Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 2023/025949
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CONFECTIONERY PRODUCT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a confectionery product comprising a filling
cream layer. In
particular, the present invention relates to a process for the preparation
such a confectionery
product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Confectionery products comprising one or more filling cream layers; for
example wafer
sandwiches which comprise two or more wafer layers with one or more filling
cream layers
sandwiched between the wafers, are well known. Said filling cream layers
generally comprise
one or more fats and one or more sweeteners and function to impart variation
in flavour and
mouthfeel as well as improving the quality and acceptability to the consumer
of the final
confectionery product. Known confectionery products typically comprise a thin
layer of filling
cream sandwiched between thin layers of an edible substrate, such as thin
wafer layers. In
order to provide a final confectionery product, typically a plurality of thin
layers of filling cream
are sandwiched alternately between layers of edible substrates such as wafers.
Typically
such confectionery products are made by book-cutting (i.e. book-cut products),
whereby the
filling cream is spread onto large sheets of edible (typically baked)
substrates, and covered
with a second sheet of edible substrate, and repeated in order to produce a
"book" comprising
alternate layers of edible substrate and cream, with the edible substrate
layers on external
faces of the book. The book is then cut into a plurality of cut products. The
cut products
themselves may be the final confectionery product, or optionally, the cut
products may be
further processed (e.g. by the addition of a chocolate coating), in order to
produce the
confectionery product.
Processes for preparing such confectionery products comprising a filling cream
sandwiched
between two edible substrate layers, are typically limited as to the
depth/thickness of the filling
cream layer. Particularly, it has been found that attempts to increase the
depth of the filling
cream layer have been especially problematical due to difficulties encountered
with adhesion
of the filling cream. Such adhesion difficulties result in the book cutting
process causing
delamination of the layers, resulting in the generation of significant waste
products in the
process, and rendering the process unsuitable for commercial large-scale
production.
A thick filling cream layer may be desirable in order to provide a
confectionery product with a
more desirable, luxurious or indulgent mouthfeel, texture and/or taste to the
consumer.
However, it has been found that known processes for producing confectionery
products having
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a thick filling cream layer present difficulties when attempting to achieving
a greater thickness
(e.g. 3.5 mm or greater) of the filling cream layer. In order to achieve
optimum adhesion, it is
desirable to reduce fat crystallisation prior to layering the filling cream
onto the edible
substrate. However, control of fat crystallisation at this stage has hitherto
been achieved by
maintaining the filling cream at a relatively high temperature at the time of
application to the
substrate. At the relatively high temperatures used in conventional processes
in order to
ensure that fat crystallisation is suitably controlled, the viscosity of the
filling cream is too low,
thereby causing the filling cream to run off the edge of the substrate during
the layering
process, or being compressed out by the application of a second edible
substrate layer over
the first edible substrate layer. This results in a significant wastage of the
filling cream as well
as making the downstream processing of the confectionery product difficult due
to the
inconsistent layer heights, and well as the additional expense of removing the
filling cream
from the manufacturing equipment. If the temperature is too low, issues with
the layering and
delamination, as well as blockage of the layering apparatus may be
encountered. Such
processes are therefore typically used for thin layers of filling cream (such
as less than 1.0
mm). As indicated above, the resulting products are typically made up from a
plurality of edible
substrate layers and such thin filling cream layers.
As indicated above, a confectionery product having a thicker layer of filling
cream would
nevertheless be desirable in certain premium products, since the consumers
generally
perceive such products with thicker cream layers as being more indulgent and
luxurious. There
is therefore an ongoing need for new improved processes of producing such
confectionery
products with thick filling cream layers without the aforementioned problems
and without
incurring excessive waste.
Through extensive investigations, the applicant has now surprisingly found
that a process
whereby a filling cream mixture is cooled under certain conditions can provide
a cooled filling
cream mixture with a sufficient viscosity to be effectively layered to provide
a thick filling cream
layer, and minimising or avoiding delamination, and thereby reducing waste.
The presently
disclosed process is therefore able to produce confectionery products with
significantly greater
thickness of filling cream.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for
preparing a
confectionery product comprising a filling cream layer, the process
comprising:
(a) providing a filling cream mixture comprising one or more
added fats, one or
more added sweeteners, and optionally one or more flavourings;
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(b) stirring and heating the mixture to a temperature of at least 55 C to
provide a
heated filling cream mixture;
(c) stirring and cooling the heated mixture to a temperature of from: 20 C
to 45 C
at a cooling rate of less than 5 C per minute and at a shear rate of from 1 s-
1 to 250 s-1, to
provide a cooled filling cream mixture having a viscosity of at least 6000 cP;
and;
(d) applying the cooled filling cream mixture onto a first edible
substrate, to form a
filling cream layer having a thickness of at least 3.5 mm;
(e) placing a second edible substrate on the filling cream layer to form a
book; and
(f) cutting the book to form a plurality of cut products, and optionally
processing
the cut product to form a confectionery product.
The invention further provides a confectionery product, wherein the
confectionery product is
produced by a process according to the first aspect.
Further provided is a book-cut confectionery product, wherein the
confectionery product
comprises two or more edible substrate layers and one or more filling cream
layers in between
the edible substrate layers, wherein:
the one or more filling cream layers comprise one or more added fats, one or
more
sugars, and optionally one or more flavourings;
the one or more filling cream layers have a thickness of at least 3.5 mm,
wherein the edible substrate layers and one or more filling cream layers are
as defined
herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, weights are given as a weight
percent.
As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, viscosity measurements refer to
measurements
obtained at the specified temperature.
As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term "added sweetener" or
"added sugar"
have the standard meaning in the art and refers to a sweetener or sugar which
is not inherently
present in other ingredients. In line with the recognised meaning in the art,
naturally occurring
sugars are found naturally in foods such as cocoa, fruit (fructose) and milk
(lactose). An added
sugar therefore refers to a sugar or sweeteners put in foods during
preparation or processing.
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For example, the US FDA has defined added sugars as: "sugars that are either
added during
the processing of foods, or are packaged as such", and include sugars (free,
mono and
disaccharides), syrups, naturally occurring sugars that are isolated from a
whole food and
concentrated so that sugar is the primary component (e.g., fruit juice
concentrates), and other
caloric sweeteners.
The added fat component in the filling cream layer may be defined by a
particular weight or
weight range of solid fat, trans-fat or saturated fatty acids per 100 g. By
this, it is meant that
the solid fat, trans-fat or saturated fatty acids content in the added fat
component is present in
the weight or weight range relative to the added fat component.
As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term "added fat" refers to fat
that is not
inherently present in other ingredients, such as in the flavourings (e.g.
cocoa powder contains
fat).
As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term "added water" refers to
water that is not
inherently present in other ingredients.
As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term "book-cut" refers to a
process and a
corresponding product whereby a "slab" (i.e. "book") of the confectionery
product is prepared
(for example a confectionery product comprising at least one filling cream
layer sandwiched
between two layers of edible substrate), and cut to form a plurality of units
of the confectionery
product. A book-cut confectionery product is distinguishable from, for
example, a cream-filled
confectionery product (such as a cream-filled biscuit), in that in the latter,
the cream filling is
applied to individual unit substrates (e.g. biscuit). Generally, the filling
in such a cream-filled
biscuit is typically applied only to the centre of the biscuit layers and is
not distributed across
the entirety (e.g. to the edge) of the surface of the biscuit layers.
Typically, a book-cut product
comprises a filling cream which is uniformly spread across to the edge of the
substrate layers.
Filling cream mixture
According to any embodiment of the present invention, the filling cream
mixture comprises
one or more added fats, one or more added sweeteners, and optionally one or
more
flavourings. The filling cream preferably contains no added water. In a
preferred embodiment,
the filling cream mixture is substantially free of water. Preferably the
filling cream mixture
comprises less than 5 wt.% water, preferably less than 4 wt.% water, more
preferably less
than 3 wt.% water, particularly less than 2 wt.% water, and most particularly
less than 1 wt.%
water.
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Fats and Added Fats
Within the context of the present invention the term "far as used herein
denotes a hydrophobic
material which is also edible. Thus, fats are edible material that are
substantially immiscible
with water and which may comprise one or more solid fat(s), liquid oil(s)
and/or any suitable
mixture(s) thereof. The term "solid fat" denotes edible fats that are solid at
the stated
temperature and the terms "oil" or "liquid oil" (unless the context indicates
otherwise) both
denote edible oils that are liquid at the stated temperature.
In an embodiment, the filling cream mixture has a total fat content of from 20
wt.% to 45 wt.%,
preferably from 30 wt.% to 35 wt.%, and most preferably about 33 wt.%. In one
embodiment,
the filling cream mixture comprises from 15 wt.% to 40 wt.%, preferably from
25 wt.% to 35
wt.%, most preferably from 28 wt.% to 32 wt.% of the one or more added fats.
It will be
appreciated that the total amount of fat in the filling cream mixture may not
be identical to the
total amount of added fat due to small amounts of fat being present in other
optional
components of the filling cream mixture, for example, chocolate.
In an embodiment, the one or more added fats have a solid fat content of from:
15 g/100 g to
60 g/100 g, preferably from 20 g/100 g to 50 g/100 g, and most preferably from
25 g/100 g to
35 g/100 g, at 20 C.
In an embodiment, the one or more added fats have a solid fat content of: from
10 g/100 g to
50 g/100 g, preferably from 15 g/100 g to 40 g/100 g, and most preferably from
16 g/100 g to
26 g/100 g at 25 C.
In an embodiment, the one or more added fats have a solid fat content of: from
5 g/100 g to
g/100 g, preferably from 10 g/100 g to 25 g/100 g, and most preferably from 10
g/100 g to
18 g/100 g, at 30 C.
In an embodiment, the one or more added fats have a solid fat content of: from
2 g/100 g from
25 20 g/100 g, preferably from 4 g/100 g to 15 g/100 g, and most preferably
from 6 g/100 g to 12
g/100 g, at 35 C.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the one or more added fats have a
solid fat content at
20 C as described above, a solid fat content at 25 C as described above, a
solid fat content
at 30 C as described above, and a solid fat content at 35 C as described
above.
30 The solid fat content of the one or more added fats is measured
according by pulsed NMR
according to ISO 8292-1:2008 ("Animal and vegetable fats and oils ¨
Determination of solid
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fat content by pulsed NMR ¨ Part 1: Direct method"), measurement protocol 1D,
parallel
method.
In one embodiment, the one or more added fats comprise from: 30 g/100 g to 70
g/100 g
saturated fatty acids, preferably from 40 to 60 g/100 g saturated fatty acids,
more preferably
from 40 g/100 g to 50 g/100 g or from 40 g/100 g to 45 g/100 g, and most
preferably about 43
g/100 g of saturated fatty acids. In one embodiment, the one or more added
fats comprise:
less than 2 g/100 g trans fats, and preferably less than 1 g/100 g trans fats.
In one
embodiment, the one or more added fats are interesterified. In one embodiment,
the one or
more added fats consist of palm oil, preferably interesterified palm oil.
Added Sweeteners
The filling cream mixture of the invention comprises one or more added
sweeteners. In one
embodiment, the one or more added sweeteners comprise saccharides (preferably
chosen
from sucrose, glucose (dextrose monohydrate or anhydrous), galactose, lactose,
maltose,
fructose, corn syrup, and polydextrose), and/or polyols (preferably chosen
from sorbitol,
mannitol, maltitol, isomalt, xylitol or erythritol).
In one embodiment, the one or more added sweeteners comprise mono, di-, or
polysaccharides. Preferred monosaccharides comprise fructose, glucose
(dextrose
monohydrate or anhydrous) and/or galactose. Preferred disaccharides comprise
sugar
(sucrose) of any particle size (powder, caster or granulated), lactose and/or
maltose.
Preferred polysaccharide(s) include: starches from any suitable origin (such
as corn, wheat,
potato or similar well known sources); high amylose starches; hydrolyzed
starches (such as
dextrins and/or maltodextrins), pre-gelatinised starches; natural or modified
starches;
isomaltose, maltulose, mannose, ribose galactose, trehalose; starch
derivatives including
glucose syrup with a DE above 20, maltodextrins with a DE below 20;
polydextrose; and
mixtures thereof.
In one embodiment, the one or more added sweeteners comprise polyols, which
are preferably
chosen from sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, isomalt, xylitol or erythritol.
Preferably, the one or more added sweeteners comprise mono or di-saccharides.
In a
preferred embodiment, the one or more added sweeteners comprise sugar
(sucrose). In a
particularly preferred embodiment, the one or more added sweeteners comprises,
consists of,
or consists essentially of sugar (sucrose).
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In one embodiment, the mixture comprises: from 30 wt.% to 65 wt.%, preferably
40 wt.% to
60 wt.%, most preferably 45 wt.% to 60 wt.%, of the one or more added
sweeteners.
Other Ingredients
In one embodiment, the filling cream mixture comprises wafer rework. It will
be understood
that the term "wafer rework" used herein has the standard meaning of broken
pieces or
cuttings of wafer that are recovered from the cutting and processing of a
wafer book into a
final confectionery product. In a preferred embodiment the filling cream
mixture comprises
wafer rework in an amount of: from 3 wt.% to 20 wt.%, and more preferably in
an amount of
from 5 wt.% to 15 wt.%.
The filling cream mixture may optionally comprise one or more flavourings
depending on the
particular flavour desired for the final confectionery product. Such
flavourings include, but are
not limited to, cocoa powder, chocolate, cream powder, cheese powder, milk
powder, salt,
maltodextrin, skimmed milk powder, full cream milk powder (FCMP), whey powder,
natural or
synthetic flavours, and natural or artificial colours.
Preparation of a Cooled Filling Cream Mixture
The process of preparing the cooled filling cream mixture that is applied to
an edible substrate,
comprises first stirring and heating the initial filling cream mixture to a
temperature of at least
55 C to provide a heated filling cream mixture. Preferably the mixture is
heated to a
temperature of: from: 55 C to 80 C, from 60 C to 70 C, from 62 C to 68 C, from
64 C to 66 C,
and most preferably about 65 C. The purpose of this heating and stirring stage
is to ensure
the substantially complete, or complete, melting of the fats in the filling
cream mixture.
The heated filling cream mixture is then stirred and cooled to a temperature
of: from 20 C to
45 C at a cooling rate of less than 5 C per minute and at a shear rate of from
1 s-1 to 250 s-1.
Conventionally, cooling is carried out at a faster rate and stirred at a
higher shear rate. The
inventors surprisingly found that a lower cooling rate and a lower shear rate
as compared with
conventional processes significantly reduced the extent of fat crystallization
during the cooling
process, thus providing a cooled filling cream mixture with suitable viscosity
for application to
an edible substrate (such as a wafer sheet) to provide a thick filling cream
layer. The process
of the present invention may also advantageously reduce or ameliorate wastage
due to
delamination. Without being bound by theory, it is considered that the low
shear rate reduces
the number of fat crystals that come into contact with the cold surface of the
heat exchanger,
thus reducing the level of crystal formation.
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In some embodiments, the heated filling cream mixture is cooled to a
temperature of: from
30 C to 40 C, preferably from 32 C to 38 C, and more preferably from 34 C to
36 C. In a
particularly preferred embodiment, the mixture is cooled to a temperature of
about 35 C.
In some embodiments, the shear rate is from 1 s-1 to 200 s-1, preferably 1 s-1
to 100 s-1, and
more preferably 1 s-1 to 50 s-1. In particularly preferred embodiments, the
shear rate is from 1
s-1 to 20 s-1 from 1 s-1 to 10 s-1, from 3 s-1 to 7 s-1, or from 4 s-1 to 6 s-
1. In a most preferred
embodiment, the shear rate is about 5 s-1.
In some embodiments, the heated mixture is cooled in a first heat exchanger to
an
intermediate temperature, following by being further cooled in a second heat
exchanger to the
layering temperature. In such embodiments, the intermediate temperature may
preferably be:
from 40 C to 60 C, more preferably from 45 C to 55 C, and most preferably
about 50 C.
In some embodiments, the heated mixture is cooled at a rate of less than 5 C
per minute, less
than 4 C per minute, preferably less than 3 C per minute, and more preferably
less than 2.5 C
per minute. In particularly preferred embodiments, the heated mixture is
cooled between 0.5-
5 C per minute, preferably between 1-3 C per minute more preferably between 1-
2.5 C per
minute.
The viscosity of the cooled filling cream mixture at the cooled temperature is
at least 6000 cP
(1 cP = 1 mPa.$). Preferably the cooled filling cream mixture has a viscosity
of: from 6000 cP
to 15000 cP. In some embodiments, the cooled filling cream mixture has a
viscosity of: from
7000 cP to 14000 cP, from 7000 cP to 13000 cP, from 7000 cP to 12000 cP, from
7000 cP to
11000 cP, from 8000 cP to 11000 cP, from 9000 cP to 11000 cP. In a
particularly preferred
embodiment, the viscosity of the cooled filling cream mixture (i.e. at the
cooled temperature)
is about 10000 cP.
As shown by the comparative example, when the cream viscosity is below 6000 cP
it was not
possible to obtain the desired cream filling height and on application to the
edible substrate
the cream leaked off the side. Above 15000 cP, the cream becomes too thick to
layer
successfully and causes issues in the process (blocking machinery, etc.).
Additionally, above
15,000 cP the cream becomes unable to flow properly and causes delamination
between the
cream and the edible substrate.
Preferably, the viscosity was measured using a Physica MCR302 Rheometer by
Anton Paar
with a PP75/s (sandblasted probe) geometry and the following method: The
height of the plate
was reduced to 1mm once sample inserted prior to starting the test. The
viscosity was
measured using the following method: The sample was held at starting
temperature (65 C for
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30 minutes) at a shear rate of 5 s-1 for the first interval. The shear rate is
inputted into the
rheometer as a parameter that is controlled by the rheometer. The next
interval cooled the
sample from 65 to 35 C at a cooling rate of 3 C/Minute. The final interval
held the sample at
35 C at a shear rate of 5 s-1 whilst the viscosity was measured.
Edible Substrate
It will be appreciated that the term "edible substrate" refers to any material
suitable for
consumption on which it is possible to apply the filling cream mixture to form
a layer.
In preferred embodiments, the edible substrate is a baked foodstuff. The baked
foodstuff is
typically sweet, although could comprise low quantities of sugar as discussed,
herein, or in
some instances, may be savoury. Preferred baked foodstuffs comprise baked
grain foodstuffs
which includes foodstuffs that comprise cereals and/or pulses. Baked cereal
foodstuffs are
more preferred, most preferably baked wheat foodstuffs such as wafer(s) and/or
biscuit(s). In
a particularly preferred embodiment, the baked foodstuffs are wafer sheets.
VVhere the edible
substrate is a wafer sheet, it is preferred that the thickness of the filling
cream layer is
measured between the cores of the wafer sheets.
Wafers are baked products which are made from wafer batter and have crisp,
brittle and fragile
consistency. They are thin, with an overall thickness usually of: <1 to 4 mm
and typical product
densities range from 0.1 to 0.3 g/cm3. The surfaces may be precisely formed,
following the
surface shape of the plates between which they were baked. They often carry a
pattern on
one surface or on both. Wafers may also be produced by extrusion. Two basic
types of wafer
are described by K.F. Tiefenbacher in "Encyclopaedia of Food Science, Food
Technology and
Nutrition p 417-420 Academic Press Ltd London
1993:
1) No- or low-sugar wafers. The finished biscuits contain from zero to a low
percentage of
sucrose or other sugars. Typical products are flat and hollow wafer sheets,
moulded cones or
fancy
shapes.
2) High-sugar wafers. More than 10% of sucrose or other sugars are responsible
for the
plasticity of the freshly baked sheets. They can be formed into different
shapes before sugar
recrystallization occurs. Typical products are moulded and rolled sugar cones,
rolled wafer
sticks and deep-formed fancy shapes.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the confectionery product consists of
a filling cream
layer sandwiched between two wafer layers. As discussed above, the
confectionery product
of the invention is book-cut, that is, it is formed by cutting a larger
product (i.e. book) into
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plurality of smaller pieces. In a preferred embodiment, the further processing
of the cut book
comprises enrobing each of the pieces in chocolate.
Layering of Confectionery Product
According to the invention, the cooled filling cream mixture is applied onto a
first edible
substrate to form a filling cream layer having a thickness of at least 3.5 mm.
A second edible
substrate is then placed on the filling cream layer to form a "book", that is,
a product comprising
filling cream layer sandwiched between two edible substrate layers (i.e. S1-FC-
S2, where S1
and S2 are first and second substrate layers and FC is a filling cream layer).
As used herein
the term "book" may comprise two or more layers of edible substrate with one
or more filling
cream layers sandwiched between each edible substrate layer. Such a book may
consist of
two edible substrate layers and one filling cream layer or may consist of a
plurality of filling
cream layers. For example, a book may comprise two filling cream layers (e.g.
S1-FC1-S2-FC2,
or S1-FC1-S2-FC2-S3), three filling cream layers (e.g. S1-FC1-S2-FC2-S3-FC3_S4
or
S1-FC1-S2-FC2-S3-FC3-S4), four filling cream layers (e.g. S1-FC1-S2-FC2-S3-
FC3_S4-FC4. or
S1-FC1-S2-FC2-S3-FC3_S4-FC4-S5), or more than four filling cream layers. The
substrates Sn
may be the same or different (preferably the same), and, where a plurality of
filling cream
layers is used, each filling layer may be the same or different (e.g.
different flavours and/or
different thicknesses). It should be noted that where a plurality of filling
cream layers are used,
at least one of the filling cream layers has a thickness of at least 3.5 mm.
In some
embodiments the filling cream thickness is from 3.5 mm to 15.0 mm, from 3.5 mm
to 12 mm,
from 3.5 mm to 10 mm, from 3.5 mm to 8 mm, from 3.5 mm to 6 mm, and the other
filling
layers may be less thick (e.g. less than 3.5 mm). In a particularly preferred
embodiment, at
least one of the filling cream layers has a thickness of 3.5 mm or greater
(preferably from 3.5
mm to 5.0 mm, more preferably from 3.8 mm to 4.8 mm, particularly from 3.9 mm
to 4.5 mm,
and most preferably from 4.0 mm to 4.2 mm), and the other filling layers may
be less thick
(e.g. less than 3.5 mm).
Preferably, the confectionery product of the present invention comprises one
or two filling
cream layers, and more preferably one filling cream layer. Following an
optional cooling
process, the book is then cut into a plurality of units of the confectionery
product. Alternatively,
the plurality of units may be optionally further processed (e.g. by enrobing
in chocolate) to
form the final confectionery product.
Where the book is cooled prior to cutting, the cooling may take place at a
temperature of: from
5 C to 20 C, preferably from 10 C to 15 C, and most preferably about 12 C.
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In preferred embodiments, the filling cream layer has a thickness of: 3.8 mm
to 14.0 mm,
preferably 3.9 mm to 13.0 mm, preferably 4.0 mm to 12 mm, preferably 4 mm to
10 mm,
preferably 4 mm to 8mm, more preferably from 4 mm to 6 mm. In particularly
preferred
embodiments, the filling cream layer has a thickness of: 3.5 mm to 5.0 mm,
preferably 3.8 mm
to 4.8 mm, preferably 3.9 mm to 4.5 mm, and more preferably 4.0 mm to 4.2 mm.
In a
particularly preferred embodiment the filling cream layer has a thickness of
about 4.0 mm.
In some embodiments, the process of the invention further comprises applying
further cooled
filling cream mixture to the second edible substrate to form a second filling
cream layer and
placing a third edible substrate on the second filling cream layer to form a
multilayer book.
These two steps may optionally be repeated to provide three or more filling
cream layers
sandwiched between edible substrate layers. In this way, confectionery
products with a
plurality of filling cream layers as described above can be produced.
Confectionery Product
In another aspect of the invention, a book-cut confectionery product is
provided, comprising
two or more edible substrate layers and one or more filling cream layers in
between the edible
substrate layers, wherein: the one or more filling cream layers comprise one
or more added
fats, one or more sugars, and optionally one or more flavourings; the one or
more filling cream
layers have a thickness of at least 3.5 mm, wherein the one or more filling
cream layers are
as defined above.
As will be appreciated from the disclosure above, a "book-cut" confectionery
product refers to
a product that is obtained by cutting a book made up of one or more filling
cream layers and
two or more edible substrate layers as described above. A characteristic
feature of book-cut
confectionery products is that the filling cream layers extend to the edge of
the edible substrate
layers, producing a substantially uniform edge.
The edible substrate layers are preferably baked foodstuffs and are preferably
wafers.
A preferred book-cut confectionery product according to the invention
comprises a layered
substrate and filling cream structure as described above, which is coated in
chocolate. More
preferably a book-cut confectionery product according to the invention
comprises a layered
wafer and filling cream structure as described above (preferably a wafer-
filling cream-wafer
structure), which is coated in chocolate.
Examples
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The present invention will be further understood by the following examples.
The examples are
illustrative in nature and should not be understood to limit the subject
matter of the present
disclosure.
Four different initial filing cream mixtures with different flavours were
formulated, the
ingredients of which are shown in Table 1 below. All mixtures had a total fat
content of 33
wt.%:
Table 1
Ingredient RC9 Salted Caramel Hazelnut Peanut
(wt.%)
Crystal sugar 49.2 55.6 51.5 56.0
Cocoa Powder 3.0 0.3 6.0 0.3
Added fat -
31.0 30.8 30.5 30.8
IV56ie
Milk chocolate 2.9 0.0 2.1 0.0
Chocolate 0.0 6.5 3.0 6.5
Wafer rework 14.0 6.1 6.6 6.1
Colour (Paprika) 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0
Salt 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.0
Flavour 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3
The properties of the added fat IV56ie is shown below in Table 2. As above,
solid fat content
is measured according by pulsed NMR according to ISO 8292-1:2008 ("Animal and
vegetable
fats and oils - Determination of solid fat content by pulsed NMR - Part 1:
Direct method"),
measurement protocol 1D, parallel method.
Table 2
IV56ie fat properties
General description Interesterified, fractionated
palm oil
Solid fat content (20 C) 25-35 g/100 g
Solid fat content (25 C) 16-26 g/100 g
Solid fat content (30 C) 10-18 g/100 g
Solid fat content (35 C) 6-12 g/100 g
Saturated fatty acid content 43-45 g/100 g
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Trans-fat content 0.94 g/100 g
The above filling cream mixtures were heated to 65 C in a jacketed tank with
stirring. The
mixtures were then cooled in a first heat exchanger (1100 heat exchanger, IBC
Technologies)
at a cooling rate of 1 C per minute and a shear rate of 5 s-1 to a temperature
of 50 C. The
filling cream mixture was then further cooled in a second heat exchanger (T450
heat
exchanger, IBC Technologies) at a cooling rate of 1 C per minute to a
temperature of 35 C.
The resulting cooled filling cream mixture was determined to have a viscosity
of about 10000
cP, which allowed the successful application of the mixture onto a wafer sheet
to give a filling
cream layer with a thickness of approximately 4.0 mm. A second wafer sheet was
applied to
lo the top of the filling cream layer to form a wafer book. The wafer book
was cooled at 12 C for
22 minutes and subsequently cut to provide a book-cut confectionery product
with a filling
cream layer having a thickness of 4.0 mm, which is greater than achievable
using conventional
processes.
The viscosity was measured using a Physica MCR302 Rheometer by Anton Paar with
a
PP75/s (sandblasted probe) geometry and the following method: The height of
the plate was
reduced to 1mm once sample inserted prior to starting the test. The viscosity
was measured
using the following method: The sample was held at starting temperature (65 C
for 30 minutes)
at a shear rate of 5 s-1 for the first interval. The shear rate is inputted
into the rheometer as a
parameter that is controlled by the machine. The next interval cooled the
sample from 65 to
35 C at a cooling rate of 3 C/Minute. The final interval held the sample at
35 C at a shear
rate of 5 s-1 whilst the viscosity was measured.
Comparative Example 1
The salted caramel filling was made according to Table 1. When cooled at a
higher rate than
5 C/Minute with a shear rate of above 250 s-1 the viscosity at layering was
below 5000 cP.
This resulted in a cream that did not set properly and the filling cream layer
thickness was
below the minimum target height of 3.5 mm.
Comparative Example 2
Three different filing cream mixtures with different flavours were formulated,
the ingredients of
which are shown in Table 3 below:
Table 3
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Ingredient Salted Caramel Hazelnut Peanut
(wt.%)
Icing Sugar 51.5 46.1 51.8
Cocoa powder 0.2 6.0 0.1
Lecithin 0.1 0.1 0.3
FAT - IV56ie 30.8 31.0 31.0
NH15 / TC50 0.0 0.0 0.0
Milk Chocolate 2.8 0.0 0.0
Chocolate 0.0 2.9 2.9
Wafer (rework) 13.9 14.0 14.0
Colour 0.1 0.0 0.0
Salt 0.4 0.0 0.0
Flavour 0.3 0.0 0.0
These fillings were heated 45 C to provide a heated filling cream mixture,
before this mixture
was sent to a mixing unit at 45 C. Following this the heated cream mixture
was layered onto
wafer sheets before cooling in a spiral cooler at 10 C for 15 minutes before
book cutting. The
resulting wafer books suffered from excessive delamination and reduced cream
filling height
due to improper setting of the cream after cooling. Hence, the too low initial
heating
temperature and the non-staged cooling provided an inadequate product.
Various aspects and embodiments of the invention are further described by
reference to the
following numbered clauses:
1. A process of preparing a confectionery product comprising a filling
cream layer, the
process comprising:
(a) providing a filling cream mixture comprising one or more added fats,
one or
more added sweeteners, and optionally one or more flavourings;
(b) stirring and heating the mixture to a temperature of at least 55 C to
provide a
heated filling cream mixture;
(c) stirring and cooling the heated mixture to a temperature of: from 20 C
to 45 C
at a cooling rate of less than 5 C per minute and at a shear rate of from 1 s-
1 to 250 s-1, to
provide a cooled filling cream mixture having a viscosity of at least 6000 cP;
and;
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(d) applying the cooled filling cream mixture onto a first edible
substrate, to form a
filling cream layer having a thickness of at least 3.5 mm;
(e) placing a second edible substrate on the filling cream layer to form a
book; and
(f) cutting the book to form a plurality of cut products, and optionally
processing
the cut product to form a confectionery product.
2. A process according to clause 1, wherein step (e) further comprises:
(e-i) applying the cooled filling cream mixture to the second
edible substrate to form
a second filling cream layer, and
(e-ii) placing a third edible substrate, on the second filling cream layer to
form a
multilayer book; and
(e-iii) optionally repeating (e-i) and (e-ii) one or more times.
3. A process according to clause 1 or clause 2, wherein the edible
substrate is a baked
foodstuff, preferably a wafer sheet.
4. A process according to any preceding clause, further comprising cooling
the book prior
to step (f).
5. A process according to the preceding clause wherein cooling the book or
stack of two
or more books is carried out at a temperature of from: 5 C to 20 C, preferably
from 10 C to
15 C, and most preferably about 12 C.
6. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the mixture has a
total fat
content of: from 20 wt.% to 45 wt.%, preferably from 30 wt.% to 35 wt.%, and
most preferably
about 33 wt.%.
7. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the mixture
comprises: from 15
wt.% to 40 wt.%, preferably from 25 wt.% to 35 wt.%, most preferably from 28
wt.% to 32 wt.%
of the one or more added fats.
8. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
added fats
have a solid fat content of: from 15 g/100 g to 60 g/100 g, preferably from 20
g/100 g to 50
g/100 g, and most preferably from 25 g/100 g to 35 g/100 g, at 20 C.
9. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or
more added fats
have a solid fat content of: from 10 g/100 g to 50 g/100 g, preferably from 15
g/100 g to 40
g/100 g, and most preferably from 16 g/100 g and 26 g/100 g, at 25 C.
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10. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
added fats
have a solid fat content of: from 5 g/100 g to 30 g/100 g, preferably from 10
g/100 g to 25
g/100 g, and most preferably from 10 g/100 g to 18 g/100 g, at 30 C.
11. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
added fats
have a solid fat content of: from 2 g/100 g to 20 g/100 g, preferably from 4
g/100 g to 15 g/100
g, and most preferably from 6 g/100 g to 12 g/100 g, at 35 C.
12. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
fats have an
iodine value of: from 30 to 70, preferably from 40 to 60, from 50 to 60,
particularly from 52 to
60, and most preferably about 56.
13. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
fats comprise:
from 30 g/100 g to 70 g/100 g saturated fatty acids, preferably from 40 g/100
g to 60 g/100 g,
from 40 g/100 g to 50 g/100 g, from 40 g/100 g to 45 g/100 g, saturated fatty
acids, and most
preferably about 43 g/100 g of saturated fatty acids.
14. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
fats comprise
less than 2 g/100 g trans fats, and preferably less than 1 g/100 g trans fats.
15. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
fats are
interesterified.
16. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
fats consist of
palm oil.
17. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the mixture
comprises wafer
rework.
18. A process according to the previous clause, wherein the mixture
comprises wafer
rework in an amount from 3 wt.% to 20 wt.%, preferably in an amount from 5
wt.% to 15 wt.%.
19. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the mixture
comprises cocoa
powder.
20. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the mixture is
substantially free
of water.
21. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the mixture
comprises from 30
wt.% to 65 wt.%, preferably 40 wt.% to 60 wt.%, most preferably 45 wt.% to 60
wt.% of one or
more sweeteners.
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22. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
added
sweeteners comprise saccharides (preferably chosen from sucrose, glucose,
galactose,
lactose, maltose, fructose, corn syrup, and polydextrose), and/or polyols
(preferably chosen
from sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, isomalt, xylitol or erythritol).
22. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
added
sweeteners comprise monosaccharides and disaccharides, preferably chosen from
sucrose,
glucose, galactose, lactose, maltose, and fructose, most preferably sucrose.
23. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the one or more
added
sweeteners consist of sucrose.
24. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein stirring and
cooling the heated
mixture takes place at a shear rate of from 1 s-1 to 200 s-1, preferably 1 s-1
to 100 s-1, and most
preferably 1 s-1 to 50 s-1.
25. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the mixture is
heated to a
temperature of: from 60 C to 70 C, preferably from 63 C to 68 C, and more
preferably about
65 C.
26. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the cooling rate
is less than
5.0 C per minute, preferably less than 4 C per minute, and most preferably
less than 3 C per
minute; or wherein the cooling rate is: from 0.5 C per minute to 4.5 C per
minute, preferably
from 1 C per minute to 3.5 C per minute, more preferably from 1 C per minute
to 3 C per
minute, or from 1 C per minute to 2.5 C per minute, or from 1 C per minute to
2 C per minute.
27. A process according to any preceding clause, wherein the cooling rate
is about 1.0 C
per minute.
28. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the shear rate is:
from 1 s-1 to
20 s-1, preferably from 1 s-1 to 10 s-1, and most preferably about 5 s-1.
29. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the heated mixture
is cooled in
a first heat exchanger to an intermediate temperature, following by being
further cooled in a
second heat exchanger to the layering temperature.
30. A process according to the previous clause wherein the
intermediate temperature is:
from 40 C to 60 C, preferably from 45 C to 55 C, and most preferably about 50
C.
31. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the cooled mixture
has a
viscosity of: 6000 cP to 15000 cP, and preferably 9000 cP to 11000 cP.
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32. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the cooled mixture
has a
viscosity of about 10000 cP.
33. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the heated mixture
is cooled to
a temperature of: from 30 C to 40 C, preferably from 32 C to 38 C, and most
preferably from
34 C to 36 C.
34. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the heated mixture
is cooled to
a temperature of about 35 C.
35. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the filling cream
layer(s) has a
thickness of: from 3.8 mm to 4.5 mm, preferably from 3.9 mm to 4.5 mm, and
more preferably
from 4.0 to 4.5 mm.
36. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the filling cream
layer(s) have a
thickness of from 4.0 to 4.2 mm, preferably about 4.0 mm.
37. A process according to any preceding clause wherein the confectionery
product
consists of a filling cream layer sandwiched between two wafer layers.
38. A process according to any preceding clause wherein step (g) comprises
enrobing the
cut edible substrate in chocolate.
39. A confectionery product produced by a process according to any
preceding clause.
40. A book-cut confectionery product comprising two or more edible
substrate layers and
one or more filling cream layers in between the edible substrate layers,
wherein:
the one or more filling cream layers comprise one or more added fats, one or
more
sugars, and optionally one or more flavourings;
the one or more filling cream layers have a thickness of greater than 3.5 mm,
wherein the one or more filling cream layers are as defined in any of clauses
6 to 23.
41. A confectionery product according to clause 40, wherein the one or more
edible
substrate layers is a baked foodstuff, preferably a wafer sheet.
42. A confectionery product according to clause 40 or clause 41, wherein
one or more of
the filing cream layers has a thickness of: from 3.8 mm to 4.5 mm, preferably
from 3.9 mm to
4.5 mm, and more preferably from 4.0 to 4.5 mm.
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43. A confectionery product according to any of clauses 40, 41 or 42,
wherein one or more
of the filling cream layers has a thickness of from 4.0 to 4.2 mm, preferably
about 4.0 mm.
44. A confectionery product according to any of clauses 40, 41 or 42,
wherein the
confectionery product consists of a filling cream layer sandwiched between two
wafer layers.
45. A confectionery product according to any of clauses 40, 41 or 42,
wherein the
confectionery product comprises a filling cream layer as defined in any of
clauses 6 to 23,
sandwiched between two wafer layers, preferably wherein the confectionery
product is
chocolate coated.
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