Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact... – Treating liquid material
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-14
2001-09-25
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...
Treating liquid material
C426S066000, C426S330500, C426S548000, C426S597000, C426S599000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06294214
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to noncarbonated beverage products with improved microbial stability. Such stability is provided primarily by a novel combination within the beverage products of a polyphosphate, a preservative and water of a specified hardness, and preferably of a specified alkalinity.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Controlling microbial growth in noncarbonated dilute juice beverages is an ongoing concern among beverage manufacturers. Such beverage products, when exposed to food spoilage microorganisms, provide an excellent environment for rapid microbial growth. Such exposure can, and infrequently does, 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.
Of course, microbial proliferation in noncarbonated dilute juice beverages will not occur without the requisite product exposure to yeast or bacteria. Manufacturing and packaging operations directed to the prevention of such exposure is preferred, but provisions are often made for any infrequent accidental exposure to the isolated beverage product. Such provisions are directed to limiting or preventing subsequent microbial proliferation to thus limit or prevent food spoilage.
Subsequent microbial proliferation in noncarbonated dilute juice beverages can be controlled to some extent by maintaining the beverages in cold storage, e.g., less than about 10° C. Microbial proliferation in noncarbonated dilute juice beverages can also be controlled or limited to some extent by manufacturing and storing the beverages as frozen concentrates. Microbial proliferation is further inhibited in frozen concentrates by even lower storage temperatures and by reduced water activity in the concentrate. However, whether refrigerated as a noncarbonated dilute juice beverage or stored as a frozen concentrate, such beverages still require cold storage which is much more expensive than storage under ambient conditions. Moreover, there is limited cold storage space in retail stores in which such noncarbonated dilute juice beverages or frozen concentrates can be stored.
Beverage products which can be maintained under ambient conditions, e.g. at about 20° C., are more preferred than chilled beverages or frozen concentrates from a storage cost standpoint. However, ambient temperatures promote subsequent microbial proliferation in noncarbonated dilute juice beverages.
Beverage products can be maintained under ambient conditions provided that such beverages are heat pasteurized during packaging (hot packing) or are packaged under completely aseptic conditions (aseptic packaging). Hot packing involves pasteurization of the beverage and its container such that the resulting sealed beverage product contains no food spoilage microorganism. Likewise, packaging under completely aseptic conditions will produce a beverage product completely free of food spoilage microorganisms. Accordingly, these beverage products can be stored under ambient conditions since there are assuredly no food spoilage microorganisms therein to feed on the beverage nutrients and rapidly proliferate.
Aseptic packaging methods, however, are often unsuitable for manufacturing beverages products packaged in certain beverage containers, e.g., rigid containers such as glass and cans. An aseptic or sterile environment is difficult to maintain during aseptic packaging operations. Frequent cleaning of the packaging line is necessary which is time consuming, expensive and is too frequently ineffective in preventing microbial contamination.
Hot packing methods are likewise unsuitable for manufacturing certain types of beverage products. This well known method involves heat pasteurization of the juice beverage during packaging at temperatures of between about 85°-105° C. This method is commonly utilized in the manufacture of canned or bottled (glass) beverages. However, not all beverage containers can withstand heat-pasteurization during packaging. For example, flexible containers made from high density polyethylene, which have become more popular with consumers, should not be subjected to the pasteurization temperatures utilized during hot packing operations.
Preservatives have been used in noncarbonated dilute juice beverages to provide some degree of microbial inhibition. Preservatives commonly used in beverage products include, for example, sorbates, benzoates, organic acids, and combinations thereof. However, such preservatives often contribute an off-flavor to the beverage products when used at the levels necessary to inhibit subsequent microbial proliferation at ambient temperatures. Moreover, when used at concentrations sufficiently low to avoid off-flavor development, such preservatives have heretofore been unable to effectively inhibit the growth of many preservative resistant spoilage microorganisms.
Accordingly, most noncarbonated dilute juice beverages are hot packed in cans or glass bottles, aseptically packaged, or they are maintained in cold storage until consumed.
The foregoing considerations involving the effective inhibition of subsequent microbial proliferation in noncarbonated dilute juice beverage products indicates that there is a continuing need to identify noncarbonated dilute juice beverage products that can be manufactured without the use of hot packing or aseptic packing operations, and that can be stored at ambient temperatures without the use of excessive concentrations of preservatives. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such noncarbonated dilute juice beverage products and processes for preparing them, and further to provide such beverage products which can be maintained at ambient temperatures for at least about 10 days, preferably for at least about 20 days, without substantial microbial proliferation therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to noncarbonated dilute juice beverage products that can be stored at ambient temperatures for at least about 10 days without substantial microbial proliferation secondary to product exposure to preservative resistant beverage spoilage microorganisms. The beverage products do not require hot packing, aseptic packing or the incorporation of excessive amounts of preservatives to provide the requisite inhibition of microbial proliferation during storage.
Essential elements of the noncarbonated beverage products of the present invention include from about 100 ppm to about 1000 ppm of a preservative selected from the group consisting of sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof; from about 0.1% to about 40% by weight of fruit juice; and from about 300 ppm to about 3000 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula
where n averages from about 3 to about 100 and each M is independently selected from the group of sodium and potassium atoms. The noncarbonated beverage products further comprise from about 80% to about 99% added water by weight of the beverage products, wherein the added water contains from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness, and preferably from 0 ppm to about 300 ppm of alkalinity. The noncarbonated beverage products have a pH of from about 2.5 to about 4.5 and an ambient display time of at least about 10 days.
It was found that control of water hardness, and to some extent control of water alkalinity, are essential in the noncarbonated beverage products herein in order to allow the preservative system to effectively inhibit subsequent microbial proliferation for at least about 10 days at ambient temperatures. These noncarbonated beverage products can therefore be displayed on supermarket shelves at ambient temperatures for at least about 10 days, typically for between about 10 and about 20 days, more typically for at least about 20 days, without the need for costly and limited cold storage space, and without the need for aseptic or hot packing manufacturing methods.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENT
Calderas Jonathan Javier
Graumlich Thomas Ray
Jenkins Leonard
Sabin Robert Phillip
McDow-Dunham Kelly L.
Pratt Helen
Roof Carl J.
Rosnell Tara M.
The Procter & Gamble Co.
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