Baked Chocolate-like Food Product Viscosity Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Chocolate-like food products for baking often require high energy for water evaporation during baking, leading to flavor deterioration and increased production complexity, and their impregnation process is cumbersome, necessitating a simpler method that maintains heat resistance and smooth mouthfeel.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating specific amounts of saccharides like glucose, trehalose, and palatinose to achieve a viscosity suitable for coating and impregnation, combined with lecithin and polyglycerin-condensed ricinoleate (PGPR) to ensure heat resistance and smooth mouthfeel, while minimizing water content and avoiding particle formation issues.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If water is added to chocolate material to improve mouthfeel and processing properties, then the material becomes more workable during preparation, but great energy is required during baking for evaporating the water, and flavor deterioration or burnt smell occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworkability during preparationVSAvoidenergy required for water evaporation during baking
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the chocolate material by controlling water content to be 5% or less and adjusting the viscosity to 500-2000 cp at 20°C through specific ingredient ratios and processing conditions, achieving both workability and reduced energy consumption during baking

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a viscosity modifier that provides sufficient workability during preparation but breaks down or evaporates completely during baking, leaving no residual effect that would require additional energy for removal, thus achieving temporary assistance during processing without long-term impact

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Ease of operation

If water content in chocolate-like food product is increased to improve processing properties, then the material becomes easier to handle and coat, but the keeping quality deteriorates and low temperature storage is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing propertiesVSAvoidkeeping quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent maintains water content at 5% or less while achieving desirable processing properties by controlling viscosity to 500-2000 cp at 20°C through specific ingredient composition and ratios, thereby preserving keeping quality without sacrificing workability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If decompression method is used to impregnate porous food material with chocolate-like food product, then dense impregnation to the core is achieved, but the production process becomes complicated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpregnation densityVSAvoidproduction process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical decompression system with a diffusion-based impregnation process where the chocolate material, controlled to have viscosity of 500-2000 cp, naturally penetrates the porous food material through concentration gradients and capillary action, achieving dense impregnation without complex mechanical equipment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

By adjusting the viscosity of the chocolate material to 500-2000 cp at 20°C, the patent optimizes the flow and penetration characteristics to achieve effective impregnation through simpler methods, balancing impregnation density with process simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Shape

If chocolate material viscosity is increased to improve coating properties, then the material maintains shape better during handling, but difficult formation of fine particles occurs and material viscosity increases further

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshape maintenance during handlingVSAvoidfine particle formation
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes viscosity to a specific range of 500-2000 cp at 20°C, which is high enough to maintain shape during handling but low enough to allow proper formation of fine particles during processing, achieving a balance between these competing requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The resulting baked chocolate-like food product exhibits heat resistance above 40°C, a smooth mouthfeel, and improved meltability, with reduced viscosity for easier handling and combination with various food products, allowing for 'hot from the oven' presentation without temperature adjustments.

Implementation Method 1

containing lecithin and polyglycerin-condensed ricinoleate (PGPR) to ensure heat resistance and smooth mouthfeel

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSurface tension reduction: Surfactant

Implementation Method 2

Incorporating specific amounts of saccharides like glucose, trehalose, and palatinose to achieve a viscosity suitable for coating and impregnation, combined with lecithin and polyglycerin-condensed ricinoleate (PGPR) to ensure heat resistance and smooth mouthfeel

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal stability:

Data Source

PatentEP3087846B2Chocolate-like food product for baking
Publication Date: 2024.08.14 FUJI OIL CO LTD

AI summary

Provided is a baked chocolate-like food product that can be prepared to have viscosity in a specific range suitable for coating or impregnation without suffering from a problem of difficult formation of fine particles during preparation of a chocolate-like food product for baking or a problem of increased viscosity, that can be imparted with heat resistance without adding water or an aqueous starting material thereto or spraying water onto a surface thereof, and that has a smooth mouthfeel intrinsic to chocolate and meltability in the mouth. Provided is a chocolate-like food product for baking that contains a specific amount of one or two or more saccharides selected from glucose, trehalose and palatinose.