CORRESPONDING PRODUCT OBTAINABLE THEREWITH

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a confectionery product of the type known as die-formed lollipop, and a corresponding product or lollipop obtainable by said process.

State of the art

The confectionery products or candies commonly known as lollipops usually consist of an edible part such as a candy and an inedible part such as a stick or similar support, attached to the edible candy part.

For the sake of clarity, Fig. 3 of the drawings shows some lollipops currently marketed under the "Chupa-Chups" trademark.

In particular the edible part of the lollipop, which typically has the shape of a ball or spherical body attached to the stick, may contain a filling inside said ball, which said filling may have various characteristics and flavours, and may be in solid or semi-solid form.

For example, the lollipop filling may give the consumer the sensation of a soft candy or a hard candy, and may be formed by a plurality of substances, such as chocolate, cream, fruit jelly or others, with a wide range of flavours.

Two methods or processes are currently available for the industrial manufacture of lollipops, namely die-forming or depositing in a mould, both said processes involve the initial availability of a mass of a confectionery material, hereinafter called "candy", which may consist of a number of ingredients.

In particular, in ordinary lollipops made of sugar-based candy, the sugar is mixed and dissolved in glucose syrup and water to form a syrup with a 70-90% solid content.

Said syrup is then cooked, usually under vacuum, to eliminate most of the water and obtain a product consisting of a hot, semi-liquid mass, usually at a temperature of 130-160°C, with a 1-4% moisture content in the case of a lollipop made by hard candy material, or a higher moisture content in the case of a lollipop made by a softer chew candy that is softer to chew.

Other ingredients can also be added to the syrup to give the lollipop a special flavour, appearance and mouthfeel, said addition being made either before or after cooking under vacuum.

After this initial step of preparation of the cooked sugar-based syrup, the two lollipop manufacturing processes, namely die-forming and depositing, differ.

In the depositing process, a suitable quantity or mass of pre-prepared confectionery or candy material in fluid form is initially deposited in a mould; the candy mass is partly cooled, and the stick is then inserted into it, thus producing lollipops with a smooth outer surface.

Conversely, lollipops made by die-forming typically present a characteristic rim on their outer surface, corresponding to the area of separation between the two halves or parts of the die which open and close to form the lollipop, said rim being a distinctive feature of die-formed lollipops.

When said two parts of the die, each of which has a concave area to form a corresponding half of the spherical body of the lollipop, are moved towards each other during the lollipop forming step, they never come into direct contact with each other, with the result that the confectionery material adjacent to the separation area between said two parts of the die which move towards each other tends to project from the spherical body of the lollipop, forming a kind of rim in the shape of a circular ring round the body of the lollipop.

In lollipop die-forming processes the syrup is usually cooled after cooking, and optionally treated to convert it from a liquid state to a plastic or semi-plastic state.

The cooked composition of confectionery material or candy, in the plastic state, resulting from this step of the process, is generally inserted in a batch roller or into the hopper of an extruder or into another suitable device, so as to produce a candy rope or extrusion at the output.

In the case of lollipops with a central filling, a hollow or centrally empty rope or empty extruded productis produced by means of an apparatus with standard characteristics, namely a batch roller with a central pipe or an extruder device with a concentric nozzle.

At a later step of the lollipop manufacturing process, the insertion of the stick is very important. The sticks, made from a suitable material, must be suitably inserted into the candy part to ensure firm adherence by the lollipop edible part.

If the edible or candy part does not provide a sufficient grip onto the stick, there is a risk that said edible part, typically in the shape of a ball or spherical body, will detach from the stick during consumption and may be swallowed, leading to a choking hazard for the consumer.

The sticks used to manufacture lollipops are generally made of plastic or paper.

If said sticks are made of plastic, they are usually hollow and commonly have recesses or holes in the upper part to improve their grip in the candy mass of the lollipop.

The candy mass tends to at least partially fill said recesses or holes due to the pressure applied to said candy mass during the lollipop die-forming step.

In industrial production, it is usually easier and less problematic to treat and handle liquid rather than solid materials, as liquid materials can easily be pumped and conveyed through tubes and pipes, and their flow rate can easily be measured.

However, these considerations are not true, and not applicable, thus generating a serious technical problem, when the confectionery product to be filled with a liquid material is a lollipop.

The difficulties and problems that arise in such case derive mainly from the fact that during the die-forming step, a stick is inserted in the lollipop as illustrated above, and said insertion takes place a fraction of a second before the die closes, so that the liquid used to make the liquid filling of the lollipop tends to leak from the area surrounding the insertion point of the stick.

If the stick is hollow and there are holes in its upper part to grip the candy mass, the liquid filling of the lollipop can easily leak out through said stick.

The result is an unacceptable product, namely a lollipop, which eventually may not contain any liquid and wherein the liquid intended to form the filling spreads and solidifies on the stick, making it impossible in practice to wrap the product in packaging material at the final packaging step.

In other words, on the basis of the factors set out above, it has been found that when the lollipop is to be formed and marketed with a filling in the liquid state, serious problems can arise at the forming step.

As already stated, during the lollipop die-forming step, the liquid composition, i.e. in general the liquid intended to form the filling of the lollipop, tends by nature to seep through the interstices of the die, i.e. the separation areas between the two parts thereof, which are designed to open and close to form the lollipop, and also tends to spread over the hollow stick inserted into the body of the lollipop and leak into said stick.

To sum up, under these circumstances there is a real risk that the liquid used to form the filling of the lollipop may leak out soling the die, in particular through the area adjacent to the point of insertion of the stick, obviously creating problems, as well as involving a non-recoverable loss of the liquid composition used to form the filling of the lollipop.

Summary of the invention.

The Applicant has found a way of obviating said technical problem by developing the lollipop manufacturing process according to the present invention.

The primary object of the present invention is therefore to devise a process for the manufacture of a confectionery product such as a lollipop with a filling, and to devise a corresponding confectionery product obtainable with said process, which can effectively remedy the drawbacks of the prior art, in particular the fact that the lollipop filling, if offered in liquid form for consumption, may leak out of the edible part of the lollipop onto the die used to form the lollipop, or in general may create problems at the lollipop die-forming and packaging step.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of die- formed lollipops marketed for consumption with a filling in the liquid state, which allows the lollipop to be formed, with simultaneous formation of the corresponding filling and insertion of the stick, with no defects, problems or drawbacks, so that after forming the lollipop can be packaged, i.e. wrapped in a sheet of wrapping, with no problems.

A final object of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of lollipops, marketed for consumption with a liquid filling, that is efficient and involves low running costs.

Said objects can be deemed to be fully achieved by the lollipop manufacturing process having the characteristics defined in main independent claim 1 and by the confectionery product in the form of a lollipop conforming to independent claims 11 and 12.

Particular embodiments of the present invention are also defined in the dependent claims.

Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

As already stated, and with reference to the operational block diagram in

Fig. 1, the present invention relates to a die- forming process for the manufacture of lollipops, each containing an internal filling enclosed in a single crust or outer layer made of candy, wherein the process is mainly designed to prevent the problem of leakage of the filling during the lollipop forming step, after insertion of the corresponding stick, if the filling of the lollipop marketed for consumption is in liquid form.

In detail, at the initial step of the process according to the invention, the main ingredients of the outer layer or crust of the lollipop, namely sugar, glucose syrup and water, are weighed and mixed.

After preparation, the syrup is stored in a tank and subsequently precooked until the sugar crystals have completely dissolved.

The syrup is then filtered and pumped into a distribution tank that feeds a cooking device.

In particular at this step the syrup is pumped into a coil heater and then passes through a vacuum cooker wherein the water is partly removed to obtain the liquid material or ingredient used to make the hard sugar candy outer layer.

Any other ingredients, such as colourings, acids or flavourings, designed to be included in the composition can be added at this step to modify the mouthfeel and flavour of the final lollipop.

All the ingredients are mixed together in a mixing table with lukewarm water, wherein the ingredients are completely homogenised, while at the same time the candy mass is cooled, thereby converting it from the liquid to the plastic or semi-plastic state.

The cooked, mixed candy mass resulting from this step is then fed and inserted into a batch roller, associated with a central pipe, to produce a hollow rope or an extruded hollow product, formed by the plastic or semi-plastic candy mass, which advances continuously, wherein the central pipe is used to fill the hollow area of said hollow rope or extrusion.

In particular, said central tube or pipe fills the hollow rope or extrusion, while it advances, with a filling material comprising a mixture of sugar-based fondant (hereinafter called "fondant mixture") and an invertase enzyme, wherein said mixture is prepared in a Z-type double mixer or similar mixing machine.

Said mixing machine in turn feeds the filling material, namely the fondant mixture of fondant and invertase enzyme, in a semi-solid state, to the associated pipe in the batch roller, using an extruder or other similar device which allows the filling material to be pushed into and advanced through said pipe. For sake of clarity, Fig. 1A schematically illustrates this step of the process according to the invention and the apparatus used therewith wherein, as illustrated above, the fluid mass of candy, indicated as CAR, is extruded under the action of a pressure P, and the hollow extruded product thus obtained is filled with the fondant mixture, indicated as MF, via the central pipe CON, to produce at the output of the apparatus the final rope or extruded product ES, destined to be processed subsequently, which advances at a given speed, as indicated by an arrow in Fig. 1 A.

The candy rope or extruded product, filled with the filling material, namely the fondant mixture, is then cut into a plurality of pieces in a cutting apparatus or forming die, just before the stick is introduced into each cut piece.

When the stick is inserted into each piece, due to the semi-solid state of the filling mixture consisting of fondant and invertase enzyme, there is therefore no risk of leakage of filling mixture or material.

After insertion of the stick, the lollipops thus formed pass first through a cooling chamber wherein the outer layer of hard candy solidifies.

In particular, in said cooling chamber, the temperature and humidity are suitably controlled, while the lollipops are kept continuously moving so that they do not lose their shape.

At the same time, the internal filling of the lollipop containing the fondant mixture begins to liquefy due to the action of the invertase enzyme.

A few days after the manufacture of the lollipop, the invertase enzyme has catalysed and completed the reaction, using the sucrose contained in the fondant as substrate, and has converted the filling material, namely the fondant mixture, into liquid invert sugar which, being completely surrounded by and enclosed in a candy layer, is unable to leak from said layer, but remains confined in the spherical body of the lollipop.

By suitably regulating the dimensions of the rope or extrusion described above, and suitably proportioning the layer of the candy mass and the quantity of fondant and invertase enzyme in the fondant mixture, the final quantity of liquid filling that the final lollipop will contain can be established.

Other ingredients such as flavourings, colourings and acidifiers, in solid or liquid form, can also be added to the fondant mixture to modify its flavour, nutritional properties, structure, or filling appearance.

In the present invention, the term "fondant" refers to confectionery products containing sugar crystals mixed and held together in two phases.

In particular the sugar crystals that constitute the solid phase are dispersed in a sugar syrup with high solid content.

The structure of the fondant is semi-solid because the quantity of the liquid syrup wherein the solid sugar crystals are present is relatively low compared with that of the solid sugar crystals.

In the fondant mixture according to the invention, sugar hydrolysis, namely the reaction that produces invert sugar in the liquid state, may be obtained by using acids, enzymes or any other chemical hydrolysis reaction suitable to produce glucose and fructose from sucrose.

The invertase enzyme included in the fondant mixture used in the process according to the invention can be selected, for example, from the enzymes usually indicated and recognised by the skilled person by the following names: fructosylinvertase, alkaline invertase, acid invertase, glucosucrase, beta-h-fructosidase and beta-fructosidase.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the invertase enzyme selected is β-fructofuranosidase.

In the context of the present invention, the term "fondant mixture" indicates and refers to a homogenous mixture of a sucrose-based fondant and an enzymatic solution of invertase enzyme.

The die used to produce lollipops usually has a chain or rotary configuration, but any type of die can be used in the context of the present invention.

The candy layer or crust that surrounds the fondant mixture can be made of any confectionery material or composition, including a confectionary material such as a hard candy, a soft candy, a chewy candy or a toffee or nougat candy.

The candy material or composition may be sugar-based or sugar-free.

The colourings used in the embodiments according to the present invention may include natural food colourings, natural pigments, artificial colourings, lake colours, and combinations thereof.

The flavourings may include essential oils, aromatic preparations, natural flavouring substances, artificial flavours and combinations thereof.

In addition to the process, the invention also relates to a lollipop, with a filling, obtainable by the process described above.

In particular the lollipop according to the present invention may be supplied in a plurality of different shapes, such as a round, oblong or fruit shape, etc. and packaging types.

The outer shape and flavour of the lollipop may also be enhanced by the presence of two or more candy areas with different colours and flavours.

Different designs and configurations of said areas can also be made by means known to the skilled person.

In addition to the above description and by way of further clarification of the characteristics of the invention, Fig. 2, divided into sections (a) e (b), schematically shows a cross-section of a lollipop, indicated in general as 10, made by the process according to the invention, wherein section (a) of Fig. 2 shows lollipop 10 during the die- forming step, with simultaneous insertion of the stick, while section (b) of said Fig. 2 shows lollipop 10, after forming, as marketed for consumption.

As will be seen from said Fig. 2, lollipop 10 consists of a typically spherical body indicated as 11, and a stick 14, inserted into the spherical body 11, which define the edible and inedible parts respectively of lollipop 10.

Spherical body 11 in turn consists of an outer portion or crust, usually hard, indicated as 12, made of candy or a similar confectionery material, and an inner filling indicated as 13.

Lollipop 10 is usually formed with a die, indicated in general as ST, in particular of the rotary type mainly consisting of two parts or halves PI and P2 designed to close and open relative to one another to form lollipop 10, as indicated by double arrows f and shown with a dash-dotted line in Fig. 2, section (a).

Moreover, during the die-forming step of lollipop 10 using die ST, stick 14 is inserted by one end thereof 14a into outer candy portion 12 of spherical body 11, as indicated by arrow fl, also in Fig. 2, so that it projects at least partly with said end 14a into the inner portion of body 11 occupied by filling 13.

As will also be seen from section (a) of Fig. 2, filling 13 formed in lollipop 10 during the die-forming step thereof will in turn contain a composition comprising a fondant mixture, indicated as (FON+INV), in semi-solid or plastic form, indicated as 13', consisting of a sugar-based fondant FON and an invertase enzyme INV.

Conversely, in lollipop 10 shown in Fig. 2 section (b) and offered for sale and consumption, filling 13 is in liquid form, indicated as 13", due to the effect of invertase enzyme INV, present in the original fondant mixture (FON+INV) used to form filling 13 which, as illustrated above, when a certain time has elapsed after die- forming of lollipop 10, converts the original sugar-based fondant FON of said original fondant mixture (FON+INV) to a new form, indicated as FON', corresponding to the conversion of the fondant from semi-solid or plastic form 13' to liquid form 13".

Variants

Variants, modifications and improvements can naturally be made to the lollipop manufacturing process and the corresponding product, described above, while still remaining within the scope of the invention.

For example, in one possible variant, indicated as 10' and schematically illustrated in Fig. 2A, lollipop stick 14, differently from embodiment 10 described above, is inserted, at one end 14a thereof, into spherical body 11 of lollipop 10' without being inserted into or coming into contact with the corresponding filling 13, i.e. fondant FON' in substantially liquid state 13".

Thus in this variant of the process according to the invention, the candy that forms outer portion or crust 12 of edible spherical body 11 of lollipop 10' covers stick 14 at the time of die- forming of lollipop 10'.

To complete and supplement the description, some embodiments of the process according to the invention will now be described.

Example 1 - Manufacture of a die- formed lollipop

First, a syrup with the following composition is prepared in a known way using conventional apparatus:

Table 1

The syrup is then cooked in a heater, and colourings and a flavouring are added to produce a candy with the following composition:

Table 2 At this step, 100 kg of the resulting candy composition is brought to a temperature of over 40°C but under 90°C, and fed and inserted into a batch roller having a central teflon-lined tube so as to produce a hollow rope or extruded product.

At this step, particles of an edible composition in the solid state comprising a fondant mixture are inserted into the tube via a continuously rotating screw.

In particular the screw has a screw rotation speed regulating device to regulate the quantity of filling material, i.e. fondant mixture, that fills the interior of the hollow rope or extrusion.

The rope or extruded product filled with the particles and fondant mixture is then given a suitable diameter.

For example, at this step, a rope or extruded product filled with the particles and the fondant mixture and having a total diameter of 9 cm, is adjusted to a diameter of 3 cm using a horizontal rope sized apparatus with five couples of sizing wheels.

The rope or extruded product is then fed continuously to a rotary die equipped with a stick insertion unit.

In particular the sticks are inserted into the rope or extruded product through its outer candy part, while about three-quarters of its hollow internal area is occupied by and filled with the fondant mixture.

At the same time the rope or extruded product, with the stick inserted, is immediately formed and cut by the plungers, i.e. the mobile parts of the die, into individual lollipops.

The lollipops thus formed have two convex hemispheres separated by a central rim and weigh 12 g each, with a percentage of filling material amounting to up to 40% by weight of the lollipop.

The lollipops, after forming, are cooled in a continuous cooling tunnel with controlled temperature and humidity. Example 2 - Preparation of fondant mixture

The part consisting of the fondant mixture, to be associated with the candy composition described above in the lollipop manufacturing process, consists, for example, of the following composition:

Table 3