Stabilizing and Dyeing Process for Strawberries
AssigneeATP S.p.A.
InventorDenis Gustavo Berndt Briceno
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method to stabilized and impart color to strawberries, which can be fresh, or optionally IQF treated. This method comprises several stages including cuticle removal, alkalinization of the fruit pulp, infusion of a soluble stabilizing agent by immersion in an alkaline media to give the necessary firmness and texture integrity, infusion of dyeing agents by immersion in an alkaline color solution, fixation of said color and stabilizing agents in an acidic solution that has been enriched with polyvalent cations, and ulterior processes to preserve and extend the shelf life.
Claims10
A method for dyeing and stabilizing a strawberry, comprising the steps of:
- a. immersing a strawberry in an alkaline solution and removing a cuticle layer of the strawberry;
- b. immersing the decuticled strawberry into the following solutions:
- i) an alkaline solution containing a stabilizing agent, and infusing the stabilizing agent into the decuticled strawberry;
- ii) an alkaline solution containing a dyeing agent, and infusing the dyeing agent into the decuticled strawberry;
- and
- iii) an acid solution that has been enriched with an ion selected from at least one of a calcium ions and a polyvalent cation, to fixate the stabilizing agent and the dyeing agent;
- and
- c. rinsing and storing the resulting strawberry.
The method of claim 10 wherein the subsequent processes to preserve and extend the shelf life is selected from the group consisting of pasteurization, ultra high pressure treatment, freezing, vacuum, chemical or osmotic inhibition, and irradiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.