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US 6,787,172 B2Granted
Method of making flavedo powder for enhancement of orange juice and products thereof
AssigneeTropicana Products, Inc.
InventorsRichard N. McArdle, Stephen A. Letourneau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed are improved orange juice products and processes of preparing the products. Included is a natural enhancement powder which originates from the flavedo of citrus peel such as orange peel or tangerine peel. The peel flavedo is washed with an organic solvent suitable for use in food processing, dried and reduced in particle size and added as a powder to the orange juice in order to enhance the juice, such as raise the Color Value of the orange juice, typically by at least 1 OJ Index unit or more. By this approach, an orange juice which is Grade B in color is changed into an orange juice which meets Grade A color criteria. Other juice enhancements also are realized.
Claims49
A method for the enhancement of orange juice, comprising:
- selecting a supply of citrus fruit;
- shaving natural flavedo from the supply of citrus fruit to provide a quantity of natural flavedo shavings;
- washing the quantity of natural flavedo shavings with a wash composition having a principal washing component which is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol of at least C-5 and up to about C-10, an ester of up to about C-5, a ketone of up to about C-5, an alkane of up to about C-10, a halogenated hydrocarbon of up to about C-5, an aromatic solvent of up to about C-10, or combinations thereof, each said washing component being suitable for use in food processing;
- separating, after said washing, said natural flavedo shavings from said wash composition to thereby provide washed shavings;
- drying said washed shavings to a selected moisture content and reducing the washed shavings to a particle size of not greater than about 150 microns to thereby provide a washed juice enhancement powder;
- and
- combining said washed juice enhancement powder with a supply of orange juice in order to thereby provide an orange juice which is enhanced in at least its orange color intensity.
4 more elements
A method for the enhancement of orange juice, comprising:
- selecting a supply of citrus fruit;
- shaving natural flavedo from the supply of citrus fruit to provide a quantity of natural flavedo shavings;
- washing the quantity of natural flavedo shavings with a wash composition having a principal washing component which is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol of at least C-5 and up to about C-10, an ester of up to about C-5, a ketone of up to about C-5, an alkane of up to about C-10, a halogenated hydrocarbon of up to about C-5, or combinations thereof, each said washing component being suitable for use in food processing;
- separating, after said washing, said natural flavedo shavings from said wash composition to thereby provide washed shavings;
- drying said washed shavings to a selected moisture content and reducing the washed shavings to a particle size of not greater than about 150 microns to thereby provide a washed juice enhancement powder;
- and
- combining said washed juice enhancement powder with a supply of orange juice in order to thereby provide an orange juice which is enhanced in at least its orange color intensity.
4 more elements
A method for enhancing orange juice color without substantially negatively impacting flavor of the originating orange juice and without incorporating any synthetic color additives, comprising:
- selecting a supply of citrus fruit;
- shaving natural flavedo from the supply of citrus fruit to provide a quantity of natural flavedo shavings;
- washing the quantity of natural flavedo shavings with a liquid wash composition which is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol of at least C-5 and up to about C-10, an ester of up to about C-5, a ketone of up to about C-5, an alkane of up to about C-10, a halogenated hydrocarbon of up to about C-5, an aromatic solvent of up to about C-10, or combinations thereof, each said washing component being suitable for use in food processing;
- reducing the shavings to a particle size of not greater than about 150 microns to thereby provide a washed color enhancement powder;
- separating, after said washing, said natural flavedo shavings from said liquid wash composition to thereby provide washed shavings;
- drying said washed shavings to shavings having the particle size of not greater than about 150 microns and a selected moisture content of not greater than about 20 weight percent, based on the weight of the shavings after such drying;
- combining said washed color enhancement powder with a supply of not-from-concentrate orange juice in order to thereby provide a color-enhanced not-from-concentrate orange juice;
- and
- said washed color enhancement powder provides said color-enhanced not-from-concentrate orange juice which has sensory attributes which substantially comport with those of the supply of not-from-concentrate orange juice.
6 more elements
A method for enhancing orange juice color without substantially negatively impacting flavor of the originating orange juice and without incorporating any synthetic color additives, comprising:
- selecting a supply of citrus fruit;
- shaving natural flavedo from the supply of citrus fruit to provide a quantity of natural flavedo shavings;
- washing the quantity of natural flavedo shavings with a liquid wash composition which is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol of at least C-5 and up to about C-10, an ester of up to about C-5, a ketone of up to about C-5, an alkane of up to about C-10, a halogenated hydrocarbon of up to about C-5, or combinations thereof, each said washing component being suitable for use in food processing;
- reducing the shavings to a particle size of not greater than about 150 microns to thereby provide a washed color enhancement powder;
- separating, after said washing, said natural flavedo shavings from said liquid wash composition to thereby provide washed shavings;
- drying said washed shavings to shavings having the particle size of not greater than about 150 microns and a selected moisture content of not greater than about 20 weight percent, based on the weight of the shavings after such drying;
- combining said washed color enhancement powder with a supply of not-from-concentrate orange juice in order to thereby provide a color-enhanced not-from-concentrate orange juice;
- and
- said washed color enhancement powder provides said color-enhanced not-from-concentrate orange juice which has sensory attributes which substantially comport with those of the supply of not-from-concentrate orange juice.
6 more elements
A color enhanced orange juice which does not incorporate any synthetic additives and which has sensory attributes which substantially conform to those of the orange juice supply prior to color enhancement, the color enhanced orange juice having been prepared by a process comprising:
- selecting a supply of citrus fruit;
- shaving natural flavedo from the supply of citrus fruit to provide a quantity of natural flavedo shavings;
- washing the quantity of natural flavedo shavings with a liquid wash composition which is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol of at least C-5 and up to about C-10, an ester of up to about C-5, a ketone of up to about C-5, an alkane of up to about C-10, a halogenated hydrocarbon of up to about C-5, an aromatic solvent of up to about C-10, or combinations thereof, each said washing component being suitable for use in food processing;
- separating, after said washing, said natural flavedo shavings from said liquid wash composition to thereby provide washed shavings;
- drying said washed shavings to a selected moisture content of not greater than about 20 weight percent, based on the weight of the shavings after such drying;
- reducing the washed shavings to a particle size of not greater than about 150 microns to thereby provide a washed color enhancement powder;
- combining said washed color enhancement powder with a supply of orange juice in order to thereby provide a color-enhanced orange juice;
- and
- said washed color enhancement powder provides said color-enhanced orange juice which has sensory attributes which substantially comport with those of the supply of orange juice.
6 more elements
A color-enhanced not-from-concentrate orange juice which does not incorporate any synthetic additives and which has sensory attributes which substantially conform to those of the not-from-concentrate orange juice supply prior to color enhancement, the color enhanced orange juice including:
- a natural flavedo juice enhancement powder originating from a supply of citrus fruit peel flavedo, said powder being present in the color enhanced not-from-concentrate orange juice at a level of between about 0.5 and about 0.75 weight percent, based on the total weight of the color enhanced orange juice, said powder having a particle size of not greater than about 150 microns, said powder having been washed with a wash composition which is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol of at least C-5 and up to about C-10, an ester of up to about C-5, a ketone of up to about C-5, an alkane of up to about C-10, a halogenated hydrocarbon of up to about C-5, or combinations thereof, each said washing component being suitable for use in food processing;
- a supply of not-from-concentrate orange juice which has a known Color Value;
- and
- said color-enhanced orange juice has a Color Value of at least about 1 OJ Index unit greater than said known Color Value while having sensory attributes which substantially comport with those of said supply of not-from-concentrate orange juice having the known Color Value.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.