Method for manufacturing a frozen confection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10729155-B2
Application number	US-201515308256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2015
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

Ice particles are known to sinter over time. However the inventors have observed that ice particles coated with hydrophobic particles are storage stable. Thus a method of manufacturing a frozen confection comprising as ingredients: (a) 40 to 85, preferably 55 to 75 w/w water in liquid and frozen forms; (b) 0 to 30, preferably 0.2 to 20, more preferably 0.3 to 16% w/w first fat; (c) 5 to 45, preferably 10 to 40, more preferably 12 to 35% w/w freezing point depressant; (d) 0 to 7, preferably 0.3 to 6, more preferably 0.5 to 5% w/w aerating agent; and (e) 0.5 to 10, preferably 1 to 8, more preferably 2 to 5% w/w stabilising particles, wherein the frozen confection has an overrun of at least 10, preferably at least 15, most preferably at least 30% v/v when comprising aerating agent, wherein the surface of the stabilising particles is hydrophobic, the method comprising the steps of: (a) Providing ice and/or frozen fruit and/or frozen vegetable particles at least partially coated with the stabilising particles; (b) Providing one or more non-frozen concentrate components comprising any remaining ingredients, wherein one or more of the concentrate components is optionally aerated, wherein the temperature of the one or more concentrate components is independently no higher than 10, preferably 5 degrees centigrade; (c) Mixing the ice and/or frozen fruit and/or frozen vegetable particles provided in step (a) with the one or more of the non-frozen concentrate components provided in step (b); (d) Optionally hardening the mixture of step (c) by cooling it to a temperature of −15 to −25 degrees centigrade; thereby to form the frozen confection, wherein the ice and/or frozen fruit and/or frozen vegetable particles are selected from the group consisting of: (a) A size distribution of number average length 1-500, preferably 5-200, most preferably 0-100 microns; (b) A size distribution of number average length 100-3000, preferably 250-3000, most preferably 500-3000 microns; (c) A size distribution with a number average length of a first population 500-5000, preferably 750-5000, most preferably 1000-5000 microns, and (d) A size distribution of the combination of the distributions of (a) and (c).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a frozen confection having 40 to 85 by weight water in liquid and frozen forms;
0 to 30%- by weight first fat; 5 to 45% by weight freezing point depressant; 0 to 7% by weight aerating agent selected from the group of water-soluble sucrose esters, hydrophobins, milk proteins, and mixtures thereof; and 0.5 to 10% by weight w/w stabilizing particles,
the frozen confection having an overrun of at least 10% by volume when comprising aerating agent, wherein the surface of the stabilizing particles is hydrophobic and wherein the stabilizing particles are selected from the group of hydrophobically surface modified silica, hydrophobically surface modified titanium dioxide and lycopodium powder, the stabilizing particles further comprising a coating fat which coats the stabilizing particles to produce coated stabilizing particles and which coating fat has solids content at 5 degrees centigrade of at least 10 weight percent, and a solids content at 30 degrees centigrade of no more than 60 weight percent, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) Providing ice or frozen fruit or frozen vegetable particles at least partially coated with the coated stabilizing particles;
(b) Providing one or more non-frozen concentrate components comprising any remaining ingredients, wherein one or more of the concentrate components is optionally aerated, wherein the temperature of the one or more concentrate components is independently no higher than 10 degrees centigrade;
(c) Mixing the ice or frozen fruit or frozen vegetable particles provided in step (a) with the one or more of the non-frozen concentrate components provided in step (b);
(d) Optionally hardening the mixture of step (c) by cooling it to a temperature of −15 to −25 degrees centigrade;

thereby to form the frozen confection,
wherein the particle size distribution of the ice or frozen fruit or frozen vegetable particles are selected from the group of:
(i) A particle size distribution of 1-500 microns;
(ii) A particle size distribution of 100-3000 microns;
(iii) A particle size distribution of 500-5000 microns; and
(iv) A particle size distribution of the combination of the particle size distributions of (i) and (iii).

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the first fat is selected from the group consisting of butter fat, cocoa butter, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil and mixtures thereof.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the freezing point depressant is selected from the group of monosaccharides, disaccharides, starch hydrolysates, soluble fiber, polyols, amino acids and mixtures thereof.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the coating fat is selected from the group of butter fat, cocoa butter, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil and mixtures thereof.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the frozen confection has an overrun of at most 400% by volume.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the frozen confection is substantially free of emulsifier.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the frozen confection is substantially free of first fat.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the frozen confection has an overrun of no more than 25%.

Assignees

• Conopco Inc

Inventors

• Cox Andrew Richard
• Schuetz Peter Conrad
• Singleton Scott

Classifications

• A23G9/34

  characterised by carbohydrates used, e.g. polysaccharides (characterised by the dairy products used A23G9/40) · CPC title

• A23G9/42 Primary

  containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds, extracts (containing gums A23G9/34) · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A23G9/46

  Aerated, foamed, cellular or porous products · CPC title