Maceration composition and method for preparing same

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for preparing a maceration composition made from at least one component selected from the group comprising fruits, vegetables, plants and spices, said method comprising the following steps: Macerating the component by dipping it into water in order to have the equivalent of 15 to 80 g of component for 1 L of maceration composition, at a temperature of 15 C. to 25 C. for a period of 30 to 120 minutes, thus obtaining a solid material in a maceration; Separating the maceration from the solid material: Acidifying the maceration and/or the water to obtain a maceration composition having a pH between 3.1 and 3.5. The invention also relates to a maceration composition obtainable according to this method, wherein said maceration comprises between 20 and 40 g/L of sugar. The invention eventually relates to a bottled beverage comprising at least one maceration composition according to the invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a maceration composition made from at least one component selected from the group consisting of apple, banana, pear, kiwi, passion fruit, mango, pomegranate, papaya, peach, apricot, watermelon, melon, strawberry, blackcurrant, currant, gooseberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, cherry, grape, cucumber, vegetables, plants and spices, the method comprising: macerating the at least one component by dipping the at least one component into water in order to have the equivalent of 15 to 80 g of the at least one component for 1 L of the maceration composition, at a temperature of 15 C. to 25 C., for a period of 30 to 120 minutes, thus obtaining a solid material in a maceration; separating the maceration from the solid material; and acidifying the maceration and/or the water to obtain the maceration composition, the maceration composition having a pH between 3.1 and 3.5.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maceration composition comprises an equivalent of 25 to 50 g of the at least one component for 1 L of the maceration composition.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separating comprises at least one of a decanting step, a clarifying step, and a filtering step.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising mixing the maceration composition with sugar.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sterilizing and/or pasteurizing the maceration composition.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising diluting the maceration composition.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the maceration composition is diluted with at least one water selected from the group consisting of mineral water, spring water, treated water, and tap water.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the acidifying, the maceration and/or the water is acidified with citric acid, malic acid or any other suitable acid.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising mixing the maceration composition with at least one additive selected from the group consisting of natural coloring foodstuff, preservatives, and natural flavor.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the macerating, the component is introduced into pieces.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one component is selected from the group consisting of apple, banana, pear, kiwi, passion fruit, mango, pomegranate, papaya, peach, apricot, watermelon, melon, strawberry, blackcurrant, currant, gooseberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, cherry, grape, hibiscus, elderflower, carrot, sugar beet, fennel, cucumber, ginger, mint, basil, rosemary, fenugreek, verbena, sage, thyme, parsley, chamomile, tarragon, and spices.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one component is selected from the group consisting of apple, banana, mango, pomegranate, peach, strawberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, blueberry, cherry, white grape, red grape, elderflower, peppermint, spearmint, Marseillais basil, Thai basil, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, lemongrass, cocoa and vanilla.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, for the macerating, the water is selected from the group consisting of mineral water, spring water, treated water, and tap water.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one component is selected from the group consisting of apple, banana, pear, kiwi, passion fruit, mango, pomegranate, papaya, peach, apricot, watermelon, melon, strawberry, blackcurrant, currant, gooseberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, cherry, grape, hibiscus, elderflower, carrot, sugar beet, fennel, cucumber, ginger, mint, basil, rosemary, fenugreek, verbena, sage, thyme, parsley, chamomile, tarragon, spices, peppermint, spearmint, Marseillais basil, Thai basil, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, lemongrass, cocoa and vanilla.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one component is selected from the group consisting of strawberry, spearmint, and mixtures thereof.

Description

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a graph plotting the results of the sorting test on the lemon maceration composition and on the lemon-mint maceration composition of the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a graph plotting the results of the sorting test on the strawberry maceration composition of the invention.

(4) FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described in Example 4 below.

(5) The invention is further described with reference to the following examples. It will be appreciated that the invention as claimed is not intended to be limited in any way by these examples.

Example 1: Preparation of Maceration Composition According to the Invention Using Lyophilized Fruits

(6) The preparation of a maceration composition according to the invention using lyophilized fruits was made.

(7) TABLE-US-00001 Name Quantity g/L Vittel Grande Source Qs 1000 Blackcurrant pieces 7 Peach pieces 11 Citric acid 1.5 Sucrose 40 Dried fruits in a lyophilized form were used. The fruits were incorporated in the water that was at ambient temperature. The mixture was kept under mild stirring at ambient temperature (20 C.-25 C.) for 40 to 60 minutes. Then, the product was filtered in order to separate the solid from the liquid. Some citric acid was added so as to have a pH around 3.5. Some sugar (sucrose) was then added to the composition.

Example 2: Preparation of a Strong Maceration Composition According to the Invention

(8) A preparation of a maceration composition according to the invention made by dilution of a strong maceration composition according to the invention was made.

(9) Preparation of the Strong Maceration Composition

(10) 50 g of mixed fruits were added to 50 g of mineral water The mixture was stirred up and coverer for 1 hour at ambient temperature. Two filtration were made with different filter size. A centrifugation (Rotor SH-3000 swinging; 4500 rpm; Acceleration 3; Deceleration 1; T=20 C.; 20 min) of the filtrate was made The pH and Brix of the supernatant was measured. pH was adjusted to be below 3.5 using citric acid. The resulting strong maceration composition was pasteurized (0.1<pvalue<0.12)
Preparation of a Maceration Composition Using the Strong Maceration Composition 1 to 2 g of citric acid were added to 950 g of Vittel Grande Source The strong maceration composition was then added to the mixture 30 g of powdered sugar were added to form the maceration composition The pH and Brix were measured to confirm pH was below 3.5 The composition was bottled and pasteurized (0.1<pvalue<0.12)

Example 3: Preparation of Three Maceration Compositions According to the Invention

(11) Three maceration compositions were prepared according to the invention, respectively made from strawberry, lemon and mint (spearmint) as follows.

(12) The maceration compositions were prepared from frozen organic fruit or plant. The fruits were post-harvest frozen that is to say frozen within 2 to 4 h after harvest (IQF Instant Quick Frozen technique). These fruits and plant were thawed just before their use. The thawed fruits were mixed with purified water, in a ratio of approximately 50 g/L. The mixture was kept under mild stirring at ambient temperature (20 C.-25 C.) for 60 minutes. Then, the product was filtered with appropriate filter in order to separate the solid from the liquid. The colored, translucent liquid was mixed with natural mineral water Vittel. Some citric acid was added so that the pH is around 3.2. Some sugar (saccharide) was then added so that the total sugar content (including the sugar content form the fruit or plant) is around 32 g/L. In a final step the final liquid composition, which is the maceration composition, is rendered aseptic by a treatment at 92 C. for 30 seconds.

Example 4: Organoleptic Properties of the Maceration Compositions According to the Invention

(13) Two sorting tests were carried out, under the same conditions, with a panel of 9 panelists who were asked to group several beverages, tasted blindly, according to their dominant taste.

(14) A 2 out of 5 tests were also performed, under the same conditions, with a group of 11 panelists.

(15) These tests were performed for strawberry and lemon maceration compositions prepared in example 3, respectively with respect to reconstituted strawberry juice and reconstituted lemon juice.

(16) 4.1. Lemon Maceration Composition of Example 3

(17) The sorting test was carried out on the following commercial products bought in France: Evian citron fleur de sureau (Evian lemon elderberry flower), Volvic the vert menthe (Volvic green mint tea), May tea the vert menthe (May Tea green mint tea), Honest citron miel (Honest honey lemon), Volvic citron zest (Volvic lemon zest), on top of the lemon maceration prepared in example 3, a lemon-mint maceration (which is the mixture of the lemon maceration composition of Example 3 and of the mint maceration composition of Example 3) and reconstituted citron juice. All the products are written in italics. The two macerations of the invention are marked by a star * in FIG. 1.

(18) The axes of the sorting are representations in two dimension of a multidimensional system. The sorting tests show the situation of the products in view of indicators, written in bold (acid, off-note, lemon juice, lemonade, lemon maceration and candy), all indicators were well-known to the panelists before the test. The sorting test show the position of the product one with respect to the others.

(19) The results of the sorting test are shown in the two-dimension graph of FIG. 1. Three regions are defined, excluding the product Evian citron fleur de sureau which is not well represented in this graph since it is characterized by candy and lemonade taste. Each region represents a sensory area. Three sensory areas are clearly disclosed, the first one (1A) comprising the lemon maceration composition and the lemon-mint maceration composition according to the invention, far from the sensory area (1C), which comprises the reconstituted lemon juice, and from the sensory area (1B), which comprises tea products. Reconstituted lemon juice, in sensory area (1C), is perceived more acid and having an off-taste. Products with tea, in sensory area (1B), are clearly perceived as different in term of taste with respect to the other products.

(20) In conclusion, the lemon maceration composition of the invention and the lemon-mint maceration composition of the invention belong to a different sensory area with respect to the reconstituted lemon juice and to the tea products.

(21) A 2 out of 5 (blind) test was performed to check if the lemon maceration composition of the invention and the reconstituted lemon juice were recognized as different from a taste point of view by nave panelists blindly. For this, 5 blind samples are proposed to the panelists who have to separate in two groups (2 and 3) those which are identical. The answer was that 10 panelists out of 11 found the right answer, meaning that they recognized a difference between the two samples, which is quite significant at 5%.

(22) 4.2. Strawberry Maceration Composition of Example 3

(23) The sorting test was carried out on the following commercial products bought in France: Honest grenade myrtille (Honest pomegranate blueberry), May tea th blanc framboise (May tea raspberry white tea), Volvic jus de fraise (Volvic strawberry juice), Cristaline fraise (Cristaline strawberry), Evian th blanc menthe framboise (Evian raspberry mint white tea), on top of the strawberry maceration composition prepared in Example 1 and reconstituted strawberry juice. All the products are written in italics. The maceration of the invention is marked by a star * in FIG. 2.

(24) The axes of the sorting are representations in two dimension of a multidimensional system. The sorting tests shows the situation of the products in view of indicators, written in bold (astringent, strawberry cooked, off-note, strawberry candy, red fruits, floral, maceration and diluted), all indicators well-known to the panelists before the test. The sorting test show the position of the product one with respect to the others.

(25) The results of the sorting test are shown in the two-dimension graph of FIG. 2. Three regions are defined, excluding the product May tea th blanc framboise which is not well represented in this graph. Each region represents a sensory area. Three sensory areas are clearly disclosed, the first one (2A) comprising the strawberry maceration composition according to the invention, far from the sensory area (2B) and from the sensory area (2C). Reconstituted lemon juice, in sensory area (2C), is perceived more diluted.

(26) In conclusion, the strawberry maceration composition of the invention is close to the reconstituted strawberry juice, and significantly far from the other beverages in terms of taste.

(27) A 2 out of 5 (blind) test was performed to check if the strawberry maceration composition of the invention and reconstituted strawberry juice were recognized as different from a taste point of view by nave panelists blindly. For this, 5 blind samples are proposed to the panelists who have to separate in two groups (2 and 3) those which are identical. The answer was that 10 panelists out of 11 found the right answer, meaning that they recognized a difference between the two samples, which is quite significant at 5%.

(28) The final conclusion of the sensory tests was that the maceration compositions of the invention had significant sensory profiles compared to reconstituted juices and other commercial products.

Example 5: Constituents of the Maceration Compositions According to the Invention

(29) The strawberry maceration composition of the invention (Example 3) and the reconstituted strawberry juice were analyzed according to both Liquid Chromatography coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and Gas chromatography couple to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (GC-HRMS). Samples of both products ware analyzed without treatment for GC-HRMS analysis, and diluted by a factor of 100 of LC-HRMS analysis. Samples were analyzed with Head space GC-QExactive to obtain a chemical fingerprint of the compounds present in the samples. Thus, the chemical fingerprints of the samples and the transport blank were compared in order to highlight the unexplained peaks. They were then identified using an international database of more than 250,000 compounds (NIST).

(30) Three compounds were identified by LC-HRMS in strawberry maceration composition samples while they are absent in reconstituted strawberry juices. They are as follows:

(31) TABLE-US-00002 Molecular Proposition of identification Formula Weight Pinostrobin 5-glucoside C.sub.22H.sub.24O.sub.9 432.1403 Scopoletin C.sub.10H.sub.8O.sub.4 192.0416 Cyanidin 3-O-[b-D-Xylopyranosyl-(1->2)- C.sub.42H.sub.46O.sub.23 918.2389 [(4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamoyl)-(->6)- b-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->6)]-b-D- galactopyranoside]

(32) Several tests were carried out with respect to the origin of the fruits. The results remain the same, which means that these compounds are present in the strawberry maceration composition according to the invention independently of the origin of the fruit.

(33) These compounds are present in the strawberry maceration composition but absent in reconstituted strawberry juices showing a very specific flavor profile of the strawberry maceration composition of the invention.