FIELD

The present application generally relates to oil-based creamy fillings and, in particular, oil-based creamy fillings that are suitable for high-temperature, high-pressure cooking co-extrusion.

BACKGROUND

Foods with textural contrast, such as baked snacks with a filling, can be appealing to a broad spectrum of consumers. These dual-texture foods may include a crispy or dough component, such as a cracker or casing, and a filling component, such as a soft and creamy, shelf-stable sweet or savory filling. Typically, the filling component may exhibit the desired creamy texture from particles dispersed in a lipid and/or aqueous continuous phase. However, such fillings tend to have the shortcoming that the dispersion structure can be thermally destabilized in some instances, leading to spreading, boiling, and/or oiling-out upon heating. While not wishing to be limited by theory, it is believed that such thermal destabilization may be the result of aggregation of particles leading to lipid separation from other filling ingredients. Thus, this shortcoming renders manufacture of a dual-texture snack challenging because the thermal exposure of the filling often needs to be carefully controlled.

One approach to producing dual-texture snacks includes high-temperature, high-pressure cooking co-extrusion. In this approach, a dough casing is cooked/extruded at high temperatures, pressure, and shear conditions while the filling is injected at the die to co-extrude filled snacks. However, this approach is limited by the thermal instability or intolerance of the filling component at cooking co-extrusion temperatures of, for example, about 135° C. or higher commonly used for cooking/co-extruding filled snacks. When filling components are exposed to high-temperature, high-pressure cooking co-extrusion conditions, the filling can suffer from product defects such as filling spreading and oozing out, boiling-out, oiling-out, loss of smoothness, and discoloration, which can result in a filling having an undesirable, hardened texture.

Prior filling compositions have been formulated to include high amounts of water activity (Aw) lowering humectants such as, for example, polyols, glycerin, sugars, syrups, and the like, to improve thermal stability. However, these prior fillings are generally unacceptable from an organoleptic standpoint, especially in reduced-sweetness and savory fillings (such as a cheese-based filling) due to unwanted sweetness and/or unpleasant aftertaste resulting from the use of humectants such as glycerin.

Given that reduced-sweetness and/or savory snack products are increasingly desired by health-conscious consumers, a soft and creamy textured lipid-based food filling suitable for high-temperature, high-pressure-cooking co-extrusion is provided as described herein.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, the filling includes about 30 wt. % to about 45% of an edible lipid, the edible lipid forming a continuous lipid phase in the filling. The edible lipid may have a melting point of about 45° C. or lower. The edible lipid may include, for example, at least one of soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, canola oil, cocoa oil, milk fat, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the filling includes substantially no high-melting lipid having a melting point of about 70° C. or greater.

The filling further includes about 0.5 wt. % to about 5 wt. % of a high oil-binding capacity material. In some approaches, the high oil-binding capacity material has an oil-binding capacity material of greater than 100%, and in some approaches greater than 120%. The high oil-binding material may include, for example, at least one of starch, protein, fiber, gum and combinations thereof. In some approaches, the high oil-binding material may include one or more edible fibers containing at least 80% of edible fibers. In some approaches, some or all of the high oil-binding material included in the filling may be insoluble oat fiber.

The filling also includes about 10 wt. % to about 30 wt. % of an amorphous material, and in some approaches about 10 wt. % to about 25 wt. % of the amorphous material. The amorphous material may include, for example, at least one of milk powder, dairy powder, cheese powder, cocoa powder, fruit or vegetable powders, maltodextrin, corn syrup solids, and combinations thereof.

The filling generally contains less than 30 wt. % sugar, sugar alcohol, or combinations thereof, such that the filling is generally a low-sweetness or savory filling. To this end, the filling preferably contains substantially no high-intensity sweetener.

The filling generally contains less than about 5% moisture and has a water activity (Aw) of about 0.45 or less. In some approaches, the filling contains substantially no polyhydric alcohols.

The filling generally has a particle size distribution with D50 of about 25 microns or less, and in some approaches about 20 microns or less. In some approaches, the particle size distribution with desired D50 may be obtained by milling dry ingredients prior to blending the milled dry ingredients with the edible lipid. In other approaches, the particle size distribution with desired D50 may be obtained by blending dry ingredients with the edible lipid to form a blended mixture and milling the blended mixture. In yet other approaches, the particle size distribution with desired D50 is obtained by blending dry ingredients with the edible lipid to form a blended mixture, milling the blended mixture, and adding additional dry ingredients to the milled blended mixture.

In some embodiments, the filling may further include an emulsifier such as, for example, lecithin, monoglyceride, diglyceride, and combinations thereof. The emulsifier may be included in the filling in an amount of about 0.05 wt. % to about 2 wt. % of the filling.

A method of preparing a soft and creamy textured lipid-based food filling suitable for high-temperature, high-pressure cooking co-extrusion is also described herein. In some approaches, the filling may be prepared by combining an edible lipid having a melting point of about 45° C. or lower, a high oil-binding capacity material, and an amorphous material to form a substantially homogeneous mixture, and subjecting the mixture to a particle size reduction process to obtain a particle size distribution with D50 of about 25 microns or less, and in some approaches about 20 microns or less.

The edible lipid may be included in an amount of about 30 wt. % to about 45 wt. %. The edible lipid may include, for example, at least one of soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, canola oil, cocoa oil, milk fat, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the filling includes substantially no high-melting lipid having a melting point of about 70° C. or greater.

The high oil binding capacity material has an oil-binding capacity of greater than 100%, and in some approaches greater than 120%, and may be included in an amount of about 0.5 wt. % to about 5 wt. %. The high oil-binding material may include, for example, at least one of starch, protein, fiber, gum and combinations thereof. In some approaches, the high oil-binding material may include one or more edible fibers containing at least 80% of edible fibers. In some approaches, some or all of the high oil-binding material included in the filling may be insoluble oat fiber.

The amorphous material may be included in an amount of about 10 wt. % to about 30 wt. %, and in some approaches about 10 wt. % to about 25 wt. %. In some approaches, the amorphous material may include, for example, at least one of milk powder, dairy powder, cheese powder, cocoa powder, fruit or vegetable powders, maltodextrin, corn syrup solids, and combinations thereof.

The filling is generally a low-sweetness or savory filling and contains less than 30 wt. % sugar, sugar alcohol, or combinations thereof and substantially no high-intensity sweetener.

The filling generally contains less than about 5% moisture and has a water activity (Aw) of about 0.45 or less. In some approaches, the filling contains substantially no polyhydric alcohols.

In some approaches, the particle size reduction process includes the process of bead milling. In some approaches, one or more dry ingredients are subjected to particle size reduction to obtain the particle size distribution with D50 of about 25 microns or less, and in some approaches 20 microns or less, prior to combining with the edible lipid.

In some approaches, an emulsifier may be mixed with the edible lipid prior to combining the edible lipid with the high oil-binding material and the amorphous material. The emulsifier may include, for example, at least one of lecithin, monoglyceride, diglyceride, and combinations thereof.

The soft and creamy textured lipid-based food fillings according to any embodiment described herein may have stiffness of less than 4000 Pascal and firmness of less than 60 Newton after baking at 8 min at 149° C. based on the Heat Tolerance Test. Preferably, the soft and creamy textured lipid-based food fillings have both a stiffness of less than 3000 Pascal and a firmness of less than 50 Newton after baking at 8 min at 149° C. based on the Heat Tolerance Test.

The soft and creamy textured lipid-based food fillings according to any embodiment described herein may be disposed within an edible casing material to form a crispy co-extruded food product. The edible casing material may include, for example, any suitable dough material or matrix.

A crispy co-extruded food product containing a soft and creamy textured lipid-based food filling is also described herein. The crispy co-extruded food product may be prepared by providing a soft and creamy textured lipid-based food filling according to any embodiment described herein, providing a casing material, and co-extruding the filling and the casing material to produce a co-extruded rope. In some approaches, the die temperature during co-extrusion may be from about 135° C. to about 170° C. Individual pieces are then formed from the co-extruded rope, and the individual pieces are dried to a moisture content of about 4% or less. In some approaches, the individual pieces may be dried at a temperature of from about 100° C. to about 120° C. The filling in the crispy co-extruded food product maintains its soft and creamy texture following co-extrusion and drying and throughout storage.

