Stuffed, flavored and packaged olives
AssigneeMusco Olive Products, Inc.
InventorsAbdulkadir Yussuf Sigal, Jesus Lopez Garcia, Maria Valeria Theall
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Abstract
The invention relates to olive processing, and includes methods for producing olives, as well as the olives produced thereby. In one aspect, the invention provides compositions directed towards packaged olive preparations having novel and beneficial characteristics, for example, olive preparations that are free of packing liquids such as brine solutions. In other aspects, the packaged olive preparations of the invention can have other beneficial properties, such as extended shelf life and flavored stuffings or flavor infusions. In other aspects, the invention provides methods for producing such olives. The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to black-ripe olives.
Claims14
A method for producing a packaged, acidified and substantially liquid-free olive preparation, the method comprising:
- (a) providing:
- (i) a plurality of olives, and
- (ii) a container substantially impervious to oxygen when sealed;
- (b) treating said olives with an alkali, thereby producing olives whose fruit is alkaline;
- (c) acidifying said olives by exposure to an acid selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, gluco-delta-lactone (GDL), citric acid, malic acid, adipic acid, or any combination of two or more of said acids, thereby producing acidified, blackened olives having a pH of not more than about pH 4.6;
- (d) packaging said acidified olives in the absence of any free liquid, where the packaging comprises:
- (i) distributing said acidified olives into said container, and
- (ii) sealing said container;
- and
- (e) treating the sealed container by retort processing utilizing a processing temperature of about 221° F. and a maximal pressure of 18-19 p.s.i. above atmospheric pressure to produce a packaged olive preparation that has a shelf life of about 12 months.
A method for producing a packaged, acidified and substantially liquid-free olive preparation, the method comprising:
- (a) providing:
- (i) a plurality of olives, and
- (ii) a container substantially impervious to oxygen when sealed;
- (b) acidifying said olives by exposing said olives to at least one acid, thereby producing acidified olives having a pH of not more than about pH 4.6;
- (c) packaging said acidified olives in the absence of any free liquid, where packaging comprises:
- (i) distributing said acidified olives into said container, and
- (ii) sealing said container;
- and
- (d) treating the sealed container by retort processing to a temperature of about 221° F. and a maximal pressure of 18-19 p.s.i. above atmospheric pressure, thereby producing an olive preparation having a shelf life of about 12 months.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.