# US 12,369,599 B2 · Chocolate replicas produced from individual components

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- Number: US 12,369,599 B2
- Document ID: US12369599B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/502,442
- Filed: 2023-11-06
- Published: 2024-02-29
- Granted: 2025-07-29
- Earliest claimed: 2021-07-16
- Assignees: Voyage Foods, Inc.
- Applicants: Voyage Foods, Inc.
- Inventors: Kelsey Tenney; Adam Maxwell; Ethan Charles Beswick; Samuel Ryo; Daniel Assad Saad; Alec Kremonic Lee; Mardonn Carl Chua; Brandon Head
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12369599B2

## CPC

- A23G 1/34: Cocoa substitutes
- A23G 1/32: characterised by the composition {containing organic or inorganic compounds}
- A23G 1/48: containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds or extracts (containing gums A23G1/40)
- A23L 19/07: {Fruit waste products, e.g. from citrus peel or seeds}
- A23L 25/30: {Mashed or comminuted products, e.g. pulp, pastes, meal, powders; Products made therefrom, e.g. blocks, flakes, snacks; Liquid or semi-liquid products (A23L25/10 and A23L25/40 take precedence)}
- A23L 27/00: Spices; Flavouring agents or condiments; Artificial sweetening agents; Table salts; Dietetic salt substitutes; Preparation or treatment thereof
- A23G 2200/06: containing beet sugar or cane sugar if specifically mentioned or containing other carbohydrates, e.g. starches, gums, alcohol sugar, polysaccharides, dextrin or containing high or low amount of carbohydrate
- A23G 2200/14: containing fruits, nuts, e.g. almonds, seeds, plants, plant extracts or essential oils
- A23G: COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)

## Abstract

Materials and methods for producing chocolate replicas from individual components are provided herein.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for preparing a plant-based solid substrate derived from a ground food stream waste product for use in a chocolate replica, wherein the method comprises:
mixing the ground food stream waste product with a caustic agent and water at a pressure of 0-10 bar, to generate a ground preparation having a pH of about 7 to about 10.5;
drying the ground preparation, wherein the ground preparation comprises the ground food stream waste product, caustic agent, and water;
combining the dried ground preparation with one or more plant oils to generate a mixture;
milling the mixture to obtain particles having a size less than about 75 microns; and
sieving the particles to yield the solid substrate;
wherein the ground food stream waste product is oil seeds, fruit or vegetable seeds, or a combination thereof;
wherein the fruit or vegetable seeds are from a fruit or vegetable selected from the group consisting of apple, breadfruit, breadnut, cashew, citrus fruits, colocynth, date, date palm, guava, grape, kokum, luffa, mango, moringa, melon, olive, papaya, pumpkin, squash, gourd, sapucaia, Spanish lime, seje, tomato, walnut, watermelon, and combinations thereof; and
wherein the oil plant seeds are selected from the group consisting of almond kernels, camelina seeds, cashew nuts, castor seeds, chia seed, cottonseed hulls, corozo seed, macadamia, maize germ, oil palm kernels, rapeseed hulls, rapeseeds, safflower seeds, sal seeds, soybean seeds, sesame seeds, shea kernel, sickle pods, sunflower hulls, sunflower seeds, soybean hulls, walnuts, watermelon seeds, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more plant oils comprise corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, coconut oil, shea oil, illipe oil, mango kernel oil, palm kernel oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or safflower oil.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more plant oils comprise sunflower oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, shea oil, or coconut oil.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the caustic agent comprises sodium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, potassium bicarbonate, or potassium hydroxide.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the mixing comprises mixing at a temperature of about 70° C. to about 80° C. for about 15 to 180 minutes, to generate a preparation having a pH of about 8.0 to about 9.0.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the mixing comprises mixing at a temperature of about 75° C. for about 30 to 120 minutes, to generate a preparation having a pH of about 8.0 to about 9.0.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the mixing comprises high shear blending at a temperature of about 75° C. for about 30 minutes, to generate a preparation having a pH of about 8.0 to about 8.5.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the drying comprises tray drying, spray drying, drum drying, falling film evaporation, freeze drying, vacuum drying, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the particles have a size of less than about 30 microns.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sieving comprises passing the particles through a 100 micron sieve.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the oil plant seeds are sunflower seeds.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A plant-based solid substrate produced according to the method of claim 1.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fruit or vegetable seeds are grape seeds.

### Claim 14

A method for preparing a plant-based solid substrate derived from a food stream waste product for use in a chocolate replica, wherein the method comprises:
mixing the food stream waste product with a caustic agent and water at a pressure of 0-10 bar, to generate a preparation having a pH of about 7 to about 10.5, wherein the preparation comprises the food stream waste product, caustic agent, and water;
separating the preparation into a solid fraction and a liquid fraction;
separately roasting the solid fraction and the liquid fraction;
grinding the roasted solid fraction;
combining the ground roasted solid fraction with the roasted liquid fraction and one or more plant oils to generate a mixture;
milling the mixture to generate particles having a size of less than 75 microns; and
sieving the particles to yield the solid substrate;
wherein the ground food stream waste product is oil seeds and/or fruit or vegetable seeds;
wherein the fruit or vegetable seeds are from a fruit or vegetable selected from the group consisting of apple, breadfruit, breadnut, cashew, citrus fruits, colocynth, date, date palm, guava, grape, kokum, luffa, mango, moringa, melon, olive, papaya, pumpkin, squash, gourd, sapucaia, Spanish lime, seje, tomato, walnut, watermelon, and combinations thereof; and
wherein the oil plant seeds are selected from the group consisting of almond kernels, camelina seeds, cashew nuts, castor seeds, chia seed, cottonseed hulls, corozo seed, macadamia, maize germ, oil palm kernels, rapeseed hulls, rapeseeds, safflower seeds, sal seeds, soybean seeds, sesame seeds, shea kernel, sickle pods, sunflower hulls, sunflower seeds, soybean hulls, walnuts, watermelon seeds, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more plant oils comprise corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, coconut oil, shea oil, illipe oil, mango kernel oil, palm kernel oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or safflower oil.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more plant oils comprise sunflower oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, shea oil, or coconut oil.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the fruit or vegetable seeds are grape seeds.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the caustic agent comprises sodium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, potassium bicarbonate, or potassium hydroxide.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the mixing comprises mixing at a temperature of about 70° C. to about 80° C. for about 15 to 180 minutes, to generate a preparation having a pH of about 8.0 to about 9.0.

### Claim 20 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the mixing comprises mixing at a temperature of about 75° C. for about 30 to 120 minutes, to generate a preparation having a pH of about 8.0 to about 9.0.

### Claim 21 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the mixing comprises high shear blending at a temperature of about 75° C. for about 30 minutes, to generate a preparation having a pH of about 8.0 to about 8.5.

### Claim 22 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising air roasting the solid fraction and dry roasting the liquid fraction.

### Claim 23 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the grinding comprises using a burr mill, blade mill, hammer mill, stone mill, jet mill, air classifier mill, or high impact mill.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the grinding comprises using a stone corundum mill or colloid mill, at a temperature of less than 65° C.

### Claim 25 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the sieving comprises passing the particles through a 100 micron sieve.

### Claim 26 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the oil plant seeds are sunflower seeds.

### Claim 27 (depends on 14)

A plant-based solid substrate produced according to the method of claim 14.