Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Beverage or beverage concentrate
Utility Patent
1999-11-12
2001-01-02
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Beverage or beverage concentrate
C426S018000, C426S020000, C426S021000, C426S028000, C426S049000, C426S599000, C426S650000
Utility Patent
active
06168821
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a nutritional product, and more particularly, to a liquid nutritional product containing natural grains and/or grain derivatives, as well as a method for the preparation thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the food industry, there has been a growing demand for the production of nutritional food products. One class of nutritional food products are those containing natural grains and fibers. These types of foods are typically low in fat, have been shown to lower cholesterol, contain a high proportion of polyunsaturated fats, contain many essential amino acids and minerals, contain a high proportion of protein, and provide other physiological benefits. Historically, the common source of grains and fibers has been in the form of breads and cereals. The use of natural grains and fibers in other foods has been less successful due to the insolubility of the grain and fiber and the inability to mask the taste and/or texture of the grains and fibers in various food products.
Due to the popularity of natural grains and fibers, there have been significant developments in the processing of grains and fibers. Several grain derivatives have been developed for use in various other foods. Two such products are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,377,602; 4,996,063 and 5,686,123, all of which are incorporated herein by reference as background information. Conrad 4,377,602 discloses the preparation of hydrolyzed products made from whole grains. The grains are subjected to a proteolytic enzyme and amylase to obtain a liquid fraction containing soluble proteins and soluble starch. Inglett U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,063 discloses the preparation of water-soluble dietary fiber compositions. The grains are treated with amylases to obtain a liquid containing soluble proteins. Lindahl U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,123 discloses the preparation of a cereal suspension. The grains are treated with &agr;-amylase and &bgr;-amylase to obtain a milky liquid containing soluble &bgr;-glucan. The derivative products may be used as a fat mimetic in various food products or can be added to a variety of food products.
Although grains and their derivative products have been used in a wide variety of foods, the use of such products in conjunction with fruits and vegetables have produced unacceptable products. The problems associated with adding grains and/or grain derivatives to fruit juices and/or vegetable juices poses even more problems. The grain derivatives tend to discolor the juice product, produce a cloudy juice product, form sediment in the juice product, adversely affect the flavor of the juice product and produces an undesired aftertaste in the juice product. As a result, there continues to be a demand for a fruit and/or vegetable drink which has enhanced nutritional value from grains, and is pleasing in taste and appearance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a juice product which includes the added nutritional advantages associated with grains. More particularly, the invention relates to a fruit juice and/or vegetable juice which includes natural grains and/or a derivative product of the grain to enhance the nutritional value of the juice without adversely affecting the flavor and appearance of the juice.
In accordance with the specific embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a fruit juice and/or vegetable juice which includes a grain and/or grain derivative. The grain derivative includes soluble proteins, starches, amino-acids, minerals and/or vitamins. Preferably the grain derivative includes glucans. Glucans are modified starches and proteins which exhibit excellent nutritional value and can lower cholesterol levels. One particular type of glucan which is used is &bgr;-glucans. This type of glucan has been recognized by the FDA to positively affect cholesterol levels in humans. The glucan content of the juice product is added in a sufficient amount to appreciatively enhance the nutritional value of the juice product and to lower cholesterol levels when regularly taken in effective amounts. The grain derivative may include soluble and non-soluble fibers or may be processed in a manner to eliminate the non-soluble fibers prior to the grain derivative being added to the juice product. The source of the glucan may be derived from grains such as oats, wheat, maize, barley, rye, corn, rice and mixtures thereof. In one particular embodiment, the glucans are substantially derived from oats.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the glucans are formed by an enzymic reaction with a natural grain. Preferably, the natural grain is treated with amylase such as alpha and/or beta amylase. The use of amylases as the enzymic reactant has been found to produce a large quantity of glucan from the natural grain. When the glucan content is to be substantially free of insoluble fibers, the insoluble fibers from the grain may be removed prior to or subsequent to the enzymic reaction. Once the enzymic reaction is completed, the glucans may be isolated from the resultant suspension, or added in part or whole to the fruit and/or vegetable juice. When the glucans are added to fruit juices, the insoluble fiber content of the glucan is preferably minimized. Insoluble fibers in fruit juices tend to settle due to the low viscous nature of the fruit juices thereby resulting in sediment in the fruit juice. This sediment is undesirable in many instances and can cause cloudiness in the fruit juice when the fruit juice is agitated. The insoluble fibers are preferably filtered out prior to adding the grain derivative to the fruit juice. The modified fruit juice is also preferably filtered prior to packaging to remove any remaining insoluble fibers. Higher viscosity fruit juices and most vegetable juices may have the insoluble fiber added or removed from the juice product. High viscous liquids inhibit and/or prevent the insoluble fibers from settling. The inclusion of the insoluble fibers in the juice product can provide added health benefits to the juice product.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, a flavoring agent is added to the juice product to mask the adverse flavors from the added natural grains and/or grain derivatives to the juice product. The addition of natural grains and/or grain derivatives produces an undesired aftertaste such as a bitter aftertaste in the juice product. The grains and/or grain derivatives can also produce undesired flavors in the juice product. A flavoring agent such as vanilla flavoring has been found to neutralize the bitter aftertaste from the added grains and/or grain derivatives. The vanilla flavoring also neutralizes and/or masks the undesirable flavors and other adverse flavors from the natural grains and grain derivatives. The vanilla flavoring may be a natural and/or artificial flavoring. As can be appreciated, the vanilla flavoring may be the sole flavoring agent and/or may be used with other flavoring agents such as almond flavoring to mask and/or neutralize the undesired aftertaste and/or undesired flavors from the natural grains and derivatives. The flavoring agent content can be at least 1.5%.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the juice product is acidified by the addition of one or more acids. The juice product is preferably an acidic product. For juice products based upon fruit juices, the pH is preferably less than 4.5. The pH can be at least as low as 3.5. For juice products based upon vegetable juice, the pH is preferably greater than 4.5. Acids such as malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, folic acid, ascorbic acid and/or pantothenic acid are added to the juice product to reduce the pH of the juice product.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the juice product is pasteurized to extend the life of the juice product. Preferably the juice product is pasteurized at temperatures of at least 165° F. and preferably between 165-290° F. The pasteurization process allows the juice produce to be sold as a she
Pratt Helen
The J. M. Smucker Company
Vickers Daniels & Young
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