Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Dormant ferment containing product – or live microorganism...
Patent
1990-11-27
1994-07-19
Golian, Joseph
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Dormant ferment containing product, or live microorganism...
426589, 426 43, 426 56, 426 52, 426 87, A23L 139
Patent
active
053307755
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to liquid food products such as soups and sauces, and to methods of treating such products so as to extend their permissible shelf life.
Soups, sauces, and other liquid food products of low acidity (pH>4.5) can provide an ideal environment for the growth of micro-organisms. They are generally made from a wide variety of ingredients and can carry a wide range of initial micro-organisms. Treatment at high temperature under pressure (UHT processing) substantially sterilizes the product, but micro-organisms remaining in minute amounts or entering the packaging can produce the risk of food poisoning or other diseases. Consequently, if the packaging is not aseptic the permitted shelf life must be short (of the order of days). Aseptic packaging increases the cost of the product to the consumer.
The present invention is based on the idea of introducing into a sterilized liquid food product a known micro-biological contaminant which will cause evident spoilage of the product after a given period of storage, so that the consumer will be obliged to discard the product before any harmful bacteria have grown.
The invention provides a liquid food product comprising a major component which is substantially sterile and a minor component which is non-sterile but substantially free of all micro-organisms liable to cause disease.
The invention also provides a method of treating a liquid food product, comprising sterilizing the food product and then introducing into it a minor amount of a non-sterile component substantially free of all micro-organisms liable to cause disease.
The preferred sterilization procedure is heating above 100.degree. C. at superatmospheric pressure, but any other convenient procedure may be used, e.g. irradiation.
The non-sterile component may be any suitable medium carrying one or more types of food spoilage micro-organism, in such a quantity that after mixing with the sterile component there are sufficient food spoilage organisms to substantially ensure that, after packing, preferably in a hermetically sealed container, there will be at least one spoilage organism per pack. The number of spoilage organisms required in each batch of the food product will depend on the pack size: the larger the pack size, the lower the number of organisms required. It is preferable for the non-sterile component to be a natural food substance, of animal or vegetable origin, produced under conditions in which it is free of disease-causing micro-organisms but will inevitably contain food-spoiling bacteria. Such substances, e.g. raw or pasteurised dairy products, are cheap and readily available, and they may enhance the flavour of the product.
Since the food spoilage eventually caused by the non-sterile component will be evident to the consumer, it will prevent him from consuming the food product after the nominal permitted storage period has elapsed. In the absence of such evident spoilage, a food product might be kept for too long and become contaminated with harmful, not readily detectable bacteria. Suitable evidence of spoilage may be a change in texture (thickening), appearance (colour), and/or smell.
EXAMPLE
Production of Fresh Soups and Sauces
After prior preparation, the ingredients of the soup or sauce are mixed in an agitated processing vessel and are subjected to a short period of processing at high temperature under pressure. The time and the temperature depend on the ingredient mixture and the size of any particulates in the liquid phase.
The product is then rapidly cooled by vacuum to 100.degree. C., when a predetermined quantity of raw or pasteurised dairy products are added to the batch by vacuum (5 to 15% by volume).
The temperature of the batch is then stabilised at 75.degree.-85.degree. C. and the product is fed via sterile pipework and filled into clean containers ensuring that the temperature after filling is in excess of 75.degree. C. (pasteurisation temperature).
The containers are immediately sealed and held for two minutes to ensure pasteurisation of the container.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2485566 (1949-10-01), Clark
patent: 3206317 (1965-09-01), Golber
patent: 3899594 (1975-08-01), Nickerson et al.
patent: 4874704 (1989-10-01), Boudreaux et al.
patent: 4894243 (1990-01-01), Ahrne 426 43
Froud, N., 1972, "The World Book of Soups", Drake Publishers Inc., New York, pp. 97 & 108.
DeGouy, L. P., 1949, "The Soup Book--770 Recipes", Dover Publications Inc., New York, pp. 162-163.
Berolzheimer, R., 1953, "250 Delicious Soups", Consolidated Book Publishers, Chicago, Ill., p. 17.
Montagne, P. 1977, "The New Laronsse Gastronomique", Crown Publishers, Inc. New York, pp. 816-819.
Golian Joseph
The New Covent Garden Soup Company Limited
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