The present invention is concerned with providing refined plant isolates that can be used as starting materials for the production of functional food ingredients, such as taste enhancers, through an isolation process that employs ion exclusion chromatography. More particularly, the present invention provides a refined plant isolate comprising at least 30% by weight of dry matter of water soluble plant components selected from fructose, glucose, proteinaceous matter of plant origin, acids and potassium, said isolate further being characterized in that at a concentration of 40 Brix the isolate: contains at least 0.3 wt % of glutamate; contains at least 500 ppm of K.sup.+; contains less than 300 ppm of Ca.sup.2+; contains less than 700 ppm of Mg.sup.2+; contains less than 1 wt. % of components capable of passing an ultra filtration membrane having a molecular weight cut off of 250 kDa; wherein the concentration ratio ([Ca.sup.2+]+[Mg.sup.2+])/[K.sup.+] does not exceed 5:100, each of said cation concentrations being expressed in ppm.

A method for preparing a plant derived product or a process intermediate or a process input, the method comprising the steps of providing a plant derived starting material, subjecting the starting material to a forward osmosis step against a draw solution so as to produce a plant material concentrate, and subjecting the draw solution to a water removal step. The water removal step may include further forward osmosis in combination with an evaporator system.

A method for preparing a filtered beverage includes filtering a raw beverage using a cross-flow ultrafiltration device to produce a solids fraction and a liquid fraction; heating the solids fraction to a temperature of 60 C. or greater to produce a pasteurized solids fraction; microfiltering the liquid fraction through a microfilter having a size cut-off of 1 m or smaller to produce a microfiltered liquid fraction; and combining the pasteurized solids fraction and the microfiltered liquid fraction to result in the filtered beverage.

A method for preparing a filtered beverage includes filtering a raw beverage using a cross-flow ultrafiltration device to produce a solids fraction and a liquid fraction; heating the solids fraction to a temperature of 60 C. or greater to produce a pasteurized solids fraction; microfiltering the liquid fraction through a microfilter having a size cut-off of 1 m or smaller to produce a microfiltered liquid fraction; and combining the pasteurized solids fraction and the microfiltered liquid fraction to result in the filtered beverage.

A method for preparing a filtered beverage includes filtering a raw beverage using a cross-flow ultrafiltration device to produce a solids fraction and a liquid fraction; heating the solids fraction to a temperature of 60 C. or greater to produce a pasteurized solids fraction; microfiltering the liquid fraction through a microfilter having a size cut-off of 1 m or smaller to produce a microfiltered liquid fraction; and combining the pasteurized solids fraction and the microfiltered liquid fraction to result in the filtered beverage.