Chocolate modifier and chocolate containing same

Abstract

To provide: a chocolate modifier which improves a solidification property, releasability, and crystal stability speed of chocolate, enabling productivity to be improved as a result of that; and chocolate.SOLUTION: A chocolate modifier includes polyglyceryl fatty acid ester having an HLB of 2 to 12. The polyglyceryl fatty acid ester has a constituent fatty acid which is one or more selected from a group consisting of a C12-18 saturated fatty acid and a C18-22 unsaturated fatty acid. The chocolate modifier is added to chocolate.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to chocolate modifiers and chocolates containing the chocolate modifiers. [Background technology]

[0002] Chocolate is made from cocoa mass, sugars, milk ingredients, etc., and is a luxury item popular among people of all ages, from children to adults. Demand for chocolate has been growing in recent years, and in addition to high quality, improved productivity is also required.

[0003] When producing large quantities of chocolate industrially, molten chocolate is poured into a mold, cooled, solidified, and then released from the mold. The chocolate is then aged at approximately 20°C for approximately 5 to 7 days to stabilize the fat crystals contained in the chocolate and increase its hardness, before being distributed. Therefore, promoting the stabilization of fat crystals in chocolate and improving release from the mold will speed up the release speed and improve yield rates, contributing to cost reductions through increased productivity for chocolate manufacturers.

[0004] It has been reported that the cocoa butter contained in chocolate shrinks during crystallization, causing the chocolate to shrink; therefore, it is believed that dense packing of the chocolate's crystalline structure is important for improving release from the mold (Non-Patent Document). Chocolate crystals take various polymorphic forms, from type I to type VI, with the melting point increasing from type I to type VI. Tempering treatment results in a crystalline structure with high shrinkage, but type VI crystals have a high melting point and are poorly melted in the mouth, so they must be shaped into type V crystals. The crystalline structure of chocolate can be estimated by measuring the heat of crystallization or heat of fusion when cooled or heated using a differential scanning calorimeter.

[0005] Methods for improving the release properties of chocolate by adding powdered oils and fats to it to increase the solidification rate have been investigated. For example, it has been proposed to use a powdered oil and fat composition containing an oil and fat component including a triglyceride having fatty acid residues with 10 to 22 carbon atoms at positions 1 to 3 of glycerin (Patent Document 1). However, the use of S3-type triglycerides, which have a high melting point, can lead to a poor melt-in-the-mouth texture and a waxy feel in the chocolate. Furthermore, achieving this specific triglyceride composition requires chemical or enzymatic interesterification of the oil and fat raw material, followed by fractionation, which poses a problem of high costs due to the complexity of the production method.

[0006] Meanwhile, methods have been investigated for improving the solidification rate of chocolate by adding an emulsifier to the chocolate, and for example, it has been proposed to use a sorbitan fatty acid ester with an esterification rate of 28 to 60% and a sorbitol content of 20 to 40% (Patent Document 2). However, methods using sorbitan fatty acid esters do not provide sufficient effects, and further improvements are needed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-046783 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-209350 [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] Tetsuo Furuya, Crystallography of Chocolate, Journal of the Crystallographic Society of Japan, 56, 319-322, 2014 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a chocolate modifier comprising a specific polyglycerol fatty acid ester, which can improve the solidification properties, releasability, and crystal stabilization rate of chocolate, thereby increasing productivity, and to provide such a chocolate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention solves the above problems by adding to chocolate a chocolate modifier comprising a polyglycerol fatty acid ester having an HLB of 2 to 12, wherein the constituent fatty acids of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester are one or more selected from the group consisting of saturated fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms and unsaturated fatty acids having 18 to 22 carbon atoms. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the addition of a specific polyglycerol fatty acid ester as a chocolate modifier makes it easier for chocolate to assume a stable crystalline state, resulting in improved solidification and demolding properties, making it possible to provide chocolate with high production efficiency. Furthermore, because the chocolate modifier of the present invention has a lower melting point than high-melting-point hardened oils and other additives, its addition to chocolate has little effect on the melt-in-the-mouth texture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below. Note that the embodiments described below are representative embodiments of the present invention, and should not be construed as narrowing the scope of the present invention.

[0013] The chocolate modifier according to an embodiment of the present invention is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester.

[0014] Polyglycerol fatty acid esters are obtained by the esterification reaction of fatty acids with polyglycerol, which is obtained by dehydration condensation of glycerol molecules, and there are many types of polyglycerol esters, depending on the type of polyglycerol (degree of polymerization), the type of fatty acid (number of carbon atoms, number of double bonds), ester composition, etc. It is known that each type exhibits different properties.

[0015] The average degree of polymerization of the polyglycerol constituting the polyglycerol fatty acid ester according to the present invention is not limited, but is preferably 2 to 20, more preferably 3 to 10, and most preferably 4 to 6. Here, the average degree of polymerization is the average degree of polymerization (n) of the polyglycerol calculated from the hydroxyl value by terminal group analysis. More specifically, it is calculated from the following formulas (1) and (2):

[0016] Molecular weight=74n+18 (1) Hydroxyl value = 56110(n+2) / molecular weight (2)

[0017] The hydroxyl value in the above formula (2) is a numerical value that indicates the number of hydroxyl groups contained in polyglycerol, and refers to the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to neutralize the acetic acid required to acetylate the free hydroxyl groups contained in 1 g of polyglycerol. The number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide is calculated in accordance with the "Standard Test Methods for the Analysis of Fats, Oils and Related Materials, 2003 Edition, Established by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society" compiled by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society.

[0018] The fatty acids constituting the polyglycerol fatty acid ester are one or more selected from the group consisting of saturated fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms and unsaturated fatty acids having 18 to 22 carbon atoms. Specific examples of saturated fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms include lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. Examples of unsaturated fatty acids having 18 to 22 carbon atoms include oleic acid, ricinoleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, erucic acid, and condensates thereof. Among these, in particular, from the viewpoint of improving the crystallinity of chocolate, a composition consisting of palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid is preferred, a composition consisting of stearic acid and palmitic acid is more preferred, and a composition consisting of stearic acid is most preferred.

[0019] Polyglycerol fatty acid esters can be produced by a conventionally known esterification reaction. For example, they can be produced by esterifying a fatty acid with a polyglycerol in the presence of an alkali catalyst such as sodium hydroxide. The esterification is continued until the esterification rate of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester reaches a desired value.

[0020] The esterification rate of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester according to the present invention is 10 to 90%, preferably 15 to 85%, and more preferably 20 to 30%. Here, the esterification rate is a value calculated by the following formula (3) when the average degree of polymerization of the polyglycerol (n) calculated from the hydroxyl value, the number of hydroxyl groups possessed by the polyglycerol (n+2), and the number of moles of fatty acid added to the polyglycerol (M) are used. The hydroxyl value is a value calculated by the above formula (2). Esterification rate (%) = (M / (n+2)) × 100 (3)

[0021] The HLB of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester according to the present invention is 2 to 12, preferably 4 to 10, and more preferably 7 to 9. The HLB is calculated from the saponification value of the ester and the neutralization value of the fatty acid using the Atlas method, and is calculated according to the following formula (4). The saponification value and neutralization value in formula (4) are measured in accordance with "Standard Testing Methods for the Analysis of Fats, Oils and Related Materials, 2003 Edition, Established by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society," compiled by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society.

[0022] HLB = 20 × (1 - saponification number / neutralization number) (4)

[0023] The chocolate referred to in this invention 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 a product made from edible oils and fats and sugars as the main ingredients, to which cocoa components (cocoa mass, cocoa powder, etc.), dairy products, flavorings, emulsifiers, etc. are added as necessary, and which is produced through chocolate production processes (some or all of the mixing process, pulverization process, refining process, cooling process, etc.). Furthermore, the chocolate referred to in this invention includes dark chocolate, milk chocolate, as well as colored chocolates such as white chocolate, matcha chocolate, and strawberry chocolate.

[0024] The chocolate according to the present invention preferably contains 0.05 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.2 to 1% by mass, of polyglycerol fatty acid ester.

[0025] The fat and oil content of the chocolate of the present invention is preferably 20 to 70% by mass, more preferably 25 to 65% by mass. The fat and oil in the chocolate also includes fats and oils derived from cocoa mass, cocoa powder, etc.

[0026] The fats and oils contained in the chocolate of the present invention are not limited, but examples include vegetable fats and oils such as palm oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, sal 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, as well as processed fats and oils obtained by fractionation, hydrogenation, interesterification, etc., or refined oils of combinations of these fats and oils. Two or more of these edible fats and oils may also be used in combination. The fats and oils used in chocolates are classified into tempering and non-tempering types depending on whether tempering is required during chocolate production, and either can be used. However, for molding, the poured chocolate must shrink upon cooling and solidification. While the present invention can be used with non-tempering chocolate, tempering chocolate is more preferable.

[0027] The tempering fats used in the present invention require temperature control to create a stable crystalline structure when the chocolate solidifies, and are characterized by symmetric triacylglycerols, such as POS (palmito-oleo-stearin), POP (palmito-oleo-palmitin), and SOS (stearo-oleo-stearin), in which saturated fatty acids are bonded to the 1- and 3-positions of the triacylglycerol and oleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid, is bonded to the 2-position.

[0028] Typical raw materials for tempering fats include enzymatic interesterification of triglycerides, such as cocoa butter, shea butter, sal fat, and high oleic sunflower oil, which are the main components of chocolate, with saturated fatty acids selectively introduced at the 1- and 3-positions, and fats obtained by solvent fractionation of palm oil, etc.

[0029] The chocolate according to the present invention preferably contains 40 to 90% by mass of symmetric triacylglycerol in the fat or oil to facilitate achieving an appropriate tempering state, and therefore preferably contains 45% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more, of tempering fat or oil in the fat or oil.

[0030] In addition to the fats and oils and polyglycerol fatty acid esters, the chocolate of the present invention may contain other ingredients, such as well-known chocolate components such as cocoa (cocoa mass, cocoa powder, etc.), dairy products (whole milk powder, skim milk powder, whey protein, powdered cheese, etc.), sugars and sweeteners (sugar, lactose, xylitol, erythritol, aspartame, etc.), as well as known food ingredients (e.g., starch, dextrin, soy protein, nuts, matcha green tea, fruit powder, etc.), flavorings, spices, emulsifiers, coloring agents, etc. The chocolate of the present invention preferably contains 20 to 70% by mass, and more preferably 25 to 65% by mass, of sugars among the above ingredients. Examples of sugars include glucose, fructose, sugar, maltose, lactose, palatinose, sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, trehalose, etc.

[0031] The chocolate of the present invention can be produced by a conventional method for producing chocolate, namely, by mixing the raw materials, refining them by rolling or the like, conching them, and then cooling and solidifying the dough.

[0032] The chocolate of the present invention is preferably molded chocolate. Molded chocolate refers to chocolate molded into any shape. Examples of molding methods include dripping a chocolate solution onto a flat plate, pouring it into a mold of a predetermined shape, and pouring it onto a flat plate and cutting it into the predetermined shape before solidifying. In the present application, the method of pouring it into a mold of a predetermined shape is preferred. The shape is not particularly limited, but examples include hemispheres, chips (cones), pellets, rectangular parallelepipeds, cubes, and cylinders.

[0033] The chocolate of the present invention preferably undergoes a tempering process or a seeding process. The tempering process is a temperature treatment carried out to produce stable crystal nuclei in molten chocolate. For example, a known procedure involves lowering the product temperature of chocolate melted at 40 to 50°C to 27 to 28°C and then raising the product temperature again to approximately 29 to 31°C. A known seeding process involves dispersing a seed agent, which functions as a stable crystal nuclei, into molten chocolate instead of tempering. By undergoing either of these processes, the fat crystals contained in the chocolate can be made to have a stable V-shaped crystal structure. [Example]

[0034] The present invention will be described below based on examples. The embodiment described below is merely a representative example of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being narrow.

[0035] <Synthesis Example 1> 100 g of polyglycerol with an average degree of polymerization of 4 and 127.8 g of stearic acid were placed in a reaction vessel and reacted at 250°C under alkaline conditions with sodium hydroxide and a nitrogen stream to obtain polyglycerol fatty acid ester (HLB8) with an esterification rate of 25%.

[0036] <Synthesis Example 2> 100 g of polyglycerol with an average degree of polymerization of 4, 56.3 g of palmitic acid, and 68.2 g of stearic acid were placed in a reaction vessel and reacted at 250°C under alkaline conditions with sodium hydroxide and a nitrogen stream to obtain polyglycerol fatty acid ester (HLB8) with an esterification rate of 23%.

[0037] <Synthesis Example 3> 100 g of polyglycerol with an average degree of polymerization of 6, 28.2 g of palmitic acid, and 34.1 g of stearic acid were placed in a reaction vessel and reacted at 250°C under an alkaline atmosphere of sodium hydroxide and a nitrogen stream to obtain a polyglycerol fatty acid ester (HLB12) with an esterification rate of 16%.

[0038] <Synthesis Example 4> 100 g of polyglycerol with an average degree of polymerization of 6, 117.8 g of palmitic acid, and 144.8 g of stearic acid were placed in a reaction vessel and reacted at 250°C under an alkaline atmosphere of sodium hydroxide and a nitrogen stream to obtain a polyglycerol fatty acid ester (HLB4) with an esterification rate of 67%.

[0039] <Synthesis Example 5> 100 g of polyglycerol with an average degree of polymerization of 10 and 341.2 g of oleic acid were placed in a reaction vessel and reacted at 250°C under alkaline conditions with sodium hydroxide and a nitrogen stream to obtain polyglycerol fatty acid ester (HLB3) with an esterification rate of 84%.

[0040] <Synthesis Example 6> 100 g of polyglycerol with an average degree of polymerization of 10 and 169.2 g of oleic acid were placed in a reaction vessel and reacted at 250°C under alkaline conditions with sodium hydroxide and a nitrogen stream to obtain polyglycerol fatty acid ester (HLB6) with an esterification rate of 42%.

[0041] <Comparative Synthesis Example 1> 100 g of polyglycerol with an average degree of polymerization of 10 and 24.5 g of caprylic acid were placed in a reaction vessel and reacted at 250°C under alkaline conditions with sodium hydroxide and a nitrogen stream to obtain a polyglycerol fatty acid ester (HLB16) with an esterification rate of 12%.

[0042] Example 1 200 g of couverture chocolate was completely melted, and 0.5 wt % of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester of Synthesis Example 1 was added, followed by homogeneous melting at 60°C. The chocolate was placed in a tempering machine, and melting was initiated. When the product temperature reached 42.2°C, 32.8 g of finely chopped chocolate was added as a seed agent, and the mixture was cooled to 28°C. The temperature was then raised again, and tempering was stopped when the temperature reached 30°C, yielding a chocolate.

[0043] <Examples 2 to 6> Chocolates were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the polyglycerol fatty acid esters of Synthesis Examples 2 to 6 were used, respectively.

[0044] <Comparative Example 1> Chocolate was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the polyglycerol fatty acid ester of Comparative Synthesis Example 1 was used as the polyglycerol fatty acid ester.

[0045] <Comparative Example 2> Chocolate was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the polyglycerol fatty acid ester was not added.

[0046] The chocolates of Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were evaluated for demolding rate, demolding time, and melt-in-the-mouth texture. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0047] <Method for evaluating mold release rate> Immediately after tempering, 100 g of the chocolate obtained above was poured into a mold and allowed to solidify at 5°C for 15 minutes. A polycarbonate hemispherical mold (24 cavities) was used. After cooling, the mold was struck 10 times on a flat surface and the number of chocolates that completely released from the mold was counted. The ratio of released chocolates to the total number of chocolates was calculated to obtain the mold release rate. [Evaluation criteria for mold release rate] ◎: Release rate is 70% or more ○: Mold release rate is 50% or more and less than 70% ×: Demolding rate is less than 50%

[0048] <Method for evaluating mold release time> 100 g of the chocolate obtained above immediately after tempering was poured into a mold and allowed to solidify at 5° C. Every 15 minutes, the number of chocolates that had completely detached from the mold was visually counted, and the time until the detachment rate reached 90% or more was measured. [Evaluation criteria for demolding time] ◎: Demolding time is less than 30 minutes ○: Demolding time is between 30 and 45 minutes ×: Demolding time is between 45 and 60 minutes

[0049] <Method for evaluating melt-in-the-mouth texture> 100 g of the chocolate obtained above immediately after tempering was poured into a mold and allowed to solidify at 5° C. for 15 minutes. After demolding, the chocolates were evaluated by five experienced panelists in consultation for melting sensation in the mouth according to the following criteria. [Evaluation criteria for melt-in-the-mouth texture] ◎: Melts easily in the mouth, with no residual taste or unusual taste. ◯: Melts easily in the mouth, with almost no residual taste or strange taste. ×: The product did not melt easily in the mouth, and there was a noticeable residual taste and strange flavor.

[0050] [Table 1]

[0051] As can be seen from Table 1, the chocolate containing the chocolate modifier made of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester according to the present invention had an improved demolding rate, and the polyglycerol fatty acid ester did not affect the melt-in-the-mouth texture or flavor.

Claims

1. The chocolate modifier comprises a polyglycerol fatty acid ester having an HLB of 7 to 12, characterized in that the average degree of polymerization of the polyglycerol constituting the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is 3 to 20, and the constituent fatty acids are one or more selected from the group consisting of saturated fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms and unsaturated fatty acids having 18 to 22 carbon atoms.

2. 2. The chocolate modifier according to claim 1, wherein the polyglycerin constituting the polyglycerin fatty acid ester has an average degree of polymerization of 3 to 10.

3. A chocolate containing 0.2 to 1% by weight of the chocolate modifier according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The chocolate according to claim 3, which has been tempered.

5. 5. The chocolate according to claim 3 or 4, which is a molded chocolate.

6. The method for producing chocolate according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the chocolate is molded using a mold after the tempering treatment.

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