Because the process of the invention allows for formation of stable granules with minimal or no drying, the granules typically are free from fat oxidation products such as, for example, hexanal.

All other aspects of the present invention will more readily become apparent upon considering the detailed description and examples which follow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the FIGURES, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram for frozen confection manufacture according to one embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the invention an ice cream manufacturing process begins with forming two phases: a fat phase and an aqueous phase. The fat phase is a mix of fat and emulsifier. The aqueous phase is a mix of water and emulsifier which may be the same or a different emulsifier than in the fat phase. The two phases may be gently heated in separate tanks to melt the fat and/or ensure good dissolution/dispersion of the emulsifiers.

Part of the fat phase is added to the tank containing the aqueous phase and the resulting mixture is mixed and/or homogenized to produce a crude concentrated emulsion (the “pre-emulsion”). The pre-emulsion may, for example have a fat content of from 60 to 70% by weight.

The remaining fat phase and the pre-emulsion are then then fed together and homogenized through a CDDM to produce a concentrated oil-in-water emulsion wherein the fat droplets have an average particle size below 1 micron. The concentrated emulsion is a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) and may, for example have a fat content of around 80% by weight.

The concentrated emulsion may also be optionally pasteurized or sterilized at this point which, for example, gives more flexibility in the manufacturing process as the emulsion can be stored until needed or even transported to a remote location for further processing.

In the next step of the process shown in FIG. 1 the concentrated emulsion is used to agglomerate powder ingredients (for example sugars, stabilizer, skimmed milk powder and emulsifier) into granules. Because of the low water content of the HIPE, it can be used to granulate the powders without requiring a drying step. Granulation equipment is widely available and preferred types include, for example, ploughshare mixers, Nauta mixers, screw extruders and the like.

The granules are much more storage stable than a liquid emulsion and so can be stored for longer and/or transported for longer distances. The concentrate can be shipped to a remote location in the form of granules which simply need dissolving/dispersing at the remote location without any need for handling and blending multiple powders.

Furthermore shipping the powder ingredients as preformed granules avoids any issues of powder separation which may be encountered if powders were simply blended prior to shipping.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, formation of the premix requires simply combining the granules with water to disperse/dissolve the granules. Surprisingly the present inventors have found that granules wherein the emulsion is used as binder can form ice cream premixes of good quality without the use of complex mixing equipment. Without being bound by theory the inventors believe this may be due to the presence of the fat as discrete droplets within the powder or at least the localization of such droplets in discrete regions within the granules.

The full premix can then optionally be pasteurized. An additional or alternative step is ageing the premix at temperatures between 0 and 10° C. in order to promote fat crystallization which helps in aerating the mix in subsequent steps.

The next step shown in FIG. 1 is freezing & aerating the premix which can conveniently be achieved simultaneously in a scraped surface heat-exchanger, to produce the ice cream. Finally the frozen and aerated ice cream is optionally hardened, for example by blast-freezing at a temperature below −20° C., and is then ready for storage and/or distribution.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are apparent to those skilled in the relevant fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

Except in the examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use may optionally be understood as modified by the word “about”.

All amounts are by weight unless otherwise specified.

It should be noted that in specifying any range of values, any particular upper value can be associated with any particular lower value.

For the avoidance of doubt, the word “comprising” is intended to mean “including” but not necessarily “consisting of” or “composed of”. In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

The disclosure of the invention as found herein is to be considered to cover all embodiments as found in the claims as being multiply dependent upon each other irrespective of the fact that claims may be found without multiple dependency or redundancy.

Where a feature is disclosed with respect to a particular aspect of the invention (for example a concentrate of the invention), such disclosure is also to be considered to apply to any other aspect of the invention (for example a process of the invention) mutatis mutandis.

EXAMPLES
Comparative Example A

This example demonstrates formation of a concentrate in the form of granules wherein an emulsion was used as binder but wherein drying is required to produce stable granules.

An oil-in-water emulsion containing 60 wt % coconut fat (Cargill), 4.2 wt % sodium caseinate (Frieslandcampina) and 35.8 wt % water was prepared as follows: Hot water at 82° C. was added to a mix vessel, followed by the sodium caseinate. The contents of the vessel were vigorously mixed for 5-7 minutes to ensure complete dispersion/dissolution of sodium caseinate. The pre-melted fat/oil was then metered into the vessel and the mixture was agitated at high speeds for further 10 minutes. The mixing operation typically took around 20 minutes. The resulting coarse emulsion was then pumped through a two stage homogenizer (Tetra Alex S05 A supplied by Tetra Pak) at a pressures of 175 bar and 30 bar in the 1st and 2nd stages respectively. The homogenized emulsion was then stored in the storage vessel before being used for granulation.

The ingredients shown in Table 1 were then blended into a single powder:

TABLE 1