The invention relates to a water ice composition.

Water ice compositions are food compositions that are as such widely known. Consumers have certain expectations from frozen water ice products; these expectations include a number of organoleptic qualities such as a sufficient degree of sweetness, a flavour, and a certain 'mouthfeel'.

It is also known that it is a disadvantage of traditional water ice compositions that they are not tooth-friendly, due to the presence of certain cariogenic carbohydrates like glucose and sucrose.

Attempts have been made to make water ice more tooth-friendly; EP-

A-2 070 424, for example, discloses that the incorporation of a buffer and fructo-oligosaccharides may improve the tooth-friendliness of a water ice. Nevertheless, a need remains for alternative water ice compositions, having the same or even an improved tooth-friendly character. It is the objective of the present invention to provide such compositions.

The objective is achieved in that the water ice composition contains between 5 and 40 wt.% of a sweetener composition, whereby the sweetener composition contains between 10 and 100 wt.% of carbohydrates and optionally derivatives thereof, characterised in that essentially all the carbohydrates or derivatives thereof are non-cariogenic.

It is an advantage of the water ice composition of the invention that a water ice, a sherbet, or a sorbet may be prepared having improved

characteristics regarding tooth-friendliness. EP-A-1 891 863 discloses frozen confections comprising up to 9 wt.% of sugars and furthermore maltitol and/or xylitol, complex saccharides, and intense sweeteners. US-A-5 246 725 discloses a spoonable frozen food product that includes a sugar alcohol and glycerine, and furthermore a gelling agent, a bulking agent, and a synthetic sweetener.

EP-A-0 941 668 discloses a sherbet containing erythritol.

The invention relates to a water ice composition, i.e. a food

composition suitable to prepare a water ice from, through for example the simple act of freezing the water ice composition. A typical traditional water ice composition contains water, about 10 to 20 wt.% sucrose, about 5 to10 wt.% glucose, plus minor amounts of further compounds such as flavours, stabilizers, and colour-bringing compounds. As is known, a water ice is different from an ice cream, the difference lying primarily in the amount of proteins and fat. Ice creams typically contain a certain amount of fat and protein, typically around 10 wt.% of each, which may originate from a dairy product, whereas fat and protein are in a water ice, a sherbet, or a sorbet either not present or present in only very low amounts of typically at most 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 , 0.5 or even essentially 0 wt.% (based on the total water ice composition).

In the field of ice products, in particular in the field of ice cream, milk ice and sherbet products, it occurs that proteins are not designated as such but rather as part of a fraction called milk solids non-fat (MSNF). In this notation, the water ice according to the invention should preferably contain at most 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 , 0.5, or even essentially 0 wt.% MSNF.

As used herein, the weight percentages as given are relative to the total water ice composition or a specified section thereof (noted per occurrence). The weight percentages do not take any overrun into account. As is known in the field of ice products, overrun is an additional volume created in an ice product via the incorporation of a gas such as air. Overrun is usually, and also herein, expressed as the percentage of additional volume compared to the water ice composition. Overrun is typically absent or at least below 25% or even below 15, 10, or 5% in a water ice; in a sorbet or sherbet, however, overruns of 30 to 50% are typical. As used herein, the terms 'consist(ing) essentially of or 'essentially all' and equivalents have, unless noted otherwise, in relation to a composition the usual meaning that deviations in the composition may occur, but only to such an extent that the essential characteristics and effects of the

composition are not materially affected by such deviations.

The water ice composition of the invention as a whole contains between 5 and 40 wt.% of a sweetener composition. As meant herein, the term sweetener composition means a sweet-tasting compound or a sweet- tasting mixture of compounds. Furthermore, as meant herein, all

carbohydrates or derivatives thereof as contained in the water ice

composition as a whole are considered to be part of the sweetener composition. Moreover, as meant herein, all compounds in the water ice composition that are used for the purpose of achieving freezing point depression are considered to be part of the sweetener composition.

Preferably, the water ice composition contains at least 8, 11 , 14, 17, or 20 wt.% of a sweetener composition, and at most 38, 36, or 34 wt.% of a sweetener composition.

The sweetener composition as used in the present invention contains between 10 and 100 wt.% of carbohydrates and optionally derivatives thereof. In order to reach an improved level of tooth-friendliness as compared to traditional water ice compositions, essentially all of the carbohydrates or derivatives thereof should be non-cariogenic. In an embodiment of the invention, the portion of non-cariogenic carbohydrates or derivatives thereof is such that the water ice composition may be characterised as being 'sugar- free', a denomination typically associated with the presence of maximum 0.5 wt.% of cariogenic carbohydrates in the water ice composition as a whole.

Preferably, the sweetener composition contains at least 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 wt.% of carbohydrates and optionally derivatives thereof; the sweetener composition contains preferably at most 95, 90, 85, 80, or 75 wt.% of carbohydrates and optionally derivatives thereof. Most preferably, at least 70, 80, 90, 95, 99, or even at least 99.5, 99.6, 99.7, 99.8, or 99.9 wt.% of all carbohydrates or derivatives thereof in the water ice composition are tooth-friendly.

As is known, a compound such as a carbohydrate or derivative thereof may be characterised as non-cariogenic if consumption thereof does not lead to significant acids formation in the mouth, typically via fermentation of the compound, which in turn can lead to demineralisation of teeth. As

quantitative indication of non-cariogenicity of a compound, it is customary to test whether the compound passes the pH Telemetry test, i.e. whether consumption of the compound will not lead to a decrease of the pH in the mouth to a level of 5.7 or lower in that test. Compounds passing the pH Telemetry test are then - and also herein - designated as tooth-friendly. The test is determined in inter-dental plaque deposits, which should be at least 3 days old but not older than 7 days. The electrodes need to be calibrated with appropriate buffers (pH 4 and 7) at mouth temperature before and

immediately after the test. The function of the plaque-pH telemetry equipment and of plaque metabolism must be confirmed at each telemetry test by rinsing with 10 ml of 0.3 mol/l (10%) sugar solution, or by eating a sugar- containing analogue of the test product. This positive control must show a clearly visible effect on the pH curve, and lower the plaque pH to levels below 5. After the 30-minute measurement period after administration of the test product and prior to the application of the positive control, the plaque pH should be neutralized by rinsing with water or by chewing of neutral paraffin for salivary stimulation.

The plaque-pH telemetry test curves should be the result of at least two measured pH values per minute. Products will be viewed "toothfriendly" if, proven by intra-oral plaque-pH telemetry test on humans, the pH of interdental plaque is not lowered below 5.7 by bacterial fermentation, either during consumption or flushing, or during a period of 30 minutes after consumption. The pH curves must show the time of consumption of the test product and the 30-minute period after consumption (i.e. after the test product is swallowed or spit out after the rinse). A report on the "tooth- friendly" characteristics of a product should show the plaque-pH telemetry detection (curves) of at least four different volunteers.

With a derivative of a carbohydrate is meant a carbohydrate that has undergone a chemical reaction so that it is at least partly no longer a true carbohydrate but still is suitable as food ingredient. Known examples of such derivatives are hydrogenated carbohydrates such as isomalt, sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, mannitol, and maltitol. Hydrogenated carbohydrates are also referred to as polyols or sugar alcohols.

Carbohydrates or derivatives thereof that are tooth-friendly are as such known. Non-exhaustive examples of such compounds include the carbohydrates isomaltulose, trehalulose and D-tagatose, and the

carbohydrate derivatives isomalt, erythritol, and xylitol.

In one preferred embodiment, the sweetener composition in the water ice composition contains a mixture of one or more non-cariogenic

carbohydrates and one or more non-cariogenic carbohydrate derivatives. An example of such a mixture is the mixture of isomaltulose or isomaltulose combined with D-tagatose and erythritol.

If the water ice composition contains a carbohydrate derivative, in particular a sugar alcohol, it is preferred that the total wt.% of any

carbohydrate derivatives, in particular sugar alcohols, in the sweetener composition is smaller than the total wt.% of the carbohydrates in the sweetener composition. It is thus preferred that the weight ratio between the sum of carbohydrates and the sum of carbohydrate derivatives, in particular sugar alcohols is at least 51 :49, more preferably at least 55:45, 60:40, 65;35, 70:30, 75:25, 80:20, 85:15, 90:10, or even 95:15; the ratio may be at most 99:1 , or even essentially 100:0.

In another preferred embodiment, the water ice composition contains no carbohydrates or derivatives thereof that are associated with laxative effects at high dosages. Example of such compounds are various sugar alcohols such as isomalt. In a preferred embodiment, the water ice

composition contains essentially no sugar alcohols, more preferably essentially no carbohydrate derivatives. In yet another preferred

embodiment, the sweetener composition contains essentially only

isomaltulose and/or D-tagatose as carbohydrates, and essentially no derivatives of carbohydrates; in this embodiment, it is most preferred that the sweetener composition consists essentially of isomaltulose and D-tagatose.

Isomaltulose, or a-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1 -»6)-D-fructose, is an as such known disaccharide compound. Isomaltulose is an isomer of sucrose, the difference being that the linkage between the glucose- and fructose moieties is 1 ->6, not 1 - 2 as in sucrose. Isomaltulose occurs in nature, a.o. as a component in honey. For industrial production purposes, isomaltulose may be prepared via an as such known enzymatic rearrangement of sucrose. In the pH telemetry test, isomaltulose is characterised as being tooth -friendly.

D-Tagatose, or (3S,4S,5R)-1 ,3,4,5,6-Pentahydroxy-hexan-2-one, is an as such known monosaccharide compound. Tagatose occurs in nature. For industrial production purposes, D-tagatose may be prepared from galactose in an as such known isomerisation reaction. In the pH telemetry test, D- tagatose is characterised as being tooth-friendly.

In one embodiment of the invention, the sweetener composition contains isomaltulose and/or D-tagatose, and preferably essentially no further carbohydrates or derivatives thereof.

When the water ice composition of the invention is frozen in order to prepare a water ice, the organoleptic properties of the resulting water ice are influenced by a.o. the freezing point depression effects of the sweetener composition. As is known, the freezing point depression effects of a disaccharide are different from that of a monosaccharide. Preferably, both isomaltulose and D-tagatose are present in the sweetener composition. This has the advantage that a favourable combination of sweetness and mouthfeel in a frozen water ice may be achieved, including an optimal texture upon consumption, i.e. not too long and neither too short.

Most preferably, the water ice composition as a whole contains between 7 and 30 wt.% of isomaltulose and between 3 and 12 wt.% of D- tagatose. In this embodiment, it is preferred that essentially no cariogenic carbohydrates are present.

It was found that the presence of both isomaltulose and D-tagatose in the water ice composition allows for the achieving of a variety of textures in a water ice prepared therewith, depending on the specific amounts of either isomaltulose or D-tagatose in the water ice composition. It was found that increasing the amount of isomaltulose can lead to a shortening and/or hardening of the texture of the water ice. It was furthermore found that increasing the amount of D-tagatose can lead to a lengthening and/or softening of the texture of the water ice.

If both isomaltulose and D-tagatose are contained in the sweetener composition, then it is preferred that the weight ratio between isomaltulose and D-tagatose is at least 1 :99, 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, 90:10, or 99:1. The said ratio is preferably at most 99:1 , 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70, 20:80, 10:90, or :99.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a desired level of freezing point depression or texture is achieved in that the sweetener composition contains a further compound other than isomaltulose and/or D-tagatose; an example of such a further compound is glycerol, which can be used in amounts lying preferably between 0.1 and 10 wt.% of the water ice

composition as a whole, more preferably between 0.5 or 1 and 8 or 6 wt.%.

The sweetener composition according to the invention should provide a certain sweetness to the water ice composition. In a traditional water ice composition, the sweetener composition can consist of sucrose and glucose. As glucose provides less sweetness than sucrose, the sweetness of this example of a traditional sweetener composition is, on a weight-for-weight basis, typically around 60% of that of sucrose. It is preferred that the sweetener composition of the invention as a whole provides, on a weight-for weight basis, at least 20% of the sweetness of sucrose, and at most 400% of the sweetness of sucrose. More preferably, the sweetener composition provides between 25 or 35 and 300%, between 40 and 250%, between 50 and 200%, or even between 55 or 60 and 150% of the sweetness of sucrose.

Depending on the choice and quantity of the carbohydrate(s) and the optional derivative(s) thereof in the sweetener composition, it may be that these compounds as such provide less than the desired amount of

sweetness to the sweetener composition. In such a case, it may be helpful to incorporate other types of sweeteners into the sweetener composition.

Examples of such other types of sweeteners are high-intensity sweeteners such as for example aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, sodium

cyclamate, sucralose, and rebaudioside A and other Stevia-derived

sweeteners, or mixtures of such compounds. In one preferred embodiment, natural high-intensity sweeteners are incorporated; non-limiting examples of such sweeteners include Stevia-derived sweeteners, Brazzein, and Monellin. Since the sweetener composition can fulfil the criteria of tooth- friendliness, the option is thereby created for the whole of the water ice composition to fulfil these criteria too. Preferably, therefore, the other constituents of the water ice composition are chosen such that they are tooth-friendly. In order to reach the goal that the water ice composition as a whole is tooth-friendly, it may be preferred to ensure that the pH of the water ice composition, as measured at 20°C, is between 5.7, 6.0, 6.5 or 7.0 and 10.0, 9.0, 8.5 or 8.0. However, it is well-known that certain flavours such as for example many fruit flavours are acids. Nevertheless, as is known a water ice product can even then still be considered to be tooth-friendly if the erosive potential is determined to be sufficiently low - i.e. acid exposure not more than 40 mmol H ⁺ .min in the known standardized test as elaborated on a.o. www.toothfriendlv.com. Ingredients such as flavours etc. that satisfy this standard are a such known. In a preferred embodiment, therefore, the water ice composition as a whole is formulated such that the erosive potential is at most 40 mmol H ⁺ .min. The invention also relates to a water ice or sorbet or sherbet, prepared from and consisting essentially of the water ice composition according to the invention. The preparation of the water ice or sorbet or sherbet according to the invention may be done by freezing techniques and other techniques such as extrusion that are as such known in the field of water ice preparation. As is known, the choice of terminology: 'water ice', 'sherbet', and 'sorbet' are a.o. determined by the presence and amount of overrun, and by the presence of a small amount of at most 5, preferably at most 4, 3, 2, 1 , or 0.5 wt.% of fat and at most 5, preferably at most 4, 3, 2, 1 , or 0.5 wt.% of protein or MSNF.

The invention is illustrated with the following examples, without being limited thereto.

Examples 1 - 3 and Comparative Experiment A

For each of four water ice compositions, the ingredients were mixed together using a Silverson high-speed mixer during ten minutes at 8600 rpm and at a temperature of 55 - 60°C. Subsequently, the compositions were placed in a refrigerator and kept at 6°C for 24 hours. Individual samples were then prepared and frozen at -18°C for 48 hours.

The full composition of the water ice compositions is provided in Table 1. In all cases, water ice samples were successfully prepared. The overrun in all samples was 25 vol.%. The water ice samples so obtained were evaluated in a sensory test by a human test panel.

Table 1 - Water ice compositions

Legend to Table 1

- All values in Table 1 are weight. % based on the whole of the water ice composition

- The Isomaltulose was Palatinose ^® , supplied by Beneo-Palatinit

- The glucose was a glucose syrup 40DE

- The stabilizer was Palsgaard 5911

- Flavour: supplied by Givaudan-Roure

- The Stevia-extract contained mainly Rebaudioside A, in 80% purity

The evaluation of the water ice samples by a human test panel provided the following results:

- The water ice sample made in traditional fashion in Comparative

Experiment A provided a good sweetness, noticeable ice crystals, good flavour release and an agreeable texture.

- In the water ice sample according to the invention of Example 1 the ice crystals and the flavour were, compared to Comparative Experiment A, somewhat less noticeable; the water ice sample had a harder and shorter texture.

- The water ice sample of Example 2 was very comparable to that of

Comparative Experiment A in taste, sweetness, and texture. - The water ice sample of Example 3 resembled that of Example 2, however with a longer texture, showing the onset of thread-forming upon consumption. Examples 4 - 5 and Comparative Experiment B

Three water ice / sorbet products were prepared in the same fashion as described for Examples 1 - 3 and Comparative Experiment A. The compositions were as outlined in Table 2. One major difference with the water ice compositions of Examples 1 - 3 and Comparative Experiment A is that the overall amount of sweetener composition was reduced. Also, the overrun was set at about 40 vol.%.

Table 2 - Water ice compositions

Legend to Table 2

- All values in Table 1 are weight.% based on the whole of the water ice composition

- The Isomaltulose was Palatinose ^® , supplied by Beneo-Palatinit

- The glucose was a glucose syrup 40DE

- The stabilizer was Palsgaard 5919

- Flavour: supplied by Givaudan-Roure

- The Stevia-extract contained mainly Rebaudioside A, in 80% purity The water ice samples had a pH between 8.1 and 8.3.