Flavor Composition

Abstract

A solid flavor composition comprising a plurality of individual components, at least one of which is a flavor-providing substance and at least one of which is an auxiliary ingredient, wherein all of the amorphous components are present as particulate agglomerates. The flavor composition is particularly storage stable.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to solid flavor compositions and to products containing such compositions. [Background technology]

[0002] Many edible compositions contain added flavors. The added flavors can be individual flavor-providing substances, but more commonly, these substances are added as part of a flavor composition that includes other components in addition to the flavor. This is done, among other things, to provide better flavoring and to preserve and protect the flavor-providing substance until its effect is required. (Of course, more than one flavor-providing substance may be present, and the use of the singular herein also includes the plural.) Examples of typical additional components of flavor compositions include crystalline food additives that provide sweetness, saltiness, sourness, or umami taste. Typical flavor compositions may be prepared by simple mixing of the desired ingredients.

[0003] It is well understood that such compositions should not only deliver flavor, but also be stable under storage or transport. This is often not the case, and it has been found that under prolonged storage conditions, the mixture flavor compositions begin to solidify or clump, making them difficult to use and requiring their disintegration prior to use, all of which are undesirable in the production of flavored edible compositions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] It has now been found that it is possible to prepare solid flavor compositions in which the tendency to agglomerate or solidify upon storage is greatly reduced or even completely eliminated. Accordingly, there is provided a solid flavor composition comprising a plurality of individual components, at least one of which is a flavor-providing substance and at least one of which is an auxiliary ingredient, wherein all of the amorphous components are present as particulate agglomerates.

[0005] Additionally, there is provided a method for preparing a solid flavor composition comprising a plurality of individual components, at least one of which is a flavor-providing substance and at least one of which is an auxiliary component, the method comprising forming a particulate agglomerate of all the amorphous components, followed by blending the agglomerate with the remaining components.

[0006] "Amorphous" means any component that does not exist as a crystalline material at room temperature (25°C), i.e., lacks the extended ordered structure typical of crystalline materials. The concepts of "amorphous" and "crystalline" as applied to components of flavor compositions are well understood and one of skill in the art will know which components belong to which categories.

[0007] "Flavor-providing substance" means any substance whose primary function is to provide flavor. More than one such substance may be present. There are many such substances available in the art; typical examples include flavors that provide an umami taste, such as yeast, and / or Maillard reaction flavors. Other typical examples include flavor components that provide a savory taste, such as tomato, onion, meat, basil, and pungent flavors.

[0008] "Adjunct ingredient" means any component of a flavor composition whose primary purpose is other than providing flavor. Typical reasons for adding such ingredients include providing adhesive properties to form suitable agglomerates, improving stability for long-term storage, reducing or avoiding agglomerate solidification, promoting flowability, and enhancing taste. Typical examples of such ingredients include dextrins and starches, and hydrocolloids such as gum arabic and xanthan gum.

[0009] The agglomerates may be prepared by any convenient means, for example by blending the amorphous components together followed by any suitable type of granulation such as fluid bed granulation or rotor granulation.

[0010] Agglomerates containing amorphous components exhibit better anti-caking behavior. They also promote enhanced flow behavior for any flavor composition in which they are incorporated.

[0011] The present disclosure is further described with reference to the following non-limiting examples.

[0012] Test flavors were prepared from the following components (underlined components are amorphous): Umami flavor 1 90 parts (weight) Process Flavor 2 60 yeast 44 Salt enhancer 3 8 Lactic acid 216 Maltodextrin filler 4 50 Salt 500 Sodium diacetate 400 Dextrose 14 sugar 266 Citric acid 250

[0013] 1. Umami 501, ex Biorigin Europe, Belgium 2. Koqumex (商標) Maillard reaction process flavor 3. N-Lactoylethanolamine 4. Eliane, a modified potato starch (商標) MD6 (ex Avebe, Netherlands) was used

[0014] In one embodiment, the entire formulation was blended in a Ruberg blender to obtain a particulate flavor ("Flavor A").

[0015] In a separate preparation, the amorphous component was granulated separately using a Glatt Rotor granulator and then blended with the crystalline component ("Flavor B").

[0016] Samples of both flavors were placed in open cups and stored in a desiccator at 25°C with different water activities (a w ) levels. Samples were reviewed by an expert panel after 24, 40, 46, 64, 136, 160, 184, 208, 232 and 304 hours. The results are shown in the table below, where 1 = Powdery and unchanged from original 2 = Some slight solidification observed 3 = solidified 4 = Rubbery (chewing gum consistency)

[0017] a w =0.11 [Table 1]

[0018] a w =0.23 [Table 2]

[0019] a w =0.33 [Table 3]

[0020] a w =0.43 [Table 4]

[0021] It is clear that over time and in higher aw conditions, isolated component flavor B is the better performer.

[0022] This was done by placing two samples in a Weiss climatic test chamber at 30°C and 40% humidity (a w This was further substantiated by exposing the animals to a 2000 ng / kg bw (=0.4). The results were as follows: [Table 5]

Claims

1. 1. A solid flavor composition comprising a plurality of individual components, at least one of which is a crystalline flavor-providing substance and at least one of which is an auxiliary ingredient, wherein at least two of the components are amorphous flavor-providing substances and all of the amorphous components are present as discrete particulate agglomerates; however, When the flavor composition comprises sugar, the sugar is a crystalline flavor-providing substance; When the amorphous component comprises starch, the particulate agglomerates do not comprise palm oil stearin; The composition.

2. 1. A method for preparing a solid flavor composition comprising a plurality of individual components, at least one of which is a crystalline flavor-providing substance and at least one of which is an auxiliary ingredient, wherein at least two of the components are amorphous flavor-providing substances, the method comprising forming separate particulate agglomerates of all of the amorphous components, followed by blending the agglomerates with the remaining components; however, When the flavor composition comprises sugar, the sugar is a crystalline flavor-providing substance; When the amorphous component comprises starch, palm oil stearin is not used in forming the individual particulate agglomerates; The method.

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