Beverages with improved particle suspension properties, and methods of making the same
AssigneeSensient Colors LLC
InventorsCAITLIN WERTZ, ABBY CHRISTMAN, KAREN BRIMMER, LIANGJI XU, JAMES BUCHHEIT
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Beverages with improved particle suspension properties are disclose, along with methods of making the same. The beverages include a low-acyl gellan gum and insoluble particles. The low-acyl gellan gum undergoes a gel transition that provides adequate gelation to maintain the particles in suspension. The low-acyl gellan gum undergoes the gel transition below a threshold above which the particles and/or a gelled portion of the gum would rise to the top of the beverage via bubbles moving upward through the beverage.
Claims41
A beverage comprising:
- a low-acyl gellan gum in an amount by weight of between 0.001% and 0.15%, wherein the low acyl gellan gum has at least 50% fewer acyl-containing groups when compared with native gellan gum;
- a gelation inducing agent in an amount by weight of between 0.001% and 0.5%;
- optionally one or more non-gelation-inducing salts;
- insoluble particles;
- and
- water,
- wherein the low-acyl gellan gum has undergone a gel transition that exceed a minimum gelation threshold and does not exceed a maximum gelation threshold,
- wherein the minimum gelation threshold is a gelation above which a first proportion of the insoluble particles are suspended within the top 90% of the volume of the beverage after a first predetermined length of time without agitation, wherein the first proportion is at least 50%,
- wherein the first predetermined length of time is 24 hours, and/or wherein the maximum gelation threshold is a gelation above which a second proportion of the insoluble particles within the beverage and/or a gelled portion of the low-acyl gellan gum rise to the top 10% of the volume of the beverage by way of rising bubbles traveling upward through the beverage for a second predetermined length of time, wherein the second proportion is at most 50% and the second predetermined length of time is 60 minutes.
The beverage of the immediately preceding claim, wherein carbon dioxide is present in the beverage in an amount of at least 1 g/L, at least 2 g/L, at least 3 g/L, at least 4 g/L, at least 5 g/L, at least 6 g/L, at least 7 g/L, at least 8 g/L, at least 9 g/L, or at least 10 g/L and at most 20 g/L, at most 17 g/L, at most 15 g/L, at most 13 g/L, at most 11 g/L, at most 10 g/L, at most 9 g/L, at most 8 g/L, at most 7 g/L, at most 6 g/L, or at most 5 g/L.
The beverage of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bubbles are carbonation bubbles.
The beverage of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first proportion is at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95%.
The beverage of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first predetermined length of time is 48 hours, 72 hours, 96 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks, 48 weeks, or 52 weeks.
The beverage of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second proportion is at most 45%, at most 40%, at most 35%, at most 30%, at most 25%, at most 20%, at most 15%, at most 10%, at most 5%, at most 3%, at most 1%, or at most 0.5%.
The beverage of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second predetermined length of time is 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days, or 14 days.
The beverage of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage is fruit juice or vegetable juice or a mixture thereof.
A method of making a beverage with particle suspension stability, the method comprising:
- a) dissolving a low-acyl gellan gum in a first solution, the first solution optionally comprising one or more non-gelation-inducing salts;
- b) mixing the first solution with a second solution, the first solution and the second solution optionally substantially lacking a gelation inducing agent that induces gelation of the low-acyl gellan gum, the mixing producing a third solution, the first solution, the second solution, and/or the third solution including insoluble particles;
- c) lowering pH of the third solution, thereby optionally producing the beverage;
- and
- d) in response to the second solution substantially lacking the gelation inducing agent, optionally adding the gelation inducing agent to the third solution following step c), thereby optionally producing the beverage.
The method of the immediately preceding claim, wherein the first solution is cooled following step a) and prior to step b).
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more non-gelation-inducing salts are selected from the group consisting of sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, and combinations thereof.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insoluble particles are pigment particles.
The beverage or method of the immediately preceding claim, wherein the pigment particles are pearlescent pigments.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insoluble particles have a planar shape.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insoluble particles are non-spherical.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insoluble particles are not surface-modified for enhanced suspension in aqueous environments.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insoluble particles have an average diameter of at least 1 μm, at least 5 μm, at least 10 μm, at least 25 μm, at least 50 μm, at least 100 μm, at least 150 μm, at least 200 μm, at least 250 μm, at least 500 μm, at least 750 μm, at least 1 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 25 mm, at least 50 mm, at least 100 mm, at least 250 mm, at least 500 mm, or at least 750 mm, and at most 1 cm, at most 750 mm, at most 500 mm, at most 250 mm, at most 100 mm, at most 75 mm, at most 50 mm, at most 25 mm, at most 10 mm, at most 5 mm, at most 1 mm, at most 750 μm, at most 500 μm, at most 400 μm, at most 300 μm, at most 250 μm, at most 200 μm, at most 150 μm, at most 100 m, at most 75 μm, or at most 50 μm.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insoluble particles are present in the beverage in an amount by weight of at least 0.0001%, at least 0.0025%, at least 0.005%, at least 0.00075%, or at least 0.01% and at most 0.1%, at most 0.075%, at most 0.05%, or at most 0.025%.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the low-acyl gellan gum has at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or at least 99% fewer acyl-containing groups when compared with native gellan gum.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the low-acyl gellan gum is substantially free of acyl-containing groups.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the low-acyl gellan gum is present in the beverage in an amount by weight of at least 0.005%, at least 0.010%, or at least 0.020% and at most 0.10%, at most 0.08%, at most 0.06%, or at most 0.05%.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gelation inducing agent is a salt, an acid, or a combination thereof.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gelation inducing agent is a salt.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gelation inducing agent is a metal halide.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gelation inducing agent is selected from the group consisting of a calcium salt, a potassium salt, a magnesium salt, a sodium salt, and combinations thereof.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gelation inducing agent is selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, and combinations thereof.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gelation inducing agent is calcium chloride.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gelation inducing agent is present in the beverage in an amount by weight of at least 0.005%, at least 0.01%, at least 0.02%, or at least 0.03% and at most 0.1%, at most 0.075%, at most 0.05%, or at most 0.04%.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the water is present in the beverage in an amount by weight of at least 10%, at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, or at least 90% and at most 99.99%, at most 99.95%, at most 99.9%, at most 99%, at most 98%, at most 95%, at most 90%, at most 85%, at most 80%, at most 75%, or at most 50%.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage has an optical transparency that is at least 90% of a comparison optical transparency of a comparison beverage that is lacking the low-acyl gellan gum but is otherwise identical to the beverage.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage has a viscosity that is no more than 5% greater than a comparison viscosity of a comparison beverage that is lacking the low-acyl gellan gum but is otherwise identical to the beverage.
The beverage or the method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage has an optical scattering intensity that is no more than 5% greater than a comparison optical scattering intensity of a comparison beverage that is lacking the low-acyl gellan gum but is otherwise identical to the beverage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.