SPOONABLE FOOD COMPOSITION

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the field of spoonable food compositions that can be distributed via the ambient channel One embodiment of the present invention relates to a spoonable ambient food composition. The spoonable food composition of the present invention can be used as a meal alternative.

Claims

1. Spoonable ambient food composition comprising pea protein and oat flour.

2. Spoonable ambient food composition according to claim 1, further comprising an ingredient selected from the group consisting of lemon juice, natural rosemary flavoring, and combinations thereof, and at least about 2 weight-% pea protein, at least about 7 weight % oat flour, at least about 13 weight-% beetroot puree, at least about 13 weight-% pomegranate juice, at least about 10 weight-% fig puree, at least about 7 weight-% grape juice, at least about 6 weight-% cherry juice, at least about 5 weight-% rhubarb puree, at least about 5 weight-% parsnip puree, and at least about 3 weight-% carrot juice.

3. Spoonable ambient food composition according to claim 1, further comprising an ingredient selected from the group consisting of lemon juice, blueberry juice, and combinations thereof and at least about 1.5 weight-% pea protein, at least about 7 weight % oat flour, at least about 2 weight-% cocoa, at least about 18 weight-% raspberry puree, at least about 16 weight-% apple juice, at least about 10 weight-% fig puree, at least about 7 weight-% banana puree, at least about 7 weight-% cauliflower puree, and at least about 7 weight-% pear puree.

4. Spoonable ambient food composition according to claim 1, further comprising an ingredient selected from the group consisting of ginger juice, coconut milk, turmeric, and combinations thereof and at least about 2 weight-% pea protein, at least about 7 weight % oat flour, at least about 18 weight-% pumpkin puree, at least about 10 weight-% pineapple juice, at least about 10 weight-% apricot juice, at least about 9 weight-% apple juice, at least about 8 weight-% grape juice, at least about 5 weight-% sweet potato puree, and at least about 5 weight-% lemon juice.

5. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition has a viscosity in the range of about 20-25 Pa.Math.s at 10.sup.−5 shear rate.

6. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a nut and seed mix, wherein the nut and seed mix may comprise nuts and seeds selected from the group consisting of walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and combinations thereof.

7. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition is obtainable by a method comprising the steps of: mixing of the wet ingredients, addition of the dry ingredients, and further mixing to ensure hydration and homogeneity, adjustment of the pH to 4.5 or less, for example through the addition of lemon juice, filling of the resulting product into retortable packaging, pasteurization of the product in the retortable packaging at a temperature in the range of about 90-100° C., and cooling of the product.

8. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition comprises no added sugar and/or no added salt.

9. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition is not fortified with vitamins or minerals.

10. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition is gluten-free and/or is a vegetarian composition and/or is a vegan composition.

11. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition is to be used to replace a complete meal, for example, lunch or dinner.

12. Spoonable ambient food composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composition is to be distributed through the ambient food chain.

13. Single serve pack comprising spoonable ambient food composition comprising pea protein and oat flour, wherein the single serve comprises about 250-350 g of the composition, and wherein a nut and seed mix is separated from the composition in the single serve pack and is to be added to the composition before consumption.

14. Single serve pack in accordance with claim 13, wherein the composition is pasteurized, and the single serve pack has a shelf life at ambient conditions of at least 6 months.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0085] Methods:

[0086] Rheological Analyses

[0087] Rheological measurements were performed for the spoonable ambient food composition in a stress-controlled rheometer (MCR 501, Anton Paar) with a sandblasted, 50 mm diameter, parallel plate geometry, 50 mm and a 1 mm gap.

[0088] Viscometry

[0089] A 1-minute pre-shearing step at a constant shear rate of 100 s.sup.−1 was applied in order to ensure all samples were subjected to the same deformation history. Viscosity measurements consisted of shear rate ramps from 0.1 s.sup.−1 and 1000 s.sup.−1 and from 1000 s.sup.−1 to 0.1 s.sup.−1, and at a constant temperature of 20° C.

[0090] Small-Amplitude Oscillation

[0091] The strain sweep measurements were carried out by increasing strain amplitude in discrete steps at a constant frequency of 1 Hz, and at constant temperature of 20° C.

Example 1

[0092] A composition in accordance with the present invention was prepared with the following ingredients as described in the table “%” refers to “weight-%”

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Ingredients % Ingredients Pea Protein Isolate 3.0 Oat flour 8.5 Fruit and Vegetable blend 80.2 Beetroot puree 14.7 Pomegranate juice 14.1 Apple juice 6.6 White Grape Juice 8.0 Fig puree 11.5 Cherry juice 6.7 Rhubarb puree 6.1 Parsnip puree 6.1 Lemon juice 2.4 Black carrot juice 4.0 Natural rosemary flavoring 0.3 Nut and Seed Mix 8.3 Walnuts 3.3 Pistachio nuts 2.1 Sunflower seeds 1.7 Pumpkin seeds 1.2 Total 100

[0093] First, the fruit and vegetable blend were prepared by weighing and mixing all the wet ingredients. Next the pea protein isolate and the oat flour were weighed and added to the wet blend and mixed thoroughly to ensure hydration and homogeneity. Then the composition was adjusted to pH 4.2 through the addition of lemon juice. Then 275 g of the resulting composition was filled into a polypropylene retortable tub and was sealed using a polypropylene heat seal membrane. Finally, pasteurization of the composition was carried out in an autoclave at a temperature of 93.3° C. for 2.5 mins, and subsequent cooling was carried to ambient temperature before storage.

[0094] 25 g of the nuts and seeds were weighed and packed separately in sachets which will be added to the pasteurized product composition before consumption.

[0095] FIG. 1 shows the packaged spoonable ambient food composition (a) and after unwrapping (b).

[0096] Table 2 shows the nutritional values per 100 g and 300 g of product composition.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Nutrition Facts 100 g 300 g Energy 566 kJ 1699 kJ 137 kcal 410 kcal Fat 5.2 g  16 g of which saturates 0.6 g 1.9 g Carbohydrate  14 g  42 g of which Sugars 7.9 g  24 g Fibre 2.1 g 6.2 g Protein 6.7 g  20 g Salt 0.01 g  0.02 g 

[0097] Table 3 shows the micronutrient content and % reference amount for daily intake of adults per 100 g and 300 g of product composition.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Micronutrients 100 g % DI 300 g % DI Vitamin C  6.6 mg  7%   20 mg 22% Vitamin B6  0.1 mg  5%  0.2 mg 16% Potassium  181 mg  5%  542 mg 15% Phosphorus 71.7 mg 13%  215 mg 39% Magnesium 27.5 mg 11% 82.4 mg 34% Iron  0.7 mg  7%  2.2 mg 20% Zinc  0.6 mg  5%  1.8 mg 15%

Example 2

[0098] Rheological properties of the spoonable ambient food composition were measured and Table 4 shows the results of apparent viscosity at a range of shear rates and the elastic modulus (G′) values within the linear viscoelastic region (LVR), at the same strain.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Apparent viscosity G′ (Pa) (Pa .Math. s) (within Sample 1 s.sup.−1 10 s.sup.−1 50 s.sup.−1 1000 s.sup.−1 LVR) Spoonable ambient 110 22 8 1 815 food composition

Example 3

[0099] A composition in accordance with the present invention was prepared with the following ingredients as described in Table 1. “%” refers to “weight-%”

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Ingredients % Ingredients Pea Protein Isolate 2.2 Oat flour 8.5 Low fat Cocoa Powder 2.5 Fruit and Vegetable blend 78.5 Raspberry puree 19.5 Apple juice 17.7 Fig puree 11.8 Banana puree 8.2 Cauliflower puree 8.2 Pear puree 7.7 Lemon juice 3.2 Blueberry juice 2.4 Nut and Seed Mix 8.3 Walnuts 3.3 Pistachio nuts 2.1 Sunflower seeds 1.7 Pumpkin seeds 1.2 Total 100

[0100] First, the fruit and vegetable blend were prepared by weighing and mixing all the wet ingredients. Next the pea protein isolate and the oat flour were weighed and added to the wet blend and mixed thoroughly to ensure hydration and homogeneity. Then the composition was adjusted to pH 4.2 through the addition of lemon juice. Then 275 g of the resulting composition was filled into a polypropylene retortable tub and was sealed using a polypropylene heat seal membrane. Finally, pasteurization of the composition was carried out in an autoclave at a temperature of 93.3° C. for 2.5 mins, and subsequent cooling was carried to ambient temperature before storage.

[0101] 25 g of the nuts and seeds were weighed and packed separately in sachets which will be added to the pasteurized product composition before consumption.

[0102] FIG. 2 shows the packaged spoonable ambient food composition (a) and after unwrapping (b).

[0103] Table 6 shows the nutritional values per 100 g and 300 g of product composition.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Nutrition Facts 100 g 300 g Energy 590 kJ 1771 kJ 143 kcal 430 kcal Fat 5.5 g  16 g of which saturates 0.8 g 2.4 g Carbohydrate  14 g  43 g of which Sugars 7.8 g  23 g Fibre 3.2 g 9.5 g Protein 6.8 g  20 g Salt 0.00 g  0.01 g 

[0104] Table 7 shows the micronutrient content and % reference amount for daily intake of adults per 100 g and 300 g of product composition.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Micronutrients 100 g % DI 300 g % DI Vitamin E 0.6 mg 5% 1.8 mg 16% Vitamin C 7.4 mg 7%  22 mg 22% Vitamin B6 0.1 mg 7% 0.3 mg 21% Potassium  266 mg  8%  798 mg  23% Phosphorus 80.6 mg  15%  242 mg  44% Magnesium 37.4 mg  15%  112 mg  45% Iron 1.2 mg 11% 3.7 mg 33% Zinc 0.7 mg 6% 2.2 mg 18%

Example 4

[0105] Rheological properties of the spoonable ambient food composition were measured and Table 4 shows the results of apparent viscosity at a range of shear rates and the elastic modulus (G′) values within the linear viscoelastic region (LVR), at the same strain.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Apparent viscosity G′ (Pa) (Pa .Math. s) (within Sample 1 s.sup.−1 LVR) 50 s.sup.−1 1000 s.sup.−1 LVR) Spoonable ambient 140 25 10 1.3 1400 food composition

Example 5

[0106] A composition in accordance with the present invention was prepared with the following ingredients as described in Table 1. “%” refers to “weight-%”

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Ingredients % Ingredients Pea Protein Isolate 3.0 Oat flour 8.5 Fruit and Vegetable blend 80.2 Pumpkin puree 19.0 Pineapple juice 11.9 Apricot juice 11.9 Apple juice 10.1 Grape juice 9.6 Sweet potato puree 5.9 Lemon juice 5.9 Organic Ginger juice 3.5 Coconut milk 2.0 Organic turmeric 0.4 Nut and Seed Mix 8.3 Walnuts 3.3 Pistachio nuts 2.1 Sunflower seeds 1.7 Pumpkin seeds 1.2 Total 100

[0107] First, the fruit and vegetable blend were prepared by weighing and mixing all the wet ingredients. Next the pea protein isolate and the oat flour were weighed and added to the wet blend and mixed thoroughly to ensure hydration and homogeneity. Then the composition was adjusted to pH 4.2 through the addition of lemon juice. Then 275 g of the resulting composition was filled into a polypropylene retortable tub and was sealed using a polypropylene heat seal membrane. Finally, pasteurization of the composition was carried out in an autoclave at a temperature of 93.3° C. for 2.5 mins, and subsequent cooling was carried to ambient temperature before storage.

[0108] 25 g of the nuts and seeds were weighed and packed separately in sachets which will be added to the pasteurized product composition before consumption.

[0109] FIG. 3 shows the packaged spoonable ambient food composition (a) and after unwrapping (b).

[0110] Table 10 shows the nutritional values per 100 g and 300 g of product composition.

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Nutrition Facts 100 g 300 g Energy 563 kJ 1689 KJ 137 kcal 410 kcal Fat 5.7 g  17 g of which saturates 1.1 g 3.3 g Carbohydrate  13 g  38 g of which Sugars 6.3 g  19 g Fibre 2.0 g 5.9 g Protein 6.7 g  20 g Salt 0.01 g  0.02 g 

[0111] Table 11 shows the micronutrient content and % reference amount for daily intake of adults per 100 g and 300 g of product composition.

TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Micronutrients 100 g % DI 300 g % DI Vitamin E  1.0 mg  9% 2.98 mg 27% Vitamin B6  0.1 mg  8% 0.29 mg 23% Potassium  197 mg  6%  590 mg 17% Phosphorus 70.6 mg 13%  212 mg 39% Magnesium 27.8 mg 11% 83.4 mg 34% Iron  0.7 mg  7%  2.2 mg 20% Zinc  0.6 mg  5%  1.8 mg 15%

Example 6

[0112] Rheological properties of the spoonable ambient food composition were measured and Table 4 shows the results of apparent viscosity at a range of shear rates and the elastic modulus (G′) values within the linear viscoelastic region (LVR), at the same strain.

TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Apparent viscosity G′ (Pa) (Pa .Math. s) (within Sample 1 s.sup.−1 10 s.sup.−1 50 s.sup.−1 1000 s.sup.−1 LVR) Spoonable ambient 135 25 10 1.1 1220 food composition