Food products containing carotenoids for improved coloration and methods for making same - Patents.com

Abstract

Food products and methods for producing the same are described, which include one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions to provide food products with a desired color. The desired color is maintained in the food product despite some or all of the ingredients of the food product being exposed to harsh pre-treatment steps (e.g., high pH conditions) during the process of preparing the food product. In some embodiments, the food product is a vegetarian or vegan food product. The food product may be a meat or seafood substitute.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 329,170, filed April 8, 2022, entitled "Food Products Containing Carotenoids for Improved Coloration and Methods of Making the Same," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present application relates to food products having carotenoids incorporated therein to improve the color development of the food product, and methods of preparing food products with improved pigments through the use of carotenoids in the preparation of the food products. [Background technology]

[0003] The preparation of food products often requires exposing an ingredient or mixture of ingredients to various conditions, some of which may be relatively harsh and / or potentially damaging to one or more ingredients. For example, a food processing step may require exposing an ingredient to elevated temperatures or relatively high or low pH conditions.

[0004] Some conditions that ingredients are exposed to during food processing have a direct effect on the pigments of the ingredients and / or foods produced by the food processing step. In one non-limiting example, it is known that exposing ingredients to high pH conditions during food processing can alter or destroy pigments in food products, including but not limited to natural red, yellow and orange colors. This can be problematic in situations where consumers expect a certain food product to have a certain color in order to be considered desirable for consumption, even if the presence or absence of color is unrelated to the actual flavor and / or quality of the food product. In fact, consumer research shows that consumers refrain from purchasing a food product if it does not have the expected color, even if the food product tastes or feels the same or very similar to the expectation for that food product.

[0005] Although the addition of artificial colorings to food products may be an option to overcome the alteration or destruction of natural colors during food production, many consumers desire food products that are free of artificial colorings, for example, for health reasons or personal lifestyle choices. Furthermore, artificial colorings may not be able to fully achieve the desired shade in certain food products.

[0006] Thus, a need exists for food products and food processing methods that maintain a desired color during food processing and avoid the use of artificial colorants. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary, and the preceding Background, are not intended to identify key or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0008] In some embodiments, a food product is described, the food product having an amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions incorporated therein. The amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions incorporated in the food product is selected to provide the food product with a desired color, for example, red coloring. The one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions provide the food product with a desired color that does not deteriorate even when the food product (including during the process of preparing the food product) is exposed to harsh conditions, for example, high pH conditions and / or high temperature conditions.

[0009] In some embodiments, methods for preparing a food product are described that generally include mixing at least one component of the food product with an amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions to form a mixture, and exposing at least the mixture, optionally with other components of the food product combined with the mixture, to a pH environment greater than 8.5. The amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions incorporated into the food product or an ingredient of the food product provides a food product with a desired color (e.g., a red coloration) that does not substantially deteriorate upon exposure of the mixture or food product to a pH environment greater than 8.5.

[0010] These and other aspects of the technology described herein will become apparent after consideration of the detailed description and drawings herein. It should be understood, however, that the scope of the claimed subject matter is determined by the claims as published, and not by whether a given subject matter addresses any or all of the problems noted in the Background or includes any features or aspects described in the Summary.

[0011] Non-limiting, non-exhaustive embodiments of the disclosed technology, including preferred embodiments, are described with reference to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a flow chart of a method for preparing a food product in accordance with various embodiments of the technology described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, certain representative embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, the embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be taken in a limiting sense.

[0014] With reference to Figure 1, a flow chart is provided illustrating an embodiment of a method 100 for producing a food product. The method 100 generally includes steps 110 of mixing at least one component of a food product with an amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions to form a mixture, and step 120 of exposing at least the mixture, along with other components of the food product, optionally combined with the mixture, to a pH environment above 8.5. When exposed to the high pH environment, the color imparted by the carotenoid or carotenoid-containing composition (e.g., red color) is not degraded and can therefore be carried through to the final food product even if further processing steps are performed (some of which may include further exposure to harsh conditions).

[0015] The food product formed via method 100 is generally not limited. In some embodiments, the food product is any food product with a particular coloring desired and / or expected by the consumer. The food product may be a vegetarian or non-vegetarian food product. The food product may be a vegan or non-vegan food product. In some embodiments, the food product is a vegetarian and / or vegan product that requires a red, yellow or orange color to better mimic its non-vegetarian and / or non-vegan analogs. In some embodiments, the food product is a meat substitute, e.g., a meatless ham product. In some embodiments, the food product is a seafood substitute, e.g., a tuna substitute food product.

[0016] Step 110 of method 100 generally involves mixing together at least one component of a food product and an amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions to form a mixture. The number of components of the food product used in this step is not limited and may include as little as one component, or many or all components of the food product. In some embodiments, at least one of the components of the food product used in step 110 is an oil or fat (or a combination thereof). Using an oil and / or fat as a component of the mixture formed with the carotenoid or carotenoid-containing composition may be beneficial for carotenoids (whether isolated or included in a carotenoid-containing composition) that are soluble in fat or oil. Thus, mixing the carotenoid with at least the fat and / or oil components of the food product helps to provide a homogenous mixture of the carotenoid into the mixture and helps to ensure that the carotenoid remains present in the food product through subsequent mixing steps, such as mixing with additional components of the food product.

[0017] As previously discussed, step 110 involves the use of one or more isolated carotenoids, one or more compositions containing carotenoids (i.e., carotenoid-containing compositions), or combinations thereof. The carotenoid component of the isolated carotenoid or carotenoid-containing composition used in step 110 is generally not limited and may include any other known carotenoid. Representative, but non-limiting, carotenoids that may be used individually or in any combination include lycopene, β-carotene, β-Apo-8'-carotenal lutein, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, and zeaxanthin. Whether an isolated carotenoid or a carotenoid-containing composition is used, the carotenoid or carotenoid component may be used in any form or chemical structure, such as when there are multiple isomers of the carotenoid. In embodiments where a carotenoid-containing composition is used, any fruit extract, vegetable extract containing one or more carotenoids can be used as a carotenoid source in step 110. For example, compositions such as annatto, annatto extract, carrot oil, turmeric, paprika, paprika extract (e.g., paprika oleoresin), riboflavin, saffron, tomato lycopene extract, tomato lycopene concentrate, turmeric, and turmeric oleoresin contain sufficient amounts of carotenoids to be useful as a carotenoid source in the methods and food products described herein. In some embodiments, lycopene extracts, such as tomato lycopene extract, are preferred. The lycopene extract may contain, for example, 0.1 wt% lycopene, 0.5 wt% lycopene, 1 wt% lycopene, or 2 wt% lycopene.

[0018] In some embodiments where a red color is desired in the food product, the carotenoid used in step 110 includes at least lycopene, either in isolated form or as a component of a composition.

[0019] The specific amount of carotenoid provided in step 110 is generally not limited, provided that the amount of carotenoid provided imparts a desired color to the food product with which it is mixed. In some embodiments, the amount of carotenoid provided is any amount that provides a final food product having a desired red color, even after subjecting the food product or various mixtures of ingredients used in the process of making the food product to harsh conditions, such as high pH and / or high temperature conditions.

[0020] In embodiments where the carotenoid is provided as a component of a carotenoid-containing composition, the amount of carotenoid-containing composition provided in step 110 can be about 0.001 wt% to about 10 wt% of the total weight of the mixture or food product, such as about 0.01 wt%, about 0.05 wt%, about 0.1 wt%, about 0.2 wt%, about 0.3 wt%, about 0.4 wt%, about 0.5 wt%, about 0.6 wt%, about 0.7 wt%, about 0.8 wt%, about 0.9 wt%, about 1.0 wt%, about 1.2 wt%, about 1.5 wt%, about 2.5 wt%, about 5.0 wt%, about 7.5 wt%, or about 10 wt% of the weight of the mixture or food product. The specific amount of carotenoid-containing composition used can be highly dependent on the amount of carotenoid in the carotenoid-containing composition. For example, when a carotenoid-containing composition containing a relatively small amount of carotenoid (e.g., 0.1 wt%) is used, a larger amount of the carotenoid-containing composition may be required, whereas when a carotenoid-containing composition containing a relatively large amount of carotenoid (e.g., 20 wt%) is used, a smaller amount of the carotenoid-containing composition may be required.

[0021] In embodiments where the carotenoid is provided in an isolated form (e.g., a carotenoid that is pure or essentially pure), the amount of carotenoid provided in step 110 can be about 5 ppm to 500 ppm on a weight basis. For example, an amount of 5 ppm of carotenoid requires 5 millionths of a gram of carotenoid per gram of mixture or food product. In some embodiments, the amount of carotenoid provided in step 110 is about 5 ppm, about 10 ppm, about 20 ppm, about 50 ppm, about 100 ppm, about 150 ppm, about 200 ppm, about 250 ppm, about 300 ppm, about 350 ppm, about 400 ppm, about 450 ppm, or about 500 ppm.

[0022] Any method can be used to mix the one or more carotenoids (or compositions comprising a carotenoid) and at least one component of a food product. Mixing can be carried out for any period of time, such as the period of time required to homogenously mix the carotenoid and the food product component.

[0023] Once the mixture of carotenoid or carotenoid-containing mixture and food product ingredients is prepared, such as a homogenous mixture of ingredients, step 120 generally involves exposing at least the mixture to a pH environment greater than 8.5, such as a pH greater than 9.0 or greater than 9.2. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 1 or described in detail herein, the mixture may be combined with other ingredients of the food product prior to step 120. In some embodiments, all of the additional ingredients of the food product are combined with the mixture prior to step 120 such that all ingredients of the mixture are exposed to a pH environment greater than 8.5. In other embodiments, the additional ingredients of the food product, but not all of the ingredients of the food product, are combined with the mixture prior to step 120. In such embodiments, the additional ingredients may be added after step 120.

[0024] The specific manner in which the mixture is subjected to a pH environment higher than 8.5 is not limited. In some embodiments, the mixture is added to a composition or matrix having a higher pH, thereby exposing the mixture to an alkaline environment. Exposing the mixture to a high pH environment can be performed for any suitable reason. In some embodiments, exposing the mixture to a high pH environment helps to create a gel-like material required for the final food product. In some embodiments, the gel material created through exposure to a high pH environment is a thermo-irreversible gel. One non-limiting example of creating a thermo-irreversible gel from exposure to a pH environment is when the mixture is added to konjac in a high pH matrix.

[0025] When subjected to a high pH environment, carotenoids do not deteriorate, and therefore the high pH environment does not deteriorate the color imparted by the presence of carotenoids. As a result, the benefits of pH exposure are obtained without sacrificing the coloring imparted by carotenoids (e.g., creating a gel-like substance). Common natural pigments, such as those derived from beets, and / or other additives used for coloring generally deteriorate as a result of a high pH environment, but the presence of carotenoids in the mixtures described herein ensures that the desired color imparted by carotenoids is maintained. For example, anthocyanins deteriorate in high pH environments (and high temperature environments), but carotenoids continue to maintain and provide the desired color despite exposure to harsh conditions.

[0026] In embodiments where the mixture is processed in such a way as to create a thermo-irreversible gel as described above, further coloring, such as through the addition of additional carotenoid, cannot be achieved after formation of the gel, and therefore, in such embodiments, it is important that the addition of carotenoid for the purpose of providing a food product with the desired color is performed prior to the formation of the gel.

[0027] Although not shown in Figure 1, method 100 may include any number of additional food processing steps. In one example, method 100 includes at least one additional processing step in which the mixture of ingredients (including carotenoids) is exposed to high temperatures. As with exposure to a high pH environment, high temperatures do not degrade the carotenoids, and therefore the color of the food product is not degraded.

[0028] Also described herein are food products in which carotenoids are incorporated to provide desired color that can withstand harsh conditions. In some embodiments, the food product includes an amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions incorporated therein. As previously discussed with respect to method 100, the specific type of carotenoid used (whether isolated or as part of a carotenoid-containing composition) is generally not limited, and the carotenoid provides the food product with the desired color (e.g., red, orange, or yellow). Any combination of single carotenoids or carotenoids can be used to make up the amount of carotenoid provided to the food product, whether isolated or as part of a carotenoid-containing composition. As previously discussed, one or more carotenoids can be provided in isolated form or as part of a composition that includes carotenoids (e.g., fruit or vegetable extract).

[0029] In some embodiments, the carotenoid content of the food product is provided by including at least one or more of lycopene (isolated or as part of an extract or concentrate), annatto, carrot oil, and paprika, hi some embodiments, the carotenoid source included in the food product may be exclusively lycopene, annatto, carrot oil, or paprika.

[0030] The specific amount of carotenoid provided to the food product is not limited. The amount of carotenoid included in the food product is generally selected to provide the food product with the desired amount of color. For example, in some embodiments where a brighter red color is desired, the amount of carotenoid may be decreased, while in other embodiments where a darker and / or more vivid red color is desired, the amount of carotenoid may be increased. Similar or identical ranges as described above for the isolated carotenoids and carotenoid-containing compositions for step 110 can be used in the food products of the present disclosure.

[0031] The particular food product in which the amount of one or more carotenoids is included is generally not limited. The food product may be a vegetarian or non-vegetarian food product. The food product may be a vegan or non-vegan food product. In some embodiments, the food product is a meat or seafood substitute. In one non-limiting example, the food product is a food product that includes glucomannan as an ingredient. In some embodiments, the glucomannan component of the food product is present in the food product, as the good product includes konjac. In other embodiments, the glucomannan present in the food product is extracted from a material that naturally contains glucomannan, such as konjac. For example, the food product may be a glucomannan-containing seafood substitute, such as a tuna substitute food product. In another example, the food product may be a glucomannan-containing meat substitute, such as a ham meat substitute food product.

[0032] In some embodiments, the food product preferably comprises at least a fat and / or oil component as one component.Due to the solubility of carotenoids in fat or oil components, the fat and / or oil components of the food product may be useful to help incorporate the amount of one or more carotenoids into the food product.As previously discussed in more detail, carotenoids may be mixed with the fat and / or oil components of the food product as part of the process of producing the food product to help ensure that the carotenoids are incorporated and maintained in the food product.

[0033] In some embodiments, the food product does not contain artificial colorings, such as FD&C #40 Allura Red. In such embodiments, the food product obtains its desired color from the carotenoids contained therein, and therefore does not require artificial colorings to support the desired color of the food product. Eliminating artificial colorings from food products can be beneficial in terms of serving consumer segments that desire food products that are free of artificial ingredients.

[0034] In some embodiments, the food product itself may have a high pH value, such as a pH greater than 8.0, greater than 8.5, greater than 9.0, or greater than 9.2. In some embodiments, the pH of the food product is in the range of about 8.0 to about 9.5. In such food products, food products with a pH in the range of 8.0 to 9.5 may maintain the desired color due to the presence of carotenoids that can withstand high pH environments. This may be considered an unexpected result since most well-known ingredients used to impart color to food products, including natural colorants, which may be included in one or more ingredients of the food product, are known to degrade or lose their pigments when exposed to high pH environments. The same problem may also exist when the food product is exposed to high temperatures. While many ingredients or additives that typically contribute to imparting a desired color (e.g., red) may degrade at high temperatures, the carotenoid components of the food products described herein do not degrade under high temperatures. Thus, it is desirable that the food products described herein maintain their color development even when exposed to high pH and / or high temperatures.

[0035] Although not limited to meat and seafood substitutes, the technology described herein can be particularly useful when used in the preparation of meat and seafood substitutes so that the substitutes more closely resemble analogous meat or seafood products.

[0036] Thus, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention is therefore not limited except as by the appended claims.

[0037] Although the technology has been described in terms specific to certain structures and materials, it should be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures and materials described. Rather, specific aspects are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.

[0038] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers or terms expressing, for example, sizes, physical characteristics, and the like, used in this specification (except in the claims) are understood to be modified in all instances by the term "approximately." At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the claims, each numerical parameter referred to in this specification or claims that is modified by the term "approximately" should be construed by at least considering the number of recited significant digits and applying rounding techniques. Moreover, all ranges disclosed herein should be understood to encompass and provide support for the claims reciting any and all subranges or any and all individual values ​​subsumed therein. For example, a stated range of 1 to 10 should be considered to include and support any and all subranges or individual values ​​between and / or including a minimum value of 1 and a maximum value of 10; i.e., any subrange beginning with a minimum value of 1 or greater and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less (e.g., 5.5 to 10, 2.34 to 3.56, etc.) or any value between 1 and 10 (e.g., 3, 5.8, 9.9994, etc.).

Claims

1. one or more food product ingredients, and a carotenoid or carotenoid-containing composition, an amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions incorporated into said one or more food product ingredients, wherein the amount of said one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions incorporated into said food product is selected to provide a food product having a red coloration; A food product comprising: A food product having a pH in the range of about 8.0 to about 9.

5.

2. 10. The food product of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more food product ingredients is glucomannan.

3. 10. The food product of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more food product ingredients is a fat or an oil.

4. 4. The food product of claim 3, wherein the one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions are mixed with a fat or oil.

5. 2. The food product of claim 1, wherein the carotenoid or carotenoid component of the carotenoid-containing composition is lycopene.

6. 10. The food product of claim 1, wherein the carotenoid-containing composition is selected from the group consisting of carrot oil, paprika and annatto.

7. 10. The food product of claim 1 which is a vegetarian or vegan food product.

8. 10. The food product of claim 1 which is a meat or seafood alternative.

9. 10. The food product of claim 1 which is free of artificial colors.

10. 10. The food product of claim 1 comprising a carotenoid, the amount of said carotenoid being from about 5 ppm to about 500 ppm.

11. 10. The food product of claim 1, comprising a carotenoid-containing composition, the carotenoid-containing composition being in an amount from about 0.001 wt % to about 10 wt % of the total weight of the food product.

12. mixing at least one ingredient of said food product with an amount of one or more carotenoids or carotenoid-containing compositions to form a mixture and provide said food product with a pigment; and exposing at least said mixture, optionally together with other ingredients of said food product combined with the mixture, to an environment with a pH greater than 8.5; 1. A method for preparing a food product comprising: A method wherein the dye provided to said mixture does not substantially degrade upon exposure of said mixture to said pH environment above 8.

5.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one ingredient of the food product is mixed with an amount of one or more carotenoids, one of the one or more carotenoids being lycopene.

14. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one ingredient of the food product is mixed with an amount of one or more carotenoid-containing compositions, one of the one or more carotenoid-containing compositions being selected from the group consisting of carrot oil, paprika and annatto.

15. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein one of the at least one ingredients of the food product is glucomannan.

16. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein one of the at least one ingredient of the food product is a fat or an oil.

17. heating at least said mixture, optionally together with other ingredients of said food product in combination with the mixture, to an elevated temperature. Further comprising:

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the dye provided to the mixture is not substantially degraded upon heating the mixture to the elevated temperature.

18. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the food product is vegan or vegetarian.

19. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the food product is a meat or seafood alternative.

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