Sweet food prepared from dried fruits

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sweet food product made from dried fruits having the same physico-chemical properties as chocolate and a method for its preparation. The sweet food product comprises: 25% to 45% by weight of dried fruits, relative to the total weight of the food product, the dried fruits having a total fat contribution of up to 25% by weight from the dried fruits and based on the weight of the dried fruits; 25% to 45% by weight of sucrose or other anhydrous sweetening substances; 20% to 40% by weight of cocoa butter or any other vegetable fat that is solid at ambient temperature and serves as a partial or total substitute for cocoa butter; optionally, an emulsifier in an amount less than or equal to 1%; the sweet food product having a particle size of less than or equal to 50 μm.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of November 24, 2014, application number: 201480064060.8, and title "Sweet Food Prepared from Dried Fruits". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of the food industry and more particularly to the confectionery industry. More specifically, it is applicable to novel foods based on dried fruits having special sensory and rheological properties.

[0003] The object of the present invention is to disclose a novel food which can technically act as a substitute for chocolate and can thus be used for manufacturing a series of confectioneries with flavors different from chocolate. The applicant has paid particular attention to the development of foods based on dried fruits which have the physical properties of chocolate and especially rheological properties. Background of the Invention

[0004] The term dried fruit refers to dried fruits and is equivalent to seeds and especially includes dried fruits of fruits in shells.

[0005] There are various sweet foods, including dried fruits and especially jams made from a mixture of cocoa powder (and / or cocoa beans) and hazelnuts, gianduja, sugar and dried fruits (with a content of at least 50%) or praline fillings (products composed of the praline as defined above and other ingredients); however, for various reasons, these products do not meet the requirements of the applicant; their flavors are not just the flavors of dried fruits, and in addition, their textures are too soft or too brittle and cannot be used for the applications envisioned by the applicant.

[0006] In this case, the required texture is that of milk chocolate or dark chocolate, in other words, it is a solid and crispy product at ambient temperature but becomes fluid when heated and can moreover be used for coating desserts, for preparing molded desserts or for confectionery-type applications (creams, cream fillings, cream mousses, etc.).

[0007] The applicant has encountered many difficulties in developing this product because the required texture can only be obtained when using additives which change the flavor of the dried fruits. The applicant has finally succeeded in developing a product with an obvious dried fruit flavor and a texture identical to that of chocolate by controlling the fat content in the dried fruits used. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Therefore, the present invention relates to a sweet food based on dried fruits, which comprises:

[0009] - 25% to 45% by weight of dried fruit, relative to the total weight of the food product, said dried fruit having a total fat content of not more than 25% by weight, preferably 20% by weight and even more preferably 15% by weight of the total weight of the food product, said fat content being derived from said dried fruit; preferably, relative to the total weight of the dried fruit, said dried fruit has a fat content of less than or equal to 65% by weight, preferably 40% by weight, even more preferably 35% by weight;

[0010] - 25% to 45% by weight of sucrose or other anhydrous sweetening substances, in other words, containing not more than 6% by weight of water relative to the total weight of said sucrose or said sweetening substances; for example, said other sweetening substance may be anhydrous maltitol;

[0011] - 20% to 40% by weight of cocoa butter or any other vegetable fat that is solid at room temperature (18 °C to 25 °C) and is used as a partial or complete substitute for cocoa butter, such as illipe butter or shea butter;

[0012] - Optionally, an emulsifier in an amount of less than or equal to 1% by weight, preferably 0.5% by weight; those skilled in the art are able to select the most suitable food emulsifier for the raw materials used; for example, it may be lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate E476, mono- and / or diglycerides of fatty acids E471, etc., preferably, the emulsifier used is lecithin;

[0013] The sweet food product has a particle size of less than or equal to 50 μm and preferably 15 μm to 25 μm.

[0014] Unless otherwise specified, the above contents are expressed as weight ratios relative to the total weight of the sweet food product based on dried fruit.

[0015] Dried fruit means any dried fresh fruit, seed or nut, especially almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, australian nuts, Nangail nuts, chestnuts or peanuts, etc., either alone or in combination; preferably, they are dried fruit with shells, especially hazelnuts or almonds. Those skilled in the art know how to adjust the fat content in the dried fruit under consideration to conform to the specific characteristics of the final product. In particular, if necessary, conventional techniques known to those skilled in the art can be used to defat the dried fruit to reduce its fat content to not more than 65% by weight of the total weight of the dried fruit, preferably not more than 40% by weight and even more preferably not more than 35% by weight.

[0016] When the dried fruit is fresh dried fruit, it can be obtained by any method of reducing its water content and it contains a maximum water content of 7% by weight; preferably, the fresh dried fruit is obtained from apricots, mangoes, passion fruits, raspberries, strawberries, lemons, oranges, coconuts, pineapples, bananas, kiwis, lychees, peaches, apples, pears, etc.

[0017] The products of the present invention can be prepared using conventional techniques employed during the preparation of chocolate products; thus, a person skilled in the art is able to prepare the products of the present invention based on their common general knowledge. A significant advantage of the products of the present invention is that they can be industrially prepared using a chocolate production line.

[0018] For example, a manufacturing method including the following steps can be used to prepare the products of the present invention:

[0019] a) Mix and knead the ingredients (sugar or other sweetening substances, dried fruit, cocoa butter or cocoa butter substitute, and emulsifier);

[0020] b) Grind the mixture of the ingredients; this step will achieve the required particle size of the final product;

[0021] c) Mix for at least two hours at a temperature higher than or equal to 40 °C;

[0022] d) Optionally, temper; this step is recommended when the fat substances used consist mostly of cocoa butter; during this step, the product starts to cool, so that the fat substances crystallize in a stable form. The aim is to obtain a final product with optimal long-term properties (stability).

[0023] The grinding step b) and the mixing and heating step c) can be carried out successively; in this case, the grinding step b) takes precedence over the mixing and heating step c). Then, the step c) can be carried out for a shorter time, for example, 5 hours to 10 hours; alternatively, these two steps can be carried out simultaneously according to the selected process.

[0024] Generally, the product is molded after preparation.

[0025] The products of the present invention can be prepared using whole dried fruit or previously ground dried fruit.

[0026] When the grinding and the mixing and heating step c) are carried out in sequence, it is recommended to use dried fruit in the form of a powder with a fine particle size as the initial ingredient to obtain a final product with the required rheological properties; in other words, at the start of the preparation process, a powder with a particle size less than 315 μm is used as 90% of the mass.

[0027] The grinding step used during the preparation process significantly reduces the particle size, such that the particle size of the final product is less than or equal to 50 μm, preferably 15 μm to 25 μm.

[0028] As described above, the physical properties of the product of the present invention are very similar to those of chocolate; these properties are characterized in that the melting temperature of the fat substance is from 20°C to 40°C and it melts completely at 40°C; its fluidity (viscosity and pour limit) is very similar to that of couverture dark chocolate or milk chocolate, and it is solid at room temperature (18 - 25°C).

[0029] These properties make the product crispy and melt in the mouth, having a strong dried fruit flavor.

[0030] The product of the present invention has the advantage that it can be used in all conventional chocolate applications; in particular, the product of the present invention can be used as a coating layer for confectionery or it can be shaped by molding. Although it provides an alternative to the use of chocolate, it does not require investment in special equipment, especially industrial production lines, since the existing equipment for chocolate is suitable.

[0031] The food of the present invention can be used in applications of the chocolate, confectionery, biscuit or ice cream type;

[0032] Chocolate applications include:

[0033] - Coating layers for desserts and chocolates;

[0034] - Production of Easter molded articles (such as chickens, eggs, etc.) or any other type of molded articles (nut shapes, small characters, etc.);

[0035] - Production of chocolate fillings such as square-coated pralines;

[0036] - Molding into bars, squares or any other moldable shape.

[0037] Confectionery applications include the preparation of the following products:

[0038] - Cream;

[0039] - Whipped ganaches;

[0040] - Cream mousse;

[0041] - Sauces;

[0042] - Coatings;

[0043] - Ornaments;

[0044] - Confectionery pralines;

[0045] - Drinks;

[0046] And ice cream applications include the preparation of the following products:

[0047] - Ice cream;

[0048] - Sorbets; Example

[0049] Example 1 - Preparation of the food product of the present invention

[0050] This example describes the preparation of the product of the present invention.

[0051] The recipe used was created from the following three ingredients:

[0052] - Crystalline white sugar

[0053] - Almond flour, which contains no more than 45% by weight of fatty substances relative to the total weight of the almonds

[0054] - Deodorized cocoa butter.

[0055] The following ingredients were added in the following proportions:

[0056] Ingredients % by weight relative to the total weight Almond flour 26％ White sugar 40％ Deodorized cocoa butter 34％

[0057] In this example, the product was used on a traditional chocolate production line of the kneading / pre-grinding / grinding / mixing type.

[0058] The main steps in the preparation of the product are described below:

[0059] Mixing / kneading of raw materials Pre-grinding / grinding Mixing Tempering Molding Packaging

[0060] Tempering was applied to the product at the following temperatures in order to mold it:

[0061] T° tank: 50 °C

[0062] T° low: 26 °C

[0063] T° outlet: 28 °C

[0064] Example 2 - Rheological characteristics of the food product of the present invention

[0065] This second example aims to describe the rheological method used to characterize the product obtained using the present invention. In this particular case, the product is based on whole hazelnuts, has the following formulation and is a formulated product prepared using the method described in Example 1:

[0066] Product formulation:

[0067] % of each ingredient Whole hazelnuts 27％ White sugar 39％ Deodorized cocoa butter 34％

[0068] Principle:

[0069] The rheological behavior was detected using a ROTOVISCO 1 rotational rheometer at the applied speed.

[0070] Equipment:

[0071] ROTOVISCO RV1 measuring instrument from Thermo Fischer;

[0072] Thermostatically controlled bath at 40 °C;

[0073] REHOWIN application and measurement processing software - CASSON type;

[0074] DIN Z 20 (rotor) coaxial geometry system

[0075] Results:

[0076] Flow limit: 12 Pa + / - 1

[0077] Viscosity: 2 Pa.s + / - 0.2

[0078] These values correspond to the rheological properties of the coated chocolate; thus, the results in Example 2 show that the product of the present invention has exactly the same physical flow properties as chocolate.

[0079] Example 3 - Preparation of the food product of the present invention

[0080] This example aims to describe the preparation of the product of the present invention.

[0081] The recipe used is a recipe formulated from the following three ingredients (in the following proportions):

[0082] - Brown sugar;

[0083] - Dehydrated apple pieces, which contain no more than 5% by weight of water relative to the total weight of the apple pieces, and

[0084] - Deodorized cocoa butter;

[0085]

[0086]

[0087] In this example, the product is used on a general type of chocolate production line. Tempering is applied to the product at the following temperatures in order to be able to mold it: T° tank: 50 °C

[0088] T° low: 26 °C

[0089] T° outlet: 28 °C

Claims

1. A sweet food based on dried fruits, which consists of the following components : - 25% to 45% by weight of dried fruits, relative to the total weight of the sweet food, the dried fruits having a total fat content derived from the dried fruits and not greater than 15% by weight of the total weight of the sweet food; - 25% to 45% by weight of sucrose or other anhydrous sweet substances; - 20% to 40% by weight of cocoa butter or any other vegetable fat that is solid at room temperature and serves as a partial or complete substitute for cocoa butter; and - The sweet food has a particle size less than or equal to 50 μm; wherein the dried fruits are selected from seeds or nuts; wherein the seeds or nuts are selected from almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts or peanuts, either alone or in combination; wherein the sweet food has physical properties similar to chocolate and is solid at room temperature; the dried fruits have a fat content less than or equal to 40%; and wherein the melting temperature of the fat substance is 20 to 40 °C.

2. The sweet food according to claim 1, characterized in that the particle size of the sweet food is 15 μm to 25 μm.

3. A method for preparing the sweet food according to any one of claims 1 to 2, which comprises the following steps: a) Mixing and kneading the sugar or other sweet substances, the dried fruits, and the cocoa butter or cocoa butter substitute; b) Grinding the mixture obtained in step a); c) Mixing at a temperature higher than or equal to 40 °C for at least two hours; d) Optionally, tempering.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the grinding step b) and the mixing and heating step c) are carried out simultaneously.

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