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US 4,377,520 AGranted
Citrus oil containing a high concentration of carotenoid pigments and method for producing same
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsTony M. Howell, Carl F. Huffman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An essential peel oil containing high concentrations of carotenoid pigments and organoleptic constituents may be produced from citrus fruits by a process of abrading the flavedo in small pieces with maximum rupture of peel oil sacs and chromoplasts, mixing the abraded flavedo with a suitable solid dehydrating agent, and pressing the mixture so-produced to express the highly colored oil.
Claims27
A process for producing a citrus oil which contains a high concentration of carotenoid pigments, comprising:
- (a) providing a citrus fruit having a flavedo which contains peel oil sacs and carotenoid-containing chromoplasts;
- (b) abrading the flavedo away from the remainder of the citrus fruit, thereby rupturing a substantial number of carotenoid-containing chromoplasts and peel oil sacs and forming a mash containing flavedo particles, peel oil, and water, wherein said abrading comprises contacting the flavedo with either a rotating grinding wheel, a rotating carborundum roll, or a rotating wire brush wheel;
- (c) combining said mash with a solid dehydrating agent to form a pressable mixture, wherein said dehydrating agent is an inorganic salt, said salt being capable of incorporating water as bound water of hydration to form a non-hardening hydrated salt, and further wherein said salt is added in an amount sufficient to dehydrate said mash to a substantial extent;
- (d) allowing said mixture of mash and inorganic salt to stand until the water present in said mash is absorbed by the salt and is incorporated in said mixture as a hydrated species and further until a substantial amount of carotenoid pigments in said chromoplasts are dissolved in said peel oil;
- and
- (e) pressing said substantially dehydrated mixture to express said citrus oil, which contains a high concentration of carotenoid pigments, and leave a mash press cake.
3 more elements
A process for producing a citrus oil which contains a high concentration of carotenoid pigments, comprising:
- (a) providing a citrus fruit having a flavedo which contains peel oil sacs and carotenoid-containing chromoplasts;
- (b) abrading the flavedo away from the remainder of the citrus fruit with a wire brush wheel having individual bristles of a cross-sectional diameter of from about 0.002 to about 0.01 inch, said wheel rotating at a circumferential velocity of from about 250 ips to about 480 ips, thereby rupturing a substantial number of carotenoid-containing chromoplasts and peel oil sacs and forming a mash containing flavedo particles, peel oil, and water;
- (c) combining said mash with a solid dehydrating agent to form a pressable mixture, wherein said dehydrating agent is an inorganic salt, said salt being capable of incorporating water as bound water of hydration to form a non-hardening hydrated salt, and further wherein said salt is added in an amount sufficient to dehydrate said mash to a substantial extent;
- (d) mixing said mixture to provide substantially homogenous distribution of said solid dehydrating agent throughout said mixture;
- (e) allowing said mixture of mash and inorganic salt to stand until the water present in said mash is absorbed by the salt and is incorporated in said mixture as a hydrated species and further until a substantial amount of carotenoid pigments in said chromoplasts are dissolved in said peel oil;
- and
- (f) pressing said substantially dehydrated mixture to express said citrus oil, which contains a high concentration of carotenoid pigments and leave a mash press cake.
4 more elements
A process for producing a citrus oil which contains a high concentration of carotenoid pigments, comprising:
- (a) providing a citrus fruit having a flavedo which contains peel oil sacs and carotenoid-containing chromoplasts;
- (b) rotating a wire brush wheel at a circumferential velocity of from about 300 ips to about 420 ips, said wire brush wheel having bristles of about 0.002 to about 0.006 inch in cross-sectional diameter;
- (c) abrading said flavedo away from the remainder of said citrus fruit with said rotating wire brush wheel, thereby rupturing a substantial number of carotenoid-containing chromoplasts and peel oil sacs and forming a mash containing flavedo particles, peel oil, and water;
- (d) mixing said mash with an inorganic salt, said salt being capable of incorporating water as bound water of hydration to form a non-hardening hydrated salt, said salt being added in an amount sufficient to dehydrate said mash to a substantial extent;
- (e) storing said mash/salt mixture until the water present in said mash is absorbed by the salt and is incorporated in said mixture as a hydrated species and further until a substantial amount of carotenoid pigments in said chromoplasts are dissolved in said peel oil;
- (f) warming said mixture during said storing;
- and
- (g) pressing said substantially dehydrated mixture to express said citrus oil, which contains a high concentration of carotenoid pigments, and leave a mash press cake.
5 more elements
A process for producing an orange oil which contains a high concentration of carotenoid pigments, comprising;
- (a) providing an orange having a flavedo containing peel oil sacs and carotenoid-containing chromoplasts;
- (b) further providing a wire brush wheel having wire bristles of 0.004 inch cross-sectional diameter;
- (c) rotating said wire brush wheel at a circumferential velocity of about 360 ips;
- (d) abrading the flavedo away from the remainder of citrus fruit with said rotating wire brush wheel, thereby rupturing a substantial number of carotenoid-containing chromoplasts and peel oil sacs and forming a mash containing flavedo particles, peel oil, and water;
- (e) combining said mash with 100 to 325 mash anhydrous sodium sulfate in a salt to mash weight ratio of about 1.4 to form a substantially homogeneous mixture;
- (f) storing said mixture for about sixteen hours at a temperature of about 40.degree. C.;
- (g) placing said mixture in a piston and cylinder assembly, said assembly so constructed and arranged as to allow said piston to impact said mixture and express said peel oil therefrom through openings in said cylinder;
- (h) inserting said piston and cylinder assembly containing said mixture in a press;
- (i) activating said press to apply pressure through said piston and cylinder assembly to said mixture such that an amount of said citrus oil containing a high concentration of carotenoid pigments is expressed therefrom to leave a mash press cake;
- (j) collecting said amount of orange oil;
- (k) releasing said pressure and removing said mash press cake from said assembly;
- (l) remixing said press cake;
- (m) repressing said remixed mash press cake to obtain an additional amount of orange oil;
- (n) combining said amount of orange oil;
- and
- (o) purifying said combined amounts of said oil.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.