POLYOL SYRUPS USEFUL IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR-FREE CHEWABLE CONFECTIONERY

The present invention relates to polyol syrups which are useful in the manufacture of chewable confectionery. It, further, relates to sugar-free chewable confectionery and to a method of manufacturing chewy candies.

Background of the invention

One aim of all manufacturers of chewable confectionery is to produce a product having a desirable level of hardness. A certain level of hardness is essential for full enjoyment of the confectionery. The confectionery or candy must, on the one hand, not be too hard otherwise it will not be chewable and, on the other hand, must not be too soft otherwise it may stick to the teeth or may not have the desired permanence when chewed. The candy also, of course, needs to be stable on storage such that hardness of the product is not affected disadvantageously by being stored for several weeks. Furthermore, according to one conventional method of manufacture, a cooked, sweetened mass is stamped into a desired shape and subsequently wrapped for sale to the customer. In order to achieve successful stamping, the cooked mass must meet certain requirements, particularly dimensional stability.

The main factors that are responsible for the achievement of the desirable properties of products mentioned above are the type of sweetening mass used in the manufacture of the confectionery and the cooking temperature, which factors are themselves interdependent. The type of sweetening mass used also, of course, affects the processing of the composition used in the manufacture of the confectionery, for instance the sweetening syrup should have a relatively high viscosity so that the composition is workable. The stickiness of the composition and the 'body' of the mixture, which depend on the type of sweetener used in the manufacturing process, additionally affect the step of forming the composition into the desired shape and the ease by which the formed shapes may be wrapped.

Recent developments in the manufacture of chewable confectionery have involved the replacement of part or all of the sugar conventionally used in the manufacturing process by one or more sugar alcohols (polyols) in the interest of providing a product having a reduced calorie content and a lower tendency to cause tooth decay. Among the polyols, which have been proposed for the manufacture of chewy candy, are isomalt, maltitol, xylitol and erythritol. Unfortunately, the manufacture of chewable confectionery using syrups containing a mixture of different polyols has, heretofore, suffered from compromised processing and product properties.

The present invention is based on the discovery that the use of polyol syrups which contain certain components within defined compositional ranges in the manufacture of chewable confectionery surprisingly and advantageously affects not only the workability of the compositions during processing in the confectionery manufacture but also the properties of the confectionery obtained.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a polyol syrup wherein the dry substance of the syrup comprises:-

18% w/w to 25% w/w 6-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,6 GPS),

15% w/w to 22% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (1 ,1 GPM), up to 20% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,1 GPS), up to 5% w/w sorbitol (DPi),

25% w/w to 45% w/w maltitol (DP ₂ ),

5% w/w to 10% w/w maltotriitol (DP ₃ ),

5% w/w to 25% w/w higher polyols (DP _n ).

These syrups are useful in the preparation of sugar-free chewable confectionery, such as chewy candy, chewable tablets, toffees and chewing gum.

The present invention thus, further, relates to a sugar-free non- cariogenic chewable confectionery which comprises the dry substance of a syrup according to the invention.

The current invention also relates to a process for the production of chewy candy comprising the following steps: a) preparing a polyol syrup at a dry substance of from 60% to 85% wherein the polyol syrup has a dry substance which comprises:-

18% w/w to 25% w/w 6-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,6 GPS);

15% w/w to 22% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (1 ,1 GPM); up to 20% w/w 1 -O-α-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,1 GPS); up to 5% w/w sorbitol (DPi);

25% w/w to 45% w/w maltitol (DP ₂ );

5% w/w to 10% w/w maltotriitol (DP ₃ ); and

5% w/w to 25% w/w higher polyols (DP _n ); b) cooking at a temperature of from 145 ⁰ C to 17O ⁰ C, and c) forming the composition into the desired shape.

The current invention further relates to a process wherein flavour and/or colouring matter is added during shaping.

The current invention discloses a process wherein the syrup comprises between 15 to 35% by weight water.

The current invention further relates to a process, as described above, wherein the water content of the chewy candy is in the range of 6 to 8%, by weight.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention provides a polyol syrup wherein the dry substance of the syrup comprises:

18% w/w to 25% w/w 6-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,6 GPS),

15% w/w to 22% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (1 ,1 GPM), up to 20% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyanosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,1 GPS), up to 5% w/w sorbitol (DPi),

25% w/w to 45% w/w maltitol (DP ₂ ),

5% w/w to 10% w/w maltotriitol (DP ₃ ),

5% w/w to 25% w/w higher polyols (DP _n ).

Preferably, the syrup has a dry substance of from 60% to 85%, and more preferably a dry substance of from 70% to 80%. The polyol syrup preferably has a viscosity in the range of from 100 to 500 Pa. s., more preferably 150 to 400 Pa.s., at 92 ⁰ C.

The syrups can be obtained by blending isomalt, which is an approximately equimolar mixture of 1 ,1 GPM and 1 ,6 GPS, with an appropriate source of maltitol, maltotriitol and higher polyols.

Components such as maltitol, maltotriitol, sorbitol and, optionally, hydrogenated polysaccharides are present in maltitol syrups and, therefore, a maltitol syrup may typically be used to provide these components to the polyol syrup of the invention. Hydrogenated maltodextrin is a source of higher polyols (DP _n ) and may, therefore, be used to provide or augment the higher polyol content in the polyol syrup of the invention.

Maltitol syrups, which may be used to prepare the polyol syrups of the present invention, may be obtained by hydrogenating an appropriate starch hydrolysate. Starch hydrolysates are typically obtained by the enzymatic or acidic hydrolysis of starch and the starch hydrolysate will comprise glucose, maltose, maltothose, as well as higher glucose oligomers (DP _n where n = >3). Hydrogenation of the starch hydrolysate to provide a maltitol syrup can be carried out by procedures known to the person skilled in the art. Processes for preparing maltitol syrups are known in the art and reference in this respect may be made to WO 2005/014608.

Isomalt is hydrogenated isomaltulose (6-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D- fructofuranose) and can be obtained by the hydrogenation of isomaltulose which results in a quasi-equimolar mixture of 6-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D- sorbitol (1 ,6 GPS) and 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (1 ,1 GPM). Typically, the isomalt is a mixture of from 43 to 57% w/w 1 ,6 GPS and from 57 to 43% w/w 1 ,1 GPM. A more typical composition of isomalt consists of 52.6- 53.6% w/w 1 ,6 GPS and 44.7-46.6% w/w 1 ,1 GPM.

Isomalt may also be obtained in the form of a syrup which can be prepared by hydrogenating 'isomerised' saccharose according to a method as is described in EP 0625578. The dry substance of such a syrup generally

comprises a mixture of 10% w/w to 50% w/w 6-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D- sorbitol (1 ,6 GPS), 35% w/w to 60% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (1 ,1 GPM) and 2% w/w to 60% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,1 GPS). The dry substance of a more typical composition, obtained after the hydrogenation of 'isomehsed' saccharose, comprises 43.6% w/w 6-O-α-D- glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,6 GPS), 49.2% w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D- mannitol (1 ,1 GPM) and 3.1 % w/w 1 -O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1 ,1 GPS).

An area of particular criticality in the polyol syrups used in the manufacture of chewable confectionery according to the invention concerns the content of higher polyols (DP _n ). As stated above, the polyol syrups of the invention contain (dry weight basis) from 5 to 25% w/w of the higher polyols. We have found that this content of higher polyols ensures that the polyol syrups have sufficiently high viscosity such that the workability of the compositions processed during chewable confectionery manufacture is improved. By improving the workability of the compositions during processing, working times in the manufacturing process can be reduced. Furthermore, we have found that the particular higher polyol content of the polyol syrups diminishes the tendency for crystallisation to occur in the final product. Crystallisation in the product increases its hardness and, therefore, any reduction in the level of crystallisation occurring in the final product has the effect of reducing hardness. In addition, we have found that, by using polyol syrups having such contents of higher polyols, the hardness of the final product surprisingly decreases over a few weeks from its initial level.

As mentioned above, some maltitol syrups may contain a certain percentage of hydrogenated polysaccharides, including higher polyols. According to a preferred embodiment, the polyol syrups of the present invention are obtained by blending isomalt, maltitol syrup and hydrogenated maltodextrin. By exercising control over the amount of hydrogenated maltodexthn blended with the isomalt and the maltitol syrup, the content of higher polyols in the polyol syrup can be controlled to be within the range of from 5 to 25% w/w (dry basis). The addition of hydrogenated maltodextrin

increases the viscosity of the polyol syrup and, thus, improves workability of the compositions during processing and helps to prevent crystallisation in the final product and decreases the hardness of the final product over a period of time following manufacture.

The syrups of the invention may be used in the manufacture of sugar- free, chewable confectionery, which includes fondants, toffee, caramels, fudge, marshmallow, gums, jellies, nougats and the like, and more particular chewy candies, chewable tablets, toffee and chewing gum.

In manufacturing chewable confectionery using the polyol syrups of the invention, it is possible to incorporate one or more additional ingredients into the composition in order to alter or improve the performance of the composition during processing and/or to alter or improve the properties or characteristics of the finished product. For instance, in addition to the polyol syrups described above, the composition may contain at least one intense sweetener. An intense sweetener, which can be used as non-nutritive sweetener, can be selected from aspartame, acesulfame salts such as acesulfame-K, saccharins (e.g. sodium and calcium salts), cyclamates (e.g. sodium and calcium salts), sucralose, alitame, neotame, steviosides, glycyrrhizin, neohespehdin, dihydrochalcone, monellin, thaumatin, brazzein and mixtures thereof. Other substances that may additionally be incorporated into the compositions from which the chewable confectionery may be produced, depending on the desired properties of the confectionery, include gelatin, gums, fat, such as vegetable fat, fat emulsifiers, such as lecithin, acidulants, flavouring agents and colouring agents. If the desired confectionery is a chewing gum, a gum base should be used. Techniques for the manufacture of chewing gum are known to the person skilled in the art. As is also known in the art, chewing gum may be provided with a hard or crunchy coating using polyol syrups. If the desired confectionery is a chewable tablet, the chewable composition may be coated with a hard, crunchy coating according to techniques known in the art. Methods and recipes that may be used to produce chewable confectionery, such as chewy candy, toffee, chewable tablets and chewing gum, are known to persons

skilled in the art and need not be described here. The polyol compositions of the present invention may be used in such conventional recipes and manufacturing methods in order to obtain advantages during processing and in the properties of the final products. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the polyol syrups described herein are employed in the manufacture of sugar-free non-cahogenic chewy candy.

Thus, the current invention further relates to a process for the production of a sugar-free non-cahogenic chewy candy comprising the following steps: a) preparing a syrup, according to the above definition, at dry substance of from 60% to 85%; b) cooking at a temperature of from 145 ⁰ C to 17O ⁰ C; and c) forming the composition into the desired shape.

Production of the chewy candy initially involves heating or cooking the polyol syrup and batch evaporators or continuous cookers may be used for this. The polyol syrup is preferably stirred slowly during the cooking procedure. The polyol syrup, as described above, is heated at a temperature of from 145 ⁰ C to 17O ⁰ C, preferably from 150° to 16O ⁰ C and especially from 152° to 156 ⁰ C. At the heating temperatures mentioned above, it is preferred that a low vacuum, typically from 0.6 to 0.8 bar (60-80 kPa), is applied towards the end of the heating period to facilitate water removal. During cooking of the polyol syrup, the moisture content will preferably be reduced to a value in the range of from 4 to 6%.

Additional ingredients as may be required, for instance gelatin solution, emulsified vegetable fat, colouring agents and flavouring agents, may be added to the cooked syrup obtained as described above. Following the addition of ingredients to the cooked syrup, the mixture is blended until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Following homogenisation, the mixture is preferably cooled typically to 60° to 65 ⁰ C. If aeration of the mixture is desired, it may then be aerated in a pulling machine, to reduce the density of the mixture to preferably about 1

kg/L, for several minutes, typically for 5 to 15 minutes, preferably 8 to 10 minutes.

The candy may then be formed into the desired shape. This may typically be performed according to either one of the classically applied methods: the 'stamping' method or the 'depositing' method, respectively. In the 'stamping' method, the composition obtained as described above is rolled and pieces having a shape, according to the apparatus used, are stamped out of the composition. After further cooling, the candy may be wrapped. In the 'depositing' method, the composition, at an elevated temperature, is dosed into moulds, cooled and then removed from the mould prior to wrapping. We have found that the chewy candy product has a good texture when the final moisture content is in the range of from 6 to 8%.

A chewy candy will typically have a hardness (as measured by the method described herein) in the range of from 500 to 2500Og. A hardness of below 50Og is indicative of a product which is too soft and a hardness above 2500Og is indicative of a product which is so hard that it can generally be considered as non-chewable. Preferably, the chewy candy will have a hardness, at the time of use, in the range of from 2000 to 1000Og. One noticeable feature derived from the use of the polyol syrups of the invention in the manufacture of chewy candy is that the tendency for crystallisation to occur in the final product during storage, after manufacture, is diminished compared to candy prepared using prior art polyol syrups. In addition, by using the polyol syrups of the present invention in the manufacture of chewy candy, we have found that the hardness of the chewy candy decreases during storage from a higher value measured immediately after manufacture. Thus, in the period between manufacture of the product and the sale of the product to the consumer, the chewiness of the product improves.

According to the invention, the increased viscosity of the polyol syrups used in the manufacturing process results in an improvement in the workability of the compositions and, thus, viscosity is reached sooner. In principle, the processing time of the cooling phase is easily reduced by about one quarter of the total time compared to the processing time required to cool

the mass consisting of syrups based on hydrogenated isomaltulose alone. When working with a lab cooker on quantities of about 4kg syrup, the cooling phase can easily be shortened by about 10 to 15 minutes compared to the cooling phase where hydrogenated isomaltulose syrups are applied solely. The processing time of the cooling phase of 4kg syrup consisting of hydrogenated isomaltulose is about 40 to 60 minutes, while with the syrups of the current invention, the processing time is shortened by 10 to 15 minutes.

Experimental Procedures

1. Mass viscosity measurement

The mass viscosity of the polyol syrups were measured according to the following method. A sample of the polyol syrup, cooked at 153 ⁰ C and then allowed to cool down, was placed on the pre-heated plate of a rheometer (Physica MCR51 from Anton Paar). The plate was heated to 136 ⁰ C. A preheated probe, having a diameter of 25mm, was pressed into the cooked syrup mass, on the plate, to a depth of 1 mm. The plate was cooled, using water having a temperature of 3O ⁰ C and, when the mass had cooled to a temperature of 132 ⁰ C, measurements were commenced and carried out at regular 0.5 minute intervals until the mass cooled to 92 ⁰ C. The viscosity measurements were in Pa. s. The viscosity values given in the following Examples were taken at 92 ⁰ C.

2. Texture measurement

The equipment used to measure the hardness of the chewy candy was a TA.

XT. plus texture analyser from Stable Micro Systems.

Samples: The samples used had the same size and shape and the same thickness. The samples were stored at the same temperature before measurement commenced. Method: A 10mm diameter cylinder was caused to penetrate into the sample to a depth of 3mm. The results obtained for 5-10 samples are averaged to give an average measurement. The hardness values obtained were in gram (g).

3. Moisture content

In order to measure the moisture contents of the samples of cooked mass and chewy candy products, the samples were first dissolved in formamide and then moisture contents were determined with Karl Fischer titration, as is known in the art. For the titrations, we used a Karl Fischer Titrator DL35 from Mettler.

The samples submitted to Karl Fischer titration moisture determination were prepared by mixing a few grams of the product with formamide in a vial (which was then closed) and then heated to 6O ⁰ C with agitation until the product was completely dissolved in the formamide. For each product, three samples were prepared and tested and the results were then averaged.

4. Moisture pick-up

Samples of the chewy candy obtained immediately after production were weighed and were stored either at 25 ⁰ C with 40% Relative humidity or at 25 ⁰ C with 70% Relative Humidity. The samples were stored under these conditions in a CTS climate test cabinet C+10/200 and C-40/200. After 14 days storage, the samples were weighed and the percentage moisture pick-up was calculated. The samples, following the weighing procedure, were returned to the climate test cabinets for further storage under the temperature and Relative Humidity conditions described above. After a further 7 days (i.e. a total of 21 days from manufacture), the samples were again weighed and the percentage of moisture pick-up was calculated.

Example 1

1. Preparation of polvol syrup

A polyol syrup, having the following composition (% dry basis)

21 .5% w/w 1 ,6 GPS

18.9% w/w 1 ,1 GPM

40.2% w/w maltitol

1.6% w/w sorbitol

7.2% w/w maltotriitol

10.6% w/w higher polyols (DP _n )

0.08% w/w others was prepared by mixing 47 kg maltitol syrup (C^Maltidex 16313 from Cargill), 27.66 kg isomalt (C^Maltidex 16500 from Cargill), 4.8 kg hydrogenated maltodextrin (HMDx 01915 from Cargill) and 5.95 kg water and heating the mixture to 153 ⁰ C with stirring.

2. Manufacture of chewy candy

A gelatin mixture was prepared by dissolving 1.6 kg gelatin (125 bl) in 3.34 kg hot water and then maintained at 5O ⁰ C until use. A mixture of palm fat and soya lecithin was prepared by melting 7.277 kg palm fat and adding 0.52 kg soya lecithin to this and then maintained at 5O ⁰ C until use. The polyol syrup was prepared as described above and then cooled to a temperature of 100 ⁰ C. To this were added the gelatin mixture and the palm fat/soya lecithin mixture. The composition obtained was brought into a Hobart mixer and, to the contents of the mixer, were then added 1.08 kg citric acid (50/50%), 0.259 kg colouring agent and 0.518 kg flavouring agent. The ingredients were then mixed in the Hobart mixer at a temperature not greater than 100 ⁰ C until a homogeneous mixture was obtained. The cooked mixture having a moisture content of 4 to 6%, cooled to a temperature not less than 6O ⁰ C, was turned out of the mixer onto a cooling table having a surface temperature of 20-25 ⁰ C. The mixture, having a temperature of 60-65 ⁰ C was then placed in a pulling machine and subjected to pulling for 8-10 minutes to reduce the density of the mixture from 1.32 kg/L (measured before pulling) to 0.95 kg/L. The pulled material, having a temperature of 28-32 ⁰ C, was then formed into a rope, using a batch roller, and the formed rope was then wrapped. The product had a moisture content of 5.70%. The mixture, during processing, had good workability and exhibited no stickiness.

The viscosity of the cooked polyol syrup was measured as 168.6 Pa. s at 92 ⁰ C as described herein. The hardness (in g.) of the product candy was

measured after one week, after one month, after three months and after six months storage according to the method described herein. The results are shown below.

The moisture pick-up of the chewy candy produced according to this Example was measured using the method described herein. The moisture pick-up of the product stored for 14 days at 25 ⁰ C under 40% Relative Humidity was calculated to be 0.34% and that of the product stored under the same conditions for 21 days was calculated to be 0.45%. The moisture pick-up of the product stored for 14 days at 25 ⁰ C under 70% Relative Humidity was calculated to be 4.5% and that of the product stored under the same conditions for 21 days was calculated to be 5.3%.

Example 2

1. Preparation of polvol syrup

A polyol syrup, having the following composition (% dry basis)

20.9% w/w 1 ,6 GPS

18.5% w/w 1 ,1 GPM

31.9% w/w maltitol

1.8% w/w sorbitol

7.6% w/w maltotriitol

19.2% w/w higher polyols (DP _n )

0.08% w/w others was prepared by mixing 33.83 kg maltitol syrup (C^Maltidex 16313), 27.68 kg isomalt (C^Maltidex 16500), 20.64 kg hydrogenated maltodextrin (HMDxc 01924) and 3.25 kg water and heating the mixture to 153 ⁰ C with stirring.

2. Manufacture of chewy candy

A mixture containing the polyol syrup, prepared as described above, gelatin, palm fat, soya lecithin, citric acid, colouring agent and flavouring agent was prepared according to the procedure described in Example 1. The density of the mixture prior to pulling in the pulling machine was 1.30 kg/L and, after being subjected to pulling for 8-10 minutes, the density was reduced to 0.98 kg/L. The mixture was formed into a rope and wrapped, as described in Example 2. The product had a moisture content of 5.90%. The mixture was not sticky during processing.

The viscosity of the cooked polyol syrup was measured as 393 Pa. s at 92 ⁰ C as described herein. The hardness (in g.) of the candy product was measured, as described in Example 1 , and the results are shown below.

The moisture pick-up of the chewy candy produced according to this Example was measured using the method described herein. The moisture pick-up of the product stored for 14 days at 25 ⁰ C under 40% Relative Humidity was calculated to be 0.25% and that of the product stored under the same conditions for 21 days was calculated to be 0.31 %. The moisture pick-up of the product stored for 14 days at 25 ⁰ C under 70% Relative Humidity was calculated to be 3.6% and that of the product stored under the same conditions for 21 days was calculated to be 4.3%.