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,...
Patent
1996-01-11
1998-01-27
Lacey, David L.
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,...
426331, 426102, 426103, 426281, 426321, 426615, 426620, A23L 1212, A23L 109, A23B 708, A23B 714
Patent
active
057119848
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to treatment of an edible product and in particular to the lowering of the equilibrium relative humidity of a dried edible product such as fruit whilst retaining some degree of aesthetically pleasing appearance, texture and/or flavour.
Edible products such as dried fruit, in particular sultanas, currants, or raisins, are frequently incorporated into breakfast products, such as muesli, which contain cereal or cereal products such as bran or oats. Sultanas when dried so as to still have a plump, juicy appearance usually have an equilibrium relative humidity (E.R.H.) of about 60%. The E.R.H. of cereal or bran is usually much lower than this; typically 25-30%. When sultanas are mixed with such cereal products and stored, as occurs with mass produced breakfast products, in a relatively airtight enclosure, the cereal product absorbs water from the sultanas as the E.R.H. values of all the ingredients tend to wards equilibrium. Consequently the sultanas become shrivelled, hard and less pleasing to the consumer.
It is known that by infusing a humectant into the dried fruit which lowers the E.R.H. value, the tendency for the fruit to dry out further is reduced. One known process of adding a humectant to a fruit comprises covering the fruit in a liquid humectant and leaving the fruit to stand while the humectant is gradually absorbed into the fruit. However, such a process can in some instances take up to a couple of weeks before a suitable E.R.H. is reached.
The present invention aims to provide an alternative method of reducing the E.R.H. value of an edible product, and in one broad form the invention comprises the following steps:
applying a solution, incorporating a first humectant in a liquid form, to the product whereby at least a part of the first humectant is absorbed into the edible product;
applying a second humectant, in a solid form, to the product so that the second humectant absorbs residual moisture and is itself absorbed into the product;
wherein both the first and second humectants are effective in reducing the equilibrium relative humidity to a predetermined level.
The two-fold effect of the solid humectant absorbing excess moisture left on or in the edible product whilst increasing the humectant levels in the product results in the equilibrium relative humidity being reduced to the predetermined level at a greater rate than with application of the solution alone.
The solution preferably includes water, since it has been found that including water in the solution increases the rate of absorption of the first humectant into the product.
Preferably, the solution is applied to the product in a first tumbling operation, whereby to maximise the absorption of the first humectant.
Preferably, the solid humectant is in the form of a powder that is preferably applied to the product prior to or during a second tumbling operation.
Preferably, the edible product comprises a fruit or vegetable and the method includes a step of softening a cuticle of the fruit or vegetable by washing the fruit or vegetable in water prior to application of the solution. The water is preferably at a temperature between 5.degree. C. and 40.degree. C.
Preferably the liquid humectant comprises one or more compounds selected from glycerine, or other polyhydric alcohols and sugars.
Preferably the solution is a glycerine/water mixture that comprises 75% to 85% glycerine by volume and preferably is applied to the fruit in the amount of 10-50 ml per kilogram of fruit.
Preferably the solid humectant composition comprises one or more compounds selected from the group comprising polyhydric alcohols and sugars. In any event, the selection of the first and second humectants should be such that the relative absorption properties result in the humectants being subjected to osmotic pressure toward the interior of the product.
The invention will now be described with reference to a non-limiting embodiment and examples.
Dried fruit and vegetables, whether it be sultanas, raisins, prunes, apricots or other fruit tends to stick
REFERENCES:
patent: 3952112 (1976-04-01), Fulger et al.
patent: 4256772 (1981-03-01), Shanbhag et al.
patent: 5000971 (1991-03-01), Hsieh
patent: 5084296 (1992-01-01), Lugay et al.
Wong Theresa May Len
Woodward Susan Isabel
Gazelle Foods Pty, Ltd.
Koh Choon P.
Lacey David L.
Munro Jack C.
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