Enzymatic clarification of tea extracts
AssigneeKraft Foods, Inc.
InventorsFrancis Agbo, Joseph E. Spradlin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for producing a tea extract which forms little or no haze when stored at refrigeration temperatures. The process comprises incubating a mixture of oxidase, tannase and tea extract, and then separating insoluble solids from the tea extract. The tea extract is preferably a concentrate which is subsequently diluted to provide a ready-to-drink beverage. Haze which develops on cold storage of the extract or of tea beverages prepared from the extract is significantly reduced.
Claims21
A process for producing a tea extract which forms a reduced amount of haze when stored under refrigeration comprising the steps of:
- (a) adding oxidase glucose and tannase to a decreamed aqueous tea extract, the amount of added glucose oxidase being from 1500 to 3750 activity units per gram of soluble tea solids in the aqueous tea extract, and the amount of added tannase being from 0.25 to 25 activity units per gram of soluble tea solids in the aqueous tea extract;
- (b) incubating the extract;
- and
- (c) separating insoluble solids from the incubated extract to provide a tea extract product, the incubating step being carried out for a time sufficient to reduce the formation of haze caused by storing the tea extract product under refrigeration, the reduction in haze being substantially greater than that achievable by incubation with tannase alone.
A process for producing a tea extract which forms a reduced amount of haze when stored under refrigeration comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting tea leaves with water at an elevated temperature to form an aqueous tea extract;
- (b) separating the resulting aqueous tea extract and tea leaves;
- (c) chilling the tea extract;
- (d) separating insoluble solids from the chilled tea extract;
- (e) adding glucose oxidase and tannase to the tea extract, the amount of added glucose oxidase being from 1500 to 3750 activity units per gram of soluble tea solids in the aqueous tea extract, and the amount of added tannase being from 0.25 to 25 activity units per gram of soluble tea solids in the aqueous tea extract;
- (f) incubating the tea extract;
- and
- (g) separating insoluble solids from the incubated extract to provide a tea extract product, the incubating step being carried out for a time sufficient to reduce formation of haze caused by storing the tea extract product under refrigeration, the reduction in haze being substantially greater than that achievable by incubation with tannase alone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.