chocolate

Abstract

The objective is to provide chocolate with a good cocoa butter flavor. [Solution] Chocolate containing isovaleraldehyde, 2-acetylpyrrole, and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, wherein when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c). (a) The peak area values ​​for isovaleraldehyde are between 16,700,000 and 36,000,000. (b) The ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the sum of the peak area values ​​of 2-acetylpyrrole and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is between 0.015 and 0.100. (c) The peak area values ​​for 2-acetylpyrrole range from 23,500,000 to 75,000,000.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chocolate having a good cocoa butter feel.

Background Art

[0002] Chocolate is widely distributed as a popular confectionery, and in recent years, many products with characteristic flavors have been developed. Cocoa components such as cocoa mass and cocoa butter blended into chocolate are ingredients that enrich the flavor of chocolate, and are raw materials indispensable for the production of chocolate. Cocoa beans, which are raw materials for cocoa components such as cocoa mass and cocoa butter, are seeds contained in the fruits of cacao trees. Cacao trees are natural crops cultivated in limited areas near the equator. In recent years, due to global abnormal weather, a shortage in the production of cocoa beans caused by poor cacao harvests has led to a situation where insufficient supply of cocoa components such as cocoa mass and cocoa butter may become a social problem.

[0003] Cocoa mass contains about 55% fats and oils. Therefore, as a countermeasure against insufficient supply of cocoa components such as cocoa mass and cocoa butter, other vegetable fats and oils have been used in place of cocoa mass and cocoa butter. Other vegetable fats and oils used in place of cocoa mass and cocoa butter are referred to as cocoa butter substitutes. As chocolates using cocoa butter substitutes, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4 and the like have been proposed.

[0004] However, chocolates using cocoa butter substitutes have a problem that the cocoa butter feel is reduced in terms of flavor. Accordingly, there has been a demand for the development of a chocolate having a good cocoa butter feel.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide chocolate that has a good cocoa butter flavor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors of this invention conducted intensive research to solve the above problem. As a result, they discovered that the problem could be solved by including specific aroma components in chocolate in a specific ratio. This led to the completion of the present invention.

[0008] In other words, the first invention of the present invention is a chocolate containing isovaleraldehyde, 2-acetylpyrrole, and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, wherein when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c). (a) The peak area values ​​for isovaleraldehyde are between 16,700,000 and 36,000,000. (b) The ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the sum of the peak area values ​​of 2-acetylpyrrole and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is between 0.015 and 0.100. (c) The peak area values ​​for 2-acetylpyrrole range from 23,500,000 to 75,000,000. The second invention of the present invention is the chocolate described in the first invention, which contains phenylethyl alcohol, and when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by the SPME analysis method, the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following condition (d). (d) The peak area values ​​for phenylethyl alcohol range from 2,000,000 to 9,500,000,000. The third invention of the present invention is the chocolate according to the first invention, which contains furfuryl alcohol, and when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by the SPME analysis method, the analytical value of the aroma components satisfies the following condition (e). (e) The peak area value of furfuryl alcohol is between 2,000,000 and 4,500,000,000. The fourth invention of this invention is the chocolate described in the first invention, which contains 30% by mass or less of cocoa butter. The fifth invention of this invention is a method for improving the cocoa butter flavor of chocolate by measuring the aroma components in chocolate using the SPME analysis method so that the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c). (a) The peak area values ​​for isovaleraldehyde are between 16,700,000 and 36,000,000. (b) The ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the sum of the peak area values ​​of 2-acetylpyrrole and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is between 0.015 and 0.100. (c) The peak area values ​​for 2-acetylpyrrole are between 2,000,000 and 7,500,000. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide chocolate that has a good cocoa butter flavor. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is a chocolate containing isovaleraldehyde, 2-acetylpyrrole, and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, wherein when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c). (a) The peak area values ​​for isovaleraldehyde are between 16,700,000 and 36,000,000. (b) The ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the sum of the peak area values ​​of 2-acetylpyrrole and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is between 0.015 and 0.100. (c) The peak area values ​​for 2-acetylpyrrole are between 2,000,000 and 7,500,000.

[0011] In this invention, chocolate is not limited to chocolate as defined in the "Fair Competition Rules Regarding Labeling of Chocolate Products" (National Chocolate Industry Fair Trade Council) or by law. In this invention, chocolate is a food product made primarily from edible oils and fats and carbohydrates, with the addition of cocoa, powdered milk, flavorings, etc. as needed, and manufactured through the chocolate manufacturing process (all or part of the mixing, micronization, refining, molding, cooling, etc.), in which the oils and fats form a continuous phase and substantially contain no water. The chocolate in the embodiments of this invention preferably has a moisture content of 3% by mass or less.

[0012] In this invention, the analytical value of aroma components refers to the peak area value measured when the aroma components in chocolate are measured by the SPME analytical method. The SPME (Solid Phase Micro Extraction) analytical method, also known as solid-phase micro-extraction analysis, involves adsorbing and concentrating aroma components in a sample using SPME fibers, and then measuring the adsorbed and concentrated aroma components by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Specifically, the analytical value of aroma components is the peak area value measured when 1 g of chocolate sample is crushed, sealed in a 20 ml vial, held at 40°C for 10 minutes, the headspace is adsorbed and concentrated on SPME fibers (DVB / CAR / PDMS) for 35 minutes, and then measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (column: polar column, column oven temperature: 40°C to 240°C, heating rate: 2°C / min, carrier gas: He). The peak for isovaleraldehyde is at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 43.9, the peak for 2-acetylpyrrole is at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 109.0, the peak for 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 135.9, the peak for phenylethyl alcohol is at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 91.0, and the peak for furfuryl alcohol is at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 98.0.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present invention, when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde is 1,670,000 to 3,600,000, preferably 1,680,000 to 3,600,000, more preferably 1,680,000 to 3,500,000, and even more preferably 1,690,000 to 3,500,000 (condition (a)).

[0014] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention has a ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the sum of the peak area value of 2-acetylpyrrole and the peak area value of 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine of 0.015 to 0.100, preferably 0.016 to 0.090, more preferably 0.017 to 0.085, and even more preferably 0.018 to 0.080, when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by the SPME analysis method (condition (b)).

[0015] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention has a peak area value of 2-acetylpyrrole of 23500000 to 75000000, preferably 23700000 to 70000000, more preferably 24000000 to 60000000, and even more preferably 24500000 to 50000000, when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by the SPME analysis method (condition (c)).

[0016] When the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention satisfies the above conditions (a) to (c), a chocolate having a favorable cocoa butter sensation can be obtained. In the present invention, the cocoa butter sensation refers to a cocoa butter-like flavor perceived when eating chocolate.

[0017] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably has a peak area value of phenylethyl alcohol of 20000000 to 950000000, more preferably 35000000 to 930000000, even more preferably 100000000 to 910000000, and most preferably 300000000 to 900000000, when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by the SPME analysis method (condition (d)). When the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention further satisfies the above condition (d), a chocolate having a more favorable cocoa butter sensation can be obtained.

[0018] In the embodiment of the present invention, when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the peak area value of furfuryl alcohol is preferably 20,000,000 to 45,000,000,000, more preferably 35,000,000 to 43,000,000,000, even more preferably 3,000,000,000 to 4,000,000,000, and most preferably 7,500,000,000 to 3,800,000,000 (condition (e)). If the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention further satisfies the above condition (e), a chocolate having a better cocoa butter flavor can be obtained.

[0019] In the embodiment of the present invention, when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the peak area value of 2-acetylpyrrole is preferably 0.69 or less or 0.73 or more, more preferably 0.20 to 0.69 or 0.73 to 1.50, even more preferably 0.30 to 0.69 or 0.76 to 1.20, and most preferably 0.40 to 0.68 or 0.80 to 0.95 (condition (f)). If the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention further satisfies the above condition (f), a chocolate with an even better cocoa butter flavor can be obtained.

[0020] In the embodiment of the present invention, when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the peak area value of 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is preferably 18,000,000 to 12,000,000,000, more preferably 19,000,000 to 10,000,000,000, even more preferably 2,000,000,000 to 9,000,000,000, and most preferably 2,500,000,000 to 8,000,000,000 (condition (g)). If the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention further satisfies the above condition (g), a chocolate with an even better cocoa butter flavor can be obtained.

[0021] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 30% by mass or less of cocoa butter, more preferably 5 to 27% by mass, even more preferably 8 to 25% by mass, and most preferably 10 to 25% by mass. In this invention, cocoa butter includes not only cocoa butter itself, but also cocoa butter contained in cocoa nibs, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa cake, etc. The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention has a good cocoa butter flavor even when the cocoa butter content is within the aforementioned range.

[0022] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 40% by mass or less of cocoa content, more preferably 15 to 38% by mass, even more preferably 18 to 36% by mass, and most preferably 20 to 36% by mass. In this invention, cocoa content refers to raw materials obtained by processing cocoa beans, specifically cocoa nibs, cocoa mass, cocoa powder, cocoa cake, cocoa butter, etc. The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention has a good cocoa butter flavor even when the cocoa content is within the aforementioned range.

[0023] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 35% by mass or less of cocoa butter substitute, more preferably 12 to 32% by mass, even more preferably 13 to 30% by mass, and most preferably 13 to 30% by mass. In this invention, cocoa butter substitute refers to the fat used in place of cocoa butter in the production of chocolate, and is also called hard butter. The cocoa butter substitute used in the production of the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a fat other than cocoa butter. The cocoa butter substitute used in the production of the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably tempering type hard butter, non-tempering type hard butter, and more preferably tempering type hard butter. The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention has a good cocoa butter flavor even when the cocoa butter substitute fat content is within the aforementioned range.

[0024] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 30 to 60% by mass of fats and oils, more preferably 32 to 55% by mass, more preferably 33 to 50% by mass, and even more preferably 35 to 45% by mass. In this invention, fats and oils refer to the total amount of fats and oils contained in the chocolate, and in this invention, fats and oils refer not only to the fats and oils blended, but also to fats and oils (cocoa butter, milk fat, etc.) contained in oil-containing raw materials (cocoa mass, cocoa powder, whole milk powder, etc.).

[0025] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the invention preferably contains 35-65% by mass of carbohydrates, more preferably 38-60% by mass, even more preferably 40-57% by mass, and most preferably 40-55% by mass. In this invention, carbohydrates refer to carbohydrates excluding dietary fiber. Specific examples of carbohydrates include sugars, sugar alcohols (maltitol, xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, lactitol, mannitol, reduced starch syrup, etc.), starch, oligosaccharides, dextrin, etc. In this invention, sugars refer to monosaccharides and disaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, etc.). In this invention, carbohydrates refer to carbohydrates themselves and do not include carbohydrates contained in other raw materials (e.g., powdered milk, etc.). The carbohydrates used in the production of chocolate according to the embodiments of the present invention are preferably sugars, and more preferably sucrose and lactose.

[0026] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 15% by mass or less of milk powder, more preferably 12% by mass or less, even more preferably 10% by mass or less, and most preferably 7% by mass or less. The milk powder used in the production of the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably skim milk powder, whole milk powder, and more preferably skim milk powder.

[0027] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention may use ingredients commonly used in chocolate as other ingredients. Specifically, for example, emulsifiers such as lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, polyglycerin condensed ricinoleic acid esters, and sorbitan fatty acid esters, various powders such as soy flour, soy protein, processed fruit products, processed vegetable products, matcha powder, and coffee powder, gums, starches, antioxidants, colorants, etc. can be used.

[0028] According to the present invention, the cocoa butter flavor of chocolate can be improved by satisfying the above conditions (a) to (c).

[0029] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention can be produced by adding the above-mentioned aroma components in the following amounts to chocolate with the above-mentioned formulation produced by a conventionally known manufacturing method. The chocolate before the addition of the aroma components is produced, for example, using oils and fats, sugars, emulsifiers, etc. as raw materials, and undergoing a mixing process, a micronization process (refining), a conching process, a cooling process, etc. The chocolate before the addition of the aroma components can also be produced by combining two or more types of chocolate. The chocolate before the addition of the aroma components according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably produced through a micronization process. Furthermore, in the production of the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned aroma components are preferably added after the conching process.

[0030] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 0.000021 to 0.001 parts by mass of isovaleraldehyde, 0.0000071 to 0.00029 parts by mass of 2-acetylpyrrole, and 0.00018 to 0.0074 parts by mass of 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine per 100 parts by mass of chocolate, more preferably 0.00008 to 0.0009 to 0.0015 parts by mass of isovaleraldehyde, 0.000008 to 0.000287 parts by mass of 2-acetylpyrrole, and 0.00 parts by mass of 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine per 100 parts by mass of chocolate. It can be produced by adding 0.02 to 0.0072 parts by mass, more preferably 0.0001 to 0.00085 parts by mass of isovaleraldehyde, 0.00001 to 0.00025 parts by mass of 2-acetylpyrrole, and 0.0008 to 0.006 parts by mass of 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, most preferably 0.0002 to 0.0007 parts by mass of isovaleraldehyde, 0.00005 to 0.0002 parts by mass of 2-acetylpyrrole, and 0.001 to 0.005 parts by mass of 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine.

[0031] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention can be produced by adding, preferably, 0.00028 parts by mass or less of phenylethyl alcohol and 0.0005 parts by mass or less of furfuryl alcohol to 100 parts by mass of chocolate; more preferably, 0.00004 to 0.00028 parts by mass of phenylethyl alcohol and 0.00002 to 0.0005 parts by mass of furfuryl alcohol; even more preferably, 0.00005 to 0.00025 parts by mass of phenylethyl alcohol and 0.00003 to 0.0004 parts by mass of furfuryl alcohol; and most preferably, 0.00006 to 0.0002 parts by mass of phenylethyl alcohol and 0.0001 to 0.00035 parts by mass of furfuryl alcohol.

[0032] The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is a chocolate that has a good cocoa butter flavor. [Examples]

[0033] The present invention will now be described with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0034] <Analysis of aroma components> Each 1g of chocolate was crushed and sealed in a 20ml vial for analysis. After holding at 40°C for 10 minutes, the headspace was adsorbed and concentrated by SPME (solid-phase microextraction) for 35 minutes, and then subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC / MS). The GC / MS conditions were as follows: • SPME Fiber: DVB / CAR / PDMS • GC / MS column: Polar column • Column oven temperature: 40℃~240℃, heating rate: 2℃ / min Carrier gas: He The peak for isovaleraldehyde was identified as the peak at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 43.9, the peak for 2-acetylpyrrole as the peak at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 109.0, the peak for 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine as the peak at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 135.9, the peak for phenylethyl alcohol as the peak at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 91.0, and the peak for furfuryl alcohol as the peak at a mass-to-charge ratio of m / z = 98.0.

[0035] <Chocolate Manufacturing and Evaluation> Chocolates were produced using the formulations shown in Table 1, employing the standard chocolate manufacturing method (mixing, micronization, refining, and cooling) to create chocolates with formulations 1-3 before the addition of flavoring components (all chocolates had a moisture content of 3% by mass or less). Note that the units for chocolate formulations and content in Table 1 are in mass percent. Using chocolates from formulations 1-3 before the addition of aroma components, the aroma components were added after the refining process according to the formulations in Tables 2-7 below to produce the chocolates of Examples 1-12, Comparative Examples 1-8, and Reference Example 1. In the following tables, isovaleraldehyde is designated as aroma component A, 2-acetylpyrrole as aroma component B, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine as aroma component C, phenylethyl alcohol as aroma component D, and furfuryl alcohol as aroma component E. The units for the chocolate formulations in Tables 2-7 are parts by mass, and the units for the content in the chocolate are percentages by mass.

[0036] <Chocolate Evaluation> For each chocolate mixed with hot water in a 1:1 ratio, four expert panelists scored the cocoa butter flavor of the chocolate according to the evaluation criteria below. The total scores from the four expert panelists were calculated and evaluated according to the evaluation criteria below. An evaluation result of ◎ or ○ for the total score was judged to be good. The expert panelists who evaluated the cocoa butter flavor of the chocolate regularly receive training in sensory evaluation of chocolate flavor, and there is little individual difference in the results of the sensory evaluation of chocolate flavor. <Criteria for evaluating cocoa butter flavor> 1 point: The cocoa butter flavor is moderately enhanced. 0 points: The cocoa butter flavor is not enhanced enough, or it is enhanced too much. <Total score> ◎ :4 points ○ :3 points △ :2 points ▲ :1 point × :0 points

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] [Table 2]

[0039] [Table 3]

[0040] [Table 4]

[0041] [Table 5]

[0042] [Table 6]

[0043] [Table 7]

[0044] As can be seen from the evaluation results, the chocolate in the example had a good cocoa butter flavor.

Claims

1. Chocolate containing isovaleraldehyde, 2-acetylpyrrole, and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, wherein when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c). (a) The peak area values ​​for isovaleraldehyde range from 16,700,000 to 36,000,000. (b) The ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the sum of the peak area values ​​of 2-acetylpyrrole and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is 0.015 to 0.

100. (c) The peak area values ​​for 2-acetylpyrrole range from 23,500,000 to 75,000,000.

2. The chocolate according to claim 1, which contains phenylethyl alcohol, wherein when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following condition (d). (d) The peak area values ​​for phenylethyl alcohol range from 2,000,000 to 9,500,000,000.

3. Chocolate containing furfuryl alcohol, wherein when the aroma components in the chocolate are measured by SPME analysis, the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following condition (e), as described in claim 1. (e) The peak area value of furfuryl alcohol is between 2,000,000 and 4,500,000,000.

4. The chocolate according to claim 1, which contains 30% by mass or less of cocoa butter.

5. A method for improving the cocoa butter flavor of chocolate by measuring the aroma components in chocolate using the SPME analysis method, so that the analytical values ​​of the aroma components satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c). (a) The peak area values ​​for isovaleraldehyde range from 16,700,000 to 36,000,000. (b) The ratio of the peak area value of isovaleraldehyde to the sum of the peak area values ​​of 2-acetylpyrrole and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine is 0.015 to 0.

100. (c) The peak area values ​​for 2-acetylpyrrole range from 23,500,000 to 75,000,000.

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