METHODE DE PRODUCTION DE SOUDRE DE CHOCOLAT ET POUDRE DE CHOCOLAT

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CHOCOLATE POWDER AND CHOCOLATE POWDER

Abrégé anglais

A b s t r a c t :

The present invention relates to a process for producing a
chocolate powder with improved properties as regards taste
and dissolving behaviour, said process comprising

- producing cocoa powder enriched with lecithin;

- mixing the cocoa powder enriched with lecithin with
ingredients like saccharose, dectrose, lactose and common
salt, to a powder mixture; and

- processing said powder to particles having a size bigger
than 5 mm.

Revendications

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THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. Process for producing chocolate powder which is
soluble in cold liquids, especially in milk, with a high
content of lightly deoiled cocoa powder, comprising the
following process steps:

a) producing lightly deoiled cocoa powder (fat level 20%
22%) with a content of lecithin, such that the lecithin
content in the chocolate powder comes to 0.5% - 1.5%,
especially 0.9%,

b) mixing this cocoa powder with ingredients like
saccharose, dextrose, lactose, common salt, to a powder
mixture with a cocoa powder content of at least 32%.


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2. Process according to claim 1, wherein at least two
different intermediate cocoa powder products are mixed to-
gether for making lightly deoiled cocoa powder with a high
content of lecithin (0.5% - 1.5%, especially 0.9%), with
one of said intermediate products consisting of lightly
deoiled cocoa powder with a relatively high fat content of
about 22% - 24% and the other intermediate product con-
sisting of a deoiled cocoa powder with a fat content of
about 18% - 20% and a high lecithin content of about 4% -
6%, especially 5%.

3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the
powder mixture is processed to particles having a size
bigger than 0.5 mm.

4. Process according to claim 2 and one or more of the
further claims, wherein the two intermediate cocoa powder
products are mixed in the ratio of 1 : 1.

5. Process according to claim 2 and one or more of the
further claims, comprising the following process steps for
producing the lecithin-containing intermediate cocoa powder
product:

a) Crushing pressed cocoa cake with a fat content of 18 -
20% by weight into coarse fragments,
b) subsequent spraying of said fragments with lecithin,

c) subsequent grinding of the lecithinized fragments to
cocoa powder.


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6. Process according to claim 1 and one or more of the
further claims, wherein the chocolate powder which is
agglomerated by means of water and/or water vapour and
which is subsequently dried, is submitted to a (first)
sieving process in order to sieve out fine sizes.

7. Process according to claim 6 and one or more of the
further claims, wherein after a stabilizing or resting
period of several, especially three days, the chocolate
powder is again submitted to a sieving process in order to
sieve out fine sizes, such that the chocolate powder ready
to be packed has a size of grain bigger than 0.5 mm.

8. Chocolate powder, produced according to the process
as defined in one or more of the preceding claims, com-
prising a powder mixture of the following composition:
32 - 36 % by weight (with respect to the powder mixture)
Cocoa Powder enriched with Lecithin,
38 - 42 % by weight Saccharose,
18 - 20 % by weight Dextrose,
4 - 6 % by weight Lactose,
0.2% by weight Common Salt.

9. Chocolate powder according to claim 8, comprising a
content of lightly deoiled cocoa powder of 32 - 36% by
weight.

10. Chocolate powder according to claim 8 or 9, com-
prising a lecithin content of 0.8 - 1% by weight with
respect to the total quantity of the chocolate powder.


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11. Chocolate powder according to clams 8 to 10, where-
in the size of particles is bigger than 0.5 mm.

Description

749~




D e s c r i P t_i o n :

The ;nvention relates to a process for producing chocolate
powder which is soluble, especially in milk, and which has
a high content of lightly deoiled cocoa powder.

Chocolate powder is generally understood to be a mixture of
at least 32% lightly deoiled cocoa powder (dry, 20% - 22%
fat) and saccharose as well as optionally further in-
gredients. Chocolate powder is preferably used for baking
and less suitable for preparing beverages.

The cocoa-containing products on the market for instant
preparation of beverages are not by definition chocolate
powders but cocoa-containing instant-drink powders. In con-




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trast to chocolate powder, they are made using cocoa powder
with a low fat content (e.g. 11%). The content of cocoa
powder is below 20~, thus being less than in chocolate
powder. The instant-powders are usually more or less
5 soluble in hot or cold milk and do not claim to have a
spec;al chocolate taste. They are enriched for example with
cinnamon, vanilla, nut or other aroma substances and are
marketed with fantasy names. The dissolving behaviour or
wettability of these powders is supported by the use of
highly deoiled cocoa (approx. 11% fat) and approx. 1%
lecithin functioning as emulsifier. One disadvantage of
these products is, that they do not have a distinct choc-
olate flavour.

In order to improve the chocolate taste, the cocoa content
of the powder for preparing the beverage has to be in-
creased. According to the regulations, chocolate powder con-
tains at least 32% lightly deoiled cocoa powder (with a fat
content of 20~ - 22%~. This substantially higher fat con-
20 tent in the beverage powder impairs the solub;lity in coldliquids, especially in milk. Although the solubility of the
cocoa or chocolate powder in milk or the like is improved
by adding lecithin, it is difficult to add a significant,
i.e. permissible quantity of lecithin to a chocolate powder
25 with a high fat content (lightly deoiled), as then this
fat-like product is not accepted any more by the cocoa
powder and leads to lumping.

The invention is based on the object to suggest a cocoa-con-
30 taining beverage powder and a process for producing said
powder, which has a high content of lightly deoiled cocoa
powdér, especially one which is conforming to the cocoa
powder content required for chocolate powder.

35 In order to achieve this object, the process according to
the invention comprises the following steps:




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a) producing lightly deoiled cocoa powder (fat level 20%
22%) with a content of lecithin such that the lecithin
content in the chocolate powder comes to 0.5% - 1.5%,
preferably 0.9%,




b) mixing th;s cocoa powder with ingredients like
saccharose, dextrose, lactose, common salt, to a powder
mixture with a content of cocoa powder of at least 32%.

A chocolate powder produced this way is soluble in cold
liquids, including cold milk, because of the relatively
high content of lecithin. Due to the high content of light-
ly deoiled cocoa powder, the beverage powder produced
according to the invention conforms to the quality of a
15 chocolate powder.

A special subject of the invention is the production of the
lightly deoiled cocoa powder with a relatively high
lecithin content of about 2.5% with respect to the quantity
20 of cocoa powder. Surprisingly, such a cocoa powder can be
produced according to the invention by way of mixing at
least two intermediate cocoa powder products of different
compositions. One of these intermediate products consists
of lightly deoiled cocoa powder with a relatively high fat
25 content of approx. 22% - 24% and the other of a highly de-
oiled cocoa powder with a fat content of approx. 18% - 20%
and a high lecithin content of approx. 4% - 6%, especially
5%.

30 Th;s process surprisingly effects the finished cocoa mix-
ture to have a relatively high fat content of about 21% as
well as a high lecithin content of about 2.5% This highly
lecithinized cocoa powder made by mixing the two inter-
mediate cocoa powder products can now be further processed
35 in the described way in order to make a beverage powder
having the properties of a chocolate powder.




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In order to improve the solubility of the cocoa-containing
powder in cold liquids, especially milk, it surprsingly
proved to be of advantage to regulate the size of grain of
the finished beverage powder such that there are no fine
5 sizes in the powder, but only grains of a size bigger than
approx. 0.5 mm.

After the chocolate powder has been produced, it is there-
fore submitted to a (first) sieving process, in order to
sieve out fine sizes of the powder. It is of particular
importance that thereafter, specifically after a longer
period of for instance three days of storing the beverage
powder, fine sizes are again sieved out immediately before
the packaging of the powder, specifically with a sieve
15 having a mesh size of about 0.5 mm. The beverage powder
packaged thereafter is readily soluble in cold milk etc.,
in spite of the high content of lightly deoiled cocoa
powder.

20 Lecithin can be combined in different ways with the (highly
deoiled) cocoa powder or intermediate cocoa powder product.
It is of advantage to proceed such that a pressed cocoa
cake with the fat level "highly deoiled", i.e. with a fat
content of 18% - 20% (by weight), is made and crushed to
25 coarse fragments. Liquid lecithin is then sprayed on said
fragments and subseguently the lecithinized fragments are
ground to a powder. Herewith, the lecithin-containing high-
ly deoiled intermediate cocoa powder product is made, which
forms the chocolate powder together with the very lightly
30 deoiled cocoa powder and other components.

The chocolate or beverage powder can contain the two inter-
mediate cocoa powder products in a ratio of 1 : 1. In the
process of production, the powder is agglomerated by means
35 of water and/or water vapour, subsequently dried and then
submitted to the first sieving process for sieving out fine
sizes.




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074


In the aforement;oned process, the lec;thin can also be
sprayed directly on the pressed cake, before it is crushed.

In order for the finished beverage or chocolate powder to
s have a lecith;n content of about 0.9%, the lecithin-contain-
ing intermediate cocoa powder product has to have a
lecithin content of about 5%.

The mater;al further hardens during storage of the finish-
ed, agglomerated powder mixture in relatively small con-
tainers, especially 25 kg bags. The fine grains (smaller
than 0.5 mm) separated in the subsequent (second) sieving
process are returned to the product;on process.

5 An example of the compos;t;on of a chocolate powder soluble
in cold l;quids produced according to the invention ;s
given below:

ExamPle: Chocolate Powder
Saccharose 40.850% by we;ght
Cocoa Powder I 17.425% by weight
- Intermediate Cocoa Powder Product -
(fat content 19%, lecithin content 5%)
2s Cocoa Powder II 17.425% by weight
- Intermediate Cocoa Powder Product -
(fat content 23%)
Dextrose, anhydrous 19.600% by weight
Lactose 4.500% by weight
Common Salt 0.200% by weight
.~
The lec;thin content of 5~ in cocoa powder I leads to a
lecithin content of 2.5% ;n the cocoa m;xture (= Gocoa
powder enr;ched with lecithin according to patent claim 1,
35 process step A); the chocolate powder then contains about
0.9% of lecithin.




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