Microorganism reduction methods and compositions for food...

Details Microorganism reduction methods and compositions for food... Microorganism reduction methods and compositions for food...

1999-12-16

2002-09-24

Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)

Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products

Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...

C426S335000, C426S615000, C252S182280, C510S293000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06455086

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to methods for making food, especially produce, safe for human consumption, while maintaining the palatability of said food, especially where sufficient pure water for rinsing said food is not available, and to compositions, especially in concentrated, or the corresponding diluted liquid form, which are suitable for practicing said methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fruits and vegetables, and sometimes other food products such as meats, poultry, fish and other seafood, and the like, are desirably washed prior to ingestion in order to remove soils and other unwanted residues which can be undesirably clinging to the surfaces thereof. Besides dirt, there can be other types of unwanted residues such as chemical residues and biological residues. Examples of chemical residues are pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers. Examples of biological residues are microorganisms that can be pathogenic. Uncooked protein food such as meat, poultry, fish and other seafood can develop undesirable odors, especially when they are stored for some time and are not fresh. It is desirable to have an effective cleaning method to remove these unwanted residues from food. The usual washing process requires a rinse step to effect physical removal of the soil and other unwanted residues. In many situations, however, a ready source of clean and/or pure water is not available for rinsing, even at a low level. It will be appreciated that the formulation of truly effective compositions, especially those which can be used safely by individual consumers, for making food, e.g., fruits and vegetables safe to eat and palatable, when an abundant source of safe water is not available for rinsing, presents a unique problem to the formulator. Many art-disclosed cleaning ingredients would, presumably, not be desirable for use in direct contact with foods where they are not completely removed and/or would not provide sufficient antimicrobial action.
Moreover, it would be especially desirable to provide effective, food compatible compositions for food, including fruits and vegetables and/or meats that can be sold in concentrated form and used to create dilute low-sudsing liquid solutions which can be used to effect antimicrobial action and which provide palatable food without a need for a rinse step. Dilute liquid solutions are convenient for the user, since they can be applied directly to soiled fruits and vegetables by simple immersion, thus ensuring that all parts of the food are treated. Clarity of the dilute liquids connotes cleanliness to the user and is thus highly desirable. Low sudsing is an important attribute so that the elimination of any suds is achieved quickly and easily. It is also of advantage if such concentrates can be diluted by the consumer using water that is not safe for use, since that is sometimes the only water that is available.
The present invention relates to food cleaning compositions, articles of manufacture and/or methods for treating food with said compositions. Preferably, food is immerged into said diluted compositions, with optional scrubbing, to remove unwanted residues and/or to restore their freshness, e.g., by reducing the unwanted off-odor, followed by draining and/or drying, especially without rinsing, said food being then ready for consumption and having desirable palatability. An optional rinsing step can also be done if clean water is available.
Food cleaning compositions of the present invention also provides a “scent signal” in the form of a pleasant odor, such as a fruity odor, which signals the removal of the malodor and/or other undesirable materials. The pleasant scent signal is provided by a perfume composition which is preferably “non-substantive”. A non-substantive perfume provides a pleasant odor but does not have the tendency to adhere to the food surface. Such non-substantive perfume is composed mainly of volatile perfume ingredients and/or ingredients that are fairly water soluble. For food cleaning compositions of this invention which are of solid, powder, or granular form, such volatile perfume composition is optionally, but preferably, contained in a water-activated perfume carrier which releases the perfume when the food cleaning composition is diluted with water. Examples of preferred water-activated perfume carriers are cyclodextrins, water-activated microcapsules, and mixtures thereof. It is also preferred that the food cleaning composition contain both encapsulated and free perfume.
It is desirable to provide further improvements such as a food compatible antimicrobial active and/or disinfectant that provides substantial reduction of microorganisms that cause, e.g., infections, etc., which can exist on food.
The food cleaning composition of the present invention can optionally contain odor controlling actives such as uncomplexed cyclodextrins and/or water soluble metal salts. Uncomplexed cyclodextrin molecules, which are made up of varying numbers of glucose units can absorb many organic materials, such as the chemical residues and off-odor molecules to improve their removability. Optional water soluble metal salts can also be added to complex with some nitrogen-containing and sulfur-containing pesticides and/or malodor molecules.
It is desirable for the materials incorporated in the food cleaning compositions of the present invention to be “food compatible”, e.g., suitable for direct or indirect food contact use and/or which can be approved as GRAS, prior sanctioned, or subject to GRAS approval via a GRAS petition, for example, a new chemical developed for this invention, and/or toxicologically acceptable to humans under usage conditions. Materials added to foods (additives) can be categorized as one of several types: (1) direct food additives; (2) indirect food additives; (3) GRAS ingredients (
g
enerally
r
ecognized
a
s
s
afe) either as direct or indirect food substances; (4) GRAS affirmed, a chemical which may be considered for GRAS classification after experts review adequate technical support data for the GRAS petition; and (5) prior sanctioned, a food ingredient of known food use and granted approval with respect to use of the substance in food prior to September 1958, by the FDA, or USDA.
Food additives include substances the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result, directly or indirectly, either in their becoming a component of food or otherwise affecting the characteristics of food. As an example, a material used in the production of food containers and/or packaging materials is subject to the definition if it may become an ingredient in the food, or to affect the characteristics, directly or indirectly, of the food in the container or package. In net, direct food additive are those materials which are added directly to foods to achieve a desirable or intended purpose.
Indirect food additives are those which are added to food containers and/or packages, and which may result in the food simply because of contact of the container/package with the food. Indirect food additives may include: (1) adhesives and components of coatings; (2) paper and paperboard components; (3) adjuvants, such as those used in the manufacture of foamed plastics, and sanitizers. Sanitizers used in food applications, as direct or indirect, are many and can consist of, but are not limited to: (1) aqueous hypochlorite (K, Na or Ca salts); (2) aqueous solutions of dichloroisocyanuric acid, trichloroisocyanuric acid, or the sodium or potassium salts of these acids, either with, or without, the bromides of potassium, sodium, and/or calcium; (3) anionic surfactant solutions such as dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, and/or sodium lauryl sulfate; or mixtures of these together or with other anionic surfactants as allowed under FDA regulations; (4) aqueous fatty acid solutions containing decanoic acid, octanoic acid, lactic acid and other ingredients; (5) aqueous solutions comprised of hydrogen peroxide, peroxyacetic acid, acetic acid, sulfuric acid and other ingredients as allowed by FDA regulati

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