JP2014027890A - Hydrous chocolate, and chocolate containing the same in the center - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hydrous chocolate which allows for a long-period distribution of one year even under high moisture conditions, having exceptional flavor with reduced sweetness of sugar alcohol; and a chocolate which contains the hydrous chocolate in the center, having exceptional palatability.SOLUTION: The hydrous chocolate includes a water phase component and an oil phase component mainly composed of chocolate. The water phase component includes sorbitol (A), xylitol (B), and erythritol (C). The content percentages of (A) and (C) relative to the total content (D) of the three sugar alcohol satisfy the following expressions: 20%≤(A)/(D)≤80%, and 0%<(C)/(D)≤25%. The moisture content (E) is 12 to 20 wt.%. The water activity in the moisture content (E) is less than 0.60.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydrated chocolate and a centered chocolate containing the same. More specifically, the present invention has a water-containing chocolate containing a water activity-reducing agent that has a significantly increased effect of reducing water activity than before and can improve the shelf life, and contains the water-containing chocolate in the center. And it relates to chocolate with a very high palatability.

  Improving the shelf life of food is a major theme for the entire food industry, which handles high-moisture confectionery such as raw confectionery, processed fish food such as wieners and sausages, rice balls, bread, and prepared dishes. It has been developed. “Water activity” can be cited as a representative index closely related to longevity, and recently, foods that display a water activity value are also seen.

  Water activity (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “Aw”) is a numerical measure of the amount of free water that a microorganism can use for its growth, and what kind of microorganism grows depending on the magnitude of the numerical value. It has been known. The numbers vary slightly depending on the material. For example, Salmonella, Clostridium botulinum, Escherichia coli, etc., which cause food poisoning, are generally Aw = 0.90 or higher, and S. aureus famous for its extremely high toxicity is Aw = 0.80 or higher. Proliferate with. Foods with a short expiration date are at least Aw = 0.80 or more, and most are Aw = 0.90 or more. Therefore, it is very important to reduce water activity in terms of reducing food safety and disposal risk. In addition, if Aw = 0.60, the microorganisms are said to be unable to grow.

  It is generally known that the water activity depends on the molecular weight of a solute dissolved in water, and that a substance having a lower molecular weight has a higher effect of reducing the water activity. A typical solute is sugar alcohol, which is often added to foods for the purpose of reducing water activity. Specific examples thereof include, for example, a decoration cake containing one or more sugar alcohols including sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol (see Patent Document 1), chewing gum containing a sugar alcohol, a jelly-like composition, and a water-in-oil type. Examples include hydrated chocolate (see Patent Documents 2 to 4).

  There are many other food examples in which the water activity is reduced by using sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol, which are noted in the present invention, as described in Patent Documents 1 to 4, but the reason for their use is as follows. As described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in the food industry, it is easily considered that the sugar alcohol has a wide effect of lowering water activity compared to sucrose because it is widely used in common sense. . In any of the documents, there has been no mention at all so far regarding the water activity being remarkably reduced by using sugar alcohols of two or more components together in a certain ratio condition as well as three components.

  On the other hand, chocolate containing moisture has a very mouthfeel texture and is used in high-grade chocolates such as truffles, ganaches, and raw chocolates. However, when containing a high amount of water, such as ganache, although melting in the mouth is very good, the water activity is very high at 0.80 or more, and there is a disadvantage that it does not last for a long time. The current situation is that it is impossible to make the food available for distribution. For this reason, many techniques have been proposed for reducing the water activity of chocolate with a high water content and enabling the normal temperature and normal humidity distribution.

  As a technique for reducing the water activity of the hydrated chocolate, an aqueous component, an emulsifier having an HLB value of 7.0 or more and a chocolate dough of 50% by weight or more of the total amount are used, the water content is 10 to 20% by weight, and the fat content. A method for producing hydrated chocolate that enables long-term distribution at normal temperature by adjusting the content to 15 to 25% by weight has been proposed (see Patent Document 5). However, the water-containing chocolates described in Patent Document 5 have a water activity value of around 0.75 to 0.70, and it is difficult to say that long-term flowability is sufficient.

  Further, it is a chocolate dough and an aqueous phase component containing one or more selected from the group consisting of invert sugar, starch syrup, fructose, glucose, sucrose, liquid sugar and honey and having a sugar content of 60 or more. An oil-in-water emulsified chocolate composed of an oil phase component has been proposed (see Patent Document 6). Here, specific saccharides are used for the water phase component, and the sugar content is further increased to 60 or more, thereby enhancing long-term storage stability. And even if it preserve | saves at 15 degreeC for 4 months, it is said that it melt | dissolves in a mouth and a flavor is favorable, but it is unknown about long-term distribution at normal temperature normal humidity.

  As a technique using a sugar alcohol, water containing 1% by mass or more and less than 10% by mass of a sugar alcohol having a melting point of 100 ° C. or more selected from one or more selected from erythritol, mannitol, maltitol, and lactitol A chocolate-containing confectionery having a value of 2 to 15% by weight has been proposed (see Patent Document 7). Although the invention described in Patent Document 7 uses erythritol, there is no description about the combined effect of erythritol and xylitol and / or sorbitol. Furthermore, the chocolate containing confectionery specifically described in Patent Document 7 has only a moisture value of about 4% by weight and a water activity of about 0.63 to 0.74, and a moisture value of 12% by weight or more. It is not clear whether chocolate-containing confectionery having a water activity of less than 0.60 can be obtained under the conditions.

  Moreover, the present applicant has proposed a raw chocolate-like composition containing a sugar alcohol (see Patent Document 8). According to Patent Document 8, a water content can be reduced by containing a saccharide of a disaccharide other than a sugar alcohol, such as sucrose, and a sugar alcohol in a predetermined weight and taking an oil-in-water emulsion structure. The water activity of a relatively high raw chocolate-like composition can be in the very low range of less than 0.600. Furthermore, in the Example of patent document 8, the combined use example of sorbitol and xylitol is described. However, Patent Document 8 only describes the combined use of sorbitol and xylitol in the presence of a predetermined amount or less of a disaccharide, and synergism by containing sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol in a certain ratio. The effect of reducing water activity is not clear from the description in Patent Document 8.

  Regarding the influence of a plurality of sugar alcohols on the water activity, for example, studies on the influence on water activity when glycerin and other sugar alcohols are used in combination have been made (see Non-Patent Document 3). However, this study is a study in a region with a high water content of about 30 to 95% by weight, and a study in a region that is very useful for foods with a water content of about 15 to 25% by weight is made. Not. Furthermore, although glycerin alone has a very high ability to reduce water activity, it is a sugar alcohol that should be avoided as much as possible in consideration of the flavor. Therefore, a technique for greatly reducing the water activity of food without using glycerin is very useful in terms of flavor.

JP 09-037717 A Japanese Patent No. 2997472 JP 2002-238475 A JP 2002-306077 A JP 2001-275570 A JP 2001-149014 A Japanese Patent No. 4331013 JP 2011-177087 A

Monthly Food Chemical, 2009, Vol. 25, no. 11, p19-21 Monthly Food Chemical, 2009, Vol. 25, no. 11, p34-38 Water Activity in Poly Systems, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 45, 2000, p654-660.

  The object of the present invention is to enable a long-term circulation for one year even when the water content is higher than before, and to suppress the unpleasant sweetness of the sugar alcohol, so that the moisture content is very excellent. It is to provide a chocolate and to provide a chocolate with a center that contains the hydrated chocolate as a center and has very high palatability.

  In the course of research for solving the above problems, the present inventors have surprisingly found that the above three sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol are contained in foods at a predetermined weight ratio. It has been found that the water activity of the food is significantly reduced as compared with the case where each of the seed sugar alcohols is used alone, and unpleasant sweetness derived from the sugar alcohol is suppressed.

  In addition, as a result of further research based on this knowledge, the present inventors have conducted long-term distribution on a one-year scale under normal temperature and humidity even under conditions of higher moisture content than conventional hydrated chocolate. However, the water activity can be reduced to a possible level, the unpleasant sweetness derived from sugar alcohol is suppressed, and the water-containing chocolate of the present invention having a very excellent flavor has been completed. Furthermore, the present inventors have succeeded in obtaining a center-containing chocolate having very excellent palatability using the hydrated chocolate as a center.

That is, the present invention is a water-containing chocolate comprising an aqueous phase component and an oil phase component mainly containing chocolate, wherein the aqueous phase component comprises (A) sorbitol, (B) xylitol, and (C) erythritol. The content of (A) and (C) with respect to the total content of (D) of the three sugar alcohols satisfies the following formula:
20% ≦ (A) / (D) ≦ 80%
0% <(C) / (D) ≦ 25%
(E) Water content is 12-20 weight%, It is related with the water-containing chocolate characterized by the water activity in said (E) water content being less than 0.60.

  Moreover, in the hydrated chocolate according to the present invention, the content (D) / (E) of the (D) total content of the three sugar alcohols with respect to the (E) moisture content is 160% to 200%. Regarding chocolate.

  Furthermore, this invention relates to the chocolate containing a center which contains the said water-containing chocolate in a center.

  According to the present invention, even if the water content is higher than before, long-term circulation for one year under normal temperature and humidity is possible, and the sweetness derived from sugar alcohol is suppressed, so that the flavor is improved. It is possible to provide a water-containing chocolate that is very excellent and melts well. In addition, by using the hydrated chocolate as a center, it is possible to provide a centered chocolate with very excellent palatability.

It is a graph which shows the relationship between the sugar content and the water activity in the aqueous solution of (A) sorbitol and (B) xylitol.

  The water-containing chocolate of the present invention is composed of an aqueous phase component and an oil phase component, and the aqueous phase components are (A) sorbitol, (B) xylitol, and (C) specific trisaccharide alcohols having a predetermined weight ratio. It is characterized by containing. In the following description, (A) sorbitol, (B) xylitol, and (C) erythritol may be simply abbreviated as (A), (B), and (C), respectively, or simply sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol. May be abbreviated.

  The sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol used in the aqueous phase component all belong to the sugar alcohol produced by reducing the carbonyl group of aldose or ketose to a hydroxyl group. Sugar alcohol is frequently used for the purpose of reducing the water activity of food, but the largest factor for reducing the water activity is a low molecular weight. Sucrose most frequently used as a carbohydrate has a molecular weight of 342.30, whereas the molecular weights of the three sugar alcohols are sorbitol: 182.17, xylitol: 152.15, and erythritol: 122.12. The molecular weight is nearly half that of sucrose.

  Considering only the molecular weight, it is considered that erythritol has the greatest effect of reducing water activity among the three sugar alcohols, but in reality, such a result is not obtained. This is because xylitol and erythritol tend to produce crystals, and when crystals are produced, the water activity becomes extremely large. In particular, erythritol makes it impossible to measure the water activity due to the formation of crystals even under the condition where the water content is 50% by weight. Xylitol also has the property that it tends to form crystals, although not as much as erythritol. As shown in FIG. 1, xylitol lowers the water activity up to around Bx70, but when Bx becomes higher than that, at least a part starts to crystallize and the water activity rises. On the other hand, sorbitol is relatively difficult to produce crystals and does not cause crystallization even when Bx exceeds 80. It should be noted that erythritol is not shown in FIG. 1 because it begins to crystallize at about Bx50 as described above and has a high water activity. Moreover, the substance with the smallest molecular weight in sugar alcohol is glycerol (glycerol), and the molecular weight is 92.09. Therefore, although the ability to reduce water activity is very high, since the problem in terms of flavor is great, only a small amount can be added to food.

  According to the study by the present inventors, among the sugar alcohols known to have the effect of reducing the water activity of food, when the three sugar alcohols are used at a predetermined weight ratio, the 3 It has been found that a synergistic reduction effect of water activity can be obtained that cannot be obtained by using seed sugar alcohols alone. The reason why such a reduction effect is obtained is not sufficiently clear at present, but in a mixed system of the above three sugar alcohols at a predetermined weight ratio, sorbitol suppresses crystallization of xylitol and erythritol, and their water activity It is presumed that the effect of reducing the amount is exhibited synergistically. Furthermore, the unpleasant sweetness mainly derived from sorbitol and the cool feeling derived from xylitol and erythritol are offset in a well-balanced manner, and good sweetness and flavor can be imparted to food.

  In the present invention, each content of sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol with respect to the total content of the three sugar alcohols (D) needs to be within a predetermined range as shown below.

  The content (A) / (D) of (A) sorbitol is 20% ≦ (A) / (D) ≦ 80% with respect to the total content (D) of the three sugar alcohols. That is, the content rate of sorbitol is 20-80 weight% normally with respect to (D) total content of the said 3 types of sugar alcohol, Preferably it is 25-35 weight%. By making the content rate of sorbitol into the said range, crystallization of xylitol and erythritol can be suppressed, and the cool feeling of xylitol and erythritol can be suppressed. When the sorbitol content is less than 20% by weight, either xylitol or erythritol tends to form crystals. Moreover, when the content rate of sorbitol exceeds 80 weight%, while the reduction effect of a water activity will become weak, the unpleasant sweetness derived mainly from sorbitol will become strong, and the flavor of water-containing chocolate will be impaired.

  The content (C) / (D) of (C) erythritol with respect to the total content (D) of the three sugar alcohols is 0% <(C) / (D) ≦ 25%. That is, the content of erythritol is usually more than 0% by weight and 25% by weight or less, preferably 6 to 25% by weight, more preferably 15 to 25% by weight, based on the total content of (D) the above three sugar alcohols. It is. If erythritol is not used, the effect of reducing water activity becomes insufficient, and unpleasant sweetness derived from sugar alcohol (for example, a sweet taste of sorbitol tones) becomes strong, and the flavor of the water-containing chocolate is impaired. On the other hand, if the content of erythritol exceeds 25% by weight, erythritol crystals tend to be generated, and it becomes difficult to adjust the water activity of the hydrated chocolate to a predetermined range.

The content of xylitol is the remainder after selecting the content of sorbitol and the content of erythritol from the above ranges.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the weight ratio of sorbitol: xylitol: erythritol is 25:50:25. By using the three sugar alcohols at this weight ratio, not only the water activity is remarkably reduced, but also the suppression of unpleasant sweetness derived from the sugar alcohol as well as the cooling sensation becomes more remarkable.

  The aqueous phase component in the hydrated chocolate of the present invention may contain a saccharide other than the three sugar alcohols as a saccharide. Examples of such saccharides include, but are not limited to, monosaccharides such as glucose, fructose, and galactose, disaccharides such as sucrose, lactose, maltose, trehalose, and cellobiose, sugar alcohols other than the above three sugar alcohols, and trisaccharides And carbohydrates such as tetrasaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, and raw materials mainly composed of carbohydrates such as fruit juice. Among these saccharides, from the viewpoint of the texture and water activity of the hydrated chocolate, saccharides of disaccharides or less are preferable, glucose and fructose are more preferable, and glucose is particularly preferable. Carbohydrates other than the three sugar alcohols can be used alone or in combination of two or more. The content of carbohydrates other than the three sugar alcohols in the water-containing chocolate is preferably 10% by weight or less. In addition, sugar may be contained in the oil phase component as in chocolate, but the sugar in the oil phase component is considered to have little effect on the water activity of the water-containing chocolate of the present invention. Not considered as carbohydrate content.

  Furthermore, the aqueous phase component in the hydrated chocolate of the present invention includes, for example, dairy products, acidulants, vitamins, antibacterial agents, emulsifiers, salts, rice cake powder, tea powder, powdered liquor, vegetable and fruit powder, colorant, Western liquor. Various liquid foods that can be added to foods such as fragrances, and food powders that can be dissolved in water phase components can be contained. In addition, the liquid food and food powder can be added after mixing the water phase component and the oil phase component, in which case the addition amount is at a level that does not affect the moisture content of the hydrated chocolate. It is preferable. In addition, although there is a possibility that the three kinds of sugar alcohols (A) to (C) are contained in the liquid food and the powder for food, the content thereof is very small, which affects the characteristics of the water-containing chocolate. There is no effect.

  Examples of the dairy product include fresh cream, butter, cow milk, concentrated milk, skim milk powder, whole milk powder, adjusted milk powder, condensed milk, cheese cream, whipping cream and coffee cream. Among these, it is preferable to use fresh cream and butter from the point of flavor.

  As the acidulant, an acidulant that can be added to foods can be used, and examples thereof include citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, and phytic acid. Moreover, the unpleasant sweetness derived from sugar alcohol can be further suppressed by adding the fruit juice containing the said acidulant, and the said acidulant. Although the addition amount of a sour agent is not specifically limited, The addition amount which makes pH of a water phase component 3.0-6.5 is preferable, and the addition amount which makes pH 3.5-5.0 is more preferable. In addition, when the pH is set to an acidic condition such as the above range, from the viewpoint of flavor, citrus such as orange, lemon, coconut, lime and grapefruit, berry such as blueberry, strawberry and raspberry (flamboise), apple and passion It is preferable to use a fragrance such as fruit or mango together with a sour agent.

  Antibacterial agents include licorice extract, green tea extract such as catechin, Sasa extract, tannin, lysozyme and the like. Bitterness components such as catechin are generally known to have an effect of suppressing sweetness, and can be used not only for improving the storage stability but also for the purpose of further suppressing unpleasant sweetness of sugar alcohols. Although content of an antibacterial agent is not specifically limited, From a viewpoint which does not affect the flavor of a water-containing chocolate, Preferably it is about 0.01 to 0.5 weight% of a water-containing chocolate whole quantity.

  The emulsifier is not particularly limited as long as it is an emulsifier for food, and examples include monoglyceride, organic acid monoglyceride, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, and lecithin. Although content of an emulsifier is not specifically limited, It is preferable to use an emulsifier within the range which is 0.01 weight% or more of a water-containing chocolate whole quantity, and does not affect a flavor.

  Examples of the salt include sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, magnesium carbonate and the like. The various salts are generally known to have a large effect of reducing water activity, and are preferably added within a range that does not affect the flavor. However, when added in a range that does not affect the flavor, the effect of reducing the water activity can hardly be expected.

  Examples of western liquor include ethanol, rum, brandy, and various liqueurs. When the alcohol content in Western liquor is not volatilized, it is preferably added after mixing the aqueous phase component and the oil phase component. The content of Western liquor is preferably 0.1 to 5% by weight of the total amount of the hydrated chocolate.

  The aqueous phase component can be dissolved in, for example, the above-mentioned three kinds of sugar alcohols having a predetermined weight ratio, as well as sugars other than the above three kinds of sugar alcohols, various liquid foods that can be added to foods, and water phase ingredients It can be obtained by dissolving at least one selected from various food powders in water, heating the resulting solution, and adjusting the water content and water activity.

  The oil phase component in the hydrated chocolate of the present invention mainly contains chocolate. As chocolate to be used in the present invention, cacao mass, cacao powder, sugar such as sugar, powdered milk, fats and oils, etc. are rolled as usual, and chocolate dough obtained by conching as desired, cacao mass, Examples include cocoa raw materials such as cocoa powder and cocoa butter.

  The oil phase component in the hydrated chocolate of the present invention can contain, in addition to the chocolate, a raw material containing substantially no moisture and having a moisture content of about 1 to 2%. Examples of such raw materials include paste raw materials obtained by grinding solid fat-rich materials such as various fats and oils including cocoa butter substitute fat used in place of cocoa butter, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, sesame, etc. Is mentioned. Note that sugars such as sugar and lactose contained in the oil phase component basically do not affect the water activity of the hydrated chocolate, and therefore are not considered as the saccharide content in the hydrated chocolate.

  As cocoa butter substitute fat, it is used in place of part or all of cocoa butter for the purpose of improving the physical properties of chocolate and saving manufacturing costs. There are abundant in triunsaturated type fats and oils and a lauric or high elaidic acid type called CBR. As fats and oils for cocoa butter substitute oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, kapok oil, sesame oil, evening primrose oil, palm oil, shea fat, Vegetable fats and oils such as monkey fat, coconut oil and palm kernel oil; animal fats and oils such as milk fat, beef tallow, lard, fish oil and whale oil; These fats and oils or a mixed oil of two or more thereof, processed oils and fats obtained by curing, fractionating, transesterifying and the like of these fats and oils or a mixed oil of two or more thereof can be used.

  The water-containing chocolate of the present invention can be obtained by emulsifying a water phase component and an oil phase component in an oil-in-water type. The mixing ratio of the water phase component and the oil phase component is not particularly limited and is appropriately selected according to the content of the three sugar alcohols, the water content, the water activity, and the like of the water phase component. It is preferable to use 10 to 100 parts by weight of the oil phase component with respect to parts by weight. The method for emulsifying into an oil-in-water type is not particularly limited. For example, a method of adding an oil phase component to an aqueous phase component, a method of adding an aqueous phase component to an oil phase component, and gradually adding an aqueous phase component to an oil phase component. In addition, formation of a water-in-oil type emulsified structure, separation of the emulsified structure, formation of an oil-in-water type emulsified structure, and a Santos type emulsification method in which the structure is changed in stages are exemplified.

In addition, as a method of determining whether or not an oil-in-water type emulsified structure is finally formed, it should be discriminated by visual confirmation of the state, as well as having conductivity using a simple device such as an ammeter. There is a method to confirm.
In addition, when emulsifying, any of the instruments and machines conventionally used for emulsifying foods can be used, and examples thereof include instruments such as whippers, machines such as stick mixers and homogenizers.

  The (E) moisture content of the hydrated chocolate of the present invention thus obtained is 12 to 20% by weight, and the water activity at the (E) moisture content is less than 0.60. The (E) water content of the hydrated chocolate of the present invention is determined by the water content of the water phase component and the mixing ratio of the water phase component and the oil phase component. (E) When the water content is less than 12% by weight, it is difficult to form an oil-in-water emulsified structure, or even if the emulsified structure can be formed, a chickenpox-like texture remains. The palatability of the hydrated chocolate is impaired. On the other hand, when the water content exceeds (E) 20% by weight, it is difficult to make the water activity less than 0.60. In addition, even when the water content exceeds (E) 20% by weight, the water activity can be made less than 0.60 depending on the total content (D) of the three sugar alcohols. Unfavorable flavor.

  In the hydrated chocolate of the present invention, the (D) total content of the three sugar alcohols relative to the (E) moisture content, and the value of (D) / (E) is 160% to 200%. preferable. In addition, said (D) and (E) are the values in the water-containing chocolate after mixing an aqueous phase component and an oil phase component. When (D) / (E) is in the range of 160% to 200%, (E) even if the water content is 15% by weight or more, the water activity of the water-containing chocolate can be easily made less than 0.60. Can be obtained, and the sweetness does not become too strong and is more preferable as a flavor.

  Even if (D) / (E) is less than 160%, (E) Depending on the water content, it is possible to make the water activity less than 0.60, but in consideration of flavor such as texture and sweetness 160% to 200% is preferable. On the other hand, when (D) / (E) exceeds 200%, it is easy to make the water activity less than 0.60, but sweetness tends to increase. When (D) / (E) is in the range of 160% to 180%, the weight ratio of (A) sorbitol, (B) xylitol and (C) erythritol is set to (A) :( B) :( C ) = 25: 50: 25. When (D) / (E) is 180% to 200%, the content of each of (A) to (C) is not particularly limited as long as it is within the specified range.

  In addition, (D) total content of the said 3 types of sugar alcohol in the water-containing chocolate of this invention becomes like this. Preferably it is 25 to 45 weight%, More preferably, it is 25 to 40 weight%, Most preferably, it is 25 to 35 weight%. . In particular, when the (D) total content of the three sugar alcohols is 25 to 35% by weight, the effect of reducing the water activity to less than 0.60 becomes remarkable, and the flavor of the hydrated chocolate is further improved. can do. If the total content of the three sugar alcohols (D) is less than 25% by weight, even if other sugars are contained, the effect of reducing the water activity becomes insufficient, and the water activity of the hydrated chocolate is 0.60. It may become difficult to adjust to less than. When the (D) total content of the three kinds of sugar alcohols exceeds 45% by weight, unpleasant sweetness derived from sugar alcohols becomes strong, and the flavor of the water-containing chocolate may be impaired.

  Moreover, when using saccharides other than that with the 3 types sugar alcohol of said (A)-(C), content of the total saccharide | sugar in the water-containing chocolate of this invention is although it does not specifically limit, Preferably it is 25-70 weight. %, More preferably 30 to 50% by weight, still more preferably 35 to 45% by weight. When the total sugar content is less than 25% by weight, the water activity of the water-containing chocolate is less than 0.60 even if the total sugar is composed of only the three sugar alcohols (A) to (C). It may be difficult to make adjustments. If the total sugar content exceeds 70% by weight, sweetness becomes too strong, and the flavor of the hydrated chocolate may be impaired.

  In addition, the texture of the hydrated chocolate of the present invention is basically affected by (E) moisture content and fat content, and (E) the smoother the moisture content or the less fat content. Although it has a good mouth-melting texture, the fluidity increases and the shape retention becomes worse. The fats and oils contained in the hydrated chocolate of the present invention include fats and oils derived from dairy products contained in the aqueous phase component, fats and oils such as cocoa butter contained in the oil phase component, and the like. The fat content in the hydrated chocolate of the present invention is preferably 8 to 20% by weight of the total amount of the hydrated chocolate, more preferably 10 to 15% by weight of the total amount of the hydrated chocolate. If the fat content is less than 8% by weight, the shape retention of the water-containing chocolate is lowered, and handling other than filling may be difficult. On the other hand, if the oil content exceeds 20% by weight, the smooth texture of the water-containing chocolate may be impaired.

  The center-containing chocolate of the present invention includes the water-containing chocolate of the present invention as a center, and is characterized in that at least a part of the center is covered with a chocolate dough. As the chocolate dough, the same materials as described above can be used. Thereby, the chocolate with a center with very high palatability is obtained.

  In the center-filled chocolate of the present invention, when the water-containing chocolate is used as the center, it is possible to add the water-containing chocolate that has been aerated by solidifying the chocolate for coating and then aeration with a hand mixer or the like. It is. Moreover, after pouring water-containing chocolate into molds, such as curdles, and allowing it to stand and solidify, it can be put into the center in the same form as raw chocolate that is cut and coated with cocoa powder, or in the form of a bonbon enrobed with chocolate. When the chocolate containing the center of the present invention is a bite size, the unit weight of the center is preferably 2.0 to 4.0 g. In addition, it is also possible to disperse chocolate in the hydrated chocolate of the present invention, or to combine it with various confectionery such as soft candy and baked confectionery.

  The content of the water-containing chocolate used in the center is preferably 20 to 80% by weight of the total amount of chocolate in the center, and more preferably 30 to 70% by weight of the total amount of chocolate in the center. When the content of the hydrated chocolate is less than 20% by weight, the good melting of the mouth becomes inconspicuous and the palatability becomes poor. On the other hand, if the content of the hydrated chocolate exceeds 80% by weight, it becomes difficult to cover the center with the chocolate dough, and the possibility of leakage of the center becomes very high.

  EXAMPLES Next, although an Example and a comparative example demonstrate this invention further more concretely, this invention is not restrict | limited at all by these Examples. In the examples, “parts” and “%” mean “parts by weight” and “% by weight”, respectively. Moreover, the water activity isothermal measuring apparatus (Brand name: LabMASTER-aw BASIC, the product made by novasina) was used for the measurement of water activity.

(Examples 1-9 and Comparative Examples 1-6)
(1) Preparation of water phase components 1 to 12 After mixing each raw material according to the formulation (parts) shown in Table 1, adding a predetermined amount of water and dissolving by heating, water is concentrated by heating and concentrating to the desired water content. Phase components 1-12 were prepared. Table 1 also shows the water activity of water phase components 1-12.

(2) Preparation of chocolate doughs 1-2 Chocolate doughs 1-2 used as oil phase components were prepared by roll application and a conching manufacturing method. Chocolate dough 1 consists of 39 parts sugar, 24 parts cocoa butter, 24 parts whole milk powder, 12 parts cocoa mass, and 1 part lecithin. Chocolate dough 2 consists of 42 parts sugar, 12 parts cocoa butter, 45 parts cocoa mass, And 1 part lecithin. In addition, in Example 10, this chocolate dough 1-2 was also used as the chocolate dough for center coating.

(3) Preparation of water-containing chocolate In the formulation (part) shown in Table 2, the water phase components 1 to 12 and the oil phase component consisting of the chocolate dough 1 and / or the chocolate dough 2 are emulsified in an oil-in-water type, and Examples 1 to 9 and the water-containing chocolate of Comparative Examples 1-6 were produced. In addition, emulsification was performed by a simple method using a whipper, and whether or not the oil-in-water type was emulsified was visually confirmed.

  Moreover, in the water-containing chocolate obtained by emulsification and mixing, the content of each of (A) to (C) with respect to (D) total content of the three sugar alcohols, (E) moisture content, (D) / (E ) Value and water activity (Aw) are shown in Table 2, respectively. In addition, the oil phase components 1 and 2 of Table 2 shall point out chocolate dough 1 and 2, respectively. Further, each of the produced water-containing chocolates of Examples and Comparative Examples was casted into curdles and solidified in order to perform the sensory evaluation described later, and then cut into a size of thickness: 1 cm, length, width: 2 cm.

(sensory evaluation)
The taste and texture of the hydrated chocolates of Examples 3, 4, and 9 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 and 6 were subjected to sensory evaluation. In the sensory evaluation method, each panel was sampled by 10 panelists, and three items of “sweetness”, “coolness”, and “texture” were evaluated with a score of 1 to 10 points. . “Sweetness” as used herein refers to the unpleasant sweetness of the sorbitol, which is a tuna that is left behind, and indicates that the higher the score, the stronger the unpleasant sweetness. The “cool feeling” is a phenomenon felt by an endothermic reaction particularly when eating erythritol and xylitol, and the larger the score, the stronger the cool feeling. “Food texture” is an evaluation as to whether or not the mouthwater-like viscous texture is good and the mouth melts well. The higher the score, the better the texture.

  In Table 3, regarding “sweetness” and “coolness”, those having an evaluation average value of 3.0 or less were judged to be excellent, “◯”, and those having an evaluation average value exceeding 3.0 were evaluated as “×”. ". Regarding “texture”, those having an evaluation average value of 7.0 or more were judged to be excellent, and “◯” was evaluated, and those having an evaluation average value of less than 7.0 were evaluated as “x”. Table 3 shows the average evaluation values and evaluation results of these three items.

  As can be seen from Tables 2 and 3, each of the water-containing chocolates of Examples 1 to 9 has a water activity of less than 0.60, and Example 3 or (D) has a large total content of the three sugar alcohols. In Example 9 having a high sorbitol content, sweetness was suppressed, and both the flavor and texture were excellent. On the other hand, the water-containing chocolates of Comparative Examples 1 to 4 are different from those of Example 4 in the type and content of sugar alcohols contained, but both have a water activity of 0.60 or more, and sweetness and / Or a feeling of coolness was strong. Further, (E) Comparative Example 6 having a low water content resulted in poor texture, and crystals thought to be erythritol were formed in the aqueous phase component 12 used in Comparative Example 6.

(Example 10)
[Production of centered chocolate]
The centered chocolate of the present invention was produced. First, in accordance with the composition (parts) shown in Table 4, a water phase component and an oil phase component of Bx70 are prepared and mixed at a ratio of water phase component: oil phase component = 60: 40 to become a water-containing chocolate (water content) Amount: 15.8%, water activity: 0.596). And hemispherical shell chocolate was produced using chocolate dough 2, and hydrated chocolate was filled. After the center solidified, the chocolate dough 2 was covered again to produce the centered chocolate of Example 10 (single weight 5.5 g, center weight 3.5 g).

(Sensory evaluation 2)
Ten panelists similar to the above sampled the centered chocolate of Example 10 and evaluated its flavor and texture. As an evaluation of the center's water-containing chocolate alone, there were very many opinions that the unpleasant sweetness of sugar alcohol was not felt at all due to its strong acidity. Moreover, the evaluation that the difference in texture with chocolate was very comfortable and that palatability was very high was obtained by setting it as chocolate with a center.

Claims (3)

A water-containing chocolate comprising an aqueous phase component and an oil phase component mainly containing chocolate,
The aqueous phase component contains (A) sorbitol, (B) xylitol, and (C) erythritol, and the content ratio of (A) and (C) with respect to (D) total content of the three sugar alcohols is Satisfying the following formula,
20% ≦ (A) / (D) ≦ 80%
0% <(C) / (D) ≦ 25%
(E) Moisture content is 12-20 weight%, The water activity in said (E) moisture content is less than 0.60, The water-containing chocolate characterized by the above-mentioned.   The water content according to claim 1, wherein the content (D) / (E) of (D) the total content of the three sugar alcohols with respect to the water content is 160% to 200%. chocolate.   Centered chocolate comprising the water-containing chocolate according to claim 1 or 2 in a center.

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