MXPA04007746A

MXPA04007746A - Granulated product and process to prepare the same.

Info

Publication number: MXPA04007746A
Application number: MXPA04007746A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Prashant Shinde Dattaram
Original assignee: Unilever Nv
Priority date: 2002-02-13
Filing date: 2003-01-15
Publication date: 2004-10-15
Also published as: ZA200405376B; BR0307177A; AP2004003089A0; WO2003068006A1; CN1722958A; IL162903A; EP1474007A1; IL162903A0; AU2003202566A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a granulated, free flowing, comestible salt product comprising at least 96% wt. sodium chloride of primary particle size of less than 200 microns, up to 0.6% wt. of calcium and/or magnesium ions present as the chlorides and/or sulphates thereof, up to 6% wt. moisture, at least 30 ppm iodine present as an iodine containing salt and optionally other edible salts, vitamins, minerals and flavouring agents. A process for making the salt product is also provided. The salts of the invention have a good salty taste, a beneficial concentration of iodine and good flow properties. The invention also provides salt compositions comprising the salt product and at least one additional salt.

Description

GRANULATED PRODUCTS AND PROCESS FOR PREPARATION Field of the invention; The present invention relates to synergistically granulated free-flowing edible salt compounds having similar flow properties to common salt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: Sodium chloride, better known as common salt, is an ingredient that is generally used in cooking and approximately 5 million tons is the annual human consumption in India. Salt is usually produced by solar evaporation, or, by multiple industrial effect of evaporation of seawater or saltwater from the subsoil, or, by a combination of both methods and is refined by a hydro-crushing process. The hydro-crushing process consists of crushing the pure salt and then washing it with brine. The washed salt is centrifuged and is usually dried in a fluid desiccator or dried in a vacuum to remove moisture and obtain pieces of salt. During the crushing and dehydration process, significant amounts of fine salt are formed. This is also related to art and in this case as pieces of salt. The pieces of salt are hygroscopic in nature and of a smaller particle size (less than 250 microns) and Ref: 157230 is commonly discarded. Pieces of salt contain iodine; an essential micro nutrient rarely present in nature. While the pieces are discarded, it is ensured that the commercially available common salt is obtained in the form of a free fluid, the iodine present in the small pieces is wasted. The commercially available particle size of salt is generally in the region ranging from 150-850 microns. Small pieces of salt generally contain large amounts of hygroscopic magnesium salts that tend to absorb moisture and inhibit fluid properties. In addition, the smaller the particle size of the pieces of salt, it is more difficult to attach this salt to the ordinary salt since its free-flowing properties are severely damaged. However, discarding small pieces leads to a waste of material and relatively higher cost of salt. Our co-pending application O 02/13631 discloses granular salt containing sodium salt and potassium chloride and other optional ingredients and a process for making the same. The potassium chloride is preferentially in the form of pieces having a particle size of less than 500 microns. The granulated salt has salinity similar to that of common salt. The salt is also free flowing and rich in iodine.

Iodine is one of the three most essential micro nutrients. However, it is also commonly deficient in many diets, which is the cause of a host of diseases commonly known as iodine deficiency disorders. The easiest and cheapest method that was found to deliver the same through food was the iodization of ordinary salt. Salt is normally iodized by spraying a solution of potassium iodate in the salt. EP-A-090 571 (Morton Thiokol, Inc.) discloses flowable cup salt compositions having 30-70 weight percent sodium chloride and 70-30 weight percent potassium chloride. FR-2, 773, 955 discloses a table salt containing 35-55% potassium chloride and 10-40% sodium chloride. The document 4, 220, 667 discloses nutritional compositions of a compact sedimentation containing a granular condiment which is selected from potassium chloride and from mixtures of sodium chloride and potassium chloride and where the seasoning is preferably coated with insoluble saliva , physiologically acceptable zinc salts. US 5,288,510 discloses calcium ascorbate salt substitutes as the major compound with the least number of compounds that can be selected from sodium chloride or potassium chloride.

The publication "Dry mixing technique for the large scale production of fortified salt in India (Drying mixing technique for the large-scale production of fortified salt in India)", by S. Ranganathan et al. Asia Pacific J. Clin Nutr (1997) 6 (2): 92-94 discloses drying mixing techniques that are used in the manufacture of iodized salts. The iodization level was 30 ppm (parts per million). The publication "Salt iodization for the elimination of iodine deficiency" of M.G. Venkateshmannar and John T. Dunn, published in 1995 by the International Council for the Control of Disorders of Iodine Deficiency, disclose the level of iodization that is recommended in different countries for good health. Therefore there is a need in the art for edible salt compositions that are preferably free flowing and / or having beneficial amounts of iodine. There is a particular need in the art for edible salt compositions that are preferably free flowing and having beneficial amounts of iodine. Therefore, there is a special need for such compositions containing high levels of sodium chloride. It is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the aforementioned problems. In particular, the present invention seeks to provide edible, iodine-fortified and synergistic salt compositions having free-flowing properties similar to those of the ordinary salt, which compositions have a granular form. The present invention also seeks to provide edible, fortified and synergistic salt compositions that have increased salinity and with a beneficial amount of iodine in granulated form. The present invention also seeks to provide a method for making the salt compositions mentioned above. For purposes of this invention, the term 'granulated salt' refers to the salt of the invention and the term 'common salt' refers to the salt that is obtained by a conventional process after the pieces are removed. The term 'pieces of salt' refers to the salt removed from common salt whose particle size is less than 200 microns. The term 'edible salt' refers to all salts, including sodium chloride, which is suitable for human consumption. Summary of the Invention The present applicants have now surprisingly found that a free-flowing salt composition can be conveniently produced from the salt pieces having a particle size of less than 200 microns. The particle size of the final granulated salt is preferably 150 microns to 2mm and advantageously, it can be made to meet that size of the commercially available salt. Thus, since the pieces produced during the refinement of the salt can be used in the production of the synergistic formulation of the present invention, the material that would otherwise be discarded as a waste can now become a commercially useful material. The pieces of salt are rich in iodine and are therefore useful for inclusion in a diet that is potentially low in iodine. The granulated salt of this form refers to a free, granular and synergistic fluid salt composition having potassium chloride whose primary particle size is less than 200 microns, calcium and / or magnesium salts, water and a source of iodo. Other optional ingredients may also be present in the salt. The process for making the granulated salt provides a method that converts pieces of naturally hygroscopic salt into free-flowing edible salt. The granulated salt can be obtained from pieces of stirred salt with optional ingredients, by adding water and / or an aqueous solution of an edible salt and then granulating the dough. The granulated salt, in this way, obtained is free flowing in nature. Its salinity can be increased by using an appropriate edible salt during the process. The granulated salt of the invention can be made to meet the characteristics of common salt and is preferably added to the common salt.

Thus, according to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided an edible, free-flowing and granulated salt product characterized in that it has: i. at least 96% by weight of sodium chloride (in base drying) of the primary particle size less than 200 microns, ii. more than 0.6% by weight of calcium and / or magnesium ions present as chlorides and / or sulfates of this, iii. more than 6% moisture weight, iv. at least 30ppm (parts per million) of iodine, present as iodine containing salt, and v. optionally other edible salts, vitamins, minerals and flavoring agents. It is especially preferable that the edible salts of the first aspect contain more than 0.3% by weight of calcium and / or magnesium ions present as the chlorides and / or sulfates thereof and more than 4% by weight of moisture. According to a second aspect of the invention, a free fluid composition is provided having: (i) the granulated salt of the first aspect of the invention and, (ii) at least one additional salt. At least one additional salt is / are one (s) according to the invention and preferably contains common salt. It is preferred, according to the second aspect, that the granulated salt (i) is present in an amount of 0.1 to 95% by weight in the composition of the salt. The balance of the salt composition has at least one additional salt. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for the preparation of an edible, free-flowing and granulated salt product, the process consists of the following steps: i. mixing pieces of salt of a primary particle size less than 200 microns optionally with an edible salt, vitamins, minerals and / or flavoring agents or such a mixture, ii. adding from 5 to 15% by weight, based on the weight of the water composition, and / or an aqueous solution of an edible salt, iii. granulate the mass of step ii, iv. optionally dry the granulated mass to contain a humidity greater than 6% by weight, v. optionally breaking the granulated product from step (iii) or from step (iv) to a particle size that is in the range of 150 microns to 2000 microns. It is especially preferred that an aqueous solution of an edible salt added to step (ii) of the process contains one or more magnesium salts. Preferably the magnesium salt is magnesium chloride and / or sulfate. It is especially preferable that the granulate of the mass of step (ii) is carried out by extrusion or compaction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (i) Granulated salt product It is especially preferable that the salt product has magnesium ions present as well as the chlorides or sulfates thereof. It is possible to include other edible salts, for example potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate, calcium chloride, etc., in the granulated salt. It is also possible to fortify the granulated salt by adding vitamins and minerals. The salts of zinc, calcium, strontium, steel, etc., soluble and insoluble in water, are suitable for fortification. It is also possible to incorporate flavors such as garlic, ginger, pepper or any other species, condiments or flavors of herbs during granulation and stability and the homogeneity of these flavors will be increased due to the granulated form of the product. Optionally, auxiliary fluids such as silica, magnesium or precipitated calcium salts or carbonate, phosphate and silicate, zeolite, amorphous aluminosilicate, etc., may be added to the granulated salt. (ii) Composition of the salt The composition of the salt according to the second aspect of the invention contains the granulated salt of the first aspect and at least one additional salt. The salt composition more preferably contains from 1 to 50% by weight of the granulated salt product of the invention, more preferably from 5 to 15% by weight. The balance of the salt composition has at least one additional salt and can also have the optional ingredients as detailed in the first aspect of the invention. When the granulated salt of the invention is incorporated into the common salt, according to the second aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the particle size range of the granulated salt be similar to that of the common salt. It is especially preferred that the free-flowing granulated salt have a particle size of 150 to 850 microns, so that it resembles that of common salt. (iii) Process The process according to the third aspect of the invention is described below. The pieces of salt (where the primary size of the sodium chloride particle is less than 200 microns) are mixed with water or with an aqueous solution of an edible salt. Preferably an aqueous solution of calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium chloride or magnesium sulfate or such a mixture is mixed with the pieces of salt. The mixture is generally carried out in a mixer selected in such a way that it ensures uniform mixing of the particles. The mixer could have any or a combination of agitator designs, including a Simplex, sigma, plow, helical, planetary or screw type. It is especially preferred to use a "saline liquor" in step (iii) of the process. A saline liquor is understood as the mother liquor that is left after the salt is harvested by solar evaporation from salt sources such as sea water or salt water from the subsoil. Saline liquor is rich in magnesium chloride and sulfate. Preferably the particle size of the granules of the salt obtained after step (v) is 150 microns to 2mm, more preferably 150 to 1000 microns and even more preferable 150 to 850 microns. The mixture is preferably carried out at a temperature in a range of 5-50 ° C. The material is mixed for a period of 5 to 120 minutes, preferably 30-45 minutes to ensure homogeneity. The water and / or the aqueous salt solution is preferably sprayed into the mixture of pieces of salt from the first step of the process by a uniform covering before or during mixing. The mechanism for spraying can be any system that ensures a uniform coverage of the solution / water in the particles and could include single or multiple spray fluid injectors, ultrasonic sprayers, pressure sprayers or any other device.

It is preferable to continue with the mixture for a period of approximately 15 minutes after the water or the solution of the soluble salts have been added. The granulation of the mass of the second step of the process can be done as batch or continuous or as a semi-continuous process using any appropriate equipment that is known in the art. Preferably the mass is extruded or compacted. The granulation can also be carried out using an agglomeration plate or an agglomeration drum. The granulated salt is therefore generally obtained in a crystalline form or obtained as regular / irregular / spherical granules. Alternatively, the salt mixture could be extruded in a single or double screw extruder, an extruder nozzle with different configurations or a granulating press, to obtain noodles. Alternatively, an agglomerated screen with an appropriate mesh size could be used. The compact type equipment such as roller compactor and brick type machines are also suitable for the preparation of the granulated salt of the invention. An alternate process includes taking the moistened salt mixture from the mixture and granulating it using a pilling method. Particularly, it is preferable to use a machine-type extrusion which could be of the granulator press type screw matrix.

The granulated salt, thus obtained, is optionally dehydrated. There can be more than 6% moisture weight in the granulated salt of the invention. Dehydration is performed in any conventional dryer such as a removable tray dryer, continuous dryer, vacuum dryer, a fluidized bed dryer or an instant dryer. These dryers could be discontinuous, continuous or semi-continuous operation. Alternatively, the product could be air dehydrated or dehydrated by the sun. A combination of the aforementioned methods can also be employed. Optionally, the granulated salt can be broken to an irregular size in a range of 150 to 2000 microns, preferably, in the range of 150 to 1000 microns. The breaking or agglomeration can be done in one of the different machines used for said purpose and can include impact, cut, shear, compact or resistance type crushers. Presses with controlled entry power and a spray methodology such as kitchen mixes, multi-presses, hammer presses, slotted pin, air jet presses can also be used for agglomeration. This could be done in equipment that is a combination of mechanical or pneumatic methods. The material is optionally sifted to obtain the product in the size of the desired range. In addition, the huge size can be pulverized by any of the aforementioned methods. The reduced size can also be processed in a similar way to the salt pieces. The granules as such or their mixtures with processed common salt are suitable for sale in packaged form, which may be in a suitable form of plastic package such as polyethylene bags, package paper, PET jars, jute bags and any other appropriate form or it can be sold loose. In a more preferable aspect of the invention, the process of the invention is carried out, therefore to obtain granulated salt by bringing together the shape and characteristics of the particle size and the appearance of the common salt. The granulated salt obtained, therefore, can be mixed with common salt. So the granulated salt that is obtained contains the amount of iodine required. The invention is described in detail in the following non-limiting examples. Other examples within the scope of the invention will be recognized by those skilled in the art. Examples: Comparative Examples A, B and C: Pieces of salt whose particle size is less than 150 microns were taken as Comparative Example A. 100 grams of pieces of salt were mixed with 1 kg. of common salt that was obtained from the market to give the salt of Comparative Example B. The common salt that was obtained in the market was taken as Comparative Example C. Example 1: 2 kg of pieces of salt with a particle size were put in Less than 150 microns in a kitchen mixer. 200 ml of water were added slowly with stirring of the salt pieces, ensuring a uniform mix. The wet salt mixture was then extruded into the noodles using an agglomerated sieve having a 500 micron mesh. The noodles were dehydrated in a drier of extractable trays at 100 ° C at a final moisture content of 2%. The dehydrated mixture was pulverized in a multi-shredder adapted with a strainer mesh 30. The salt was further cast to obtain granular salt of the particle size in a range of 200 to 1000 microns. Example 2: 1 kg of salt of Example 1 was mixed in a Simplex mixer with 20 kg of common salt obtained from the market. Example 3: 2 kg of pieces of salt with a particle size of less than 150 microns were placed in a planetary mixer. 20 grams of magnesium chloride of a similar particle size were mixed with the pieces of salt. The mixture of salts was immediately sprayed with 200 ml of saline liquor. The salt mixture prepared immediately was extruded in an extruder nozzle with a mold of 1 mm diameter. The salt granules formed were dehydrated at 100 ° C in a drier of extractable trays until the contained moisture was left in 1%. The sample was crushed in a kitchen mixer. The material was then cast to obtain salt whose particle size is within 200 to 850 microns. Example 4: 100 grams of the salt of Example 3 were mixed, manually with 2 kg of common salt that was obtained from the market.

Salt evaluation: The salts of Examples 1-4 were found to have a good free flow, an acceptable granulate and a good salt flavor impact. i. Salinity: A food preparation (cooked lentil) was prepared using 0.8% of Comparative Example A-C and Examples 1-4. A panel of trained members tested the samples and evaluated their salinity. It was found that the salts of Example 3 and 4 had much salinity compared to the salts of Example 1 & 2 and Comparative Examples A-C. The salts of Examples 1 and 2 had salinity similar to common salt (Comparative Example C). ii. Free Fluid: The free fluid properties of the salts of Comparative Examples AC and Examples 1-4 were measured as shown below: The salts of Comparative Example AC and Examples 1-4 were packaged in polyethylene bags under ambient conditions (25 ° C). The percentage of dynamic fluid in the samples was measured at the end of 24 hours using a fluid meter. The salts of Comparative Examples A-B and Examples 1-4 were then stored under packing conditions for three months at room temperature and at 75% humidity. The percentage of dynamic fluid in the samples was again measured using a fluid meter at the end of this period. The results are presented in Table 1. Table 1 The results presented in Table 1 show that the granulated salt of the invention has flow properties superior to common salt even without adding flow aids. The granulated salt can be added to the common salt to give a salt mixture with good flow properties. Thus, the present invention provides a granulated salt with improved flow properties, salinity and a desirable iodine level. The granulated salt of the invention can be incorporated into the common salt to provide a salt composition. The invention also provides an effective process for converting small pieces of salt that are rejected into granulated salt with improved flow properties and salinity.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

Claims The invention having been described as an antecedent, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. An edible, free flowing and granulating salt product characterized in that it comprises: (a) at least 96% by weight of sodium chloride of a primary particle size less than 200 microns. (b) more than 0.6% by weight of calcium and / or magnesium ions present as well as chlorides and / or sulfates of this type, (c) more than 6% moisture weight, (d) at least 30ppm (parts per million) of iodine, present as an iodine containing salt, and (e) optionally other edible salts, vitamins, minerals and flavoring agents. 2. A salt product according to claim 1, characterized in that the salt product has more than 0.3% by weight of calcium and / or magnesium ions and more than 4% by weight of moisture. 3. A salt product according to each of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the product has magnesium ions present as chlorides and / or sulfates of this type. 4. A salt product according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the salt product has an average particle size of 150 to 1000 microns. 5. A free fluid of the edible salt composition, characterized in that it has (i) the granulated salt of any of claims 1 to 4 and (ii) at least one additional salt. 6. A salt composition according to claim 5, characterized in that the salt composition has from 0.1 to 95% by weight of the granulated salt (i). 7. A salt composition according to claim 6, characterized in that the salt composition has from 5 to 15% by weight of the granulated salt (i). 8. A salt composition according to any of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that at least one additional salt contains common salt. 9. A process for preparing an edible, free-flowing and granulated saline product, characterized in that the process consists of the following steps: (a) mixing pieces of salt of a primary particle size of less than 200 microns optionally with an edible salt , vitamins, minerals and / or flavoring agents or a mixture of this type, (b) adding from 5 to 15% by weight, based on the weight of the water composition, and / or an aqueous solution of an edible salt, (c) granulating the mass of step b, (d) optionally drying the granulated mass to contain a moisture greater than 6% by weight, (e) optionally breaking the granulated product from step (c) or step (d) to a particle size that is in the range of 150 microns to 2000 microns. 10. A process in accordance with the claim 9, characterized in that the aqueous solution of an edible salt has one or more magnesium salts, calcium chloride or calcium sulfate. 11. A process in accordance with the claim 10, characterized in that the magnesium salt has magnesium chloride and / or sulfate. 12. A process according to claim 11, characterized in that the magnesium salt has saline liquor. 13. A process according to any of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that in step e) the granules of the salt are broken to a particle size which is in the range of 150 to 1000 microns. 1 . A process according to any of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that the water and / or the aqueous solution of an edible salt is sprayed into the mixture of step a). 15. A process according to any of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that the granulation of the mass of step b) is carried out by extrusion or compaction. 16. A process according to any of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that the mixture of step a) is carried out for a period of 30 to 45 minutes. 17. A process for the preparation of a saline, edible, free-flowing and granulated product according to any of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: (a) mixing pieces of salt of a primary particle size less than 200 microns optionally with an edible salt, vitamins, minerals and / or flavoring agents or such a mixture, (b) ) adding from 5 to 15% by weight, based on the weight of the water composition, and / or an aqueous solution of an edible salt, (c) granulating the mass of step b, (d) optionally drying the granulated mass for which contains a moisture greater than 6% by weight, (e) optionally breaking the granulated product from step (c) or step (d) to a particle size which is in the range of 150 microns to 2000 microns.