MULTICOMPONENT ICE CONFECTION PRODUCT

Abstract: Multicomponent ice confection product. The main part of its outer surface being regularly curved and the surface separating two components (1,2) being at least mainly concentric with respect to said outer surface; the dimensions and the electrical properties being such that on exposure to microwave radiation from a commercial household or catering heater the centre will be heated in excess of 25°C while a more outwardly positioned layer is still frozen.

Description: The invention relates to multicomponent ice confection products suitable for preparation for consumption using a microwave oven. Ice confection desserts like ice cream with hot chocolate sauce or hot raspberry sauce are very popular but require considerable preparation effort. Various proposals have been made to facilitate their preparation such as by packing the components separately, enabling the sauce component to be heated separately. Also two compartment packages have been proposed for use in a microwave oven, the ice cream compartment being shielded. Apart from relatively expensive packaging material being used these proposals still require pouring the hot sauce onto the frozen ice cream component, resulting in a messy and difficult to handle dessert. WO-A-86 05072 discloses a multicomponent food product having a partly curved outer surface shaped as a truncated cone, comprising a frozen core of a similar but smaller shape and a surrounding coating being concentric with said core. Using microwave radiation this product may be heated such that the coating is softened or melts while leaving the core frozen, resulting in a product having a soft, tacky molten product on the outside, rendering the composite messy. The inventors realised that an easy to handle dessert havig no messy and tacky outside after microwave heating could be designed by shaping it at least partly spherical and by a clever control of the dielectric constant of the components and the radius of the sphere in dependency of the wavelength of the microwave radiation used. The invention accordingly provides an improved multicomponent ice confection product, devoid of the above shortcomings, this product having an outer surface being at least mainly regularly curved, a separating surface separating two components being at least mainly concentric with respect to the said outer surface, characterised in that the outer surface is of a shape of at least part of a sphere, the dimensions and electrical properties are such that on exposure of the confection to microwave energy of commercial household or catering microwave heaters an inner area will be heated to a temperature of at least 25°C while an area further outwardly is still frozen and the sphere has a radius R conforming to the equation: where λ o = incident wavelength of the microwave energy ε = dielectric constant (real part) and ε i = dielectric constant (imaginary part) of the ice confection product λ = wavelength in the product λ = λ o (ε² + ε i ²) -½ In a preferred embodiment the central component is a sauce, e.g. chocolate, fruit or mint, and a layer surrounding this centre is an ice confection material, coated or not with a usual couverture and/or particles such as chopped nuts, wafer crunches etc. Other features and embodiments will be apparent from the following description, illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings. Fig.1 is a cross section through one embodiment according to the invention. Fig.2 is a cross section through another embodiment according to the invention. Fig.3 is a longitudinal section through still another embodiment according to the invention. In Fig.1 a spherical ice confection product is shown in sectional view, comprising in a concentric arrangement a spherical centre 1 of chocolate sauce, enclosed in a shell 2 of standard vanilla ice cream and a coating 3 of couverture. The expression "couverture" in this specification and claims refers to a fat based product which is solid at ambient temperature containing at least cocoa as a flavouring agent. Examples being chocolate, bakers, confectioners and ice makers couverture, comprising cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitutes, suitably hardened vegetable oils or fats and/or similar generally available fats or fat substitutes. Examples of suitable ice creams and ice confection materials for the shell being: % by weight milk fat 14 - vegetable fat - 10 msnf 10 12 sucrose 15 12 corn syrup solids - 5 stabilizer/emulsifier .3 .3 flavour .1 .1 water up to 100% 100% Examples of chocolate and raspberry sauce being: % by weight % by weight cocoa 11 raspberry puree 50 milk fat 10 sucrose 20 msnf 3 dextrose 10 sucrose 26 glucose syrup 9 dextrose 10 starch 4 glucose syrup 8 water up to 100% starch 3.7 vanillin .5 salt .3 water up to 100% In practice the diameter of the confection product is from 4.5 to 6 cm and preferably of about 5 cm, provided standard ice cream or ice confection having an overrun of from 0 to 80% and preferably of from 0 to 50% is used. The higher overrun values are to be accounted for by the higher diameters. Suitable dimensions for the centre are diameters of from 1 to 2.5 cm, preferably about 1.5 cm. Although these dimensions give good results with products as specified above, deviations will be possible. If for example higher overrun than say 80% is used a diameter of 6 to 8 cm is more suitable. Roughly the following equations apply: where R = radius of sphere in cm λ o = incident wavelength ε = dielectric constant (real part) and ε i = dielectric constant (imaginary part) of the product λ = wavelength in the product. λ = λ o (ε² + ε i ²) -½ The dielectric constant of the ice confection can be determined after its preparation. By approximation the dielectric constant of ice confection can be calculated using the equation: ε = 3.01Φ A + 6.53Φ M + 3.12Φ F+I where Φ A = phase volume of air Φ M = phase volume of matrix Φ F+I = phase volume of fat and ice. By matrix the aqueous phase of the ice confection is understood. After putting the product having a temperature of about -18°C into a commercial microwave oven of 1.3 kW and 2450 MHz the oven is energized for 35 secs on half power. This results in a sphere which is still hard frozen but has a molten, warm centre. Best results are obtained with ice confection material comprising from 0 to 15% by weight of fat and from 30 to 55% by weight of ice. In Fig.2 a second embodiment of a product according to the invention is shown. A disc shaped sponge cake or biscuit base 4 having a thickness of about .5 cm supports a hemispherical composite product being roughly half the product as described in connection to Fig.1. Similar ingredients and compositions can be used. The cylindrical product having rounded ends comprises an oblong centre 5 of sauce, enclosed by a layer 6 of ice confection material and a couverture coating 7. Since the concentration of the microwave energy when heating in a microwave oven is less expressed than with the globular embodiment a slightly longer exposure or more intense exposure to microwaves is to be used for preferentially heating the sauce. If the same sauce is very fluid after heating it will flow across the cold ice confection and a plate supporting it and as a result quickly cool down again. For more expressed results and longer lasting temperature contrasts a suitable thickening agent is contained in the sauce, such as 3 to 7% by weight of starch. It will be evident for experts that any suitable thickening agent can be used.

Claims: Multicomponent ice confection product having an outer surface being at least mainly regularly curved, a separating surface separating two components being at least mainly concentric with respect to the said outer surface, characterized in that the outer surface is of a shape of at least part of a sphere, the dimensions and electrical properties are such that on exposure of the confection to microwave energy of commercial household or catering microwave heaters an inner area will be heated to a temperature of at least 25°C while an area further outwardly is still frozen and the sphere has a radius R conforming to the equation: where λ o = incident wavelength of the microwave energy ε = dielectric constant (real part) and ε i = dielectric constant (imaginary part) of the ice confection product λ = wavelength in the product λ = λ o (ε² + ε i ²) -½ Multicomponent ice confection product according to claim 1, having a central area comprising a sauce and a surrounding area of ice confection material. Ice confection product according to any claim 1 or 2, wherein its shape is mainly spherical. Ice confection product according to any claim 1 to 3, wherein the sphere is of a diameter of from 4.5 to 6 cm. Ice confection product according to any claim 2 to 4, wherein the ice confection material has an overrun of from 0 to 80%. Ice confection product according to any claim 2 to 5, wherein the ice confection material comprises 0 to 15% by weight of fat and 30 to 55% by weight of ice. Ice confection product according to any claim 2 to 6, wherein the sauce comprises a thickening agent. Ice confection product according to claim 7, wherein the sauce comprises from 3 to 7% by weight of starch. Ice confection product according to any claim 5 to 8, wherein the ice confection material has an overrun of from 0 to 50%.

Inventors: CLARK, HELEN PATRICIA, HOLT, CHRISTOPHER BRUNSDEN
Applicants: UNILEVER N.V., UNILEVER PLC
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A23G9
IPC codes: A23G1, A23G9