阅读说明：本技术 天然防腐剂组合物 (Natural preservative composition ) 是由 迪安娜·拉森 汤姆·杰克逊 于 2018-05-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于对食物产品如水果和/或蔬菜果汁产品提供有效的防腐效果的天然防腐剂组合物。所述天然防腐剂组合物包括形成为发酵亚麻籽和/或发酵牛至的共混物的第一组分、形成为麦芽糖糊精和/或发酵右旋糖的共混物的第二组分、以及形成为烹饪用草药的精油的共混物的第三组分。(Natural preservative compositions for providing effective preservative efficacy to food products such as fruit and/or vegetable juice products. The natural preservative composition includes a first component formed as a blend of fermented flaxseed and/or fermented oregano, a second component formed as a blend of maltodextrin and/or fermented dextrose, and a third component formed as a blend of essential oils of culinary herbs.)

1. A natural preservative composition for addition to a food product comprising:

a first component formed as a blend of fermented flaxseed and/or fermented oregano;

a second component formed as a blend of maltodextrin and/or fermented dextrose; and

a third component formed as a blend of essential oils of culinary herbs.

2. The preservative composition of claim 1 wherein the first component is included in an amount such that it constitutes about 1.0 to 4.0% by weight of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or about 1.5 to 3.0% by weight of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or about 2.0 to 2.5% by weight of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition.

3. The preservative composition of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the second component is included in an amount such that it constitutes about 0.1 to 2.0% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or about 0.2 to 1.5% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or about 0.5 to 0.7% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition.

4. The preservative composition according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the third component is included in an amount such that it constitutes from about 0.02 to 0.5% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or from about 0.03 to 0.25% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or from about 0.05 to 0.1% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition.

5. The preservative composition of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first component is a fermentation supernatant produced by fermentation of flaxseed and/or oregano.

6. The preservative composition of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first component comprises both flaxseed and oregano.

7. The preservative composition of claim 5, wherein the fermentation supernatant is produced from a combined fermentation of both flaxseed and oregano.

8. The preservative composition of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said second component comprises both maltodextrin and fermented dextrose.

9. The preservative composition of claim 8, wherein the ratio of maltodextrin to fermented dextrose is about 8:1, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 0.5:1, 0.25:1, or 0.125 to 1.

10. The preservative composition according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the third component comprises essential oil of anise and/or fennel.

11. The preservative composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the preservative composition provides a broad spectrum antimicrobial effect to prevent bacterial, yeast and mold spoilage.

12. A fruit and/or vegetable based product having effective preservative properties, said product comprising:

one or more fruit and/or vegetable based ingredients; and

the natural preservative composition of any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The fruit and/or vegetable-based product according to claim 12, wherein the fruit and/or vegetable-based product is a fruit juice product.

14. The fruit and/or vegetable-based juice product of claim 13 wherein the fruit and/or vegetable-based juice product including a natural preservative composition has a pH of about 2.6 to 4.5, or about 2.8 to 4.0, or about 3.0 to 3.5.

15. A method of preserving a food product using a natural preservative composition, the method comprising:

providing a food product;

adding the natural food preservative composition of any one of claims 1 to 11 to the food product; and

the natural preservative composition preserves the food product.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the food product is a fruit and/or vegetable-based juice product, and wherein the natural preservative composition prevents microbial growth for at least 28 days.

Background

Foods such as juices and other beverages are often formulated with additives to prevent spoilage. Typically, ingredients such as sodium or potassium benzoate and/or sodium or potassium sorbate are used. These preservatives are particularly prevalent in fruit juices. While such preservatives have generally shown effectiveness for the purpose of extending the shelf life (shelf life) of foods, concerns over the health effects associated with these non-natural preservatives have increased. In addition to such health-related reasons, many people prefer (e.g., due to lifestyle or other personal reasons) to purchase and consume foods that limit or eliminate such non-natural ingredients.

Instead of these traditional preservatives, many products utilize ingredients that are considered more natural to reduce spoilage and extend the shelf life of the product. For example, it has long been known that high levels of salt, sugar or organic acids such as acetic acid (e.g. vinegar) and citric acid can provide a degree of food preservation. However, these ingredients are not suitable for all types of food products, especially at the levels required to provide adequate preservative effect. Furthermore, even when these types of ingredients are included, microbial growth (from bacteria, yeast, and/or mold) can result in reduced shelf life and/or raise concerns regarding food safety/contamination issues.

Fruit juice products represent a particular challenge to the natural preservative effect. High levels of salt and sugar are generally undesirable and are not suitable for fruit juice products. Furthermore, in some fruit juice products naturally include organic acids and/or where such acids are added, the preservative effect is often insufficient to provide a product that is sufficiently safe and has sufficient shelf life. In addition, fruit juice products containing a complex blend of many natural ingredients further complicate the preservative challenge. While various natural ingredients can provide high levels of nutrition and corresponding health benefits to the juice consumer, it also correspondingly provides fertile soil for the growth and spread of bacteria, yeast and molds.

The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is provided merely to illustrate one exemplary technology area in which some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure describes natural preservative compositions that can be added to one or more food products to provide a beneficial preservative effect to the food products. In certain embodiments, the natural preservative composition includes a first component formed as a blend of fermented flaxseed and/or fermented oregano (oregano), a second component formed as a blend of maltodextrin and/or fermented dextrose, and a third component formed as a blend of essential oils of culinary herbs (culinary herb).

In a preferred embodiment, the first component is a fermentation supernatant produced by combined fermentation of both flaxseed and oregano, and the second component comprises both maltodextrin and culture/fermented dextrose. In certain embodiments, the third component comprises an essential oil of anise (anise) and/or fennel (fennel).

In certain embodiments, the first component is added in an amount such that it constitutes from about 1.0 to 4.0% by weight of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition, or from about 1.5 to 3.0% by weight of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition, or more preferably from about 2.0 to 2.5% by weight of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition. In certain embodiments, the second component is added in an amount such that it constitutes about 0.1 to 2.0% of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition, or about 0.2 to 1.5% of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition, or more preferably about 0.5 to 0.7% of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition. In certain embodiments, the third component is added in an amount such that it constitutes about 0.02 to 0.5% of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition, or about 0.03 to 0.25% of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition, or more preferably about 0.05 to 0.1% of the total weight of the food product and preservative composition.

At least some embodiments described herein are capable of providing broad spectrum preservative activity for preventing the growth and spread of bacteria, yeast and molds in food products to which they are added.

Detailed Description

Certain embodiments described herein relate to compositions suitable for use as food preservatives, particularly as natural preservatives for fruit juice products. The embodiments described herein have been shown to provide beneficial preservative effects by limiting the growth of bacteria, yeast and mold for extended periods of time when added to juice blends, thereby effectively extending the shelf life of the juice blend and making it safer for human consumption.

Throughout the specification, exemplary embodiments are described in the context of preservatives for juice blends and other juice products. While such embodiments are presently preferred, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the preservative compositions described herein can be applied to and/or mixed in alternative food products (e.g., fruit or vegetable purees, concentrates, spreads) to provide similar beneficial preservative effects. The preservative composition embodiments described herein are particularly useful for preserving food products based on natural ingredients and/or omitting traditional non-natural salt-based preservatives such as benzoates, sorbates, or other non-natural preservatives.

As used herein, the terms "natural," "naturally derived," and the like are used to describe components/ingredients that are free of artificial ingredients and ingredients that are not typically found in large quantities in unprocessed foods. For example, preferred "natural" components used to formulate natural preservative compositions are derived from plant sources with little or no additional processing. Suitable processing steps that may be employed while still remaining within the "natural" composition range include fermentation processes, distillation processes (e.g., to extract essential oils from plant material), physical processes (e.g., filtration, sieving, chopping, drying), and the like. In preferred embodiments, natural preservative compositions specifically exclude synthetically derived preservatives such as benzoates, sorbates, butylated hydroxyanisoles, butylated hydroxytoluenes, nitrates or nitrites, sulfur dioxide, sulfites, or other such compounds that are not typically found in large amounts in raw foods, even if naturally found in trace amounts in some foods (e.g., benzoates found in bilberry and some other plant foods).

Unless specifically described otherwise, the concentrations and amounts of the various components are given on a unit weight basis relative to the total weight of the composition.

In some embodiments, the natural preservative composition comprises: (1) a first component formed as a blend of fermented flaxseed and/or fermented oregano, included in an amount such that it constitutes about 1.0 to 4.0% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition; and (2) a second component formed as a blend of maltodextrin and/or fermented dextrose, included in an amount such that about 0.1 to 2.0% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition is constituted; and optionally (3) a third component formed as a blend of culinary herbal essential oils, included in an amount such that it constitutes about 0.02 to 0.5% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition.

In some embodiments, the first component is a fermentation supernatant produced by fermentation of flaxseed and/or oregano. In a presently preferred embodiment, the first component is a fermentation supernatant produced by a combined (i.e., same tank) fermentation of flaxseed and oregano. Fermentation is preferably carried out for more than 7 days, or for more than 14 days, such as from about 20 to 40 days or about 30 days. The first component may be added in an amount such that it constitutes from about 1.0 to 4.0% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or from about 1.5 to 3.0% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or more preferably from about 2.0 to 2.5% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition.

In some embodiments, the second component is a blend comprising both maltodextrin and fermented dextrose. The ratio of maltodextrin to fermented dextrose can vary. For example, the ratio of maltodextrin to fermented dextrose may be about 8:1, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 0.5:1, 0.25:1, or 0.125 to 1. The second component may be added in an amount such that it constitutes from about 0.1 to 2.0% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or from about 0.2 to 1.5% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or more preferably from about 0.5 to 0.7% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition.

In some embodiments, the third component is added in an amount such that it constitutes about 0.02 to 0.5% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or about 0.03 to 0.25% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition, or more preferably about 0.05 to 0.1% of the total weight of the combined food product and preservative composition. The blend of culinary herbal essential oils preferably comprises essential oils of anise and/or fennel. One or more culinary herb essential oils may additionally or alternatively be included, such as essential oils of basil (basil), rosemary (rosemary), oregano, thyme (thyme), coriander (coriander), parsley (parsley), dill (dill), mint (mint), and the like.

It has been found that providing a preservative composition having components in amounts and ratios within the aforementioned ranges beneficially results in a food product (e.g., a natural fruit juice blend) having an effective shelf life and resistance to microbial contamination. For example, the preservative compositions described herein may be capable of preventing microbial growth (including bacterial, yeast, and mold growth) for a period of about 7 days or longer, about 14 days or longer, about 28 days or longer, or even much longer. In some embodiments, the preservative composition reduces or eliminates microbial load within a food product to an acceptable food grade level for a period of time sufficient to allow transport and distribution to a consumer, including typical consumer storage times (e.g., the time spent within a consumer's refrigerator), without the food product undergoing spoilage and/or a significant increase in microbial load.

In some embodiments, the preservative composition provides a broad spectrum antimicrobial effect to prevent bacterial, yeast, and mold spoilage. The individual components of the preservative compositions described herein advantageously exhibit synergistic antimicrobial activity when combined with one another, enabling the achievement of broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and associated preservative effects not exhibited when the individual components/ingredients are used independently of one another. For example, when the individual components are used independently, the resulting preservative effect may be less effective and in some cases may fail the standardized preservative test (i.e., the preservative challenge test of the united states pharmacopeia chapter <51> (using a standardized test such as 6 months 2017)). In contrast, the preservative compositions described herein, which include a combination of the components alone, have shown broad spectrum preservative efficacy, enabling the compositions to pass such standardized preservative tests.

In at least some embodiments, the preservative compositions described herein can be added to food products without changing the pH of the food product to a detrimental extent. For example, when a food product has an acidic baseline pH (as is the case in many fruit juices or other fruit and/or vegetable-based products), some preservative formulations of the prior art can cause the pH of the food product to increase to a level near neutral pH. This increase in pH reduces the ability to control microbial growth. In particular, when the pH is raised to near neutral levels, mold growth can become significantly more difficult to control. Thus, such preservative formulations violate the general goal of protecting food products from all forms of microbial contamination, even though they may be effective against a subset of common microbial contaminants (e.g., bacteria and/or non-mold yeast). In contrast, the preservative compositions described herein are capable of providing a broad spectrum preservative effect without detrimentally promoting the growth of one or more forms of microorganisms, such as molds.

In some embodiments, even in cases where the addition of a natural preservative composition results in an increase in pH, the synergistic effect of the combined components of the preservative composition acts to prevent the pH increase from deleteriously causing the preservative to fail. For example, even if the pH level is raised to some extent, the broad spectrum capability of the preservative composition has been shown to be effective in preventing microbial growth, including mold growth (which is often the first culprit when a pH rise occurs). Thus, a natural preservative composition as described herein can function to reduce or eliminate the detrimental effects associated with a rise in pH when other preservative formulations may be ineffective due to an increase in pH of the associated food product.

A method of preserving a food product using a natural preservative composition comprising: (1) providing a food product; (2) adding a natural preservative composition to the food product; and (3) the natural preservative composition preserves the food product. Preservation of the food product may be shown as an extended shelf life of the food product relative to a similar food product that does not include the natural preservative composition. Additionally or alternatively, the preservation effect can be manifested as an improvement in the performance of the food product and natural preservative composition in one or more standardized preservative challenge tests relative to the performance of a similar food product that omits the natural preservative composition but is otherwise provided under similar conditions.

In a presently preferred embodiment, the food product is a fruit and/or vegetable based product, such as a juice, puree, concentrate, or the like. As explained above, the natural preservative composition includes a combination of individual components that, when combined, act synergistically to provide a broad spectrum of activity, thereby limiting the growth and spread of bacteria, yeast, and mold over an extended period of time (e.g., a period of at least 28 days). In at least some embodiments, the preservative effectiveness of the natural preservative composition is enhanced by a synergistic relationship between the individual components of the natural preservative composition.

In some embodiments, the fruit and/or vegetable product is provided at an initial pH level of about 2.6 to 4.5, or about 2.8 to 4.0, or about 3.0 to 3.5. In at least some embodiments, the natural preservative compositions described herein can be added to the fruit and/or vegetable products without significantly altering or affecting the initial pH. For example, the pH may be maintained below about 6.0, or below about 5.5, or below about 5.0, or below about 4.5, or below about 4.0 after addition of the natural preservative composition.

As used herein, the terms "about," "about," and "substantially" mean an amount or condition that is close to the recited amount or condition that still performs the desired function or achieves the desired result. For example, the terms "about," "about," and "substantially" may refer to an amount or condition that deviates from the stated amount or condition by less than 10%, or by less than 5%, or by less than 1%, or by less than 0.1%, or by less than 0.01%.