Dairy Ingredients in Chocolate and Confectionery Products 511ently to the browning reaction; monosaccha-
rides are more reactive than disaccharides.
The composition of the dairy components in
a caramel formulation infl uences the brown-
ing reaction due to varying amounts of
lactose. Sucrose is the main bulking and
sweetening agent in caramel; it reduces stick-
iness and cold fl ow. However, the higher the
amount of sucrose in the formula, the greater
the likelihood of crystallization during shelf
life. Glucose syrup contributes to body,
texture, chewiness, and sweetness of caramel.
Generally, higher levels of polysaccharides
in the syrup produce fi rmer and chewier
caramels.
Second, the composition of the protein
can play a role in the caramelization pro-
cess. Caramels can be formulated using vari-
ous dairy ingredients. It is important to
balance the formulation, taking into con-
sideration the type and amount of protein
present. Whey protein concentrates offer a
cost - effective alternative to formulate cara-
mels with good eating quality and excellent
processability. However, in certain applica-
tions such as stand - up caramels, care should
be exercised when selecting the whey ingre-
dient because a minimum amount of casein
is needed for the appropriate structure. In
general, the higher the level of dairy solids
in caramel, the better the fl avor, color, and
stand - up qualities.
Third, the fat - containing ingredients used
in the formulation of caramels infl uence the
texture, mouth feel, and shelf life of the fi n-
ished product. Fats are used as fl avor carriers,
to reduce stickiness, and improve machin-
ability and stand - up quality. While the
amount of fat can vary from 5% to 20% of
the formulation, 10% to 12% fat is typical.
Fats provided from dairy sources and vege-
table fats such as coconut oil are common,
and should be properly emulsifi ed to prevent
migration to the surface, which can cause
greasy mouth feel and development of ran-
cidity. If there is an adequate level of dairy
protein present, there may be enough natural
emulsifi cation present. Shear agitation orsyrup, water, and other ingredients. It is the
combination of the multiple ingredients and
processing options that allows the confec-
tioner to manipulate chemical and physical
interactions to produce a wide range of prod-
ucts (Jewell, 1986 ).
The range of textures that can be achieved
in sugar confectionery is diverse, spanning
from hard (high boils), to soft (nougats,
marshmallow), to chewy (caramel). The
major ingredients that contribute to these
characteristics are sugars (including sucrose
and invert and glucose syrups), fats, and pro-
teins. Dairy ingredients play a critical role in
the texture, fl avor, and manufacturing of
many sugar confectionery products.
Caramel and Toffee
Both caramel and toffee have the same ingre-
dients; the difference between the two is that
the fi nal moisture content is less in toffee
than in caramel. Toffee has 3% to 6% fi nal
moisture and is generally darker in color,
whereas caramel has 6% to 12% moisture
and is lighter in color (Warnecke, 1996 ;
Guelfi , 1988 ; Brown, 1993 ).
Caramel is one of the most versatile and
widely used confectionery products. Caramel
alone can be a fi nished product, it can be
used as a confectionery center in an enrobed
or molded piece, or it can be used as a
component in combination with other ingre-
dients such as cookies, pretzels, nougat, or
marshmallow.
Caramel is produced by blending water,
glucose syrup, refi ned or brown sugar, emul-
sifi er, milk fat or vegetable fat, and dairy
solids. The mix is concentrated to a high
solids content by cooking to approximately
116 ° C. This process helps to develop the
characteristic color and fl avor through cara-
melization and the Maillard reaction (Biondi,
et. al., 1993 ; Anon., 1997 ).
Several ingredient factors infl uence the
Maillard reaction, and thus the fl avor, color,
and texture of caramels. First, the amount
and type of reducing sugars contribute differ-