Lyotropic composition of carbohydrates in fats, method for obtaining it and application thereof in the preparation of chocolate and substitutes

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the food industry field, and particularly to the chocolate industry field. More specifically, the invention consists of a lyotropic composition of carbohydrates in fats and the method for producing it. Moreover, the invention consists of different uses of said composition, particularly for the manufacture of chocolates and chocolate substitutes, including chocolate with honey and fruity chocolate.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A lyotropic composition of carbohydrates comprising a fat or a mixture of several fats for food use the melting point of which is less than 50° C., a carbohydrate content of greater than 40% by weight, a surfactant concentration of 0.01 to 4% by weight, and 2 to 10% of water by weight, the percentages by weight referring to the total weight of the lyotropic composition, such that the lyotropic composition is stable between 4° C. and 25° C. 
     
     
         18 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 17 , further comprising up to 3% by weight of minerals, vitamins, essential oils, fiber, aromatic compounds, amino acids, proteins or combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 17 , wherein the carbohydrate content is 40% to 83% by weight, and the carbohydrate is from vegetable sources, animal sources, mixed sources or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 19 , wherein the carbohydrate content consists of vegetable carbohydrate from fruit, carbohydrate from honey, or a mixture of carbohydrate from fruit and from honey. 
     
     
         21 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 17 , wherein the fat or mixture of fats is of a vegetable origin and is in a proportion of 14% to 55% by weight. 
     
     
         22 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 17 , wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of lipoproteins, phospholipids, monoglycerides, diglycerides, propylene glycol esters of fatty acids, glyceride esters of fatty acids, sorbitan esters, lecithin, sucroglycerides, sucroesters, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         23 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 17 , wherein the carbohydrate content is greater than 45% by weight, the surfactant concentration is 0.5% to 1.6% by weight, and the water content is 3% to 7% by weight. 
     
     
         24 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 20 , wherein the fat or mixture of fats is of a vegetable origin and is in a proportion of 14% to 55% by weight. 
     
     
         25 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 24 , wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of lipoproteins, phospholipids, monoglycerides, diglycerides, propylene glycol esters of fatty acids, glyceride esters of fatty acids, sorbitan esters, lecithin, sucroglycerides, sucroesters, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         26 . The lyotropic composition according to  claim 25 , wherein the carbohydrate content is greater than 45% by weight, the surfactant concentration is 0.5% to 1.6% by weight, and the water content is 3% to 7% by weight. 
     
     
         27 . Chocolate or chocolate substitute comprising the lyotropic composition according to  claim 17 . 
     
     
         28 . Chocolate or chocolate substitute comprising the lyotropic composition according to  claim 26 . 
     
     
         29 . Chocolate or chocolate substitute wherein the carbohydrate content consists of carbohydrate from cocoa, milk, and the lyotropic composition of  claim 20 . 
     
     
         30 . Chocolate or chocolate substitute wherein the carbohydrate content consists of carbohydrate from cocoa, milk, and the lyotropic composition of  claim 26 . 
     
     
         31 . A process for manufacturing the lyotropic composition according to  claim 17 , comprising:
 a) preparing a polar phase comprising a carbohydrate solution and optionally a polar solvent,   b) preparing a fatty phase from a fat or a mixture of several fats for food use,   c) mixing the fatty phase and the polar phase, at least one of them comprising one or several surfactants, by means of agitation at between 20 and 700 rpm, at a temperature of 30° C. to 50° C. and for a time of 30 to 36000 seconds, wherein the ratio between the carbohydrate solution of the polar phase and the fatty phase is from 1:1 to 20:1,   d) removing the solvent in the product of step c) by evaporation under vacuum at a pressure less than 300 mbar, at a temperature less than 65° C. and with agitation between 10 and 200 rpm, and   e) adding a surfactant acting as an emulsifier to the product of step d),   
       wherein either the polar phase or the fatty phase comprises one or several surfactants for food use. 
     
     
         32 . The process according to  claim 31 , wherein in step a) the carbohydrate solution is from honey, from a fruit, from several types of fruit, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         33 . The process according to  claim 31 , wherein in step e) the surfactant is a sucroglyceride, a sucroester, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, lecithin, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         34 . A process of making a food product comprising mixing the lyotropic composition of  claim 17  with a food ingredient. 
     
     
         35 . The process of  claim 34 , wherein the food product is chocolate or chocolate substitute. 
     
     
         36 . A process for preparing chocolate or chocolate substitute comprising:
 A) obtaining the lyotropic composition according to claim  17 , or prepared by the process of  claim 31 , and   B) mixing for 20-30 minutes, at 40-50° C. and at 30-50 rpm, the lyotropic composition with chocolate, or with the ingredients of chocolate, wherein the chocolate or ingredients of chocolate preferably exclude added sugar.