Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
( 20~7785 Docket No. 2818
LOW-CALORIE DRINKAND PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION THEREOF
The invention relates to the composition as well as a
prbcess and a unit for the production of a low-calorie,
nonalcoholic drink, especially fruit juice made from sweet juices
from vegetable products, especially fruit, grapes, berries and
other fruits, which contains low-calorie, especially artificial
sweetener.
Drinks of this type are known, which consist of 50% pure
fruit juice, which is diluted with water and sweetened with
artificial sweetener. Also, in the known nectar or diet drinks,
the addition of sugar is completely or partially substituted by
artificial sweetener. Low-calorie fruit juices generally consist
of fruit juices diluted with water, to which, in addition ro
other additives, artificial sweetener, is added instead of sugar.
Disadvantageous in the production of these drinks is that
with the dilution of the fruit juice with water, also all
components of the fruit juice are diluted with water. By
subsequent sweetening, only the sweetness is brought to the
desired value. Other additives, to attain, e.g., the original
taste quality, are possible only within very modest limits and
are greatly limited, moreover, by the food law. The juices
produced in this way therefore have a weak and unnatural effect.
Individual processes for desugarizing drinks are known in
the art. For an economical large-scale production with automatic ~-
and continuous operating conditions, these known processes do not
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yet correspond to the set requirements. Above all, not too many
other valuable components should be lost with the desugarization,
nor should foreign substances develop and change the nature of
the drink. Moreover, for food law reasons, the desugarization
processes are greatly restricted.
Processes are also known (CH-PS 668 887, CH-PS 632 137), in
which the sugar in fruit juice is directly converted by
biotechnological, especially fermentative processes, and the
reaction products are removed if possible before the addition of
artificial sugar. In this way, numerous volatile and nonvolatile
reaction by-prGducts always result, which can be removed only
partially from the fruit juice. In particular, it is practically
impossible to remove sufficiently the nonvolatile by-products
that have developed. ~-
Although with the help of these known processes, an easily
digestible, nonalcoholic drink can be produced, which can be
approved under the food laws, the drinks have lost their original
typical nature.
The object of the invention is to provide, with the help of
an economical production process, a low-calorie drink of the
initially mentioned type, which after the desugarization of the
raw juice comes as close as possible sensorially to the natural
fruit juice relative to taste, components, color and sweetness.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in that
the drink consists of the components indicated in claim 1.
Embodiments of the invention as well as the process and the unit
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for production of the drink according to the invention are to be
gathered from the other claims.
The invention and especially a suitable production process
for it is explained in more detail in the following description
and the drawing which represents several embodiments. There are
shown in
fig. 1 a diagrammatic representation of a unit for
performing the process,
fig. 2 the unit according to fig. 1 with a desugarization
unit consisting of a combined membrane process and
fig. 3 the unit according to fig. 1 with a desugarization
unit consisting of a pure nanofiltration process.
As fig. 1 of the drawing shows, the raw juice is fed by a
pipe 1 to a desugarization unit 2. As raw juice, any juice
containing sugar, raw or processed, can be used. Especially, for -~
example, concentrated juices, concentrated and rediluted juices,
cloudy and clarified juices, as well as dearomatized and
depectinized juices, are also suitable. Unless fresh juice is
processed, it is mostly advantageous, because of the better
efficiency, to feed the juice in concentrated form to
desugarization unit 2. By using dearomatized juices, problems
relative to losses of flavor can be easily avoided.
Depending on the desugarization process but also for
logistical reasons, it can be sensible to use concentrates of
desugarized fruit juice. Further, it is possible to use several
fruit juices mixed as an initial product.
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In desugarization unit 2, the raw juice is partially or
totally desugarized in a selective manner, if in direct contact
with the fruit juice, by removal of the sugar. For taste and
partially also for legal reasons, only physical desugarization
processes are used for the sugar removal, if there is a direct
contact with the juice to be desugarized. Thus, the original
nature of the fruit juice is maintained. Selective
desugarization is generally understood to mean that the sugar is
removed from the raw juice as much as possible only in the form
of an aqueous sugar solution. Since this is not 100% feasible in
practice, a departure from the ideal has to be tolerated. The
discharge of the sugar solution from desugarization unit 2 for
further use takes place by a pipe 3.
To replace at least partially the water also removed in the
desugarization, diluting water is, if necessary, added by a pipe
4 to the juice passing through. In this connection, drinking
water can preferably be used. In the desugarization, lost,
dissolved mineral substances can advantageously be at least
partially replaced by the addition of suitable mineral water.
The addition of diluting water can be necessary, especially if,
for economic reasons, an insufficiently selective desugarization
process is used, which removes the sugar in sufficiently
concentrated, aqueous and dissolved form. But the addition of
diluting water in the course of the process can also take place
before or after the process. An addition before or in the course
of the process when using membrane processes for the
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desugarization has a favorable effect on the desugarization
efficiency, or on the economic efficiency of the process.
But with regard to a relatively high desugarization
performance or economic efficiency, it is also possible that the
fruit juice loses too many important taste-determining
components, especially in deliberate use of diafiltration to
increase output. In such cases, it is advisable to remove water
from the fruit juice after the desugarization, e.g., by known
concentrating processes, evaporation, reverse osmosis,
pervaporation, membrane distillation, etc.
In ideal cases, enough diluting water should be added to
and/or enough water should be removed from the desugarized juice,
so that the water content of the finished drin~ again corresponds
approximately to the original fruit juice.
~ fter the desugarization, it is useful to analyze and/or to
measure the juice as to its content of various components. But
in practice, it is too expensive to analyze the desugarized juice
for all important components. For the sake of simplicity,
therefore, only one or more so-called conductances are determined
in the product at hand to determine the quality of the
desugarlzation or the similarity with a natural fruit juice. In
this connection, an analysis of important sums of components,
e.g., the nitrifiable total acid, the sugarfree extract content,
etc., is involved. In general, it involves those analyses that
can be performed automatically and as in-line as possible, e.g.,
by automatic analyzers. It is therefore required that one or
more conductances in the desugarization of the fruit juice are
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reduced by no more than 50~ of the original absolute content. In
fruit juice mixtures, this should be the case at least in one of
the fruit juices used. Relative to usual drinks, conductances,
which vary by about + 50% from natural juice, are still of great
interest, e.g., -50% and more for high quality nectars and +25%
and more for additions to other drinks, to desserts, especially
low-calorie desserts, etc. In the embodiment according to fig.
1, a measuring point 6 for determining, e.g., by automatic
analysis, at least one conductance is placed in a pipe 5, by
which the desugarized juice is removed from the desugarization
unit. Because of this measure, the typical nature of the fruit
juice used in the new drink, can, together with this process,
also be determined very well in the course of the desugarization
or water removal after the desugarization, e.g., while adding
water within the limits of the losses.
With the help of the determined conductance or a combination
of conductances, the ~uantitative, if necessary and desired
addition of diluting water or the necessary removal of water can
be determined or controlled or adjusted. For this purpose, for
the example of an addition of water, a control line 7 leads from
the measuring point to a control valve 8, which is placed in pipe
4 for the supply of diluting water. Depending on the situation,
because of experience, also simple direct measurements (e.g.,
refractive index) can be used possibly connected with a
correlation factor as a conductance to determine the amount of
diluting water. An analogous adjustment can also be used for a
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possible removal of water after the desugarization to determine
the concentrating performance.
The supply of diluting water according to the concentrating
process and a subsequent concentration can also be performed in
batches or continuously especially in smaller outputs
independently of the desugarization process. But to determine
the amount of diluting water, or the amount of water to be
removed, a start is also made here with the idea to simplify the
above-defined conductance.
After the passage of desugarization unit 2 or at the latest
indirectly or directly after completed desugarization of low-
calorie sweetener as an at least partial substitute for the
removed sugar, the desugarized juice is fed by a pipe 9, which
empties into pipe 5 after measuring point 6. Enough sweetener is
preferably fed so that the juice has at least partially the
sweetness which the fruit juice or the fruit juices have before
the desugarization. As low-calorie sweetener, preferably
artificial, highly intensive sweeteners are used, whose caloric
content can be practically negligible. But for certain cases,
especially purely dietetic uses, also complete or partial
fructose, whose sweetening power is greater than the removed
saccharose or glucose, can be added. Moreover, generally a
sweetener is preferably selected which tastes like natural sugar
and is at least partially added to the desugarized juice. As
preferred artificial sweeteners, aspartame and similar sweeteners
or its derivatives are used. Aspartame also exhibits very
attractive health features and consists of a natural protein
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compound. This sweetener has a very high health safety value,
which is important for a health drink.
In pipe 9, by which the desugarized juice is removed from
desugarization unit 2, another measuring point 10 for determining
the sugar content of the desugarized juice is placed in front of
measuring point 6 for the-conductance. A control line 11 leads
from measuring point 10 to a control valve 12, which is placed in
-pipe 9 for the addition of sweetener. In this way, the amount of
the addition of low-calorie sweetener can be adjusted
automatically because of the determination of the sugar content,
or an analog of it (e.g., refractive index) after the
desugarization in a simple manner because of the known sweetening
power of the low-calorie sweetener to be added. To take into
consideration the sweetening power of the sugar types contained
in the fruit juice, a correction by a correlation factor, which
is typical for the desugarization unit, is generally also
necessary.
After the desugarization the desugarized juice preferably
can also be fed still other additives by a pipe 13 (fig. 1). In
principle, all additives possible according to food laws can be
considered. In this connection, components, which were removed
or lost in the desugarization or in earlier process steps, such
as, e.g., flavor, pectin, acids, e.g., citric acid, are
especially useful. These additives can be both foreign additives
and fruit-specific additives. The addition of pectin and
additives having similar effects is appropriate, i.a., to impart
the original full-bodiedness again to the fruit juice. The
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amounts of these additives can be derived partially also from the
conductance determination and can be suitably adjusted. For this
purpose, a control line 14 leads from measuring point 6 for the
conductance to a contro' valve 15, which is placed in pipe 13 for
the addition of the remaining additives. (Fig. 1).
It can also be advantageous to subject the raw juice before
the desugarization to one or more preliminary separating
processes. For this purpose, the raw juice is fed according to
fig. 1 by a pipe 16 to a preliminary separating device 17. If
juices are not used as raw juice, the usual processes for, e.g.,
dearomatization, depectinization, etc. are included among the
above. In certain cases, it is advisable to remove certain
components deliberately before the desugarization and again to
add the latter after the desugarization. According to fig. 1,
the separated components are brought out by a pipe 18 from
preliminary separating device 17 and again returned to pipe 5
after desugarization unit 2. The addition of the preseparated
components in the juice takes place preferably at least before
measuring point 6, so that in the conductance determination, the
recycled components are jointly taken into consideration. By
these measures, it is avoided that said components are lost in
the desugarization. In this way, e.g., membrane processes can be
used which can make possible the partial separation. A
separation of a polar or electrically charged connection,
especially a deacidification, is preferably performed by
electrodialysis and/or ionically plugged diffusion membranes,
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which make possible a suitable separation and a simple recycling
to desugarized juice.
In preliminary separating device 17, a separation of higher-
molecular compounds can also take place as sugar by reverse
osmosis, which also makes possible a simple recycling of the
higher-molecular components in the juice.
Further, it is useful in juices, which are not already
dearomatized, e.g., fresh juice, to dearomatize the latter in -
preliminary separating device 17 and to add again the specific
flavor by pipe 18 after the desugarization. In this way,
practically no losses of flavor result.
In fig. 2 of the drawing, another embodiment of the
invention is represented simplified and without the usual
circulations of the membrane process. In this embodiment, the
selective removal of the sugar from the raw juice is performed in
direct contact with the fruit juice with the help of a dialysis
unit 19 and a nanofiltration 21 placed in permeate circulation 20
of dialysis unit 19. Nanofiltration 21, which removes the sugar ~-
from permeate circulation 20, i.e. no longer in direct contact
with the fruit juice, is in the intermediate area of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. By suitable selection of
the separating border or nanofiltration, it can be achieved that
of the three most important types of sugar, fructose, glucose and
saccharose, the sugar with the highest molecular weight, i.e.,
saccharose, is preferably retained and removed. Since saccharose
as compared with fructose has substantially less sweetening power -
and more calories, this is in the interest of the objective. The
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desugarized juice is removed as a retentate of dialysis unit 21
by pipe 5 and treated in the same way as in the unit according to
fig. 1. The retentate of nanofiltration 19 is concentrated with
sugar, and the permeate exhibits 1 to 4 Bx, e.g., in a retentate
input of ~ 12 Bx and more. The retentate drawn off as aqueous,
sugary solution, which is, e.g., a partial stream from the
retentate circulation of the nanofiltration, can be concentrated,
e.g., as in all physical processes in a concentrating device 22
and can be fed separately for use e.g. as natural, fructose- and
glucose-rich sweetener (liquid-fruit juice-sugar), which
substantially improves the overall economic efficiency.
In using greatly sugar-selective membrane processes,
especially sugar-selective, pressure-driven membrane processes
instead of pure dialysis, a back-diffusion from the permeate side
to the retentate side is greatly reduced, and thus also
nonphysical desugarization processes are used here in a few cases
on the permeate side, which catabolize the sugar e.g.
fermentatively, for example, according to CH-PS 668 887, up to
the carbon dioxide/water step.
Fig. 3 of the drawing shows the integration of a pure
nanofiltration 21 as a desugarization process in the overall
process. Since in the known, pure nanofiltration, substantially
more is removed from the fruit juice, relative to the unit
according to fig. 2, a substantially larger expense is necessary
in the preliminary separation of the components from the raw
juice. Molecules, which are larger than sugar molecules, at
least should be removed selectively concentrated before the
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desugarization. ~his can preferably take place also with the
help of a sugar-selective (concentration of sugar in the
retentate) nanofiltration 23 or other membrane processes as part
of the physical separating processes. Further, the flavoring ~;
substances should be removed definitely from the raw juice and
added again after the desugarization with fur~her additions in
the same way as in the unit according to fig. 1.
As other positive measures that are part of the preliminary
separation for improving the quality, the removal of a wide
spectrum of polar electrically charged molecules can be, e.g., ~y
electrodialysis or other membrane processes as well as their
recycling after the desugarization in the juice.
Because of the preliminary separation according to the
invention, especially by nanofiltration 23 according to fig. 3,
despite arrangement of nanofiltration 21 in the direct juice
stream, it is still possible to attain acceptable color values
with the end product. By exclusive use of nanofiltration without
preliminary separation, almost all color would be removed from
the juice.
Another possibility to use a nanofiltration directly for the --~
desugarization consists in feeding the retentate of the
nanofiltration to another sugar-separating process, which removes
relatively little color (e.g., ion exclusion process) and in
adding the desugarized juice from the second desugarization -
process to the permeate of the nanofiltration. Relative to the
use of nanofiltration only, the other values are improved in this
way in addition to better color values.
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To improve the selectivity of the retention of acids and
bases, especially of important acids in the juice to be
desugarized, generally also ionic, especially plugged membranes
can be used in the membrane processes used in the process
according to the invention. As a result, the membrane can be
superimposed analogously to the electrodialysis in addition also
with an electric field.
It is especially important in the desugarization of citrus
fruits that above all the loss of citric or ascorbic acid is
relatively small. But both these acids have a molecular weight
similar to monosaccharide sugar components of the juice
(fructose, glucose). Therefore, special measures are necessary
to retain these acids in the juice to be desugarized. The use of
ionic, especially plugged membranes, as they are used especial~y
in ionic dialysis, connected with a separating border and
compressive load capacity required for this object, offers a
possible solution of the problem. ~-
To implement this measure, with the overall process
according to fig. 2 for dialysis unit 19 or the sugar-selective,
pressure-operated membrane processes alternatively possible at
this point, a cationic, plugged membrane is used, which
substantially blocks the passage of acids.
The process according to the invention is suitable also for
production of cloudy, low-sugar juices. To improve the fouling
behavior of the desugarization process or to attain higher
outputs and service lives, it is also possible, both for clear
and cloudy end products, to start from clear juices, e.g.,
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clarified by ultrafiltration or microfiltration, and to add
clouding substances to the juice after the desugarization
according to known processes. In this way, for cloudy end
products, especially retentate made from an ultrafiltration or
microfiltration of the present or other juices can be used. In
the production of clear, low-alcohol juices, the juice should be
clarified preferably for said reasons at least before the
desugarization.
The operating method to perform the process according to the
invention can be selected both batchwise and continuously,
depending on the amounts to be processed. The unit can be driven
cold or hot, depending on qualitative and economic requirements.
A preferred drink composition according to the invention is
characterized in that the drink is similar to a natural fruit
juice because of the main components (desugarized fruit juice,
possibly diluting water, low-calorie sweetener) and other
additives except in the content of natural sugar (saccharose,
fructose, glucose). However, this drink exhibits preferably at
least 25~ fewer calories because of the substitution of natural
sugar by low-calorie sugar. Despite the substitution of fruit-
specific sugar preferably by aspartame, such a juice is hardly
distinguishable from natural juice. But because of the low
caloric content, this juice is very valuable and appealing for
health reasons not only for the diabetics (light fruit juice).
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