AU2018203386A1 - Method of Making Smoothies and Prepackaged Frozen Smoothie Products A method for providing smoothies to consumers and to retail businesses for resale without the need for a blender is disclosed. - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A method for providing smoothies and green smoothies to consumers and to retail businesses for resale without the need for a blender or any other mechanical (human or machine) mixing method is disclosed. According to the method, a smoothie mixture is made according to a variety of recipes with the addition of a natural vegetable pulp to maintain a fresh smoothie integrity that can be bought off the shelf at any shop, convenience store or supermarket.

Description

There are two pages of description only

2018203386 15 May 2018

The present invention relates to a method that can be used in connection with the creation of smoothies that maintain their initial mixed integrity that are available as a pre made product that can be purchased off the shelf in shops, convenience stores and supermarkets and consumed without any preparation

One problem with preparing smoothies is that it is a fairly labor intensive task and requires the preparer to have a supply of a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Both fruits and vegetables have a relatively short shelf lives and maintaining an adequate supply may not be convenient.

A smoothie is a thick beverage made from blended raw fruit and or vegetables and may often contains other ingredients such as water, fragmented ice (e.g., shaved or crushed ice) protein powder, yogurt, juice and sweeteners. Smoothies are generally characterized by their use of fruit and use both fruit and vegetables in the recipe. Smoothies are a convenient way to provide nutrition, vitamins, minerals, healthy carbohydrates and fiber that can also assist in weight loss. The American Cancer Society recommends that people eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day to help prevent cancer and other diseases. The consumption of Fruit Smoothies and Green Smoothies (Fruit Smoothies with Vegetables) is a quick and convenient way to follow this recommended diet, particularly with respect to fruit, vegetables and dark, leafy greens.

The fruit used in green smoothies masks the flavor of green vegetables that some may find undesirable and makes the consumption of spinach, kale, carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables more palatable. Green smoothies are also typically high in antioxidants and phytonutrients and, since Green smoothies use the whole fruit and vegetable, the mixture can be high in fiber. Much of the nutritive and disease-fighting properties of fruits and vegetable can easily go unutilized during digestion without a more thorough breakdown of the food's cell structure, in which these substances reside. Cell walls in our plant-based foods are comprised largely of cellulose, a carbohydrate that is difficult for the human body to break down, because it lacks the necessary enzymes to perform the function. The blending of fruits and vegetables together breaks down the cells of plants and improves digestibility. A blender can therefore unlock nutrients and maximize or enhance their delivery to the body.

The cost and convenience of having a suitable blender for smoothies is a further consideration. If a conventional consumer blender is used, the user may have to spend additional time preparing the ingredients including chopping and dicing the fruits and vegetables into small pieces.

In theory, the use of high powered blenders causes cell structure breakdown prior to consumption which translates into more energy being utilized in the forms of detoxification, disease fighting and prevention, and cell repair. A high powered blender's ability to rupture cell structure potentially yields a substantially greater increase in the percentage of phytonutrients into the bloodstream that would otherwise go unutilized. Phytonutrients, of which there are literally hundreds if not thousands found in our fruits and vegetables, reside inside the cells of their more fibrous components—skin, seeds, and pulp. The more powerful the blender, the greater its ability to aid the body in releasing properties otherwise locked inside these particular cell walls. However powerful blenders, such as those used commercially, are costly.

In addition, to the time involved in the preparation of ingredients that are used in the smoothies, there is also subsequent clean-up of the blender blades and pitcher which further contributes to additional time and inconvenience. In summary, the creation of smoothies involves significant labor and is best performed using high powered expensive equipment. All of the work, time and expense is typically expended to prepare just a few servings.

Since many smoothies includes fresh fruits and vegetables, after it is made, the beverage cannot be stored in the refrigerator for more than a few hours because the fresh ingredients will oxidize and the components tend to separate. If the beverage is made with fragmented

2018203386 15 May 2018 ice, the ice will rise to the top and melt. In general, smoothies have a limited shelf life in the refrigerator. While certain health foods stores offer smoothies, in view the foregoing issues, they tend to be relatively expensive in view of the costs of the labor that is involved in preparing the beverages and the costs of the ingredients.

In some commercial settings, frozen beverages are dispensed by a dispensing apparatus having one or more large product holding containers containing a large batch, up to 10 L, of frozen beverage product that is refrigerated and, for each container, a lever or other controller can be controlled by a user to cause some of the frozen beverage product to flow out of the container and into a receptacle. These frozen beverages are not the same a fruit smoothies and the commercial devices do not include the shredder mechanisms that are required to break-up and blend the ingredients for smoothies. These devices must be frequently cleaned to prevent bacterial growth.

The operation of commercial frozen beverage systems also require the operator to first prepare a liquid mixture, once again using a blender to chop, shred, and blend the fruits and vegetables. If ice is not used in the firsts step, water would be added to the mixture to obtain a correct ratio. This liquid mixture is then poured into the product holding container that includes a dispensing apparatus. In some configurations, the container may include a freezing element for freezing up the liquid mixture around the element. Periodically an auger is activated to scrape ice formations from the freezing element. As this process continues, the liquid mixture in the product holding container becomes a frozen beverage product to be dispensed as frozen beverages. Depending on the volume of the beverage and other specifications, the conversion of the liquid mixture into the frozen beverage product may take hours.

Frozen beverage products made according to this process also have a relatively short shelf life associated to it such that, after a prescribed period of time that the product is in the container, it must be discarded and a new batch must be produced. As a result, not only are sales lost due to the freeze-down period of the product to be discarded, but there is a high percentage of waste associated with such a dispensing apparatus.

In view of the problems with providing fresh smoothies for home consumption, and the expense involved in purchasing smoothies from commercial establishments, companies have created “smoothie kits” that may be purchased for home use. However smoothie kits that are commercially available presently require the user to add the ingredients from the kit, which are often later combined with juices and then the mixture is introduced to a blender to create the beverage. For example, kits are available from Jamba Juice, Welches, Yoplait, Rader Farms, all of which typically sell the fruits, vegetable or combinations of both in single serve packages.

Other companies have sold “smoothie kits” in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables that are designed to be added to ice and also introduced to a blender for home creation and consumption. These kits have the disadvantage of a relatively short shelf life, and, while such smoothie kits have made the more accessible, they nevertheless require preparation time and the use and inconvenience of a blender to create the beverage.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved manners to provide smoothie products, and more particular, fruit and green smoothie products, to consumers for both home and commercial establishments that are available as a pre made product that can be purchased off the shelf in shops, convenience stores and supermarkets and consumed without any preparation.

Claims (10)

1. There is one page of claims only

   2018203386 15 May 2018

   We claim:

   1. A method of making a smoothie comprising the steps of (1) preparing a smoothie mixture comprising fruits, vegetables, yoghurt, water, milks, vegetable or fruit milks or any mix thereof (
2. 2) adding citrus pulp to maintain structural integrity, (
3. 3) Packaging for sale in prepackaged bottles (plastic, fibreboard or glass) ready for retail purchase and consumption.
4. 4. The method of claim 1 & 2 further comprising introducing said frozen units into single serve or multi-serve packaging.
5. 5. The method of claim 1 & 2 wherein said frozen units further comprise blended vegetables.
6. 6. The method of claim 1 & 2 wherein said single serve container further comprises a Plastic, glass, fiberboard container.
7. 7. The method of claim 3 wherein said container further comprises a pour spouts.
8. 8. The method of claim 3 wherein said pour spot may be sealed, opened and resealed.
9. 9. The method of claim 3 wherein said spout further comprises a screw cap.
10. 10. A smoothie mixture comprising a sealed container holding a plurality of frozen units comprised of blended fruit, said units having a surface to volume ration of between 2 and 10, and said container further comprising a single serving size.