flavoring agent in butter, is a byproduct of cream fermentation, which is used as a food ingredient to impart a buttery flavor to a food or enhance the buttery flavor of a food.

[0014] Thanks to the cold-processed process of the invention, the diacetyl content in the puff pastry butter is higher than that of a conventional puff pastry butter, without any exogenous addition of diacetyl. This presence amplifies the perception of the butter flavor which is fully found in the puff pastry product made from said butter.

[0015] Exogenous diacetyl input means the addition of diacetyl as an ingredient, as opposed to diacetyl which results only from the biological maturation of the cream, or endogenous diacetyl.

[0016] It was further discovered that the puff pastry butter thus produced has better plasticizing properties than known puff pastry butter, facilitating the puff pastry operation and making it possible to obtain a dough with high puff pastry quality.

[0017] Thus, the invention provides a puff pastry butter, with a high butane-2,3-dione content, meeting the following characteristics: it has a butane-2,3-dione (or diacetyl) content originating only from the biological maturation of the cream, which ranges from 0.5 ppm to 3 ppm, preferably from 0.8 ppm to 3 ppm, better still from 1 ppm to 3 ppm, and it has a ductility such that, in a 3-point bending test carried out on a sample of said butter, said butter having been kept for 15 days at 4°C and said sample having itself been kept for 24 hours at 4°C and having a dimension of 17 cm in length by 2 cm in width and 1.8 cm in height, by the application of a compression cylinder with a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 93 mm, with a force cell of 5 kg ëg at a rate of 2 mm / s between 2 fixed points 5 cm apart over a distance of 30 mm, no total break is detectable to the naked eye.

[0018] As previously stated, diacetyl is an ingredient that could be added to enhance the aroma of the butter and that of the puff pastry product made from this butter. However, according to a preferred variant of the invention, the puff pastry butter does not contain exogenous butane-2,3-dione, i.e., which does not come from the biological maturation of the cream. Under these conditions, this puff pastry butter can meet the characteristics of a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) butter as defined in the Order of November 5, 2020 relating to the modification of the specifications of the protected designation of origin “Beurre de Charentes-Poitou” / “Beurre des Charentes” / “Beurre des Deux-Sèvres”. Advantageously, a butter of the invention also meets the following properties: fat content of at least 82% (w / w), water content of at most 16% (w / w), and protein fraction content of at most 2% (w / w), the percentages being given relative to the butter.

[0019] And better still, it also meets at least one, or even both of the following characteristics: density of at least 0.95, and resistance of at least 8 N at 8°C after 15 days at 4°C.

[0020] In a preferred form, the solids are in the form of an organized crystalline network, comprising few or no nodular crystals. Indeed, these can be an obstacle to achieving good tempering during the manufacture of puff pastry. Thus, preferably, a butter of the invention is free of nodular crystals.

[0021] The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a puff pastry butter from cow's milk, said method comprising the following steps: pasteurization of the milk, skimming of the pasteurized milk to recover the cream from the milk, pasteurization of the cream, maturation of the pasteurized cream including at least one biological maturation, churning of the matured cream to obtain butter grains, kneading of the butter grains to obtain the butter, said method implementing the following steps following the kneading, at least one cycle, preferably at least two cycles, of butter treatment, identical or different, the cycle(s) comprising a step of mechanical shearing of said butter for 500 s 1 at 3000 s 1 ; and cooling of the butter by at least 12°C with kinetics ranging from -7.0°C / min to -45°C / min; and crystallization of the butter thus sheared and cooled.

[0022] Mechanical shearing of butter above 500 s 1 at 3000 s 1 (also called shear rate) allows it to be given an energy intake of between 14 kJ / kg and 42 kJ / Kg.

[0023] According to the invention, the abovementioned steps are carried out under the following conditions, considered alone and preferably in combination.

[0024] The cooling cycle(s) of the sheared butter is preferably carried out using a scraped surface heat exchanger.

[0025] According to one variant, the cooling of the butter is at least 12 °C with kinetics ranging from -7.0 °C / min to -40 C / min. The crystallization of the sheared and cooled butter is carried out by a standing time of at least 5 minutes, preferably 5-15 minutes, and even better 9-13 minutes, at a temperature of 5-16 °C. It is advantageously carried out in a standing tube.

[0026] A process of the invention can be optimized in terms of the quality of the puff pastry butter produced by carrying out biological maturation of the pasteurized cream before churning by adding lactic ferments and maintaining it at a temperature of 7-21 °C for 16-48 h. These are known mesophilic aromatic and acidifying culture ferments. Ideally, biological maturation is carried out until the pH of the pasteurized cream reaches a value of 6.2 to 5.6, preferably 5.8 to 5.6.

[0027] In an even more advantageous implementation, the biological maturation of the cream is supplemented by physical maturation. It may include one or more cycles of heat treatments, identical or different, each comprising a temperature increase to a value of 6-21 °C; maintenance at this temperature for 10-30 min; and a temperature decrease to a value of 21-4 °C.

[0028] The method of the invention may also provide for washing, generally with water, the grains of butter resulting from the churning of the cream.

[0029] The method of the invention and its advantages are illustrated in the examples below.

[0030] Example 1: Production of a pastry butter according to the invention

[0031] Cow's milk from a PDO area is pasteurized and then skimmed at 75°C for 20 seconds. The cream from this skimming is pasteurized at 92°C in a plate exchanger for 10 seconds and then cooled to 9°C, preferably 8°C.

[0032] It then undergoes physical maturation in a double-jacketed tank. For this purpose, the cream is heated to 18°C ​​with a hot water loop at 55°C for 15 minutes, to a value between 6 and 21°C for 10 to 30 minutes, then cooled to 14.5°C with an iced water loop between 1°C and 2°C, to a value between 21°C and the inoculation temperature around 12-15°C. The ferments used are mesophilic Flora Danica ferments (acidifying and flavoring) from NOVONESIS for biological maturation. This is followed by an acidification step of the cream as well as an aromatic development during which diacetyl is produced. When the pH reaches 6.0, the cream is then cooled to between 6 and 4°C. The pH thus obtained is then 5.8 to 5.6

[0033] Once the cream has cooled, churning can take place. The churning is carried out on a butyrator with a flow rate of 2000 L / h. The cream is heated by a plate exchanger to a temperature between 8.5 °C and 10.5 °C. Once the phase inversion has been carried out, the grains obtained are kneaded in a first body at a speed of 21 rpm and then kneaded in a second body at a speed of 25 rpm. The butter obtained has a fat content of 82% (w / w) and a humidity of less than 16% (w / w) and a non-fat content of 1.6% (w / w) and a density of 0.95.

[0034] At the outlet of the butyrator, the butter, which has a temperature of 12-14 °C, is then stored in a silo for a maximum of 2 hours. The butter is drawn off from this silo at 15 °C-16 °C and then transferred to a high shear mixer (type BMX from SPX, 0.6 L, length 100 mm, diameter 90 mm). The shear rate between the static axis and the upper rotation axis is 1265 s1 .

[0035] Then the butter is cooled by a scraped surface heat exchanger (SPX-0.049 m 2 , 0.3 L, length 271 mm, annular space 11 mm) at a speed of 750 rpm and a temperature of 14 °C. It is further cooled by a scraped surface exchanger at a speed of 500 rpm and a temperature of 9 °C

[0036] Then the butter is sheared again at a speed of at least 50 rpm with a shear force of 1575 s-1 It is finally cooled by another scraped surface exchanger at a speed of 250 rpm and a temperature of 6°C.

[0037] The butter crystallizes in a resting tube for 11 minutes.

[0038] The summer butter thus obtained does not have any nodules, its resistance is 8 N at 8°C after 15 days at 4°C (TAXT measurement), its diacetyl level is 1.4 ppm.

[0039] The strength of the butter is tested by penetration on a texturometer (TA.XT plus C from Stable Micro Systems) equipped with Exponent connect software, equipped with a 5 kg force cell and a 4 mm diameter stainless steel cylindrical spindle. The measurements are taken directly after removal from the refrigerator, on a sample stored for 15 days at 4 °C, the average of the maximum forces recorded by the device is retained. The spindle penetrates the sample at 2 mm / sec up to 10 mm (i.e. 50% of the total height of the sample).

[0040] When this butter is subjected to stress, it exhibits such ductility that, in a 3-point bending test carried out on a sample of said butter, said butter having been kept for 15 days at 4°C and said sample having itself been kept for 24 hours at 9°C and having a dimension of 17 cm in length by 2 cm in width and 1.8 cm in height, by the application of a compression cylinder with a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 93 mm, with a 5 kg force cell at a rate of 2 mm / s between 2 fixed points 5 cm apart over a distance of 30 mm, no total rupture is detectable to the naked eye.

[0041] Example 2: Comparison of the properties between a puff pastry butter of the invention and a butter outside the invention.

[0042] As previously explained, the manufacturing process of the invention involves at least one butter treatment cycle, comprising a step of mechanical shearing of said butter from 500 s-1 to 3000 s-1 and cooling of the butter by at least 12°C with kinetics ranging from -7.0°C / min to 45°C / min. To highlight the unexpected benefit of this step, the properties of a pastry butter manufactured according to the invention and of a pastry butter manufactured by a process differing from the process of the invention only in that it does not include such a treatment cycle (called non-textured butter) are compared.

[0043] Comparison of thermal profiles as shown in Figure

[0044] The thermal profile of the butter according to the invention (in gray) differs from that of the non-textured butter (in black) not only by a reduction in the temperature of its mid-melting peak (22.55 °C vs. 23.70 °C), but also by its enthalpy of fusion (-79.16 J / g vs. - 74.71 J / g).

[0045] The shearing + rapid cooling cycle according to the invention induces a different crystallization of the milk fat compared to that obtained during a “conventional” production stopping at the mixing stage. This crystallization directs the production of crystals with medium melting points which will make it possible to obtain the characteristics of firmness and plasticity expected for puff pastry butters.

[0046] Comparison of firmness, plasticity and diacetyl content The results are shown in the following table.

[0047] The results highlight a much higher firmness and plasticity for the butter of the invention, as well as a diacetyl content at least equal to that of the butter outside the invention, showing preservation of the aroma.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Process for the continuous production of a puff pastry butter from cow's milk, said process comprising the following steps: pasteurization of the milk, skimming of the pasteurized milk to recover the cream from the milk, pasteurization of the cream, maturation of the pasteurized cream including at least one biological maturation, churning of the matured cream to obtain butter grains, kneading of the butter grains to obtain the butter, said process being characterized in that it further comprises at least one cycle, preferably at least two cycles, of butter treatment, identical or different, the cycle(s) comprising a step of mechanical shearing of said butter for 500 s 1 at 3000 s 1 and cooling of the butter by at least 12°C with kinetics ranging from -7.0°C / min to -45°C / min; and crystallization of the butter thus sheared and cooled.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling of the sheared butter is carried out by means of a scraped surface heat exchanger.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the crystallization of the sheared and cooled butter is carried out by a standing time of at least 5 minutes, preferably 5-15 minutes, and even better 9-13 minutes, at a temperature of 5-16 °C.

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the crystallization of the sheared and cooled butter is carried out in a resting tube.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said biological maturation of the pasteurized cream is carried out by the addition of lactic ferments and maintaining at a temperature of 7-21 °C for 16-48 h.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the biological maturation of the pasteurized cream is carried out until its pH reaches a value of 5.8-5.

6.

7. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the maturation of the pasteurized cream further comprises physical maturation.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the physical maturation comprises one or more cycles of heat treatments, identical or different, each comprising a rise in temperature to a value of 6-21 °C; maintenance at this temperature for 10-30 min; and a drop in temperature to a value of 21-4 °C.

9. Pastry butter, with a high butane-2,3-dione content, obtainable by the process according to any one of claims 1 to 8, said pastry butter having a butane-2,3-dione (or diacetyl) content originating only from the biological maturation of the cream, which ranges from 0.5 ppm to 3 ppm, preferably from 0.8 ppm to 3 ppm, better still from 1 ppm to 3 ppm, and having a ductility such that, in a 3-point bending test carried out on a sample of said butter, said butter having been kept for 15 days at 4°C and said sample having itself been kept for 24 hours at 9°C and having a dimension of 17 cm in length by 2 cm in width and 1.8 cm in height, by the application of a compression cylinder with a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 93 mm, with a 5 kg force cell at a rate of 2 mm / s between 2 fixed points 5 cm apart over a distance of 30 mm, no total rupture is detectable to the naked eye.

10. Butter according to claim 9, characterized in that it does not contain butane-2,3-dione which does not come from the biological maturation of the cream.

11. Butter according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that it further meets the following properties: fat content of at least 82% (w / w), water content of at most 16% (w / w), protein fraction content of at most 2% (w / w), density of at least 0.95, and strength of at least 8 N at 8°C after 15 days at 4°C, the percentages being given relative to the butter.

12. Butter according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that it comes from milk from the end of summer or the beginning of autumn.

13. Butter according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that it is free from nodular crystals.