Method for producing flavored sugar syrup

Abstract

FIELD: sugar industry.SUBSTANCE: method for producing flavoured sugar syrup is proposed, according to which sugar crystals are fractionated to a size of 0.15-0.25 mm and dissolved in hot water. The resulting syrup is mixed with pectin extract and β-cyclodextrin enriched with d-limonene and emulsified with gum arabic is added. The resulting syrup is subjected to cavitation-cumulative treatment by feeding it at a speed of 15-20 m / s into a supercavitating static apparatus to obtain the finished product.EFFECT: production of flavoured sugar syrup with fully dissolved components.3 tbl, 2 ex

Description

[0001] A method for producing syrup is known, which involves dissolving sugar in hot water with stirring until a specified dry matter content is achieved, characterized in that the syrup is heated to a temperature of 102-107°C and subjected to cavitation-cumulative treatment by feeding it at a speed of 10-15 m / s into a supercavitating static apparatus to dissolve the smallest sugar crystals and prevent new crystallization centers [RU 2190021, 09.27.2002, Bulletin No. 27].

[0002] A disadvantage of this method is the lack of strict conditions to ensure uniform distribution of ingredients throughout the resulting syrup. Furthermore, the high temperature of the heated syrup can negatively impact the incorporation of new ingredients into the syrup.

[0003] The closest method to the proposed one for producing sugar syrup involves dissolving crystalline sugar in hot water with stirring until a dry matter content of 80-82% is achieved, wherein the syrup is mixed with a pectin extract containing 1.5-3.5% pectin at a pH of 4.0-6.0, then the syrup is brought to a specified dry matter content of 65-72% and a temperature of 85-90°C and then subjected to cavitation-cumulative treatment by feeding it at a speed of 10-15 m / s into a supercavitating static apparatus for uniform distribution in the volume of mixing products and preventing the formation of new crystallization centers. [RU 2644552, 02.09.2016, Bulletin No. 5].

[0004] The disadvantage of this method is the absence in the resulting syrup of ingredients that give it high organoleptic properties, as well as the possibility of their uniform distribution throughout the mass of the resulting syrup.

[0005] The technical result of the invention consists in uniform distribution of additives introduced into sugar syrup and improvement of the stability of the flavoring agent.

[0006] This result is achieved by the fact that the method for producing flavored sugar syrup is characterized by the fact that sugar crystals are fractionated to a size of 0.15-0.25 mm, dissolved in hot water to 60-70% dry matter, then the resulting syrup is mixed with pectin extract taken in an amount of 8-12% of the mass of sugar crystals, containing 3.5-5.0% pectin at a pH of 4.0-4.5, then the syrup is brought to a content of 75-85% dry matter and a temperature of 85-90 ° C, emulsified gum arabic β-cyclodextrin enriched with d-limonene, taken in an amount of 0.5-1% of the syrup mass, then the resulting syrup is subjected to cavitation-cumulative treatment by feeding it at a speed of 15-20 m / s supercavitating static apparatus, producing a finished product.

[0007] This method is carried out as follows.

[0008] Initially, sugar crystals are fractionated to a size of 0.15-0.25 mm and dissolved in hot water to 60-70% dry matter.

[0009] The resulting syrup is then mixed with pectin extract, taken in an amount of 8-12% of the mass of sugar crystals, containing 3.5-5.0% pectin at a pH of 4.0-4.5.

[0010] Using a pectin extract with a pH in the range of 4.0-4.5 creates optimal conditions for producing sugar syrup. At a pH above 4.5, oxidative reactions are activated in the syrup, leading to its darkening and accompanied by increased material costs. A pectin content in the extract of 3.5-5.0% allows for the production of pectin-containing sugar syrup with a specified pectin level. Using an extract with a pectin concentration of less than 3.5% is economically impractical, as it requires the addition of a larger number of extract portions to achieve the desired pectin content in the final product, which entails significant additional costs. At the same time, using an extract with a pectin content above 5.0% is also impractical: the extract's viscosity increases, which complicates its dosing and uniform distribution in the syrup, increases sugar losses during production, and contributes to an increase in the concentration of reducing sugars.

[0011] Then the finished syrup is adjusted to a dry solids content of 75-85%. At dry solids levels below 75%, uneven gelation occurs, while at levels above 85%, pectin solubility decreases, which is impractical.

[0012] Next, the syrup is heated to a temperature of 85-90°C and β-cyclodextrin emulsified with gum arabic, enriched with d-limonene, is added in an amount of 0.5-1% of the syrup weight. β-cyclodextrin forms an inclusion complex with the flavoring agent in its hydrophobic central cavity, which is one of the most effective methods for protecting flavoring agents and increasing their stability to the effects of oxygen, heat or light. However, when using cyclodextrin as an encapsulating agent, the mass fraction of the flavoring agent is about 10%, since cyclodextrin can include a maximum of 1-1.5 molecules of the flavoring compound in its cavity. Therefore, to obtain a powder with a high flavoring content when using a mixed encapsulating agent, gum arabic is emulsified with β-cyclodextrin [Shiga H. et al. Flavor encapsulation and release characteristics of spray-dried powder by the blended encapsulant of cyclodextrin and gum arabic / / Drying Technology.- 2001. - V. 19. - No. 7. - P. 1385-1395.]. The content of d-limonene in an amount of less than 0.5% will not provide the desired organoleptic properties, and at more than 1.0% it can disrupt the technological stability of the syrup.

[0013] Next, the syrup undergoes cavitation-cumulative treatment by feeding it at a speed of 15-20 m / s into a supercavitating static apparatus for uniform distribution within the products being mixed. The sugar syrup fed for cavitation treatment first enters the expanded section (confuser) of the supercavitating static apparatus, and from there, it enters its narrower cylindrical section, with a cavitator-like impeller installed in the center. As the syrup flows around the impeller blades, it swirls, creating supercaverns behind the blades, simultaneously producing collapsing cavitation bubbles. Under these conditions, the rate of sugar dissolution increases sharply, and the smallest sugar crystals completely disappear.At the outlet of the cylindrical part of the apparatus, the syrup enters its expansion section (diffuser), where the pressure in the syrup drops significantly, creating conditions not only for the dissolution of the smallest crystals, but also, due to the condensation of steam bubbles, the possible fluctuation formation of sugar crystallization centers in the highly concentrated syrup disappears. The effect described above can be achieved using apparatus of the type Ш1-ПАИ, developed by NPO "Sakharov" [Belostotsky L.G. Intensification of technological processes of beet sugar production. - Moscow: Agropromizdat, 1989, 223 p., pp. 96-97]. In this case, the cavitators are installed inside the apparatus on a rod.

[0014] At a syrup flow rate of 15-20 m / s, the flow swirls, forming supercaverns behind the blades of the SC impeller. The pulsating tail portion of these supercaverns generates cavitation microbubbles. When these bubbles collapse under the vacuum-compression conditions of the medium, high-speed cumulative jets are formed, which impact sugar microcrystals or their phase formations, destroying them until they are completely dissolved. Passing sugar syrup at a rate of less than 15 m / s does not fully ensure optimal conditions for its cavitation treatment. At a rate of over 20 m / s, foaming increases, which worsens the technological conditions for its use and increases syrup losses in production. At the same time, the specific energy consumption for the formation of cavitation bubbles increases. After cavitation-cumulative treatment, the syrup is fed through a pipeline into a finished sugar syrup tank, where it is stored at a temperature of 80-88°C.

[0015] Example of the proposed method

[0016] To produce flavored sugar syrup, the following sequence of process operations was carried out: sugar crystals were fractionated to isolate a fraction with a particle size of 0.2 mm. The prepared sugar was dissolved in hot water with vigorous stirring until a sugar syrup with a dry matter concentration of 65% was obtained. Pectin extract containing 4.2% pectin at a pH of 4.3 was added to the resulting syrup. The amount of extract added was 10% of the initial mass of sugar crystals. The mixture was then boiled until a dry matter concentration of 80% was reached, maintaining the syrup temperature at 88°C. In the next step, a flavoring complex consisting of β-cyclodextrin enriched with d-limonene and emulsified with gum arabic was added to the hot concentrated syrup. The amount of the added complex was 0.8% of the total syrup mass.Immediately after adding the flavoring complex, the resulting mixture was subjected to cavitation treatment. For this purpose, the syrup was fed at a speed of 18 m / s into a supercavitating static apparatus for cavitation-cumulative treatment. The finished product—flavored sugar syrup—was obtained at the apparatus' outlet.

[0017] Prototype example

[0018] White sugar is dissolved in hot water with stirring by bubbling with steam until a sugar concentration of 82% dry matter is reached, and mixed with pectin extract containing 2-4% pectin at a pH of 4.1-5.9 and brought to a dry matter content of 65-72% with simultaneous heating by a coil heater installed in this dissipator apparatus to a temperature of 85-90°C. The sugar syrup is then collected from this apparatus and fed by a pump into the expanded section (confuser) of the supercavitation static apparatus, from where it enters its narrower cylindrical section, where a cavitator in the form of a SC impeller is fixedly mounted. When flowing past the blades of the SC impeller at a flow rate of 12.5 m / s, the syrup flow swirls, creating numerous supercaverns behind the blades, simultaneously producing collapsing cavitation bubbles. Under these conditions, the rate of sugar dissolution increases dramatically, and the smallest crystals completely disappear.At the outlet of the cylindrical section of the apparatus, the syrup enters its expanded section (diffuser), where the pressure in the syrup drops significantly, creating conditions that prevent the formation of new sugar crystallization centers. After cavitation-cumulative treatment, the syrup is pumped into a finished sugar syrup collector, where it is stored at a temperature of 85-90°C before being used for the production of caramel or other confectionery products. To determine the syrup's quality, it is removed from the finished syrup collector and analyzed for sugar crystal content and the presence of new crystallization centers. For this purpose, the syrup is examined under a microscope at varying magnifications. Syrup quality control is performed immediately upon exiting the supercavitating static apparatus and then every 20 minutes for an hour from the finished syrup collector.If sugar crystals are detected in the syrup, they are separated from it by filtration through a membrane filter and then recalculated based on the syrup's mass. Analysis of the resulting syrup, which contained 65-72% dry matter after cavitation treatment, revealed the complete absence of not only the smallest sugar crystals but also new crystallization centers after an hour of storage in the finished syrup collection tank.

[0019] Table 1 shows a comparative analysis of the organoleptic properties of sugar syrups. Table 2 provides a comparative analysis of the physicochemical properties of sugar syrups.

[0020] Table 1. Comparative analysis of organoleptic properties of sugar syrups

[0021] Indicator Sugar syrup prototype Sugar syrup according to the proposed method Appearance Slightly cloudy liquid without foreign inclusions Slightly cloudy liquid without foreign inclusions Color, taste, aroma Light yellow color, sweet taste, odorless Light yellow color, lemon flavor, pronounced lemon smell

[0022] Table 1 shows that the organoleptic properties of the sugar syrups produced by the prototype and the conventional method differ. When encapsulated flavoring is added, a distinct lemon aroma is observed.

[0023] Table 2. Comparative analysis of the physicochemical properties of sugar syrups

[0024] Indicator Sugar syrup prototype Sugar syrup according to the proposed method Mass fraction of dry matter, % 50,5 51,0 Acidity, cm3 of a hydroxide solution with a concentration of 1.0 mol / dm3 per 100 cm3, or pH 6,4 6,5

[0025] Table 2 shows that the addition of food additives resulted in an increase in the solids content from 50.5 to 51.0. The syrup's acidity also increased. Analysis revealed that this sugar syrup contained approximately 0.32% sugar crystals by weight. Furthermore, it was noted that storing this syrup for an hour increases the sugar crystal content by 0.1-0.2%, causing subsequent crystallization of processing equipment and finished products.

[0026] To assess the stability of limonene in sugar syrup during storage, relevant studies were conducted. For this, conditions equivalent to nine months of storage were created, i.e., the sugar syrup was stored at 40°C for 10 days. The stability of limonene was determined as follows: 10 ml of the proposed syrup were added to sealed test tubes, and a control sample (sugar syrup with unencapsulated limonene) was also prepared. The limonene concentration was measured in a gas chromatograph, collecting 50 μl of the gas phase using a gas-tight syringe. Detection was carried out using a flame ionization detector, which is sensitive to organic compounds such as limonene. The limonene concentration in the gas phase was calculated using a calibration curve constructed using standard limonene solutions. Table 3 shows the change in limonene concentration in sugar syrup during storage.

[0027] Table 3. Change in the concentration of limonene in sugar syrup during storage

[0028] Storage time, days Limonene concentration in syrup without encapsulation, mmol / l Concentration of limonene in syrup with encapsulated form, mmol / l 1 1,35 1,4 2 1,15 1,38 3 0,95 1,36 4 0,75 1,34 5 0,55 1,32 6 0,35 1,30 7 0,20 1,28 8 0,10 1,26 9 0,05 1,24 10 0 1,22

[0029] Table 3 shows that encapsulation in BCD significantly improves limonene stability during storage in sugar syrup. While its concentration in syrup without prior encapsulation drops sharply and practically reaches zero within 10 days, the encapsulated form maintains a high concentration throughout the entire storage period.