Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SPEC80
FLAVORED FROZEN S~ACK COMPOSITION
1 FI~LD OF T~E INVENTION
This invention relates to a novel flavored frozen
snack composition which is adapted to form, when quiescently
frozen, cr frozen in a typical ice cream freezer, a soft
edible ice having a su~stantially non-icy texture based on a
high maltose content. The texture of the product is smooth
and not icy. The product is soft at temperatures of -5F and
is spoonable at serving temperatures of between 0-10F and
maintains its pleasant soft-smooth eating characteristics
over at least approximately 15-30 minut~s when standing at
room temperature after removal f~om the freezer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Attempts have been made in the prior art to prepare
flavored slush-type textured snack compositions which are
served at or near the freezing point of water and are
composed of a sweetened and flavored aqueous liquid
containing a substantial quantity of fine ice crystals.
A number of problems are encountered, however, in
preparing a flavored liquid slush-type snack product which is
intended to be marketed in containers stored at room
temperature for subsequent use in a household by placing the
container in a home freezer. The first problem is one of
sweetness re.gulation. In most compositions of this nature,
the presence of a high level of sugar is desired to modify
the extent and type of ice crystal formation sufficiently to
permit the realization of a slush textured product, rather
than a solid frozen product. Slush is defined as a mixture
of liquid and ice crystals. Thus, the selection of a
suitable sugar or combination of sugars which will supply the
3 desired ice crystal modification effect and freezing point
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depression while at the same time not be unbearably sweet to
1 the taste is important. To date, as far as the present
inventors are aware, the commercially available slush-type
products are of relatlvely poor quality because of their icy
texture.
A second and related problem is that of the
crystallization of de~trose or other sugars that have been
used heretofor in preparing these slush-type products.
Because of the concentrating effect which takes place on the
solid sugar content of these products during the freezing of
liquids of this nature, sugars such as dextrose reach a point
where they are in a supersaturated solution, whereupon
crystallization of the sugar takes place. The resulting
crystals do not readily re-dissolve on the thawing of the
product. ~he presence of the crystallized dextrose and other
sugars is decidedly a disadvantage in slush-type snack
products in that the white crystals provide an unattractive,
undesirable, appearance to the frozen product. Further, this
problem of sugar crystallization is accentuated where
repeated freeze-thaw cycles are encountered.
Another important consideration is the shelf
stability of any product at room temperature. Liquids having
a high sugar content, in particular, are ideal places for
microorganis~s such as yeast to grow at room temperature. It
is thus important that microbiological stability is insured
by using the correct balance of sugar concentration, acidity
and added preservatives such as the sorbates and benzoates. i~
The desired pH range for such products~ therefore, for this
reason is less than about 3.4, and is preferably about 2.4 to
3.2.
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Still another important consideration is the nature
l of the product, when frozen. The prior art has found it to
be desirable to provide a product which, when frozen, has a
substantial proportion of platelet ice crystals, termed
"shale" ice, intermixed with liquid and fine ice crystals to
form a homogenous mass. This homogeneous mass must form
during ~uiescent freezing of the product in the container.
At the same time, the resulting frozen product, however, must
be easily disrupted by stirring or by pressure exerted by
deforming a flexible container.
Another important consideration is that the
consistency of the frozen product remain substantially
unchanged over a prolonged period of storage at freezer
temperatures. Home freezer temperatures typically vary from
+lO~F to -10F and a non-slushy smooth ice product must be
formulated so that the product is readily spoonable even
after two to three months storage at -10F.
Still another important consideration is the
character of the snack product after removal from the freezer
and during consumption. It is highly desirable that
immediately upon removal from the freezer, a smooth ice
product be readily spoonable and not be icy.
Most recently, attempts to provide a flavored slush
snack compocition have been described in a U.S. Patent to
Forsstrom et al., No. 4,808,428. The composition therein
described is composed of from 22 to 33% by weight of dextrose
and from 1 to 5% by weight of fructose and preser~atives,
with the total soluble solids of the composition being in the
range of 25 to 35% by weight. In a preferred embodiment, the
composition contains about 25% dextrose and about 4.0 to 4.5~
3 high fructose corn syrup. A particularly preferred sugar is
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stated to be high fructose corn syrup, a product having
typically 70~ solids, ~1~ of which are dextrose and 54~ of
which are fructose. The high total amounts of de~trose and
~ructose which are used in such product, however,
particularly the fructose, impart a relatively high level of
sweetness to the finished product which is not acceptable to
all ccnsumers, based Gn tests conducted by the present
inventors.
Thus, overall the prior art slush-type products,
because o their relatively high content of dextrose and/or
fructose, may be too sweet for some customer taste
preferences in this regard and, in addition, tend to have a
course icy texture when frozen, and melt relatively quickly
when thawed at room temperature.
It would be highly desirable, therefore, if an
improved product could be obtained which would not have the
drawbacks of the prior art slush products, which would thus
have an improved texture and sweetness level which would find
ready acceptance by the consumer.
It would also be highly desirable to provide a
unique composition made up of dextrose, or sucrose, and a
bulk sweetener other than fructose which would not have the
undesirable sweetness characteristics of fructose, but which
would have .similar water binding abilities in which the
resulting composition has a relatively narrow solids level of
between 30-42~, which forms a soft textured, substantially
non-icy smooth ice product which is spoonable at serving
temperatures of 0-10F, and as low as -5F, and which has an
acceptable sweetness level with consumers.
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It i5, therefore, an object of the present
1 invention to provide an improved composition having the
foregoing advantages and characteristics and which does not
have the drawbacks associated with the prior art products.
These desirable characteristics are achieved by the
use of maltose, and principally in the form of a high maltose
corn syrup, as a bulk sweetener in the formulations of the
present invention.
Maltose, and particularly in the form of high
maltose corn syrup, is approximately 60% as sweet as an equal
amount of sucrose. Fructose, on the other hand~ is about
120~ as sweet as an equal amount of sucrose. Therefore, one
can use significantly more of the maltose than fructose to
achieve an acceptable level of sweetness. The attainment of
a relatively high solids content in the type of products in
question is desirable for both freezing point depression and
water-binding purposes. It is also unexpected that maltose
can be used in lieu of fructose in this regard, at the levels
of maltose employed, and still provide, in frozen form, a
smooth, non-icy textured product that is not overly sweet.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is
to provide a liquid, high bulk sugar content snack product
which, when quiescently frozen, will provide a product having
an acceptable level of sweetness and a non-icy, smooth
texture~
These and other objects of the present invention
are readily achieved by the novel composition of matter
hereinafter described.
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
l The objects of the present invention are readily
achieved by providing a novel flavored snack composition
adapted to form, when quiescently rozen, or more preferably
frozen in a typical ice cream type freezer, a soft, edible
ice having a substantially non-crystalline texture containing
hish maltose corn syrup. The produc' is soft at temperatures
of -5F and spoonable at serv.ing temperature of between
0-10F
DETAILED DESCRIP~ TO~ OF THE INVENTION
The freezable, aqueous compositions of the present .
invention contain, by weight,
about 58 to 70%, and preferably about 65 + 3%, of
water,
about 5 to 20%, and preferably about 8 to 16~, of
high maltose corn syrup solids,
about 5 to 20~, and preferably about 8 to 16%, of
dextrose,
about 0 to 12~, and preferably about 1.2 to 3.0%,
of natural fruit juice solids, and - ~:
about 0.1 to 1.0%, and preferably about 0.3 to
0.6~, of at least one hydrocolloid stabilizer.
The compositions of the present invention may also
contain
about 0 to 10%, and preferably about 3 to 6%, of
sucrosel
about 0 to 0.6% of one or more food grade edible
acids,
about 0 to 0.18% of ascorbic acid ~as an
antioxidant),
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about 0 to 0.1% of- one or more food grade
1 preservatives,
about 0.009 to 1.0% of one or more flavorants, and
about 1 ppm to 0.01% of food grade coloring agents.
The compositions have a total solids content of
about 30 to 42%, and preferabiy of about 32 to 38%, and most
preferably of about 34 to 36%. The maltose may be supplied
in the form of a dry powder or in the form of a high maltose
content corn syrup (HMCS). The solids content of these
syrups comprise about 70 to 85% maltose, w th the remainder
of the solids being other saccharides.
The maltose is used at a solids weight ratio, with
respect to the solids provided by the other sugars that are
present, of about 0.33 to l.S0. The non-maltose-sugar solids
are provided by the dextrose, fruit juice solids and sucrose,
where present. The total sugar solids content is about 28 to
42% and preferably about 32 to 34~.
The fruit juice used in the flavored snack
composition of the present invention may be any natural fruit
juice desired and may be supplied either as a single strength
fresh or reconstituted fruit juice concentrate. The juice
used can be compatible with the flavor desired and may be
cherry, orange, pineapple, pear, apple, lemon or lime flavor
systems or ~ny other desired juice of individual fruits or
any desired combination thereof. The fruit juice may be used
in amounts of from about 1 to 25% by weight in the form of a
fruit juice concentrate having a solids content of about 15
to 80%, and preferably of about 50 to 75%, by weight. When
used, the fruit juice is generally added as an approximately
1:1 replacement for a portion of the dextrose that might
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otherwise be used, except that, when pineapple and/or peach
1 juice are used, they are used to replace about ~ of sucrose
and ~ of the dextrose that might otherwise be used.
In lieu of fruit juice as a flavorant, there can be
used other flavoring ~aterials such as vanilla, choco~ate,
tea, coffee and cola.
The pH o the sugar containing syrups is usually
low enough to provide the ncn-fruit flavored products with a
pH that is low enough for shelf stability purposes for such
products. For the fruit flavored products, however, it is
usually desirable to add acids to the products to achieve the
pH needed tc render such products shelf stable.
The compositions of the present invention may thus
contain one or more food grade edible acids such as citric,
malic, lactic, tartaric and fumaric acids, at a level to
provide a pH of between 2.4 to 3.2.
The product also contains one or more hydrocolloid
stabilizers, such as pectin, guar gum, locust bean gum,
xanthan gum and blends thereof. The stabilizers function to
bind water and to maintain the texture of the product when it
is in a frozen state.
It is also within the scope of the present
invention to provide novel shelf stable flavored soft ice
snack compositions made with a preservative such as sodium
benzoate and/or potassium sorbate. The product is preferably
packaged in a flexible thermoformed plastic container having
low oxygen and low water vapor transmission characteristics,
and is sold as a shelf-stable liquid, and quiescently frozen
by the consumer in a home freezer to a soft spoonable snack
or frozen confection. Alternatively, the liquid product can
3 be pre-frozen in a ice cream type freezer, hardened off and
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packaged in a paper or plastic type cup sold as a frozen
l novelty and consumed as a soft, smooth, non-icy "water ice",
frozen dessert or sher~et. The shelf-stable liquid products
may be heat treated at 10F for about 20 seconds prior to
filling for pasteurization purposes.
A process for preparing the novel flavored frozen
snack composition of the present invention may be described
as follows:
General Procedure
l. ~1eigh up formulated quantities of ingredients.
2. Dry mix formulated quantities of stabilizer
with about 5 times its weight of dextrose.
3. Mix formulated quantities of flavors with a
small portion of dextrose.
4. Add filtered water to tank (keeping a portion
of the water to the side to allow for adjustment of solids).
5. Start mixer. If adding dextrose/stabilizer
dry blend, avoid over agitation which will cause excessive
air entrainment and foaming. An alternate method of
incorporating in the stabilizer would be to use an educator
which achieves mixing of the stabilizer and water using
ventuxi principle.
6. Mix the preservative(s) with makeup water.
7. Add 6. solution to batch tank.
~. Add formulated quantities of high maltose corn
syrup, juice concentrate and sucrose (where used).
9. Add dextrose and food grade acids.
lO. Add dextrose/flavor blend and dye.
ll. Add ascorbic acid (when used) and mix for two
minutes.
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12. Check Brix reading: Target desired total
l solids content.
13. Adjust solids with makeup water as required.
14. Process batch through homogenizer at 3,000
psi.
15. Process batch through pQsteurizer at 210F for
20 seconds.
16. Cool.
17. Fill appropriate cup for shelf-stable
quiescentl~ frozen product.
or
18. Process base mi~ through ice cream freezer to
set up fine ice crystal structure.
19. Fill cups at about 17 to 22F. Seal.
20. Harder. off at -20F in a hardening room in
about 48 llours or in a hardening tunnel in abou_ 5 to 6
hours.
21. Sell through frozen food or ice cream channels
of distribution as a soft frozen dessert.
The following examples are merely illustrative of
the scope of the present invention and are not intended as a
limitation thereon.
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EXAMPLE I
A frozen lemon flavored soft ice product was
prepared from the following ~ormulation, and frozen in a
typical ice cream freezer, as disclosed above:
Weight ~ Of ComPOnent
5 Component As Added Solids~oisture
Water 67.034 ~ -- 67.034
Cargill Satin Sweet, 65% 9.729 9.437 0.292
Maltose Dry (97% Corn
Syrup Solids)
lO DeY.trose (91.5~ Solids) 15.677 14.346 1.331
Sucrose 1.000 1.000 -~
Pear Juice Concentrate 2.130 1.491 0.639
(70% Solids)
Apple Juice Concentrate 2.130 1.491 0.639
(70~ Solids)
Stabilizers:
Pectin (93.5% Solids) 1.000 0.935 0.065
Locust Bean Gum0.100 0.100 ------
Citric Acid 0.185 0.185 ------
20 Malic Acid 0.185 0.185 ------
Ascorbic Acid 0.500 0.500 ------
Flavor 0.320 0.320 ------
Color 0.010 0.010 ------
25 TOTALS: 100.000 30.000 70.000
The frozen product had a substantially non-icy
texture which was readily spoonable at a temperature of about
0 to 10F. The product maintained its pleasant soft-smooth
eating characteristics over a period of about 15-30 minutes
3 when standing at room temperature after removal from the
freezer.
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EXAMPL~ II
A froæen cherry flavored soft ice product was
prepared from the following formulation, and frozen in a
t~pical ice cream freezer, as disclosed above:
Wei~ht % Of Component
5 ComDonent As Added Solids Moisture
Water 64.~13 ------ 64.413
Cargill Satin Sweet, 65~ 17.040 15.847 1.193
Maltose Dry (97~ Corn
Syrup Solids)
lO Dextrose (91.5~ Solids) 10.000 9.150 0.850
Sucrose 6.000 6.000 ------
Pear Juice Concentrate .. 196 0.837 0.359
(70% Solids)
Apple Juice Concentrate 0.509 0.356 0.153
(70% Solids)
Stabilizers:
Pectin (93.5% Solids) 0.500 0.468 0.032
Locust Bean Gum ------ ------ ------
Citric Acid 0.140 0.140
20 Malic Acid 0.140 0.140 ------
Ascorbic Acid 0.040 0.040 ------
Flavor 0.010 0.010 ---~
Color 0.012 0.012 ------
25 TOTALS: 100.000 33.000 67.000
The frozen product had a substantially non-icy
texture which was readily spoonable at a temperature of about
0 to 10F. The product maintained its pleasant soft-smooth
eating characteristics over a period of about 15-30 minutes
3 when standing at room temperature after removal from the
freezer.
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EXAMPLE III
A shelf stable orange fl~vored product which can bequiescently frozen at home was prepared from the following
formulation, as disclosed a~o~e:
h~eisht ~ Of Component
5 Component As Added SolidsMoisture
Water 60.710 ------60.710
Cargill Satin Sweet, 65% 16.53416.038 0.496
Maltose Dry (97~ Ccrn
Syrup Solids)
lO Dextrose (91.5~ Solids) 17.52816.038 1.490
Sucrose ------ ------ ------
Pear Juice Concentrate 2.0801.441 0.63g
(70~ Solids)
Apple Juice Concentrate 2.0801.441 0.639
(70~ Solids)
Stabilizers:
Pectin (93.5~ Solids) 0.4000.374 0.026
Locust Bean Gum0.100 0.100 ------
Preservatives-
Sodium Benzoate0.050 0.050 ------
Potassium Sorbate 0.0500.050 ------
Citric Acid 0.170 0.170 ------
Malic Acid 0.170 0.170 ------
Ascorbic Acid 0.060 0.060 ------
Flavor 0.060 0.060 ------
Color 0.008 0.008 ------
TOTALS: 100.000 36.00064.000
When frozen, the product had â substantially
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r.on-icy texture which was readily spoonable at a temperature
of about 0 to 10F. The frozen product maintained its
pleasant eating eharacteristies over a period of about 15-30 ~
minutes when standing at room temperature after removal from : :
the freezer.
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