阅读说明：本技术 可食用巧克力产品 (Edible chocolate product ) 是由 斯特凡·卡佩勒 朱利安·西莫尼斯 于 2018-05-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了可食用巧克力产品。它们包含巧克力和干粉发酵的植物产品。干粉发酵的植物产品可以是酸面团。可食用巧克力产品可以是液体或固体。优选地,它为固体。它可以用作食品或用作食品中的成分。(Edible chocolate products are provided. They comprise chocolate and dry fermented vegetable products. The dry fermented vegetable product may be sourdough. Edible chocolate products may be liquid or solid. Preferably, it is a solid. It can be used as food or as an ingredient in food.)

1. An edible chocolate product comprising

-between 50.0 and 99.0% (w/w) chocolate, preferably between 85.0 and 95.0% (w/w) chocolate; and

-between 1.0 and 50.0% (w/w) of a dry powder fermented plant product, preferably between 5.0 and 15.0% (w/w) of a dry powder fermented plant product; wherein the plant product of the dry powder fermentation is

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flour derived from fermented grain, pseudo grain, portions of pseudo grain, or combinations thereof.

2. Edible chocolate product according to claim 1, wherein the sum of the chocolate content and the dry powder fermented vegetable product content is higher than 80% (w/w), preferably higher than 90% (w/w), more preferably higher than 95% (w/w).

3. Edible chocolate product according to any one of claims 1 to 2 having a dry matter content higher than 80%, preferably higher than 85%, more preferably higher than 90%.

4. An edible chocolate product according to any one of claims 1 to 3 having a particle size below 30.0 μm.

5. An edible chocolate product according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the chocolate is a refined and/or refined chocolate.

6. An edible chocolate product according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the dry powder leavened plant product is a sourdough product.

7. A process for preparing an edible chocolate product according to any one of claims 1 to 6 comprising the steps of:

a1) mixing the dry powder fermented plant product with molten chocolate, thereby obtaining a chocolate-fermented plant product mixture; or

a2) Melting a chocolate ingredient comprising cocoa mass, fat and optionally one or more additional ingredients, thereby obtaining a molten chocolate ingredient; and further mixing the molten chocolate ingredient with a dry powder fermented plant product, thereby obtaining a chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture;

wherein the plant product of the dry powder fermentation is

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flour derived from fermented grain, pseudo grain, portions of pseudo grain, or combinations thereof;

the method further comprises the steps of:

b) the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture or the chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture is further processed into an edible chocolate product.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of further processing the mixture of chocolate-fermented plant products into edible chocolate products comprises the steps of:

1) tempering the mixture of chocolate-fermented plant products, thereby obtaining a tempered mixture; and

2) cooling the tempered mixture.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein the step of further processing the mixture of cocoa butter-fermented plant products into edible chocolate products comprises the steps of:

1) refining the mixture of cocoa butter-fermented plant products, thereby obtaining a refined mixture;

2) optionally refining the refined mixture, thereby obtaining a refined mixture;

3) adding additional ingredients to the refined mixture or the refined mixture, thereby liquefying the refined mixture or the refined mixture, thereby obtaining a liquefied mixture;

4) tempering the liquefied mixture, thereby obtaining a tempered chocolate.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the additional ingredients may include sugar, all or part of the cocoa mass, all other solid ingredients such as milk powder and/or substitutes thereof, spices and emulsifiers.

11. The process according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein steps a1) and a2) are carried out at a temperature between 40.0 ℃ and 50.0 ℃, preferably at 45.0 ℃.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the refining process of step b3) is performed until a particle size below 30 μ ι η is reached.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the refining process of step (2) is performed at 55 to 90 ℃ and/or at a motor speed of 375 to 750rpm for 3 to 6 hours.

14. Use of a dry powder fermented plant product which is an edible no-bake chocolate product according to any one of claims 1 to 6 for the production of the same

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flour derived from fermented grain, pseudo grain, portions of pseudo grain, or combinations thereof.

15. Use according to claim 14, wherein the dry fermented plant product is a sourdough product.

16. Use of a dry powder fermented vegetable product as a complete or partial replacement for one or more ingredients in a chocolate formula, wherein the ingredients are selected from sugar, milk and/or milk powder.

17. Use according to claim 16, wherein the dry powder fermented vegetable product replaces all milk and/or milk powder in a chocolate formula.

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of food processing. More particularly, the invention relates to edible chocolate products, cocoa-based products and methods of producing such products.

Background

Chocolate and cocoa are among the most popular food types and flavors in the world.

For a long time, chocolate has been combined with different flavorings and other different food ingredients to create new flavors or flavor combinations in response to an unlimited variety of consumer trends. There are many types of chocolate on the market that contain flavors or extracts. Such as mint chocolate, chocolate with fruit extracts, chocolate with fruit pieces, chocolate with confectionery pieces (e.g. chocolate with biscuit pieces), chocolate filled with different fillings (chocolate or fruit mousse, spirits, …).

There are many different ways to consume chocolate or chocolate derivatives, the most common being the consumption of chocolate as a unique or major component of a food product (chocolate bars, pralines, etc.). Other applications include the use of chocolate in bread and pastry to enhance consumer appeal. Classic examples of this include chocolate croissants, chocolate rolls, chocolate muffins, chocolate biscuits and the like.

Fermentation is a common practice in food processing to improve qualities such as extended shelf life and organoleptic properties. Food can be fermented by a wide variety of microorganisms, including mycelial molds, yeasts and bacteria, mainly lactic acid bacteria, bacilli and micrococcus. Fermented foods include foods of animal and plant origin. Among the latter are cereals, pseudo-cereals (pseudo-cereals), pulses (pulses) and tubers (tubers), which provide various products, such as sauerkraut, natto, bean-leavened cakes (Tempe), miso, Pozol or Sourdough (yeast).

Sourdoughs have since ancient times been used to make bread/baked goods, one of their functions being to impart flavour to the products in which they are used. Sourdoughs are generally obtained by fermentation of flour with lactic acid bacteria and eventually yeast. Various sourdoughs can be obtained depending on the kind of raw material, the kind of microorganism and the processing conditions. These sourdoughs may have a variety of technical, organoleptic or aroma/flavour properties. Sourdough may exist in different forms, for example in liquid form, pasty form or solid (dry) form, and may contain live or dead microorganisms. Most commonly, sourdough is used for baking. They are added to the flour in amounts up to 20% depending on the level of taste intensity desired in the application.

Combinations of sourdough and chocolate have been used in baked products. However, the amount of chocolate in existing products is low, e.g. below 10%, below 5% or below 1%, and therefore this is not considered a chocolate product.

Sourdough is not intended to be consumed as such and is not typically consumed as such. Indeed, their organoleptic properties make them particularly unsuitable for direct consumption.

In today's mobile world, consumers are constantly looking for new tastes and new sensations.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure relates to edible chocolate products comprising chocolate and a dry powdered fermented (fermented in dry powder form) plant product. The edible chocolate product may be liquid or solid, but preferably it is solid.

In a first aspect, the edible chocolate products disclosed herein comprise

-50.0 to 99.0% (w/w) chocolate, preferably 85.0 to 95.0% (w/w) chocolate; and

-1.0 to 50.0% (w/w) of a dry powder fermented plant product, preferably 5.0 to 15.0% (w/w) of a dry powder fermented plant product, preferably wherein the dry powder fermented plant product is

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flours derived from fermented grains, pseudo grains, seeds, beans, tubers, parts of grains (fractions of grains), parts of pseudo grains, parts of seeds, parts of beans, parts of tubers or combinations thereof.

In certain embodiments, the edible chocolate products disclosed herein comprise

-50.0 to 99.0% (w/w) chocolate, preferably 85.0 to 95.0% (w/w) chocolate; and

-1.0 to 50.0% (w/w) of a dry powder fermented plant product, preferably 5.0 to 15.0% (w/w) of a dry powder fermented plant product; wherein the dry powder fermented plant product is

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flour derived from fermented grain, pseudo grain, portions of pseudo grain, or combinations thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product disclosed herein provides a content of said chocolate which is higher than 80% (w/w), preferably higher than 90% (w/w), more preferably higher than 95% (w/w) in combination with a content of said dry powder fermented plant product.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate products disclosed herein are characterized by having a dry matter content higher than 80%, preferably higher than 85%, more preferably higher than 90%.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate products disclosed herein are characterized by having a particle size (granulometry) below 30.0 μm.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product disclosed herein is characterized in that the chocolate is a refined and/or refined (finished) chocolate.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product disclosed herein is characterized in that the dry powder leavened vegetable product is a sourdough product.

Another aspect disclosed herein provides a method for preparing an edible chocolate product as disclosed herein, comprising the steps of:

a1) mixing the dry powder fermented plant product with molten chocolate, thereby obtaining a chocolate-fermented plant product mixture; or

a2) Melting a chocolate ingredient comprising cocoa mass, fat and optionally one or more additional ingredients, thereby obtaining a molten chocolate ingredient; and further mixing the molten chocolate ingredient with the dry powder fermented plant product, thereby obtaining a chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture;

the method further comprises the steps of:

b) the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture or chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture is further processed into an edible chocolate product.

In certain embodiments, the methods disclosed herein comprise the steps of:

a1) mixing the dry powder fermented plant product with molten chocolate, thereby obtaining a chocolate-fermented plant product mixture; or

a2) Melting a chocolate ingredient comprising cocoa mass, fat and optionally one or more additional ingredients, thereby obtaining a molten chocolate ingredient; and further mixing the molten chocolate ingredient with the dry powder fermented plant product, thereby obtaining a chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture;

wherein the dry powder fermented plant product is

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flour derived from fermented grain, pseudo grain, portions of pseudo grain, or combinations thereof;

the method further comprises the steps of:

b) the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture or chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture is further processed into an edible chocolate product.

In certain embodiments, the method disclosed herein further provides that the step of further processing the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture into an edible chocolate product comprises the steps of:

1) tempering the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture, thereby obtaining a tempered mixture; and

2) the tempered mixture was cooled.

In a particular embodiment, the process disclosed herein further provides that the step of further processing the mixture of cocoa butter (cocoa butter) -fermented vegetable product into an edible chocolate product comprises the steps of:

1) refining the cocoa butter-fermented plant product mixture, thereby obtaining a refined mixture;

2) optionally refining (con-hing) the refined mixture, thereby obtaining a refined mixture;

3) adding additional ingredients to the refined or refined mixture, thereby liquefying the refined or refined mixture, thereby obtaining a liquefied mixture;

4) tempering the liquefied mixture, thereby obtaining tempered chocolate.

In certain embodiments, the methods disclosed herein also provide that the additional ingredients may comprise sugar, all or a portion of the cocoa mass, all other solid ingredients such as milk powder and/or substitutes thereof, flavorings, and emulsifiers.

In a particular embodiment, the process disclosed herein further provides that steps a1) and a2) are carried out at a temperature between 40.0 ℃ and 50.0 ℃, preferably at 45.0 ℃.

In a particular embodiment, the method disclosed herein further provides that the refining process (of step b1) is performed until a particle size below 30 μm is reached.

In certain embodiments, the methods disclosed herein further provide that the refining process (of step (b 2)) is performed at 55 ℃ to 90 ℃ and/or at a motor speed of 375rpm to 750rpm for 3 hours to 6 hours.

Another aspect disclosed herein provides the use of a dry powder fermented plant product for the production of an edible no-bake chocolate product as disclosed herein; the plant product of dry powder fermentation is

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flour derived from fermented grains, pseudo-grains, seeds, legumes, tubers, parts of grains, parts of pseudo-grains, parts of seeds, parts of legumes, parts of tubers, or combinations thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the use disclosed herein provides that the dry powder fermented plant product is

i) Fermented flour; or

ii) flour derived from fermented grain, pseudo grain, portions of pseudo grain, or combinations thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the use disclosed herein provides that the dry fermented plant product is a sourdough product.

Another aspect disclosed herein provides the use of a dry powder fermented vegetable product as a complete or partial replacement for one or more ingredients in a chocolate formula, wherein the ingredients are selected from sugar, milk and/or milk powder. In particular, the dry powder fermented vegetable product is used to replace all milk and/or milk powder in a chocolate formula.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The terms "comprising", "comprising" and "comprising" as used herein are synonymous with "including", "including" or "containing", and "containing", are inclusive or open-ended, and do not exclude other unrecited members, elements, or method steps. When referring to a listed member, element or method step, the terms "comprising", "comprises" and "comprising" include embodiments that "consist of" the listed member, element or method step.

In addition, unless specifically stated otherwise, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

The term "about" as used herein when referring to measurable values such as parameters, amounts, durations, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of the specified values of +/-10% or less, preferably +/-5% or less, more preferably +/-1% or less, and still more preferably +/-0.1% or less, so long as such variations are suitable for performance in the disclosed invention. It is to be understood that the value to which the modifier "about" refers is itself also specifically and preferably disclosed.

The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers and fractions subsumed within the respective range, as well as the recited endpoint.

All documents cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms, including technical and scientific terms, used in disclosing the invention, have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. By way of further guidance, including definitions of terms used in the description, the teachings of the present invention may be better understood. The terms or definitions used herein are provided only to aid in understanding the present invention.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure. Furthermore, as will be understood by those of skill in the art, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

The present disclosure relates to edible chocolate products comprising chocolate and a dry powder fermented plant product. The edible chocolate product may be liquid or solid, but preferably it is solid.

The edible chocolate products provided herein can be consumed as such. In addition, edible chocolate products can be used as ingredients for various food products, and are typically used as ingredients in food products where chocolate is often used as an ingredient. Among these food products, edible chocolate products can be used in particular as a partial or total replacement for chocolate. Edible chocolate products provide unexpected taste and aroma when used in these foods. Examples of food products in which the present edible chocolate product may be used include cakes, brownies, omelettes, pastas, pies (filled buns), chocolate rolls and pralines.

In addition, the present edible chocolate products may be used in combination with, or as a full or partial replacement for, dry powder fermented plant products in a variety of food products that typically comprise dry powder fermented plant products.

Edible chocolate products can also be used in food products that typically contain neither chocolate nor dry fermented vegetable products. Examples include salty delicates.

Non-limiting examples of uses of the present edible chocolate products are:

chocolate and confectionery applications including chocolate bars, chocolate skins and pralines;

baking applications including cream cornets, pies, spaghetti and croissants; and

pastry applications, including, for example, cakes, chocolate cakes, brownies, biscuits, cereal bars and danish pastries.

Accordingly, provided herein is an edible chocolate product comprising chocolate and a dry powder fermented vegetable product, preferably comprising 50.0 to 99.0% (w/w) chocolate; and 1.0 to 50.0% (w/w) of a dry powder fermented plant product. More preferably, the edible chocolate product comprises 65.0 to 99% (w/w) chocolate and 1.0 to 35.0% (w/w) dry powder fermented plant product. Even more preferably, the edible chocolate product comprises 70.0 to 95.0% (w/w) chocolate and 5.0 to 30.0% (w/w) of said dry powder fermented plant product. Even more preferably, the edible chocolate product comprises 75.0 to 95.0% (w/w) chocolate and 5.0 to 25.0% (w/w) of said dry powder fermented plant product. Even more preferably, the edible chocolate product comprises 85.0 to 95.0% (w/w) chocolate and 5.0 to 15.0% (w/w) of said dry powder fermented plant product. Such edible chocolate products have an unexpected taste that exceeds the taste of the constituent ingredients.

Preferably, the dry powder fermented plant product is i) fermented flour; or ii) flour derived from fermented grains, pseudo-grains, seeds, legumes, tubers, parts of grains, parts of pseudo-grains, parts of seeds, parts of legumes, parts of tubers or combinations thereof, wherein the seeds are preferably not cocoa beans. More preferably, the dry powder fermented plant product is i) fermented flour; or ii) flour derived from fermented grain, pseudo grain, portions of pseudo grain, or combinations thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the dry powder fermented plant product is a plant or plant part, which has been fermented by a microorganism, then dried and finally ground to give a powdered product. Preferably, the microorganism used for fermentation is selected from bacteria and/or yeast, more preferably lactic acid bacteria and yeast. Alternatively, other microorganisms known in the art of fermentation may be used. The plant or plant part is derived from a grain, pseudograin, legume or tuber, preferably a grain or pseudograin. Examples of cereals are wheat, rye, durum wheat, rice, barley, millet, carmu wheat, emmer wheat, einkorn, spelt or chia (chia). Examples of pseudo grains are buckwheat or quinoa. Examples of legumes are peas or chickpeas. Examples of tubers are potato, sweet potato, yam, cassava or canna tubers.

The edible chocolate products provided herein have a very unique taste, which should be in stark contrast to existing products that feature a combination of chocolate and baked products containing powdered fermented vegetable products. Examples of such existing products are sourdough and chocolate products, such as "sea salt and sourdough" from the Pompe street shop. The sourdough in such products is a sourdough bread, which gives primarily the texture and bread flavour to the chocolate. Thus, it can be considered a chocolate-encased "bread" that imparts a texture and flavor experience when consumed. In contrast, in the edible chocolate products disclosed herein, the dry powder fermented vegetable product is dispersed as particles throughout the chocolate matrix.

In a particular embodiment, the dry powder fermented plant product has a dry matter content higher than or equal to 86%, preferably higher than or equal to 90%, more preferably higher than or equal to 94%.

In a particular embodiment, the dry powder fermented plant product has a particle size of less than 500 μm, preferably less than 300 μm, more preferably less than 200 μm. When referring to the properties of a dry powder fermented plant product, the expression "particle size less than X μm" denotes that at least 90% (w/w), preferably at least 95% (w/w) of the particles in the dry powder fermented plant product have a size less than X μm. The term "particle size" as used herein refers to the size of particles as measured by sieve analysis.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product is non-baked.

Preferably, the edible chocolate product is a homogeneous mixture of chocolate and a dry powder fermented vegetable product. In other words, the dry powder fermented botanical product is preferably evenly distributed throughout the edible chocolate product, and the edible chocolate product is free or at least substantially free of agglomerates, pockets (pockets) or inclusions of pure or substantially pure dry powder fermented botanical product.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product comprises only one type of dry powder fermented plant product. However, in some embodiments, the edible chocolate product comprises more than one type of dry powder fermented plant product.

In a particular embodiment, the dry fermented plant product comprises one or more further ingredients selected from the list comprising malt and malted cereal flour.

Weight percentages as used herein refer to the concentration of the components based on the total weight of the chocolate product. In other words, when the concentration of component a is xx% (w/w), then xx ═ 100 (weight of component a)/(weight of chocolate product).

In the context of the present invention, the term "chocolate" refers to chocolate described in EC directive 2000/36/EC of the European parliament and council, which relates to cocoa and chocolate products for human consumption (directive 6/23/2000) or chocolate analogues well known in the art. The term "chocolate" as used herein includes chocolate analogues.

Chocolate analogues are dark, milk or white chocolate products, which may be hard, soft or liquid. They contain a fat phase consisting of vegetable fat and a dry phase containing sugar and/or sugar substitutes. They may include milk powder or milk powder substitutes, cocoa powder or cocoa powder substitutes, emulsifiers and/or various flavorings. They may also contain sugar substitutes as partial or total replacement for the sugar. These chocolate analogues are widely used in a variety of applications, from molded products to fillings for confectionery products, from bakery contents to dressings for dough.

Non-limiting examples of chocolate analogues are

-dark, milk and white hard compound chocolate

-dark, milk and white soft compound chocolate

-black, milk and white cocoa-based fat fillings

For dark chocolate analogues, the cocoa solids content is preferably equal to or higher than 4%; more preferably higher than 9%, even more preferably higher than 14%.

In a preferred embodiment, the chocolate product is "real chocolate". "real chocolate" means chocolate such as dark chocolate, milk chocolate, home chocolate and/or white chocolate (corresponding to the definition given in EC directive 2000/36/EC of the european parliament and council, which relates to cocoa and chocolate products for human consumption (directive 6/23/2000).

Cocoa butter equivalents are defined as the following fat compositions: there is an absolute difference of at least 8% in the solid fat content of the fat composition not heat treated measured at 30 ℃ using IUPAC method 2.150a compared to the solid fat content of the fat composition subjected to the heat treatment procedure described in IUPAC method 2.150b measured at 30 ℃ using IUPAC method 2.150 b.

Non-limiting examples of genuine chocolate are:

dark or plain chocolate, i.e. a product consisting of a mixture of cocoa products with sugar and/or sweeteners (preferably sugar), containing not less than 35% total dry cocoa solids, including not less than 18% cocoa butter and not less than 14% dry non-fat cocoa solids. In the case where the name (dark) chocolate is supplemented by the term "couverture", the product must contain not less than 35% total dry cocoa solids, including not less than 31% cocoa butter and not less than 2.5% dry non-fat cocoa solids.

"milk chocolate", i.e. a product obtained from a cocoa product, sugar and/or sweeteners (preferably sugar) and milk or a dairy product, containing not less than 25% of total dry cocoa solids; not less than 14% dry milk solids obtained by partially or completely dehydrating whole milk, semi-skimmed or fully skimmed milk, cream, or from partially or completely dehydrated cream, butter or milk fat; not less than 2.5% dry non-fat cocoa solids; not less than 3.5% milk fat; and not less than 25% total fat (cocoa butter and milk fat). In case the name (milk chocolate) is supplemented by the term "couverture", the product must have a minimum total fat (cocoa butter and milk fat) content of 31%.

"domestic milk chocolate", i.e. a product obtained from a cocoa product, sugar and/or a sweetener (preferably sugar) and milk or a dairy product, containing: not less than 20% total dry solids; not less than 20% dry milk solids obtained by partially or completely dehydrating whole milk, semi-skimmed or fully skimmed milk, cream, or from partially or completely dehydrated cream, butter or milk fat; not less than 2.5% dry non-fat cocoa solids; not less than 5% milk fat; and not less than 25% total fat (cocoa butter and milk fat).

Another example of real chocolate is white chocolate. The term "white chocolate" denotes a product obtained from cocoa butter, milk or dairy product and sugar, containing not less than 20% cocoa butter and not less than 14% dry milk solids obtained by partially or completely dehydrating whole milk, semi-skimmed or fully skimmed milk, cream, or from partially or completely dehydrated cream, butter or milk fat, of which not less than 3.5% is milk fat.

Optional ingredients such as nuts, lecithin, whey powder, etc. may be added to any of the above types of chocolate.

In some embodiments, the "real chocolate" is a tempered "real chocolate".

In some embodiments, the chocolate is a chocolate comprising dry cocoa solids, preferably at least 20% dry cocoa solids. In some embodiments, the chocolate is not white chocolate.

In some embodiments, the dry powder fermented vegetable product may replace a portion or all of one or more conventional ingredients of chocolate. In particular, dry powder fermented vegetable products may replace part or all of the sugar and/or milk in chocolate formulations. More particularly, the dry fermented vegetable product replaces all milk in the chocolate formula.

In a particular embodiment, the sum of the content of chocolate and the content of dry powder fermented plant product is higher than 80% (w/w). Preferably, the sum of the chocolate content and the dry powder fermented plant product content is higher than 90% (w/w). More preferably, the sum of the chocolate content and the dry powder fermented vegetable product content is higher than 95% (w/w).

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product has a dry matter content of more than 80%. Preferably, the edible chocolate product has a dry matter content of above 85%. More preferably, the edible chocolate product has a dry matter content of above 90%.

In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product has a particle size below 30.0 μm. Preferably, the edible chocolate product has a particle size below 25.0 μm. More preferably, the edible chocolate product has a particle size below 22.0 μm. This provides good mouthfeel and good organoleptic properties.

The term "particle size" when used in the context of an edible chocolate product refers to the concept of grain size, and it can be measured by melting the edible chocolate product and measuring the particle size by using, for example, a set of sieves of known mesh size, a laser diffraction particle size analyzer, or a micrometer. When the product has a particular particle size, at least 97% of the particles in the product have a grain size below the particular value.

In a particular embodiment, the chocolate is a refined and/or refined chocolate. This enhances the organoleptic properties of the edible chocolate product. In a particular embodiment, the edible chocolate product comprises a refined and/or refined mixture of chocolate and a dry powder fermented vegetable product.

In a particular embodiment, the dry fermented plant product is a sourdough product. Sourdough products are products obtained by first fermenting a dough with lactic acid bacteria, then fermenting the dough with yeast and finally drying the fermented dough. Since lactic acid bacteria produce mainly lactic acid, acetic acid and some secondary compounds, fermentation and possible drying give the sourdough product a characteristic sour taste. In addition, sourdough products also have the typical flavor premoistened notes produced by yeast. Sourdoughs provide a rich mouth feel and aroma to edible chocolate products containing them.

As previously mentioned, the present edible chocolate product comprises chocolate and a dry fermented vegetable product. Two different routes for producing edible chocolate products are disclosed. The first route involves a process starting from chocolate and dry fermented vegetable products. The second method starts with chocolate ingredients and dry fermented vegetable products. Both processes produce similar products in the sense that the final product of both processes is an edible chocolate product comprising chocolate and a dry fermented vegetable product. It will be appreciated that in a process starting from a chocolate ingredient and a dry fermented vegetable product, the chocolate ingredient is converted to chocolate during the performance of the process, thereby producing an edible chocolate product comprising a dry fermented vegetable product.

We first discuss how to manufacture edible chocolate products starting from chocolate and dry fermented vegetable products. In particular, provided herein is a method for preparing an edible chocolate product. The method comprises the following steps: mixing the dry powder fermented plant product with chocolate, thereby obtaining a chocolate-fermented plant product mixture (step a 1); and further processing the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture into an edible chocolate product (step b). The method allows to obtain edible chocolate products with good taste and mouthfeel from vegetable products with chocolate and dry powder fermentations.

Preferably, the chocolate is melted prior to mixing with the dry fermented vegetable product. This enhances the homogeneity of the resulting mixture. The melting temperature of the chocolate depends on the particular chocolate used and is a parameter well known to those skilled in the art or can be obtained by routine experimentation.

Alternatively, edible chocolate products may be manufactured starting from chocolate ingredients and dry powder fermented vegetable products. Thus, an alternative method for preparing an edible chocolate product is provided. The method comprises the following steps: melting a chocolate ingredient comprising cocoa mass, fat and optionally one or more additional ingredients, thereby obtaining a molten chocolate ingredient. Followed by a step of mixing the molten chocolate ingredient with the dry powder fermented vegetable product, thereby obtaining a chocolate ingredient-fermented vegetable product mixture (step a 2); and the method further comprises the steps of: the chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture is further processed into an edible chocolate product (step b). The method allows to obtain edible chocolate products with good taste and mouthfeel from chocolate ingredients and dry powder fermented vegetable products.

In a particular embodiment, the fat comprises cocoa butter and/or a substitute therefor. Suitable alternatives to cocoa butter include palm and palm kernel oil based alternatives, coconut oil based alternatives, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, shea butter, illipe butter, salsa nut oil, palm oil, mango kernel fatty oil, and palm oil.

The mixing step in the above process may be carried out by any mixer. Suitable mixers include batch mixers, batch vertical mixers, batch horizontal mixers, continuous mixers. The mixing step may also be performed manually. For example, the mixer may be a kitchen robot, a Hobart mixer, or a Stephan mixer. Preferably, the mixer has temperature control.

In a particular embodiment, the step of further processing the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture into an edible chocolate product comprises the steps of:

1) tempering the chocolate-fermented plant product mixture, thereby obtaining a tempered mixture; and

2) the tempered mixture was cooled.

This gives the edible chocolate product a uniform gloss and a crispy bite.

In a particular embodiment, the step of further processing the chocolate ingredient-fermented plant product mixture into an edible chocolate product comprises the steps of: refining the chocolate ingredient-fermented vegetable product mixture, thereby obtaining a refined mixture.

In the refining step, the particle size of the mixture components is reduced and homogenized, i.e. after refining, the mixture has a monomodal particle size distribution. In addition, the temperature of the mixture is typically increased during the refining.

Advantageously, the particle size is below 30 μm, preferably from 15 to 25 μm, even more preferably from 18 to 22 μm.

Refining can be accomplished using different types of methods or tools. Suitable tools are 3-or 5-roll refiners, ball mills or refiner-refiners, such as MacIntyre general refiners/refiners.

The refining step allows for enhanced taste and improved mouthfeel.

Preferably, the refined mixture is then refined, thereby obtaining a refined mixture.

During the refining process, shear and heat are applied. The primary effects are 1) changing the rheological properties, 2) developing flavor, and 3) achieving uniformity of particle size. The refining process results in a reduction in viscosity and a reduction in yield value. At the end of the conching step, the chocolate has the appropriate flavour and the desired rheological properties.

Optionally, other ingredients are added to the refined or refined mixture. In a particular embodiment, the one or more additional ingredients comprise sugar, solid ingredients such as milk powder and/or substitutes thereof, flavouring agents and/or emulsifiers. Specific examples are provided in the "examples" section below. The amount of each ingredient to be added can be readily determined by one skilled in the art with the guidance of these examples.

In a further step, the refined or refined mixture is liquefied, and thereby a liquefied mixture is obtained.

In a particular embodiment, the refined or refined mixture is liquefied by adding a molten fatty phase and/or an emulsifier. Optionally, the steps of "adding additional ingredients" and "liquefying the refined or refined mixture" are performed simultaneously.

Preferably, the molten fat phase added in this step is already present in the refined or refined mixture. Preferably, the molten fat phase is preferably molten cocoa butter and/or a substitute therefor.

Preferably, the emulsifier is lecithin, polyglycerol poly-oleate (PGPR) and/or Sodium Tristearate (STS).

Preferably and in particular when a solid edible chocolate product is desired, tempering the liquefied mixture, thereby obtaining a tempered mixture. During the tempering step, the liquefied mixture is cooled and solidified, thereby producing a solid edible chocolate product. The tempering step results in optimal crystallization of its fatty phase. In particular, based on the guidance provided in the examples of the present disclosure, the person skilled in the art may adjust the tempering process according to the specific solid edible chocolate product produced. When starting from chocolate and dry fermented vegetable products solid edible chocolate products can be made following the recommendations provided for tempering specific chocolates.

In particular embodiments, the additional ingredients may comprise sugar, all or a portion of the cocoa mass, all other solid ingredients such as milk powder and/or substitutes thereof, flavorings, and emulsifiers. This allows to obtain edible chocolate products with various tastes and textures. The emulsifiers may be all of the emulsifiers contained in the final edible chocolate product, or they may be part of the emulsifiers contained in the final edible chocolate product.

In a particular embodiment, steps a1) and a2) are carried out at a temperature between 40.0 ℃ and 50.0 ℃, preferably at 45.0 ℃.

In a particular embodiment, the refining process of step b3) is performed until a particle size below 30 μm, more preferably about 20 μm, is achieved. This results in an edible chocolate product with excellent organoleptic properties.

In a particular embodiment, the refining process of step (2) is carried out at 55 to 90 ℃ and/or at a motor speed of 375 to 750rpm for 3 to 6 h. This results in an edible chocolate product with excellent organoleptic properties.

Also provided is the use of a dry powder fermented plant product for the production of an edible no-bake chocolate product provided herein; the plant product of dry powder fermentation is

i) Fermented or roasted flour; or

ii) flour derived from sprouted, extracted, fermented, dried, roasted or puffed grain, pseudograin, seed, legume, tuber, parts of grain, parts of pseudograin, parts of seed, parts of legume, parts of tuber, or combinations thereof, preferably flour derived from sprouted, extracted, fermented, dried, roasted or puffed grain, pseudograin, parts of grain, parts of pseudograin, or combinations thereof.

This results in an edible chocolate product with excellent organoleptic properties.

In a particular embodiment, the dry fermented plant product is a sourdough product. This results in an edible chocolate product with excellent organoleptic properties.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method of replacing one or more ingredients of conventional chocolate by a dry powder fermented vegetable product. The inventors have surprisingly found that it is possible to replace part or all of some of the ingredients of a chocolate formulation while still obtaining an edible chocolate product with excellent organoleptic properties. Preferably, the dry powder fermented vegetable product replaces part or all of the sugar, milk and/or milk powder. More preferably, the dry powder fermented vegetable product replaces part or all of milk and/or milk powder. Even more preferably, the dried fermented vegetable product replaces the whole milk and/or milk powder. In a particular embodiment, the dry fermented product used to replace the chocolate ingredient (preferably milk and/or milk powder) as described above is a dry sourdough.