A SYNERGISTIC SUGAR-FREE SYRUP COMPOSITION AND A PROCESS FOR PREPARING THE SAME FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a synergistic sugar-free syrup composition useful for preparing traditional Indian sweets, said syrup composition comprising 25.0 to 99.99 % by et. sorbitol, 0. 01 to 20.0 % by wt. mannitol, up to 70.0 % by wt. water and upto 0.5 gms of an intense sweetener per 500 gms of final syrup and a process for preparing the same.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Indian traditional sweets play an important role in our daily life always associated with happy and festive occasions. Rough estimate indicates that this age-old, cottage scale industry is the major consumer of sugar in the country and they are popular throughout the country. Sugar content in these products varies and is upto 40-50%. Due to increased public awareness and health consciousness of the public, the demand for dietetic foods is increasing throughout the world including in our country. The present invention relates to a process for preparation of low and sugar free syrup suitable for Indian traditional sweets such as Jamun, Rasogolla, Boondi and Laddu, which are ready to eat.

There is no literature on preparation of low sugar Indian traditional sweets. However, literature is available on low sugar Western type confectionery products.

Reference may be made to liquid, transparent mixture based on lactitol (Blankers et al.

2002, USP. 6,444, 250), wherein transparent mixture containing lactitol, other polyols and or hydrogenated polydextrose suitable for use as a sweetener in hard-boiled sweets, soft confectionery, ice-cream products and bakery products is prepared. The drawbacks of this invention are: mainly lactitol and hydrogenated saccharide mixtures are used, which are different from the present invention and may not be suitable for Indian traditional sweets.

Reference may also be made to liquid food products (Silver, 2002, USP. 6,399, 142), wherein novel liquid foods containing water and inulin fractions along with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, saccharin or one or more polyols. The drawbacks of this invention are: fraction of inulin, which is a polysaccharide at low concentrations are used, which are not suitable for the present invention, where higher concentrations of polyols are employed.

Reference may also may be made to sugar-free dragee chewing sweets (Fritzsching, et. al., USP 6, 372, 271 (2002), wherein the sweet coated chewing sweet is sugar-free and the sweetening agent is hydrogenated isomaltulose or amixtureofl, l-GPS (l-o-alphaD-

glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol), 1, 1-GPM (1-o-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-mannitol) and 1,6- GPS (6-o-alpha-D=glucopyranostyl-D-sorbitol) and optionally sorbitol, mannitol, hydrogenated or non-hydrogenated oligosaccharides are employed. The drawbacks of this invention are: main sweetening agent used is isomaltulose and it consists of maltitol syrup, protein hydrolysate, hydrocolloids, fat substitutes, fat, gums, etc. , which are useful for present invention.

Reference may also be made to sugar-free coating obtained by hard coating and process for producing it (Ribadeau-Dumas, et. al. USP 5,900, 261 (1999), wherein a hard crystalline coating consisting of at least 90% of a polyol mixture consisting of about 20-50% mannitol or about 5-50% glucose 1-6 mannitol, the balance for 100% of dry matter content of the mixture consisting of polyol selected from xylitol, maltitol and lactitol was reported. The drawbacks of this invention are : the solids polyols are used in this invention for coating, where as syrups of appropriate strengths are required for the present invention.

Reference may be made to syrups containing sorbitol, a plasticizing agent and an anticrystallization agent and their use in chewing gum and other products (Reed et al 1997, USP 5,651, 936), wherein syrups of aqueous sorbitol, plasticizing agent from glycerin, propylene glycol and mixtures and an anticrystallization agent selected from other alditols from maltitol, mannitol, hydrogenated isomaltlose, xylitol, erythritol and mixtures thereof for used in chewing gum. The drawbacks of this invention are: mixtures of sorbitol, plasticizing agent and anticrystallizing agent and the concentration of the syrup is high, which are not suitable for the present invention.

Reference may be made to sugar-free hard boiled candy and process for its manufacture (Serpelloni, et. al. , USP 5,629, 042 (1997), wherein sugar free boiled sweet containing atleast one water crystallizable polyol, selected from maltitol, isomalt, mannitol, erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol and lactitol were used. The drawbacks of this invention are: 5-100% polyol and hydrogenated carbohydrate for hard-boiled confection are used, which are entirely different from those of the present invention and these are not suitable.

Reference may also be made to sugar-free chocolate coating (Bombardier, et. al. , UPS 5,017, 392 (1991), wherein a sugar free chocolate coating for a frozen dairy dessert comprising 4.5-10% milk solids, 16-19.1% chocolate flavoring substance, 5-10% mannitol, 0.35-0. 5% lecithin, 12-25% polydextrose, 0.11-0. 13% aspartame, 0-2% black cocoa, 0-8% cocoa butter and the balance vegetable oil is prepared. The drawbacks of this invention are: solid polyol, mannitol along with chocolate ingredients are used in this,

which are not suitable for use in the present invention, where syrup of particular strength is required.

Reference may also be made to process for the manufacture of sucrose-free, dietetic and /or teeth sparing chocolate (Keme, et al. , USP 4,980, 189 (1990), wherein sucrose free chocolate crumb consisting of sugar alcohols, isomaltulose, isomaltose, leucrose and polydextrose and mixtures thereof mixed with whole and skimmed milk powder, chocolate liquor, drying and prepared chocolate. The drawbacks of this invention are: solid polyols along with chocolate ingredients are employed which are not suitable for the present invention and are different.

Reference may also be made to low-calorie sugar-free chewing gum containing polydextrose (Klose, et al, USP 4,382, 963 (1983), wherein a sugar free, low calorie chewing gum utilizing polydextrose comprising aspartame at 0.1-0. 7% was used. The drawbacks of this invention are : bulking agent along with intense sweetener used which is entirely different and not suitable for the present invention.

Sugar imparts not only sweetness but also other desirable characteristics such as body, texture and mouthfeel to most of the traditional sweets. Hence, selection of alternative sweeteners is very important to get the products comparable with those of sugar counterparts. Intense sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K impart only sweetness but not the other characteristics.

The drawbacks of the above-cited literature are: processes and products prepared are of Western type confectionery and are entirely different and are not applicable to processing or product formulations of the present invention. The process of preparation of the product and preparation of sweetening blends are different from those reported. Polyols along with other ingredients such as polydextrose, plasticizing agents employed for use in confectionery products and chewing gums. These processes or type and proportions of sweeteners are not suitable for preparation of traditional sweets, as they require characteristic consistency of the syrup for penetration into the products such as Jamun, Rasogolla, Boondi and also binding for Laddu. Hence, selection of sweetener blend and consistency or strength of the syrups are very important to impart the characteristics similar to those of sugar in traditional sweets.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The main objective of the present invention is to provide synergistic sugar-free syrup composition useful for preparing traditional Indian sweets such as Jamun, Rasogolla, Laddu and sweet Boondi.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for preparation of a synergistic sugar-free syrup for Indian traditional sweets-Jamun, Rasogolla, Laddu and sweet Boondi.

Another objective of the present invention is to prepare selected sweetener blend of appropriate strength and processing to prepare traditional sweets mentioned having similar texture and mouthfeel compared to sugar counterpart.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a synergistic sugar-free syrup composition useful for preparing traditional Indian sweets, said syrup composition comprising 25.0 to 99.99 % by et. sorbitol, 0.01 to 20.0 % by wt. mannitol, up to 70.0 % by wt. water and upto 0.5 gms of an intense sweetener per 500 gms of final syrup and a process for preparing the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a synergistic sugar-free syrup composition useful for preparing traditional Indian sweets, said syrup composition comprising 25. 0 to 99.99 % by et. sorbitol, 0.01 to 20.0 % by wt. mannitol, up to 70.0 % by wt. water and upto 0.5 gms of an intense sweetener per 500 gms of final syrup.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the intense sweetener is selected from the group comprising of sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K and mixture thereof.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the traditional Indian sweets include jamun, rasagolla, sweet boondi and laddu.

The present invention also provides a process for preparing a synergistic sugar-free syrup composition useful for preparing traditional Indian sweets, said process comprising the steps of : (a) mixing 25.0 to 99.9 % by wt, of sorbitol, 0,01 to 20.0 % by wt. mannitol and up to 70 % by wt. water to obtain a mixture, and (b) adding upto 0.5 gms of an intense sweetener per 500 gms of the mixture of step (a) to obtain the synergistic sugar-free syrup composition.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the intense sweetener is selected from the group comprising of sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K and mixture thereof.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the traditional Indian sweets include jamun, rasagolla, sweet boondi and laddu.

The novelty of the process is selection of alternative sweeteners to impart characteristics similar to those of sugar and also preparation of sweetener blend with equi-sweetness

compared to sugar and the proper consistency and mixing operations of sweetener to get the products similar in quality compared to sugar counterpart. Small quantity of mannitol was incorporated along with sorbitol to induce desirable crystallization especially for laddu and Boondi, similar to sugar. The products do not contain any added sugar and are similar in texture and mouthfeel compared to those of traditional sugar counterparts and can be consumed by health conscious consumers.

Accordingly, a sugar free syrup formulation for Indian traditional sweets and a process for preparation thereof, comprising: Ingredient (A) Solid/Powder (g) (B) Syrup (g) a. Sorbitol 150-425 400-500 b. Mannitol 0. 5-110 0.5-100 c. Water 75-350 0-1120 d. Intense sweetener 0-0.5 0-0.5 (g/500g of final syrup) (Sucralose/Aspartame/Acesulfame K) In an embodiment of the present invention, preparation of the syrup comprises: Preparing the sugar free syrup by choosing either (A) or (B), adding the ingredients and mixing thoroughly to obtain a syrup of the said strength by diluting or concentrating.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the syrup strengths may be appropriately altered depending on the type of the product.

The details of the process are as follows: The main steps involved in the present invention are: selection of appropriate sweeteners and the concentration of the syrup to suit the particular product preparation. The proportions of sweeteners and their strength differ depending on the type of the end product. The details of the sweetener blend and the syrup preparation for different sweets are given under.

Base stock syrup: Sorbitol (solid) made upto 67°Brix i. e. , having 67% soluble solids as measured by hand refractometer, by adding water or sorbitol syrup having 67°B was used for preparation of various sugar free syrups suitable for different sweets, as described under.

For Jaitiuit : Sorbitol syrup consisting of about 67% soluble solids (67°B) was made up to about 45-65°B by diluting with water. 0.05-0. 25 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup having desired consistency and sweetness similar

to those of sugar, suitable for Jamun preparation. Also, the other intense sweeteners used in place of sucralose are: aspartame, 0.1-0. 3 g per 500 ml syrup; acesulfame K, 0.3-0. 5 g per 500 ml syrup. The concentration of intense sweeteners and sorbitol syrup was calculated to get equi-sweetness level compared to sugar and desired consistency suitable for Jamun.

Jamun is prepared by making dough from commercially available instant mix, frying in a blend of refined peanut or sunflower oil and vanaspati at about 150°C and then soaking the fried balls in the syrup prepared as mentioned above for 2-8 hr.

For Rasogolla : Sorbitol syrup of about 67°B was made up to about 40-50°B by diluting with water. 0.1-0. 3 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup for Rasogolla preparation as boiling syrup. Similarly the syrup for soaking was prepared by mixing 0.1-0. 3 g of sucralose in 500 ml sorbitol syrup and adjusting the strength to about 35-45°B.

Rasogolla was prepared following the traditional method using dairy milk, separating Channa by adding 200 ml of 1% citric acid to 500 ml milk at 70 °C ; draining the whey and making balls of channa by mixing with wheat semolina and baking soda. The kneaded balls are then cooked in the above mentioned boiling syrup of 40-50°B sorbitol and intense sweetener syrup for 10 min and then soaked in the same syrup of 35-45°B for 1-2 hr to get ready to eat sugarless but sweet Rasogolla.

For sweet Boondi : Sorbitol syrup of 67°B was made up to about 62°B by diluting with water. 0.5 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup having equi-sweetness compared to sugar for sweet Boondi preparation. The other intense sweeteners used inplace of sucralose are : aspartame, acesulfame K.

Boondi was prepared by frying bengalgram batter in refined peanut or sunflower oil at 160°C to get boondi. The fried Boondi was soaked in this syrup at 75-90°C, removed and allowed to surface dry to get sugarless sweet Boondi having texture and mouthfeel similar to that of sugar counterpart.

For Laddu : The Sorbitol syrup of 67°B was mixed with solid mannitol in the proportion of 80-95: 5-20 on dry wt basis and 0.1-0. 3 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of the above syrup and was concentrated to 70-80°B to have same consistency and sweetness compared to sugar.

Boondi was prepared by frying bengalgram batter in refined peanut or sunflower oil at 160°C to get Boondi having moisture content of about 15-17%.

The fried boondi was mixed with the above syrup in the ratio of 10: 13 w/w and the mixture was warmed till the syrup strength reached to about 80-82°B, cooled to about 35-40°C and were made into balls either manually or using a mechanical device to obtain ready to eat Laddu without having added sugar.

The following examples are given by the way of illustration of the present invention and therefore should not be constructed to limit the scope of the present invention.

Example 1 Preparation of the syrup: Take 500g of sorbitol syrup having 67°B (67% soluble solids content) as measured by hand refractometer. To this syrup 40g of water is added and mixed thoroughly to get a syrup of 62°B. 0.5 of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this sorbitol syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup for sweet Boondi preparation.

The fried Boondi was prepared by frying the batter consisting of bengalgram flour and water in refined sunflower oil at 160°C for about 90 sec. The fried boondi (150 g) at 65°C was soaked in the above syrup at 75°C for 3 min, it was removed and allowed to surface dry to obtain ready to eat sweet Boondi without any added sugar.

Example 2 Preparation of the syrup: 310g of solid sorbitol was taken and 190 ml water added to make up 500 ml syrup having 62°B. 0.5 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this sorbitol syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup for sweet Boondi preparation.

The fried Boondi was prepared by frying the batter consisting of bengalgram flour and water in refined sunflower oil at 160°C for about 90 sec. The fried Boondi (150 g) at 75°C was soaked in the above syrup at 85°C for 3 min, it was removed and allowed to surface dry to obtain ready to eat sweet Boondi without any added sugar.

Example 3 Preparation of the syrup: Take 500g of sorbitol syrup having 67°B (67% soluble solids content) as measured by hand refractometer. To this syrup added 40g of water and mixed thoroughly to get a syrup of 62°B. 1.4 g of aspartame was added to 500 ml of this sorbitol syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup for sweet Boondi preparation.

The fried Boondi was prepared by frying the batter consisting of bengalgram flour and water in refined sunflower oil at 160°C for about 90 sec. The fried Boondi (150 g) at 65°C was soaked in the above syrup at 75°C for 3 min, it was removed and allowed to surface dry to obtain ready to eat sweet Boondi without any added sugar.

Example 4 Preparation of the syrup: Take 500g of sorbitol syrup having 67°B (67% soluble solids content) as measured by hand refractometer. To this syrup added 40g of water and mixed thoroughly to get a syrup of 62°B. 0.1 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this sorbitol syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup for Jamun preparation.

Jamun was prepared using commercially available instant mix and frying in a blend of refined groundnut oil and vanaspati at about 150°C. The fried Jamun balls are then soaked in the above syrup at 60°C for 4 hr to get ready to eat sugarless sweet Jamun.

Example 5 Preparation of the syrup: Take 500g of sorbitol syrup having 67°B (67% soluble solids content) as measured by hand refractometer. To this syrup added 40g of water and mixed thoroughly to get a syrup of 62°B. 0.2 g of aspartame was added to 500 ml of this sorbitol syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup for Jamun preparation.

Jamun was prepared using commercially available instant mix and frying in a blend of refined groundnut oil and vanaspati at about 150°C. The fried Jamun balls are then soaked in the above syrup at 60°C for 4 hr to get ready to eat sugarless sweet Jamun.

Example 6 Preparation of the syrup: Take 500g of sorbitol syrup having 67°B (67% soluble solids content) as measured by hand refractometer. To this syrup added 245 g of water and mixed thoroughly to get a syrup of 45°B. 0.1 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this syrup and mixed to get the desired syrup for Rasogolla preparation as boiling syrup. Similarly the same syrup for soaking was prepared by adjusting the 500ml of sorbitol syrup to about 40°B by diluting with water.

Rasogolla was prepared following the traditional method using dairy milk, separating Channa by adding 200 ml of 1% citric acid to 500 ml milk at 70 °C ; draining the whey and making balls of channa by mixing with wheat semolina and baking soda. The kneaded balls are then cooked in the above sorbitol and intense sweetener syrup for 10 min and then soaked in the same syrup of 40°B for 1-2 hr to get ready to eat sugarless but sweet Rasogolla.

Example 7 Preparation of the syrup: Take 500g of sorbitol syrup having 67°B (67% soluble solids content) as measured by hand refractometer. To this syrup added 245g of water and mixed thoroughly to get a syrup of 45°B. 0.2 g of sucralose was added to 500 ml of this syrup and

mixed to get the desired syrup for Rasogolla preparation as boiling syrup. Similarly the same syrup for soaking was prepared by adjusting the 500ml of sorbitol syrup to about 40°B by diluting with water.

Rasogolla was prepared following the traditional method using dairy milk, separating Channa by adding 200 ml of 1% citric acid to 500 ml milk at 70 °C ; draining the whey and making balls of channa by mixing with wheat semolina and baking soda. The kneaded balls are then cooked in the above sorbitol and intense sweetener syrup for 10 min and then soaked in the same syrup of 40°B for 1-2 hr to get ready to eat sugarless but sweet Rasogolla.

Example 8 The sorbitol syrup of 67°B (67% soluble solids) was mixed with solid mannitol in the proportion of 90: 10 on dry wt basis and made up to 500 ml with water. This syrup was taken and 0.1 g of sucralose was added and concentrated to 75°B i. e. , 75% soluble solids as measured by hand refractometer by heating.

Boondi was prepared by frying bengalgram batter in refined groundnut oil at 160°C to get Boondi having moisture content of about 15-17%.

The fried Boondi was mixed with the above syrup in the ratio of 10: 13 w/w and the mixture was warmed, cooled to about 35-40°C and were made into balls either manually or using a mechanical device to obtain ready to eat Laddu without having added sugar.

Example 9 The sorbitol syrup of 67°B (67% soluble solids) was mixed with solid mannitol in the proportion of 85: 15 on dry wt basis and made up to 500 ml with water. This syrup was taken and 0.1 g of sucralose was added and concentrated to 75°B i. e. , 75% soluble solids as measured by hand refractometer by heating.

Boondi was prepared by frying bengalgram batter in refined groundnut oil at 160°C to get Boondi having moisture content of about 15-17%.

The fried Boondi was mixed with the above syrup in the ratio of 10: 13 w/w and the mixture was warmed, cooled to about 35-40°C and were made into balls either manually or using a mechanical device to obtain ready to eat Laddu without having added sugar.

Example 10 The sorbitol syrup of 67°B (67% soluble solids) was mixed with solid mannitol in the proportion of 90: 10 on dry wt basis and made up to 500 ml with water. This syrup was talcen and 1.4g of aspartame was added and concentrated to 75°B i. e. , 75% soluble solids as measured by hand refractometer by heating.

Boondi was prepared by frying bengalgram batter in refined groundnut oil at 160°C to get Boondi having moisture content of about 15-17%.

The fried Boondi was mixed with the above syrup in the ratio of 10: 13 w/w and the mixture was warmed, cooled to about 35-40°C and were made into balls either manually or using a mechanical device to obtain ready to eat Laddu without having added sugar.

Analyses: All the products prepared were subjected to sensory analysis and compared with those of sugar. Important attributes of each product were analysed by a panel of 12 judges and the mean sensory scores on a 10 point headonic scale were reported. The results in Table 1, revealed that all the sugar free products were comparable with the corresponding sugar counterparts in all the sensory attributes. Even the shelf life of these products is similar to those of sugar containing products.

Table: 1. Mean sensory scores of sugar free and sugar containing traditional sweets Product Appearance Texture Sweetness Overall Quality Jamun-Sugar-free 7.4 4.6 6. 0 7. 8 Jamun-with Sugar 7.7 5.4 6. 4 8. 0 Rasogolla-Sugar-free 7.1 6.8 7. 1 7. 6 Rasogolla-with sugar 6.9 6.3 8. 0 6. 9 Laddu-Sugar-free 6.8 5.7 5.7 6.4 Laddu- with sugar 5.8 5.3 5.7 7.9 Boondi- Sugar-free 5.2 5.2 5.6 6.7 Boondi-with sugar 5.4 4.5 5. 0 7. 1 The main advantages of the present invention are: 1. The products are ready-to-eat sweet similar to traditional sweet, having no added sugar.

2. The products are similar to traditional sweet in texture and overall sensory quality and do not contain any added sugar, so that they can be onsumed by health conscious consumers as well.