Method for forming impregnated food

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9700069-B2
Application number	US-201414176275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2014
Priority date	Mar 31, 2009
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

An impregnated food in which a solid edible material is impregnated with a liquid food having a viscosity of 10,000 to 100,000 mPa·s at 35° C. has a good taste of the liquid food, has nevertheless a not hard texture, and achieves a sense of unity between the solid edible material and the liquid food. The impregnated food can be produced by a process for producing an impregnated food, wherein in a hermetically closed system, the system is pressurized in a state where a solid edible material is made contact with a liquid food, and then, the pressure in the system is returned to the atmospheric pressure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for impregnating a solid edible material with a liquid food comprising:
(a) contacting a solid edible material with a liquid chocolate in a hermetically closed system;
(b) subjecting the hermetically closed system to a first pressurization treatment by pressurizing the hermetically closed system, wherein the pressure in the hermetically closed system is not reduced prior to the first pressurization treatment; and
(c) returning the hermetically closed system to atmospheric pressure,
wherein the liquid food has a viscosity of 10,000 to 100,000 mPa·s at 35° C.,
wherein the liquid food is chocolate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid edible material is completely immersed in the liquid food prior to the first pressurization treatment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a maximum pressure during step (b) is an absolute pressure of 200 kPa to 10,130 kPa.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the following steps after the step (c):
(d) subjecting the hermetically closed system to a pressure reduction step; and
(e) returning the hermetically closed system to atmospheric pressure.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the solid edible material is not immersed in the liquid food during the steps (d) and (e).

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein a minimum pressure during the step (d) is an absolute pressure of 2 to 101 kPa.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pressurization treatment comprises feeding a compressed gas into a headspace in the hermetically closed system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pressurization treatment comprises placing the solid edible material and the liquid food in a deformable hermetically closed container, pressurizing the deformable container from outside by a compressed gas or a compressed liquid.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pressurization treatment is maintained for a predetermined period of time prior to depressurization.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid edible material has a voidage of 10 to 20%.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solid edible material has a voidage of 15 to 20%.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid edible material is a baked confectionery, a puffed food or a freeze-dried food.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a proportion of weight of the liquid food impregnated into the solid edible material is 40 to 80% with respect to an entire weight of the impregnated food.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein on a cross-section plane, a proportion of an area of a part where the liquid food does not permeate is 8% or less with respect to an area of the entire cross-section plane.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the solid edible material is a baked confectionery.

Assignees

• Fujiwara Seiichi
• Kuwano Yutaka
• Ichikawa Fumito
• Kurosu Mitsuharu
• Meiji Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fujiwara Seiichi
• Kuwano Yutaka
• Ichikawa Fumito
• Kurosu Mitsuharu

Classifications

• A23G1/54

  Composite products, e.g. layered, {laminated,} coated or filled · CPC title

• A21D13/24

  coated after baking · CPC title

• A23G3/34 Primary

  Sweetmeats, confectionery or marzipan; Processes for the preparation thereof · CPC title

• A23P30/10

  Moulding · CPC title

• A23P20/20

  Making of laminated, multi-layered, stuffed or hollow foodstuffs, e.g. by wrapping in preformed edible dough sheets or in edible food containers · CPC title