The present invention relates to dried food compositions, in particular dried particulate creamy food compositions comprising dried vegetables, said food composition packaged in a transparent packaging.

Dried particulate creamy food compositions are convenient way to prepare soups or sauces without having to spend hours in the kitchen. These compositions are usually sold in rectangular sachets with an attractive representation of a serving suggestion of the soup or sauce. To prepare the creamy food sometimes addition of hot water is enough, while in other cases the dried soup only needs to be added to a required amount of water and boiled for a few minutes.

A creamy dried particulate soup or sauce composition may be a free flowing mixture of creamer vegetable granules, binder,

NaCl, flavouring ingredients like herbs, spices, yeast extract, monosodium glutamate. The creamer is needed to provide for the creamy texture and flavour of the soup or sauce. As consumers are constantly looking for novel product formats, applicants wanted to package creamy dried creamy food compositions in transparent pouches. However, it was found that the usual creamy dried soup compositions are not sufficiently shelf- stable when packaged in transparent packaging.

Surprisingly, applicants have now found that shelf-stable formulation can be provided when the dried particulate creamy food composition comprises a) 3 to 80 wt% a creamy binder selected from non-dairy creamer, roux and mixtures thereof eg NaCaseinate powder b) 1 to 55 wt% non-creamy binders selected from flour, starch, and mixtures thereof; c) 0.1 to 15 wt% NaCl; d) 1 to 85 wt % dried vegetables particulates whereby the composition is substantially free from dairy ingredient selected from dairy creamer, butter powder, cream powder, creme fraiche powder, cottage cheese powder, cheese powder, butter flavour and mixtures thereof, all weights by weight of the total food composition.

Detailed description of the invention

The food composition according to the invention is packaged in a transparent packaging. "Transparent packaging" is meant to describe any packaging whereby at least part of the contents is visible while the packaging is sealed. This can be achieved by using a packaging which is completely transparent, or only one or more parts of the packaging are transparent. In the first case a sachet of transparent foil may be used. Any transparent foil may be used such as PET. In another case, the packaging may comprise at least one window of transparent material through which the contents are visible whereas the rest of the packaging is not transparent. In the latter case the non-transparent parts may be used for printing information like the name of the product, a representation of serving suggestion, instructions how to prepare the creamy food product, ingredients and the like. Combinations of transparent and non-transparent packaging material may also be used such as a transparent pouch in a carton sleeve whereby the carton sleeve only partly encloses the transparent pouch such that part of the food product in the transparent pouch remains visible. The creamy food composition will be a "dried particulate food composition". A "dried particulate food composition" is meant to describe a food composition consisting mainly of dried particulates. The dried particulate food composition is preferably free-flowing.

The term "particulates" is meant to describe food particles as normally used in the art of dry soup and sauce compositions. Ingredients for these products such as creamer, starch, dried vegetables, herbs, spices, flavouring ingredients are usually milled or ground and sometimes sieved to more or less spherical granules of between 0.1 and 2 mm. For garnishing purposes some larger particulates may used such as slices of mushroom, cubes of carrots, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, whole garden peas, broken garden peas, pieces of asparagus, green beans, grains of sweet corn. Particulates also include "flakes". Flakes are more or less planar particles and can be obtained by braking drum dried sheets of vegetable material. Preferably, the food composition is selected from a soup composition and a sauce composition.

Surprisingly, applicants have found that it is possible to improve the shelf stability of creamy dried particulate food compositions packaged in transparent packaging provided that the compositions are substantially free from dairy ingredient selected from dairy creamer, butter powder, cream powder, creme fraiche powder, cottage cheese powder, cheese powder, butter flavour and mixtures thereof. Substantially free from dairy ingredient means that the amount of dairy ingredient is preferably at most 0.5 wt%, more preferably at most 0.1 wt%, even more preferably at most 0.01 wt%, and preferably at least 0.0001 wt%, all weights by weight of the total food composition. Most preferably no dairy ingredient is present in the food composition. Dairy creamer as known in the art comprises milk fat.

Creamy binders are an important ingredient of the creamy food compositions according to the invention. Creamy binders include non-dairy creamer, roux and mixtures thereof. As used in the art, the term non-dairy creamer typically does not contain milk fat. Non-dairy creamers may comprise a casein component like Na-caseinate . For example Savoury Creamer stabilized 74 % FAT BB, (ex Friesland Coberco Dairy Foods B. V in The Netherlands) may be used as non-dairy creamer. Creamy binders are preferably present in the creamy food composition at a level of 3 to 80 wt%, preferably 5 to 70 wt%, more preferably 10 to 60 wt%, by weight of the total food composition. Roux as known in the art is usually a cooked mixture of flour and fat. For a dried particulate food composition, roux particles will be used which can be distinguished from flour particles as the latter are not de-naturated and do not contain fat.

The creamy food compositions according to the invention preferably comprise a non creamy binder. Any non-creamy binder known in the art of savoury food applications may be used. Preferred non-creamy binders include flour, starch, and mixtures thereof. Non-creamy binders are preferably present in the creamy food composition at a level of 1 to 55 wt%, preferably 5 to 50 wt%, more preferably 10 to 30 wt%, by weight of the total food composition.

Many creamy food compositions may contain dried vegetable particulates. According to one preferred embodiment, the dried vegetable particulates comprise particulates selected from asparagus particulates, mushroom particulates and mixtures thereof. In fact, creamy asparagus and creamy mushroom soups are very popular soups. Other preferred dried vegetable particulates comprise particulates selected from whole garden peas, carrots, green beans, leak, sweet corn, bell pepper, tomato, pumpkin, cauliflower, savoy, broccoli, spinach, courgette and mixtures thereof.

Unexpectedly, applicants have found that it may also be advantageous for the shelf stability of creamy dried particulate vegetable compositions packaged in transparent packaging that usual vegetable particulate sizes are avoided, especially chlorophyll containing vegetables. Thus, an improved shelf stable composition may comprise dried vegetable particulates whereby at least 50 wt%, preferably at least 75 wt%, more preferably at least 95 wt% at preferably at most 100 wt% of the dried vegetable particulates by weight of the total amount of vegetable particulates is at least 3 mm, preferably at least 4 mm, preferably at least 5 mm and preferably at most 70 mm, preferably at most 60 mm, more preferably at most 50 mm measured along the longest dimension of the particulates.

Vegetable particulates are usually prepared by dehydrating the vegetable, followed by milling, (and/or grinding) and sieving. Preferably, the dried vegetable particulates are dried by air, vacuum, micro-wave, freeze drying and mixtures of these. However, in some cases like for leak, broccoli freeze drying is not preferred.

The creamy food compositions may further comprise NaCl in amounts of from 0.1 to 15 wt%, preferably, 1 to 10 wt%, all weights by weight of the total food composition.

The creamy food composition can also comprise flavouring ingredients. Flavouring ingredients include any food ingredient used to add desired flavour to the creamy food composition such as herbs and spices. Examples include yeast extract, white wine extract, sugar, roast onion stock.

In addition a process is provided to manufacture a dried particulate creamy food composition packaged in a transparent pouch comprising the steps of i) admixing the ingredients as described above, preferably at least a) 3 to 80 wt% a creamy binder selected from non-dairy creamer, roux and mixtures thereof; b) 1 to 55 wt% non-creamy binders selected from flour, starch, and mixtures thereof; c) 0.1 to 15 wt% NaCl; d) 1 to 85 wt % dried vegetables particulates whereby the composition is substantially free from dairy ingredient selected from dairy creamer, butter powder, cream powder, creme fraiche powder, cottage cheese powder, cheese powder, butter flavour and mixtures thereof, all weights by weight of the total food composition. ii) packaging the admixed food composition in a transparent pouch.

Different embodiments of the invention may be carried out in using preferred or more preferred conditions or ingredients (e.g. levels of dairy ingredient, vegetables) . Preferred ranges will often be described in the following format: preferably at

least xl, more preferably at least x2, even more preferably x3, preferably at most yl, more preferably at most y2, even more preferably at most y3, whereby xl<x2<x3<y3<y2<yl . This format is meant to include the preferred ranges xl to yl, more preferably x2 to y2 and even more preferably x3 to y3 whereby the endpoints are included and also all sub-ranges subsumed therein (e.g. xl to y3 and x3 to yl) . The same applies when ranges are described in the format "more than xl" or "less than yl" except that the endpoints are not included. Vice versa, when preferred ranges are described as xl to yl, more preferably x2 to y2 and even more preferably x3 to y3, the endpoints are meant to be included and also all sub-ranges subsumed therein (e.g. xl to y3 and x3 to yl) . In addition, all open ended ranges are meant to be included: preferably at least xl, more preferably at least x2, even more preferably x3, preferably at most yl, more preferably at most y2, even more preferably at most y3.

Other than in the examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term "about". Similarly, all percentages are weight/weight percentages of the total composition unless otherwise indicated. Where the term "comprising" is used in the specification or claims, it is not intended to exclude any terms, steps or features not specifically recited.

The invention is more fully illustrated by the following non- limiting examples showing some preferred embodiments of the invention .

Examples

Example 1

The compositions in Table 1 were prepared by mixing the ingredients in a Lδdige Ploughshare mixer, [type FM 50, with cutterhead] , at 25 degrees C and the compositions were each packaged in a transparent pouch based on PET, (ex Huthamaki) and stored for 7 days, 5500 KJ/m2 (standard neon light) at about 20 degrees C to simulate extended storage conditions in a supermarket .

Composition A, is according to the invention and composition B represents a comparative example according to the prior art. After storage the soups were prepared and tasted by a taste panel. Comparative example B had an off-flavour, while composition A according to the invention had no off-flavour.

Table 1

Flavouring ingredients were selected from yeast extract, white wine extract, sugar, roast onion stock, white pepper flavouring. The creamer was Savoury Creamer [74 % FAT] (ex Friesland Coberco Dairy Foods B. V., NL) .

Example 2 The compositions in Table 2 were prepared and stored as described in example 1.

Composition C, is according to the invention and compositions D and E are comparative examples according to the prior art. After storage the soups were prepared and tasted by a taste panel. Comparative example D had an off-flavour, while composition C according to the invention had no off-flavour. Comparative example E had a distinctive off-flavour. Thus, whereas the comparative examples D and E had a distinctive off- flavour, surprisingly, the composition according to the invention C lacked the off-flavour.

Table 2

Flavouring ingredients were selected from yeast extract, white wine extract, sugar, palm oil, roast onion stock, white pepper flavouring. The creamer was Savoury Creamer [74 % FAT] (ex Friesland Coberco Dairy Foods B. V., NL) .

Example 3

The compositions in Table 3 were prepared and stored as described in example 1.

Composition F and G are according to the invention and compositions H and I are comparative examples according to the prior art. After storage the soups were prepared and tasted by a taste panel. Comparative examples H and I had an off-flavour, while compositions F and G according to the invention had no off-flavour .

Table 3

Flavouring ingredients were selected from yeast extract, white wine extract, sugar, roast onion stock. The creamy binder was Savoury Creamer Stabilised [74 % FAT] (ex Friesland Coberco Dairy Foods B. V., NL) From other experiments it was concluded that compositions which avoid vegetables particulates selected from green beans, air or vacuum dried leak, sweet corn, bell pepper, celery, tomato, pumpkin, culiflower, savoy, air or vacuum dried broccoli, courgette, smaller than 3 mm measured along the longest dimension of the particulates resulted in more light stable compositions. The taste panel tests were also confirmed by measurements of decenal and heptenal as marker compounds for the off-flavour.

Creamy forest mushroom soup packaged in a transparent pouch