CA2073798A1 - Syrup for flavoured beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A novel flavour-enhanced syrup is provided for the production of a carbonated or non-carbonated beverage. The syrup includes an aqueous sucrose syrup, sodium benzoate, and a flavour-enhancing amount of a wine-brandy-flavoured concentrate.

Description

20~798 This invention relates to a concentrated syrup useful in the preparation, e.g. in the home of a flavoured carbonated or non-carbonated beverage.
The market for carbonated beverages has increased at a dramatic rate over the past twenty years. It is estimated that this market now in the U.S.A. is in the order of four billion dollars annually. Up to the present, this market has been served almost exclusively by beverages which are pre-carbonated to the proper level for immediate consumption and then packaged in bottles or cans. While carbonation of beverages at the point of consumption, e.g. at soda fountains, has been practised for years, preparation of carbonated beverages in the home has not been greeted with wide acceptance.
It is known to produce refreshing beverages by adcling, to a given amount of deaerated, or in some cases, carbonated water, a measured amount o-E a syrup, such syrup generally consisted of a concentrated sugar solution, ranging from 45 to 65 Brix, and flavouring and/or raw materials specific for the beverage.
Homemade carbonated beverages approximating the taste and quality of commercially-bottled beverages have long been sought.
This, of course, is possible by adding commercially bottled carbonated water to a syrup, but such a solution was probably more costly than purchasing a commercially-bottled beverage.
Another approach has been the use of yeast and invert sugar in home-bottled drinks.
Although bottled anA canned carbonated beverages have the greatest consumer appeal, even more dramatic growth in this market would be possible if the cost of such beverages can be 2~7~98 reduced. By far the largest part of the cost of bringing such beverages to the consumer lies in their packaging and distribution. To obtain a signiFicant reduction in the consumer cost of the beverage, therefore, the volume or weight of the container and its contents must be reduced. Since the beverage contains a very high percentage of water, a reduction in the container size can best be accomplished by concentratiny the beverage, that is by reducing its water content. Such a beverage may then be diluted by the consumer with water to bring it down to the proper concentration which makes it convenient to store and mix in the home. Concentrating the beverage is also of value in beverage vending machines that mix the beverage during the dispensing operation if syrup or gas storaye containers could be made smaller.
Many well known beverages contain sodium benzoate as an important ingredient that provides the beverage with desired properties. The preparer of these beverages must take particular pains to insure that the correct small quantity of sodium benzoate is incorporated therein. Heretofore such preparers have been required to maintain rather stringent specifications as to particle sizes and densit.ies of this material as it is incorporated. Such measures were to insure that the particles o~ sodium benzoate would remain as such throughout the preparative steps. Such stringent specifications are, of course, both difficult and costly to meet.
It is a well known fact that, in syrups, a deposit may occur shortly after preparation or during storage, the deposit being mostly in the form of very light floccules floating in the 207379~

liquid. In products which, on account of their composition, for example, on account of a content of fruit juice, present a cloudy appearance the deposits are not noticed. In clear products, however, the floating floccu]es are very noticeable and they give rise to complaints about the quality.
rrhe occurrence of the deposits has been attributed to impurities of the sugar (sucrose) used in preparing the products, namely the presence of saponines. Dependent on the nature and the intensity of the purifying process applied when preparing th~
sucrose, the saponine content varies. Even with a content of only a few parts per million of saponine, deposits are noticed in flavoured liquids and syrups prepared with sugar.
However, it is also very possible that impurities of a high-molecular nature play a part in the formation of deposits in clear beverages. The same holds for components of flavours used in preparinq flavoured liquids and syrups, the flavours often being of vegetable origin. Light has an accelerating influence on the formation of the deposits.
In addition, syrups are known which by a simple dilution with water produce a flavoured liquid ready for consumption.
These syrups, which are most:ly used for household purposes, may also show deposits, the more so since these products are often kept longer than industrially used syrups. Tastes o:E fre~uent occurrence of these syrups include: citron, citromint, campari, peppermint, anise (pastis), and grenadine.
Conventional flavourings and colouring are employed ~Eor providing the flavour and colour desired, and in addition sodium chloride, sodium gluconate, and/or glucona delta lactone may be %07379~

added along with citric acid and sodium citrate, as flavouring and buffering ingredients. To this system, water and CO2 are added and a suitable carbonated concentrate is available having a pH of from between about 3 and 6. Under normal conditions, the carbon dioxide will remain in the concentrate, particularly wh~n the concentrate is chilled. Upon exposure to the ambient atmosphere, only modest quantities of carbon dioxide are lost, with the balance being retained in the soft drink being prepared.
The product is economical for the consumer to utilize and can be packaged or bottled in conventional readily available non-returnable soEt drink bottles.
Various patents have been issued to provide a teaching of improved flavoured syrups to produce a carbonated or non-carbonated beverage. For example, one alleged improved such beverage was provided by U.S. Patent No. 3,687,684 patented August 29, 1972 by R. L. Wentworth et al. In that patent, a carbonated beverage was formed by diluting a concentrated carbonated solution containing 15-75% by weight sugar, 85-25% by weight water, and more than 6 volumes of carbon dioxide and a flavouring agent. The concentrate was diluted by pouring it through air into water without jet assistance or by pouring water through air into the concentrate.
Another alleged improved beverage was provided in U.S.

Patent No. 3,919,431 patented November 11, ~975 by B. L. Tilford.
In that patent, sodium benzoate-caffeine compositions were prepared by dissolving the sodium benzoate and caffeine to form a solution and then the solution to provide a powder. This was alleged to pexmit regulation of the relative proportions of the 2~737~

benzoate and caffeine. The prepared compositions were used in beverages containing sodium benzoate and caffeine.
Yet another alleged improved beverage was said to be provided in U. S. Patent No. 4,009,289 patented February 22, 1977 by R. Roos et al. In that patent, a sucrose beverage cr beverage concentrate was prepared in which at most 0.25% by weight of gum arabic, calculated as a dry substance on the sucrose as dry substance, was incorporated therein.
Still another improved beverage was alleged to be provided in U.S. Patent No. 4,010,285 patented March 1, 1977 by G. A. Van Doren Jr.. In that patent, aqueous base soft drink concentrate formulations of various strengths consisting of flavouring and colouring, an artificial sweetener, e.g. saccharin, or sodium saccharin, and up to about 50% of total sweetener in the form of sugar, depending on strength of the concentrate, along with a preservative, and from more than 1 up to about 7 volumes of carbon dioxide per volume of concentrate. The carbonated concentrates were utiliæed to prepare a palatable carbonated soft drink by mixing one part of concentrate to from 1 to 5 parts of ice water, depending on strength of the concentrate formulation.
Still another improved beverage was said to be provided in U.S. Patent No. 4,599,239 patented July 8, 1981 by D. Weiland et al. In that patent, a method was provided for the preparation of non-alcoholic beverages, especially carbonated beverages.
First a sugar solution of prescribed concentration was prepared by dissolving sugar in deaerated water with an oxygen content below 0~15 mg/L. Then, the sugar solution was adjusted in an additional deaeration to an oxygen content of less than 0.1 mg/L.

2~7~7~

The deaerated sugar solution was then finally adjusted to a prescribed concentration with deaerated water and carbonat~d.
Finally, it was mixed with flavourings specific to the beverage.
In spite of these patents, the art is still faced with the need to provide improved and flavour-enhanced syrups for producing carbonated and/or non-carbonated beverages of distinctive appealing taste.
It is, therefore, an object of a broad aspect of the present invention to provide a beveraye concentrate of distinctive appealing taste which may be diluted with water alone or carbonated water to provide a distinctive carbonated or non-carbonated beverage.
An object of another aspect of this invention is to furnish the consumer with the means to prepare a carbonated beverage of the level of flavour and carbonation suited to his taste.
The present invention in its broad aspect provides a flavour-enhanced syrup for the production of a carbonated or non-carbonated beverage comprising an aqueous sucrose syrup containing sodium benzoate and a flavour-enhancing amount of a wine-brandy-flavoured concentrate with, optionally, any desired color.
In this specification "flavoured liquid" means a carbonated beverage or a beverage free of carbonic acid, ready for consumption and irrespective of the kind of taste. "Syrup" means a concentrate from which a flavoured liquid is obtained by dilution with water, and which may also contain carbonic acid.
A preferred flavour-enhanced syrup within the ambit of this invention for the production of a carbonated or non~-carbonated ~737~

beveraye comprises: an aqueous sucrose syrup made from a sucrose which is very low in saponines, a physiologically-aceptable grade of sodium benzoate having a particle size facilitating ease of handling and an optimum dissolution rate to provide an aqueous, or aqueous sucrose solution, and a flavour-enhancing amount of a wine-brandy-flavoured concentrate.
In su~h syrup, the sucrose has less than 1 ppm saponines therein. The wine~brandy-flavouring is the non-alcoholic viscous residue resulting from the distillation of wine to provide a brandy, being of a light to dark amber colour and having a viscosity about 4 - 6 times that of water.
A most preferred flavour-enchanced syrup within the ambit of this invention comprises;
water: 96 ounces sucrose (containing less than 1 ppm saponines therein): about 6 lbs sodium benzoate: about 5 g wine-brandy-flavouring (the non-alcoholic viscous residue resulting from the distillation of wine to provide a brandy, being of a light to dark amber colour and having a viscosity about 4 - 6 times that of water): about 2.5 to about 3 ounces The present invention also provides a beverage comprising water and a sufficient amount of any of the above described syrups to provide a distinctive appealing taste thereto.
Preferably, the beverage includes a food grade colour to provide an attractive colour to the beverageO

2~73798 The syrup according to one example of this invention may bP
prepared by simply dissolving sugar in water, then dissolving the sodium benzoate in the sugar syrup and finally adding the wine-brandy-flavouring.
Alternatively, the sodium benæoate may be dissolved in the water first and the sugar may be disolved in that solution and finally, the wine-brandy-flavouring may be added.
In one specific formulation, for each 96 ounces of water, there is provided 6 lb. of sucrose, 5 g of sodium benzoate and 2.5 to 3 ounces of wine brandy flavour. Any food grade colour may be used to provide an attractive colour to the beverage.
The sucrose used is one which is very low in saponines, in order to minimize the likelihood of formation of deposits.
Preferably, the sucrose should have less than 1 ppm saponines thereln.
The sodium benzoate is of a grade that is physiologically acceptable. 5ince it is to be dissolved in an aqueous solution for preparation of the compositions of this invention, its particle size is a consideration only as to the ease of handling and dissolution rate desired in forming the aqueous solution.
The wine brandy flavouring is the non-alcoholic viscous residue resulting from the distillation of wine to provide brandy. Such wine brandy flavouring generally is of a light to dark amber colour and has a viscosity about 4 - 6 times that of water.
The aqueous solution syrup of this invention can be formed at any suitable temperature that the ingredients sodium benzoate 2073~98 and caffeine will readily dissolve. For a desired ratio as described above, the aqueous solution should be prepared at 25C.
Conventional colouring may be employed in providing the colour desired.

Claims (8)

1. A flavour-enhanced syrup for the production of a carbonated or non-carbonated beverage comprising: an aqueous sucrose syrup; sodium benzoate; and a flavour-enhancing amount of a wine-brandy-flavoured concentrate.

2. A flavour-enhanced syrup for the production of a carbonated or non-carbonated beverage comprising: an aqueous sucrose syrup made from a sucrose which is very low in saponines;
a physiologically-aceptable grade of sodium benzoate having a particle size facilitating ease of handling and an optimum dissolution rate to provide an aqueous, or aqueous sucrose solution; and a flavour-enhancing amount of a wine-brandy-flavoured concentrate.

3. The syrup of claim 2 wherein said sucrose has less than 1 ppm saponines therein.

4. The syrup of claim 2 wherein said wine-brandy-flavouring is the non-alcoholic viscous residue resulting from the distillation of wine to provide a brandy, being of a light to dark amber colour and having a viscosity about 4 - 6 times that of water.

5. The syrup of claim 2 comprising:
water: 96 ounces sucrose (containing less than 1 ppm saponines therein): about 6 lbs sodium benzoate: about 5 g wine-brandy-flavouring (the non-alcoholic viscous residue resulting from the distillation of wine to provide a brandy, being of a light to dark amber colour and having a viscosity about 4 - 6 times that of water): about 2.5 to about 3 ounces

6. A beverage comprising water and a sufficient amount of the syrup of claim 2 to provide a distinctive appealing taste thereto.

7. A beverage comprising water and a sufficient amount of the syrup of claim 5 to provide a distinctive appealing taste thereto.

8. The beverage of claim 7 including a food grade colour to provide an attractive colour to the beverage.