WO2000011973A1

WO2000011973A1 - Spray-dried emulsified topping base

Info

Publication number: WO2000011973A1
Application number: PCT/NL1999/000536
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marieke Francisca Holtus; Carolus Gerardus Maria Van Der Sommen; Johannes Martinus Maria Westerbeek
Original assignee: Campina Melkunie B.V.
Priority date: 1998-08-28
Filing date: 1999-08-30
Publication date: 2000-03-09
Also published as: AU5534999A

Abstract

A spray-dried emulsified topping base, comprising a fat component, a carbohydrate component, an emulsifier component and a soluble wheat protein, wherein the fat component is present in an amount of at least 40 % by weight, based on the weight of the spray-dried product, and the product is suitable for preparing a whippable and/or foamable liquid.

Description

Title: Spray-dried emulsified topping base.

This invention relates to a spray-dried emul(arfιed topping base, and a method for preparing such a powder by drying a whippable emulsion. hippable emulsions have long been known. The most well known, and probably also the oldest application, is whipping cream. Whipping cream is a liquid dairy product and contains up to 85% by weight of fat, based on the dry matter. Consequently, whipping cream has a high caloric value. In view of the price of such milk fat-rich products, of the increasing demand for products of a lower caloric value, and of the demand for food products substantially consisting of vegetable ingredients, alternatives to whipping cream have long been searched for. Thus, liquid alternatives to whipping cream are known, in which the milk fat has been replaced with vegetable fats.

Also dry compositions have previously been described, which can be mixed with, for instance, milk or water, and can subsequently be whipped to yield a foam. These compositions combine convenience of use with a long storage life. In the art, these products are known as ' instant whippable emulsions ' or ' instant toppings ' .

All of these alternatives are composed on the basis of formulations starting from milk protein, carbohydrates, vegetable fats and an emulsifier system. In preparing a product based on such compositions, a product is to be formed which combines a neutral taste with a good overrun and a desired high firmness of the foam.

In the art, the overrun is determined as follows. A dish of known weight and volume is filled with the foam and weighed, whereafter the overrun is determined by means of the formula (A/B) *100%-100%= % overrun, where A is the volume of the dish and B is the weight of the foam m the

The firmness of the foam is measured by allowing a rod Λ' tn a particular fall weignt to fall into the cup with foam for a particular time. The depth of ingress reflects the penetration and is thus a measure for the firmness of the foam.

The protein component m the above-described, known products is virtually always sodium casemate, a milk protein. A disadvantage of sodium casemate is that it has no good utility at lower pH values, yielding a product exhibiting only little foam generation and a limited stability. This considerably limits the application possibilities of these instant whippable products based on milk protein.

It is therefore a first object of the invention to increase the applicability of such dry compositions.

Further, the protein components in dry emulsiflable compositions must satisfy a few conditions. The components must have a good emulsifying capacity, both during the preparation and during the later applications. During drying the proteins must adsorb to the surface of the fat globules, to subsequently desorb from the fat surface upon dispersion in aqueous medium.

It is thus another object of the invention to provide a composition which meets the above-described requirements while eliminating the disadvantages mentioned. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a spray-dried emulsified topping base which consists entirely of vegetable components.

Surprisingly, it has now been found that modified, soluble wheat protein has a specific combination of properties which satisfies the requirements set while eliminating the above-mentioned disadvantages and, combination with the other ingredients, yields a spray-dried emulsified topping base, which composition can be completely based on vegetable ingredients

Accordingly, the invention relates to a spray-dried emulsified topping base comprising a fat component, a carbohydrate component, an emulsifier component and a soluble wheat protein, the fat component being present m an amount of at least 40% by weight, based on the weight of the spray-dried product, and the product being suitable for preparing a whippable and/or foamable liquid. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to the invention has as advantages that it is a product which can be properly dosed and rapidly dissolved, which enables fast and easy preparation of a whippable liquid, which m whipped form yields a firm foam. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to the invention preferably comprises: 40-50% by weight of fat 5-25% by weight of emulsifier 1-15% by weight of soluble wheat protein up to 5% by weight of water, and carbohydrates up to a total of 100%.

More particularly, it is preferred that the powder consist of 40-50% by weight of fat, 10-20% by weight of emulsifier, 5-12% by weight of soluble wheat protein, 0.1-3% by weight of water, and the balance carbohydrates. The whippable liquid prepared from the composition according to the invention has a good overrun and foam formation and is capable of giving a good foam in ac d medium as well . Without wishing to be bound by any theory, the action of a product obtained by drying a whippable emulsion, a spray-dried emulsified topping base, is as follows. Such spray-dried emulsified topping bases consist of a combination of protein components, fat components and emulsifier components on a carbohydrate carrier. After drying of the emulsion, the product, in dried form, consists of crystallized fat globules having around them a layer consisting of proteins and emulsifier. Upon dispersion m water or a water-based system, the proteins dissolve, yielding a matrix of fat and emulsifier, which can subsequently be beaten, for instance with air, to yield a foam.

It is noted that the product of the invention is functionally clearly different from the known creamers or whiteners. Nor is it comparable with the various vegetable bakery products. The differences reside especially in the fat content and emulsifier content.

A further, preferred embodiment relates to a spray-dried emulsified topping base, where the foam of a liquid prepared from the powder, for instance by mixing with water, milk or a milk product, has a good overrun and firmness, especially in a pH range between 4.5 and 7. This makes it possible to use the spray-dried emulsified topping base in an acid medium. The spray-dried emulsified topping base can be used combination with different ingredients. This makes it possible to obtain foaming or whipped products having a tart taste, such as yogurt, without affecting the stability of the product or the foam formation. Also, in this way, it is possible to obtain products such as ice cream and mousse when it is desirable that these contain acid or acid-conta mg ingredients, such as, for instance, lemon ice cream or orange mousse.

The wheat protein used is a modified wheat gluten. By deamidation (hydrolysis of the proteins) , a wheat protein is available which has a high solubility in aqueous systems over a wide pH range and which satisfies the above-set properties with regard to emulsifying, adsorbing and desorb g capacities. Preferably used is a soluble wheat protein which has been purified during the deamidation process to such an extent that the typical wheat taste is no longer dominantly present

Although the use of other proteins, such as soybean protein, whey protein and egg protein results in a dried powder that is useful for preparing an aqueous emulsion, the material is not whippable to yield a foam, certainly not over a wide range of application as indicated hereinabove .

In a composition according to the invention, the fat component can be basically any suitable nutrient fat. The fats used are preferably vegetable and have a melting point of about 30 to about 37°C, so that under conventional conditions for storage and packing of a product according to the invention, the fat is stable, that is, does not cause lump formation or other instability of the powder. The fats that are used can be, for instance, hardened, to obtain properties that have a favorable effect on the composition. Fats having a melting point in the temperature range mentioned have the advantage that a product having a pleasant mouthfeel is thereby obtained. In a further embodiment, it is preferred that as fat component a hardened fat is used, preferably vegetable, more preferably coconut fat or palm kernel fat.

Through the hardening of the fat, a desired melting range can be obtained, as well as an improved storage life. In that regard, notably coconut oil and palm kernel oil have the desired properties.

In a preferred embodiment, therefore, a fat is used which has a melting point of about 30 to about 37°C. What is thus accomplished is that the fat melts in the mouth and thus contributes to obtaining a pleasant mouthfeel.

The carbohydrate component in the powder can be basically any carbohydrate component. The carbohydrate component is used as a carrier for the other components and for an optional sweetening effect on the taste. In one embodiment of the invention, it is preferred that as carbohydrate component corn syrup is used, while the DE value (dextrose equivalent) may fluctuate within wide limits. Also lactose, saccharose or maltodextnn may be used instead of corn syrup. Also desired, m addition to the emulsifying properties of the proteins added, is a conventional emulsifier system to obtain the desired properties of the whipped emulsion. Emulsifiers that are useful m the present invention are basically any emulsifiers suitable for use in foodstuffs. However, a preference is expressed for emulsifiers selected from the group of mono- and diglyceπdes of fatty acids, esterified with lactic acid, citric acid, acetic acid or tartaric acid, known under the European coding E472a-f.

To prepare a suitable spray-dried emulsified topping base according to the invention, which is capable, upon being processed to form a whippable liquid, of giving a stable and firm foam with a good overrun and penetration, preferably an adapted method is used.

Accordingly, another aspect of the invention relates to a method for preparing a spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-8, which comprises the steps of: a. mixing a fat component and an emulsifier component; b. preparing an aqueous mixture of a carbohydrate component and a protein component, which comprises the soluble wheat protein; c. mixing and homogenizing the mixtures obtained in steps a. and b.; and d. spray-drying the mixture obtained step c.

The invention will now be further explained and by a few examples, which are not intended as limitations.

Examples :

Preparation of a spray-dried emulsified topping base :

In 350 1 of water of 70 °C, 425 kilograms of corn syrup (DE value 35%, dry matter content 65%) were suspended and dissolved with stirring. Thereupon the wheat protein was suspended, followed by vigorous stirring. In a second tank, 480 kilograms of hardened coconut fat and 100 kilograms of emulsifier (lactic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides) were molten and mixed (solution A) The fat -emulsifier mixture was added to the mixture of corn syrup and wheat protein, with vigorous stirring, followed by homogenization at 70 °C and 100 bar. This emulsion was spray-dried by the wheel process at an inlet air temperature of 170 °C and an outlet air temperature of 95 °C. The spray-dried powders were cooled at 8 °C for

24 hours and subsequently stored at 20 °C for 48 hours.

Analogously to this recipe, powders were produced using sodium casemate, whey protein and soybean protein instead of wheat protein. The details are included in Table 1.

The formulation for the spray-dried emulsified topping base, variants A-E, is then as follows (see Table 1) .

Table 1: Composition of different spray-dried emulsified topping bases.

Ingredient A (%) B (%) C (%) D (%) E ((%)

Na caseinate 6 - - - - whey protein - 7 - - - soybean protein - - 12 - -

SWP-100 - - 6 -

SWP-50 - - - - 6

Coconut fat 48 47 48 48 48

Glucodry 34 34 28 34 34

Emulsifier 12 12 12 12 12

Total 100 100 100 100 100 The thus obtained powders were mixed with milk and the obtained liquids were tested for foam forming capacity (overrun) and for the firmness of the foam. The tests were carried out in neutral and acid medium.

Whipping tests

40 grams of the spray-dried emulsified topping base were added to 250 g of whole sterilized milk of 8 °C in a Hobart mixer. With the wire beater, mixing was done for 3 minutes with the mixer at speed 3.

For determining the effect of acid on the whippability, 2 grams of citric acid were added to 40 grams of the powdered whippable emulsion. The further treatment proceeded as described hereinabove.

The results of this are reflected in Table 2.

Table 2: Overrun (%) , penetration (mm) after whipping 40 grams of spray-dried emulsified topping base in 250 grams of milk, and overrun in acid medium after whipping 250 grams of water for the different mixtures.

1 2 3

Proteins Overrun Penetration Overrun (%) in acid

(%) (mm) medium

Νa casemate 374 2.5 73 whey protein 140 >35 312 soya protein 110 >35 70

SWP-50 321 12.5 171

SWP-100 339 9.8 178

The results of columns 1 and 2 show that the topping powder based on Νa casemate gives the best results, a high overrun with a low penetration. Whey protein and soybean protein prove not to be suitable in this application. SWP-100 and SWP-50 both give overrun and firmness of foam. SWP-50, however, is less suitable due to a wheat taste. SWP-100 gives good whipping properties and moreover has a neutral taste, so that this protein is suitable for use in instant whippable emulsions. Column 3 shows the overrun of different proteins in acid medium. The whey protein now exhibits the highest overrun, and also SWP-50 and SWP-100 still give the foam a reasonable overrun, whereas Νa caseinate gives only little foam formation. This shows that SWP-100 in topping powders extends the application possibilities to acid medium.

Claims

1. A spray-dried emulsified topping base, comprising a fat component, a carbohydrate component, an emulsifier component and a soluble wheat protein, wherein the fat component is present in an amount of at least 40% by weight, based on the weight of the spray-dried product, and the product is suitable for preparing a whippable and/or foamable liquid.

2. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claim 1, comprising: 40-50% by weight of fat

5-25% by weight of emulsifier

1-15% by weight of soluble wheat protein up to 5% by weight of water, and carbohydrates up to a total of 100%.

3. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-2, wherein the foam of a whippable liquid which has been prepared from the powder has a good overrun and firmness in a pH range of from 4.5 to 7.

4. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-3, wherein as fat component a hardened fat is used, preferably vegetable, more preferably coconut fat or palm kernel fat .

5. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-4, wherein the fat has a melting point of about 30 to about 37┬░C.

6. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-5, wherein as carbohydrate component, corn syrup or mixtures thereof are used.

7. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-6, wherein the emulsifier is an emulsifier suitable for food applications.

8. A spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-7, wherein the emulsifier is selected from the group of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids esterified with lactic acid, citric acid, acetic acid or tartaric acid.

9. A method for preparing a spray-dried emulsified topping base according to claims 1-8, comprising the steps of: a. mixing a fat component and an emulsifier component; b. preparing an aqueous mixture of a carbohydrate component and a protein component, which comprises the soluble wheat protein; c. mixing and homogenizing the mixtures obtained in steps a . and b . ; and d. spray-drying the mixture obtained in step c.

10. Use of a soluble wheat protein for preparing a spray-dried emulsified topping base.