Sucrose-Free Pine Nut Chocolate for Long-Term Color Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pine nuts in chocolate products are prone to disintegration and discoloration due to the presence of sucrose, leading to reduced shelf life and unsatisfactory product quality.
Innovation Solution
Chocolate products are produced without added sucrose and pine nuts are coated with an edible coating composition that does not contain sucrose, ensuring a minimum size of at least 1 mm for the pine nuts to maintain stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If sucrose is added to chocolate products containing pine nuts, then sweetness and flavor are improved, but pine nuts undergo disintegration and discoloration reducing shelf life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes sucrose from the chocolate product formulation to prevent the harmful interaction between sucrose and pine nuts. By extracting the problematic substance (sucrose) that causes disintegration and discoloration, the invention maintains product stability while seeking alternative sweetening approaches if needed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an edible coating on pine nuts that acts as an intermediary barrier between the pine nuts and the chocolate matrix. This coating layer prevents direct contact between pine nuts and any sugar-containing components, thereby preventing disintegration and discoloration while allowing the pine nuts to maintain their structural integrity and natural color throughout storage
2Manufacturing precision
If pine nuts are ground finely in chocolate products, then texture and mixing are improved, but disintegration and discoloration are accelerated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the edible coating to pine nuts before incorporating them into the chocolate product. This preliminary coating action protects the pine nuts from subsequent mechanical stress during mixing and from chemical interactions with the chocolate matrix, preventing disintegration even when ground to finer particle sizes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a thin edible coating film on the pine nuts that provides protective functionality. This flexible film layer maintains structural integrity during processing while preventing direct exposure to degrading factors in the chocolate environment, thereby extending shelf life without compromising texture
3Strength
If pine nuts are coated with edible coating composition containing sucrose, then coating adhesion is improved, but disintegration and discoloration occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes sucrose from the edible coating composition formulation. By eliminating the harmful substance (sucrose) from the coating itself, the invention prevents the coating from becoming a source of disintegration and discoloration while maintaining its protective and adhesive functions through alternative ingredients
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a storage stable chocolate product comprising, a) chocolate with no added sucrose and b) pine nuts and/or comminuted pine nuts, wherein the pine nuts and/or comminuted pine nuts have a size of at least 1 mm, wherein the chocolate product comprises 4 to 80 wt % pine nuts and/or comminuted pine nuts.