MXPA06005936A - Tropicalizing agent, and methods for making and using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A tropicalizing agent including a liquid fat component and a plurality of gel beads that include a sugar or polyol in an amount of about 20 to 50 weight percent of the gel beads, an emulsifier component to facilitate uniform gel bead distribution, and the remainder being water present in an amount sufficient to ensure that the sugar or polyol is present in aqueous form. Preferably, the liquid fat component is present in an amount sufficient to disperse the gel beads therein and wherein a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact for at least about 4 hours after being cooled below about 30°C. Methods of making tropicalizing agents and using the agents to tropicalizechocolate products or analogues thereof, as well as the resultant chocolate or chocolate analogue articles, are also included.

Description

TRÓPICALIZANTE AGENT, AND METHODS TO DO IT AND USE IT Technical field The present invention is directed to tropicalizing agents, methods for making them, and methods for tropicalizing chocolate or chocolate analogs, and to articles resulting therefrom to increase the resistance to loss of form.

Environment of the technique. Conventionally manufactured chocolate consists of sugars, cocoa solids and protein (usually milk) dispersed homogeneously in fats and fatty substances originating from cocoa butter. Chocolate analogues contain other vegetable fats. Often the continuous phase of fat also contains dairy fat.

Since the fatty components are the continuous phase of the chocolate, the storage stability and the temperature behavior depend mainly on the physical properties of the fatty phase. Cocoa butter is polymorphic. Six crystal shapes have been described - with different melting characteristics, as mentioned below in Table 1 (G. Talbot, Fat eutectics and crystallization, (? Eutectic and crystallization of fats'), in Physico-chemical aspects of good processing (Beckett, S.T., ed.). Black Academic and Professional, London, 1995, pp. 142-166). Tempering, as a part of the chocolate manufacturing process, focuses on ensuring that cocoa butter crystallizes primarily in the V and VI forms of the glass, which have the highest melting temperatures.

'Table 1: Melting points of polymorphs of cocoa butter.

Form of the Glass Melting Point (° C) I 16-18 II 21-22 III 25.5 IV 27-29 V 34-35 VI 36 However, cocoa butter typically begins to soften at about 28 ° C, with the consequent loss of the mechanical strength of the chocolate. This means that at the high environmental temperatures that are often found in tropical countries, the Chocolate becomes sticky or even melts. It tends to stick to the wrapper and tear when the wrap is removed, leaving a semi-liquid dough that can often only be eaten with a spoon, if you want to clean it. The wrapped chocolate products typically lose their integrity under these conditions, their contents often drip and the individual units tend to stick together within the package. Chocolate also loses the 'crunchiness', which is an important (and pleasurable) texture characteristic of chocolate stored and eaten under colder conditions. Another problem associated with the low melting point of cocoa butter is that of the exudate, which is caused by the. separation of the cocoa butter on the surface of the chocolate products at high temperatures, followed by its subsequent crystallization when the temperature drops. This gives an unpleasant gray appearance to the product, similar to mold. It seems that repeated exposure to hot and cold cycles particularly stimulates exudate.

The attempts to produce a chocolate that is resistant to heat are numerous, and date back to the beginning of the last century. German Patent No. 389 127 (1919), for example, describes an invention in which mixes water with cocoa dough and sugar, which is reported to provide a solid chocolate mass, stable to heat. Some of the most recent developments have been built on this principle of adding water to chocolate to increase its viscosity, thereby making it more resistant.

The active techniques used to achieve heat resistance in chocolate can be divided into the following two groups, depending on the approach used: 1) incorporation of fats with high melting point; 2) creation of a three-dimensional matrix or a network of sugar crystals or protein particles that will act as a sponge and hold the fat, thus maintaining the structure of the product, even when the fat is in fact liquid. In general, many different methods have been reported. Often the methods used overlap and the products gain their stability to heat from a combination of stabilizing strategies of the structure.

The incorporation of fats with high melting point is the least used method to increase the heat resistance of chocolate. For example, it has long been known that illipé butter (Borneo tallow) it can be used to increase the heat resistance of chocolates and covers designed for tropical conditions (see, for example, Lees, R. and Jackson, EB, Sugar confectionery and chocolate manufacture ("Sugar confectionery and chocolate manufacture"). ), Leonard Hill, 1973, pp. 149-151) The illipé comes from a tree seed not unlike cocoa beans, it is similar to cocoa butter (and therefore physically compatible with it) but has a slightly higher melting temperature (37-38 ° C) Modified vegetable fats have been developed as substitutes for cocoa butter, which improve the heat stability of the product, and make it cheaper to produce. partial hydrogenation of the natural fats, which results in the transformation of unsaturated fatty acids into saturated and trans, increasing the melting point (see, for example, British Patent No. 1 595 70 6 (1978)).

Alternatively, mixtures of fats and fats fractions can be used from different sources, thereby allowing the tailor-made manufacture of chocolate ingredients with different melt behaviors, as described in British Patent No. 1 495 254 (1973).

However, there are two main objections to the use of high fusibility fats in chocolate. First, food regulations in many countries restrict the use of substitutes for cocoa butter. Second, fats with a high melting point in chocolate-like products leave an unpleasant waxy sensation in the mouth. This is because the fat now has a melting point too high to melt in the mouth, and therefore to provide the attractive characteristic of the 'clean' feeling in the mouth that exists in conventional chocolate and that is expected by consumers of chocolate and chocolate analogues. Therefore, fats with a high melting point tend not to be widely used.

The other method to increase the resistance to heat is the creation of a structure in the continuous phase of the fat. In this method, a network of non-fat particles, such as sugar crystals or milk proteins, is typically constructed. This can form a porous structure that can help retain liquid fat like a sponge, while at the same time conferring sufficient mechanical rigidity to maintain the structural shape of the product.

Most of the methods to build these structures exploit the fact that the moisture in the chocolate mass can cause the adhesion of the sugar crystals. For example, attempts have been made to develop the structure using a less intensive and shortened concheo of an easy-to-mix chocolate mass. Supposedly, this leaves a proportion of the surfaces of the sugar and the milk particles free of any fat cover - the fat being melted and distributed only enough in the. surface of particles to give the degree of fluidity necessary for subsequent operations. The moisture in the mass then causes the adhesion of the adjacent bare faces of the sugar crystals, which in this way form a sponge-like structure that resists the deformation of the mass at higher temperatures in which the fat is liquid .

A drawback of this method is a poorly developed chocolate flavor, as described in 'US Patent NO. 2,760,867 (1951). This patent describes a method that allows the manufacture of heat-stable chocolate products with a fully developed chocolate flavor. A small amount (< 3%) of water containing an emulsifier (which includes among other things lecithin, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan monostearate and sorbitan monopalmitate), is added under controlled conditions of temperature (80-95 ° C) and agitation. Supposedly, this provides the preferential adsorption of water through the milk and skimmed solids. The product is then tempered in the usual manner before being used for molding or wrapping. The patent teaches that milk solids become fluffed and at least partially assembled, thus providing a stable network.

In US Patent No. 2,904,438 a slightly different method has been described, in which humectants such as glucose syrup solids, dextrose, maltose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol and the like, are incorporated with other chocolate ingredients, before the step of refinement. The sugars should preferably be in the amorphous state, thus providing the best moisture-adsorbing properties. Then the product is exposed to humid conditions (50-70% relative humidity) for 2-4 weeks. The patent teaches that after adsorption of moisture the humectants interact with the protein components of the milk powder particles to establish a network structure.

Another method in which polyols are used is described in US Patent NO. 5,445,843 (1995). The polyol (such as glycerol) is encapsulated by emulsifying it with a liquid fat (such as molten cocoa butter) and then spray cooling the emulsion. The "capsules" (which have an average diameter of 100 microns) are added to the liquid chocolate mass to achieve a polyol content of from 0.2 to 5% by weight. The product remains liquid long enough to be molded.

In Swiss Patent No. 399,891 and in German Patent Application No. 1,929,447, there is disclosed a method for manufacturing a chocolate product that is heat resistant but does not contain any milk component (i.e., pure chocolate). In this invention, a finely milled amorphous sugar is prepared from sucrose and an anti-crystallizing substance, such as glucose syrup or invert sugar. The sugar mixture is mixed with a conventional chocolate confectionery mass containing crystalline sucrose. Then the dough is tempered to about 30 ° C in the conventional manner. The formed and cooled chocolate products are hermetically wrapped and stored for 10 to 60 days at a temperature between 20 ° C and 35 ° C. The two Patents teach that, during this heat treatment, the amorphous sugar particles they stick together forming a sponge-like network that prevents the collapse of the product at higher temperatures. This method suffers from the disadvantages of that it requires extra equipment for the preparation of the finely ground amorphous sugar mixture, and of the heat treatment which takes time for the development of the network structure.

Japanese Patent No. 53-59072 describes a method for avoiding a long heat treatment, using an amorphous sugar coated with sodium caseinate, or with a mixture of sodium caseinate and non-fat milk solids. The covered amorphous sugar portion (15 to 20%) is added together with all the other ingredients of the chocolate before roller refinement and the chocolate mass is processed using the conventional steps. During the conch, the moisture content of the chocolate mass is adjusted to not less than 1.6%, but not more than 3%. The formed and cooled chocolate products are wrapped and stored at a temperature between 20 ° C and 30 ° C for two weeks, to establish the sugar network. The patent teaches that cooking amorphous sugar with sodium caseinate, or with a mixture of sodium caseinate and non-fat milk solids, prevents the immediate absorption of moisture (and hence the crystallization of amorphous sugar) during the processing of the chocolate mass. Without However, sodium caseinate tends to adversely affect the taste characteristics of chocolate.

A different approach is described in British Patent No. 1,490,814 and in Swiss Patent No. 519,858. In this method, a sugar network provides a stable structure at elevated temperatures, but without the disadvantage of the "non-lubricated" surface found in the above methods. The British Patent describes a method in which the fat components of a chocolate composition are emulsified in an aqueous solution of highly concentrated sugar. Sufficient water is evaporated from the solution to inhibit the separation of the fatty phase which is thus delivered encapsulated in an amorphous sugar matrix during the forming and drying of the heat-resistant product. An emulsifier (lecithin 0.4 to 1.1%) is used to stabilize the emulsion. This method provides a chocolate product with a highly unusual texture.

In another, very different approach, US Patent No. 4,701,337 (1985) describes a method for the preparation of a thermally reversible thixotropic material (described as a gel) consisting of cocoa butter and a dipeptide hydrated sweetener, such as aspartame. East It is used as the fat component, mixed with conventional chocolate components, and then. it is refined, conched and tempered in the usual way. The "gel" typically constitutes 5 to 40% by weight of the final product. The inventors report that the cocoa butter is retained within the gel structure, giving a chocolate that does not "melt" in the hand or at body temperature.

Many methods have been described for causing the accretion of sugar crystals by adding water or a polio to chocolate, as originally described in the aforementioned German Patent No. 389,127 (1919). A more recent variation is described in the Swiss Patent -No. 409, 603 (1962). The water is added directly to the liquid mass of chocolate causing a rapid increase in viscosity. As a result, it is impossible to use this material for molding or wrapping. Instead, the composition is milled and the powder pressed into its shape by compression molding.

The European Patent Specification No. 0.189.469 (1965) describes a method for mixing a polio! liquid with a mass of warm chocolate before depositing it in the molds. Preference is given to polyols that they are liquid at room temperature (such as glycerol), although, the patent teaches that higher fusibility polyols (such as sorbitol) can also be used. The mixture is maintained at slightly elevated temperatures (24 ° C to 35 ° C) for a short period of time in which the viscosity is raised. It is established that this is the result of a chemical reaction between the grease and the polyol. The time and temperature of the retention period are the critical parameters that control the increase in viscosity - the viscosity must remain sufficiently low for subsequent molding or wrapping operations. It is reported that the finished chocolate product has enough internal structure to . you remain solid above the melting temperature of the fat.

US Pat. No. 4,446,166 (1983) discloses a method using emulsification to avoid too rapid incorporation of water in chocolate. HE twenty . prepare an oil-in-water emulsion (typically 50% water, 50% fat) with cocoa butter, using lecifin as an emulsifier. The emulsion is cooled and milled to give partially or totally solid particles which are then added to the chocolate mass at levels between 2 and 10%.

Once incorporated into the liquid mass of chocolate heated, the emulsion particles will melt, releasing the water droplets. A disadvantage of this method is the need to ensure a homogeneous distribution of the emulsion particles before they are melted. The premature release of water causes a sudden increase in viscosity that makes chocolate unsuitable for molding or wrapping.

European Patent Application No. 0,297; 054 (1988) teaches an improved method for dispersing water homogeneously using an aqueous foam. The foam is stabilized with an edible foaming agent (such as egg albumin) and added to the chocolate dough prepared in a conventional manner after tempering. The patent teaches that the addition of the foam to levels delivering from 0.5 to 2% water was reported with a non-remarkable increase in viscosity to provide a treated chocolate usable for molding or wrapping. The trapped gases can be removed from the still liquid product, exposing it to reduced pressure. European Patent Application No. 0,407,347 teaches the same method, but describes a broader range of foaming agents. These include esters of fatty acids (preferably saturated, with more than 12 carbon atoms) and glycols and polyols (eg, erythritol, inositol, mono-, di- and triglycerides of glycerol, sorbitol and the polyalkylene glycols).

European Patent Application No. 0,393,327 Bl (1990) describes another variation in which the aqueous phase of the oil-in-water emulsion contains sugars (such as sucrose and glucose) or polyols (such as sorbitol). The patent teaches the preparation of the emulsion with 30 to 60% fat, using the emulsifying agent at a level of 0.1 to 3%. Suitable emulsifying agents are lecithin, glycerol fatty acid ester, polyglycerol fatty acid ester, polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid ester, and sucrose fatty acid ester such as an HLB of not more than 7. The sugar level or polyol in the aqueous phase of the emulsion can be between 20 and 60% and the water level between 15 and 25%. It is reported that the sugar or polyol in the aqueous phase provides a softer texture to the heat stable chocolate mass. However, a storage period of about 20 days is required for the correct development of the internal structure.

A similar method is described in the Patent European No. 0,442,324 A2 (1991). An oil-in-water emulsion is prepared by mixing 30-80% of an oil or fat (eg, cocoa butter) in water containing an small amount of a suitable emulsifier. The emulsion is mixed at a level of about 5% with a mass of chocolate conventionally prepared and tempered which is then molded. It is established that it is important to control that the temperature is not higher than 32.22 ° C to keep the oil-in-water emulsion stable. The homogeneously dispersed water generates an increase in the viscosity of the chocolate mass during the solidification of the finished product. However, it is also necessary to store the molded product for several days, to establish the stability to heat.

A variation of this is described in US Patent No. 5,486,376 (1996) These inventors describe the use of water-in-oil micro emulsions to introduce finely dispersed water into the chocolate mass, a form of this technology described more recently. , is described in US Patent No. 6,159,526 (2000) Water is added to chocolate as a water-in-oil emulsion stabilized through sucrose fatty acid esters (HLB < 3) .The invention is primarily concerned with the addition of water-based flavors to chocolate.

Another more recent patent immobilizes the water within other ingredients before adding it to the ' chocolate. International Patent No. WO 93/06737 (1993) describes methods for making masses and creams by adding water to "Raftilina" (inulin), to starches (potatoes and corn), to "Splendid", or gum arabic. Then the dough is added to the tempered chocolate that is molded ten minutes to give a heat resistant product with a moisture content of about 2.5%.

US Patent No. 5,468,509 (1995) describes a method for adding up to 16% water to chocolate. Supposedly the chocolate remains oldeable. Two mixtures are prepared. (1) The cocoa is covered with cocoa butter in the presence of an emulsifier and (2) water, a sweetener and milk solids are mixed to form an aqueous phase. The two are mixed gently and the product is molded. .

In US Patent No. 5,965,179 (1999) a process for adding water to chocolate using extrusion technology is described. The water is added as an aqueous dispersion of micro crystalline cellulose (described as a "gel"). This dispersion is injected into the chocolate using a twin-screw extruder in order to form a product containing from 3 to 20% of added water.

All these • references from the prior art . they have one or more deficiencies, such as the release of water in the chocolate mass, which occurs early in the process and is not retarded enough for the material to be used for the typical wrapping processes; The dispersion and release of water is not under control sufficiently fine to avoid the development of unpleasant sandy textures in the final product; and / or an inconveniently long storage time is required for the complete development of the structures required to provide stability.

Therefore, it is still desired to provide a tropical agent! This will retard any substantial increase in viscosity, so that the materials can be used for conventional molding or wrapping processes and that provide the tropicalized product with adequate texture and stability, or integrity, after a short storage time. .

Description, of the invention. The invention encompasses tropicalizing agents that include a liquid fat component, and a plurality of gel beads that include sugar, a polyol, or any combination thereof, in an amount of "about 20 to 50 percent by weight of the pearls of ge! and an emulsifying component to facilitate the proper distribution of the size of the gel beads, the remainder being present in a sufficient amount of water. ensure that the sugar and / or polio! are present in aqueous form temporarily trapped inside the gel beads. In a preferred embodiment, the liquid fat component is present in an amount sufficient to disperse the gel beads therein and where a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact, in the tropicalizing agent, for at least about 8 hours after having been cooled below about 40 ° C. The gel beads preferably contain about 20 to 60 percent by weight of water, and are typically • microscopic. Also, in a preferred embodiment, most of the gel beads of the tropicalizing agent - remain substantially intact, in the chocolate or the liquid chocolate analog, for at least 4 hours after being cooled to below 30 ° C. In another preferred embodiment, the emulsifier component is present in a sufficient amount such that a plurality of the gel precursors of the gel beads form a water-in-oil emulsion with the liquid fat component, before gelling.

'In a preferable representation, the pearls of The gel also includes a gelling component in an amount sufficient to facilitate gelation of the gel beads. Typically, when present, the gelling component is present at less than about 6 percent by weight of the tropicalizing agent, and includes at least two of: carolagen, iota-carogen, locust bean gum, agar, aiginate, one or more milk proteins, and gelatin. In a preferred embodiment, the gelling component includes at least the carogen-layer, iota-carogen and locust bean gum. In a preferred embodiment, the gelling component. It is completely dissolved in sugar and / or polio syrup! to facilitate the dispersion of the sun precursors from the gel beads within the liquid fat component.

In a preferred embodiment, the gel beads further include a gel solidifying agent in an amount sufficient to facilitate gelation of the gel beads. Typically, when present, the gel solidifying agent is present at less than about 0.5 percent by weight of the tropicalizing agent.

Preferably, the gel beads are at least substantially spherical. Gel beads typically have an average size, e.g. ex. , up close, from 20 to 80 microns in diameter. In a preferred embodiment, the components of the liquid fat include cocoa butter or one or more cocoa butter substitutes.

It is desirable that at least substantially all the gel beads remain intact for at least about 8 hours of formation of the tropicalizing agent, preferably after the formation of a chocolate or cocoa analogue containing it. In a preferred embodiment it is only after an activation mechanism, such as cooling the chocolate or the chocolate analog, that the gel peels of the tropicalizing agent slowly release their contents. In a preferred embodiment, the tropicalizing agent 'provides no more than about 1.5 percent by weight of. water (as part of the sugar and / or polyol syrup) to the chocolate or the chocolate analogue.

In one embodiment, the sugar and / or the polyol syrup which are released from the gel beads of the tropicalizing agent change the structure of the sugar in the chocolate or in the chocolate analogue in such a way that it becomes present in the form of a plurality of rings or chains of thin crystals. Typically, these rings or chains have a size, i.e., a diameter or length, respectively, from about 50 μra to 500 μm, and preferably from 100 μm to 300 μm, and typically a thickness of only 1 to 5 sugar crystals.

The gelling component is typically provided in an amount of about 0.2 to 1.2 percent by weight of the. aqueous phase of the polymerizing agent. In a preferred embodiment, the sugar or polyol includes sucrose. In another preferred embodiment, the liquid fat includes one or more vegetable fats which are the same as the fat used to prepare the chocolate analogue mass, in order to increase the compatibility and stability of the tropicalized chocolate mass.

Each of the representations described above also applies to additional aspects of the invention discussed below.

The invention encompasses a chocolate or an analogue thereof formed from the tropicalizing agent in an amount sufficient to increase the integrity and retention of the shape of the chocolate or analog thereof. In one embodiment, the gel beads of this chocolate or analog thereof include the crystals of sugar present in the form of a plurality of rings or chains each having a size. in diameter or length from about 50 μm to 500 μm.

The invention also relates to a process for preparing a tropicalizing agent by providing a plurality of gel beads that include one or more sugars or polyols in an amount of about 20 to 50 percent by weight of the gel beads, an emulsifying component to facilitate uniform distribution of the size of the gel beads, the remainder being water, present in an amount sufficient to ensure that the sugar or polyol, or both, are present in aqueous form, and to disperse the gel beads into a component of liquid fat present in an amount sufficient to disperse the gel beads therein. Preferably, the emulsifying component is present in a sufficient amount such that the gel precursor of the gel beads forms a water-in-oil emulsion with the liquid fat component before gelling. In another preferred embodiment, the liquid fat component is present in an amount sufficient to disperse therein the gel beads and where a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact for at least about 8 hours after being cooled below about 40 ° C The invention also encompasses a process for tropicalizing chocolate, or an analog thereof, that combines a chocolate or chocolate analogue mass., optionally a tempered chocolate mass or an un-tempered chocolate analogue mass, with a sufficient amount of tropicalizing agent, including (a) a plurality of gel beads comprising water (as a syrup) in an amount of about 1 at 2 percent by weight of the tropicalized chocolate mass, an emulsifying component to facilitate uniform distribution of the gel beads, and sugar (s) or polyol (s), or both, in an amount of about 20 to 50 percent per weight of the gel beads, and (b) a liquid fat component present in an amount sufficient to ensure that the gel beads are dispersed therein, and that initiates the release of water syrup and sugar or polyol, or both, of the beads, so as to increase the structure of the tropicalized chocolate mass. Preferably, the amount of tropicalizing agent is sufficient to increase the integrity and retention of the shape of the tropicalized chocolate mass compared to a non-tropicalized mass.

In one embodiment, the combination includes dispersing, at least substantially uniformly, the tropicalizing agent in the chocolate or analog mass. Preferably, the dough can be pieforinated. In another embodiment, the initiation liberration includes reducing the temperature of the tropicalized chocolate mass to about -5 ° C to -15 ° C. In yet another embodiment, the chocolate mass is the least partially tempered before combining with it the tropicalizing agent; In another embodiment, the release of the gel bead can be initiated by providing sufficient energy to cause a majority of the beads to begin to disintegrate, e.g. ex. , microwave, ultrasound, or similar, or a combination thereof.

Brief description of the drawings. Other representations and drawings of the invention can be checked from the following detailed description, which is provided in connection with the drawings described below: Figure 1 illustrates a graph of apparent viscosity (in Brabender units) for chocolate- with the addition of 1.5% water as dispersed sucrose syrup as the tropicalizing agent according to the invention; Figure 2 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of the drip test to test the stability of the food product; Y ? Figure 3 illustrates a microscopy image of a gel bead during cooling of a chocolate mass, showing the activation of the release of the syrup according to the invention.

Detailed description of preferable representations. The present invention provides novel tropicalizing agents that can be used to stabilize other food products for tropical or other heat conditions, as well as a new way of manufacturing chocolates and chocolate analogs that are suitable for storage, transportation, and storage. hygienic consumption under tropical conditions. Chocolate or other food products tropicalized with the tropicalizing agents of the invention, can be used to manufacture molded or wrapped products that do not have the gritty texture found in tropicalized chocolates by conventional methods such as those mentioned above. The tropicalizing agent of the invention is achieved advantageously including a liquid fat component, and a plurality of gel beads that include one or more sugars, polyols or both, in an amount of about 20 to 50 percent by weight of the gel beads, the remainder being water present in an amount sufficient to ensure that the sugar or polyol is present in aqueous form. The aqueous form is typically a syrup. It is preferable that 1 component of liquid fat be present in an amount sufficient to disperse the gel beads therein, and that a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact for at least 8 hours after being cooled below of 40 ° C, and that a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact for at least 4 hours after the final product has cooled below about 30 ° C. Optionally, but preferably, cooling takes place in the presence of a gel solidifying agent, which may be included in the gel beads or in any other part of the tropicalizing agent, or in the final food product to which the agent is added. tropicalizing Preferably, the gel beads also include an emulsifying component in an amount sufficient to form a water-in-oil emulsion of the sun precursor of the gel beads with the liquid fat component before gelation. Optional but preferably, in the tropicalizing agents of the invention may include a gelling component in an amount sufficient to facilitate gelation of the gel beads. Optionally, a gel solidifying agent in an amount sufficient to facilitate gelation of the gel beads can also be included in the tropicalizing agents of the invention.

The liquid fat component can. Be any fat or vegetable oil suitable for use in edible foods. The liquid fat may include cocoa butter, particularly when the tropicalizing agent will be used in chocolate products. Preferably, however, the liquid fat includes one or more cocoa butter substitutes, particularly when the tropicalizing agent will be used in chocolate analogues. In another preferred embodiment, the liquid fat preferably includes one or more vegetable fats, e.g. ex. , non-lauric regetal fats. Preferably, the tropicalizing agents are included in chocolate analogs instead of chocolate. Preferably, the vegetable fat is the same fat, or at least one of the same fats, used to prepare the chocolate analogue mass, so as to increase the compatibility and stability of the tropicalized chocolate mass. A Sufficient amount of the liquid fat component includes from about 30 to 70 percent by weight, preferably from about 40 to 60 percent by weight of the tropicalizing agent.

Gel beads typically contain from about 20 to 50 percent by weight of a syrup including sugars, polyols or both, which are in water. In a preferred embodiment, the aqueous syrup of the gel beads includes at least one sugar. Preferred sugars include sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, corn syrup solids, or a mixture thereof. A more preferable representation includes sucrose. In another embodiment, the aqueous syrup of the gel beads includes one or more polyols, optionally with at least one sugar. Preferred polyols include glycerol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, erythritol, inositol, xylitol, glycerol mono-, di-, and triglycerides, a polyalkylene glycol, or a mixture thereof. / Preferably, when a polyol is used it includes sorbitol. In one embodiment, the gel beads are preferably present in an amount of about 45 to 65 percent by weight, more preferably about 50 to 60 percent by weight of the tropicalizing agent. The aqueous portion of the tropicalizing agent is also used to form the remnant of the gel beads. The water may be present in the tropicalizing agent in an amount of about 20 to 80 percent by weight, preferably about 25 to 65 percent by weight, and more preferably about 30 to 50 percent by weight.

'Without the desire to be bound to the theory, it is understood that the release and migration of the aqueous syrup from the dispersed gel beads is different from that of the water, and that the effect of the aqueous syrup on the sugar crystals: natural with chocolate or the chocolate analog is different from water. Surprisingly, the effect is to allow control over the increase in viscosity until an activator is applied during the process. Surprisingly, the effect occurs while it is possible to minimize or avoid the gritty quality of the texture that is associated with large sugar crystal groups and that is unavoidable in conventional tropicalized food products, such as chocolates and the like analogues. same prepared with the methods of the prior art.

The tropicalizing agent typically includes about 30 to 70 percent by weight of liquid fat and gives -SISO at 70 percent by weight of gel beads. Preferably, the agent includes about 40 to 60 weight percent liquid fat and 40 to 60 weight percent gel beads, and more preferably about 45 to 55 weight percent liquid fat and 45 weight percent. 55 percent by weight of gel beads. Any exemplary agent includes 50 percent liquid fat and 50 percent by weight gel beads before considering the addition of other preferable components including an emulsifying component and a gelling component. In another preferred embodiment, the liquid fat may be present in a ratio with the gel beads of about 3: 1 to 1: 3, preferably a ratio of from about 2: 1 to 1: 2, and in a more preferable representation, from about 1.2: 1 to 1 : 1.2.

Optionally, but preferably, the tropicalizing agent includes an emulsifying component in an amount sufficient to form a water-in-oil emulsion of the sun precursor of the gel beads with the liquid fat component before gelation, and an amount of emulsifier - sufficient to maintain • the dispersion of the gel beads after gelation, as well as a gelling component with a. gel solidifying agent optional in a sufficient amount to facilitate the gelation of gel beads, or a combination thereof. The need for a gel solidifying agent, and the type and amount of gel solidifying agent that is selected, depends on the optional gelling component, but preferably included. The type and amount of the gel solidifying agent, if any, will be readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, in view of the gelling component and this description of the invention. Preferably, any solidifying agent - of the gel includes a 'salt. A solidifying agent of the exemplary gel includes potassium chloride, calcium chloride, or a combination thereof. The optional gelling component and gel solidifying agent are typically included in the gel bead portion of the tropicalizing agent.

The emulsifying component can be any suitable emulsifier, and the tropicalizing agent preferably includes the emulsifying component to facilitate uniform distribution of the gel bead through the liquid fat. While the distribution or dispersion can be perfectly uniform, the emulsifying component increases the uniformity of the dispersion. Preferably, the gel beads are dispersed at least substantially in the liquid fat. Preferably, the emulsifier component includes soy lecithin. The emulsifier, when used, is typically present in the tropicalizing agent in an amount of from about 0.001 to 1 percent by weight, preferably from about 0.05 to 0.2 percent by weight.

The gelling component can include any suitable combination of one or more materials, typically hydrocolloids, which will facilitate the gelation of the gel beads and will provide the correct degree of brittleness for the gel to blunt or run off when properly "activated" according to the invention. with the invention, in the processing of the final product. Preferably, the gelling agent is a mixture of at least two catrogen-layer, iota-carogens, locust bean gum, agar, alginate, one or more milk proteins, or gelatin. Preferably, the gelling component includes a mixture of layer-carogen, iota-carogen, and bean gum of locust bean. It is important to ensure that the hydrocolloids are at least substantially dissolved, and preferably completely dissolved, in the aqueous phase of the precursor of the gel beads, to facilitate gelation. The gelling agent is typically present in an amount of 0.001 to 0.25 percent by weight, preferably from about 0.005 to 1 percent by weight, of the total tropicalized food product. An example amount is about 0.015 percent by weight in the tropicalized food product. However, within the tropicalizing agent itself, the gelling agent can typically be present in an amount of about 0.1 to 6 percent by weight. Preferably, the total content of the gum is present at a concentration of about 0.3 to 2 percent by weight.

The tropicalizarite agent of the present invention is prepared by forming microscopic gel beads - in situ within a liquid fat component. The gel beads are prepared by dispersing the hot sol with a suitable emulsifying component in a liquid fat to form a water-in-oil emulsion. Gel beads are formed on cooling from high temperatures, e.g. ex. , cooling to about 55 ° C, cooling to about 45 ° C, or cooling to about 35 ° C. The most suitable conditions for the preparation of the gel beads depend mainly on the choice of fat, which should remain liquid at the gelation temperature of the gel beads. The gel beads resulting from the tropicalizing agent should be predominantly spherical and of a size of about 10 to 90 microns in diameter, preferably from about 20 to 70 microns. In a preferred embodiment, the average size of the volume of the gel beads is from about 25 to 50 microns, preferably from about 35 to 45 microns.

The tropicalizing agent of the invention can be dispersed within the food products to facilitate the stability of the final product even at high temperatures, such as those above 40 ° C. The temporarily trapped aqueous syrup of the tropicalizing agent is dispersed within the food, preferably chocolate or analogue thereof, as a plurality of microscopic beads. Preferably, the syrup is dispersed at least substantially uniformly, and more preferably is dispersed uniformly, in the food product. Without being tied to the theory, it is believed that the water that is released under controlled conditions, then causes the development of a fine three-dimensional network of sugar crystals that • maintain the structure of the food product even at elevated temperatures of up to about 40 ° C.

The 'desired gel ingredients, p. ex. , optionally a gelling agent, a syrup that includes sugar (s) or polyol (s), or both, optionally an emulsifying agent, are dissolved in water at normal temperatures typically of less than 100 ° C. This solution (or instead, sol) is cooled to just above the gelation temperature, e.g. ex. , within about 10 ° C, preferably within about 5 ° C, and then dispersed in the liquid fat component, optionally with an emulsifying component, and cooled until the dispersed phase gels, to form the tropicalizing agent of the invention.

When it is desired to incorporate the opicalizing agent t into a food product, the gel beads dispersed in the liquid fat are mixed in a liquid mass of the alirate using a mixing action that is sufficient to break or otherwise derail any significant amount of pearls The tropicalizing agent that includes the beads should be added in such a way that the amount of syrup water added to the chocolate or the chocolate analog, or to another food product, is about 1 to 2 percent by weight, to provide enough tropicalization. Preferably, the syrup water content that is provided to the food product from the gel beads is from about 1 to 1.5 percent by weight of the total weight of the product of food. The addition of too much tropicalizing agent, or of tropicalizing agent in which the gel contains insufficient gelling agent, or of tropicalizing agent in which the gel beads are too large, or of tropicalizing agent in which the gel beads are not sufficiently dispersed, each of these may tend to cause a too fast increase in viscosity for the product to be suitable for molding or wrapping or both, particularly if a multiplicity of these factors are present, this is particularly true for the wrapping using equipment conventional Molding can be used, p. ex. , to form chocolate bars, or analogs thereof, containing the tropicalizing agent according to the invention. The addition of a tropicalizing agent containing too low a syrup concentration can cause relatively large sugar groups to form, which can undesirably lead to the gritty of the final product. The addition of a tropicalizing agent that contains gel beads too small, or that contains too much gelling agent, can cause a failure of the required mechanism of release activation.Those concentrations and sizes can be determined easily through routine experimentation by those with ordinary experience in the art once reference is made to the invention described herein.

An exemplary tropicalizing agent provides a dough of tempered chocolate (or an un-tempered chocolate analog) with about 1 to 2 percent water by weight of the resulting chocolate, the water being present in the form of an aqueous solution of sucrose, concentration of about 20 and 50% by weight in the gel beads dispersed in the liquid fat.

The gelling agent in the tropicalizing agent facilitates the control of the kinetics of the syrup released in the mass of the food. The release may be slow enough to avoid a significant increase in the viscosity of the liquid food dough for many hours, making the tropicalized food product suitable for use in the manufacture of molded or wrapped products. By "significant increase" is meant an increase in viscosity that would prohibit a conventional molding or wrapping process. Preferably, the viscosity increase is limited to that caused by the presence of the gel beads, less than about 20 percent, more preferably less than about 10 percent. Any subsequent increase in viscosity, caused by the release of syrup from the Gel beads should be slow enough to typically occur over a period of up to about 4 hours, preferably 8 hours. The majority of the gel beads remain at least substantially or completely intact during this period of time, since the disintegration of the gel beads releases the syrup which would begin to increase the viscosity of the tropicalized food product. Preferably, at least 80 percent of the beads, and more preferably at least 95 percent of the beads, remains at least substantially intact during that time period.

After this initial period of time in which the significant increase in viscosity of the tropicalized product is delayed or avoided, then it is desirable to accelerate, or initiate through the activation mechanism, the release of the syrup from the gel beads within the Finished food products to provide a tropicalizing effect. This provides the stability and heat resistance that is so advantageously provided to food products, particularly those for use in tropical or warm environments. This is especially true with chocolate or its analogues, where heat tends to create a messy product as well as reduce or eliminate crackle desired from chocolates when consumed in more reasonable environments. Therefore, the invention provides a tropicalizing agent and tropicalized products which are suitable for molding or wrapping or other processes in which non-increased viscosities are desired, but which then have an activated viscosity increase after molding, wrapping or the one formed in another way of the tropicalized product, to achieve the tropicalization finally desired.

The gel release mechanism is initiated in one or more of several forms when a finished product, such as chocolate or an analog thereof, contains the tropicalizing agent of the invention. For example, the tropicalized mass or the finished food product can be cooled for a sufficient time and at a temperature that is sufficiently low. The food product is cooled to a temperature below about 25 ° C, preferably below about 15 ° C after the addition of the gel beads, to initiate the disintegration of the gel beads. Preferably, the onset of cooling is at a temperature of about -5 ° C to -15 ° C. This cold temperature is typically maintained for about 5 to 120 minutes, preferably from about 15 to 45 minutes. You can also use others suitable times for the beginning of the cooling, which will depend on the specific temperature of the food product, and the components used in the formation of the tropicalizing agent .. The release of the gel can also be initiated by providing energy in the tropical mass! zada For example, microwave or ultrasonic energy can be provided in a suitable amount to initiate the disintegration and eventual release of the syrup.

After it is initiated, the release, the syrup is released over time from the microscopic gel beads well dispersed in the tropicalizing agent and begins to form rings or chains, or both, from the crystals. of sugar naturally occurring in the 'food product. Sugar or polyol syrup or 'both form localized adhesion points.

Preferably, the total evolution of the syrup of the damaged gel beads takes at least 4 hours after the initial damage to the gel beads, and more preferably takes at least about 8 hours, the release taking place concurrently or subsequently to the damage to the pearls initiated by. the activation mechanism. These released syrups eventually create fine structures, "i.e., sugar crystal rings or chains, which they increase the resistance of the food product, without causing a sandy effect, and provide the necessary form, integrity and stabilization, even at subsequent temperatures as high as about 40 ° C. Importantly, the syrup materials do not create aggregates that are large enough to be detected by a consumer as excessively sandy.

Cooling is not necessarily required, since food products will stabilize over time even without cooling. In this representation, the complete retention of the form occurs over about 10 to 14 days under environmental conditions. However, when the cooling described above is used, the optimum latency retention time occurs within about 18 to 30 hours.

Advantageously, the resulting food products that include a tropicalizing agent according to the invention do not stick to a wrap even at temperatures as high as 40 ° C, do not result in an unpleasant appearance or mouthfeel, and in chocolate or the analogues thereof have no adverse effects on exudate.- In addition, food products, particularly chocolates and chocolate analogues, they can typically have at least about 80% retention of the shape, preferably at least about 90% retention of the shape, when the chocolate or the analogs thereof, at 40 ° C, are dropped from a height of 45.72. 5 centimeters and tested according to the method described below. Another advantage that can be obtained with the present invention, if desired, is the ability to use conventional ingredients for chocolate or analogs thereof, while still achieving the appropriate tropicalizing effect.

When prepared with maximum structural integrity, chocolates or tropicalized analogues thereof, prepared according to the invention, have at least about 80 percent retention of the form, preferably at least about 95 percent by weight. retention . of the form, and in a more preferable representation, at least about 98 percent of shape retention. 20. Food products that include the tropicalizing agent of the invention can be used - advantageously in tropical countries where the hot climate causes frequent or rapid melting of the chocolate, chocolate analogues, or other confectionery products in which the melting temperature is below or close to room temperature. For example, chocolate analogs that include coatings and toppings, which are thin and tend to melt rapidly, can be formed surprisingly and advantageously with the tropicalizing agent of the invention. The food products including the tropicalizing agent of the invention remain so non-tacky as to glide smoothly from a wrapper and to avoid leaving the food product on the fingers of the consumer during consumption.

EXAMPLES The following examples are not intended to limit the competence of the invention, but only to illustrate the representative possibilities concerning the present invention.

The measurements made with the Brabender thermograph did not show a significant increase in the viscosity of a tropicalized chocolate analogue of the invention over a period of 8 hours after the addition of the tropicalizing agent.

Tenaorreógrafo of Barbender.

A Barbender terreterograph was used to follow the change in apparent viscosity following the addition of the tropicalizing agent to liquid chocolate. The thermostat was adjusted to give a constant temperature of 30 ° C, and the instrument was loaded with tempered chocolate. The instrument was adjusted to Speed I and run until thermal equilibrium was reached. Then a measured aliquot of the tropicalizing agent (a calculated weight to deliver 1.5% water to the chocolate mass) was added directly into the vortex while the paddles were spinning. The apparent viscosity was monitored (with continuous mixing) over time. In the Figure 1 a typical trace is shown. The instrument measures the apparent viscosity in arbitrary units of Brabender (BU) at a fixed shear ratio (which depends on the speed adjustment).

It should be understood that Figure 1 illustrates a graph of apparent viscosity (in Brabender units) for chocolate with the addition of 1.5% water as dispersed sucrose syrup as a tropicalizing agent. Each main division (in heavy line) in the horizontal dimension (x) represents 30 minutes. In this typical case the apparent viscosity only increased slightly with the addition of the tropicalizing agent. Surprisingly, it was not observed increase in viscosity (caused by the release of the tropicalizing agent syrup - which would occur after the addition) for a significant period of time. This helps to demonstrate the delayed release of water from the gel beads. The operating temperature was reached before the addition, and then it was maintained.

Measurement of shape retention. The test method described gives a quantitative index of shape retention (SRl) that can be used in any laboratory and does not require specialized rheometry. The SRl is zero for a material that can not be differentiated from a treated chocolate and 100 for a material that has a perfect retention of the shape at 40 ° C.

Required equipment: Tray (metal or plastic - plastic is preferable), 45.72 cm ruler, balance accuracy of ± 0.1 g, calibrators capable of measurements up to ± 0.1 mm, oven set at 40 ° C. The chocolate is molded into bars, typically 10.41 x 2.79 x 0.51 centimeters, and the following method is used to determine the SRl: 1. Take 5 of the bars of the invention that go to be tested and an equal number of chocolate bars not treated as controls. Weigh each bar and measure its width in 10 equally spaced points along its length. 2. Place the labeled bars on the tray and put them in the oven at 40 ° C for one hour. 3. Drop the tray from a height of 45.72 centimeters, so that it lands flat on the laboratory bench. (Use a ruler to measure the height. Be careful to hold the tray horizontally, so that it hits the bench flat). 4. When the bars have cooled and hardened, measure each width again at 10 points separated by one centimeter along the length.

Calculate the shape retention index (SRl): where di and d2 are the average widths before and * after, the width, w is the weight of the bar and superscripts s and c refer to. the sample ('s' de s ampie', 'sample') and the control bars of the test (see Figure 2). Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic representation of the drop test, so that the retention index of the shape can be calculated in a more equitable manner. The solid rectangles indicate the . initial trace of the bar; dotted rectangles the footprint of the bar after the fall test.

Example 1: Development of a network structure in the tropicalized chocolates of the invention.

The tropicalizing agent was added at 40 ° C to the tempered chocolate, at levels equivalent to several additions by weight of water such as sucrose syrup, and the product was molded into bars. These were placed at room temperature (22 ° C) and then placed in a freezer at -10 ° C for 30 minutes. The retention rates of the form were measured after 24 hours at room temperature. The results (shown in Table 2) indicate that 0.5% water addition was insufficient for the development of the structure, while with a 1.5% addition of water a good retention of the form was obtained. - Table 1.. Retention of the shape in the chocolate with different additions of water such as sugar syrup in the gel beads.

Addition of water (% by weight) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 SRl (%) 35 91 96 A small sample of the chocolate treated according to the invention was placed under a microscope and examined at a magnification of 100x. A network structure of rings and chains of concatenated sugar crystals was seen. These structures were not found in conventional untreated chocolate.

Example 2. Acceleration of the syrup release of the gel beads of the invention.

The cooling of the treated chocolate (or of the treated chocolate analog), e.g. ex. , up to -10 ° C, greatly increases the range of development of shape retention characteristics. The tropicalizing agent was added at 40 ° to the tempered chocolate at a level equivalent to the addition of 1% by weight of water as sucrose syrup, and the product was molded into bars. These were set at 12.5 ° C and then equal amounts were placed in a freezer and cooled to -10 ° C or held in the refrigerator at 12.5 ° C for 0 minutes. Then the retention rates of the form were measured. Bars maintained at -10 ° C had much better shape retention than. those maintained at + 12.5 ° C, as shown in Table 3. After 12 days of storage under ambient conditions (ca 22 ° C), the retention rates of the form were more equal, but the bars maintained at -10 ° C for 30 minutes maintained still better shape retention characteristics.

Figure 3 illustrates an image of a gel bead during crystallization of the fat, which shows a microscopy image of a gel bead during cooling of the chocolate, showing activation of the release of the syrup. The space on the right side is a crystal of fat from the fat that crystallizes in the chocolate, and the trace on the left side of the image shows a syrup release from the gel bead.

Table 3. Comparison of the effects on the retention of the storage form during 30 minutes at two different temperatures.

SRl (%) minutes of preservation of temperature Day 4 Day 12 -10 ° C 88 94 + 12.5 ° C 50 89 Example 3: retention of the fo based on the duration of the cooling time of the invention.

The tropicalizing agent prepared for Example 1 was added at 40 ° C to the tempered chocolate to a level equivalent to the addition of 1.5% water as sugar syrup, and the product was molded into bars. These were set at 12.5 ° C and then placed in a freezer at -10 ° C 10. for different lengths of time (as shown in Table 3). The shape retention index (SRl) reached its maximum value within 15 minutes, as shown in Table 4.

Table 4. Effect on the retention of the form of different maintenance times at -10 ° C for the chocolate treated with tropicalizing agent giving an equivalent of 1% by weight of addition of water as sucrose syrup. 0 Time at -10 ° C (minutes) 15 30 45 60 SRl (%) 97 98 97 96 E 4. Retention range of the order of the products of the invention.

The range of retention development of the form also increases with the level of addition of syrup to chocolate, as shown in Table 5. These results show that at equivalent levels of water addition of 1.5 and 2%, the retention of the shape almost had a peak one day, while with the addition of water equivalent to 0.5 and 1%, the shape retention increased over a period of 6 days.

Table 5. Comparison of the retention of the chocolate form made with the tropicalizing agent after 1 and 6 days with different levels of water addition (such as sugar syrup) Addition of water 3RI 1 s-) (%) Day 1 Day 6 0.5 0 35. 1.0 35 79 1.5 91 96 2.0 96 98 Cooling at -10 ° C also increased that range of structure development in chocolate analogues. The tropicalizing agent was added to a chocolate analogue at a level equivalent to the addition of 1% by weight of water as sucrose syrup (5.2 g of gel beads added to 200 g of chocolate analog) and the product was molded into bars. These were placed at 3.5 ° C and then placed in a freezer at -10 ° C for different lengths of time (as shown in Table 5). The index of shape retention increased with the exposure time at low temperature, reaching its maximum value within 45 minutes, as shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Effect on the. retention of the form of different maintenance times at -10 ° C for a chocolate analogue treated with the tropicalizing agent, delivering an equivalent of 1% by weight of addition of water as sucrose syrup.

Time at -10 ° C (minutes) 15 30 45 60 SRl (%) 23 52 56 56 Example 5. Tropicalizing agent and tropicalized chocolate of the invention.

The tropicalizing agent was prepared with a composition as follows: Capa-carogeno 1.5 g Iota-carogeno 1.5 g Carob bean gum 1.5 g Potassium chloride 0.6 g Sucrose 180 g Water 420 g Cocoa butter 482 g Soy lecithin 1.5 g 1. Water and sucrose were mixed and heated until the sucrose was completely dissolved and the mixture was about to boil. Then the solution was maintained at a temperature between 90 ° and 95 ° C. 2. The cocoa butter was heated in a water bath until 95 ° C. 3. The hot sugar solution was stirred in a Silverson mixer and hydrocolloids and potassium chloride were added gradually in the vortex. This solution (sun) was kept apart. 4. The fat and the emulsifier component were mixed using a Silverson mixer. The aqueous solution of sugar and hydrocolloids was then added in the vortex.

. The mixture was emulsified at 5,000 rpm while it was cooled in an ice cube to 40 ° C.

- This produced the tropicalizing agent that contained gel beads with an average diameter volume of 40 microns and a size range from about 18 to 70 microns.

The tropicalizing agent was added at 40 ° C to the tempered chocolate in an amount calculated to deliver 1.5% water (39 g of tropicalizing agent was added to 1000 g of a chocolate). The chocolate was molded in the form of conventional bars, cooled to 12.5 ° C, then placed in a freezer and cooled to -10 ° C for 30 minutes.

The retention rate of the form was 98%. The product retained its shape well at 40 ° C and could be removed from the plastic packaging without sticking, to that I treat you. It retained its smooth texture.

Example 6. Tropicalizing agent and tropicalized chocolate analog.

The tropicalizing agent was prepared with a composition as follows: Capa-carogeno 1.5 g lota-carogeno 1.5 g Carob bean gum 1.5 g Potassium chloride 0.6 g Sucrose 180 g Water 420 g Cocoa butter 482 g Soy lecithin 1.1 g - 1. Water and sucrose were mixed and mixed They heated until the sucrose was completely dissolved and the mixture was about to boil. The solution was maintained at a temperature between 90 ° and 95 ° C. 2. The cocoa butter was heated in a water bath until 95 ° C. 3. The hot sugar solution was stirred in a Silverson mixer and hydrocolloids and potassium chloride were added gradually in the vortex. This '5 solution (sun) was kept apart. 4. The fat and the emulsifier component were mixed using a Silverson mixer. The aqueous solution of sugar and hydrocolloids was then added in the vortex.

. The mixture was emulsified at 5,000 rpm while cooling in an ice cube to 40 ° C.

'This produced the tropicalizing agent which contained gel beads with an average diameter volume of 62 microns and which had a standard deviation of about 35 microns. 0 The tropicalating agent was added at 40 ° C to the chocolate analog previously prepared in an amount calculated to deliver the equivalent of 1.2% water. (31 g of tropicalizing agent was added to 1000 g of the chocolate analogue). The chocolate analog was molded in the form of conventional bars, cooled down to -3.5 ° C, then placed in a freezer and cooled to -10 ° C for 30 minutes.

The retention rate of the form was 96%. The product retained its shape well at 40 ° C and could be removed from the plastic package without sticking at that temperature. It retained its smooth texture.

As used herein, the term "tropicalizing" generally refers to suitable materials according to the invention that increase the stability, or structural integrity, in a tropicalized food product in which they are incorporated. Structural integrity typically arises in the course of a short storage time, and may allow the food product (s) in which the tropicalizing agent is incorporated to remain substantially or completely solid or non-molten even under tropical temperatures, such as up to about 40 ° C. The term "tropicalizing agent" therefore includes the materials that provide the foodstuffs with the characteristics of shape retention, heat resistance, and preferably both. Preferably, the term tropicalizing agent can also refer to suitable materials that also retard or avoid any substantial increase in the viscosity of the food products in which they are incorporated.

As used herein, the term "substantially" has different meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. For example, the term "substantially all" gel beads means at least about 80 percent, preferably at least about 95 percent. In one embodiment, it means that at least about 99 percent by weight of the gel beads remain intact. The term "at least substantially spherical" means that some deviation from a perfect sphere may occur, e.g. ex. , the gel beads under pressure will be bent from a perfect spherical shape, although this imperfect sphere shape can be deliberately provided if desired.

The term "near", as used herein, should generally be understood as referring to 'both numbers in' a numerical range. In addition, all the numerical ranges here should be understood as inclusive of each whole number within the range.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in the foregoing description, It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific representations described herein, but is susceptible to many modifications by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will be understood that the materials used and the chemical details may be slightly different or modified from the descriptions herein made, without departing from the methods and compositions described and taught by the present invention.

Claims (23)

REIVIHDICATIONS

1. Tropicalizing agent comprising: a liquid fat component; a plurality of gel beads, comprising: a sugar or polyol, or both, in an amount of about 20 to 50 percent by weight of the gel beads; an emulsifying component to facilitate the uniform distribution of the size of the gel beads; and the remainder being water in an amount sufficient to ensure that the sugar or polyol is present in aqueous form, where the emulsifying component is present in a sufficient amount so that the gel beads form a water-in-oil emulsion with the component of liquid fat, wherein the liquid fat component is present in an amount sufficient to disperse therein the gel beads, where a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact to trap the aqueous form therein for at least about 8 hours after being cooled below -40 ° C.

The agent of claim 1, wherein the gel beads further comprise a gelling component in an amount sufficient to facilitate gelation of the gel beads.

3. Agent of claim 2, wherein the component gelling agent is present in an amount of about 0.2 to 1.2 percent by weight of the gel beads, and comprises at least two of: caro-layer, iota-carogeno, carob bean gum, agar, alginate, milk proteins , or gelatin.

The agent of claim 1, wherein at least a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact for at least about 4 hours after being cooled below about 30 ° C, and the tropicalizing agent contains about 20 hours. to 60 percent by weight of water.

The agent of claim 1, wherein the gel beads are at least substantially spherical.

The agent of claim 1, wherein the gel beads have an average size volume of about 20 to 80 microns.

The agent of claim 1, wherein the liquid fat component comprises one or more cocoa butter substitutes.

8. Chocolate or analog thereof comprising the tropicalizing agent of claim 1 in an amount sufficient to increase the structural integrity and retention of the shape of the chocolate or analog thereof.

9. Chocolate or analogue thereof comprising the The tropicalizing agent of claim 1, wherein the gel beads include sugar crystals - present in the form of a plurality of rings or chains each having a size in diameter or length of about 50 μm to 500 μm.

10. Process for preparing a tropicalizing agent, comprising: providing a plurality of gel beads comprising one or more sugars or polyols in an amount of about 20 to 50 percent by weight of the gel beads, a component emulsifier to facilitate uniform distribution of the gel beads, and the remainder being water, present in an amount sufficient to ensure that the sugar or polyol, or both, are in aqueous form; and dispersing: the gel beads in a liquid fat component present in an amount sufficient to disperse the gel beads therein, where the emulsifying component is present in a sufficient amount so that the gel beads form a water emulsion in oil with the liquid fat component, wherein the liquid fat component is present in an amount sufficient to disperse the gel beads therein, and where a majority of the gel beads remain substantially intact to trap the same water for at least about 8 hours after being cooled below about 40 ° C.

The process of claim 10, wherein the provided further comprises a gelling component comprising at least two of: carolagen, iota-carogeno, carob bean gum, agar, alginate, milk proteins or gelatin.

The process of claim 11, wherein at least substantially all of the gel beads remain intact to trap therein. aqueous form for at least about 8 hours after the formation of the tropicalizing agent, and the tropicalizing agent contains about 20 to 60 percent by weight of water.

13. Process of claim 10, wherein the liquid fat component comprises one or more cocoa butter substitutes.

The process of claim 11, wherein the gelling component is completely dissolved to facilitate the dispersion of the gel beads within the liquid fat component.

15. Process for tropicalizing chocolate or an analogue thereof, comprising: combining a chocolate or chocolate analogue mass with a sufficient amount of tropicalizing agent to form a tropicalized chocolate mass, with the tropicalizing agent comprising: (a) ) a plurality of gel beads comprising water in an amount of about 1 to 2 percent by weight of the tropicalized chocolate mass, an emulsifying component to facilitate uniform distribution of the gel beads, and one or more sugars or polyols, or both, in a quantity of about 20 to 50 percent by weight of the gel beads, which form a syrup with the water that is temporarily retained in the gel beads, and (b) a liquid fat component present in an amount sufficient to ensure that the beads of gel are dispersed in it; and initiating the release of the water and sugar syrup or polyol, or both, from the gel beads, in order to increase the structure of the tropicalized chocolate mass, where the amount of tropicalizing agent is sufficient to increase the integrity and retention of the shape of the tropicalized chocolate mass, compared to a non-tropicalized mass.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the combining comprises at least substantially uniform dispersing the tropical agent in the dough.

17. The process of claim 15, wherein initiating comprises reducing the temperature of the tropicalized chocolate mass to about -5 ° C to -15 ° C.

The process of claim 15, wherein the chocolate mass is at least partially quenched before combining the tropicalizing agent therewith.

19. Process of claim 15, wherein the,. The gelling component is present and comprises a mixture of at least two: layer-carogen, iota-carogen, locust bean gum, agar, alginate, milk proteins or gelatin. The process of claim 15, wherein the gelling component is provided in an amount of less than about 0.5 percent by weight of the tropicalized chocolate mass. 21. The process of claim 15, wherein the sugar or - the polyol comprises sucrose or sorbitol, or a combination thereof. 22. Process of claim 15, wherein the liquid fat component comprises one or more substitutes 5 of cocoa butter. 23. Process of claim 15, wherein the liquid fat comprises one or more vegetable fats, which are. the same as a fat used in the preparation of the chocolate analogue mass, in order to increase the compatibility and stability of the chocolate mass, tropicalized.