Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Involving ion exchange – sequestering or chelating material
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-22
2001-12-04
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Involving ion exchange, sequestering or chelating material
C426S072000, C426S073000, C426S330300, C426S335000, C426S590000, C426S599000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06326040
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to beverage products, such as carbonated and noncarbonated beverage products containing fruit juice and having superior vitamin and flavor stability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Controlling vitamin and flavor stability of dilute juice beverages is an ongoing concern among beverage manufacturers. It is important that beverages maintain their intended flavor characteristics and nutritional characteristics, even after prolonged periods of shelf storage.
One source of flavor degradation is microbial growth. Another source of flavor degradation is oxidation of certain unsaturated compounds. Additionally, oxidation can also be a cause of degradation of vitamin compounds. For instance, certain water soluble vitamins, oil soluble vitamins, flavor oils, and flavor essences can be degraded by oxidation if dissolved oxygen is present in the beverage container.
Microbial degradation can result from accidental inoculation of the beverage products during manufacturing or packaging. Food spoilage microorganisms can then rapidly proliferate by feeding on nutrients provided by the fruit juice component of the noncarbonated dilute juice beverages. Flavor degradation and vitamin degradation due to oxidation can occur when dissolved oxygen and a catalyst, such as metal ions, are present in the packaged beverage, or when the beverage package is relatively oxygen permeable, such as in the case of relatively inexpensive plastic packaging, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) packages. Such plastic containers can provide a relatively poor barrier to oxygen, when compared to containers made of glass or metal. Oxygen passing through the container can cause oxidation of beverage ingredients which include water and oil soluble components, including vitamins and flavor components including flavor oils. This oxidation can result in the loss of vitamin content and the formation of undesirable flavors and/or odors.
Microbial stability in dilute beverage products can be provided to some extent by heat pasteurizing during packaging (hot packing) or by packaging under completely aseptic conditions (aseptic packaging). Special packaging constructions for providing a barrier between oxygen in the atmosphere and the beverage can also be used to reduce the amount of oxygen that enters the beverage over time. However, such processing or packaging methods are generally undesirable from a cost and complexity standpoint. Also, flexible containers made from polymeric materials, such as high density polyethylene, which have become more popular with consumers, should not be subjected to the pasteurization temperatures utilized during hot packing operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,940 to Calderas et al. discloses a beverage containing a polyphosphate and a preservative for beverage products that are to be stored at ambient temperatures for at least about 10 days without substantial microbial proliferation. One disadvantage associated with the polyphosphate disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,940 is that, over time, the effectiveness of the polyphosphate as a chelating agent may be reduced. Without being limited by theory, it is believed that the chain length of the polyphosphate can be reduced over time, such as by hydrolysis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, Applicants have found that it would be desirable to provide a beverage product which has the antimicrobial effectiveness of a polyphosphate and preservative combination, yet maintains chelation activity in the beverage for a substantially longer period of time than is provided by polyphosphates.
Applicants have discovered that dilute juice beverages fortified with vitamins can lose at least some vitamin content to oxidation, despite the use of a polyphosphate and preservative combination. Without being limited by theory, it is believed that trace metal ions in the beverage can be a food source for microbes, and can also serve as a catalyst for oxidation of compounds such as vitamins and flavor oils.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a beverage composition is provided having a first chelating agent, which can comprise an aminopolycarboxylic acid, such as ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), and a second chelating agent, which can comprise a polyphosphate. The first chelating agent provides chelating properties over an extended length of time as compared to the second chelating agent, and is present in quantities effective to reduce the rate of oxidation of vitamins and flavor oils. The second chelating agent provides chelating properties over a relatively shorter period of time as compared to the first chelating agent. The second chelating agent can have a rate of degradation by hydrolysis which is greater than that of the first chelating agent.
The second chelating agent, in combination with a preservative, is present in quantities effective to kill microbes which may be present during the initial packaging of the beverage. The presence of second chelating agent is effective in reducing microbial activity during the early portion of the beverage's shelf life, while the first chelating agent provides sustained chelating activity to preserve vitamins and flavor compounds in the beverage over longer periods of time.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a noncarbonated, vitamin enriched beverage composition comprises added water, ascorbic acid, flavor oils, between about 20 and about 30 ppm of EDTA, a preservative such as potassium sorbate, and about 300 to about 3000 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula:
where n averages from about 17 to about 60.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, “microbial proliferation” means a 100 fold increase or greater in the number of beverage spoilage microorganisms in a noncarbonated beverage product after an initial contamination level of about 10 cfu/ml. Beverage products described as “microbially stable” exhibit less than a 100 fold increase in the level of microorganisms when stored at 73° F. for at least 28 days, following an initial contamination level of 10 cfu/ml of spoilage microorganisms. Beverages described as “microbially unstable” exhibit more than a 100 fold increase in the level of microorganisms when stored at 73° F. for 28 days, following an initial contamination level of 10 cfu/ml of spoilage microorganisms.
As used herein, the term “noncarbonated beverage products” refers to beverage products having less than 1 volume of carbonation.
As used herein, the term “comprising” means various components can be conjointly employed in the preparation of the noncarbonated beverage products of the present invention.
As used herein “lipid soluble” refers to the portion of plant or animal tissue which dissolves when the plant or animal tissue is extracted with a nonpolar solvent (e.g. ether, chloroform, benzene, or an alkane). Lipid soluble components include carboxylic acids (or fatty acids), glyceryl trialkanoates (or neutral fats), phospholipids, glycolipids, waxes, terpenes, steroids, and prostaglandins.
All weights, parts and percentages used herein are based on weight unless otherwise specified.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,940 to Calderas et al. and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/892,674 now abandoned filed Jul. 14, 1997 in the names of Smith et al. are incorporated herein by reference.
The beverage compositions of the present invention comprise a first chelating agent and a second chelating agent. The first chelating agent can comprise an aminopolycarboxylic acid, such as ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). The second chelating agent can comprise a food grade polyphosphate, such as sodium hexametaphoshpate. The first chelating agent provides chelating properties over an extended length of time as compared to the second chelating agent, and is present in quantities effective to prevent the oxidation of vitamins and flavor oils. The second chelating agent provides chelating properties over a relatively shorter period of time as compared to the first chelating agent. The second chelating agent can have
Cox Donald Joseph
Kearney Donald Raymond
Kirksey, Jr. Sanford Theodore
McDow-Dunham Kelly L.
Pratt Helen
Roof Carl J.
The Procter & Gamble Co.
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