JP7657017B2 - chocolate - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a chocolate with a high cacao solids content suitable for use in frozen confectioneries.

Chocolate is a type of confectionery that is widely favored by general consumers. Recently, products with a premium feel have become popular, and chocolates with a premium feel are also being sold. One way to impart a premium feel to chocolate is to increase the amount of cocoa mass used. Cocoa mass, which is used as an ingredient in chocolate, is an important ingredient that determines the flavor of the chocolate. Therefore, when a lot of cocoa mass is added to chocolate, a chocolate with a richer flavor is obtained. As an example of chocolate with a high amount of cocoa mass, chocolate that can be distributed at room temperature has been proposed in Patent Documents 1 to 4, etc.

Chocolate containing a large amount of cacao mass and having a premium feel is also being developed for use in frozen confectioneries, such as chocolate for use in combination with ice cream and other frozen confectioneries.
Chocolate for frozen confectionery, which is used in combination with frozen confectionery, usually has a high fat content. Therefore, chocolate for frozen confectionery usually has a low content of carbohydrates such as sugar. On the other hand, chocolate with a high content of cocoa mass has a high content of cocoa solids. Usually, when the content of carbohydrates is low, chocolate with a high content of cocoa solids has an undesirable flavor such as bitterness or astringency. Therefore, chocolate for frozen confectionery with a high content of cocoa solids may not have a good flavor.

Therefore, there was a demand for the development of chocolate for frozen confectionery that has a good flavor despite containing a large amount of cocoa solids, such as by using a large amount of cocoa mass.

JP 2003-299442 A JP 2005-261251 A JP 2008-245577 A JP 2008-271885 A

The objective of the present invention is to provide a chocolate that is rich in cocoa solids and has a good flavor, making it suitable for use in frozen confectioneries.

The inventors of the present invention conducted extensive research to solve the above problem. As a result, they discovered that the problem could be solved by setting the sugar alcohol content relative to the carbohydrate content in chocolate to a specific range. This led to the completion of the present invention.

In other words, the first invention of the present invention is a chocolate for frozen confectionery containing 11 to 38 % by mass of cocoa solids, 10 to 40% by mass of carbohydrates, and maltitol, with the maltitol content relative to the carbohydrate content being 0.2 to 1 (excluding chocolate containing 34% by weight of sugar alcohol, 31% by weight of cocoa mass, 16% by weight of milk powder, 16% by weight of vegetable oil, 2% by weight of cocoa butter, 0.5% by weight of emulsifier, 0.2% by weight of flavoring, 0.1% by weight of high-intensity sweetener, and 0.5% by weight of lactic acid bacteria powder).
A second invention of the present invention is the chocolate for frozen confectioneries according to the first invention, wherein the maltitol content relative to the sugar content is 0.2 to 0.75.
A third aspect of the present invention is the chocolate for frozen confectionery according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, which contains 3 to 40% by mass of cocoa butter.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is the chocolate for frozen confectionery according to any one of the first to third aspects, which contains 30 to 70 mass % of fats and oils.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is a food product obtained by using the chocolate for frozen confectionery according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the food according to the fifth aspect, wherein the food is a frozen snack.

The present invention provides chocolate that is high in cocoa solids and has a good flavor, making it suitable for use in frozen confectioneries.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention contains 5-40% by mass of cacao solids, 10-40% by mass of sugars, and a sugar alcohol content relative to the sugar content of 0.2-1.

The chocolate of the present invention is not limited to chocolate as defined by the "Fair Competition Code for Labeling of Chocolates" (National Chocolate Industry Fair Trade Council) or other laws and regulations. Chocolate of the present invention is made from edible fats and oils, sugars, raw materials derived from cacao beans (cacao mass, cocoa powder, etc.), dairy products, flavorings, emulsifiers, etc., and is manufactured through a chocolate manufacturing process (all or part of a mixing process, a granulation process, a refining process, a molding process, a cooling process, etc.), in which fats and oils form a continuous phase and which is substantially free of water. In addition, the chocolate of the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 3% or less water by mass.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention contains 5 to 40% by mass of cocoa solids, preferably 10 to 35% by mass, and more preferably 12 to 25% by mass.
In the present invention, the cocoa solids refer to solids other than fats and oils contained in a cocoa bean-derived raw material (raw material obtained from cocoa beans). The cocoa bean-derived raw material is cocoa mass, cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, cocoa cake, etc. For example, cocoa mass contains about 55% by mass of fats and oils, and therefore contains about 45% by mass of cocoa solids.
In the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention, the content of cocoa solids can be adjusted by blending a raw material derived from cocoa beans.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention contains 10 to 40% by mass of sugar, preferably 11 to 38% by mass, and more preferably 17 to 35% by mass.
In the present invention, carbohydrates refer to sugars, sugar alcohols (maltitol, xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, lactitol, mannitol, reduced starch syrup, etc.), starch, and oligosaccharides. In the present invention, sugars refer to monosaccharides and disaccharides (sugar (sucrose), lactose, maltose, glucose, fructose, etc.).
The carbohydrate used in the production of the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably a sugar alcohol or a sugar, and more preferably a sugar alcohol.
The sugars used in the manufacture of the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention include sugar (sucrose), lactose, maltose, glucose, fructose, etc., and preferably sugar.

In the chocolate of the embodiment of the present invention, the sugar alcohol content relative to the sugar content (sugar alcohol content/sugar content) is 0.2 to 1, preferably 0.4 to 1, and more preferably 0.65 to 1.

When the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention contains cacao solids and sugars in the above ranges and the sugar alcohol content relative to the sugar content is in the above range, a chocolate suitable for use in frozen confectionery containing a large amount of cacao solids and having a good flavor is obtained.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 3 to 40% by mass of sugar alcohol, more preferably 3 to 38% by mass, and even more preferably 5 to 35% by mass.
The sugar alcohol used in the manufacture of the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably maltitol, xylitol, or erythritol, more preferably maltitol.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains 3 to 40% by mass of cocoa butter, more preferably 10 to 38% by mass, and even more preferably 20 to 35% by mass.
In the present invention, the cocoa butter includes not only the cocoa butter blended, but also the cocoa butter contained in raw materials derived from cocoa beans. Raw materials derived from cocoa beans that contain cocoa butter include cocoa mass, cocoa powder, etc.
In the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cocoa butter content can be adjusted by blending cocoa butter or a cocoa bean-derived material containing cocoa butter.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention contains fats and oils in an amount of preferably 30 to 70% by mass, more preferably 40 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 50 to 60% by mass.
In the present invention, the fats and oils (fat and oils contained in chocolate) refer to the total fat and oil content of all fats and oils contained in chocolate. For example, when chocolate contains cacao mass, whole milk powder, and fat and oil A, the fat and oil is a mixture of cocoa butter contained in cacao mass, milk fat contained in whole milk powder, and fat and oil A. That is, the fats and oils in the present invention include fats and oils (cocoa butter, milk fat, etc.) contained in oil-containing raw materials (cacao mass, cocoa powder, whole milk powder, etc.) in addition to the fats and oils blended.

The fats and oils used in the manufacture of the chocolate of the embodiment of the present invention are not particularly limited. The fats and oils used in the manufacture of regular chocolate (soybean oil, rapeseed oil, high erucic acid rapeseed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, cottonseed oil, rice oil, olive oil, peanut oil, linseed oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, shea butter, illipe fat, monkey fat, milk fat, mixed oils of these fats and oils, processed fats and oils of these fats and oils or mixed oils (ester-exchanged oil, fractionated oil, hydrogenated oil, etc.)) can be used in the manufacture of the chocolate of the embodiment of the present invention.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention can use ingredients that are generally blended into chocolate, in addition to ingredients derived from cacao beans, sugars, and fats and oils (cocoa butter, etc.). Specifically, for example, sweeteners such as aspartame, stevia, saccharin, dairy products such as whole milk powder and skim milk powder, soy flour, soy protein, processed fruit products, processed vegetable products, various powders such as matcha powder and coffee powder, gums, starches, emulsifiers such as sucrose fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, lecithin, lysolecithin, enzymatically decomposed lecithin, and polyglycerin condensed ricinoleic acid esters, antioxidants, colorants, flavors, etc. can be used.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured by a conventionally known method for manufacturing chocolate. The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is manufactured using raw materials such as edible oils and fats, carbohydrates, raw materials derived from cocoa beans, dairy products, flavorings, emulsifiers, etc., and through a mixing process, a micronization process (refining), a refining process (conching), a cooling process, etc. The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably manufactured through a micronization process.

The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention contains a large amount of cocoa solids. The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention has a good flavor despite the large amount of cocoa solids and a small amount of sugar. Therefore, the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for use as a chocolate for frozen confectionery containing a small amount of sugar.
The chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably a chocolate for frozen confectionery, more preferably a chocolate for coating frozen confectionery. Note that the chocolate for frozen confectionery according to the embodiment of the present invention includes chocolate to be used in combination with frozen confectionery, as well as chocolate to be frozen alone.

The food product according to the embodiment of the present invention is a food product obtained using the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention. The food product according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably a frozen confectionery.
The food product of the present invention is preferably a chocolate coated food product of the present invention, more preferably a chocolate coated frozen confectionery of the present invention.
Examples of frozen confectioneries that can be used to manufacture the food product of the embodiment of the present invention include ice cream, ice milk, lacto ice cream, sherbet, and frozen desserts.

In the food product according to the embodiment of the present invention, the chocolate contains a large amount of cocoa solids and has a good flavor despite the small amount of sugar.

The food product according to the embodiment of the present invention can be produced by using a conventionally known food production method. For example, it can be produced by combining a food product such as a frozen confectionery with chocolate by coating, injecting, filling, or the like, a food product such as a frozen confectionery with the chocolate according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples and comparative examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these in any way.

[Chocolate manufacturing]
The chocolates having the compositions shown in Tables 1 to 3 were produced by using a normal chocolate production method (mixing, granulating, refining, and cooling). The units of composition and content are % by mass (no units for mass ratio). All chocolates had a water content of 3% by mass or less.

[Production of frozen desserts and evaluation of chocolate]
Each chocolate bar aged at -10°C was coated with each chocolate adjusted to 35°C to produce chocolate-coated ice cream. After storing the chocolate-coated ice cream at -30°C for 24 hours, a panel of five experts tasted the chocolate-coated ice cream and scored the flavor of the chocolate on a 5-point scale from 1 to 5. The higher the score, the better the flavor. The average score of the five experts was calculated and evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3. The evaluation results were judged to have a good flavor when the average score was ◎, ○, or □. The experts who evaluated the flavor of the chocolate were regularly trained in sensory evaluation of chocolate flavor, etc., and there was little individual variation in the sensory evaluation results of chocolate flavor, etc.
<Average score>
◎: 4.5 points or more ○: 3.5 points or more and less than 4.5 points □: 2.5 points or more and less than 3.5 points △: 1.5 points or more and less than 2.5 points ×: Less than 1.5 points

As can be seen from Tables 1 to 3, the chocolates of the Examples had good flavor despite containing a large amount of cocoa solids.
On the other hand, as can be seen from Tables 2 and 3, the chocolates of the comparative examples did not have a good flavor.

Claims (6)

Chocolate for frozen confectionery, containing 5 to 40% by mass of cacao solids, 11 to 38 % by mass of carbohydrates, and maltitol, with the maltitol content relative to the carbohydrate content being 0.2 to 1 (however, excluding chocolate containing 34% by mass of sugar alcohol, 31% by mass of cacao mass, 16% by mass of milk powder, 16% by mass of vegetable fats and oils, 2% by mass of cocoa butter, 0.5% by mass of emulsifier, 0.2% by mass of flavoring, 0.1% by mass of high-intensity sweetener, and 0.5% by mass of lactic acid bacteria powder). The chocolate for frozen confectionery according to claim 1, wherein the maltitol content relative to the sugar content is 0.2 to 0.75. The chocolate for frozen confectionery according to claim 1 or 2 contains 3 to 40% by mass of cocoa butter. The chocolate for frozen confectionery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, containing 30 to 70 mass % of fats and oils. A food product obtained using the chocolate for frozen confectionery according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The food product according to claim 5, wherein the food product is a frozen snack.