Stabilising beverages
OwnerGraham J. Earl, Ian P. McKeowninventors
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Abstract
A process for stabilising a beverage against haze formation comprises treating the beverage with a stabilising agent comprising a particulate silica having a mean pore diameter of at least 6 nm and which has been modified by interaction with a water-soluble polymer having pendant pyrrolidone groups, the polymer being present on the silica in an amount from 5 to 35 per cent by weight with respect to anhydrous weight of silica.
Claims13
A process for stabilising a beverage against haze formation comprising treating the beverage with a stabilising agent comprising a particulate silica having a mean pore diameter of at least 6 nm and which has been modified by interaction of silica particles with a water-soluble polymer having pendant pyrrolidone groups, the polymer being present on the silica in an amount from 5 to 35 percent by weight with respect to anhydrous weight of silica.
A process according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the silica has a pore volume to nitrogen in the range 0.5 to 2.5 cm3g−1.
A process according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the silica has a weight mean particle size in the range 2 to 100 micrometers.
A process according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the silica has a total moisture content in the range 2 to 70 percent by weight.
A process according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the water-soluble polymer is a copolymer or homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone.
A process according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the amount of water-soluble polymer present on the silica is in the range 10 to 30 percent by weight based on weight of anhydrous silica.
A process according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the stabilising agent is mixed with the beverage at a dose level in the range 50 to 500 g/m3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.