Method for preparing an edible fruit and / or vegetable product with gummy texture

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an edible product derived from a plant selected from a fruit, a vegetable and mixtures thereof, with a gummy texture and a fruit and / or vegetable content of at least 98%, which comprises: a) conditioning a product selected from a fruit, a vegetable and mixtures thereof; b) heating the product resulting from step a) to 100-105ºC and maintaining the temperature reached for 3-5 minutes, thereby obtaining a pasteurised paste; c) lowering the temperature of the paste to 80-95ºC; d) mixing the pasteurised paste at 80-95ºC, at a pH of 2.9-3 and with 49-53 °Bx dissolved solids, with pectin, for 25-35 minutes; e) leaving to gel, thereby obtaining an edible gummy-textured snack product; f) cutting into pieces and adding anti-caking agent; and g) packaging at ambient temperature.

Description

[0001] PROCEDURE FOR PREPARING AN EDIBLE FRUIT AND / OR VEGETABLE PRODUCT WITH A GUMMY TEXTURE

[0002] FIELD OF INVENTION

[0003] The present invention falls within the field of preparing edible products based on fruits or vegetables, or both, of the snack type.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Obtaining edible snack products from fruit and / or vegetables is a developing technology.

[0006] W002071871A1 relates to a method for preparing a fruit or vegetable spread, comprising: (a) mixing at high speed a sweetener, a soluble dietary fiber, and pectin for a period of time sufficient to form a slurry; (b) adding whole fruits and / or vegetables to the slurry; and (c) pasteurizing the mixture of fruit and / or vegetables and slurry resulting from step (b).

[0007] WO2016139159 discloses a method for obtaining a food preparation based on fruits and / or vegetables, according to which the fruit and / or vegetables are dehydrated to obtain a product in powder form, to which water is added during the process to hydrate it and obtain the desired viscosity.

[0008] W02010011712A1 (GEN MILLS INC.) refers to a fruit-based, flexible, gelled product. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 fatty acids, are added to this product. It is prepared by cooking a fruit-based composition, cooling it, and mixing it with an oil containing at least one polyunsaturated fatty acid.

[0009] WO0205658A2 relates to gelled products containing carrageenan gum that retain their shape. Sugar is added during the production process, and the final stage includes a curing step to obtain the gelled pieces. This product has a much lower final fruit content than that obtained with the process of the present invention.

[0010] W02017062608A1 discloses a sweet product that is distributed within a sealed container, containing up to 99% fruit by weight. This sweet is obtained as a product derived from fruit by-products and is dimensionally stable, i.e.,

[0011] 1

[0012] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) that maintains its shape. The product described has a high moisture content of more than 50% by weight and contains solids in a proportion of more than 10% by weight. The agricultural fruit byproduct base material, in conjunction with a hydrocolloid, is treated with pressure and / or heat to form an edible composition that is dimensionally stable and environmentally stable for at least 9 months.

[0013] Document MX2014008385 also refers to a fruit-derived product. According to MX2014008385, the process involves blending a concentrated puree of at least one fruit or fruit mixture pre-conditioned with gelling agents, and sugar or sugar substitute, among other substances. The use of pureed fruit from concentrate prevents the preservation of the fiber and many of the organoleptic properties of the original fruit.

[0014] The product obtained according to the present invention has several differences with the product described in document MX2014008385 in that according to the process disclosed in MX2014008385: ultra-frozen fruit is used, while according to the present process the fruit or vegetable, or both, are previously defrosted or are fresh, the fruit is subjected to a concentration process, obtaining a concentrated puree, while according to the present invention concentrates are not used sugar or sugar substitutes are added as sweeteners, while according to the present invention neither sugar nor sweeteners are used hot packing is carried out, such as at 80 e C, removing some of the air from inside the container while according to the present invention it is packaged at room temperature.

[0015] In view of the above, there is no industrial preparation process on the market for edible snack products containing natural fruit, natural vegetables, or a mixture of both in a proportion equal to or greater than 98%, without added sugars, not from concentrates, without artificial preservatives or colorings, with the texture of a jelly bean, which is pleasant to the palate and attractive, particularly for certain population groups, and in both small pieces (dice type) and bars.

[0016] 2

[0017] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) All these nutritional characteristics are obtained through a natural process, without the need to add sugar, preserving the fiber naturally present in each fruit and / or vegetable.

[0018] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The present invention relates to a process for preparing an edible product of the appetizer or snack type, made of fruit, vegetables or both.

[0020] The present invention relates to a process for preparing an edible product derived from a vegetable selected from fruit, vegetables and a mixture of both, with a gummy texture and a fruit and / or vegetable content equal to or greater than at least 98%, which comprises: a) conditioning a product selected from fruit, vegetables or a mixture of both, b) heating the product resulting from step a) to a temperature between 100 and 105 e C and maintain it at the temperature reached, for a time between 3 to 5 minutes, obtaining a pasteurized mass c) lower the temperature of the pasteurized mass to a temperature between 80 and 95 e C d) mix the pasteurized dough, at a temperature between 80 and 95 eC, at a pH between 2.9 and 3, and with a quantity of dissolved solids measured in degrees Brix between 49 and 53 2 Bñx, with pectin, for a time between 25 and 35 minutes, e) let it gel, obtaining an edible snack-type product with a gummy texture, f) cut into pieces and add an anti-caking agent and g) pack at room temperature.

[0021] In stage a), “conditioning” means performing one or more operations selected from chopping, grinding, mixing.

[0022] The fruit and / or vegetables used in step a) may have been previously chopped.

[0023] The fruit and / or vegetable used in step a) is in its natural state, meaning it has not undergone any processing, except, optionally, ultra-freezing. In other words, this fruit and / or vegetable is not in concentrated form, nor has it been partially or completely dehydrated, nor is it in puree form, nor has it been subjected to any prior cooking.

[0024] 3

[0025] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) According to particular embodiments, part or all of the fruit and / or vegetable used in step a) may have been deep-frozen. In that case, the method comprises a step of pre-thawing the fruit and / or vegetable that has been frozen, which is carried out, for example, between 24 and 48 hours, such as for 48h, in refrigeration chambers, at a temperature between 3 e and 5 e .

[0026] According to particular embodiments, the fruit and / or vegetable used in step a) is chopped and crushed, and is fresh.

[0027] You can use a mixture of fruits and / or vegetables in two forms: frozen or fresh. To mix fresh fruits and / or vegetables with frozen fruits and / or vegetables, it is necessary to first defrost the frozen portion.

[0028] According to particular embodiments, in step b) the product resulting from step a) is heated to a temperature between 103 and 105 e C, and more preferably between 104 and 105 e C.

[0029] The product of stage a) may consist of a single type of fruit or vegetable.

[0030] In the process of the invention, step b) is the only one in which heating of the fruit / vegetable mass from step a) is carried out.

[0031] In stage b) the expression “temperature reached” means a temperature between 100 and 105 e C, for example, 105 e C.

[0032] According to particular embodiments, in step c) the mass obtained in step b) is allowed to cool to between 90 and 95 e C.

[0033] The pectin can be apple pectin or orange pectin. Apple concentrate or apple juice can also be used. Therefore, the term "pectin" refers to either of these options in this specification.

[0034] The process of the invention includes the control of the variables temperature, viscosity and pH.

[0035] The pasteurized mixture used in step d) must have a Brix value between 49 e and 53 e Brix.

[0036] 4

[0037] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) In the present invention, Brix degrees can be measured with a refractometer.

[0038] Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is a measure of dissolved solids in a liquid. One degree Brix corresponds to or is equivalent to 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and represents the concentration of the solution as a percentage by mass. If the solution contains dissolved solids other than pure sucrose, then °Bx is only an approximate measure of the dissolved solids content.

[0039] According to the present invention, the amount of dissolved solids can be measured with a refractometer, such as the Milwaukee company refractometers, models MA871, MA882, MA883 or MA884, used in oenology.

[0040] The pectin added to the pasteurized mass in step d) is in a proportion between 1% and 10% by weight with respect to the weight of the pasteurized mass before mixing. It should be noted that in the operation in step b), the weight of the total mass is reduced by approximately 15% or even more in the case of vegetables, up to 30%, depending on the types of fruit and / or vegetables chosen.

[0041] Step d) may comprise the addition of deionized apple to increase the amount of dissolved solids and citric acid or lemon juice to reduce the pH.

[0042] Deionized apple juice is prepared using a well-known process from clean, healthy fruit that has been washed and graded prior to processing. The apples are crushed, pressed, and the pectin is removed. The juice undergoes ultrafiltration. The filtered and depectinized juice is concentrated through a multi-stage process, with low-temperature vacuum concentration, decolorization, and deacidification. The deionized apple juice concentrate is pasteurized and then aseptically packaged.

[0043] Deionized apple, if necessary, is added to add solid mass and raise the solids content of the mix.

[0044] After step d), optionally, one or more foods that add color are added. If a food that adds color is added, it is mixed with the dough obtained in step d), and the mixture is stirred for several minutes, for example, 5 minutes.

[0045] A natural food coloring can be used, for example, coloring foods, which are defined as edible raw materials that have not been

[0046] 5

[0047] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) subjected to selective extraction of the naturally occurring pigments in the raw material of origin. These coloring foods can be, for example, from the company EXBERRY, which allows them to be classified as food and not as artificial colorings in the final list of ingredients.

[0048] An example of a natural food coloring is Majestic Blue (EXBERRY Shade), whose ingredient is spirulina, to give a green color to the final product, for example, to add color to vegetables.

[0049] The gelation stage e) is divided into two sub-stages:

[0050] A first stage e-1) comprising allowing it to gel first in airtight trays, for example, for 16 to 24 hours at a temperature, for example, between 60 and 65 e C, preferably at 60 e C, and is optionally carried out with dehumidifiers.

[0051] A second stage e-2) which comprises allowing to gel after the first gelation, in perforated trays for a time, for example, between 4 and 7 days at a controlled temperature of approximately, for example, 25 e C, preferably between 4 and 7 days, and more preferably between 4 and 5 days.

[0052] According to particular embodiments, in the process of the invention, in step e-2) the trays are stored in chambers at a temperature of 25 e C and with dehumidifiers between 4 to 6 days for maturation and drying.

[0053] The fruit and / or vegetable sheets can be removed from the trays they are in after gelling and placed on the cutting belt.

[0054] Fruit pieces can be of any shape, such as 15mm by 15mm squares + / - 10%.

[0055] The pieces can be cut to the desired size and weight using a cutter designed for this purpose.

[0056] The anti-caking agent used in step g) can be any, for example, beeswax or carnauba wax, but it is preferably carnauba wax. The cut product is impregnated to prevent caking.

[0057] Step g) involves packaging the final pieces, which have the texture of a jelly bean, at room temperature. Weighing and packaging are carried out, for example, using a weighing-packaging machine.

[0058] 6

[0059] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) The product obtained has a consumption period of at least 700 days, and up to 730 days, that is, more than 24 months.

[0060] The process of the invention may be continuous or discontinuous.

[0061] Determining the right fruit / vegetable mix, including deionized apple, which is added to add solid mass, and therefore viscosity, to the mix, requires great precision in the process.

[0062] When cooking fruit, 15% of the mass can be lost due to evaporation of water during cooking between 100 and 105 e C. In the case of vegetables, water loss is even greater, reaching 30% volume loss in the T range a indicated.

[0063] Fruits / vegetables that can be used include, for example, apple, cherry, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, grapefruit, pear, pineapple, mango, peach, plum, tangerine, banana, carrot, pumpkin, red pepper, zucchini, artichoke, eggplant, beetroot, and combinations of any of these.

[0064] Using vegetables adds additional difficulty to the fruit preparation process, as they have a more basic pH than fruit, and they also double the water loss during cooking, increasing from 15% for fruit to 30% for vegetables.

[0065] You can prepare a product that only includes fruit, or only includes vegetables.

[0066] A product can be prepared that includes a combination of fruit and vegetables with a proportion between 60 and 70% by weight of fruit, for example, 70% by weight of fruit and 30% of vegetables.

[0067] A product can be prepared with a 35% vegetable weight, incorporating, for example, carrots and pumpkin. Additionally, a colorant can optionally be included to achieve a green color so that the product conveys its vegetable characteristics to the consumer.

[0068] The 4- to 7-day cooling and natural ripening process allows for the evacuation of 99.9% of the water content and allows the product to have a shelf life of between 24 and 36 months.

[0069] 7

[0070] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) The present invention also relates to the edible product with a gummy texture obtained according to the defined process.

[0071] EXAMPLE

[0072] By way of example, a process for obtaining a gummy-textured product according to the invention is described.

[0073] A product is prepared following the steps:

[0074] Reception and storage of raw materials: lemon and apple (juice and concentrate) 200 kg drum. They are at room temperature.

[0075] In addition, blueberry and strawberry fruits (frozen) are used in a proportion of 20% with respect to the total weight of the fruits in stage a). They are at a temperature <-18 e C. They are thawed for 48 hours in refrigeration chambers at a temperature between 4 e and 6 e C. The blueberries and strawberries are crushed.

[0076] Blueberries and strawberries are mixed in a 200 l kettle for continuous production or a 100 l kettle for batch production.

[0077] Once the fruits are crushed and mixed, the entire mixture is heated to 104 e for 4 minutes to sterilize.

[0078] It cools down to 80 eC, it is checked that the pH is in the range between 2.9 and 3, and that the mass has a Brix value between 49 and 53. With the fruit mass fulfilling these conditions, it is mixed with pectin in a proportion of between 4 and 10%, for example, 6% by weight, with respect to the weight of the fruit.

[0079] Lemon and strawberry are added as coloring in a proportion of 0.1% of the fruit mass; the mixture is mixed and stirred for 5 minutes to ensure the coloring is well integrated.

[0080] The mixture is divided into trays and stored in chambers with dehumidifiers for 24 hours.

[0081] After 24 hours, the mixture is transferred to perforated cooling trays. The trays are stored in chambers at 25°C. e C and with dehumidifiers between 4 to 6 days for maturation and drying.

[0082] 8

[0083] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) After this time, the fruit plates are removed from the mold and placed on the cutting belt, converting the plates into squares of 15 mm by 15 mm + / - 10%.

[0084] The fruit pieces are coated with carnauba wax and passed to a packaging machine, which bags them with the corresponding weight. In this case, they weigh 32.4g (+2% / -0%).

[0085] The sales bags are packed in master cartons, approximately 12 units per carton, according to European palletizing. The pallets are then strapped and sealed with plastic wrap. The pallets are stored at room temperature.

[0086] 9

[0087] REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26)

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A procedure for preparing an edible product derived from a vegetable selected from fruit, vegetables and a mixture of both, with a gummy texture and a fruit and / or vegetable content equal to or greater than at least 98%, comprising: a) conditioning a product selected from fruit, vegetables or a mixture of both, b) heating the product resulting from step a) to a temperature between 100 and 105 e C and maintain it at the temperature reached, for a time between 3 to 5 minutes, obtaining a pasteurized mass c) lower the temperature of the pasteurized mass to a temperature between 80 and 95 e C d) mix the pasteurized dough, at a temperature between 80 and 95 e C, at a pH between 2.9 and 3, and with a quantity of dissolved solids measured in degrees Brix between 49 and 53 2Brix, with pectin, for a time between 25 and 35 minutes, e) let it gel, obtaining an edible snack-type product with a gummy texture, f) cut into pieces and add an anti-caking agent and g) package at room temperature.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fruit and / or vegetable used in step a) is thawed or fresh.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein, in step b) the product obtained in step a) is heated to a temperature between 103 and 105 e C, and more preferably between 104 and 105 e C.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pectin is selected from apple pectin, orange pectin, apple concentrate and apple juice.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pectin, apple juice or concentrate is added in a proportion between 4% and 10% by weight with respect to the weight of the pasteurized mass at the time prior to mixing.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) comprises adding deionized apple. 10 REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26) 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) comprises adding citric acid or lemon juice to reduce the pH.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) comprises adding a food that adds color.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein step e) comprises e1)- allowing the product resulting from step e1) to gel in perforated trays and subsequently e2)- allowing the product resulting from step e1) to gel in perforated trays.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the anti-caking agent is carnauba wax.

11. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in step a) fruits and / or vegetables selected from one or more of the group: blueberries, raspberries, apples, strawberries, cherries, orange, lemon, beetroot and carrot are used.

12. Method according to claim 11, comprising using a fruit, carrot and pumpkin.

13. An edible snack or appetizer type product, obtained by the method defined in any one of the preceding claims, which has a gummy texture and comprises a percentage of fruits, vegetables or a combination of both, equal to or greater than 98%. REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 26)