Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-09
2003-03-04
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
C426S052000, C426S478000, C426S481000, C426S489000, C426S521000, C424S195110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06528106
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to dietary fiber obtained from the
Morinda citrifolia
plant and to the process of extracting and purifying the fiber.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The Indian Mulberry plant, known scientifically as
Morinda citrifolia
L., is a shrub, or small or medium sized tree 3 to 10 meters high. It grows in tropical coastal regions around the world. The plant grows randomly in the wild, and it has been cultivated in plantations and small individual growing plots. The Indian mulberry plant has somewhat rounded branches and evergreen, opposite (or spuriously alternate), dark, glossy, wavy, prominently-veined leaves. The leaves are broadly elliptic to oblong, pointed at both ends, 10-30 cm in length and 5-15 cm wide.
The Indian mulberry flowers are small, white, 3 to 5 lobed, tubular, fragrant, and about 1.25 cm long. The flowers develop into compound fruits composed of many small drupes fused into an ovoid, ellipsoid or roundish, lumpy body, 5-10 cm long, 5-7 cm thick, with waxy, white or greenish-white or yellowish, semi-translucent skin. The fruit contains “eyes” on its surface, similar to a potato. The fruit is juicy, bitter, dull-yellow or yellowish-white, and contains numerous red-brown, hard, oblong-triangular, winged, 2-celled stones, each containing about 4 seeds.
When fully ripe, the fruit has a pronounced odor like rancid cheese. Although the fruit has been eaten by several nationalities as food, the most common use of the Indian mulberry plant was as a red and yellow dye source. Recently, there has been an interest in the nutritional and health benefits of the Indian mulberry plant.
It would be a significant advancement in the art to provide dietary fiber from the Indian mulberry plant and to provide a process for obtaining the dietary fiber extracted from the Indian mulberry plant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method of obtaining
Morinda citrifolia
dietary fiber and to products containing the fiber. In one currently preferred embodiment of the method, a quantity of
Morinda citrifolia
juice and pulp is obtained. The wet pulp is filtered from the juice, wherein the wet pulp has a fiber content of from 10% to 40%, by weight. The wet pulp is preferably pasteurized at a temperature of at least 181° F. (83° C.). The wet pulp can be dried or used wet. Drying is preferably accomplished using conventional drying techniques, such as freeze drying, drum drying, tray drying, sun drying, and spray drying. The dried
Morinda citrifolia
pulp preferably has a moisture content in the range from 0.1% to 15%, by weight and a fiber content in the range from 0.% to 30%, by weight.
The
Morinda citrifolia
pulp can be further processed into a high fiber dietary product containing additional ingredients, such as a supplemental dietary fiber, a sweetener, a flavoring agent, coloring agent, and/or a nutritional ingredient.
In another preferred embodiment of the method, a quantity of
Morinda citrifolia
juice and pulp is obtained and pasteurized or enzymatically treated. The juice and pulp mixture is then dried to a moisture content less than about 20%, by weight. The dried juice and pulp contains protein from the
Morinda citrifolia
plant at a concentration typically from 0.1 to 15%, by weight, and fiber at a concentration from 0.1 to 20%, by weight. Additional ingredients are preferably mixed to the dried juice and pulp, such as a supplemental nutritional ingredient with the juice and pulp.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to dietary fiber from the Indian mulberry (
Morinda citrifolia
) plant and to the process of extracting and purifying the fiber. The fiber is obtained as a byproduct of the production of
Morinda citrifolia
juice.
In a currently preferred process of producing
Morinda citrifolia
juice production, the fruit is either hand picked or picked by mechanical equipment. The fruit can be harvested when it is at least one inch (2-3 cm) and up to 12 inches (24-36 cm) in diameter. The fruit preferably has a color ranging from a dark green through a yellow-green up to a white color, and gradations of color in between. The fruit is thoroughly cleaned after harvesting and before any processing occurs.
The fruit is allowed to ripen or age from 0 to 14 days, with most fruit being held from 2 to 3 days. The fruit is ripened or aged by being placed on equipment so it does not contact the ground. It is preferably covered with a cloth or netting material during aging, but can be aged without being covered. When ready for further processing the fruit is light in color, from a light green, light yellow, white or translucent color. The fruit is inspected for spoilage or for excessively green color and hard firmness. Spoiled and hard green fruit is separated from the acceptable fruit.
The ripened and aged fruit is preferably placed in plastic lined containers for further processing and transport. The containers of aged fruit can be held from 0 to 30 days. Most fruit containers are held for 7 to 14 days before processing. The containers can optionally be stored under refrigerated conditions prior to further processing. The fruit is unpacked from the storage containers and is processed through a manual or mechanical separator. The seeds and peel are separated from the juice and pulp.
The juice and pulp can be packaged into containers for storage and transport. Alternatively, the juice and pulp can be immediately processed into finished juice product. The containers can be stored in refrigerated, frozen, or room temperature conditions. The
Morinda citrifolia
juice and puree are preferably blended in a homogenous blend and then mixed with the other ingredients. The other ingredients consist of, but are not limited to water, fruit juice concentrates, flavorings, sweeteners, nutritional ingredients, botanicals, and colorings. The finished juice product is preferably heated and pasteurized at a minimum temperature of 181° F. (83° C.) or higher up to 212° F. (100° C.).
The product is filled and sealed into a final container of plastic, glass, or another suitable material that can withstand the processing temperatures. The containers are maintained at the filling temperature or may be cooled rapidly and then placed in a shipping container. The shipping containers are preferably wrapped with a material and in a manner to maintain or control the temperature of the product in the final containers.
The juice and pulp are further processed by separating the pulp from the juice through filtering equipment. The filtering equipment preferably consists of, but is not limited to, a centrifuge decanter, a screen filter with a size from 1 micron up to 2000 microns, more preferably less than 500 microns, a filter press, reverse osmosis filtration, and any other standard commercial filtration devices. The operating filter pressure preferably ranges from 0.1 psig up to about 1000 psig. The flow rate preferably ranges from 0.1 gpm up to 1000 gpm, and more preferably between 5 and 50 gpm. The wet pulp is washed and filtered at least once and up to 10 times to remove any juice from the pulp. The wet pulp typically has a fiber content of 10% to 40%, by weight. The wet pulp is preferably pasteurized at a temperature of 181° F. (83° C.) minimum and then packed in drums for further processing or made into a high fiber product.
The wet pulp may be further processed by drying. The methods of drying consist of but are not limited to freeze drying, drum drying, tray drying, sun drying, and spray drying. The dried
Morinda citrifolia
pulp preferably has a moisture content in the range from 0.1% to 15%, by weight and more preferably from 5% to 10%, by weight. The dried pulp preferably has a fiber content in the range from 0. 1% to 30%, by weight, and more preferably from 5% to 15%, by weight.
The high fiber product typically includes, but is not limited to, wet or dry
Morinda citrifolia
pulp, supplemental fiber ingredients, water, sweeteners, flavoring agents, coloring agents, and nutritional ingredients. T
Jensen C. Jarakae
Story Stephen P.
Wadsworth John J.
Kirton & McConkie
Krieger Michael F.
Morinda, Inc.
Pratt Helen
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