Patent Application
20140017389
The present invention relates to a food product, advantageously a dairy product containing a large quantity of acacia gum.
Dietary fibre consumption is insufficient in Western countries: the average daily consumption is 10-15 g while the nutritional recommendation is 25-30 g. The incorporation of fibre in everyday food products, such as fresh dairy products, is a means to increase fibre consumption. However, the incorporation of fibre in fermented products is faced with:
It may also pose digestive tolerance problems for products such as FOS (Fructo-Oligo Saccharides) or inulin.
Acacia gum is one of the most beneficial forms of soluble fibre from a technological (low-texturing gum) and nutritional (good digestive tolerance) point of view. Acacia gum is a natural soluble dietary fibre. It consists of a high-molecular weight (greater than 100,000 Da) branched, compact (low hydrodynamic volume) polysaccharide. Acacia gum, also known as gum arabic, is an exudate of acacia, only purified by means of a physical method well-known to those skilled in the art, comprising steps consisting of grinding, water dissolution, filtration, centrifugation, microfiltration and drying by means of atomisation or granulation. There are two types of acacia gum; acacia seyal gum and acacia senegal gum. They have a slightly different structure. They may, however, be differentiated by a very different rotatory power and by their simple sugar composition (46% arabinose in acacia seyal gum and 24% in acacia senegal gum).
Acacia gum, in addition to the use thereof as a source of fibre, is commonly used in the food processing industry as a stabiliser or as a texturing agent; therefore, it is particularly found in some confectionery and in some beverages.
It is important to note that acacia gum has a relatively compact branched structure, hence a lower viscosity development than for linear-chain types of fibre such as pectin or guar.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 4,971,810 relates to a process to manufacture yogurts comprising, as a source of fibre, gum arabic (2 g to 6 g of fibre per 226.8 g of end product). The fibre incorporation method in the dairy formulation is a standard method used industrially particularly to incorporate starch and gelatine, and wherein the gum and milk are mixed before the fermentation step. This method does not resolve the technical problem associated with the incompatibility of the fibre with dairy proteins as the fibre content was limited so that the incorporation of the fibre in the dairy product does not encounter any technical or organoleptic difficulties.
The application EP 1 532 864 relates to a light butter or light margarine low-fat dairy product, containing gum arabic. The target products are low-fat products having a characteristic macroscopic structure of an emulsion. This structure is very different to the macroscopic structure of fermented dairy products, which is that of a colloidal solution.
The patent application FR 06/11132 describes the possibility of incorporating large quantities of acacia senegal gum into stirred yogurts, via natural stirred yogurt and concentrated acacia gum suspension mixing process.
However, the incorporation of acacia gum via a fruit preparation, which remains the preferred process on an industrial level, still proves to be problematic.
In fact, acacia gum is not very compatible with the stabilisers conventionally used in fruit preparations: modified starches, pectins, carob gum and xanthan gum. Therefore, it appears to be impossible at the present time to produce stable fruit preparations containing a quantity of acacia gum greater than 8-10% by weight. In fact, over these proportions, phase separation in the fruit preparation and, therefore, the presence of an aqueous phase are observed in the fruit preparation. Such a phase separation prevents the industrial use of the fruit preparation.
An additional and non-negligible constraint in industrial terms was taken into account by the inventors. In fact, they wanted to retain a conventional fruit preparation production process so that this invention can be applied easily to current fruit preparation production lines.
Surprisingly, the inventors discovered that it was possible to obtain a stable fruit preparation containing a large quantity of acacia gum (10% to 20%), using, as a stabiliser, a system consisting of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre, advantageously wheat fibre, co-dried with acacia gum.
Therefore, the present invention relates to a stable fruit preparation containing
A) between 10 and 22% by weight, advantageously between 15 and 22% by weight, of acacia gum with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation and
B) between 0.5 and 3% by weight, advantageously between 0.75 and 2% by weight, of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation.
According to the present invention, the term “fruit preparation” refers to any aqueous suspension containing fruit pieces or purée. According to the present invention, the term “fruit purée” refers to a fermentable, but non-fermented, product obtained by means of straining or any other similar process of the edible part of whole or peeled fruit without removing the juice. The purée may be concentrated and, in this case, is obtained from fruit purée by physically removing a determined proportion of the constituent water.
Advantageously, the fruit is chosen from fruit known to those skilled in the art such as for example apple, orange, red berries, strawberry, peach, apricot, plum, raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant, lemon, grapefruit, banana, pineapple, kiwi, pear, cherry, coconut, passion fruit, mango, fig, rhubarb, melon, tropical fruit, litchi, grapes, blueberry and mixtures thereof.
According to the present invention, the term “stable fruit preparation” refers to a fruit preparation as defined above comprising less than 5% by weight of separated liquid phase after 8 weeks at 10° C. with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation, advantageously less than 3% by weight with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation, advantageously less than 1% by weight with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation. The term “separated liquid phase” refers to the transparent aqueous phase appearing at the bottom of the fruit preparation. A product comprising less than 5% by weight of separated liquid phase is considered to be a stable product as there is practically no phase separation.
Therefore, this makes it possible to store the fruit preparation for at least 8 weeks before the subsequent use thereof, for example before the incorporation thereof in a food product such as a fresh dairy product. Therefore, it is not necessary to use the fruit preparation according to the present invention immediately.
Advantageously, the non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre is chosen from wheat, cotton and wood fibre and mixtures thereof, and more advantageously, it consists of wheat fibre.
Advantageously, the cellulose fibre and part of the acacia gum are in the form of a co-dried mixture. This mixture contains between 5 and 30% by weight of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre with respect to the total weight of the mixture, advantageously 20% by weight, and between 70 and 95% by weight of acacia gum with respect to the total weight of the mixture, advantageously 80% by weight. Over 30% of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre, the mixture would pose problems in terms of redispersion during the fruit preparation production. Below 5% of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibres, this mixture would be of no use.
The non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre acts as a stabiliser in the fruit preparation. However, it only develops its function once dispersed and this dispersion takes place due to the acacia gum in the co-dried mixture. In this way, the co-dried mixture can be considered to act as a stabiliser in the fruit preparation.
Advantageously, the non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre is wheat fibre. Advantageously, the co-dried mixture used is a wheat fibre/acacia gum system marketed by CNI under the name “Equacia®”.
Advantageously, the acacia gum is acacia senegal gum, acacia seyal gum or a mixture thereof. The term “acacia senegal gum” refers to a gum produced from natural exudates or exudates induced by cutting stems or branches of Acacia senegal genus trees. Advantageously, the acacia gum is Fibregum B® marketed by CNI. This ingredient has a fibre content greater than 95% (w/w).
It is important to note that the acacia gum and non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre contents used according to the invention relate to the acacia gum and non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre specially added during the product preparation. This concentration does not account for the possible presence of natural fibre contained in the fruits in the fruit preparation.
Advantageously, the fruit preparation, according to the present invention, displays a texture, measured, at 20° C., using a CENCO texturometer (or Bostwick device—possible reference: Fisher Scientific No. 15-347-50), between 5 and 15, preferentially between 5 and 12 (these values are expressed in cm/minute).
This type of texture measurement is commonly used by those skilled in the art. In this case, it is not possible to use conventional viscosity or texture measurement devices as fruit preparations are not homogeneous mixtures.
The higher the CENCO measurement, the greater the liquidity of the preparation.
In an advantageous embodiment, the fruit preparation according to the present invention also comprises sugar or a sweetener and possibly non-cellulose fibre other than acacia gum (fructo-oligosaccharide or FOS, inulin, polydextrose), a colorant, flavouring and/or acidifier.
The sugars are particularly monosaccharides and disaccharides. The monosaccharides include fructose, galactose, glucose. The disaccharides particularly include sucrose.
The present invention also relates to a process to manufacture a fruit preparation as described above, characterised in that it comprises the following step:
The co-dried mixture is as defined above and is obtained by co-drying, which is performed in a manner known to those skilled in the art, advantageously as follows:
Advantageously, 2.5 to 15% by weight of said co-dried mixture, with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation, and advantageously 5 to 10% by weight with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation, are added in the fruit preparation.
The present invention also relates to a fruit preparation obtainable by means of the process according to the present invention.
In addition, the present invention relates to the use of the fruit preparation according to the present invention for the manufacture of a food product containing acacia gum and non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre and a food product containing the fruit preparation according to the present invention.
Advantageously, said food product is a fresh dairy product with fruit, a fermented vegetable product with fruit or a combination thereof, advantageously a fresh dairy product with fruit.
The term “fermented vegetable product” refers to a product based on soya, oat, rice, wheat or barley juice which has undergone one or more fermentations produced by micro-organisms.
Advantageously, it consists of a fermented dairy product.
The term “fermented dairy product” refers more specifically to a fermented dairy product ready for human consumption, i.e. a fermented dairy food. The present application particularly relates to fermented milks and yogurts. Said fermented dairy products may alternatively be cream cheeses or petit-suisse cheeses.
The terms “fermented milks” and “yogurts” refer to their usual meanings in the field of the dairy industry, i.e. products which are intended for human consumption, which are obtained from the acidifying lactic fermentation of a dairy substrate. These products may contain secondary ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, etc. For example, it is possible to refer to French decree No. 88-1203 dated 30 Dec. 1988 on fermented milks and yogurt, published in Journal Officiel de la République Française dated 31 Dec. 1988. it is also possible to refer to “Codex Alimentarius” (prepared by Codex Alimentarius Commission under the aegis of FAO and WHO, and published by the FAO Information Division, available online at http://www.codexalimentarius.net; see more specifically volume 12 of Codex Alimentarius “Codex standards for milk and milk products”, and the standard “CODEX STAN A-1 1(a)-1975”).
The term “fermented milk” is thus reserved in the present application for dairy products prepared with a dairy substrate which has undergone a treatment at least equivalent to pasteurisation, inoculated with micro-organisms belonging to the characteristic species of each product. A “fermented milk” has not undergone any treatment making it possible to extract a constituent part of the dairy substrate used, and particularly has not undergone draining of the coagulum. The coagulation of “fermented milks” should not be obtained by means other than those resulting from the activity of the micro-organisms used. Therefore, the term “fermented milk” is generally used to refer to fermented milks other than yogurts, and may, depending on the country, be known as “Kefir”, “Kumiss”, “Lassi”, “Dahi”, “Leben”, “Filmjôlk”, “Villi”, “Acidophilus milk” for example. The term milk refers to cow's, goat's, sheep's, buffalo's, mare's, camel's, donkey's milk. Preferentially, the term milk refers to cow's milk.
The “yogurt” is reserved for fermented milk obtained, depending on local and constant practices, by the development of specific thermophilic lactic bacteria known as Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which should be found live in the finished product, at a rate of at least 10 million bacteria per gram with reference to the milk part. In some countries, the regulations authorise the addition of other lactic bacteria in yogurt production, particularly the additional use of Bifidobacterium and/or Lactobacillus acidophilus and/or Lactobacillus casei strains. These additional lactic strains are intended to give the finished product various properties, such as the property to promote intestinal flora balance, or modulate the immune system.
The quantity of free lactic acid contained in the fermented dairy substrate must not be less than 0.6 g per 100 g at the time of sale to the consumer, and the protein content supplied by the milk part must not be less than that of a normal milk.
The term “cream cheese” or “petit-suisse cheese” is, in the present application, reserved for an unripened, unsalted cheese, which has undergone fermentation by lactic bacteria only (no fermentation other than lactic fermentation). The dry matter content of cream cheeses may be lowered to 15 g or 10 g per 100 g of cream cheese, depending on whether their fat content is 25% greater at 20 g, or at most equal to 20 g, per 100 g of cream cheese, after complete drying. The dry matter content of a cream cheese is between 13 and 20%. The dry matter content of a petit-suisse cheese is not less than 23 g per 100 g of petit-suisse cheese. It is generally between 25 and 30%. Cream cheese and petit-suisse cheese are generally grouped together under the term “fromage frais” used conventionally in the technical field of the present invention.
In a specific embodiment, the present invention relates to a fresh dairy product with fruit containing
a) between 2 and 6% by weight of acacia gum, with respect to the total weight of the fresh dairy product with fruit, advantageously between 4 and 6% by weight of acacia gum, and
b) between 0.1 and 1% by weight of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre, advantageously wheat fibre, with respect to the total weight of the fresh dairy product with fruit.
Advantageously, the fresh dairy product with fruit according to the present invention is chosen from yogurts, drinking yogurts, fromage frais and fermented milks, advantageously it consists of a stirred yogurt.
Advantageously, the fruit is chosen from the group consisting of apple, orange, red berries, strawberry, peach, apricot, plum, raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant, lemon, grapefruit, banana, pineapple, kiwi, pear, cherry, coconut, passion fruit, mango, fig, rhubarb, melon, tropical fruit, litchi, grapes, blueberry and mixtures thereof.
In an advantageous embodiment, the fresh dairy product with fruit according to the invention, displays a viscosity, measured at a temperature of 10° C. and at shearing of 64 s−1, less than 2000 mPa·s, advantageously less than 1500 mPa·s, and advantageously less than 600 mPa·s. This viscosity is measured for example using a Rheometric Scientific Rheomat 180 viscosimeter.
Advantageously, the fat content thereof is between 0 and 8% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the fresh dairy product with fruit, advantageously between 3 and 5% by weight with respect to the total weight of the fresh dairy product with fruit.
The term “fat” refers to fatty substances (fats, oils) contained in the foods. The fat content is measured with respect to the weight of the finished product.
According to the present invention, the term “shearing” refers to a shearing rate expressed advantageously in s−1.
Advantageously, the fresh dairy product with fruit, according to the invention, displays a separated liquid phase content of less than 5%, advantageously less than 3%, advantageously less than 1% by weight with respect to the total weight of the fresh dairy product with fruit.
The term “separated liquid phase” refers to the transparent phase appearing at the bottom of the container when approaching the use by date after 20 to 28 days of storage of the product.
The “separated liquid phase content” corresponds to the quantity of liquid present at the end of use by dates at the bottom of the container.
A product having a separated liquid phase content less than 5% is considered to be a stable product as there is practically no phase separation.
In this way, advantageously, the fresh dairy product with fruit according to the invention is stable at 10° C. for at least 28 days.
The present invention also relates to a preparation process of a fresh dairy product with fruit according to the invention, comprising an incorporation step in a fresh dairy product, of a fruit preparation according to the invention, advantageously of 25% by weight of said fruit preparation with respect to the total weight of the fresh dairy product with fruit.
The present invention also relates to a fresh dairy product with fruit obtainable by using the process according to the invention.
The present invention finally relates to the use of a co-dried mixture comprising between 5 and 30% by weight of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre, advantageously wheat fibre, with respect to the total weight of the mixture and between 70 and 95% by weight of acacia gum with respect to the total weight of the mixture, advantageously 80% by weight of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre and 20% by weight of acacia gum, as a stabiliser of a fruit preparation containing acacia gum.
Advantageously, the viscosity of an aqueous 15% dispersion by weight of said co-dried mixture is greater than 3000 mPa·s at a temperature of 20° C. and shearing of 10 s−1;
This viscosity is measured for example using a Rheometric Scientific Rheomat 180 viscosimeter.
The present invention will be understood more clearly in light of the examples hereinafter:
The following formula was used. This fruit preparation contains approximately 12% acacia gum and 12% polydextrose:
Acacia gum
Acacia/wheat fibre system (Equacia 80/20**)
The acacia gum used is CNI reference Fibregum B.
The polydextrose is Tate & Lyle reference Stalite 370.
Fruit Preparation Obtention Process:
This process comprises the following steps:
This fruit preparation has a satisfactory texture (CENCO=8 on D+1), and a satisfactory stability during storage at 10° C. for 8 weeks at a laboratory scale.
By mixing with a natural stirred yogurt, in proportions of 75% yogurt/25% fruit preparation according to example 1, it is possible to obtain a stirred fruit yogurt containing 6% fibre, including 3% acacia gum.
The stirred yogurt manufacturing process used for this embodiment is that conventionally used by those skilled in the art (see in particular the publication Bactéries Lactiques et Probiotiques; F. M Luquet et al.; 2004).
The texture of the yogurt corresponds well to that of a normal stirred yogurt.
The organoleptic properties of the yogurt were deemed satisfactory by a panel of untrained tasters.
The stability of the yogurt during storage at 10° C. for 28 days is satisfactory.
The following formula was used. This fruit preparation contains more than 20% by weight of acacia gum:
Acacia gum (CNI Fibregum B)
Acacia/wheat fibre system (Equacia ® 90/10**)
Therefore, the fruit preparation comprises 21.5% by weight of acacia gum and 1% by weight of non-hydrosoluble cellulose fibre with respect to the total weight of the fruit preparation.
The fruit preparation obtention process comprises the following steps:
This fruit preparation has a satisfactory texture (CENCO=9 at D+1), and a satisfactory stability during storage at 10° C. for 8 weeks at a laboratory scale. Under these conditions, the separated liquid phase content is less than 3%.
By mixing with a natural stirred yogurt, in proportions of 75% yogurt/25% fruit preparation according to example 3, it is possible to obtain a stirred fruit yogurt containing more than 5% acacia gum (in this specific case, the proportion of acacia gum was 5.37%). The stirred yogurt manufacturing process used for this embodiment is that conventionally used by those skilled in the art (see in particular the publication Bactéries Lactiques et Probiotiques; F. M Luquet et al.; 2004).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0756183 | Jun 2007 | FR | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60947043 | Jun 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12665155 | Dec 2009 | US |
| Child | 14032155 | US |
