Color and shelf stable beverage compositions containing tea extract
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsSanford Theodore Kirksey, Athula Ekanayake, Edmund Paul Pultinas, Jr., Judith Ann Jones, Richard Fiske Stradling, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to color and shelf stable beverage compositions comprising: a) from about 0.4% to about 1.5% tea extract wherein the level of caffeine is from about 0.85% to about 3.2%; and the tea solids content is from about 12% to about 60%; b) from about 10 ppm to about 40 ppm colorant; c) from about 300 ppm to about 1500 ppm erythorbic acid or ascorbic acid; d) from about 0.5% to about 8.0% citric acid; e) an effective amount of sweetener; and f) water; and wherein the tea extract contains unoxidized flavanols.
Claims29
A color stable beverage composition comprising:
- a) from about 0.4% to about 1.5% green tea extract having a tea solids content of from about 12% to about 60% and a Hunter L color value of from about 58 to about 63.5;
- b) from about 10 ppm to about 45 ppm colorant;
- c) a total level of erythorbic and ascorbic acid of from about 300 ppm to about 1500 ppm;
- d) from about 0.1% to about 1.0% citric acid;
- e) an effective amount of sweetener;
- and
- f) water;
- wherein said green tea extract is obtained by extracting unfermented tea solids or tea material with an aqueous solution containing erythorbic acid, ascorbic acid or mixtures thereof and citric acid and wherein said green tea extract comprises from about 3% to about 10% erythorbic acid, ascorbic acid, or mixtures thereof;
- from about 1% to about 6% citric acid, from about 2% to about 6% flavanols;
- theanine;
- from about 0.85% to about 3.2% caffeine;
- and water;
- wherein the theanine to caffeine ratio is from about 1:17 to about 1:200;
- and wherein the extract has a ratio of theanine to oxidized flavanols of from about 1:20 to about 1:150.
A shelf stable beverage composition comprising:
- a) from about 0.4% to about 1.5% green tea extract having a tea solids content of from about 12% to about 40%;
- b) from about 10 ppm to about 45 ppm colorant;
- c) a total level of erythorbic and ascorbic acid of from about 300 ppm to about 1500 ppm;
- d) from about 0.1% to about 1.0% citric acid;
- e) an effective amount of sweetener;
- and
- f) water;
- wherein said green tea extract is obtained by extracting unfermented tea solids or tea material with an aqueous solution containing erythorbic acid, ascorbic acid or mixtures thereof and citric acid and wherein said green tea extract comprises from about 3% to about 10% erythorbic acid, ascorbic acid or mixtures thereof;
- from about 1% to about 6% citric acid;
- from about 2% to about 6% flavanols;
- theanine;
- from about 0.85% to about 3.2% caffeine;
- and water;
- and wherein the theanine to caffeine ratio is from about 1:17 to about 1:200;
- and wherein the extract has a ratio of theanine to oxidized flavanols of from about 1:20 to about 1:150.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.