REDUCED CALORIE AND REDUCED FAT CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONERY COMPOSITIONS

Abstract: Reduced calorie chocolate confections in which a nondi­ gestible fatty polyester or polyether is substituted for natural fat and an artificial sweetener plus a partially or wholly nondigestible carbohydrate bulking agent is substituted for sugar.

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention pertains to reduced calorie and reduced fat chocolate confections. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is increasing interest among consumers in food products having a reduced fat and reduced calorie content. Confectionery chocolate compositions generally comprise about 30-60% sugar, 10%-70% chocolate liquor (which contains about 50% cocoa butter), 20%-25% added cocoa butter and about 1% flavor and miscellaneous. Because of their high fat and sugar content, chocolate confections have a high caloric value per unit weight. There is significant need for chocolate confectionery compositions which have a substantially reduced fat and reduced calorie content and yet which provide the gustatory and physical properties of conventional chocolate confectionery compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,763, Peterson, issued December 14, 1982, discloses certain polyol esters of α-hydroxy fatty acids as food emulsifiers. Among the food products disclosed in this patent is a chocolate confection (Example IX). The patent states at Col. 12, lines 1-7, that cocoa butter in such confections can be replaced with a solid nondigestible (i.e., noncaloric) polyol polyester. The patent also discloses sucrose polyesters as preferred nondigestible polyol polyesters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,441, Wolkstein, issued December 2, 1986, pertains to dietetic frozen desserts (i.e., ice creams). In these compositions, sugar is replaced by a combination of non-caloric sweetener (e.g., aspartame, saccharin, etc.), and a noncaloric carbohydrate bulking agent (to substitute for the bulk normally provided by sugar). The reference also discloses that sucrose polyesters can be used as a substitute for fat. U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,794, Rennhard, April 8, 1975, assigned to Pfizer Inc. discloses certain polyglucoses and polymaltoses which can be used as noncaloric bulking agents to replace sugar and part of the fat in artificially sweetened foods. A chocolate confectionery composition is disclosed in Example XXVII. GB-A-1418544 also assigned to Pfizer Inc. discloses dietetic food compositions containing soluble polyglucoses as a replacement for substantially all of the carbohydrate normally present in the food compositions. The object of the present invention is to provide chocolate confectionery compositions having significantly reduced fat and reduced calorie content. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a reduced calorie chocolate confection composition comprising: a) from 5% to 35% of a source of cocoa, selected from cocoa powder and chocolate liquor; b) from 0.001% to 60% of an artificial sweetener; c) from 0% to 60% of a partially or wholly nondigestible carbohydrate bulking agent; d) from 25% to 70% of a chocolate confectionery fat substitute which is a nondigestible polyol fatty acid polyester having at least 4 fatty acid ester groups, wherein the polyol is selected from sugars and sugar alcohols containing from 4 to 8 hydroxyl groups and wherein each fatty acid group has from 8 to 24 carbon atoms and having a clear melting point of 30°-36°C and an SCI of at least 66 at a temperature 6.6°C below its clear melting point. the combined levels of a), b), c) and d) totalling 100% by weight of the composition. In another aspect of the invention there is provided a chocolate confectionery fat substitute which is a sucrose esterification product wherein the fatty acid ester groups are myristate and laurate in a mole ratio of 5:3 and wherein the degree of esterification is greater than 7.5. This material has a clear (i.e., complete) melting point of approximately 34°C and has an SCI (Solids Content Index) of 75 at a temperature which is 6.6°C below its clear melting point. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention it has been found that highly acceptable reduced calorie, reduced fat chocolate confections can be prepared in which the confectionery fat (i.e. cocoa butter or cocoa butter plus milk fat) is wholly or partially replaced with a nondigestible fatty polyester or polyether having melting characteristics which match those of natural chocolate confectionery fat, and the sugar is wholly or partially replaced with an artificial sweetener or combination of artificial sweetener and partially or wholly nondigestible reduced caloric carbohydrate bulking agent. Compared to conventional chocolate confectionery compositions, the compositions of the present invention can provide 100% reduction in digestible fat content and a substantial reduction in calorie content. If desired, compositions of the invention can be sweetened with natural sweetener (i.e., natural sugars) in which case the compositions comprise from 5-35% of the cocoa source of (a) above, 30-60% sugar and 25-70% of the substitute confectionery fat of (d) above. Cocoa The cocoa material used in the compositions of the present invention can be any of the chocolate liquors or cocoa powders used in the preparation of chocolate confections. Chocolate liquor typically contains approximately 50% natural cocoa butter. Cocoa powders typically contain from 5% to 30% natural cocoa butter. In order to obtain maximum fat and calorie reduction in the compositions of the present invention, low cocoa butter content cocoa powders are preferred. The amount of cocoa material in the compositions herein is from 5% to 35%. Artificial Sweeteners The artificial sweeteners to be used in the compositions of the invention can be any of those known for use in food products. Examples include saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfame K (American Hoechst), Gem Sweet (Cumberland Packing Corp.), L-sugars (Lev-O-Cal Biospherics), Hernandulcin (University of Illinois), Alitame (Pfizer), Thaumatins, trichloro sucrose, Rebaudioside A, L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, aspartyl--D-valine isopropyl ester, aspartyl amino malonates, dialkyl aspartyl aspartates, stevioside, glycyrrhizin, p-phenetylurea, 5-nitro-2 propoxyaniline and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone. The term L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester and methyl L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine are used interchangeably and correspond to the compound also known as aspartame. Preferred artificial sweeteners are saccharin, cyclamate, L-aspartyl phenylalanine methyl ester and acesulfame K. Artificial sweeteners vary in their degree of sweetness. They range from equal to sucrose to greater than 50,000 times as sweet as sucrose. The amount of any particular sweetener used in the compositions herein will be an amount which is sufficient to provide the sweetness corresponding to the 30-60% sugar typically used in chocolate confectionery compositions. Since artificial sweeteners are known which are equal to or as much as fifty thousand times greater than sucrose, the amount of artificial sweetener in the compositions of the present invention will be from 0.001% to 60% of the composition. Because in many instances the amount of artificial sweetener which is used will be very small compared to the amount of sugar it replaces, in such instances a bulking agent will be included in the chocolate confectionery composition in order to retain the typical form and texture of a conventional chocolate confection. In most cases, the compositions herein will contain from 0.001% to 1% of artificial sweetener and from 25% to 60% of the bulking agent. Bulking Agent Bulking agents useful in the present invention are carbohydrates which are partially or wholly nondigestible (i.e., nonmetabolizable) and contribute substantially no taste to the product. Many such materials are known to the food product formulator. Specific examples include polydextrose, lactitol, Palatinit® (isomalt), Palatinose® (isomaltulose), polyglucose, polymaltose, carboxymethylcellulose, carboxyethylcellulose, arabinogalactan, microcrystalline cellulose and combinations thereof. The use of partially or wholly nondigestible carbohydrate bulking agents in dietetic foods is discussed in detail in U.S. Pats. No. 4,304,768, Staub et al., issued Dec. 8, 1981, and 3,876,794, Rennhard, issued April 8, 1975, When a bulking agent is used in the compositions of the invention, the amount used will usually be in the range of from 25% to 60%. Chocolate Confectionery Fat Substitute The chocolate confectionery fat substitute in the compositions of the invention is a nondigestible polyol fatty acid polyester which has a clear (i.e., complete) melting point of 30-36°C and an SCI (Solids Content Index) of at least 66 at a temperature of 6.6°C below the clear melting point. Preferably the ester has an SCI of at least 40 at a temperature which is 3.3°C below its clear melting point. A wide variety of fatty polyesters have been reported in the literature as being suitable as nondigestible substitutes for fat (i.e., triglyceride fat). Examples of such materials are: fatty alcohol esters of polycarboxylic acids (U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,746, Hamm, issued April 2, 1985); fatty polyethers of polyglycerol (U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,532, Hunter et al., issued Jan. 13, 1976 - food use disclosed in East German Pat. 207,070, issued Feb. 15, 1984); ethers and etheresters of polyols containing the neopentyl moiety (U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,419, Minich, issued Nov. 29, 1960); fatty alcohol diesters of dicarboxylic acids such as malonic and succinic acid (U.S. Pat. 4,582,927, Fulcher, issued April 15, 1986); and triglyceride esters of alpha branched chain alkyl carboxylic acids (U.S. 3,579,548, Whyte, issued May 18, 1971; However the nondigestible fatty esters employed in the present invention are polyol fatty acid polyesters having at least 4 fatty acid ester groups, wherein the polyol is selected from sugars and sugar alcohols containing from 4 to 8 hydroxyl groups and wherein each fatty acid group has from 8 to 24 carbon atoms. Examples of sugars from which these polyol polyesters can be prepared are xylose, arabinose, galactose, fructose, sorbose, maltose, lactose and sucrose. Examples of sugar alcohols from which the polyol polyesters can be prepared are xylitol, erythritol and sorbitol. Examples of preferred sugars and sugar alcohols are erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, glucose and sucrose. Sucrose is especially preferred. Examples of fatty acids from which the fatty acid moieties of these polyol polyesters are derived include lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and behenic. Polyol polyesters, their use as substitutes for fat in foods, and their preparation are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,034,083, Mattson, issued July 5, 1977; 3,963,699, Rizzi, issued June 15, 1976; 4,518,772, Volpenhein, issued May 21, 1985; and 4,517,360, Volpenhein, issued May 14, 1985, An example of a sugar fatty acid polyester which is preferred for use as a chocolate confectionery fat substitute in the compositions herein is a sucrose esterification product wherein the fatty acid ester groups are myristate and laurate in a mole ratio of approximately 5:3 and wherein the degree of esterification is greater than 7.5. This material has a clear melting point of about 34°C and an SCI at 27°C of about 79. Within any class of nondigestible fatty polyesters, compounds which have the melting point and SCI characteristics required for confectionery fat substitutes in the present invention can be found empirically by varying the chain lengths of the alkyl and/or acyl moieties attached to the polycarboxylic or polyol backbone moiety. It is not possible to predict beforehand which compounds within a given class will have these properties. The confectionery fat substitutes herein can also be used in formulating chocolate confections which are sweetened partially or entirely with natural sugars (e.g., sucrose). The amount of confectionery fat substitute in the compositions of the invention will be from 25% to 70%. The nondigestible fatty polyesters provide bulk and structure, as well as mouth feel to the compositions, and therefore can be used as a partial replacement for sugar, as well as being a replacement for fat. Optional Components Materials which are customarily used in formulating chocolate confectionery compositions can be included in the compositions herein. For example if it is desired to formulate the composition of this invention as a milk chocolate, from 10% to 20% whole or nonfat milk solids can be included. Other optional ingredients include any natural food flavoring oil, oleoresin or extract, artificial food flavorings, ground spice, ground coffee, ground nut meats, ground vanilla beans, dried malted cereal extract, salt, dietary fiber sources such as cocoa fiber, citrus fiber, wheat bran, corn bran, oat bran, pea bran and soy fiber, lecithin, and other emulsifying ingredients at levels conventionally used in chocolate confections. Also, if desired, some sugar, honey, molasses, maple sugar, brown sugar, may be included in the compositions, in which case the amount of artificial sweetener and bulking agent will be proportionately reduced. If desired, a combination of natural confectionery fats and confectionery fat substitutes can be used in compositions of the invention. Nondigestible fatty esters can interfere with the body's uptake of fat-soluble vitamins, but it has been found that this problem can be overcome by fortifying foods containing such esters with fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, E. D and K (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,083, Mattson, issued July 5, 1977). Accordingly, fat-soluble vitamins are desirable additives for the present compositions. Composition Preparation A Typical Preparation Procedure for a Chocolate Bar of the Invention The typical ingredients for the chocolate (chocolate liquor or cocoa powder, sweetener/bulking agent, sucrose polyester and lecithin) are weighed into a mixer and mixed for a period of time. After mixing, the resulting paste is passed through a mill (steel rollers) several times and converted to a powdery mass. Milling breaks up crystalline sweetener/bulking agent and fibrous cocoa matter into the desired particle size. After milling, the chocolate is subjected to conching. The conching temperature ranges from 55-85°C, and the time of conching varies from a few hours to several days. Flavor, emulsifiers, and additional sucrose polyester are often added during conching. After conching, more emulsifiers and sucrose polyester are added to adjust the chocolate to final specification and the chocolate is tempered. Proper tempering ensures the production of a stable fat base which is critical to the overall quality and stability of chocolate. The final stage in the processing of chocolate is molding. The property tempered chocolate is poured quickly into block molds, allowed to cool, and then removed from the mold as solid pieces. Instead of bars, the chocolate compositions can be used as confectionery coatings or fillings or as chocolate pieces (e.g., chocolate chips for cookies). The invention will be further illustrated by the following Examples. EXAMPLE I Preparation of the Sucrose Polyester Chocolate Confectionery Fat and the Data on its Melting Point and SCI Into a 12-liter reaction flask fitted with an agitator, reflex condenser, nitrogen purge inlet, and vacuum line apparatus was added 491.2 gm anhydrous sucrose, 347.0 gm potassium stearate, 576.6 gm methyl laurate, 1088.2 gm methyl myristate, and 19.9 gm potassium carbonate. The reaction mix was heated with stirring to 135°C. Only a slight vacuum was pulled on the system at the beginning of the reaction to avoid excessive foaming. By the time the reaction mix had clarified, the system was under about a 10 mm Hg pressure. When the sucrose level in the reaction solution had reached less than 0.5%, another 807.6 gm of methyl laurate, 1523.5 gm of methyl myristate and 20 gm of potassium carbonate were added, and the reaction was allowed to proceed under controlled atmosphere. When the system was under 10 mm Hg pressure, N₂ purging was introduced to get rid of residual methanol. The reaction was completed when the % octa ester of the crude reaction mix reached greater than 75%. The crude reaction mix was allowed to cool to room temperature and centrifuged. The mother liquor (approx. 3500 ml) was collected and washed four times with hot water and dried by nitrogen sparging at 110°C. The dried material was then bleached with Filtrol at 82°C under a nitrogen blanket for 2 hours. After filtration, the excess unreacted methyl esters were stripped off on a laboratory size wiped film evaporator under 2 mm Hg pressure at 165-166°C using a feed rate of 5 ml/minute. The sucrose polyester product obtained readily solidified to a creamy yellowish solid and was analyzed to have: 200 ppm methyl esters; an average ester substitution of 7.7; M.P. of 33-34°C; SCI (by Differential Scanning Calorimetry) of 100 (10°C), 93 (21°C), 79 (26.7°C), 5 (33.3°C), 0 (40.6°C). The weight of product obtained was 2240 gm, of which 70-80% was octa ester. The overall yield of sucrose polyester was 80% of theoretical, based on the weight of sucrose. The sucrose polyester of this example can also be prepared by direct reaction of the acid chlorides of myristic and lauric acid with sucrose. EXAMPLE II Formulation and Preparation of a Reduced Calorie/Reduced Fat Milk Chocolate Bar Using Sucrose Polyester Chocolate Confectionery Fat, A Bulking Agent and an Artificial Sweetener 116.8 gm of chocolate liquor (containing approximately 50% cocoa butter), 110 gm of the sucrose polyester chocolate confectionery fat of Example I, and 1.0 gm of lecithin are added to a beaker, and the mixture is melted. The molten mix is added to a jacketed Hobart mixing bowl containing 4.2 gm aspartame, 312 gm powdered lactitol, and 108.2 gm nonfat dry milk powder. The resulting mixture is mixed on the Hobart mixer for about 20 minutes. After thorough mixing, the material is refined twice on a 4-roller mill to give a dry powdery mass. This mass is collected and weighed, and the material is conched at 57°C for 1 hour before another 70.2 gm of the sucrose polyester confectionery fat is added to adjust the fat level to 32%. The mixture is allowed to continue conching at 57°C for another 4 hours. After which, another 77 gm of the sucrose polyester chocolate confectionery fat is added to adjust the fat level to 39%. 1.8 gm of lecithin is also added, and the batch is ready for tempering. The sample is tempered in a temperometer fitted with a viscosity monitor. The sample is tempered by slowly cooling from 42°C to 25°C and then slowly warming up to 30°C for seed crystal transformation. The tempered chocolate is then poured onto trays of bar mold and the trays are tunnelled through a 16°C tunnel for 15 minutes. After which, the trays are set in the 16°C room for 2 days before demolding. The bars demold with relative ease and the finished bars have a shiny appearance and are of good eating quality. The composition provides an 82% reduction in fat and 60% reduction in calories compared to a similar composition made with cocoa butter and sugar. EXAMPLE III Formulation and Preparation of a Reduced Calorie/Reduced Fat Milk Chocolate Bar Using Sucrose Polyester Chocolate Confectionery Fat 71.5 gm of anhydrous sucrose, 20 gm of nonfat dry milk, and 11.3 gm of cocoa powder (containing about 11% cocoa butter) are added into a jacketed Hobart mixing bowl. In a beaker, 27.4 gm of the sucrose polyester chocolate confectionery fat of Example I are melted together with 0.2 gm of lecithin. The melted mix is added to the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl, and the mixture is mixed at slow speed for about 15 minutes at room temperature. The sample is milled three times on the 3-roller mill to obtain a dry powdery mass. The weight is recorded, and the sample is returned to the Hobart mixer for conching at 65°C for about 1-1/2 hours. Another 10.3 gm of sucrose polyester chocolate confectionery fat substitute is added to adjust the milk chocolate to 28% fat level, and the resulting sample is allowed to continue conching at 65°C for another 24 hours. At the end of 24 hours, 8.1 more gm of the chocolate confectionery fat substitute and 0.5 gm of lecithin are added to adjust the fat content to 32%. The sample is then tempered in a temperometer by cooling slowly from 45°C to 24.5°C. After holding for 15 minutes at 24.5°C, the chocolate is warmed back slowly to 31°C and held at that temperature with constant stirring for another 15 minutes before pouring into trays of bar mold. After coming to room temperature, the trays are then placed in the 16°C room for 2 days before demolding. The bars are demolded with relative ease and the bars obtained have a shiny appearance and are of good eating quality. This composition provides 97% reduction in fat and a 52% reduction in calories compared to a similar composition made with cocoa butter.

Claims: A reduced calorie chocolate confection composition comprising: a) from 5% to 35% of a source of cocoa, selected from cocoa powder and chocolate liquor; b) from 0.001% to 60% of an artificial sweetener; c) from 0% to 60% of a partially or wholly nondigestible carbohydrate bulking agent; d) from 25% to 70% of a chocolate confectionery fat substitute which is a nondigestible polyol fatty acid polyester having at least 4 fatty acid ester groups, wherein the polyol is selected from sugars and sugar alcohols containing from 4 to 8 hydroxyl groups and wherein each fatty acid group has from 8 to 24 carbon atoms and having a clear melting point of 30°-36°C and an SCI of at least 66 at a temperature 6.6°C below its clear melting point the combined levels of a), b), c) and d) totalling 100% by weight of the composition. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the amount of artificial sweetener is from 0.001% to 1% and the amount of bulking agent is from 25% to 60%. A composition according to either one of claims 1 and 2 wherein the bulking agent is selected from polydextrose, lactitol and arabinogalactan. A composition according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein the artificial sweetener is selected from saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame and acesulfame K. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the chocolate confectionery fat substitute is a polyester of sucrose. A composition according to claim 5 wherein the artificial sweetener is aspartame and the polyester of sucrose is a sucrose esterification product wherein the fatty acid ester groups are myristate and laurate in a mole ratio of 5:3 and wherein the degree of esterification is greater than 7.5. A reduced calorie chocolate confection composition comprising: a) from 5% to 35% of a source of cocoa, selected from cocoa powder and chocolate liquor; b) from 30% to 60% of a natural sugar; c) from 25% to 70% of a chocolate confectionery fat substitute which is a sucrose esterification product wherein the fatty acid ester groups are myristate and laurate in a mole ratio of 5:3 and wherein the degree of esterification is greater than 7.5; the combined levels of a) b) and c) totalling 100% by weight of the composition. A chocolate confectionery fat substitute which is a sucrose esterification product wherein the fatty acid ester groups are myristate and laurate in a mole ratio of 5:3 and wherein the degree of esterification is greater than 7.5.

Inventors: KONG-CHAN, JOSEPHINE LING YEE
Applicants: THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A23G1
IPC codes: A23G1, A23L1