Chocolate and method for suppressing viscosity increase of chocolate

Abstract

To provide milk component-containing chocolate suppressed in viscosity increase caused by moisture absorption or direct mixing of moisture.SOLUTION: Chocolate comprising chocolate oil and fat, a saccharide, a sucrose fatty acid ester, and a milk component, wherein the sucrose fatty acid ester has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and comprises a sucrose fatty acid ester A containing stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to chocolate. The present invention also relates to a method for suppressing an increase in viscosity of chocolate due to moisture. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, chocolate is made by preparing a chocolate dough by adding emulsifiers and the like to main ingredients such as chocolate fats and oils such as cocoa butter, optional sugars, and optional milk ingredients, and then appropriately tempering this chocolate dough and cooling and solidifying it.

[0003] One of the issues that chocolate manufacturers face during its manufacturing, storage, and processing stages is an increase in viscosity. Although chocolate manufacturers take great care to address this issue, the increase in viscosity caused by various factors remains a challenge.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a chocolate obtained by mixing a chocolate dough containing a sucrose fatty acid ester in which 50% or more of the fatty acid groups are lauric acid and in which the HLB value is 4 or less with a milk component, and then molding the mixture. This method is said to enable the chocolate dough to have an initial viscosity of 100 to 250 poise, and to limit the increase in viscosity to 20 poise or less when stored at 45°C for 5 days.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses that lecithin is added to chocolate for ice cream coating in order to obtain the effect of lowering viscosity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-97418 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-244920 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the chocolate described in Patent Document 1 has a limited effect of suppressing an increase in viscosity (thickening) over time, and the cause of the increase in viscosity is unknown. Furthermore, even if the lecithin described in Patent Document 2 is added, the effect of inhibiting thickening is insufficient.

[0008] In response to this, the inventors have conducted further research and found that in chocolates containing milk ingredients and sugars, such as milk chocolate and white chocolate, moisture absorption over time and direct incorporation of water are factors that cause an increase in viscosity.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a chocolate containing milk ingredients and sugars in which the increase in viscosity caused by moisture absorption or direct contamination with water is suppressed.An object of the present invention is also to provide a method for suppressing the increase in viscosity of chocolate containing milk ingredients and sugars caused by moisture absorption or direct contamination with water.

[0010] It has been found that the chocolate described in Patent Document 1 is insufficient in its effect of inhibiting thickening due to the incorporation of water. Similarly, even when the chocolate contains lecithin as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the effect of inhibiting thickening due to the incorporation of water is insufficient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] As a result of further intensive research, the inventors discovered that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by adding a specific sucrose fatty acid ester to chocolate containing milk ingredients and sugars, and thus completed the present invention.

[0012] That is, the gist of the present invention is as follows. [1] Chocolate containing fats and oils, sugars, sucrose fatty acid esters, and milk ingredients, The chocolate contains sucrose fatty acid ester A, which has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and contains stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid. [2] The chocolate according to [1], wherein the milk component comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium caseinate, whey protein, and lactose. [3] The chocolate according to [1] or [2], wherein the sucrose fatty acid ester A has a proportion of stearic acid in the constituent fatty acids of 60% by mass or more. [4] The chocolate according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the sucrose fatty acid ester comprises the sucrose fatty acid ester A having an HLB value of 4 to 5. [5] A method for suppressing an increase in viscosity of chocolate due to moisture, comprising: The chocolate contains chocolate fat, sugars, sucrose fatty acid esters, and milk components, The method for suppressing an increase in the viscosity of chocolate uses, as the sucrose fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester A having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of 1 to 7 and containing stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a chocolate containing milk components and sugars in which the increase in viscosity caused by moisture absorption or direct contamination with water is suppressed, thereby solving problems that arise due to thickening during the chocolate production process, storage process, processing process, etc. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention will be described in detail below, but these are examples of preferred embodiments, and the present invention is not limited to these details. In this specification, the use of "to" to indicate a range of values ​​means that the values ​​before and after it are included as the lower and upper limits.

[0015] "chocolate" The chocolate according to the present embodiment contains chocolate fats and oils, sugars, sucrose fatty acid esters, and milk components. The sucrose fatty acid esters include sucrose fatty acid ester A, which has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and contains stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid.

[0016] The term "chocolate" as used in this specification is not limited by the "Fair Competition Code for Labeling of Chocolates" (National Chocolate Industry Fair Trade Council) or other legal provisions, but refers to chocolate that contains chocolate fats and oils, sucrose fatty acid esters, and milk components, as described above, and that has been produced through the chocolate production process (all or part of the mixing process, pulverization process, refining process, molding process, cooling process, etc.).

[0017] The inventors of the present invention have found that moisture absorption over time and direct incorporation of water are factors that contribute to viscosity increase in chocolate containing milk ingredients and sugars. In response to this, they have discovered that the viscosity increase can be suppressed by incorporating sucrose fatty acid ester A, which is used as an emulsifier and has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and contains stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid.

[0018] Although the mechanism of action behind the inhibitory effect is not clear, when sucrose fatty acid ester A is added to chocolate, the sugars and milk components contained in the chocolate are appropriately protected by the hydrophilic group moieties of sucrose fatty acid ester A. As a result, it is thought that when moisture is mixed into the chocolate, network formation between the sugars or milk components and water can be effectively inhibited, and the increase in viscosity caused by the mixing of water can be effectively suppressed.

[0019] <Chocolate fats> The chocolate fat or oil used in this embodiment may be any known fat or oil. Examples include vegetable fats and oils such as palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, monkey fat, illipe fat, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, sesame oil, olive oil, and milk fat; animal fats and oils such as fish oil, beef tallow, and lard; and processed fats obtained by fractionating, hardening (hydrogenating), interesterifying, or the like. Only one type of chocolate fat or oil may be used, or two or more types may be used in combination.

[0020] In particular, from the viewpoint of melt-in-the-mouth texture, it is preferable that the chocolate fat contains cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is a component contained in cocoa mass and cocoa powder. Cocoa mass is a component obtained by grinding the endosperm (cocoa nibs) obtained by crushing cocoa beans and removing the cocoa bean shells and embryos. In this specification, cocoa butter includes not only cocoa butter alone but also cocoa butter derived from oil-containing materials.

[0021] Furthermore, when whole milk powder is used to add the dairy component, milk fat is included as an oil component in the chocolate.

[0022] The content of the chocolate fat in the chocolate according to this embodiment is preferably 10 to 70% by mass, more preferably 25 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 30 to 60% by mass. From the viewpoints of flavor and melt-in-the-mouth texture, the content is preferably 10% by mass or more, more preferably 25% by mass or more, and even more preferably 30% by mass or more, and is preferably 70% by mass or less, more preferably 65% ​​by mass or less, and even more preferably 60% by mass or less. When two or more types of fats and oils are contained as the chocolate fat, the total content of these fats and oils is preferably within the above range.

[0023] <Sucrose fatty acid ester> The sucrose fatty acid ester in this embodiment includes sucrose fatty acid ester A, which has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and contains stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid. Here, the sucrose fatty acid ester is a compound in which some of the eight hydroxyl groups in a sucrose molecular skeleton are esterified with fatty acid hydrocarbon groups, and functions as an emulsifier. In addition to functioning as an emulsifier, the sucrose fatty acid ester A also has the effect of suppressing an increase in the viscosity of chocolate due to moisture absorption or direct contamination with water.

[0024] The sucrose fatty acid ester A has a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7, preferably 1 to 5 or 2 to 7, more preferably 1 to 5 or 3 to 7, even more preferably 4 to 7, and particularly preferably 4 to 5. From the viewpoint of more suitably exhibiting the thickening effect, the HLB value is 1 or more, or may be 2 or more, 3 or more, or 4 or more, or may be 7 or less, 6 or less, or 5 or less.

[0025] The HLB value is the relative strength of the hydrophilic and lipophilic properties of a surfactant molecule, and is a quantitative expression of this balance. A higher HLB value means a higher hydrophilicity, and a lower value means a higher lipophilicity.

[0026] The sucrose fatty acid ester A in this embodiment contains stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid. A wide variety of constituent fatty acids are known, but it has been found that stearic acid is particularly effective in preventing an increase in viscosity due to the incorporation of water.

[0027] As long as the constituent fatty acids of the sucrose fatty acid ester A contain stearic acid, they may further contain other fatty acids. From the viewpoint of obtaining a better thickening-inhibiting effect, the proportion of stearic acid in the constituent fatty acids is preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 65% ​​by mass or more, and even more preferably 70% by mass or more. The upper limit of the proportion is not particularly limited, and may be 100% by mass, i.e., the constituent fatty acid may be stearic acid alone. From the viewpoint of obtaining a better thickening-inhibiting effect, the proportion may be less than 100% by mass, more preferably 95% by mass or less, and even more preferably 90% by mass or less.

[0028] The constituent fatty acids of sucrose fatty acid ester A other than stearic acid can be conventionally known fatty acids. Examples include caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, tridecanoic acid, myristic acid, pentadecanoic acid, palmitic acid, marigaric acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, myristoleic acid, pentadecenoic acid, palmitoleic acid, heptadecenoic acid, oleic acid, eicosenoic acid, erucic acid, selacholeic acid, linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, γ-linolenic acid, eicosadienoic acid, eicosatrienoic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosadienoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. These may be contained alone or in combination of two or more.

[0029] Commercially available products of the sucrose fatty acid ester A include, for example, Ryoto (trademark) Sugar Esters S-170, S-270, S-370, S-470, S-570, and S-770 (all manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation).

[0030] Furthermore, the sucrose fatty acid ester in this embodiment may contain two or more types of the sucrose fatty acid ester A.

[0031] The content of sucrose fatty acid ester A in the chocolate according to this embodiment is preferably 0.1 to 2.0% by mass, more preferably 0.15 to 1.9% by mass, and even more preferably 0.2 to 1.8% by mass. From the viewpoint of obtaining a more favorable thickening-inhibiting effect, the content is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.15% by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.2% by mass or more, and is preferably 2.0% by mass or less, more preferably 1.9% by mass or less, and even more preferably 1.8% by mass or less. When two or more types of sucrose fatty acid ester A are contained, the total content thereof is preferably within the above range.

[0032] The chocolate according to this embodiment may further contain a sucrose fatty acid ester other than the above-mentioned sucrose fatty acid ester A. Examples of sucrose fatty acid esters other than sucrose fatty acid ester A include sucrose fatty acid esters having an HLB value of more than 7 and sucrose fatty acid esters that do not contain stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid. Examples of constituent fatty acids in sucrose fatty acid esters that do not contain stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid include the same as the other constituent fatty acids described above.

[0033] Furthermore, the total content of sucrose fatty acid esters, including sucrose fatty acid ester A, in the chocolate according to this embodiment is preferably 0.1 to 2.0% by mass, more preferably 0.15 to 1.9% by mass, and even more preferably 0.2 to 1.8% by mass. From the viewpoint of achieving a favorable effect as an emulsifier, the content is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.15% by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.2% by mass or more, and is preferably 2.0% by mass or less, more preferably 1.9% by mass or less, and even more preferably 1.8% by mass or less.

[0034] In this embodiment, the content of sucrose fatty acid ester A relative to the total milk solids excluding milk fat is preferably 0.6 to 6.0% by mass, more preferably 0.65 to 5.5% by mass, and even more preferably 0.7 to 5.0% by mass. From the viewpoint of more suitably obtaining the thickening-inhibiting effect, the content is preferably 0.6% by mass or more, more preferably 0.65% by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.7% by mass or more, and is preferably 6.0% by mass or less, more preferably 5.5% by mass or less, and even more preferably 5.0% by mass or less.

[0035] <Other emulsifiers> The chocolate according to this embodiment may further contain other emulsifiers in addition to the sucrose fatty acid esters. As the other emulsifier, conventionally known ones can be used, but preferred examples include lecithin, lysolecithin, enzymatically decomposed lecithin, polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid ester, polyglycerol fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0036] When the chocolate according to this embodiment further contains other emulsifiers, the total content of the other emulsifiers in the chocolate is preferably 0.1 to 2.0% by mass. To obtain the desired effects of the other emulsifiers, the content is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.15% by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.2% by mass or more. To obtain a good thickening-inhibiting effect, the content is preferably 2.0% by mass or less, more preferably 1.9% by mass or less, and even more preferably 1.8% by mass or less.

[0037] The total content of the sucrose fatty acid ester and the other emulsifiers in the chocolate according to this embodiment is preferably 0.1 to 4.0% by mass. To obtain the desired effects of the emulsifiers, the content is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.15% by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.2% by mass or more. To obtain a good thickening-inhibiting effect, the content is preferably 4.0% by mass or less, more preferably 3.9% by mass or less, and even more preferably 3.8% by mass or less.

[0038] <Milk ingredients> The chocolate according to the present embodiment contains a milk component. Examples of such chocolate include milk chocolate and white chocolate. Chocolate containing a milk component exhibits a significant increase in viscosity due to moisture absorption or direct incorporation of water, and therefore, it is desirable to suppress this increase.

[0039] Examples of milk components include sodium caseinate, whey protein (whey powder), milk sugar (lactose), milk fat, etc. In this embodiment, the milk component preferably contains at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium caseinate, whey protein (whey powder), and milk sugar (lactose), and may contain two or more, or all three. From the viewpoint of chocolate flavor, it is preferable that all three of the above components are contained.

[0040] The milk component content of the chocolate according to this embodiment is not particularly limited, but for example, a unique milky texture and flavor can be more suitably obtained by setting the total content of sodium caseinate, whey protein, and lactose to 15% by mass or more. On the other hand, if the total content is high, the viscosity increase due to moisture absorption or direct incorporation of water becomes more pronounced. In contrast, in this embodiment, by adding a specific sucrose fatty acid ester A, the viscosity increase can be suitably suppressed without impairing the desired unique milky texture and flavor.

[0041] The total content of sodium caseinate, whey protein, and lactose may be, for example, 15% by mass or more, 15 to 40% by mass, or 15 to 35% by mass, and the total content may be 15% by mass or more, 15.5% by mass or more, or 40% by mass or less, or 35% by mass or less.

[0042] The milk components can be incorporated into chocolate by using, for example, whole milk powder or skim milk powder as raw materials. Whole milk powder and skim milk powder usually contain sodium caseinate, whey protein (whey powder), and lactose as milk components, and whole milk powder also contains milk fat.

[0043] The milk fat content in whole milk powder is, for example, about 23 to 42% by mass. The content may be, for example, 23% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 26% by mass or more, 42% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 35% by mass or less, or 28% by mass or less.

[0044] When whole milk powder is added as an ingredient to incorporate dairy ingredients, the proportion of whole milk powder added may be 10 to 30% by mass, 11 to 29% by mass, or 12 to 28% by mass of the resulting chocolate. Here, the proportion may be 10% by mass or more, 11% by mass or more, or 12% by mass or more, or 30% by mass or less, 29% by mass or less, or 28% by mass or less.

[0045] When skim milk powder is added as an ingredient to incorporate milk components, the amount of skim milk powder added may be 3 to 20% by mass, 4 to 18% by mass, or 5 to 16% by mass of the resulting chocolate. Here, the amount may be 3% by mass or more, 4% by mass or more, or 5% by mass or more, or 20% by mass or less, 19% by mass or less, 18% by mass or less, or 16% by mass or less.

[0046] When both whole milk powder and skim milk powder are added as ingredients to incorporate milk components, the proportions of the whole milk powder and skim milk powder added to the resulting chocolate may be, for example, 10 to 30% by mass and 3 to 20% by mass, respectively.

[0047] <Sugars> The chocolate according to this embodiment further contains sugars, which may include sugar alcohols.

[0048] The sugars used in this embodiment may be any known sugar, for example, white sugar, granulated sugar, sucrose (sugar, powdered sugar), liquid sugar, honey, glucose, fructose, brown sugar, brown sugar, maltose, lactose, cyclodextrin, enzyme-saccharified starch syrup, acid-saccharified starch syrup, reduced starch syrup, reduced sugar polydextrose, reduced lactose, sorbitol, xylose, xylitol, maltitol, erythritol, mannitol, isomerized liquid sugar, Examples of such sugars include sucrose-bound starch syrup, oligosaccharides, xylose, trehalose, fructooligosaccharides, soybean oligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, arabinose, palatinose oligosaccharides, agarooligosaccharides, chitin oligosaccharides, lactosaccharose oligosaccharides, hemicellulose, molasses, isomaltooligosaccharides, maltooligosaccharides, coupling sugar, raffinose, lactulose, theanderoligosaccharides, and gentiooligosaccharides. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, sucrose is preferred from the viewpoint of taste, and powdered sugar is more preferred from the viewpoint of flavor.

[0049] The total sugar content in the chocolate according to this embodiment is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, more than 0% by mass to 60% by mass, 20 to 60% by mass, or 25 to 55% by mass. While the content is not particularly limited as long as it is more than 0% by mass, from the viewpoint of imparting a suitable sweetness, it may be 20% by mass or more, or 25% by mass or more. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of maintaining a more suitable flavor, the content may be 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less.

[0050] <Other ingredients> The chocolate according to the present embodiment may further contain other ingredients in addition to the above. As the other ingredients, conventionally known ingredients can be used. Other ingredients include, for example, cocoa components (cocoa solids) other than cocoa butter, which corresponds to chocolate fats and oils, flavorings, seed agents, antioxidants, coloring agents, various powders, starches, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0051] The total content of the above other ingredients in the chocolate according to this embodiment is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0 to 30% by mass, or more than 0% by mass and 30% by mass or less.

[0052] <Application> The chocolate according to the present embodiment may be used for commercial purposes or for commercial purposes. Among these, the chocolate is suitable for applications where moisture absorption or direct incorporation of moisture is likely to occur, such as food coating applications and long-term storage applications.

[0053] <<How chocolate is made>> The method for producing chocolate according to this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it can produce the chocolate described above in the section "Chocolate."

[0054] One aspect of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes the following steps. A step of adding sucrose fatty acid esters containing sucrose fatty acid ester A having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and containing stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid to chocolate fat.

[0055] In the above-mentioned addition, the sucrose fatty acid ester may be added directly to the chocolate fat and oil to be dissolved or dispersed therein, or may be mixed with other solid ingredients and added to the chocolate fat and oil as a mixture to be dissolved or dispersed therein. Here, the sucrose fatty acid esters and chocolate fats can be those described in the "Sucrose fatty acid esters" and "Chocolate fats" sections of the "Chocolate" section above, and the same applies to preferred embodiments.

[0056] It is also preferable to add sugars, milk components, other emulsifiers, and other ingredients to the chocolate fat. The sugars, milk components, other emulsifiers, and other ingredients can be those described in the "Sugars," "Milk Components," "Other Emulsifiers," and "Other Ingredients" sections of "Chocolate" above, and preferred embodiments are also the same. The order in which these components are mixed or added is not particularly limited, and any conventionally known method can be used.

[0057] The process for producing chocolate typically includes all or some of the following steps: mixing, pulverizing, conching, molding, and cooling. In the production method according to the present embodiment, for example, in at least one of the mixing step and the refining step, it is preferable to add the sucrose fatty acid ester directly to the chocolate fat and oil to dissolve or disperse it, or to add the sucrose fatty acid ester to other solid ingredients and then dissolve or disperse it in the chocolate fat and oil.

[0058] By adding (dissolving or dispersing) the sucrose fatty acid ester to chocolate fat or oil, either directly or after adding it to other solid ingredients, the sucrose fatty acid ester can be easily mixed uniformly in the chocolate, resulting in a chocolate with extremely high homogeneity. Increasing homogeneity is important from the viewpoint of suppressing thickening in this embodiment, as it can suppress moisture absorption and direct incorporation of water.

[0059] <<Method for suppressing viscosity increase>> The method for suppressing an increase in viscosity of chocolate according to this embodiment targets an increase in viscosity due to moisture, i.e., it is possible to effectively suppress an increase in viscosity due to moisture absorption by chocolate or direct incorporation of moisture.

[0060] The chocolate that is the target of the method for suppressing viscosity increase according to this embodiment must contain milk components and sugars. This is because when chocolate contains milk components and sugars, moisture absorption over time and direct incorporation of water can contribute to an increase in viscosity.

[0061] In other words, the viscosity increase suppression method according to this embodiment targets the increase in viscosity of chocolate due to moisture, and the chocolate contains chocolate fats and oils, sugars, sucrose fatty acid esters, and milk components. As the sucrose fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester A is used, which has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and contains stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid.

[0062] It is also preferable to add milk components, other emulsifiers, and other ingredients to the chocolate. The milk components, other emulsifiers, and other ingredients can be those described in the "Milk Components," "Other Emulsifiers," and "Other Ingredients" sections of "Chocolate" above, and the preferred embodiments are the same. [Example]

[0063] The present invention will be explained in more detail below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples as long as it does not depart from the gist of the invention.

[0064] 《Reference example 1》 18.0% by mass of cocoa butter, 41.7% by mass of powdered sugar, 40.0% by mass of cocoa mass, and 0.3% by mass of lecithin were mixed in a mixer, then poured into a melange and refined to obtain chocolate. The resulting chocolate did not contain any dairy ingredients.

[0065] Comparative Example 1 36.5% by mass of cocoa butter, 41.2% by mass of powdered sugar, 14.0% by mass of whole milk powder, 8.0% by mass of skim milk powder, and 0.3% by mass of lecithin were mixed in a mixer, then poured into a melange and refined to obtain chocolate. The chocolate fat content in the obtained chocolate was 40% by mass, and the total content of milk components, sodium caseinate, whey protein, and lactose, was 18.5% by mass.

[0066] 《Evaluation: Viscosity》 Distilled water heated to 40°C was added to each of the chocolates obtained in Reference Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 in an amount of 2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of chocolate. The chocolate was then allowed to stand at 40°C for 1 hour, and the viscosity of the chocolate was measured and compared with the viscosity before the addition of distilled water. The viscosity of the chocolate was measured using a precision viscoelasticity measuring meter (RHEOSTRESS RS600, manufactured by HAAKE) at 40° C. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0067] [Table 1]

[0068] The above results show that compared to the increase in viscosity due to the inclusion of water when the chocolate does not contain dairy ingredients, such as Reference Example 1, the increase in viscosity due to the inclusion of water is significant for chocolate containing dairy ingredients and sugars, such as Comparative Example 1. Note that the viscosity of Comparative Example 1 was so high that specific viscosity measurements were not possible, and so it is marked as "measurable." However, measurements of the viscosity of other samples have shown that it is at least above 14,490 mPa·s. Thus, it was found that moisture absorption over time and direct incorporation of water are factors that cause a significant increase in viscosity in chocolate containing milk ingredients and sugars.

[0069] Examples 1 to 6, Comparative Example 2 To 36.5 parts by mass of cocoa butter, 41.2 parts by mass of powdered sugar, 14.0 parts by mass of whole milk powder, 8.0 parts by mass of skim milk powder, and 0.3 parts by mass of lecithin, 0.5 parts by mass of sucrose fatty acid ester shown in Table 2 was further added, mixed in a mixer, and then poured into a melange and refined to obtain chocolate. The oil content of the obtained chocolate was 39.8% by mass, the sucrose fatty acid ester content was 0.5% by mass, and the total content of milk solids excluding milk fat, such as sodium caseinate, whey protein, and lactose, was 18.4% by mass. The sucrose fatty acid esters in Examples 1 to 6 all correspond to the sucrose fatty acid ester A in the present embodiment, and the proportion of stearic acid in the constituent fatty acids is 70 mass% in all of them. The sucrose fatty acid ester in Comparative Example 2 is a sucrose laurate whose constituent fatty acids do not contain stearic acid.

[0070] For Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example 2, the viscosity of the chocolates containing water was measured at 40°C using the same method as described above in "Evaluation: Viscosity." The results are shown in Table 2, along with the results of Comparative Example 1.

[0071] [Table 2]

[0072] The above results show that in chocolate containing milk ingredients and sugars, the viscosity increased significantly when water was mixed in, to the point that viscosity measurement under existing conditions was impossible (Comparative Example 1). In contrast, it can be seen that the chocolate according to the present embodiment contains a specific sucrose fatty acid ester A, which effectively suppresses viscosity increase (Examples 1 to 6). On the other hand, even when a sucrose laurate that does not contain stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid was used as the sucrose fatty acid ester, no significant effect of suppressing viscosity increase was obtained (Comparative Example 2). As with Comparative Example 1, the viscosity of Comparative Example 2 was too high to measure specifically, so it is listed as "impossible to measure," but it is known to be at least 14,490 mPa·s. [Industrial Applicability]

[0073] According to the present invention, a chocolate containing dairy ingredients and sugars can be provided in which the increase in viscosity due to moisture absorption or direct contamination with water is suppressed. Therefore, although there is no particular limitation on its use, it is particularly suitable as a chocolate containing dairy ingredients for food coating applications, such as ice cream coating or pan coating. It is also suitable as a chocolate containing dairy ingredients for small-scale businesses where humidity control is difficult, or as a chocolate for long-term storage.

Claims

1. Contains chocolate fats and oils, sugars, sucrose fatty acid esters, and milk ingredients, The chocolate contains sucrose fatty acid ester A, which has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 1 to 7 and contains stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid.

2. The chocolate according to claim 1 , wherein the milk component comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium caseinate, whey protein, and lactose.

3. The chocolate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sucrose fatty acid ester A has a proportion of stearic acid in the constituent fatty acids of 60% by mass or more.

4. The chocolate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sucrose fatty acid ester comprises the sucrose fatty acid ester A having an HLB value of 4 to 5.

5. A method for suppressing an increase in viscosity of chocolate due to moisture, comprising: The chocolate contains chocolate fat, sugars, sucrose fatty acid esters, and milk components, The method for suppressing an increase in the viscosity of chocolate uses, as the sucrose fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester A having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of 1 to 7 and containing stearic acid as a constituent fatty acid.

Images