Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2 ~
D e s c r i p t i o n :
The invention relates to a foaming coffee whitener inpowdered form, a process for producing same and a liquid
mixture as an intermediate product of the product;on pro
cess. The invention further relates to a powdered starting
S mixture using a foaming coffee whitener for making coffee
beverages of the cappucino type.
for some time now, coffee whiteners serve as substitute pro-
ducts for milk. They are sold in liquid and in powdered
0 form. After being added to coffee beverages, they make them
look like a coffee with m;lk. For powdered whiteners, high-
melting fats with melting points from 43C to 46C are used
and the quality of the whitening capacity of the powdered
composition depends much on them.
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US-PS 4,438,147 discloses a powdered foaming creamer which
is suitable for being used in beverages and a process for
producing same. According to this prior art publication,
the use of skimmed milk is possible, but due ~o comparative-
5 ly high costs of fat-free milk, the use of milk substitute
products is preferred. If dried skimmed milk is to be used
additionally, it is added to the other already spray-dried
creamer components in powdered form. The product described
herein has a fat content of about 20% to 50%, preferably
about 40% to ~0~, and contains accord;ng to a preferred
embodiment carboxymethylcellulose to ensure a favorable
spray-drying behaviour.
Skimmed m;lk concentrate in liquid form is a cheaper start-
15 ing product compared to dried skimmed milk powder. More-
over, skimmed milk concentrate has the advantage of being
an original product as regards taste.
The invention is therefore based on the object to provide a
20 powdered coffee whitener with skimmed milk concentrate
being the main component and to provide a process and an
apparatus for producing same.
This object is achieved by a powdered composition according
25 to claim 1 and, as regards the process as well as the
apparatus techniques for producing this powdered com-
position, by the characterizing features of claims 2 and
14.
30 The components of the coffee whitener according to the
invention are preferably mixed together as an aqueous
solution by adding lactose, sodium caseinate and phosphate
to water via a mixing nozzle. Thereafter, skimmed milk con-
centrate is mixed in. Finally, the melted (hard~ned) plant
35 fat, especially soybean fat or palm fat or coconut fat, is
added to the skimmed milk concentrate in liquid form.
~32~
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A skimmed milk concentra~e with a content of milk dry
matter of 20% to 39%, preferably 37.5~ is used. Lac~ose
serves as a taste improver, as a carrier ma~erial for other
ingredients and if necessary as a filler material. Pre-
s ferably, it is used in the mixture in a quantity of 25% to
35~ with respect to dry matter. Preferably coconut or
soybean fat in a quantity of 10% to 20%, with respect to
dry matter, can be used as plant fats. They cause a higher
creaminess of the beverage and, if they are very finely
dispersed, an increased whiteness of the foam. Sodium
caseinate, which as a stabilizer is preventing coalescence
during spray-drying and when the beverage is infused, is
preferably used in a quantity of 1.5% to 2.0% with respect
to dry matter. To prevent coa~ulation of proteines,
disodium orthophosphate is preferably used in a quanti~y of
0.25% to 0.8% with respect to dry matter. The ready mixed
liquid mixture is adjusted to a dry matter content of 30%
to 47%, preferably 41~, whereby adjustment has to be co-
ordinated with the respective nozzle to be used for
20 spray-drying.
The mixture is pasteurized preferably at 75C to 80C for a
period of 45 min to 90 min, especially for a period of
60 min.
The mixture is homogenized under a pressure of 35 bar to
175 bar preferably in two or three steps. In a two-step
homogen;zation, ;t is preferred to employ a pressure of
120 bar to 175 bar, preferably 150 bar, in the first homo-
30 geni~ation step and a pressure of 35 bar to 45 bar, pre-
ferably 35 bar in the second homogenization step. In a
three-step homogenization, a pressure of about 25 bar to
35 bar would be preferred in the third step. By homo-
genizing the mixture, the fat is finely dispersed in the
35 liquid, which results in an increased whiteness of the foam
in the beverage, an increased stability of the liquid
against coalescence dur;ng and after spray-drying and an
increased stability of the foam in the cup.
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Preferably, the mixture is ~hen led into a spray tower w;th
a temperature of 7~aC to ~O~C. It proved particularly ad-
vantageous to feed the non-cooled product directly after
homogenization to the spray tower at a pressure of 45 bar
s and a volumetric flow of 1400 kg/h. If, however, spray-dry-
ing is not to be conducted until later, it is preferred to
cool down the mixture. If the mixture is to be sprayed
cold, cooling can not be avoided. In this case, a
temperature of 10C to 45C or in a very special way 15C
to 40C is preferred.
The properties of the final product depend in a very
special way on the type of spray-drying and the intro-
duction of a gas into the mixture. The gas, preferably
nitrogen or carbon dioxide, is pressed into the pressure
l;ne directly before the spray nozzle and thus finely
distributes within the line or within the mixture. A fine
distribution is achieved preferably by means of a sintered
metal body arranged in the mouth of the gas line. The
20 pressure ratio of the pressed-in mixture and the pressed-in
gas is adjusted to between 1 to 1.1 and 1 to 2, preferably
to between 1 to 1.1 and 1 to 1.6. At an angle of 30C to
80C, preferably 40C to 60C, gas is pressed into the
mixture flowing to the spray nozzle.
The foaming coffee whiteners according to the invention
stand out for their high whitening capacity and powerful
foamin~. The very fine distribution of the gas in the
mixture flowing to the spray nozzle ensures the powerful
30 foaming. Under the microscope, voluminous agglomerations of
bubbly spherules can be seen. Moreover, skimmed milk con-
centrate is an economical starting material for producing
the foaming coffee whitener as taught by the invention. It
is not just a milk substitute product and thus considerably
35 adds to the quality of the taste of the foaming beverage.
2~t'~32
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Further features, details and advantages of the invention
will be descr;bed ;n more deta;l with re~erence to some pre-
ferred embodiments or comparative examples and with re-
ference to further embodiments of the invention and
s corresponding drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an appa-
ratus as taught by the invention for producing
the foaming coffee whitener as taught by the in-
o vention;
Fig. 2 is a partial mid-section of a line of the appa-
ratus as taught by the invention in the region of
section II, on an enlarged scale, showing an em-
bodimen~ of an impregnation nozzle as taught by
the invention; and
Fig~ 3 is a partial mid section of a l;ne of the appa-
ratus as taught by the invention according to
Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale, showing another em-
bodiment of an impregnation nozzle designed as
taught by the invention.
As shown in Fig. 1, a vaporizer 1, into which skimmed milk
or the like can be introduced by means of a conveying means
in the form of a pump, is linked to a mixing tank 5 via a
line 2 in which a concentrate tank 3 and a pump 4 is
arranged. The concentrate tank 3 receives and stores like a
buffer the skimmed milk concentrate obtained with the
vaporizer and having a dry substance content of 37.5%. The
mixing tank 5 itself is provided with a mixer or agitator 6
or the like, which ensures that the product is mixed
evenly.
In a line 7 which links the mixing tank 5 to a heat ex-
changer 10, a junction in the form of a three-way valve 9
is provided. A second line 11 wh;ch is also linked to the
mixing tank 5 branches off from the three-way valve 9. As a
2~32~2
result, the mixed product which is discharged -from the
mixing tank 5 via a pump ~ can be returned to the mixing
tank 5 via this second line 11. By leading the sk;mmed milk
concentrate drained from the mixing tank 5 in such a way in
5 a circuit, a homogenous distribution of the ingredients in
the mixing tank S dur;n~ mix;ng is ensured, additionally to
the distributing effect of the agitator 6.
Furthermore, the second line 11 is provided with a jet
mixer 12, through which dry substances from a dry substance
vessel 13 and/or flowable plant fat from a melting vessel
14 can be sucked in and introduced. To ensure that the
different ingredients of the mixture are extactly dosaged,
jet mixer 12, dry substance vessel 13 and melting vessel 14
15 are linked to one another via a three-way valve 15.
Additionally, another valve is assigned to the me1ting
vessel 14. If possible, the melting vessel 14 ;s to be
operated at a maximum temperature of 65C so that the fat
or plant fat ;s not adversely affected as regards its
20 chemical composit;on, ;ts taste and the like dur;ng the
melting process. The melted fat should not be kept at
elevated temperatures longer than 30 min before processing.
Thereafter, the mixture prepared in this way is fed, with
25 the three-way valve 9 being in the appropriate pos;t;on,
via l;ne 7 to the heat exchanger 10 where it is pasteurized
at a temperature of about 75C to 80C and for a period of
preferably 60 min. For homogenization, the mixture
pasteurized in this way is then fed to two series-connected
30 homogenization steps 18, 20 located downstream of the heat
exchanger 10. For this purpose, a line 16 ;s provided
between the heat exchanger 10 and the f;rst homogenization
step 18. In the present embodiment, a forerun vessel 17, 19
serv;n~ as a buffer is additionally arranged upstream of
35 each homogenization step 18, 20. Moreover, ~he second homo-
genizat;on step 20 may be followed by at least one further
homogenization step (not shown).
2~L3~32
In a l;ne 21 between the s~cond homogenization step 20 and
the spray~drying column 27, a heat exchanger 22, a forerun
tank 23 followed by a pump 24 or the like, and a heat ex-
changer 25 are successively connected in series. The heat
exchanger 22 is prov;ded for cooling the homogenized
mixture if it is to be cold when sprayed in the spray-dry-
ing column 27 or if it can not be sprayed directly after
homogenization. The homogenized, i.e. liquid mixture is
held ready for spray-drying in the forerun tank 23. By
means of the heat exchanger 25 located downstream of the
pump 24 or a similar conveying means, the homogenized
m;xture drained from the forerun tank 23 can, if required,
be heated before the spray-drying column 27 to a desired
15 temperature, for instance -to entry temperatures of between
10QC and 70C. The pressure in the line 21 between the fore-
run tank 23 and the spray-drying column 27 is about 30 bar
to 50 bar, preferably about 45 bar.
A nozzle 26 provided as a C02 or N2 impregnation device is
arranged in the line 21 between the last homogenization
step 20 and the spray-drying column 27, specifically
directly before the spray-dry;ng column 27, for instance at
a distance of 1 m. Via this nozzle 26 which is linked to a
pressure line 30 or the like, the elected gas, either 2
or N2, is introduced ~o the production stream, that is into
the mixture flowing past the nozzle 26 at a pressure of
about 50 bar.
Finally, line 21 is coupled to the spray-drying column 27,
with a spray-drying nozzle 28 pointing to the inside being
arranged at its entrance. Spray-drying ;s therefore con-
ducted according to the co-current flow method at a
pressure of 25 to 40 bar, the air inflow temperature being
3s about 180C to 200C, preferably 185C, and the air outflow
temperature being maximally about 100C, preferably 95C.
The spray-drying nozzle 28 is designed as a single-sub-
stance nozzle having a diameter of about 1 mm to 5 mm.
2~32~2
Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the nozzle 2~ as taught by
the invention, which is arranged centrally in the line 21,
projecting into the line -From the side periphery and acting
5 as a cn2 or N2 impregnating means for the mixture flowing
past. In this region, the line 21 has a slightly increased
diameter in order to create approximately even flow con-
dit;ons and therewith suitable spraying conditions. The
nozzle 26 is in this case designed as a spray cone nozzle
o 29, by means of which an angle of spray of about 30C to
80C, preferably about 40C to 60C, can be obtained.
Furthermore, the spray cone nozzle 29 is directed in the
flowing direction of the mixture, so that the introduced
gas, i.e. the C02 or N2, is introduced into the line 21
15 essentially in the flowing direction (arrow 33) of the
mixture as well.
According to Fig. 3, the nozzle 26 is designed as a feed
line 30 for the C02 or N2 pointing essentially in the
20 flowing direction of the mixture, with a distributing body
32 being attached to the end 31 of the feed line 30 and
projecting into the flowing path (arrow 33) of the homo-
genized mixture. The distributing body 32 is for example
made of sintered metal, so that as a resul~ of its very
25 small outlet openings, the C02 or N2 is distributed nearly
;n molecular form in the mixture. Instead of being made of
sintered metal, the distributing body 32 as shown in Fig. 3
could also be provided with fine pores created by laser
beams. As a result, the C02 or N2 flows through the dis-
30 tributing body 32 in the dimensions of the respectivemolecular s~ructure. This also results in an extremely good
distribution of the gas in the mixture.
ExamDle 1
A liquid mixture of the components was prepared in water
according to the following recipe and thereafter spray-
dried.
2~32~
g
Ingredients % by weight of dry mass
_ .
S Skimmed milk dry mass 44.58
Lactose 27.87
Plant fat 27.25
Disodium orthophosphate 0.30
o The plant fat was liquidized in a fat melting apparatus.
Disodium orthophosphate was pre-mixed with lac~ose to
ensure an even distribution after mixing into the liquid
mixture.
15 The skimmed milk being concentrated to 32~ dry mass with a
temperature of 50C was pumped into the circuit via pipes.
The liquid hot plant fat (temp. approx. 70C~ was drawn
into the circulating production flow via a jet mixer. Sub-
sequently, the dry substances were drawn in.
The well-mixed mixture, which now had a dry substance con-
tent of 51.35% was pasteurized for 20 minutes at 78C and
subsequently homogenized. Homogenization was conducted in
three steps:
2~
- 1st step: 50 bar
- 2nd step: 120 bar
- 3rd step: 30 bar
The mixture was subsequently cooled down to 15C and fed to
30 the nozzle under a pressure of about 25 bar. About one
meter before ~he nozzle, C02 was added to the product by
being fed in at a dosaged rate with a pressure of 45 bar
via a sintered metal. The mixing ratio was 0.45 kg C02 for
every 1000 kg of dry substance in the liquid mixture.
Spray-drying was conducted via a nozz1e whose aperture had
a diameter of 3.0 mm. The product was then sprayed coni-
cally with an inner angle of spray of 88. Spraying con-
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d;tions were as follows:
- Air temperature on entering the spray tower: Z50C.
- Air temperature on leaving the spray tower: 98C.
- Temperature of the liquid coffee whitener on
entering the spray tower: 15C.
- Rate of spray: 250 kg/hour.
After the spray product had cooled down, 5.2 g of coffee
whitener was infused with 130 ml water having a temperature
of 70C to 75C. The result was a fine-pored, dense and
slightly gleaming foam.
According to the following recipe, a liqu;d mixture was
produced as in example 1. The mixture was sprayed with a
dry substance content of 32.78%.
Ingredients % by weight of dry mass
. . .
Skimmed milk dry mass 68.35
Lactose 17.10
Plant fat 12.55
Sodium caseinate 1.57
Disodium orthophosphate 0.43
Disodium orthophosphate and sodium caseinate were pre-mixed
with lactose, plant fat was melted. First, the liquid plant
30 fat and then the dry substances were added via a jet mixer
to the skimmed milk concen~rate having a dry mass content
of 25~ and a temperature of about 50C.
The mixture was pasteurized for 30 minutes at 75C and sub-
35 sequently homogenized. Homogenization was conducted in two
steps:
- 11 -
- 1st step: 175 bar
- 2nd step: 35 bar
The mixture was pumped to the nozzle vi~ a heat exchanger
5 and thus heated to 70C. Nitrogen was injected with 50 bar
via a nozzle into the production flow which was fed to the
spray nozzle w;th 40 bar. The quantity of gas was 0.34 kg
Nz for every 1000 kg of dry substance in the m;xture~
The outlet aperture of the nozzle used in this case had a
diameter of 4.5 mm, the angle of spray was about 70C. The
spray parameters were as follows:
- Air temperature on entering the spray tower: 220C.
Air temperature on leav;ng the spray tower: 91C.
- Temperature of the liquid coffee whitener
on entering the spray tower: 70C.
- Velocity of spray: 1200 kg/hour.
20 An infusion of the product resulted in a soft and airy
stable foam.
25 In this comparative example for producing a foaming coffee
whitener, spray-drying was conducted by means of a disc. A
mixture with a dry substance content of 36~ was produced
and sprayed according to the following recipe:
Skimmed milk dry mass 50.0
Lactose RAB 200* 30.7
Fat SH 545 17.0
Sodium caseinate 1.7
Disodium orthophosphate 0.6
100.0
*casier soluble than CE 200~
Lactose and phosphate were dissolved in hot water and the
2~23~
skimmed milk concentrate having a dry substance content of
35% was added. The liquid was passed over a colloid mill
and in this process the caseinate was added. Simultaneous-
ly, fat was melted in a water bath and mixed with the
s liquid, which was then again passed over a colloid mill.
Thereafter, the mixture was passed in a double-walled tank
(hot water heated) over a Schabel heat exchanger and re-
turned to the tank. Within 30 minutes, the temperature
reached 75C. ~omogenization was conducted in two steps, in
the first step with a pressure of 135 bar and in the second
step with a pressure of 40 bar. Carbon dioxide was added
via a laserbeam-perforated metal. Spraying was conducted
with a Krause disc. Upon entry into the spray tower, the
5 product temperature was 80C, the air inflow temperature
180C and the air outflow temperature 88C. Three batches
were prepared. No C2 was added to batch I; C2 at less
than 1 l/min was added to batch II; and 2 l/min C2 were
added to batch III. Subsequent infusion tests showed that
20 no foam was forming in any of the three batches. Batch III
showed a difficult agglomeration due to the very bad
flowing behavior. The spray product was well wettable, but
did not form any foam after infusion.
25 The spray product resulting from disc-drying did not show
any spherules under the m;croscope and was a dusty and
floury powder made up of shredded and torn particles.
When the fines from a spray product obtained by disc-drying
30 was refed, an agglomerate character with dense and compact
small spherules showed under the microscope.
Spray-drying by means of a disc was not suitable for pro-
ducing a foaming creamer. Without pressure it is not
35 possible to b;nd carbon dioxide in the spherules. The
powdered product produced in the above-described way is a
component in the preparation of coffee beverages. In
particular, it is possible to produce an instant product
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using this foaming coffee whitener, wh;ch in portions is
suitable for instan~ consumption by adding hot water. For
this purpose, the instant powdered mixture consists of the
above-described coffee whitener, soluble coffee powder, in
5 particular coffee powder made by freeze drying, and other
ingredients. According to the invention, one of these
further ingredients is lactose. Suprisingly it proved that
by adding lactose to the instant product - regardless of
the lactose contents in the coffee whitener - the instant
o coffee beverage of the "capuccino" type had a significantly
improved taste.
A particularly expedient mixture of the instant powder for
making capuccino beverages is composed as follows
coffee whitener
as taught by the invention50.186% by weight
saccharose 23.838% by weight
instant coffee 17.000% by weight
lactose 8.493% by weight
aroma 0.483% by weight
The rate of lactose added is ranging from 5% to 10%, with
respect to the total amount of the powdered mixture. Pre-
ferably, the lactose content is about 8.5%. The aroma used
above is a caramel aroma as it is customary in trade.
According to the invention, the above components of the
powdered mixture are dry when mixed with one another. For
this purpose, the components are introduced at their pre-
defined weight ratios ;nto a suitable mixer, especially a
Nauta mixer, and are intensively mixed with one another for
a period of preferably 10 min to 20 min.
