Process for co-crystallizing sucrose and a natural sweetener and the product thereof
AssigneeIngenio Del Cauca S.A. - Incauca S.A.
InventorDiana Maria Arango Moreno
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Abstract
The invention relates to a preparation process of a co-crystal made of sugar and a natural sweetener and, eventually, another aggregate and with said product. The process is further related with co-crystallizing sucrose and a natural sweetener in a vacuum pan under controlled pressure and temperature conditions and separating the crystal from the sugar juice. At the end of the process, the co-crystallized sub-products are used for producing a low calorie content liquid sweetener such that in a high percentage all the stock material is used.
Claims20
A solid sweetener and a liquid sweetener made by a process comprising the steps of:
- adding an antifoaming agent in a percentage of about 0.006% to about 10% (w/w) to a liquor or syrup to form a sucrose solution;
- mixing the sucrose solution with mechanical stirring while adding 0.1% to 50% w/w of natural sweetener product to form a mixture;
- concentrating the mixture up to the saturation point of sucrose, in a vacuum pan at a working pressure of about 60 KPa to about 75 KPa and a temperature between about 60° C. to about 75° C. to form a concentrate;
- adding a powdered sugar suspended in isopropyl alcohol to the concentrate under conditions which permit co-crystallization of the sugar and the natural sweetener product and wherein a seed co-crystal suspension is produced;
- feeding the seed co-crystal suspension into a sugar evaporator under conditions that maintain the co-crystal suspension in the “meta-stable zone” until the co-crystallized sucrose and natural sweetener crystal has reached a size of about 0.5 to about 0.7 mm average aperture to form a final co-crystal suspension;
- evaporating remaining water from the final co-crystal suspension until reaching an evaporated mass having between about 88° and about 91° Bx;
- separating the co-crystals from the suspension by centrifuging the evaporated mass at a velocity between about 1100 and about 1300 rpm to form a supernatant comprising syrup and residual uncrystallized natural sweetener product and a pellet comprising the solid sweetener;
- re-circulating a first portion of the supernatant, wherein the re-circulated portion has a color from about 1300 and about 1600 UI;
- contacting a second portion of the supernatant with a solvent in which the natural sweetener product is soluble to recover from about 1 and about 90% of the natural sweetener product;
- and bleaching the second portion of the supernatant following the recovery of the natural sweetener product to obtain an amount of liquid sweetener.
A solid sweetener made by a process comprising the steps of:
- mixing a sucrose solution;
- adding 0.1% to 50% w/w of natural sweetener to the sucrose solution to form a mixture;
- concentrating the mixture up to the saturation point of sucrose;
- adding a powdered sugar suspended in isopropyl alcohol to the concentrate;
- co-crystallizing the sugar and the natural sweetener thereby producing a seed co-crystal suspension;
- feeding the seed co-crystal suspension into a sugar evaporator;
- evaporating water from the co-crystal suspension;
- and
- separating the co-crystals from the suspension and forming the solid sweetener.
A liquid sweetener made by a process comprising the steps of:
- mixing a sucrose solution and a natural sweetener product to form a mixture;
- concentrating the mixture up to the saturation point of sucrose to form a concentrate;
- adding a powdered sugar suspended in isopropyl alcohol to the concentrate;
- co-crystallizing at least a portion of the sugar and the natural sweetener product forming a suspension;
- separating the co-crystals from the suspension forming a supernatant comprising syrup and residual uncrystallized natural sweetener product;
- re-circulating a first portion of the supernatant;
- contacting a second portion of the supernatant with a solvent in which the natural sweetener product is soluble to recover the liquid sweetener.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.