阅读说明：本技术 发泡奶精组合物 (Foaming creamer composition ) 是由 C·洛雷特 L·瓦克斯曼 A-J·德迪斯 C·格辛-德尔瓦尔 M·E·莱泽 于 2018-07-16 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种发泡奶精组合物,所述组合物包含酪蛋白或其盐、以及油,其中酪蛋白或其盐与油的重量比为约0.005:1至约0.035:1、优选约0.010:1至约0.030:1；优选约0.012:1至约0.028:1、更优选约0.015:1至约0.025:1；以及发泡剂成分,所述发泡剂成分包含受压气体。本发明还提供了所述奶精组合物的用途以及制备奶精组合物的方法。(The present invention provides a foaming creamer composition comprising casein or a salt thereof, and oil, wherein the weight ratio of casein or a salt thereof to oil is from about 0.005:1 to about 0.035:1, preferably from about 0.010:1 to about 0.030: 1; preferably from about 0.012:1 to about 0.028:1, more preferably from about 0.015:1 to about 0.025: 1; and a blowing agent component comprising a pressurized gas. The invention also provides uses of the creamer composition and a method of preparing a creamer composition.)

1. A foaming creamer composition, the composition comprising

a) An emulsion comprising casein or a salt thereof, and oil, wherein the weight ratio of casein or a salt thereof to oil is from about 0.005:1 to about 0.035:1, preferably from about 0.010:1 to about 0.030: 1; preferably from about 0.012:1 to about 0.028:1, more preferably from about 0.015:1 to about 0.025: 1; and

b) a blowing agent component comprising a gas under pressure.

2. The foaming creamer composition of claim 1 wherein the emulsion comprises about 0.20 to about 1.20 weight percent of casein or a salt thereof; preferably about 0.40% to about 0.96% by weight casein or a salt thereof.

3. The foaming creamer composition of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the composition is in the form of a powder.

4. The foaming creamer composition of any preceding claim wherein the casein or salt thereof is selected from the group consisting of: micellar casein, sodium caseinate, potassium caseinate and calcium caseinate; preferably wherein the casein or salt thereof is sodium caseinate.

5. The foaming creamer composition of any preceding claim wherein the oil is selected from the group consisting of: palm oil, palm kernel oil or olein, hydrogenated palm kernel oil or olein, coconut oil, algal oil, canola oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, milk fat and corn oil.

6. The foaming creamer composition of any preceding claim wherein the composition comprises a sweetener such as sugar, a buffer and/or a stabilizer, and/or a low molecular weight emulsifier.

7. The foaming creamer composition of any preceding claim wherein the composition does not comprise low molecular weight emulsifiers and/or buffers and stabilizers.

8. The foaming creamer composition of any preceding claim wherein the composition comprises about 10% to about 80% by weight of oil; preferably from about 10% to about 50%, more preferably from about 15% to about 40%, even more preferably from about 20% to about 35% by weight.

9. The foaming creamer composition of any preceding claim wherein the foaming agent component comprising a gas under pressure releases at least 1ml of gas per gram of soluble foaming agent component upon contact with a liquid at ambient conditions.

10. The foaming creamer composition of any preceding claim wherein the oil comprises one or more added flavour components.

11. Use of the foaming creamer composition of any of claims 1 to 10 to form a foam layer on top of a beverage, wherein the foam layer comprises a plurality of oil droplet aggregates.

12. A coffee beverage composition comprising a composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and a coffee component, preferably a dried coffee component.

13. A method for providing a dried foamed creamer composition, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) providing an aqueous phase comprising casein or a salt thereof;

(ii) providing an oil phase comprising an oil and optionally a low molecular weight emulsifier;

(iii) combining the aqueous phase and the oil phase to form a pre-emulsion;

(iv) homogenizing the pre-emulsion to form an emulsion concentrate;

(v) drying the emulsion concentrate to form a dried creamer composition; and

(vi) the dried emulsion is mixed with a powdered blowing agent component comprising a pressurized gas.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to foaming creamer compositions and methods for preparing creamer compositions.

Background

Creamers are widely used as whitening agents for hot and cold beverages such as, for example, coffee, cocoa, tea, and the like. They are often used to replace milk and/or dairy creams. Creamers can add a variety of different flavors and provide mouthfeel, body, and smooth texture. The creamer can be in liquid or powder form. For some applications, for example for easy preparation of cappuccino-type coffee beverages, creamers are desired which generate a large amount of foam on top of the beverage. WO 01/08504 discloses foaming compositions containing a gas under pressure and which when reconstituted in water produce a large amount of foam. Such foaming ingredients may be used as part of a foaming creamer, for example in an instant cappuccino beverage powder.

Both consumers and the health sector are looking for nutritionally balanced, reduced calorie content foods and beverages. In addition, many consumers seek to enhance the mouthfeel (also expressed as body, texture or creaminess) of foods and beverages. At the same time, many foods and beverages are transitioning from a high fat and high sugar form to a low fat and low sugar content form to limit the calorie content.

However, the reduction in fat and/or sugar content may result in a less pleasant texture, mouthfeel and taste of the foam formed from the foaming creamer composition. Emulsified fat contributes significantly to the in-mouth sensory qualities of the foam produced by the foaming creamer, and these qualities can be partially or completely lost when the fat content is reduced.

Creamers (such as non-dairy creamers) may use casein or a salt thereof (e.g., sodium caseinate) as the protein component. Sodium caseinate acts as an emulsifier to stabilize the oil component in the creamer. The amount of sodium caseinate present in the creamer balances the need to emulsify the oil component of the creamer with avoiding undesirable coagulation of the protein in the creamer-added beverage. To obtain good emulsion stability, sodium caseinate is usually present in the creamer in an amount between 6% and 45% (calculated as a percentage of the total amount of oil + emulsifier in the system). In CA1046836 a powdered creamer composition is described wherein the percentage of sodium caseinate (NaCas) is between 7% (in powder, 3% NaCas for 40% fat) and 43% (in powder, 15% NaCas for 20% fat).

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method of enhancing the texture, mouthfeel and taste of the foam produced by a foaming creamer without increasing the overall fat content.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention solves the above mentioned prior art problems by providing a foaming creamer composition as defined in the claims. Accordingly, the present invention relates to a foaming creamer composition comprising: a) an emulsion comprising casein or a salt thereof, and oil, wherein the weight ratio of casein or a salt thereof to oil is from about 0.005:1 to about 0.035:1, preferably from about 0.010:1 to about 0.030: 1; preferably from about 0.012:1 to about 0.028:1, more preferably from about 0.015:1 to about 0.025: 1; and b) a blowing agent component comprising a pressurized gas. In further aspects, the invention relates to the use of the foamed creamer of the invention and to a method for providing the foamed creamer of the invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows the storage and loss moduli measured by the oscillatory rheology of a reference cappuccino (reference) and a cappuccino made with the creamer of the invention (variant 1). For details, please refer to example 1.

Detailed Description

Unless otherwise indicated, the weight percent values (wt% or%) described herein are given with respect to the wt% of the ingredients in dry matter, excluding any water present in the composition.

By foaming creamer composition is meant a composition intended to be added to a food and/or beverage composition such as e.g. coffee, tea or soup, intended to create a foam layer on top of the food or beverage composition and possibly additionally to impart other features such as colour (e.g. whitening effect), thickening, flavour, texture and/or other desired features. The creamer composition of the invention is preferably in powder form.

Advantageously, the foamed creamer composition of the invention produces a foam layer on top of the beverage or liquid food product, which provides an improved texture and taste as perceived by the consumer without increasing the total fat content of the beverage or liquid food product. This is achieved by the amount of casein or a salt thereof present in the creamer relative to the amount of the lipid component and the use of a foaming ingredient comprising a gas under pressure.

The present invention provides in one aspect a foaming creamer composition, the composition comprising: a) an emulsion comprising casein or a salt thereof, and oil, wherein the weight ratio of casein or a salt thereof to oil is from about 0.005:1 to about 0.035:1, preferably from about 0.010:1 to about 0.030: 1; preferably from about 0.012:1 to about 0.028:1, more preferably from about 0.015:1 to about 0.025: 1; and b) a blowing agent component comprising a pressurized gas

The weight ratio of casein or a salt thereof to oil in the emulsion may be about 0.005:1, 0.006:1, 0.007:1, 0.008:1, 0.009:1, 0.010:1, 0.011:1, 0.012:1, 0.013:1, 0.014:1, 0.015:1, 0.016:1, 0.017:1, 0.018:1, 0.019:1, 0.020:1, 0.021:1, 0.022:1, 0.023:1, 0.024:1, 0.025:1, 0.026:1, 0.027:1, 0.028:1, 0.029:1, 0.030:1, 0.031:1, 0.032:1, 0.033:1, 0.034:1, or 0.035: 1.

In one aspect, the casein or salt thereof of the foaming creamer functions to emulsify and thus stabilize the oil component of the foaming creamer as it is added to a liquid food or beverage.

The present inventors have surprisingly found that by reducing the amount of casein or a salt thereof relative to the oil component present in the creamer such that the weight ratio of casein or a salt thereof to oil in the creamer composition falls in the range of about 0.005:1 to about 0.035:1, the creamer advantageously produces a foam layer on top of a liquid food (e.g. soup) or beverage (e.g. tea or coffee), having an improved texture, mouthfeel and/or taste compared to conventional (prior art) creamers.

Without wishing to be bound by theory, the inventors believe that the improved texture, mouthfeel and/or taste of the foam layer produced by the creamer of the invention is due to oil droplets which form aggregates and rise to the top of the liquid food or beverage as they are reduced in density compared to the aqueous component of the liquid food or beverage and are trapped in the foam. The present inventors have surprisingly found that by reducing the concentration of casein or a salt thereof present in the creamer at a constant oil content, the reduction in emulsification of the oil droplets provides increased aggregation of the oil droplets.

The weight ratio of casein or a salt thereof to the oil component in the emulsion is important for the sensory characteristics of the foam layer. If too much casein or a salt thereof is present compared to the oil component, there is no aggregation of oil droplets in the final product. However, if the concentration of casein or a salt thereof is too low, excessive oil droplet aggregation and/or coalescence will destabilize the emulsion during homogenization and formation of the emulsion concentrate and/or drying of the concentrate.

Casein is a protein that may be present in mammalian milk casein and casein salts are commonly used in a variety of food products the casein or salts thereof described herein may include α -casein, β -casein and/or gamma-casein.

The casein or salt thereof used in the emulsion may be micellar casein, sodium caseinate, potassium caseinate or calcium caseinate; preferably the casein or salt thereof is sodium caseinate. Although casein and its salts are derived from milk proteins, they are not generally considered to be true dairy materials when used in food products due to processing. Thus, a creamer comprising casein or a salt thereof, such as sodium caseinate, may be described as a non-dairy creamer.

The oil component of the emulsion may be an oil such as palm oil, palm kernel oil or olein, hydrogenated palm kernel oil or olein, coconut oil, algal oil, canola oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, milk fat or corn oil, or a high oleic variant of an oil such as high oleic soybean oil, high oleic canola oil, high oleic safflower oil or high oleic sunflower oil.

In a preferred embodiment, the emulsion is in the form of a powder. The powder may be obtained by drying the liquid emulsion. The drying step may be carried out by spray drying, vacuum belt drying, drum drying or freeze drying, or any other suitable method known in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the powder is obtained by spray drying.

In spray drying, a liquid is sprayed through a small nozzle into a heated drying gas. This produces dried powders or granules which can then be collected. Spray drying methods are known in the art and familiar to the skilled person.

Blowing agent component

The creamer composition of the invention comprises a foaming agent component comprising a gas under pressure. By containing a gas under pressure is meant that the gas is enclosed in closed pores of the composition, wherein the pressure within the pores is higher than the ambient atmospheric pressure. Such blowing agent compositions may be capable of releasing a volume of gas (when measured at ambient atmospheric pressure) that is higher than the volume of gas that may be released by a porous blowing agent composition having open cells and containing gas at ambient pressure. Suitable blowing agent compositions comprising a pressurised gas and methods for their preparation are disclosed in WO 01/08504, WO 2006/023565 and WO 2006/023564.

A suitable foaming agent component comprising a gas under pressure is a foaming agent component comprising a matrix containing carbohydrates, proteins and entrapped gas. The carbohydrate in the matrix may be any suitable carbohydrate or mixture of carbohydrates. Suitable examples include lactose, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, maltodextrin, corn syrup, starch, modified starch, cyclodextrin, dextrose, fructose, and the like, as well as mixtures of these carbohydrates. Mixtures containing maltodextrin are particularly preferred. For example, the carbohydrate may be a mixture of about 40% to about 80% by weight maltodextrin, sucrose and lactose. The sucrose preferably provides about 5% to about 30% by weight of the mixture. The lactose preferably provides about 5% to about 30% by weight of the mixture. The maltodextrin preferably provides 10 to 50% by weight of the mixture. The carbohydrate preferably provides about 40% to about 98% by weight of the matrix; more preferably from about 60 wt% to about 95 wt%; and even more preferably from about 70% to about 90% by weight. The protein in the matrix may be any suitable protein or mixture of proteins. The protein may be replaced by another ingredient having a similar function, such as a suitable emulsifier. Suitable emulsifiers include monoglycerides, diglycerides, lecithin, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides (data esters), emulsified starches and mixtures thereof. Suitable examples of proteins include milk proteins (casein or whey, or both), soy proteins, wheat proteins, gelatin, caseinate, and the like. A particularly suitable protein source is non-fat milk solids. These solids may be provided in dry or liquid form (e.g. skim milk). Another suitable protein source is sweet whey, for example in the form of sweet whey powder. Sweet whey powders typically contain a mixture of lactose and whey proteins. If the protein is provided by a protein source such as non-fat milk solids or sweet whey, the protein source will also typically provide some carbohydrate in the form of lactose. The matrix may contain fat as an ingredient. The fat in the matrix may be any suitable fat or fat mixture. Suitable examples include milk fat, vegetable fat and animal fat. The source of fat, its composition, and its physical characteristics such as melting or crystallization temperature can affect both the foamability of the soluble blowing agent ingredient and the stability of the foam obtained. The gas is trapped in the matrix. The gas may be any suitable food grade gas. For example, the gas may be nitrogen, carbon dioxide or atmospheric air, as well as mixtures of these gases. Substantially inert gases are preferred. To provide enhanced foaming, a gas is introduced into the matrix under pressure; for example, at a gauge pressure above about 100 kPa. Preferably, the gas is introduced into the substrate at a gauge pressure of greater than about 500 kPa; for example, from about 1MPa to about 20 MPa. The gas may be introduced into the matrix by any suitable method. One suitable technique involves providing the matrix in the form of expanded particles and then entrapping the gas in the particles. The expanded particles can be prepared by: the gas is injected into an aqueous base concentrate having a solids content of greater than about 30% by weight, and the concentrate is then spray dried to a powder. The gas may be injected into the aqueous base concentrate at a pressure of about 500kPa to about 5 MPa. However, the pressure at which the gas is injected into the matrix concentrate is not critical. The aerated aqueous matrix is then spray dried to a powder. The particles are then subjected to an inert gas atmosphere at elevated pressure and at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the particles. The pressure may be from about 100kPa gauge to about 20MPa gauge. The temperature required will depend on the composition of the particles as this will affect the glass transition temperature. However, the skilled person can easily set the temperature for any particle type. Temperatures greater than about 50 ℃ above the glass transition temperature may be best avoided. The particles can be subjected to pressure and temperature for extended periods of time as desired, as increasing time will generally increase gas entrapment. Generally, a time of about 10 seconds to about 30 minutes is sufficient. The particles are then subjected to rapid quenching or solidification to ensure entrapment of the gas. The rapid release of pressure may be sufficient to quench the particles. Otherwise, a suitable cooling procedure may be used. Another suitable technique involves injecting a gas into a molten mass of a substrate that contains little or no moisture; for example in an extruder. The gas may be injected at a pressure of about 100kPa gauge to about 20MPa gauge. The temperature required will depend on the composition of the matrix as this will affect the melt temperature. However, the skilled person can easily set the temperature of any substrate. Generally, however, temperatures above about 150 ℃ should be avoided. The molten mass may then be extruded through a small orifice and pulverized into a powder. Depending on the rapidity with which the matrix solidifies, the matrix may need to be solidified or quenched under pressure prior to being formed into a powder. This will prevent gas from escaping from the matrix. The solidification or quenching is preferably carried out rapidly, but the time may vary from about 10 seconds to about 90 minutes.

In one embodiment of the invention, the amount of gas released from the blowing agent component by contact with liquid at ambient conditions is at least 1ml, such as at least 2ml, at least 3ml or at least 5ml of gas per gram of blowing agent component.

The amount of the foaming agent component comprising gas under pressure may vary depending on the amount of gas released per gram of foaming agent component, the desired foam volume, the nature and amount of the other components of the creamer, and may typically be in the range of between 5 and 70 wt.%, such as between 10 and 50 wt.%, between 15 and 40 wt.%, or between 20 and 30 wt.%.

The creamer composition of the invention may contain one or more additional components such as, for example, sweeteners (e.g. sugar), sodium chloride, buffering agents and/or low molecular weight emulsifiers or flavours. In a preferred embodiment, the oil comprises one or more added fragrance components. By added fragrance component is meant a fragrance or flavor component that is not a natural part of the oil. For example, if the creamer is intended for use with coffee, coffee aroma and/or flavor may be added to the oil to increase the coffee aroma and/or flavor perception of the final beverage.

Sweeteners such as sugars (e.g., glucose) provide the desired sweetness when the creamer is added to a liquid food or beverage. As an alternative to sugar, artificial sweeteners may be used.

Sweeteners may include, for example, sucrose, fructose, dextrose, maltose, dextrin, levulose, tagatose, galactose, corn syrup solids, and other natural or artificial sweeteners. Sugarless sweeteners can include, but are not limited to, sugar alcohols such as maltitol, xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, mannitol, isomalt, lactitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, and the like, alone or in combination. The level of sweetener used will vary and will depend on factors such as the potency of the sweetener, the desired sweetness of the product, and cost considerations. Combinations of sugar and/or sugarless sweeteners may be used. In one embodiment, the sweetener is present in the creamer composition of the invention at a concentration in the range of about 5% to 90% by weight of the total composition, such as in the range of 20% to 90%, preferably such as 20% to 70%. In another embodiment, the sweetener concentration ranges from about 40% to about 60% by weight of the total composition. If an artificial sweetener is used, it is suitably combined with bulking agents such as maltodextrin and polydextrose.

The creamer composition of the invention may comprise a buffer and a stabiliser. The buffers and stabilizers may prevent the creamer from undesirably creaming or settling when added to a hot acidic environment such as coffee. Examples of suitable buffers and stabilizers include monophosphate, diphosphate, triphosphate, hexametaphosphate, sodium carbonate and bicarbonate, potassium carbonate and bicarbonate, or combinations thereof. Preferred buffers and stabilizers are salts such as potassium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate (also known as dipotassium hydrogen phosphate), potassium hydrogen phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, sodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, and hexametaphosphate. The buffering agents and stabilizers may be present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 3% by weight of the creamer composition.

The creamer composition of the invention may comprise a low molecular weight emulsifier. The low molecular weight emulsifier may be an emulsifier having a molecular weight below 1500 g/mol. The term low molecular weight emulsifier as defined herein does not include casein or caseinate.

Examples of low molecular weight emulsifiers include monoglycerides, diglycerides, acetylated monoglycerides, sorbitan trioleate, glycerol dioleate, sorbitan tristearate, propylene glycol monostearate, glycerol monooleate and glycerol monostearate, sorbitan monooleate, propylene glycol monolaurate, sorbitan monostearate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium stearoyl lactylate, glycerol sorbitan monopalmitate, diacetylated tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides, lecithin, lysolecithin, succinic acid esters of monoglycerides and/or diglycerides, lactic acid esters of monoglycerides and/or diglycerides, lecithin, lysolecithin, proteins and sucrose esters of fatty acids, lecithin (e.g. soy lecithin, canola lecithin, sunflower lecithin and/or safflower lecithin), Lysolecithin, and combinations thereof.

The low molecular weight emulsifier may be present in the composition in an amount of, for example, about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight.

However, the inventors have determined that low molecular weight emulsifiers are not necessary for the creamer composition of the invention. Thus, the creamer composition of the invention may lack any low molecular weight emulsifier.

In one embodiment, the creamer composition comprises about 0.20% to about 1.20% by weight casein or a salt thereof, for example about 0.40% to about 0.96% by weight casein or a salt thereof, about 0.40% to about 0.90% by weight, about 0.45% to about 0.85% by weight, about 0.50% to about 0.85% by weight, about 0.55% to about 0.85% by weight, or about 0.60% to about 0.80% by weight.

The creamer composition may comprise about 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, 0.65, 0.70, 0.75, 0.80, 0.85, 0.90, 0.95, 0.96, 1.00, 1.05, 1.10, 1.15, or 1.20% by weight casein or salt thereof.

The creamer composition may comprise about 10% to about 80% by weight of oil, for example about 10% to about 50%, about 20% to about 40%, or about 20% to about 35% by weight.

The creamer composition may comprise about 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 50% or 80% by weight of oil.

In one embodiment, the creamer composition may comprise about 0.40% to about 1.20% by weight casein or a salt thereof and about 30% to about 35% by weight oil, preferably about 34% by weight oil.

In one embodiment, the creamer composition may comprise about 0.40% to about 0.96% by weight casein or a salt thereof and about 30% to about 35% by weight oil, preferably about 34% by weight oil.

The creamer composition of the invention may be a beverage creamer, such as a coffee creamer. Beverage creamers are commonly used as milk substitutes to whiten beverages such as tea or coffee.

As mentioned above, the creamer composition of the invention is useful for forming a cream layer on top of a liquid food or beverage. The cream layer comprises a plurality of oil droplet aggregates. In certain embodiments, the cream layer may be a cream foam layer formed by the presence of air bubbles. They may be released from another ingredient in the creamer composition or formula that contains a gas.

The creamer layer formed from the creamer composition of the invention comprises a significant proportion of the total amount of oil present in the creamer, these oils being in the form of oil droplets in the creamer layer. This property of the creamer composition advantageously provides improved textural properties without increasing the total fat content of the liquid food or beverage, since it is the presence of oil in the creamer layer that increases the creaminess.

In one embodiment, up to about 25% to about 80% by weight of the oil component of the composition may be present in the creamer layer; preferably from about 45 wt% to about 80 wt%; such as about 45 wt% to about 65 wt%.

The oil droplet aggregates in the creamer layer may have an average size of, for example, about 20 μm to about 40 μm. The average size is determined as D (4,3), which is the volume weighted average aggregate size. Particle size measurements can be performed using a malvern particle size analyzer with Hydro 2000G dispersion units.

In addition to the above, the use of the creamer composition of the invention in a beverage such as coffee has the effect of reducing the whiteness of the beverage bulk phase below the creamer layer. This phenomenon is caused by the migration of oil droplets from the body phase to the creamer layer, resulting in a darkening of the beverage body phase and a pleasant aesthetic appearance.

The creamer composition may be combined with coffee (e.g., dried coffee, such as dried instant coffee powder) to form a coffee beverage composition. Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention provides a coffee beverage composition comprising the creamer composition of the invention and a coffee component. For example, when the coffee beverage composition is reconstituted in water at a temperature of at least 70 ℃ (e.g., about 70 ℃ to about 95 ℃ or about 80 ℃ to about 90 ℃; or about 70 ℃, 75 ℃, 80 ℃, 85 ℃, or 90 ℃), a coffee beverage is formed having a creamer layer comprising a plurality of aggregates of oil droplets at the top of the beverage. When the creamer is an aerated creamer as described above, the bubbles released from the creamer enable the formation of a creamy foam layer.

The dried creamer composition of the invention may be formed by a process comprising the steps of:

(i) providing an aqueous phase comprising casein or a salt thereof;

(ii) providing an oil phase comprising an oil and optionally a low molecular weight emulsifier;

(iii) combining the aqueous phase and the oil phase to form a pre-emulsion;

(iv) homogenizing the pre-emulsion to form an emulsion concentrate;

(v) drying (e.g., spray drying) the emulsion concentrate to form a dried composition;

(vi) the dried emulsion is mixed with a powdered blowing agent component comprising a pressurized gas.

The method may include the step of pasteurizing or commercially sterilizing the pre-emulsion or emulsion concentrate. The pasteurization step may be carried out, for example, at a minimum temperature of at least 81 ℃ for at least 5 seconds.

The aqueous phase may be prepared by adding casein or a salt thereof, and optionally other water soluble ingredients such as, for example, sweeteners, sodium chloride, flavors, fragrances and/or buffers, to water and mixing.

The oil phase may be prepared using the oil component of the composition and optionally combined with a low molecular weight emulsifier. If it is desired to add an oil-soluble fragrance and/or flavor component to the oil, it can be added and mixed into the oil prior to combining the oil with the water phase.

The aqueous phase and the oil phase may be combined, for example, at a temperature of from about 60 ℃ to about 80 ℃, e.g., about 60 ℃, 65 ℃, 70 ℃, 75 ℃, or 80 ℃ to form a pre-emulsion.

The pre-emulsion may be homogenized under high pressure using protocols known in the art. For example, two rounds may be performed at a pressure of 250 bar/50 bar to homogenize the pre-emulsion. Alternatively, the pre-emulsion may be homogenized by performing three rounds, two at a pressure of 300 bar and a third round at 50 bar.

The term "homogenization" or "homogenization" is a unit operation using a type of processing equipment known as a homogenizer, which is intended to reduce the size of liquid droplets in a liquid-liquid dispersion. Examples of homogenizers may include high-speed mixers, high-pressure homogenizers, colloid mills, high-shear dispersers, sonicators, and membrane homogenizers.

Subsequently, optionally after the gas addition step at elevated pressure, the obtained emulsion concentrate is dried (e.g. by spray drying) (e.g. wherein the drying is spray drying at about 20 to 50 bar above the spray pressure).