Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
  • A23B7/00—Preservation or chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables
  • A23B7/08—Preserving with sugars

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field of the food industry. It relates more precisely to a new process allowing the treatment of plants and in particular of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and aromatic herbs, ensuring a conservation of these plants without any chemical, natural or artificial additive.
• the fruits and vegetables obtained by this process, as well as the purees produced from these fruits, or the liquid extracts obtained during the process have multiple uses, in particular in connection with chocolate.
• the second problem which the invention therefore proposes to solve is the possibility of increasing this proportion of fruit puree which can be incorporated into chocolate.
• the fruits can be subjected to different stages of a process intended to ensure their good preservation. More specifically, and as described in the aforementioned document, the fruit is stirred with crystallized sugar so as to increase the sugar content of the fruit while proceeding with heating.
• the invention therefore proposes to provide a new method for treating fruits allowing optimal preservation of the latter without the use of any chemical, natural or artificial, the fruits thus obtained being easily incorporated into multiple food preparations, and including some including chocolate.
• the invention therefore relates to a process for the treatment of plants comprising an aqueous fraction, in particular for the production of foods based on such plants.
• the invention consists in bringing the plants into contact with solid sugar, so that a large part of the water contained in these plants leaves them, in order to be found in the solid sugar, and Conversely, part of the granulated sugar enters the plants.
• sugar is meant crystallized sugar such as sucrose, but also fructose, dextrose, or any other type of solid sugar.
• plants we mean fruits, vegetables, as well as mushrooms, and aromatic herbs, flowers, flowering tops and more generally plants used in food in the broad sense.
• the rate of dry extract of the plants is increased, very significantly.
• the contacting is maintained until the sugar is completely absorbed, that is to say until the plant material is saturated with sugar and it no longer absorbs it.
• Such a process therefore makes it possible to obtain a liquid fraction, consisting of sugar dissolved in the vegetable juice corresponding to the aqueous fraction extracted from the vegetable, and in which the treated plants are immersed.
• the treated fruits when they are separated from the liquid fraction, have an excellent storage capacity, and that they can be stored in an ambient atmosphere for several days, even several weeks, without undergoing no degradation. This is particularly advantageous for multiple applications, using soft or dried fruit.
• the fruits and vegetables used can be whole fruits or vegetables as well as pre-cut or pre-cut.
• Fruits and vegetables can be fresh or have previously undergone a freezing step.
• the enclosure can also be maintained under reduced pressure, so as to limit the quantity of oxygen capable of causing fermentation phenomena.
• a pumping system which takes the sugar flowing from the bottom of the enclosure, and which reinjects this fraction of sugar soaked in the upper part of the 'pregnant.
• the enclosure remains fixed and does not cause any movement of the fruits throughout the process.
• the invention also relates to the treated fruits capable of being obtained according to the method, as well as the fruit puree produced from these fruits. Such a puree can therefore advantageously be combined with chocolate for the production of creamy spread or chocolate filling, or even chocolate and fruit truffles.
• the invention also relates to the liquid fruit extract, obtained after the separation of the liquid fraction taken at the end of the process.
• the invention relates to a process for treating plants and more particularly fruits, which makes it possible to obtain fruits exhibiting excellent preservation capacities, without any addition of chemicals and preservatives or the like, and which exhibit besides good capacities to be incorporated in multiple food preparations, such as in particular those including chocolate.
• the method according to the invention has been implemented for treating strawberries, and more precisely of the "Elsenta” variety.
• the enclosure When the enclosure is filled, it is closed by eliminating as much as possible the air present in the enclosure, in particular to avoid and limit to the maximum possible phenomena of fermentation.
• This enclosure is then inverted approximately every three hours, so that the sugar which has soaked in the water obtained from the strawberries, has started to flow into the bottom of the enclosure by gravity.
• the turning operation is repeated at regular intervals, of the order of three hours, for four to five days.
• the sugar becomes more and more liquid, and the operations of inverting the enclosure can be compared.
• handling can be different. Thus, one can reduce the time between turnarounds up to fifteen minutes if one seeks to obtain a result closer to a puree.
• the liquid fraction is extracted from the enclosure by any appropriate means, and in particular by a drain orifice equipped with a tap.
• the enclosure is opened and the strawberries it contains are placed in the air for drying.
• liquid fraction sampled has a sugar level of the order of 47 to 48 brix, while the strawberry has a rate of 55 to 56 brix.
• the process according to the invention has also been implemented for treating raspberries of the "Heritage” variety, in the same portion of sugar as in the above example, and fruits which have an extract rate have been obtained. dry in the order of 54% also.
• the process according to the invention has also given excellent results for the treatment of many other fruits, and in particular lemon, orange, melon, apricot, blackcurrant, morello cherry, quince, fig, apple and pineapple, in which the rate of natural dry extract is spread over a relatively large range.
• vegetables or the like were also treated such as potatoes, carrots, olives, tomatoes and mushrooms.
• the process also gives good results on flowers such as roses, or more generally on flowering tops such as linden, as well as on aromatic herbs. For the latter, extracts which are particularly rich in aromas are obtained.
• the fruits thus obtained can be used in numerous applications, and in particular, and in a non-exhaustive manner: 4 spreads including a fraction of fruit; fruit pastes; the bases of fruit or vegetable sauce, possibly including a fraction of salt, and obtained for example for fruits such as figs and cranberries, currants and blackcurrants, or for vegetables such as carrots, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms or even aromatic herbs such as mint; fruit preparations for pastries;
• the fruit pulp obtained in accordance with the invention can also be incorporated into:
• the fruit extract corresponding to the liquid fraction obtained at the end of the process, can be used in a large part of the abovementioned applications, and also in association with drinks with or without alcohol, and in particular in mixture with wines. or brandies.
• the invention finds a very particular application for the preparation of preparations of fruit married with chocolate.
• Mention may in particular be made of: - the production of whole fruits dipped in chocolate, such as strawberries, grapes, morello cherries, etc. - fruit sorbets incorporating a fraction of chocolate, without the need to add any fatty substance; - preparations mixing fruit and chocolate, and intended to be incorporated into milk or water for drinks;
• the sugar present inside the fruit serves as flavor enhancers, without conferring, on the other hand, candied fruit, a taste that is too sweet to erase the taste of the natural fruit, - the economic simplicity of implementing the process.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Preparation Of Fruits And Vegetables (AREA)
• Confectionery (AREA)
• Jellies, Jams, And Syrups (AREA)
• Storage Of Fruits Or Vegetables (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9550603

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

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Family Cites Families (16)

• 1999
  • 1999-09-29 FR FR9912423A patent/FR2798824B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2000
  • 2000-09-12 AU AU74276/00A patent/AU7427600A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-09-12 CA CA002385248A patent/CA2385248A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-09-12 BR BR0014238-7A patent/BR0014238A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-09-12 IL IL14856200A patent/IL148562A0/xx unknown
  • 2000-09-12 EP EP00962610A patent/EP1215968A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-09-12 WO PCT/FR2000/002511 patent/WO2001022827A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2002
  • 2002-03-11 MA MA26548A patent/MA25434A1/fr unknown
  • 2002-03-27 US US10/108,068 patent/US6569487B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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