GB2339668A

GB2339668A - Fruit puree-based beverages

Info

Publication number: GB2339668A
Application number: GB9816904A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keiran Hynes; John Ryall
Original assignee: Woodlace Ltd
Current assignee: Woodlace Ltd
Priority date: 1998-07-21
Filing date: 1998-08-05
Publication date: 2000-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 2018-08-05
Also published as: GB2339668B; GB9816904D0; IE980601A1

Description

2339668 A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A BEVERAGE

Introduction

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a beverage and in particular to the manufacture of a liquid fruit puree-based beverage.

There are considerable difficulties in manufacturing a fruit puree-based beverage, especially on a factory scale. Because of the nature of purees they are difficult to process. Most beverages containing such purees are aesthetically or organolepically unacceptable. Beverage products containing such purees are often of variable opacity because some of the components may settle out from solution, either to the base of the container and/or to the side-wall, especially around a narrow neck of a bottle.

This invention is directed towards providing a method for manufacturing a beverage of this type which will overcome at least some of these difFiculties.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a method for manufacturing a liquid fruit puree-based beverage comprising the steps of tempering a frozen puree concentrate to a temperature of from PC to 41C over a period of at least 24 hours; adding the tempered puree with water, sweetening agent and acidity regulator to a vessel; blending the ingredients in the vessel to substantially exclude air entrainment in the mixture; filling a pre-set volume of the liquid puree mixture thus formed into a bottle; closing the bottle containing the puree mixture with a closure; passing the bottles through a pasteuriser at a temperature and for a time to transfer at least 1000 pasteurisation units to the puree mixture; and packaging the bottles of pasteurised puree mixture.

Preferably the frozen puree is tempered to a temperature of approximately 30C over a period of approximately 48 hours.

is Ideally the mixing and blending is carried out at ambient temperature.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention during pasteurisation at least 1500 pasteurisation units are transferred to the puree mixture.

Preferably the puree mixture is pasteurised at a maximum temperature of greater than 72C held for a period of at least 10 minutes, ideally at a maximum temperature of approximately 741C for a period of approximately 15 minutes within 21C of the maximum temperature. 25 In a preferred embodiment of the invention, on application of a closure, a flush of an inert gas is applied to the surface of the puree mixture in the bottle. 30 In one embodiment of the invention the method includes the step, prior to packaging, of leading the pasteurised bottles through a holding area having a capacity at least equivalent to the pasteurisation processing time.

Ideally the method includes the step, after packaging, of inverting the packages.

Preferably the method includes the step of palletising the packages in an inverted orientation.

In a preferred arrangement the method includes the steps, after pasteurisation, of.

applying a stream of air to at least a local area of a bottle to dry the local area; and applying a sleeve or label and/or indicia to the dried local area.

The stream of air is applied to the neck of the pasteurised bottle to substantially dry the neck area of the bottle to receive a neck sleeve. Preferably the air is applied to the bottle neck through a plurality of directed air nozzles spaced-apart around the bottle. Ideally the air nozzles are of substantially the same size so that each nozzle delivers approximately an equal volume of air to the local area to which it is applied for controlled local drying of the area. Typically the method includes the step of adjusting the position of the nozzles to tailor the drying air stream to a particular bottle shape, size, or type.

Preferably the local area is a printed code receiving area. Preferably the local area is dried by applying a directed air stream to a desired code receiving area of the bottle the local. Typically the printed code is applied to the area by an automatic code applying printing means and the method includes the step of adjusting the position of the code applying printing means to correspond with a desired bottle and a desired code position of the bottle. Preferably the directed air stream is applied through an air nozzle which is adjustable in position to taHor the air stream to the desired area.

Brief DescriDtion of the Drawings The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. I is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a liquid fruit pureebased beverage according the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a bottle neck drying apparatus used in the method of the invention; 15 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a local area drying and printing apparatus used in the method of the invention; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 3 in the direction of 20 the arrows IV - IV; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows V - V; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 4.

Detailed Desqdpti Referring to the drawings and initially to Fig. 1, the invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid fruit puree-based beverage in which frozen blocks of fruit puree are first tempered I to a temperature of from 10C to 41C, ideally approximately YC over a period of at least 24 and, ideally, approximately 48 hours. We have found that this is important in providing the puree in optimum condition for further processing.

In step 2, the tempered puree and other ingredients 3, usually water, sweetening agent, an acidity regulator (citric acid), an emulsifier, appropriate compatible natural flavourings and/or colourants, are added to a mixing vessel under ambient conditions. The mixture is gently blended in step 4 using a propeller which rotates at a slow speed to avoid vortexing and to substantially exclude air entrainment in 10 the puree mixture. We have found that this is important in maintaining consistency of the mixture during further processing and in storage. In step 5, a pre-set volume of the liquid puree mixture thus formed, is automatically filled into a bottle. To optimise the filling process and to aid product 15 consistency, a flush 6 of an inert gas may be applied to the surface of the puree mixture in the bottle prior to application 7 of a closure such as a screw cap. The filled and capped bottles are then pasteurised in a flow through tunnel pasteuriser 8. The temperature and residence time in the pasteuriser is optimised 20 to achieve a transfer of at least 1000, preferably approximately 1500 pasteurisation units to the puree mixture. This is achieved at a minimum temperature of greater than 72C for a period of approximately 15 minutes within 2C of the maximum temperature. 25 Referring also to Fig. 2, bottles 20 containing the pasteurised puree mixture exiting from the pasteuriser along a conveyor 22 are passed though a drying station 21 at which heated air is applied 9 to at least a local area, in this case the neck portion of the bottles 20. A stream of air is applied from a plurality of nozzles 24 which are arranged around the bottle necks on a support 25. Air is delivered to the nozzles 30 24 along delivery pipes 26 from a common supply 27. The nozzles 24 are mounted on associated brackets 28 which are adjustably mounted on the support 25. In this way, the stream of air may be directed to a desired area of any size or shaped bottle. In this case, the stream of air is directed particularly to the bottle neck to blow-off any condensed water on the outside of the bottle.

Refening in particular to Figs. 3 to 6 the bottles 20 are then delivered continuously along a conveyor 30 to a local area drying station 31 at which a local area, in the case illustrated the bottle neck sleeve is heated/dried I I in advance of code printing 12 at an automatic code applying printing station 40. The local area drying station comprises an air heater 32 fitted with a nozzle 33 which is directed 10 to deliver a stirearn of heated air to the bottle neck sleeve. The heater 32 is adjustably mounted by a bracket 34 to a support 35. In this way the stream of heated air may be directed to substantially remove moisture from the surface of a desired local area of the bottles 20. 15 A printing head 41 is adjustably -mounted by a bracket 42 to a support 43 downstream of the local area drying/heating station 31 to apply a code such as a batch code and/or a use-by date to the bottle neck sleeve which has been previously dried. This leads to a highly efficient permanent coding of the bottles with minimum downtime. Both the heater 32 and the associated print head 41 20 may be readily adjusted in position to correspond with a desired local area of any size, shape or type of bottle. For example, in the case of pre-sleeved bottles the heater 32 and printing head 41 may be adjusted to apply a code to the base of the bottle sleeve. 25 After local area coding, the bottles 20 are delivered into an in-line holding area at which the bottles may be held-up 13 in the event of a backlog in subsequent handling. In this way, the output from the expensive pasteurisation stage can be accommodated pending resolution of any downsteam processing Oficulties. Thus, production is optimised. 30 The bottles 20 are then correlated 14 into a desired arrangement of rows before packaging 15. After packaging, the package is inverted 16 to provide a further inw container movement of the puree mixture to ensure complete mixing. The packages are then palletised 17. To provide for fin-ther in-transit and shelf packing movement of the mixture the packages may be palletised in an inverted orientation, the mixture being further moved in customer de-palletisation.

The invention provides a highly efficient method for manufacturing a puree mixture beverage on an industrW scale. The beverage not only has excellent organoleptic but also excellent aesthetic properties.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in detail.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a liquid fruit puree-based beverage comprising the steps of.- tempering a frozen puree concentrate to a temperature of from VC to 4'C over a period of at least 24 hours; adding the tempered puree with water, sweetening agent and acidity 10 regulator to a vessel; blending the ingredients in the vessel to substantially exclude air entrainment in the mixture; filling a pre-set volume of the liquid puree mixture thus formed into a bottle; closing the bottle containing the puree mixture with a closure; 20 passing the bottles through a pasteuriser at a temperature and for a time to transfer at least 1000 pasteurisation units to the puree mixture; and packaging the bottles of pasteurised puree mixture.

2. A method as claimed in claim I wherein the frozen puree is tempered to a temperature of approximately YC over a period of approximately 48 hours.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the mixing and blending is carried out at ambient temperature.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein, during pasteurisation at least 1500 pasteurisation units are transferred to the puree mixture.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the puree mixture is pasteurised at a maximum temperature of greater than 72C held for a period of at least 10 minutes.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the puree mixture is pasteurised at a rn temperature of approximately 74C for a period of approximately 15 minutes'within 2C of the maximum temperature.

7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein, on application of a closure, a flush of an inert gas is applied to the surface of the puree mixture in the bottle.

8. A method as claimed in any preceding claim including the step, prior to packaging, of leading the pasteurised bottles through a holding area having a capacity at least equivalent to the pasteurisation processing time.

9. A method as claimed in any preceding claim including the step, after packaging, of inverting the packages.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 including the step of palletising the packages in an inverted orientation.

11. A method as claimed in any preceding claim including the steps, after pasteurisation, of - applying a stream of air to at least a local area of a bottle to dry the local area; and applying a sleeve or label and/or indicia to the dried local area.

12. A method as claimed in claim I I wherein the local area is a printed code receiving area.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the local area is dried by applying a directed air stream to a desired code receiving area of the bottle.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or 13 wherein the printed code is applied to the area by an automatic code applying printing means and the method includes the step of adjusting the position of the code applying printing means to to correspond with a desired bottle and a desired code position of the bottle.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13 or 14 wherein the directed air stream is applied through an air nozzle which is adjustable in position to tailor the air stream to the desired area.

16. A method for manufacturing a liquid fruit puree-based beverage substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A liquid fi-uit puree-based beverage whenever manufactured by a method as claimed in any preceding claim.