Chocolate and method for producing same

Abstract

Provided is a delicious chocolate which uses a vegetable milk raw material but has a small cereal taste, has a rich flavor, and is comparable to the case where a milk raw material is used. A chocolate which contains 5-30 wt% of a vegetable milk raw material, and which is characterized by having a volume average diameter of 20 [mu] m or less and a 90% passage diameter of 50 [mu] m or less when the particle size distribution is measured by a laser diffraction / scattering method using a wet method.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to chocolate and a method for producing the same, and particularly relates to chocolate using a plant-based milk and a method for producing the same. BACKGROUND

[0002] Chocolate is a confectionery made by mixing and kneading cocoa liquor, which is obtained by fermenting and roasting seeds of cocoa, with sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, and the like, and solidifying the mixture. In recent years, however, as consumers' awareness of health has increased, there has been an increasing demand for chocolate that does not contain milk powder and the like, which are animal-derived raw materials, and the production of chocolate using soy milk or oat milk and the like, which are plant-based milk raw materials, instead of milk raw materials has been proposed (Patent Documents 1 and 2). In addition, although it is not necessarily necessary to replace milk raw materials, a confectionery composition containing a bran material having a suitable flavor in a confectionery composition has also been proposed (Patent Document 3).

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2019 / 244835

[0006] Patent Document 2: Specification of Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 108477364

[0007] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 7217151 SUMMARY

[0008] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0009] However, when a plant-based milk raw material such as soy milk or oat milk is used instead of a milk raw material such as milk powder, "graininess" derived from the plant raw material sometimes interferes with the deliciousness of the chocolate, and there is also a disadvantage that it is difficult to obtain a rich flavor compared to the case where a milk raw material is used.

[0010] MEANS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0011] The present application provides a chocolate that contains 5 to 30% by weight of a plant-based milk raw material, characterized in that, when the particle size distribution is measured by a wet-process-based laser diffraction / scattering method, the volume average diameter is 20 μm or less and 90% of the passageway is 50 μm or less, thereby solving the above-described problems.

[0012] EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present application can provide a delicious chocolate that uses a plant-based milk raw material, has little graininess, has a rich flavor, and is comparable to the case where a milk raw material is used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] A chocolate manufacturing method is generally as follows: sugar, cocoa butter, and milk raw materials are added to cocoa mass as a main raw material, mixed (mixing step), thereby manufacturing a raw material composition, the raw material composition is further ground (microparticulation step) to make it smooth to the touch, then kneaded (conching step) to adjust the aroma, followed by temperature adjustment (tempering step) to crystallize the cocoa butter, while applying vibration to remove air bubbles, and then flowing into a mold, cooled and solidified, and then demolded to manufacture a final product.

[0015] The above four processes of mixing, microparticulation, conching, and tempering are important processes that determine the taste and aroma of chocolate, and each process has a lot of room for improvement. However, the inventors have found through experiments that, in order to reduce the grainy taste and impart a rich flavor to chocolate manufactured using plant-based milk raw materials, it is important to adjust the particle size distribution of the particles constituting the composition after the microparticulation step, and more specifically, to mix the plant-based milk raw materials with the usual chocolate raw materials and adjust the particle size distribution through the microparticulation step.

[0016] In the present specification, cocoa beans refer to cocoa beans obtained by fermenting and drying seeds of Theobroma cacao. Cocoa nibs refer to cocoa beans from which the shells have been removed. Cocoa mass refers to an object obtained by grinding cocoa nibs. Cocoa butter refers to oil obtained from cocoa beans, cocoa nibs, or cocoa mass. In addition, in the present specification, chocolate is not limited to the provisions of the Fair Trade Agreement on Labeling of Chocolate Products established by the Fair Trade Committee of the National Chocolate Industry of Japan, but refers to any composition containing a component derived from cocoa beans.

[0017] In addition, in the present specification, plant-based milk raw materials refer to plant-derived raw materials that can replace dairy raw materials used in conventional milk chocolate, such as cereal-derived raw materials such as oat milk and rice milk, soybean-derived raw materials such as soy milk (including prepared soy milk), and nut-derived raw materials such as almond milk. In addition, plant-based milk is made by finely grinding the seeds of these plants and extracting them with water. The amount of plant-based milk raw materials added depends on the type of chocolate to be manufactured (bitter chocolate or sweet chocolate), but is generally 5 to 30% by weight.

[0018] Next, manufacturing examples implemented by the present inventors are shown, and based on the results of sensory tests performed by five panelists on chocolates manufactured in each manufacturing example, the results of a study on the relationship between the particle size distribution and the evaluation results of the sensory tests are reported. Here, the particle size distribution is specified using a predetermined index (representative value), however, as long as the index value satisfies the range requirement specified by the present invention, there is no requirement for the distribution shape, and it can be unimodal, bimodal, or multimodal. In addition, the micronization method is not limited to the refiner described in the following manufacturing examples, and other methods can also be used as long as the desired particle size is obtained. Furthermore, although the use of oat milk powder and soy milk powder as plant milk raw materials is examined in the following manufacturing examples, it is believed that the same results will be obtained even when other plant milk raw materials are used. In addition, in all manufacturing examples, the same raw materials and contents are used for other ingredients including cocoa paste and cocoa butter.

[0019] (Manufacturing Example 1)

[0020] To manufacture a chocolate having the composition shown in Table 1, first, cocoa butter and other vegetable fats (except for cocoa butter) were added to 15 parts by weight of oat milk powder (powdered by spray drying method from liquid oat milk powder, oat milk solid content: 42%), 18 parts by weight of cocoa paste, and 43 parts by weight of sugar (sugar), to form a composition having a fat content of 25 to 28%, and then a whole chocolate raw material composition was prepared by mixing in a blender (HOBART, model: A120).

[0021] The prepared raw material composition was ground into a uniform fine powder in a refiner (BUHLER, model: SDY-200). The remaining cocoa butter and other vegetable fats, 0.5 parts by weight of an emulsifier, and 0.1 parts by weight of a flavor were added to the resulting fine powder raw material composition, adjusted to the composition shown in Table 1, and then refined in a blender (HOBART, model: A120), thereby preparing a liquid batter. In the same manner as the conventional chocolate manufacturing method, the manufactured batter was tempered, filled, cooled, and demolded, thereby manufacturing a chocolate.

[0022] For the sample taken from the manufactured chocolate, a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device ("MT3300EXII" manufactured by Microtrac Bell) was used to perform wet measurement with isopropyl alcohol as the dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The resulting summary data (various indices indicating the particle size distribution) are shown in Table 2. In addition, the manufactured chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, graininess, richness, sweetness, and overall deliciousness (all in comparison with ordinary chocolate made using a milk raw material) on a 5-point scale according to the following criteria, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was taken as the score. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0023] <Scoring Criteria>

[0024] (Relating to Roughness)

[0025] 5: No roughness at all

[0026] 4: Almost no roughness

[0027] 3: Slightly rough

[0028] 2: Rough

[0029] 1: Roughness is clearly felt

[0030] (Relating to Graininess)

[0031] 5: No graininess

[0032] 4: Slight graininess is felt

[0033] 3: Graininess is felt

[0034] 2: Strong graininess is felt

[0035] 1: Very strong graininess is felt

[0036] (Relating to Other Items)

[0037] 5: Same as or above the case of using a milk raw material

[0038] 4: Almost indistinguishable from the case of using a milk raw material

[0039] 3: Difference from the case of using a milk raw material is within an acceptable range

[0040] 2: Difference from the case of using a milk raw material is outside an acceptable range

[0041] 1: Difference from the case of using a milk raw material is too great to be commercialized

[0042] (Production Example 2)

[0043] A chocolate raw material composition was prepared in the same composition as in Production Example 1, and was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. However, in Production Example 2, the refiner pressure in the micronization step was lower than in Production Example 1. Then, the remaining raw materials (the same as in Production Example 1) were added to the resulting fine powder raw material composition, and, in the same manner as in Production Example 1, a liquid batter was prepared by refining in a blender (Hobart, Model: A120), and, in the same manner as in the conventional chocolate production method, chocolate was produced by tempering, filling, cooling, and demolding the prepared batter.

[0044] For the sample taken from the produced chocolate, a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device (Microtrac Bell, "MT3300EXII") was used to perform wet measurement with isopropyl alcohol as the dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The resulting summary data (each index indicating the particle size distribution) is shown in Table 2. In addition, the produced chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, graininess, richness, sweetness, and overall deliciousness (all compared with and judged against ordinary chocolate produced using a milk raw material) in accordance with the same criteria as in Production Example 1 on a 5-point scale, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was used as the score. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0045] (Production Example 3)

[0046] A chocolate raw material composition was prepared in the same composition as in Production Examples 1 and 2, and was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. However, in Production Example 3, the refiner pressure in the micronization step was lower than in Production Example 2. Then, the remaining raw materials (the same as in Production Examples 1 and 2) were added to the resulting fine powder raw material composition, and, in the same manner as in Production Examples 1 and 2, a liquid batter was prepared by refining in a blender (Hobart, Model: A120), and, in the same manner as in the conventional chocolate production method, chocolate was produced by tempering, filling, cooling, and demolding the prepared batter.

[0047] For the sample taken from the manufactured chocolate, wet measurement was performed using a laser diffraction / scattering type particle size distribution measuring device ("MT3300EXII" manufactured by Microtrac Bell) with isopropyl alcohol as a dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The obtained summary data (each index indicating the particle size distribution) is shown in Table 2. In addition, the manufactured chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, the graininess, the richness, the sweetness, and the overall deliciousness (all compared with and judged against the ordinary chocolate manufactured using the milk raw material) in accordance with the same standards as in Manufacturing Examples 1 and 2 on a 5-point scale, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was taken as the score. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0048] (Manufacturing Example 4)

[0049] As shown in Table 1, the oat milk content was increased to 30 parts by weight, and the saccharide content was reduced by an amount corresponding to the increase, and otherwise, a chocolate raw material composition was prepared in accordance with the same composition as in Manufacturing Example 1, and it was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. Then, the remaining raw materials (the same as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 3) were added to the obtained fine powder-like raw material composition, and in the same manner as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 3, a liquid batter was made by performing conching in a blender (Hobart, Model: A120), and in the same manner as the conventional chocolate manufacturing method, chocolate was manufactured by tempering, filling, cooling, and demolding the made batter.

[0050] For the sample taken from the manufactured chocolate, wet measurement was performed using a laser diffraction / scattering type particle size distribution measuring device ("MT3300EXII" manufactured by Microtrac Bell) with isopropyl alcohol as a dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The obtained summary data (each index indicating the particle size distribution) is shown in Table 2. In addition, the manufactured chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, the graininess, the richness, the sweetness, and the overall deliciousness (all compared with and judged against the ordinary chocolate manufactured using the milk raw material) in accordance with the same standards as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 3 on a 5-point scale, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was taken as the score. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0051] (Manufacturing Example 5)

[0052] A chocolate raw material composition was prepared in the same composition as in Production Example 4, and was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. However, in Production Example 5, the pressure in the micronization step was lower than in Production Example 4. Then, the remaining raw materials (the same as in Production Examples 1 to 4) were added to the resulting fine powder raw material composition, and, in the same manner as in Production Examples 1 to 4, a liquid batter was prepared by refining in a blender (Hobart, Model: Al 20), and, in the same manner as in the conventional chocolate production method, chocolate was produced by tempering, filling, cooling, and demolding the prepared batter.

[0053] For the sample taken from the produced chocolate, a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device (Microtrac Bell, "MT3300EXII") was used to perform wet measurement with isopropanol as the dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The resulting summary data (each index indicating the particle size distribution) is shown in Table 2. In addition, the produced chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, graininess, richness, sweetness, and overall deliciousness (all compared with and judged against ordinary chocolate produced using a milk raw material) in accordance with the same criteria as in Production Examples 1 to 4 on a 5-point scale, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was used as the score. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0054] (Production Example 6)

[0055] A chocolate raw material composition was prepared in the same composition as in Production Example 1, except that the oat milk powder was replaced with soy milk powder (soy milk solid content 100%), and was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. Then, the remaining raw materials (the same as in Production Examples 1 to 5) were added to the resulting fine powder raw material composition, and, in the same manner as in Production Examples 1 to 5, a liquid batter was prepared by refining in a blender (Hobart, Model: Al 20), and, in the same manner as in the conventional chocolate production method, chocolate was produced by tempering, filling, cooling, and demolding the prepared batter.

[0056] For the sample taken from the manufactured chocolate, wet measurement was performed using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device ("MT3300EXII" manufactured by Microtrac Bell) with isopropyl alcohol as a dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The obtained summary data (each index indicating the particle size distribution) is shown in Table 2. In addition, the manufactured chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, the graininess, the richness, the sweetness, and the overall deliciousness (all compared with and judged against the ordinary chocolate manufactured using the milk raw material) in accordance with the same standards as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 5 on a 5-point scale, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was taken as the score value. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0057] (Manufacturing Example 7)

[0058] As shown in Table 1, a chocolate raw material composition was prepared in the same composition as in Manufacturing Example 6, and was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. However, in Manufacturing Example 7, the pressure in the micronization step was lower than in Manufacturing Example 6. Then, the remaining raw materials (the same as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 6) were added to the obtained fine powder-like raw material composition, and in the same manner as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 6, a liquid batter was prepared by refining in a blender (Hobart, Model: A120), and in the same manner as the conventional chocolate manufacturing method, the manufactured chocolate was manufactured by tempering, filling, cooling, and demolding the prepared batter.

[0059] For the sample taken from the manufactured chocolate, wet measurement was performed using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device ("MT3300EXII" manufactured by Microtrac Bell) with isopropyl alcohol as a dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The obtained summary data (each index indicating the particle size distribution) is shown in Table 2. In addition, the manufactured chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, the graininess, the richness, the sweetness, and the overall deliciousness (all compared with and judged against the ordinary chocolate manufactured using the milk raw material) in accordance with the same standards as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 6 on a 5-point scale, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was taken as the score value. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0060] (Manufacturing Example 8)

[0061] To produce the chocolate shown in Table 1, first, cocoa butter and other vegetable fats (except for cocoa butter) were added to 18 parts by weight of cocoa mass and 43 parts by weight of sugar (sucrose) to form a composition having a fat ingredient content of 25 to 28%, and then a whole chocolate raw material composition was prepared by mixing in a blender (Hobart, Model: A120).

[0062] The produced raw material composition was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. The remaining cocoa butter and other vegetable fats, 0.5 parts by weight of an emulsifier, and 0.1 parts by weight of a flavor were added to the resulting fine powder, and after refining in a blender (Hobart, Model: A120), 15 parts by weight of oat milk powder was added and mixed to produce a liquid batter adjusted to the composition shown in Table 1. In the same manner as the conventional chocolate production method, the produced batter was tempered, filled, cooled, and demolded to produce chocolate.

[0063] For the sample taken from the produced chocolate, a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device (Microtrac Bell, "MT3300EXII") was used to perform wet measurement with isopropyl alcohol as the dispersion medium. The dispersion concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The resulting summary data (each index indicating the particle size distribution) is shown in Table 2. In addition, the produced chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, graininess, richness, sweetness, and overall deliciousness (all compared to and judged against ordinary chocolate produced using a dairy raw material) on a 5-point scale in the same manner as in Production Examples 1 to 7. The average of the evaluations by the five panelists was used as the evaluation score. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0064] (Production Example 9)

[0065] A chocolate raw material composition was prepared in the same composition as in Production Example 8 (but with the oat milk powder added after the micronization step replaced with soy milk powder), and was ground in a refiner (Buhler, Model: SDY-200) into a uniform fine powder. Then, the remaining cocoa butter and other vegetable fats, 0.5 parts by weight of an emulsifier, and 0.1 parts by weight of a flavor were added to the resulting fine powder, and after refining in a blender (Hobart, Model: A120), 15 parts by weight of soy milk powder was added and mixed to produce a liquid batter adjusted to the composition shown in Table 1. In the same manner as the conventional chocolate production method, the produced batter was tempered, filled, cooled, and demolded to produce chocolate.

[0066] For the sample taken from the manufactured chocolate, a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device ("MT3300EXII" manufactured by Microtrac Bell) was used to perform wet measurement with isopropyl alcohol as the dispersion medium. The dispersion liquid concentration was adjusted to be within the measurement concentration range shown by the device. The resulting summary data (various indicators showing the particle size distribution) are shown in Table 2. In addition, the manufactured chocolate was provided to five trained panelists for tasting, and they were asked to evaluate the roughness, graininess, richness, sweetness, and overall deliciousness (all compared to and judged against ordinary chocolate made using dairy raw materials) in accordance with the same standards as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 8 on a 5-point scale, and the average of the evaluations by the five panelists was taken as the score. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0067] (Manufacturing Example 10 - Reference Example)

[0068] In order to compare the particle size distribution of the chocolate manufactured in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 9, chocolate was manufactured in the same steps as in Manufacturing Example 8 or Manufacturing Example 9, except that no oat milk powder or soy milk powder was added for mixing after refining. The raw material composition of the chocolate of this Manufacturing Example 10 corresponds to the removal of the plant-based milk raw material from the raw material compositions of the chocolates of Manufacturing Examples 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Then, for the chocolate manufactured in Manufacturing Example 10, the particle size distribution was also measured in the same manner as in Manufacturing Examples 1 to 9. The resulting summary data (various indicators showing the particle size distribution) are shown in Table 2.

[0069] [Table 1]

[0070]

[0071] (Unit: weight parts)

[0072] [Table 2]

[0073]

[0074] MV: volume average diameter

[0075] MN: number average diameter

[0076] MA: area average diameter

[0077] CS: specific surface area

[0078] 10%: 10% pass diameter

[0079] 50%: 50% pass diameter

[0080] 90%: 90% pass diameter

[0081] [Table 3]

[0082]

[0083] (Discussion on the evaluation of each manufacturing example)

[0084] The sensory evaluation results for each manufacturing example shown in Table 3 are all evaluated on a 5-point scale, with a minimum score of 3 (the difference from the case using dairy raw materials is within an acceptable range). Therefore, for scores of 3 or higher, the result of that manufacturing example in that item is considered to be better than the standard.

[0085] According to the above evaluation criteria, regarding sweetness, although some manufacturing examples did not meet the standard (the lowest evaluation was 2.6 points for manufacturing example 6), almost all manufacturing examples showed good results that met the standard. This indicates that, regarding sweetness, even when using plant-based milk raw materials, there is not much of a problem.

[0086] Next, regarding roughness, manufacturing examples 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 showed particularly poor results, which exhibited a strong positive correlation with the larger values ​​of volume average particle size (MV) and 90% transmittance (90%). This indicates that reducing the overall particle size, especially suppressing the amount of large particles, is effective in suppressing roughness.

[0087] Next, regarding the grain flavor, the results of manufacturing examples 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 were poor and did not meet the standard. This indicates that, compared to the roughness, all results were essentially the same except for manufacturing example 6, which also failed to meet the standard. Furthermore, although manufacturing example 6 did not meet the standard, its results were better than manufacturing examples 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9. Although it failed to meet the standard because the grain flavor of soy milk is more difficult to suppress than that of oat milk, it is believed that the effect of adjusting the particle size has begun to appear. However, it should be further noted that the soy milk powder used was 100% soy milk, while the oat milk powder used was 42% oat milk, with a net oat milk content of less than half of the amount shown in the table. Therefore, it can be said that there is essentially no significant difference in the intensity of the grain flavor between oat milk and soy milk.

[0088] Next, regarding richness, the results of manufacturing examples 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9 were poor and did not meet the standard, which showed the same results as the roughness situation.

[0089] Finally, regarding the overall deliciousness, specifically, in terms of whether it can exhibit a deliciousness that is in no way inferior to chocolate made using dairy ingredients, the results of manufacturing examples 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 were poor and did not meet the standard. This also shows the same results as in terms of coarseness and richness.

[0090] In view of the above, as for the sweetness, it can be said that even if a plant-based milk raw material is used, there is no significant decrease compared to the case where a dairy raw material is used, and on the other hand, in order to achieve suppression of roughness and graininess, improvement of richness, and deliciousness that is not inferior to chocolate produced using a dairy raw material, it is effective to perform micronization so as to suppress the volume average particle diameter (MV) and the 90% pass diameter (90%) to be small. In contrast to this, the number average diameter (MN), the area average diameter (MA), the 10% pass diameter, and the 50% pass diameter sometimes do not show correlation with the poor results of Production Examples 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9. As a reason therefor, it is considered that the values in these indexes tend to move in the direction of small particle diameters, and it is difficult to reflect the content rate of large particle diameters. These indexes are considered to be appropriate in the case where the function of each particle alone affects the evaluation results, but in the case where micronization is valued as in the present application (i.e., it is desired to reduce the amount of existence of large particle diameters), it can be said that they are not so suitable as indexes. Based on the above fact, in the present application, the degree of overall micronization is specified by the volume average particle diameter MV, and the existence rate of large particle diameters is specified by the 90% pass diameter. Specifically, it is effective to set the volume average particle diameter to 20 μm or less and the 90% pass diameter to 50 μm or less. It is preferable to set the volume average particle diameter to 15 μm or less and the 90% pass diameter to 40 μm or less, and it is more preferable to set the volume average particle diameter to 10 μm or less and the 90% pass diameter to 20 μm or less. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of further reducing graininess, improving richness, and further pursuing overall deliciousness, it is more preferable to set the volume average particle diameter to 8 μm or less and the 90% pass diameter to 10 μm or less.

[0091] In addition, Production Examples 8 and 9 added a plant-based milk raw material after refining, and since the component added later was not micronized, the desired particle size distribution was not obtained. Therefore, it can be said that it is preferable to add a plant-based milk raw material to the chocolate composition before the micronization step.

[0092] The embodiments of the present application described above are summarized as follows.

[0093] (First Aspect)

[0094] A chocolate which is a chocolate containing 5 to 30% by weight of a plant-based milk raw material, characterized in that, when the particle size distribution is measured by a wet-process-based laser diffraction / scattering method, the volume average diameter is 20 μm or less, and the 90% pass diameter is 50 μm or less.

[0095] (Second Aspect)

[0096] The chocolate according to the first aspect, wherein the volume average diameter is 15 μm or less, and the 90% pass diameter is 40 μm or less.

[0097] (Third aspect)

[0098] The chocolate according to the first aspect, wherein the volume average diameter is 10 μm or less, and the 90% pass diameter is 20 μm or less.

[0099] (Fourth aspect)

[0100] The chocolate according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the plant-based milk raw material is oat milk powder or soy milk powder.

[0101] (Fifth aspect)

[0102] A method of producing the chocolate according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, characterized by mixing the plant-based milk material with other chocolate raw materials, and then micronizing the mixture obtained by the mixing.

[0103] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-058471 filed on March 31, 2023, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference as part of this application.

Claims

1. A chocolate comprising 5-30% by weight of plant-based milk raw materials, characterized in that, When the particle size distribution is determined by a wet-based laser diffraction / scattering method, the volume average diameter is less than 20 μm, and 90% of the passing diameter is less than 50 μm.

2. The chocolate of claim 1, wherein the average volume diameter is less than 15 μm and the 90% through diameter is less than 40 μm.

3. The chocolate of claim 1, wherein the average volume diameter is less than 10 μm and the 90% through diameter is less than 20 μm.

4. The chocolate as described in claim 1, wherein the plant-based milk raw material is oat milk powder or soy milk powder.

5. A method for manufacturing chocolate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The plant-based milk material is mixed with other chocolate ingredients, and then the resulting mixture is micronized.

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