Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Processes – Cooling – freezing – or treating cooled or frozen product,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-14
2001-02-20
Yeung, George C. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Processes
Cooling, freezing, or treating cooled or frozen product,...
C099S483000, C426S399000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190718
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to citrus juice, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for processing citrus juice.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Citrus fruit juice drinks are widely enjoyed by many people. Unfortunately, citrus fruit have specific growing seasons, and grow only under certain climatic conditions, i.e., tropical and subtropical. Accordingly, citrus fruit are therefore available in fresh form for only a portion of the year. To have citrus fruit juice in good quality available year round and anywhere, the citrus fruit juice is typically processed for storage and distribution.
Since citrus fruit juice typically contains about 80 to 90% water, a common way to store and distribute the juice has been in the form of a concentrate, the bulk of which is a frozen concentrate. However, concentrating the juice may impair the quality of the juice, in that the volatile aroma and flavor compounds of the natural juice are reduced.
Alternately, the fresh citrus fruit juice may be frozen without any concentration. Here, relatively large containers, such as drums, are used or the juice is frozen in the form of large slabs or blocks. The size of these drums and slabs or blocks results in time-consuming freezing and thawing. In addition, large ice crystals are typically formed during the freezing. These large ice crystals typically rupture the sacs and cells if the pulp, and the ruptured sacs and cells are then diluted during the thawing.
When freezing in a conventional fashion, the temperature drops very slowly and several undesired bacterial and mold species can grow and multiply. Therefore, a pasteurisation is typically performed before freezing and is also performed upon thawing for safety reasons. This heat treatment causes degradation of the natural aroma level to a product with off-aroma and off-taste and browning of the juice and the pulp. Further deterioration of the quality of the juice is due to slow ice formation during freezing, resulting in oxidation and migration of water and sugar, such that the whole drum, slab or block of frozen juice must be thawed before further processing is possible.
Furthermore, thawing may take several days and may be subject to bacteriologic contamination and yeast fermentation. On the other hand, if the slabs or blocks are crushed in order to speed up the thawing, a high percentage of the juice sacs and other fruit cells will be mechanically ruptured or damaged and the juice quality will be severely decreased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for processing citrus juice so as to make high quality juice available year round, and in areas remote from citrus growing areas.
This and other objects, advantages, and features in accordance with the present invention are provided by an apparatus for making citrus juice comprising: a supply of relatively small frozen bodies comprising at least one of citrus juice and pulp, a heating section for adding heat to the frozen bodies to thaw the frozen bodies, and a filling section downstream from the heating section for filling juice containers with citrus juice. In one embodiment, the relatively small frozen bodies may have at least one dimension less than about 1.5 inches, such as formed during rapid freezing. The apparatus may also include a pasteurizing section upstream from the filling section.
In one embodiment, the supply comprises a plurality of portable containers each containing a plurality of frozen bodies. In this embodiment, the heating section preferably comprises a heat transfer tank, a heat transfer fluid in the heat transfer tank, a heater for the heat transfer fluid, and a conveyor for advancing the containers of frozen bodies through the heat transfer fluid. Each portable container may comprise a flexible bag, for example.
In accordance with another advantageous feature of the invention, the apparatus may include at least one other supply of liquid citrus juice. In this embodiment, a blending tank may be provided between the heating section and the filling section and connected to the at least one other supply of liquid citrus juice. The blending tank permits blending of different citrus juices, and/or for blending with concentrated juices, for example.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the heating section comprises a receiving tank for receiving the frozen bodies, and a heater connected to the receiving tank. In this embodiment, at least one other supply for liquid citrus juice may be connected to the receiving tank so that the receiving tank also provides a blending function. The thawing action is based upon the relatively small bodies being in contact with liquid juice to facilitate heat transfer.
Each frozen body preferably comprises a homogenous mixture of not-from-concentrate citrus juice and/or pulp. Each frozen body may also have a generally rectangular shape.
A method aspect of the invention is for making citrus juice, and preferably comprises the steps of: supplying a plurality of frozen bodies each being relatively small and comprising at least one of citrus juice and pulp; heating the frozen bodies to thaw the frozen bodies; and filling juice containers with citrus juice. The relatively small frozen bodies may have at least one dimension less than about
1
.
5
inches as formed during rapid freezing. The method may also include the step of pasteurizing before filling the juice containers.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3774409 (1973-11-01), Persson et al.
patent: 4748029 (1988-05-01), Alfred et al.
patent: 4816273 (1989-03-01), Smith et al.
patent: 5162128 (1992-11-01), Mills et al.
patent: 5362509 (1994-11-01), Martens
patent: 5494691 (1996-02-01), Sizer
patent: 5706883 (1998-01-01), Ward
patent: 5727453 (1998-03-01), Tippmann
AGA Frigoscandia Food Process Systems, “PelloFreeze Extends IQF Product Range”, Manual 0061-0-001-E (Aug. 1988) pp. 1-3; Manual 0061-1-002-D (Aug. 1988) pp. 1-2; Manual 0061-2-006-E (Oct. 1988) pp. 1-4; Manual 0061-3-003-F (Aug. 1988) pp. 1-3.
Eek Lars
Fox Kenneth I.
Pahlsson Sten
Allen Dyer Doppelt Milbrath & Gilchrist, P.A.
Frigoscandia Equipment AB
Yeung George C.
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