Pectinesterase in the treatment of fruit and vegetables
AssigneeGist-Brocades N.V.
InventorsCatherine Marie Therese Grassin, Pierre Clement Louis Fauquembergue
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Abstract
The present invention discusses the use of pectinesterase to demethoxylate high-methoxylated pectins. The pectinesterase makes possible the preparation of food containing fruit or vegetables in a more efficient way. Specifically, fruit and vegetable jams, jellies, compotes and soups are prepared without or with greatly reduced sugar and pectin addition. The present invention also discusses a process for producing apple sauce comprising the use of pectinesterase.
Claims16
A food containing a gel of low-methoxylated pectin of at least one fruit or vegetable prepared by a method which comprises:
- selecting a fruit or vegetable that naturally has a high-methoxylated pectin content;
- adding pectin esterase to the fruit or vegetable or to the pulp thereof in an amount effective to demethoxylate pectin;
- maintaining said fruit or vegetable or pulp under conditions such that said pectin esterase converts high-methoxylated pectin of said fruit or vegetable or pulp to low-methoxylated pectin and said low-methoxylated pectin forms a gel;
- and
- formulating the fruit or vegetable or pulp to obtain the desired food comprising said gel.
Applesauce having increased viscosity, prepared by a process which comprises
- (a) adding to a liquid-containing composition consisting essentially of prepared apples, naturally having a high-methoxylated pectin content, an amount of pectin esterase effective to lower the degree of methoxylation of pectin contained in said apples wherein the apples have been prepared by peeling and removal of the core, removing bad apples, and crushing, chopping or slicing the remaining apples;
- (b) maintaining said composition under conditions sufficient for the demethoxylation activity of said pectin esterase to produce an increase in the viscosity of said composition;
- and
- steam cooking the apples treated as set forth in (a) and finishing in a process which comprises removing undesired particles, adding sugar and canning.
A food prepared from at least one fruit or vegetable that naturally has a high-methoxylated pectin content, wherein said food contains a low-methoxylated pectin gel produced by enzymatic demethoxylation of high-methoxylated pectin contained in said fruit or vegetable.
A food prepared by a process which comprises:
- selecting a fruit or vegetable that naturally has a high-methoxylated pectin content;
- adding pectin esterase to a liquid-containing composition comprising the fruit or vegetable or pulp thereof in an amount effective to demethoxylate high-methoxylated pectin;
- maintaining said liquid-containing composition under conditions such that said pectin esterase converts at least some of said high-methoxylated pectin to pectin with a lower degree of methylation and said pectin with a lower degree of methoxylation increases the viscosity of said liquid-containing composition;
- and
- formulating said liquid-containing composition to obtain the desired food product having increased viscosity, which food product comprises said fruit or vegetable or pulp thereof and said pectin with a lower degree of methoxylation
- wherein said food has increased viscosity as compared to said fruit, vegetable, or pulp.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.