Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coating of a solid food with a liquid
Patent
1986-12-08
1988-12-13
Golian, Joseph
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coating of a solid food with a liquid
426 93, 426 96, 426638, 426511, 426650, 426309, 426310, A23L 300, A23L 122
Patent
active
047909951
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention concerns a process for sterilising spices, in particular whole spices in a sealed container at a temperature above 100.degree. C.
In the past, in particular whole spices, such as pepper, were sterilised by means of ethylene oxide. This treatment has been or will be prohibited in many countries because of the toxicity of ethylene oxide.
Sterilisation at 160.degree. C. as described in the SE Published Application No. 346 061 and the DE Auslegeschrift No. 1 927 228 is not tolerated by spices because they char at such a high temperature.
Attempts have also been made at sterilising spices by means of a shearing treatment, cf. the EP Patent Specification No. 12 813. This method comprises subjecting spices and spice plants to shearing forces of at least 2000 Newton, in particular, in an extruder. Such a treatment is not very gentle to spices. Whole spices, e.g. peppercorns, will often be crushed, and aroma will be lost because of the crushing or grinding, whether intended or not. The treated product has a germ number of about 10 to 100 per gram.
The object of the invention is to provide an effective process for sterilising spices, which is not vitiated by the drawbacks of the known processes, and which in particular does not involve a simultaneous loss of aroma. This is obtained by the process of the invention which is characterized by coating the spice with an edible coating before the heat treatment. Such coating of a thin layer of edible material has the surprising effect that aroma losses are widely avoided. Further, the spice product will be practically germ-free. This is especially true where larger spice particles are involved, e.g. whole peppercorns. Thus, the invention is particularly advantageous in the sterilisation of whole pepper, black or white, but is also useful in connection with e.g. whole coriander, poppy seeds, caraway, cumin, clove, ginger and nutmeg. It is moreover advantageous in connection with various leaf spices, including thyme.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,913 discloses a coating process in connection with spray drying of condiment particles, such as flavourings and spices, where a dispersion containing the substance is provided with a coating which may optionally contain proteins, and the coated product is then dried. The process involves no sterilisation. The purpose of the coating may be purely decorative, to provide a flavoured coating or to protect e.g. sticky substances which are otherwise difficult to handle. Fungistats, bacteriostats and antioxidants may be added to the coating. Such a coating can in no way replace an ethylene dioxide treatment for sterilisation without any loss of aroma.
In the process of the invention, the heat treatment is preferably effected at 105.degree. to 110.degree. C. for about 5 minutes to about 2 hours. Too strong and too long heating ruin the aroma of the spice or its entire consistency (Maillard reaction). The upper limits of the heat treatment therefore depend on the nature of the spice, so-called burning being tolerated or preferred e.g. with regard to curry for certain uses. If the treatment is effected at lower temperatures and/or for too short a period, the desired sterilisation will not be obtained. A longer treatment period, up to about 2 hours, is often desirable for the treatment of large quantities and/or particularly contaminated spices, e.g. spices contaminated with sporogenous bacteria.
The selection of coating material is not particularly critical. Many different coating materials may be used, such as collagen or carbohydrates.
The selection of material depends upon the spice and its use. In the present invention it is preferred to use collagen proteins, e.g. animal protein in the form of an extract of bones, preferably hydrolysed to an average molecular weight of about 120,000. Such a material is inexpensive and can be tolerated throughout the food industry and also in domestic cooking.
Up to about 2% by weight of coating material may be used, based on the spice weight, but an amount of about 0.5 to 1.5% by weight is us
REFERENCES:
patent: 3985913 (1976-10-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 4210678 (1980-07-01), Bayusik et al.
patent: 4230687 (1980-10-01), Sair et al.
patent: 4232047 (1980-11-01), Sair et al.
Golian Joseph
Scanflavour A/S
LandOfFree
Process for sterilizng spices does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Process for sterilizng spices, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Process for sterilizng spices will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2195541