Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coating of a solid food with a liquid – Preserving
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-16
2001-03-20
Cano, Milton (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coating of a solid food with a liquid
Preserving
C426S089000, C426S302000, C426S321000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203833
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed to a process for preserving fresh produce by coating the same with a coating composition capable of controlling the transmission of gases into and out of the produce during maturation and/or ripening of the produce.
BACKGROUND ART
Current techniques for the preservation of fresh produce consist of temperature and/or pressure treatment or control, wax and similar coating techniques, synthetic polymer coating techniques, and polymer packaging.
Various coating compositions have been proposed, e.g., a petroleum solvent solution of a waxy film former and a fungicide (U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,259), a mixture of lard, tallow and lecithin applied in molten state (U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,347), hydrogenated jojoba oil (U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,197), a salt of carboxylic acid and an alkyl amine (U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,156), a 3% oil-in-water emulsion of hydrogenated vegetable oil, stearic acid and an anionic emulsifier (U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,057), the combination of a food acid, an edible reducing agent and a carbohydrate thickener followed by freezing (U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,091), a denatured proteinaceous solution of soybeans, wheat and corn (U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,159), simultaneously scrubbing and drenching with a liquid containing a fungicide (U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,738), a slurry consisting of by-products of the produce and certain sugars and acids (U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,648), a mixture of a polysaccharide polymer, a preservative, an acidulent and emulsifiers (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,198,254 and 5,376,391), and a light-activated composition (U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,442).
Various forms of produce packaging are disclosed, by way of example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,769,262; 5,030,510; 5,093,080; 5,160,768; 5,427,807; 5,547,693; and 5,575,418.
Some Russian and Japanese publications have proposed the use of polyvinyl alcohol as a gas barrier coating for produce, but few if any of these suggestions have found their way into the commercial market.
Applications Ser. No. 09/229,374, filed Jan. 13, 1999 now abandoned and allowed Ser. No. 09/461,124, filed Dec. 14, 1999, commonly owned by the assignee of this application, disclose a highly improved process for preserving fresh produce and coating compositions therefor comprised of substantially hydrolyzed cold water insoluble polyvinyl alcohol, low molecular weight cold water soluble starch, and surfactant. Optional additional ingredients are plasticizers, antimicrobials, and antifoaming agents. Preferably the starch is maltodextrin, the surfactant lecithin or dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, the antimicrobial methylparaben, and the plasticizer glycerin. However, in order to be effective in preserving fresh produce, the amount of polyvinyl alcohol required in the coating composition is deemed by regulatory authorities to render the coating nonedible for human consumption.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a new, improved and highly economical process for preserving fresh produce, and a new and improved coating composition therefor.
Another object is to provide a process for preserving fresh produce that prolongs the period during which the produce may be stored at ambient temperatures without critical deterioration of the produce.
A further object is to provide a process for preserving fresh produce that significantly delays maturation and ripening of freshly harvested produce and therefore prolongs the duration of time between harvesting and the state in which the produce is in prime condition for consumption.
In particular, it is a prime object of the invention to provide a coating for preserving fresh produce that regulatory authorities will find is edible and safe for consumption by humans.
In accordance with the invention, the new and improved process resides in the application to the exterior surface of fresh produce of an improved coating composition comprising an aqueous solution of from about 0.5 to about 4 percent by weight of a cellulose derivative, such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) or methyl cellulose (MC), from about 0.05 to about 0.5 percent by weight of konjac, and from about 0.03 to about 0.1 percent by weight of surfactant, preferably dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate. Optional additional ingredients include antimicrobials, plasticizers and antifoaming agents.
The coating composition limits but does not prevent respiratory exchange, i.e., transmission of oxygen (air) into the produce, transmission of gases, e.g., ethylene and carbon dioxide, out of the produce, and water vapor transmission, thereby to control, typically to prolong, the maturation and ripening process and, in turn, to increase the permissible storage time between harvest and consumption.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those of reasonable skill in the art from the following detailed description.
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A paper prepared by the applicant entitled “Preservation Coating for Bananas” describing the maturation process and current technologies for the preservation of bananas.
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Mao Lijun
Petcavich Robert J.
Yang Li
Yang Xiaoming
Cano Milton
Greer Burns & Crain Ltd.
Juettner Thomas R.
Planet Polymer Technologies, Inc.
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