AU2004203276A1 - Fruit processing device - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 CORADJI PTY LTD COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title.

Fruit processing device The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:m:\speci\110000\118-119\11830 lcmpbal.doc Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of processing the fruit of Terminalia ferdinandiana and in particular a method of de-seeding the fruit without significantly modifying the nutritive and pharmacological activity of the fruit.

Background of the Invention Terminalia ferdinandiana is a relatively small deciduous tree found throughout the tropical regions of the Northern Territory and the state of Western Australia. Each year, the tree typically bears an abundance of yellowy-green beaked fruit that ripens from about January onwards.

The fruit is edible and has long been used as a food by Australia's aboriginal peoples. Typically, the skin and flesh of the fruit is eaten but not the seed. The fruit has a relatively high ascorbic content and is known by a number of common names, including Gubinge, Kakadu plum, Billygoat plum, Wild Bush plum, and Manmohpan.

While edible, the fruit does not have a particularly pleasant mouth feel and has, to date, been described as better suited for use as a constituent or ingredient in other foods, such as jam.

The fruit is noted for the tenacity with which the flesh of the fruit clings to the seed. This presents a number of difficulties as processes that might be suitable for slipstone fruits, such as olives, and clean-stone fruits, such as apricots, are not suitable for use in the processing of the fruit of Terminaliaferdinandiana.

Both bleaching and blanching techniques have been proposed and trialled for removing the seed, however, these have the disadvantage of altering the nutritive and pharmacological activity of the fruit, particularly the fruit's ascorbic acid content.

The present invention is an attempt to address these problems of the prior art.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Summary of the Invention Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

According to a first aspect, the present invention is a method of removing at least the majority of the seed from the fruit of the tree Terminalia ferdinandiana, the method comprising: rupturing the skin of the fruit and at least partially pulping the fruit in a mill; and (ii) extracting at least the majority of the seed from the fruit pulp.

In one embodiment, the method results in at least 80% of the seed being removed from the fruit. In a further embodiment, the method results in about 95% of the seed being removed from the fruit. In yet a further embodiment, the method can result in all of the seed being removed from the fruit.

In one embodiment, in step it is preferred that the method results in rupturing of the skin and said at least partial pulping of the fruit, without significant fragmentation of the seed. In a further embodiment, there is preferably almost no or no fragmentation of the seed.

In another embodiment, step is performed in a hammer mill. The hammer mill can comprise a plurality of rotating knives which force the fruit over a screen having a plurality of apertures therein. The speed of rotation of the knives can be set between about 2000 and 8000 rpm. The size of the apertures of the screen can be the same for the entire screen and is between about 10 and One example of a suitable hammer mill for use in step comprises the Fitzmill mill manufactured by Fitzpatrick Co. in the United States of America.

In one embodiment, the fruit does not significantly rise in temperature during the processing of step While some increase in temperature may be incurred, it is preferred that the relatively short time that the any particular fruit is undergoing step (i) prevents anything but a negligible rise in temperature of that fruit. In one embodiment, the temperature does not rise by more than 5°C, and preferably undergoes a temperature rise well less than During step the seed can be separated from the pulp of the fruit comprising the skin and the flesh of the fruit. In one embodiment, step (ii) can be performed using an apparatus known in the art as a paddle finisher. Paddle finishers are used in the art as a means of extracting juice from soft skinned fruits but have not typically been used in processes for de-seeding fruits.

During step the fruit pulp can be pushed through a mesh screen with the seed being prevented from passing through the mesh screen due to its inherent dimensions. The seed, or parts thereof, is then ejected through a separate opening in the machine. The mesh screen can have a dimension of between about 1 and 3mm.

One example of a suitable paddle finisher for use in step (ii) comprises the Alfa Laval paddle finisher manufactured by Alfa Laval of Europe.

During step it is again preferred that any temperature increase in the fruit is sufficiently small to ensure there is no or at least only a relatively small decrease in the ascorbic acid content of the fruit. Experiments conducted to date by the present applicant suggest that the fruit may undergo a rise in temperature of between about and 10C during step (ii) due to friction between the machine and the fruit pulp.

Further experiments conducted by the applicant suggest that such a temperature rise has no or at most only a small impact on the high levels of ascorbic acid content of the fruit pulp.

In a further embodiment, the method can further comprise: (iii) at least partially drying the said at least partially de-seeded fruit pulp.

In one embodiment of the method, step (iii) can comprise a step of dehydrating the pulped fruit to form an aerated solid mass of fruit that is suitable for milling into a relatively fine powder. In another embodiment, step (iii) can comprise a freeze drying process in which the temperature of the fruit pulp is maintained at or below a predetermined temperature. In another embodiment, step (iii) can comprise a step of drying the fruit in a low humidity environment. This environment can, in one embodiment, be maintained at ambient temperature. In another embodiment, the temperature of the environment is controlled to be between about 18 and 25'C, more preferably about Once dried, the mass of fruit can be milled to a powder having an average particle size of about 500 microns or less.

In one embodiment, the fruit can be processed in batches. In another embodiment, the fruit can be processed in a continuous or semi-continuous manner.

Where the processing is conducted in a batchwise manner, the pulped fruit produced by step can immediately undergo the processing of step In another embodiment, the pulped fruit can be stored after undergoing the processing of step and only undergoes the processing of step (ii) at a later time or later date.

According to a second aspect, the present invention is an apparatus for use in the processing of the fruit of Terminalia ferdinandiana using a method as defined herein, the apparatus comprising: a mill for rupturing the skin and at least partially pulping the flesh of the fruit; and (ii) an apparatus for extracting at least the majority of the seed from the fruit pulp.

In one embodiment, the mill is a hammer mill, such as is otherwise defined herein. In this or another embodiment, the apparatus for extracting the seed can be a paddle finisher such as is otherwise defined herein.

In a further embodiment of this aspect, the apparatus can further comprise a dryer for drying the de-seeded fruit and a mill for milling the dried fruit into a powder.

The dryer can be a freeze dryer. In another embodiment, the dryer can comprise a controlled low-humidity environment. The environment can be maintained at ambient temperature or a controlled temperature between about 18 and 25°C, more preferably about According to a still further aspect, the present invention is the at least partially de-seeded fruit of the tree Terminaliaferdinandiana when de-seeded using the method and/or apparatus as defined herein.

The de-seeded fruit can be in a solid or powdered form. In another embodiment, the de-seeded fruit can be in a fluid form, such as a puree. This will be particularly the case where the fruit does not undergo a drying step. It is though to be appreciated that the puree could still undergo a drying step.

Where a powder, it is preferred that the fruit be in a dry, free-flowing powder form that is suitable for inclusion in foods and pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and/or therapeutic products. Where a puree, it is to be understood that the fruit may be still in a suitable form for inclusion in foods and pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and/or therapeutic products.

In the case of foods, the powder or puree can be added to foods to form foodstuffs such as jams, chutneys, ice creams and biscuits. The powder can also be moulded into a tablet or contained in a capsule so as to be suitable for ingestion. In a further embodiment, the powder or puree can be added to a suitable liquid to form a drink product. In a still further embodiment, the powder and/or puree can be added to creams, lotions and the like for use in application to the skin.

The present invention uses physical processing to at least substantially de-seed the fruit of the tree Terminaliaferdinandiana. In contrast to the prior art, this method has the advantage of at least substantially preserving the chemical characteristics of the fruit while converting it into a form that is suitable for use in consumer products.

Brief Description of the Drawings By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a flowchart of one embodiment of the method according to the present invention.

Preferred Mode of Carrying out the Invention A physical process for de-seeding the fruit of the tree Terminaliaferdinandiana is depicted generally as 10 in Fig. 1.

The fruit must firstly be harvested as depicted by step 11. At present, the fruit is typically harvested from wild trees by hand. It can, however, be envisaged that the trees could be grown in plantations with the fruit being harvested by hand or through use of a suitable mechanical device, such as a tree shaker.

Once harvested, the fruit is frozen and shipped to a processing plant. It is envisaged that the processing plant will be a significant distance from the site of harvest. It can, however, be envisaged that the processing could be conducted near or on the site of harvesting if the trees are grown in plantations. In this case, it may not be necessary to freeze the fruit if the processing is to happen relatively quickly after harvest.

Once the fruit, whether frozen or not, reaches the processing plant, it firstly undergoes a milling step, depicted generally as 12 in Fig. 1. In this step, a hammer mill is used to rupture the skin of the fruit and then at least partially pulp the fruit causing separation of the seed from the flesh of the fruit. The result of step 12 is preferably the formation of a pulp comprising flesh, skin and seeds.

The pulped fruit can then undergo a screening step 13. In this step, the pulp is fed through a paddle finisher that causes separation of the seeds or seed fragments from the pulp.

In experiments conducted by the present applicant, the fresh fruit that is to undergo processing consistently has an ascorbic acid content of between 1.0% w/w and 1.6% w/w. After the processing depicted by steps 12 and 13, experiments conducted by the present applicant have determined the ascorbic acid to be essentially unchanged at being somewhere between 1.0% w/w and 1.6% w/w.

The pulp can then undergo a drying step 14 in which the pulp is freeze-dried or otherwise at least partially dried to form an aerated and dry mass of fruit pulp. This mass can further undergo a milling step that turns the mass into a powder that is suitable for a range of applications as previously described.

The present invention provides a relatively inexpensive physical method for deseeding the fruit of Terminalia ferdinandiana. The method ensures the high ascorbic acid content of the harvested fruit is at least partially or wholly retained while ensuring the fruit is transferred into a form suitable for subsequent use as an additive in foods and pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic or therapeutic products.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims (24)

1. A method of removing at least the majority of the seed from the fruit of the tree Terminaliaferdinandiana, the method comprising: rupturing the skin of the fruit and at least partially pulping the fruit in a mill; and (ii) extracting at least the majority of the seed from the fruit pulp.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the method results in at least 80% of the seed being removed from the fruit.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the method results in about 95% of the seed being removed from the fruit.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the method results in all of the seed being removed from the fruit.

The method of any one of the preceding claims wherein, in step the method results in rupturing of the skin and said at least partial pulping of the fruit, without significant fragmentation of the seed.

6. The method of any one of the preceding claims wherein step is performed in a hammer mill comprising a plurality of rotating knives which force the fruit over a screen having a plurality of apertures therein.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the speed of rotation of the knives is set between about 2000 and 8000 rpm.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7 wherein the size of the apertures of the screen is the same for the entire screen.

9. The method of any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein the size of the apertures of the screen is between about 10 and

10. The method of any one of the preceding claims wherein the fruit does not significantly rise in temperature during the processing of step

11. The method of any one of the preceding claims wherein, during step the seed is separated from the pulp of the fruit comprising the skin and the flesh of the fruit.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein step (ii) is performed using a paddle finisher wherein the fruit pulp is pushed through a mesh screen with the seed being prevented from passing through the mesh screen due to its inherent dimensions.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the seed, or parts thereof, is ejected through a separate opening in the finisher.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the mesh screen has a plurality of orifices having a dimension of between about 1 and 3mm.

The method of any one of claims 12 to 14 wherein the fruit does not significantly rise in temperature during the processing of step (ii).

16. The method of claim 15 the fruit undergoes a maximum rise in temperature of between about 5C and 10'C during step (ii).

17. The method of any one of the preceding claims wherein the method further comprises: (iii) at least partially drying the said at least partially de-seeded fruit pulp.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein step (iii) comprises dehydrating the pulped fruit to form an aerated solid mass of fruit that is suitable for milling into a relatively fine powder.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein step (iii) comprises a freeze drying process in which the temperature of the fruit pulp is maintained at or below a predetermined temperature.

The method of claim 17 or 19 wherein step (iii) comprises drying the fruit in a low humidity environment.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20 wherein the temperature of the environment is controlled to be between about 18 and

22. The method of any one of claims 17 to 21 wherein, once dried, the mass of fruit is milled to a powder having an average particle size of about 500 microns or less.

23. An apparatus for use in the processing of the fruit of Terminalia ferdinandiana using the method as defined in any one of claims 1 to 22, the apparatus comprising: a mill for rupturing the skin and at least partially pulping the flesh of the fruit; and (ii) an apparatus for extracting at least the majority of the seed from the fruit pulp.

24. An at least partially de-seeded fruit of the tree Terminalia ferdinandiana when de-seeded using the method as defined in any one of claims 1 to 22. Dated this twentieth day of July 2004. Coradji Pty Ltd Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F B RICE CO