Process for producing shelf-stable fruit products by fruit cell fragmentation and products produced thereby

A pourable fruit product made from a mixture of a fruit puree, including intact fruit cells, and a fruit juice wherein intact fruit cells within the mixture are fragmented into a plurality of fruit particles and soluble solids in a process of making the product, said product comprising at least one fruit puree and at least one fruit juice, wherein the average particle size ranges from between approximately 0.0010 inches and 0.0200 inches, and further wherein the mixture has been homogenized such that greater than about 10% of the intact fruit cells are fragmented during said process and further wherein the product has a percent soluble solids content which is between 16 and 22% by weight, a viscosity equivalent to a Bostwick viscosity between 3 and 15 centimeters per 30 seconds at 64 F., and a plurality of fruit cell fragments having differing particle sizes such that between 50% and 80% of the product by weight will be retained by a 150 mesh screen.

A process for producing a pourable fruit product from a mixture of a fruit puree including intact fruit cells and a fruit juice wherein intact fruit cells within the mixture are fragmented during processing, said process comprising the steps of combining the fruit puree and the fruit juice to form the mixture, and fragmenting a portion of the intact fruit cells of the mixture to induce sufficient fruit cell fragmentation and breakage such that the mixture can be transformed into a suspension in which the fruit cell fragments remain in suspension without observable sedimentation for at least six months after, wherein the step of fragmenting results in fragmentation of greater than about 10% of the intact fruit cells and a pourable fruit product having a viscosity equivalent to a Bostwick viscosity between 3 and 15 centimeters per 30 seconds at 64 F. and a percent suspended solids content of 16 and 22% by weight, wherein fruit particles within the suspended solids have an average particle size of from between about 0.0100 inches and about 0.0020 inches and between 50% and 80% of suspended solids within the pourable fruit product are retained within a 150 mesh screen after an attempt to pass the pourable fruit product through such a screen.

A process for producing a shelf-stable pourable fruit product from a mixture of a fruit puree including, intact fruit cells, and added fruit juice wherein intact fruit cells within the mixture are fragmented during processing, said process comprising the steps of combining the fruit puree and the fruit juice to form the mixture, and incorporating the added fruit juice into a suspension matrix within the pourable fruit product by fragmenting at least a portion of the intact fruit cells of the mixture to induce sufficient fruit cell fragmentation and breakage to thereby transform the mixture into a suspension of fruit fragments and soluble solids in which the fruit cell fragments and soluble solids remain in suspension within the pourable fruit product without observable sedimentation for at least six months after fragmentation, wherein the step of incorporating results in fragmentation of greater than about 10% of the intact fruit cells and further wherein the product has a percent soluble solids content which is between 16 and 22% by weight, a viscosity equivalent to a Bostwick viscosity between 3 and 15 centimeters per 30 seconds at 64 F. and a plurality of fruit cell fragments having differing particle sizes such that between 50% and 80% of the product by weight will be retained by a 150 mesh screen.