Patent Application
20080050504
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following discussion.
By providing a resilient chocolate chip composition that may be employed for coating novelty ice cream items, the present invention requires that the resilient chocolate chip shall have a melting curve which ranges from 0° C. to 37° C. As noted, the composition of the anhydrous resilient chocolate chip products comprises from 15% to 40% of chocolate liquor, from 15% to 65% of sugar, and from 20% to 50% of fat content.
It is important to note that in keeping with the present invention, at least 50% of the fat content has a melting point below 20° C.
It should be noted that the chocolate composition of the resilient chocolate chips of the present invention will have a melting point which is no lower than the freezing point of water but which may range up to 37° C., well above room temperature. However, the present invention provides that at least 50% of the fat content has a melting point below 20° C.; and most of the triglycerides which comprise the fat content will be soft below 10° C. so as to provide a mouth sense and organoleptic properties which provide for a pleasant eating experience without the hardness or brittleness which might otherwise be expected from chocolate chips, and with a pleasant flavor release.
On the other hand, the SFI characteristics of the present invention are such that typically the chocolate composition will be totally liquefied at a temperature above about 38° C. so that there are no crystal nuclei in the liquid composition. For that reason, as will be noted hereafter, the present invention provides for the constituents of the chocolate composition to be heated to at least 40° C. during the manufacturing process.
Moreover, the present invention recognizes that the manufactured chocolate chips are resilient, and therefore they are typically maintained at a temperature of below −5° C. for storage, shipping, and handling.
Unlike current practice, it is not necessary for the chocolate composition which is employed in the manufacture of resilient chocolate chips to contain lecithin. However, if lecithin is used, then it is generally present an amount less than 1%; and if it is used, then it acts as a scavenger so as to bind any free water which may be present in the fat/sugar system; and thereby to ensure the anhydrous properties of the manufactured chocolate chips.
Of course, it has been noted that the present invention also provides that the chocolate composition may be milk chocolate; and in that case, up to 30% milk ingredients may be added to the composition.
The fat system of the present invention may comprise (a) cocoa butter and butterfat; or (b) it may comprise chocolate compatible unhydrogenated vegetable oils that are typically chosen from the group which consists of coconut oil, palm kernel oil, canola oil, shea butter, illippe butter, Borneo tallow, soya oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and mixtures and combinations thereof, together with 5% to 15% cocoa powder; or further alternatively the fat system may comprise up to 90% butterfat together with any of the group of chocolate compatible unhydrogenated vegetable oils as described immediately above, and also together with 5% to 15% cocoa powder. Thus, chocolate flavor is imparted to the composition either by way of the chocolate liquor together with cocoa butter, or the chocolate liquor together with cocoa powder.
It now becomes important to note that when the fat content is cocoa butter and: butterfat, then they will form a eutectic mixture. On the other hand, the other two alternative fat systems which comprise chocolate compatible unhydrogenated vegetable oil or oils, and may also comprise butterfat, shall have a depressed melting point.
Typical representative SFI characteristics for the various fat systems are as follows:
Of course, other chocolate compatible unhydrogenated vegetable oils may be employed, as noted above, and if so the SFI Index may vary somewhat from that which is noted immediately above. On the other hand, as noted hereafter, those skilled in the art relating to dairy fats and vegetable fats including cocoa butter will know that other formulations employing any or all of the chocolate compatible unhydrogenated vegetable oils noted above will yield SFI Indices which will indicate relatively high crystalline content at 10° C., and very little—preferably 0%—crystalline content at or above 40° C.
When butterfat and chocolate compatible unhydrogenated vegetable oils are employed, then up to 90% butterfat may be used, yielding SFI Indices has shown below, with a comparison to 100% butterfat and a comparison to 100% canola oil being also shown for purposes of reference.
It will easily be recognized by those skilled in the arts relating to dairy fats and vegetable fats including cocoa butter, that the SFI characteristics for any particular formulation in which palm kernel oil or other chocolate compatible vegetable oils are employed can be calculated, provided that the relationship between the quantity of long chain vegetable oils and short chain vegetable oils is respected. Specifically, the present invention requires that at least 50% of the fat content must have a melting point below 20° C.
Thus, the anhydrous resilient chocolate chips as they have so far been described have a formulation which is specifically intended to provide fat systems which are such that most of the triglycerides are softer at the point of the eating, as will be understood from a study of the typical SFI Index properties noted above. Specifically, the anhydrous resilient chocolate chips are formulated to give a pleasant mouth sense and organoleptic properties, when they are consumed in association with ice cream novelty products for which they have been employed to coat or cover at least a portion of the periphery of the ice cream core of the novelty ice cream products.
As described above, typical ice cream novelty products that are contemplated by the present invention fall into three general categories. First, the ice cream novelty product may be essentially an ice cream sandwich having a slab of ice cream as its ice cream core, where the slab has planar top and bottom surfaces and has biscuits adhered thereto. At least the periphery of the ice cream core has a plurality of anhydrous resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention adhered thereto.
Another form of ice cream novelty product as contemplated by the present invention comprises an ice cream core which is placed into a cone, where at least a portion of the periphery of the ice cream core which extends from the cone has a plurality of anhydrous resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention adhered thereto.
A further alternative ice cream novelty product as contemplated by the present invention comprises an ice cream core that has been molded onto a stick, where the periphery of the ice cream core has been rolled into a container of anhydrous resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention so as to adhere a plurality of the resilient chocolate chips to the periphery of the ice cream core.
Thus, in keeping with another provision of the present invention, there is provided a method of making an ice cream novelty product whereby the following steps are carried out:
(a) First, the ice cream core is prepared and dispensed onto a biscuit, or into a cone, or onto a stick. The thus prepared ice cream core is maintained at a temperature below −5° C.
(b) Then, a plurality of anhydrous resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention is adhered to at least a portion of the periphery of the ice cream core by rolling or dipping the ice cream core into a container of anhydrous resilient chocolate chips, the process being carried out at a temperature which is in the range of −1° C. up to a +5° C.
(c) Finally, the product of the previous step is maintained at a temperature below −5° C. for storage, shipping, and handling.
The following steps are carried out to manufacture discrete anhydrous resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention, and as described above with respect to their composition, their fat content, and the representative SFI characteristics for the various elected fat systems.
(d) First, the chocolate liquor and sugar components are mixed together, and optionally the fat content may also be mixed into the composition at this stage, and the mixture is heated to at least 40° C.
(e) In the event that the fat content has not been mixed with the chocolate liquor and sugar components before they were heated, then the fat content is added to the heated chocolate liquor and sugar components after they have been heated to at least 40° C.
(f) Then, the heated mixture is conched until a predetermined particle size and viscosity have been achieved. As will be known to those skilled in the chocolate industry, a higher viscosity product will result from smaller particle size.
(g) In any event, the conched mixture is then cooled to a temperature which is in the range of −10° C. to +10° C.
(h) After that, the cooled mixture is molded into discrete anhydrous chocolate chips. The molding process is, of course, well known to those skilled in the chocolate arts.
(i) After the molding process, the discrete anhydrous chocolate chips are cooled to a temperature below −5° C.
(j) Thereafter, the cooled discrete who anhydrous chocolate chips are maintained at a temperature below −5° C., for further storage, shipping, and handling.
If the molded anhydrous resilient chocolate chips are to be milk chocolate, further comprising up 30% milk ingredients, then the milk ingredients are added before step (f).
There has been described anhydrous resilient chocolate chip compositions, the molded discrete chocolate chips that are manufactured therefrom, ice cream novelty products employing the molded discrete chocolate chips, typical methods for making the ice cream novelty products, and particularly a method for manufacturing anhydrous resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention. It is noted that in any event, the anhydrous resilient chocolate chips have a depressed melting point so as to provide a pleasant mouth sense and flavor release. The resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention avoid the snap and brittleness of well known, ordinary chocolate chips of the sort that are typically used for baking purposes. Because the anhydrous resilient chocolate chips of the present invention are employed for use in association with ice cream novelty products, they must always be kept at low temperatures and yet they must provide a pleasant and acceptable mouth sense and organoleptic properties. Moreover, the compositions of the anhydrous resilient chocolate chips in keeping with the present invention are such that they may be labelled as being “chocolaty”.
Other modifications and alterations may be used in the design and manufacture of the apparatus of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims.
Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” or comprising, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not to the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.
