SHAKE BEFORE USE Consumer ideas of what constitutes a desirable chocolate or enriched milk drink can differ widely. For example, some expect it to be highly viscous – others prefer a more plain, milk-like viscosity. Sedimentation, too, while considered by the vast majority of manufacturers to be a problem, may even be treasured by some consumers as a core brand attribute, as is the case, for example, for the traditionally glass-bottled Cocio brand of chocolate milk in Scandinavia. In that same Scandinavian market, however, and in other markets around the globe, sedimentation is an undeniable problem, particularly in cartoned packaging, as consumers often forget to vigorously shake the carton before consumption, resulting in a drinking experience that varies almost with every sip. Further, labels saying “shake well before use” or the more physically demanding “shake vigorously before use” may be perceived negatively, perhaps because they call attention to the presence of added substances. But such labels are having to be applied to a growing variety of chocolate and enriched drinks, as we shall see. FROM CHOCOLATE MILK TO EVERYTHING-ELSE-MILK Dairy manufacturers have been quick to jump onto the healthy living bandwagon, developing new products with added vitamins, iron, oat fibres, calcium, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), magnesium and more. The same issue, however, raises its ugly head: adding most things to milk will destabilise the product and endanger both on-theshelf appeal (for bottled products) and consumer enjoyment (for both bottled and carton products). Even coffee milk, while not widely considered a health-driven product, suffers from the same effect. And a related problem, in long shelflife products, is the phenomenon known as ‘creaming’. While some particle-containing drink manufacturers have managed to work out how to achieve a consistent and strong suspension, many others, however, have not. For this latter group, there is much to be gained by deploying up-to-date techniques to combat the problem. FOUR NETWORKS ACTING IN CONCERT Essentially, any drink containing insoluble particles is prone to sedimentation. Their resistance to sedimentation, if it is to be effective throughout the shelf-life of the product, first requires manufacturers to consider the choice of milk and particle type. To reduce the likelihood of sedimentation, state-of-the-art recipes for chocolate drinks based on fresh milk can make the most of four distinct, yet interacting networks that together enable an extremely robust suspension, keeping cocoa particles in their place while ensuring emulsion stability, creaminess and other benefits. Four of the five networks we’ll discuss in this article are physical effects enabled by: 1. Emulsifiers, which increased flocculation of fat globules to form a three-dimensional network 2. Stabilizers, forming the essential carrageenan network 3. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), whose effect on the formation of hydrogen bonds forms yet another network 4. In chocolate milks and other enriched milk drinks that may contain cocoa powder, the tannin component in the powder bonds proteins to add further strength to the drink’s suspension If all four of these networks are present, as they may be in a sophisticated product, the combined result will hold the cocoa particles – or other particles contained in enriched drinks – tightly in suspen- SEDIMENTAL BLUES Sedimentation begins the moment the drink has been produced. But, of course, it really starts to work its dark magic once on the shelf. At worst, two distinct layers can appear. In chocolate milks, the bottom one is an (appropriately) dark chocolate colour, while the one just above it has been described as having a “white-livered” appearance by at least one source*. In assessing the sedimentation aspect of such drinks, sensory evaluations tend to focus upon: • The amount of sedimentation • The fineness of the sediment • The ease or resistance with which it remixes with the milk when shaken 2
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