Lyotropic composition of carbohydrates in fats, method for obtaining it and application thereof in the preparation of chocolate and substitutes

A process of manufacturing an edible lyotropic composition, the process comprising:

• a) preparing a polar phase comprising a carbohydrate solution wherein the carbohydrate solution is prepared by mixing a carbohydrate with a polar solvent, and wherein the origin of the carbohydrate is honey, a fruit, or a mixture of fruits;
• b) preparing separately a fatty phase comprising mixing a fat or a mixture of fats and at least one surfactant, wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), and a sucroester, and wherein the fat or the mixture of fats has a melting point of less than 50° C.;
• c) combining the fatty phase prepared in step b) and the polar phase prepared in step a), by means of agitation at between 20 and 700 rpm, at a temperature of 30° C. to 50° C., and for a time of 30 to 36000 seconds, wherein the ratio between the carbohydrate solution of the polar phase and the fatty phase is of 1:1 to 20:1,
• d) evaporating the polar solvent from the product obtained in step c) under vacuum at a pressure less than 300 mbar, at a temperature less than 65° C. and with agitation between 10 and 200 rpm, thereby obtaining a concentrated product, and
• e) adding an emulsifier to the concentrated product obtained in step d), and mixing to obtain the lyotropic composition,
• wherein the lyotropic composition is stable between 4° C. and 25° C. and comprises
• (i) carbohydrates selected from mono-, di-, trisaccharides and/or polyalcohols in a proportion greater than 40% by weight,
• (ii) surfactants at a concentration of 0.01% to 4% by weight, and
• (iii) a moisture content of 2% to 10%, the percentages by weight referring to the lyotropic composition.