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Toffee gum comprising chocolate

Toffee gum comprising chocolate description/claims

The invention relates to a toffee gum comprising chocolate according to claim 1.

A group of conventional confectionery products include tablet-formed substances and/or chewable substances, which may be gradually dissolved or chewed and digested, such as candy, jelly, wine gum, liquorice, toffee, etc. This group of confectionery products generally benefits from a large variety of applicable textures, as indicated by the above-mentioned different products.

A problem related to this group of confectionery products, such as e.g. liquorice, toffee, etc. is that these products are consumed relatively fast, so that the consumer repeatedly needs to reload. This may lead to over-consuming, which may be undesirable due to a large intake of calories. In recent years, much attention has been paid to this problem. However, too large calorie-intake due to large consumption of confectionery products seems to be an increasing problem in some countries.

The present invention relates to toffee gum comprising a polymer system, and at least 1% by weight of chocolate,

said polymer system constituting at least 10% by weight of said toffee gum, at least 70% by weight of said polymer system comprising polyvinyl acetate, said polyvinyl acetate having a glass transition temperature (Tg) in the range of 0 to 60° C., and said chocolate constituting at the most 90% by weight of said toffee gum.

In an embodiment of the invention, said glass transition temperature (Tg) of said polyvinyl acetate is in the range of 18 to 55° C., preferably in the range of 25 to 40° C.

In an embodiment of the invention, said toffee gum comprises at least one flavor and at least one sweetener.

According to the present invention, a new confectionery product has been obtained having texture properties emulating toffee but comprising a part, which is retained in the mouth during chewing. This confectionery product according to the invention is referred to as ‘toffee gum’. The toffee gum according to the invention has toffee-like properties, but it is not completely swallowed during use. The toffee-like properties may be maintained for a relatively long time, e.g. 10-20 minutes, compared to chewing of a conventional toffee, which is usually swallowed during a shorter period of time.

Basically, the part of the toffee gum being retained in the mouth is substantially formed by the polymer system and parts of further ingredients being retained in the polymer system. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the polymer system, which comprises one or several polymers, is essential in providing the desired toffee-like properties for a prolonged time compared to conventional toffee, caramel, liquorice, wine gum, etc. According to the invention, it is required in obtaining these effects that the polymer system constitutes at least 10% by weight of the toffee gum product.

Thus, the prolonged texture compared to conventional toffee is obtained by way of the polymer system, as the polymers are not ingested during chewing but rather forming part of a toffee-emulating polymer structure, which may be chewed in the same way as a chewing gum. The polymer system may be compared in function to the gum base of a chewing gum, but with significant textural differences.

Surprisingly, it has been found, according to the invention, that polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) has exactly such properties essential for obtaining a polymer system providing the toffee gum product with toffee-like texture. Accordingly, it has been found that by adding polyvinyl acetate in significant amounts, it is possible to imitate the textural properties of toffee and obtain a toffee gum product having properties resembling or emulating toffee. The significant amount of polyvinyl acetate according to the invention is at least 70%, preferably more, by weight of the polymer system.

A further, very advantageous feature of the invention is that the toffee-like texture is combined with an improved robustness to e.g. fats. Thus, chocolate fillings or coatings may be applied within the scope of the invention. In other words, the nature of the polymers applied for the obtaining of a toffee gum is in particular useful as a robust polymer system when combined with chocolate. In contrast, e.g. chewable confectionery products based on smaller amounts of polyvinyl acetate and e.g. chewing gum comprising amounts of elastomers tend to disintegrate when combined with chocolate.

According to the invention, sweetener, flavor and chocolate are added to the toffee gum as taste providing components, which are substantially swallowed during use of the toffee gum product. Dependent on the affinity for the polymers, specific ingredients may be retained in the toffee gum for shorter or longer times during chewing of the product. Specific desired taste profiles may be obtained by adjusting types and amounts of flavors and sweeteners.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a part of a toffee may be substituted by a polymer system. Thus the toffee texture may be provided by the polymer system and as it is not consumed during use, the texture may be maintained beyond a usual period of time of chewing a toffee. A correspondingly prolonged taste may be obtained due to the fact that some of the taste-providing substances are incorporated into the polymer system, both by initial mixing during manufacturing and/or by mixing occurring during the chewing-process performed by a consumer. Further ways of regulating the length of the taste sensation include, incorporation of emulsifiers in the toffee gum and choosing the taste-providing substances in view of their affinity for the polymer system.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the application of the significant amount of polyvinyl acetate in the polymer system makes it possible to obtain an improved release of ingredients such as flavors, sweeteners, and active ingredients.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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