The present invention relates to a coffee cream which is presented in several embodiments, namely: simple coffee cream, also called basic cream for the manufacture of other products, containing soluble coffee and condensed milk, coffee cream with butter, containing soluble coffee, condensed milk and butter, coffee cream in both variants in combination with powdered or ground hazelnuts, coconut, hemp seeds or chia seeds to have other beneficial properties. The present invention relates also to all of these coffee cream variants, transformed into solid products in different forms, for example cookies or balls, respectively, after partial/full dehydration and hereinafter referred to as ’’coffee cookies”/” coffee balls” with the addition of hazelnuts, coconut, hemp seeds or chia seeds.

Field of the invention

Of all the industries producing consumer goods, the coffee industry occupies an important place because of the contribution which the consumption of coffee makes to the human body, promoting a great deal of physical and mental energy. The technological process makes this product easy for the body to assimilate and even helps to improve metabolism and digestion.

The present invention proposes several types of coffee-based products, starting from the initial product in the form of a cream, combining soluble coffee with condensed milk, or soluble coffee with condensed milk and butter, respectively. These 2 types of cream in combination with different percentages of ground hazelnuts in different sized particles or hazelnut powder, for a delicate cream, represents another embodiment of the invention. Hazelnuts can be replaced by coconut, hemp seeds or chia seeds in other embodiments.

The present invention also relates to coffee cream in all the disclosed embodiments, transformed into solid products by partial or total elimination of internal water.

The products obtained according to the above-mentioned embodiments of the invention may vary in taste, namely from a more bitter taste to a sweeter taste, by increasing the amount of condensed milk for sweeter products, and in consistency, softer solid products or semisolid products, with a higher addition of butter or with partial elimination of internal water, and harder products, with approximately total elimination of internal water and with a lower addition of butter.

In other embodiments the solid products may have different outer coatings consisting of: grounded hazelnut, hazelnut powder, cocoa powder, coconut, as well as hemp seeds or chia seeds. The different outer coatings serve both to give other shapes to the products than the ball shape (when the product is quite malleable - in order not to stick), and for a mix of tastes and consistencies and at the same time they bring the advantage of forming new products with different properties beneficial to the human body.

Detailed description of the invention with examples

The invention relates to several types of coffee cream based on soluble coffee and condensed milk, with/without the addition of butter, with/without hazelnuts/ coconut/ hemp seeds or chia seeds and solid/sem isolid products of different shapes and consistencies, namely cookie like products or coffee balls, respectively, with/without hazelnuts/ coconut/ hemp or chia seeds, obtained by removing the internal water from said coffee creams.

In a first embodiment, the invention relates to coffee cream, containing two ingredients: soluble coffee and condensed milk in proportions of: 1 part coffee and from 3.5 parts to 12.5 parts condensed milk. This type of cream is in fact the basic cream used to make the other products.

Depending on the amount of condensed milk added, we can obtain several types of coffee cream, namely: a) "concentrated" cream containing: 1 part coffee and from 3.5 parts to about 6 parts condensed milk. This cream is a stand-alone product but can also be used as an ingredient in other products and/or to give a bitter or coffee taste to other products.

(b) cream which can be consumed as such containing: 1 part coffee and 5.5 to 8 parts condensed milk;

(c) coffee cream used as a basis for cookie like products and coffee balls containing: 1 part coffee and from approximately 4 parts to 12,5 parts condensed milk. In a further embodiment, an object of the invention is the base coffee cream according to the first embodiment to which butter is added.

The three ingredients are found in the product according to the invention in the proportion of: 1 part soluble coffee, in the range of from 3.5 parts to 12.5 parts condensed milk and in the range of from 0.001 parts to 3 parts butter. Depending on the amount of butter added, several types of coffee cream can be obtained, namely: a) concentrated cream containing: 1 part coffee, 3.5 to 5.5 parts condensed milk and 0.001 to 0.5 parts butter;

(b) cream which may be consumed as such containing: 1 part coffee, from 5 parts to approximately 8 parts condensed milk and from 0,001 parts to a maximum of 1 part butter;

(c) cream used as a basis for obtaining soft coffee balls containing: 1 part coffee, from 4 to approximately 12,5 parts condensed milk and from 0,001 parts to a maximum of 3 parts butter; d) cream for cakes/cupcakes, containing: 1 part coffee, from 5.5 to approximately 12.5 parts condensed milk, where the addition of butter may be between approximately 50%-70%.

In another embodiment, it is an object of the invention the base coffee cream and the coffee cream with added butter to which different percentages of ground hazelnuts are added in particles of different sizes or in the form of hazelnut powder for a delicate cream.

The amount of hazelnuts added can range from 0.001 % to a maximum of 45%, for the creams this ranges from 0.001 % to approximately 30%, because of the increase of the solid consistency. The percentage of hazelnuts that gives the perfect balance in both cream and coffee balls is between about 12%-20%. The percentage above 30% because it increases the product consistency is meant for the solid products.

In other embodiments, the hazelnuts can be replaced with ground coconut and hemp or chia seeds in the same quantities.

Another embodiment is represented by the products obtained from the coffee cream in all the variants presented, transformed into semisolid or solid products by partially or totally removing the internal water.

Process description:

The phenomenon of elimination of internal water from the coffee cream depends on certain factors, namely: the quantity of internal water (this increases with an increase in the quantity of condensed milk incorporated), the surface area of expansion, and the temperature and ventilation of the air.

The internal water removal process can be interrupted at different intervals in order to obtain products with different characteristics both in terms of shape and consistency. This dehydration process, which can be partial or total and with different processing times (from malleable when we can obtain products with different shapes, to less malleable when we can obtain "ball-type" products) helps us to obtain products of different shapes, namely cookie-type /balls type products with/without outer coating. This embodiment takes place in 2 steps:

Step 1 ) Preparation of the coffee cream according to the presented embodiments;

Step 2) The coffee cream obtained is subjected to a dehydration process to remove internal water.

According to this process, this embodiment produces both simple coffee balls and cookie-type products, respectively, as well as other types of products, namely with added butter, with/without hazelnuts/coconut/ hemp or chia seeds, with a pleasant bitter-sweet taste, coffee flavour, with a solid or semi-solid consistency.

For example, round and flat cookie-type products can be obtained by shaping the highly malleable product into a 'ball' shape with the help of the outer coating so that it can be moulded and is not sticky and eventually takes the shape of a cookie, thanks to its malleability with only the necessary space available. Similarly, other shapes can be obtained when the product is still malleable, using containers of different shapes, the dehydration process continuing until the desired consistency is decided, and then, by stopping the dehydration, they can be packaged to keep the desired consistency. In order to obtain coffee balls without an outer coating, the dehydration process must be "almost total" at the time of shaping so as to allow the balls to form without becoming deformed or too sticky. In the case of balls with an outer coating, the dehydration process is approximately the same with the difference that the product must be slightly sticky to allow the outer coating to stick. Afterwards, the products can be packed immediately to protect their consistency, or the dehydration can continue until they reach the desired consistency and can then be packed. The biggest advantages of these outer- coated products are the properties beneficial to the human body as well as a mix of tastes and consistencies or that they do not stick when prepared.

Experiments have been carried out over longer periods of time to understand how the quality of each type of cream varies. To do this, a certain amount of each type of cream was placed in 100g glass jars with metal lids, into which about of its volume or sample cream with the specific label, representative of each type of cream, was placed, after which, from time to time, each type of cream was tested visually and gustatory. Thus, it was found that in the first days after preparation each individual product undergoes a process of stabilisation, minimal change in taste - it becomes less sweet - and in consistency - more dense - regardless of the number of parts of condensed milk incorporated. Over the next few days, while the bittersweet taste tends to remain constant, the consistency continues to change, the creams becoming increasingly dense, to the point of near-solidity when they can be shaped into the desired form, thus producing coffee cookies/balls.

Therefore, any type of coffee cream according to the invention, can lead to obtaining cookie/coffee ball type products by partially/totally removing the internal water following the dehydration process.

In terms of ingredients, any type or brand of soluble coffee, condensed milk, butter and hazelnuts may be used to prepare the product according to the invention. In the examples below, condensed milk obtained from whole cow's milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, with a creamy - sticky appearance and an intense sweet taste, has been used.

For the preparation of the coffee cream/ cookie-type products/coffee balls with hazelnuts, all types of roasted/unroasted, ground hazelnuts can be used, in different sizes, from powdered to 3-4 mm sized granules or even larger. For a more delicate cream/ cookie-type products/coffee balls, ground hazelnuts with a powder type grind can be used.

The hazelnuts may be substituted with coconut, hemp seeds or chia seeds for in the same quantities or with other products from the oleaginous group, for example nuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts. Description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a top view of the coffee cream product containing the ingredients soluble coffee, condensed milk and butter after one day of preparation.

Figure 2 is a top view of the different types of coffee balls.

Figure 3 is is a top view of the different types of solid products in 2 different shapes and with various outer coatings.

Examples

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are set forth in detail below.

Example 1. Preparation of simple coffee cream containing soluble coffee and condensed milk.

For the preparation of this example of coffee cream, also called base cream, the ingredients in the following quantities are used: soluble coffee = 16 g (1 part) and condensed milk = 96 g (6 parts). The quantity of condensed milk is added on top of the coffee and mixed until smooth, resulting in a thick cream with a coffee smell and a pleasant sweet - bitter taste.

This type of cream is made in a single step, which gives it the advantage of being easy to prepare.

Depending on how sweet we want the cream to be, we can make a variety of products by increasing/decreasing the condensed milk content.

Example 2. Preparation of coffee cream with soluble coffee, condensed milk and butter.

This example of coffee cream is made using the base cream obtained previously (1 part soluble coffee = 16 g, 6 parts condensed milk = 96 g) to which 0.5 parts = 8 g of previously melted butter is added and mixed until smooth. The result is a cream with a pleasant bitter-sweet taste and a fuller, creamier flavour compared to the base cream. The balance between the 3 components has a direct effect on the taste and creaminess: the higher the percentage of butter added, the fuller, creamier the taste of the cream.

However, the percentage of butter should not be exaggerated, which is why up to about 3/4 parts butter is sufficient in the case of creams for consumption. For solid products, obtained by removing the internal water from the coffee cream, the butter content can be increased to a maximum of 3 parts, resulting in softer (crumbly) coffee balls compared to coffee balls without butter.

Example 3. Preparation of coffee cream consisting of soluble coffee, condensed milk and hazelnuts/coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds

For this embodiment, the base cream obtained previously is used with the following quantities of ingredients: soluble coffee 1 part = 16 g, condensed milk 6 parts = 96 g to which 12,5% ground hazelnuts/hazelnut powder = 12 g is added.

Over the coffee cream obtained in the first step, add the amount of ground hazelnuts with mixed grinding degree (from powder to 3-4 mm in size or larger) or hazelnut powder for a delicate cream. The preparation is mixed until homogenised, resulting in a cream with a pleasant smell and taste of coffee and hazelnuts. The hazelnuts may be replaced with coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds in the same quantities.

Example 4. Preparation of coffee cream with soluble coffee, condensed milk, butter and hazelnuts

The same quantities of ingredients as in the previous examples are used for this embodiment: soluble coffee = 16 g (1 part), condensed milk = 96 g (6 parts), 8 g premelted butter = (0,5 parts) and 12,5 % = 12 g ground hazelnuts/hazelnut powder. After obtaining the base cream in the first step and adding the butter in the second step, add the quantity of ground hazelnuts and mix until smooth. This gives a fuller cream with a coffee and hazelnut flavour. The hazelnuts may be replaced with coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds in the same quantities.

Example 5 Preparation of simple coffee cookies/balls

This embodiment has 2 steps:

Step:1 ) Preparing the coffee cream to obtain the cookies and simple coffee balls. For this variant of coffee balls, the ingredients are used in the following quantities: soluble coffee 1 part = 8 g and condensed milk 9 parts = 72 g. Using the same preparation method as in Example 1 , you obtain a cream with a light coffee aroma and smell and a pronounced sweet taste, which reduces in the following days after preparation;

Step 2) The coffee cream obtained is subjected to a dehydration process to remove internal water. In the case of "cookie-type" products, shaping should start when the product is malleable enough to obtain the desired shape. In the case of coffee balls, dehydration will take place until the product is almost solid and can be shaped without being too sticky.

When we want to obtain coffee balls with an outer coating, the product must be malleable and slightly sticky, so as to allow the outer coating to stick.

This has resulted in "cookie type" products I plain coffee balls with/without outer coating with a pleasant bitter-sweet taste, coffee flavour, solid consistency.

Example 6. Preparation of coffee cookies / balls with added butter

The following quantities of ingredients are used for this embodiment: soluble coffee = 8 g (1 part), condensed milk = 64 g (8 parts), 16 g pre-melted butter = (2 parts).

Following the above procedure, we obtain coffee cream with added butter (in the first step), which, subjected to the dehydration process (in the second step), results in cookie type products/ soft coffee balls, which over time do not lose this characteristic, compared to coffee balls without butter, which become harder if the dehydration process is total.

In conclusion, butter helps to obtain softer cookies/coffee balls, the others having the quality and advantage of being crispier and with a more pronounced "coffee" taste.

Example 7. Preparation of coffee cookies / balls with added hazelnut powder/ coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds

In this embodiment, the following ingredients are used: soluble coffee = 8 g (1 part), condensed milk = 56 g (7 parts), butter = 8 g (1 part), hazelnut powder 12 g (12.5%). After obtaining the base cream in the first step, with the addition of butter in the second step and the hazelnut powder in the third step, we obtain a delicate coffee cream with hazelnuts, which, after dehydration, forms delicate coffee cookies I balls with a coffee and hazelnut flavour. The hazelnuts may be replaced with coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds in the same quantities.

Example 8 Preparation of coffee cream to obtain soft coffee balls with ground hazelnuts/coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds

For this embodiment, the following quantities of ingredients are used: soluble coffee 1 part = 16 g, condensed milk 7 parts = 112 g, melted butter 2 parts = 32 g and 24 g (15%) ground hazelnuts for the hazelnut coffee balls. After obtaining the base cream in the first step and adding butter in the second step, we obtain the cream necessary to obtain the soft coffee balls, then, in the third step, with the addition of ground hazelnuts, of varying degrees of size, from powder to granules of 3-4 mm in size or larger, following the process of removing the internal water, we obtain the soft coffee balls with hazelnuts which over time do not lose this characteristic, compared to coffee balls without butter, which become harder. This characteristic has been tested without the use of packaging, although depending on the type of packaging used the product may retain its original characteristics. In conclusion, butter helps to obtain softer coffee balls with a smoother, creamier consistency, different from the other type of coffee balls which have the advantage of being crunchier and have a more pronounced "coffee" taste. The hazelnuts may be replaced with coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds in the same quantities.

Example 9: Preparation of coffee cream for cakes/cup cakes with/without hazelnuts/hemp seeds

For this example, two separate samples are used with ingredients in the following quantities:

Type of cream - without hazelnuts. For this embodiment the ingredients are used in the following quantities: soluble coffee 1 part = 16 g, condensed milk 10 parts = 160 g, soft/mildly melted butter = 88 g (50%). Over the coffee add the quantity of condensed milk and mix until homogenised then add the quantity of soft butter (lightly melted). The preparation is mixed until homogenised and at the optimum consistency can be spread on the counter top without it leaking.

Type of cream - with hazelnuts/hemp seeds. For this embodiment, the ingredients are used in the following quantities: soluble coffee 1 part = 16 g, condensed milk 8 parts = 128 g, soft/lightly melted butter = 64 g (50%), and 25 g = 12% ground hazelnuts with mixed grind respectively. Mix the mixture until smooth, and at the right consistency, spread it on the cake layer without dripping.

The disadvantage of these types of creams is that they have to be used immediately after preparation, when the density of the cream is optimal for spreading. These two types of creams, which are intended to be used for cakes/cupcakes, are arranged on the cake in alternating layers to have a mix of flavours. Nutritional, organoleptic and physico-chemical properties of the products

The coffee cream/solid/sem isolid coffee products - plain (without hazelnuts) - with a minimum butter content of 0.5 parts, exemplified above have approximately the energy and nutrient values as shown in the following table:

Nutritional information Perl 00 g product Energy 1285Kj / 307,5 Kcal

Fat of which 11 ,9 saturated fatty acids 7,4 Carbohydrates of which 43,92 sugars 43,92

Proteins 6,08

Fibers 0

Salt 0,16

Coffee cream/solid coffee products - without hazelnuts have the organoleptic and physico-chemical properties listed in the table below:

Properties Characterisation A) Organoleptic

Appearance of cream/cookies/balls Surface glossy/smooth Colour coffee colour (dark brown) Consistency creamy/solid Smell coffee Flavour coffee Taste sweet bitter - coffee

B) Physical - chemical Mass mass (raw material input) = mass of the cream Density Density dense cream = initially slow dripping - the higher the amount of condensed milk /(butter = min.0,5 parts) coffee balls = solid Conclusions

The higher proportions of ingredients mean that each type of coffee cream/coffee cookies and coffee ball has different specific characteristics in terms of sweetness/bitterness and creaminess, and therefore different energy values for higher amounts of condensed milk, butter and hazelnuts/coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds.

The practical conclusion of the samples is that the sweet-bitter-cream balance in the case of consumer creams can be found between: 1 part coffee and ranges from 5.5 to 7 parts condensed milk, respectively 0.15-0.75 parts butter.

In the case of cookie/coffee balls the ranges are wider.

For example, if there is a higher addition of butter (minimum 1 part) and hazelnuts (minimum 20%) the cream with 3.5 parts condensed milk can form more bitter hazelnut/ hemp seeds/chia seeds coffee balls.

Or, plain coffee balls with 12 parts condensed milk are quite sweet, but very good for this reason. Also, coffee balls with 12 parts condensed milk and 3 parts butter are sweet and soft, very good with these characteristics.

As for coffee balls with hazelnuts/hemp seeds/chia seeds coffee balls (with/without added butter), a less sweet taste as compared to the one when ground coconut are added, where a sweeter taste is preferable.

Properties of the coffee cream/solid coffee products

Soluble coffee has a high concentration of polyphenols due to the dehydration processes it undergoes. Polyphenols are phytochemical compounds that are very important for the human body as they help prevent possible cardiovascular diseases. It is also a source of antioxidants offering a wide range of health benefits. According to one study, instant coffee contains even more antioxidants than other types of coffee because of the way it is processed.

Coffee cream with/without hazelnuts/coconut/hemp seeds/chia seeds can be consumed mainly at breakfast, instead of regular coffee, with other products, as a dessert or between meals, for extra energy or just for pleasure.

It can also be used as an ingredient in new coffee cream products/semi-finished products, cakes and pastries, etc.

The products according to the invention have the following advantages:

- being ready-made products, they can be served anywhere and anytime. - because they contain condensed milk and/or butter and/or hazelnuts/coconut, hemp seeds or chia seeds, the product is not harmful to the stomach, even when eaten on an empty stomach;

- helps to regulate bowel movements and is helpful for constipation