Gel products fortified with calcium and method of preparation

Abstract

Disclosed are improved, intermediate moisture sweetened gelled food compositions fortified with calcium supplied by calcium phosphate. The gelled compositions comprise: A) about 55 to 85% by weight nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners; B) sufficient amounts of a gelling agent(s) to provide a gel strength of about 2-8 kg/cm 2 ; C) about 50 to 1500 mg/oz total calcium; and D) about 9 to 20% moisture. Also disclosed are methods for the preparation of such fruit products involving forming a concentrated slurry of calcium phosphate having a particle size such that at least 90% are less than 150 μm, forming a gellable blend and admixing the gellable composition with the slurry to form a gellable calcium fortofied composition and forming into desired shaped and sized pieces.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A sweetened low moisture food gel fortified with insoluble calcium, comprising: 
 about 55% to 85% nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners;    about sufficient amounts of a gelling agent to provide a gel strength of about 2-8kg/cm 2 ;    about 10 to 25% moisture; and,    an insoluble calcium phosphate salt in a quantity sufficient to bring the total soluble and insoluble calcium content of the gel to from about 0.6 to 5.5% by weight (wet basis), said calcium phosphate salt having a particle size distribution such that 90% have a particle size of less than 150 microns.    
     
     
         2 . The food gel of  claim 1 , additionally comprising: 
 about 0.1% to 1% of a soluble calcium sequestering ingredient; and,    about to 0.1% to 1.0 of an edible fatty triglyceride.    
     
     
         2 . The food product of claim, additionally comprising: 
 an effective amount of oil soluble flavor or color.    
     
     
         3 . The food product of  claim 2  wherein at least a portion of the nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners are provided by fruit solids provided by fruit juice, fruit juice powders, fruit purees, fruit nectars, fruit pulp, concentrated fruit juice, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The food product of  claim 3  additionally comprising about 0.1% to 10% starch.  
     
     
         6 . The food product of claim  5  wherein at least a portion of the gelling agent is supplied by a member from the group consisting of gelatin, gellan gum, pectin and mixtures thereof and wherein the gel is free of alginates.  
     
     
         7 . The food product of  claim 6  wherein the gel comprises an irreversible gel forming hydrophilic colloid.  
     
     
         8 . The food product of  claim 7  wherein at least a portion of the irreversible gel forming the hydrophilic colloid is pectin.  
     
     
         9 . The food product of  claim 8  wherein the weight ratio of mono-saccharides to di-saccharides ranges from about 0.5:1 to about 1.8:1.  
     
     
         10 . The food product of  claim 9  wherein the gel additionally comprises sufficient amounts of edible organic acid to provide a gel pH of about 3.2 to 3.5. and wherein the gel is free of calcium carbonate.  
     
     
         11 . The food product of  claim 10  wherein the food gel contains less than 0.1% ethanol.  
     
     
         12 . The food product of  claim 11  wherein the food gel contains less than 0.1% alginate.  
     
     
         13 . The food product of  claim 12  wherein the gel is homogeneous.  
     
     
         14 . The food product of  claim 13  wherein the gel is heterogeneous and additionally includes food particulates having a size of 0.2 to 1 centimeters.  
     
     
         15 . The food product of  claim 14  wherein the calcium phosphate is supplied by an insoluble material selected from the group consisting of monobasic, dibasic or tribasic calcium phosphate salts, their hydrates and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         16 . The food product of  claim 17  wherein at least a portion of the calcium is supplied by tricalcium phosphate.  
     
     
         17 . The food product of  claim 6  wherein at least a portion of the gelling agent is gelatin.  
     
     
         18 . The food product of  claim 16  wherein the oil soluble flavors are present at about 0.05% to 1%.  
     
     
         19 . The food product of  18  in the form of individual pieces.  
     
     
         20 . The food piece of  claim 1  in the form of individual pieces, each having a weight of about 1 to 5 g.  
     
     
         21 . The food piece of  claim 20  wherein the individual pieces have a topical coating selected from the group consisting of crystallize sugar, a sugar shell or edible oil.  
     
     
         22 . The food product of  claim 21  wherein the topical coating is an edible oil.  
     
     
         23 . The food product of  claim 22  wherein the edible oil is admixed with wax in a weight ratio of oil to wax of from about 1:1; to about 2:1.  
     
     
         23 . The food piece of  claim 20  having been formed into individual pieces by starch molding.  
     
     
         24 . The food product of  claim 21  wherein the topical coating includes a mixture of oil and tricalcium phoshate.  
     
     
         25 . A method for preparing a gelled confection fortified with calcium, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a gel forming base blend comprising: 
 1. about 55 to 80% of the blend (wet basis) of sugars;  
 2. about 1 to 5% of an gel forming structuring agent;  
 3. a moisture content of about 15 to 25%;  
 4. about 0.1 to 1% of a soluble calcium sequestering agent;  
 5. sufficient amounts of an insoluble calcium having a particle size of such that at least 90% has a particle size of less than 150 microns to provide the base blend with a total calcium content to bring the total calcium content of the composition to from about 180 to 1500 mg per 28.4 g (1 oz) serving (wet basis) (0.6% to 5.5% by weight, wet basis); and  
 6. about 0 to 2% of fat;  
 Admixing sufficient amounts of an edible organic acidulant to the base blend to provide a gellable fruit base having a pH ranging from about 3.2 to 5.5; to form an acidic calcium fortified gellable base;  
 Forming the acidic calcium fortified base blend into sized and shaped individual pieces; and,  
 Curing the pieces to form acidic calcium fortified gelled confection pieces.  
   
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 25  wherein the base blend additionally comprises an effective amount of oil soluble flavor or color.  
     
     
         27 . The process of  claim 26  wherein at least a portion of the nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners are provided by fruit solids provided by fruit juice, fruit juice powders, fruit purees, fruit nectars, fruit pulp, concentrated fruit juice, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the gelled confection additionally comprises about 0.1% to 10% starch.  
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 28  wherein at least a portion of the gelling agent is supplied by a member from the group consisting of gelatin, gellan gum, pectin and mixtures thereof and wherein the gelled confection pieces are free of alginates.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the gel forming base blend comprises an irreversible gel forming hydrophilic colloid.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30  wherein at least a portion of the irreversible gel forming the hydrophilic colloid is pectin.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the gelled confection pieces have a weight ratio of mono-saccharides to di-saccharides ranges from about 0.5:1 to about 1.8:1.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32  wherein the acidic gel forming base blend comprises sufficient amounts of edible organic acid to provide a pH of about 3.2 to 3.5. and wherein the base blend is free of calcium carbonate.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33  wherein the gelled confection contains less than 0.1% ethanol.  
     
     
         35 . The process of  claim 34  wherein at least a portion of the pectin is a high methoxy pectin.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  wherein the gel forming base blend is homogeneous.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  additionally comprising the step of adding to the base blend or acidic base blend about 1% to 15% of food particulates having a size of 0.2 to 1 cm.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the calcium phosphate is supplied by an insoluble material selected from the group consisting of monobasic, dibasic or tribasic calcium phosphate salts, their hydrates and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38  wherein at least a portion of the calcium is supplied by tricalcium phosphate.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 26  wherein at least a portion of the gelling agent is gelatin.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 38  wherein the oil soluble flavors are present at about 0.05% to 1%.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the base blend providing step includes the substep of: 
 forming a slurry comprising about 30 to 50% calcium phosphate and the balance an ingredient selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, glycerine and mixtures thereof.  
 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 25  wherein forming step is practiced by depositing the acidic gellable base blend into a plurality of molds and allowing to set to form a plurality of gelled confection pieces pieces.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43  wherein the curing step involves drying the gelled confection pieces to provide the gelled confection with a moisture content of about 18 to 22%.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 25 , additionally comprising the step of: 
 applying a topical coating to the gelled confections to provide gelled confections having a topical coating.    
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45  wherein topical applying step includes applying a granulated sugar to the gelled confection pieces to provided sugared calcium fortified gelled confection pieces.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the topical applying step includes applying oil to the gelled confection pieces to provide gelled confection pieces having a shinny exterior surface.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the topical applying step includes applying an insoluble calcium phosphate salt having a particle size of less than 150 microns to the gelled confection.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the topical applying step forms a hard sugar shell on the gelled confection pieces.  
     
     
         50 . The product prepared by the method of  claim 25 .  
     
     
         51 . The product prepared by the method of  claim 26 .  
     
     
         52 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 27 .  
     
     
         53 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 28 .  
     
     
         54 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 29 .  
     
     
         55 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 31 .  
     
     
         56 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 33 .  
     
     
         57 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 34 .  
     
     
         58 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 38 .  
     
     
         59 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 40 .  
     
     
         60 . The food product prepared by the method of  claim 45