Caramel applications

An important issue in caramel applications is their compatibility with food. The compatibility is defined as the absence of flocculation, precipitation, and haze formation. These effects are the results of colloidal interactions between charged high molecular weight components of caramel and the food components thus the charge of caramel is essential for specific food applications. ... 

W. R. Eichenberger, Caramel Colors Manufacture, Properties, and Food Applications, paper presented at the ACS Meeting, Aug. 29, 1972. 

The method is not applicable to artificial extracts where caramel is... 

Phenolic phenol formaldehydes (PFs) are the low-cost workhorse of the electrical industry (particularly in the past) low creep, excellent dimensional stability, good chemical resistance, good weatherability. Molded black or brown opaque handles for cookware are familiar applications. Also used as a caramel colored impregnating plastics for wood or cloth laminates, and (with reinforcement) for brake linings and many under-the-hood automotive electricals. There are different grades of phenolics that range from very low cost (with low performances) to high cost (with superior performances). The first of the thermosets to be injection-molded (1909). 

The oldest way to produce caramel is by heating sucrose in an open pan, a process named caramelization. Food applications require improvement in caramel properties such as tinctorial power, stability, and compatibility with food. Caramels are produced in industry by controlled heating of a rich carbohydrate source in the presence of certain reactants. Carbohydrate sources must be rich in glucose because caramelization occurs only through the monosaccharide. Several carbohydrate sources can be used glucose, sucrose, com, wheat, and tapioca hydrolysates. The carbohydrate is added to a reaction vessel at 50°C and then heated to temperatures higher than 100°C. Different reactants such as acids, alkalis, salts, ammonium salts, and sulfites can be added, depending on the type of caramel to be obtained (Table 5.2.2). 

In the US, more than 80% of caramel is used to color drinks such as colas and beers. Another important application is the coloring of blended whiskeys produced by mixing straight whiskeys with neutral spirits. The addition of neutral spirits to the straight whiskey produces a loss of color that can be compensated by the addition of caramel. Straight whiskeys are colored during aging for 2 yr in freshly charred oak barrels and contain furfural and 5-HMF in a ratio of 2 to 2.6 1, while the ratio... 

Royle, L. et al., A new method for the identification and quantification of class IV caramels using capillary electrophoresis and its application to soft drinks, J. Sci. Food Agric., 76, 579, 1998. 

Tocopherols are not as effective as antioxidants as the synthetic antioxidants, e.g. BHA or BHT. The antioxidant effect of tocopherols is increased by mixing them with ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbic acid, lecithin or citric acid. Typical confectionery applications are the use of tocopherols with ascorbyl palmitate or lecithin or citric acid in the fat phase of toffees or caramels. Chewing gum base can be treated with a- and y-tocopherol to extend the shelf life. 

Numerous CE separations have been published for synthetic colours, sweeteners and preservatives (Frazier et al., 2000a Sadecka and Polonsky, 2000 Frazier et al., 2000b). A rapid CZE separation with diode array detection for six common synthetic food dyes in beverages, jellies and symps was described by Perez-Urquiza and Beltran (2000). Kuo et al. (1998) separated eight colours within 10 minutes using a pH 9.5 borax-NaOH buffer containing 5 mM /3-cyclodextrin. This latter method was suitable for separation of synthetic food colours in ice-cream bars and fmit soda drinks with very limited sample preparation. However the procedure was not validated for quantitative analysis. A review of natural colours and pigments analysis was made by Watanabe and Terabe (2000). Da Costa et al. (2000) reviewed the analysis of anthocyanin colours by CE and HPLC but concluded that the latter technique is more robust and applicable to complex sample types. Caramel type IV in soft drinks was identified and quantified by CE (Royle et al., 1998). 

Food applications utilize first and second molasses in baking (bread, cakes, cookies) for the molasses flavor. Molasses is also used in curing of tobacco and meats, in confections such as toffees and caramels, and in baked beans and glazes. 

This difference in kinetics was exploited to develop a procedure to determine free and reversibly bound sulfite in food. The mobile phase consisted of an aqueous solution of 0.05 M tetra-butylammonium hydroxide adjusted to the desired pH by the addition of glacial acetic acid (34). Fluorimetric detection is also possible, because a reaction of the formaldehyde-bisulfite complex with 5-aminofluorescein gives a nonfluorescent product. The sulfite is measured indirectly by its suppresion of the fluorescence of the reagent (31). This method is applicable to the determination of S02 at > 10 ppm and is not applicable to dark-colored foods or ingredients where SO, is strongly bound, e.g., caramel color. This method does not detect naturally occurring sulfite. Sulfur dioxide is released by direct alkali extraction. 

Cystine and other sulfur-containing amino acids are recognized as important precursors of food flavors, especially meat flavors (3, 11-12). DMHF, a cyclic-a-dicarbonyl, possesses a sweet, caramel and fruity aroma (13). It is found in many food sources (14-17) and is used extensively in many flavor applications (18-19). DMHF can be formed from sugar via either sugar enolization (caramelization) by a Maillard reaction then cyclization (20). 

Caramel is unintentionally generated in burnt carbohydrate foods (rice, oatmeal, cornmeal, etc.) and molasses (Kowkabany et al., 1953) it is the source of maple flavor and color in the concentration of maple sap to maple syrup (Stinson and Willits, 1965). In industrial manufacturing, the intended application is taken into account, because reaction conditions help determine the properties of the pyrolysate, e.g., its tinctorial value, water solubility, and alcohol stability. Tinctorial value refers to the absorbance at 560 nm of a 0.1-wt/vol% solution in a 1-cm cell. Tinctorial strength increases with acidity, temperature, and duration of heating. Caramel manufactured above pH 6.3 is biologically unstable and much below pH 3.1, it is a resin. 

Confections. Main applications are sugared almonds, caramel, nougat, and sweets. For sugared almonds and caramel, vanillin is mixed into the sugar in the dry phase of the recipe. For nougat, Vanillin is added during the liquid phase of manufacturing. In sweets, vanillin is added in the form of a 10% ethanol solution. 

An example of the application of the CIE system for color description is shown in Figure 6-7. The curved, dotted line originating from C represents the locus of the chromaticity coordinates of caramel and glycerol solutions. The chromaticity coordinates of maple syrup and honey follow the same locus. Three triangles on this curve represent the chromaticity coordinates of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) glass color standards for... 

Process flavourings for application in sweet and bakery goods (e.g. flavourings with chocolate, malt, caramel, egg, coffee or biscuit tonality) have been known for an even longer time than their savoury counterparts. Sulphur-containing aroma precursors such a cysteine are not the main concern of sweet process flavourings, and in many cases they even have to be avoided in order to prevent the formation of off-flavours. 

Emulsifiers have also assumed valuable roles in products such as chocolates (control of fat polymorphism), toffees and caramels, chewing gums, pharmaceutical preparations, soft and liqueur drinks and meat products, in addition to being used as lubricating, release and cutting aids throughout the food industry. In these applications, emulsifiers can be said to be used in roles not directly related to emulsification. 

Caramel colour is the most frequently used colorant for brown beverages. It is available in four different types Type I, II, III, IV (El50a, b, c, d). Each type is used for specific applications, e.g. ... 

Because of their molecular weight and different charges, caramel colours react in many different ways when combined with other beverage constituents. This means it is extremely important to know exactly which type can be used for which application. 

Dark malt can be used as a colour alternative for some caramel colours and listed as a colouring foodstuff. However, malt also has a flavouring effect that can be disturbing in some applications. The dosage is around five times that for Type IV caramel colour, which makes it almost impossible to use malt without significantly affecting the flavour. Eor this reason, malt extract is often used in typical malt beverages. 

After cooling, the overall aromas of both solutions were evaluated by a sensory panel consisting of 10 members. As shown in Figure 1, the mixture processed under NP exhibited a very intense popcom-like, roasty aroma. However, in the mixture treated with HHP, this aroma note was quite weak (Figure 1), whereas a caramel-like odor quality was much more pronounced. To elucidate the compounds showing the highest odor activities in both solutions, the volatiles were isolated, separated by GC and evaluated by GC/odorport evaluation. Their odor intensities were then ranked by application of the AEDA. 

The results published are not necessarily specific for a given type of caramel. They may be barely credible for plain caramels. For other caramels, combined analytical methods (chromatography of dilute solutions of caramel foUowed by thin-layer electrophoresis, and size-exclusion chromatography) should be applied. Any proof of identity of caramels (or products of the Maillard reaction in a food) is impossible without application of such complex procedures. For instance, thin-layer chromatography alone fails to distinguish between particular types of caramel. ... 

The Application, World Production, and Acceptable Daily Intake (A.D J.) of Four Classes of Caramels ... 

The use of caramels for other than alimentary purposes is of rather marginal importance. Four classes of caramel (according to the specifications in Table I) are offered for alimentary purposes all over the World. Table V presents the range of application of caramels of particular classes, together with their overall World consumption in 1986. The figures of acceptable daily intake of particular caramels, quoted according to Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, are also given. 

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