# US 2020/0101129 A1 · Method for processing raw sugarcane maximizing the preservation of policosanols during production of a natural sugarcane juice-based product

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2020/0101129 A1
- Document ID: US20200101129A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/702,238
- Filed: 2019-12-03
- Published: 2020-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-03
- Assignees: The Cane Juice Company, LLC
- Inventors: Jorge Enrique GONZALEZ ULLOA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200101129A1

## CPC

- A61K 36/899: Poaceae or Gramineae (Grass family), e.g. bamboo, corn or sugar cane
- A23L 2/04: Extraction of juices (machines or apparatus for extracting juice A23N1/00, A47J19/00)
- A23L 2/72: by filtration
- A23L 2/82: by flocculation
- A23L 33/105: Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
- A61K 9/0095: {Drinks; Beverages; Syrups; Compositions for reconstitution thereof, e.g. powders or tablets to be dispersed in a glass of water; Veterinary drenches (A61K9/0007 takes precedence; eatable gels or foams A61K9/0056; oral mucosa adhesive forms A61K9/006)}
- A61K 31/045: Hydroxy compounds, e.g. alcohols; Salts thereof, e.g. alcoholates
- C07C 29/74: Separation; Purification; Use of additives, e.g. for stabilisation
- C13B 10/003: {using chemicals other than extracting agents}
- C13B 10/02: Expressing juice from sugar cane or similar material, e.g. sorghum saccharatum
- C13B 50/00: Sugar products, e.g. powdered, lump or liquid sugar; Working-up of sugar (C13B40/00, C13B45/00 take precedence; confectionery A23G3/00)
- A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
- A61K 2236/15: involving mechanical treatment, e.g. chopping up, cutting or grinding
- A61K 2236/31: involving untreated material, e.g. fruit juice or sap obtained from fresh plants
- A61K 2236/333: using mixed solvents, e.g. 70% EtOH
- A61K 2236/39: Complex extraction schemes, e.g. fractionation or repeated extraction steps
- A61K 2236/51: Concentration or drying of the extract, e.g. Lyophilisation, freeze-drying or spray-drying
- A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D)
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)
- C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
- C13B: PRODUCTION OF SUCROSE; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR (chemically synthesised sugars or sugar derivatives C07H; fermentation or enzyme-using processes for preparing compounds containing saccharide radicals C12P19/00)
- A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION

## Abstract

A method for processing sugarcane juice from raw sugarcane stalks to produce various forms of a natural sugarcane juice product preserves policosanols naturally occurring in the raw sugarcane stalks, resulting in policosanol-rich natural sugarcane juice-based products such as a drinking beverage, a concentrated sweetening agent, and a nutraceutical product. The method may include steps of providing sugarcane stalks having high policosanol concentrations; extracting sugarcane juice from the sugarcane stalks via a series of roller mills; filtering the extracted sugarcane juice; stabilizing the pH of the juice in a non-acidic solution of calcium hydroxide; flocculating the sugarcane juice to remove undesirable impurities; optionally, evaporating the sugarcane juice to form a policosanol-rich sugarcane juice concentrate and extracting the sugarcane juice concentrate from the evaporator.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for processing a quantity of unwashed raw sugarcane sticks to produce a policosanol-rich sugarcane juice product via a sugarcane juice product processing system, the unwashed raw sugarcane sticks each including a sugarcane stalk outer cortex containing natural policosanol-rich waxes and minerals, the method comprising steps of:
shredding the unwashed sugarcane sticks and conveying the shredded and unwashed sugarcane sticks toward a first one of a series of mechanical roller mills;
extracting sugarcane juice from the unwashed shredded sugarcane sticks via the series of roller mills, the shredded sugarcane sticks, while being conveyed through the series of roller mills, macerated with water having a temperature maintained below a temperature at which dissolution of said policosanol-rich natural waxes and minerals in the sugarcane stalk outer cortex occurs, to produce a volume of water-diluted extracted policosanol-rich sugarcane juice product;
filtering the diluted extracted policosanol-rich sugarcane juice product;
stabilizing the pH of the extracted and filtered policosanol-rich sugarcane juice product to a stabilized pH level within a pH range of 7.0 to 7.6;
heating the pH-stabilized sugarcane juice to a temperature below that at which evaporation of policosanols from the extracted policosanol-rich sugarcane juice product occurs and maintaining that temperature for a period of time;
clarifying the heated and pH-stabilized sugarcane juice, wherein the heated and pH-stabilized sugarcane juice is flocculated using a mixture of water and at least one flocculate product, the flocculated sugarcane juice forming a glutinous froth, the glutinous froth retained and subjected to further processing in order to preserve a rich concentration of policosanols contained therein, the policosanol-rich processed froth subsequently reintroduced into the sugarcane juice product being processed;
evaporating the clarified sugarcane juice product in a manner incrementally increasing both sugar and policosanol concentrations in the sugarcane juice product to create a post-evaporation, policosanol-rich sugarcane juice concentrate having a Brix value maintained at or below 70° Bx during the entire evaporating step; and
extracting the evaporated sugarcane juice concentrate from evaporation apparatus at said post-evaporation Brix value,
wherein, the sugarcane processing method maintains a juice product temperature within a temperature range precluding evaporation of policosanols from said extracted policosanol-rich sugarcane juice product throughout said process.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, wherein the step of providing sugarcane sticks further comprises providing manually-harvested sugarcane sticks.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, wherein the step of providing sugarcane sticks further comprises providing substantially acid-free sugarcane sticks preferably having a Brix within a range of 18 to 28 degrees Brix.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, wherein the step of extracting sugarcane juice further comprises passing said sugarcane sticks through said series of roller mills.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method recited in claim 4, wherein the step of filtering further comprises filtering sugarcane juice extracted from a first pair of said series of roller mills.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, wherein the step of stabilizing the pH of said sugarcane juice further comprises stabilizing the pH of said sugarcane juice to a pH of within a range of 7.2 to 7.6

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method recited in claim 6, wherein the step of stabilizing the pH of said sugarcane juice further comprises stabilizing the pH of said sugarcane juice to a pH within a range of 7.4 to 7.6.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, wherein the step of extracting said sugarcane juice concentrate from said evaporation apparatus at a desired degrees Brix value further comprises extracting said sugarcane juice concentrate from said evaporation apparatus such that the sugarcane juice concentrate has a Brix of about 60 degrees.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of subjecting the concentrate to vacuum such that the Brix value of the concentrate is increased to a range of 70 degrees Brix to 80 degrees Brix.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, further comprising, following a step of final clarification, a step of subjecting the juice product to an inversion process, wherein, prior to said inversion process, the sugarcane juice is in a condition adequate for use as at least one of: a bottled potable drinking juice product and a cane juice component of a sweetening agent.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of inversion further comprises communicating said clarified juice product through a series of stainless steel inversion tanks to effectively reduce the pH level of the juice product using at least one of: citric acid, phosphoric acid, and a combination of citric acid and phosphoric acid.

### Claim 12 (depends on 12)

A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said step of inversion further comprises steps of:
reducing a pH level of the product to within a pH range of 4.4 to 4.8; and
maintaining a temperature of said juice product within a temperature range of 50° C. to 60° C.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of producing a policosanol-rich sugarcane juice-based product comprising at least one of: a non-concentrated policosanol-rich drinking beverage; a semi-concentrated, policosanol-rich sugarcane juice-based product adapted for use as a sweetening additive; and a highly-concentrated, policosanol-rich sugarcane juice-based nutraceutical.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method recited in claim 1, further comprising a step of producing a dry policosanol-rich sugarcane juice concentrate.