WO2012023058A2

WO2012023058A2 - Sodium free food preservative

Info

Publication number: WO2012023058A2
Application number: PCT/IB2011/050839
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sunildatta Jog
Original assignee: Sunildatta Jog
Priority date: 2010-08-17
Filing date: 2011-02-28
Publication date: 2012-02-23
Also published as: WO2012023058A3

Abstract

A sodium chloride substitute composition is disclosed herein which has acceptable taste and an equitable physiological action to common salt being used as a food preservative. Further disclosed are process for the preparation and use of said preservative composition.

Description

Title of the Invention:

SODIUM FREE FOOD PRESERVATIVE

The following specification describes the invention and particularly the manner in which it is to be performed. [001 ] FIELD OF INVENTION

[002] Present invention relates generally to the field of food preservation and more specifically to design of a sodium-free composition for use as a safe food preservative being essentially non deleterious to taste, mouth feel and texture of food product intended to be preserved.

[003] BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[004] On a generic basis, food preservation refers to the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage, that is, loss of quality, edibility or nutritive value of the said food caused or accelerated by micro-organisms.

[005] Preservation of food usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms, as well as retarding the oxidation of fats which cause rancidity. It also includes processes to inhibit natural ageing and discoloration that can occur during food preparation such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut. Some preservation methods require the food to be sealed after treatment to prevent recontamination with microbes; others, such as drying, allow food to be stored without any special containment for long periods.

[006] Common methods of applying these processes include drying, spray drying, freeze drying, freezing, vacuum-packing, canning, preserving in syrup, sugar crystallization, food irradiation, and adding preservatives or inert gases such as carbon dioxide. Some other methods that not only help to preserve food, but also add flavor, include pickling, salting, smoking, preserving in syrup or alcohol, sugar crystallization and curing.

[007] In general, preservation methodologies include:

a) Heating to kill or denature micro-organisms (e.g. boiling) b) Oxidation (e.g. use of sulfur dioxide)

c) Toxic inhibition (e.g. smoking, use of carbon dioxide,

vinegar, alcohol etc.)

d) Dehydration (drying)

e) Osmotic inhibition (e.g. use of syrups)

f) Low temperature inactivation (e.g. freezing)

g) Ultra high water pressure (e.g. type of pasteurization, the pressure kills naturally occurring pathogens, which cause food deterioration and affect food safety.)

h) Combination of above mentioned methods

[008] The majority of food preservation operations used today also employ some kind of chemical additive to reduce spoilage. Of the numerous chemical additives available, all are designed either to kill or retard the growth of pathogens or to prevent or retard chemical reactions that result in the oxidation of foods.

[009] It is well known fact that people world over use many food products in which common salt is used as a class I preservative and for providing taste to the food product when such food products are sold as packaged food. Manufacturers tend to use more common salt to increase its shelf life and end up making it unduly salty. Presently many food product manufacturers are adding sodium chloride directly to their food system. In addition, a large percentage of the purchased ingredients used in formulating food products also contains sodium chloride.

[010] The use of common salt, a sodium salt named sodium chloride, has long been suspected as a cause of health problems, particularly hypertension. A cause-effect relationship between excessive sodium ingestion and hypertension has shown to exist by recent medical findings. It is conclusively known that a reduction of sodium intake alone will accomplish a reduction in the hypertensive state and thus, a desirable attribute when designing healthy eating habits.

[01 1 ] It is also a well known fact that following a healthy diet enables people to achieve and maintain good health. When healthy people consume diet that contains large amount of common salt, it makes them prone to diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease. Medical science advises healthy people and also people that suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease to keep consumption of common salt and food containing high amount of common salt under certain limit. This denies them joy of eating common salted food products and puts dietary restrictions on people suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease.

[012] With growing consumer awareness and a more active presence by the FDA in the labeling requirements for the use of sodium salts, private industry is now concerned with the amount of sodium chloride they are adding to their food products. [013] Attempts to solve the above mentioned problems find mention in art.

[014] To some degree the problem of high sodium levels in foods can be reduced by simply lowering the level of sodium chloride added to the food product formulations. But unfortunately the level of sodium chloride in most cases cannot be lowered due to preservation requirements and the necessity of from 0.5% to 2.5% by weight of sodium chloride in the food product for flavor requirements.

[015] To effect a reduction in sodium chloride or the sodium ion, many food processors have employed potassium chloride as a sodium chloride substitute. However, potassium chloride is easily discernable from sodium chloride, or table salt, by most humans. In some societies the flavor of potassium chloride is readily accepted, but in the United States, Europe, and Asia the flavor is unacceptable. Although potassium chloride is perceived as being salty, the potassium ion imparts an "off" flavor most often described as bitter. The reason for bitterness perception with potassium salt and not with sodium salt is not generally understood, but the perceptor sites located on the tongue where saltiness is perceived can readily distinguish potassium from sodium and this difference is physiologically perceived as a difference in bitterness intensity. Because of the difference in flavor between potassium chloride and sodium chloride, it is necessary to employ additives in sodium chloride substitutes to minimize this flavor difference. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,732 (Eisenstadt) discloses a sodium chloride substitute having reduced bitterness containing potassium chloride, or potassium chloride and ammonium chloride, in admixture with lactose or dextrose or both and cream of tartar. U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,799 (Cornelius et al.) discloses a sodium chloride substitute containing a glycinamide salt in mixture with a flavor potentiator such as glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate, etc. U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,974 (Lontz et al.) discloses a sodium chloride substitute formulation containing defined proportions of ascorbic acid, fumaric acid, and citric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,082 (Miller) discloses a sodium chloride substitute comprising potassium chloride and a minor proportion of fumaric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,375 (Shackelford) discloses a sodium salt substitute having reduced bitterness containing autolyzed yeast and potassium chloride. Though these compositions have been fairly successful in replacement of sodium chloride as a flavoring agent, their concentrations required to effect preservative properties often mandate crossing the concentration barriers for acceptable taste levels and toxicity. Thus, these compositions find limited applicability in preservation of foodstuffs.

[016] Potassium chloride has less salt flavor intensity than sodium chloride. Generally, increasing the amount of potassium chloride to match the salt flavor intensity of sodium chloride is not a solution to this problem because the bitter flavor also increases.

[017] Other chloride salts, such as calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, lithium chloride and ammonium chloride have also been suggested as possible substitutes for sodium chloride. As with potassium chloride, potential use of these salts is restricted by unacceptable flavor. Commercial use of the sodium chloride substitutes is further restricted to those substances having FDA approval. Presently, potassium chloride and ammonium chloride are both recognized as safe. Eisenstadt claims that commercial sodium chloride substitutes generally contain potassium chloride or mixtures of potassium chloride and ammonium chloride. The ammonium chloride gives a stronger, less acceptable, flavor when used alone; but, when added to potassium chloride, can result in a saltier flavor than potassium chloride alone. Use of the mixture is still limited, because unacceptable flavor results before desired salt intensity is achieved.

[018] Pickling is a method of preserving food in an edible antimicrobial liquid. Pickling can be broadly categorized as chemical pickling for example, in chemical pickling, the food is placed in an edible liquid that inhibits or kills bacteria and other microorganisms. Typical pickling agents include brine (high in salt), vinegar, alcohol, and vegetable oil, especially olive oil but also many other oils. Many chemical pickling processes also involve heating or boiling so that the food being preserved becomes saturated with the pickling agent. However, these processes are tedious to practice and may, in some instances, alter taste of food item being preserved. Thus, these have limited applicability in field of food preservation.

[019] There has not been known previously any single composition that provides for efficient preservation of foodstuff and also allows conscious reduction in consumption of dietary sodium. Accordingly, there is still a dire need for innovation in domains of food production processes in general and preserved food production in particular that will be healthy for consumption by healthy people and also healthy for consumption by people suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease.

[020] Accordingly, the present inventor has come up with innovative methods and systems to address the said problems of art. The description hereinafter provides an outline of the present invention.

[021 ] OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[022] It is a primary object of the present invention to overcome drawbacks of art and provide for a sodium free composition capable of being efficiently used as a food preservative without resulting in any undue taste, odor or toxicity whatsoever.

[023] It is another object of the present invention to provide for a food preservative which is free of sodium and thus associated health problems of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

[024] It is another object of the present invention to provide for a food preservative which is free of bitter taste associated with potassium chloride.

[025] It is another object of the present invention to provide for a dietary approach to reducing excess consumption of sodium in food.

[026] It is another object of the present invention to provide for a sodium free preservative which has no additive effect on caloric value of food item being preserved. [027] It is another object of the present invention to provide for a sodium free preservative which has similar taste and mouth feel as that of common salt and further having comparable food preservation properties than common salt.

[028] It is yet another object of this invention to provide a healthy alternative to sodium chloride and/or sugar based preservatives that allows the consumer to avail of efficient preservative effect and yet adhere to acceptable limits of calorie intake without subjecting one to the potential health risk of a excessive sodium consumption.

[029] It is a further object of this invention to provide an healthy alternative to sodium chloride and/or sugar based preservatives that does not force one to change his or her standards for taste or sensory acceptance or to change food processing to adapt to the physical properties of a preservative other than the ones he or she has used over a lifetime.

[030] It is a further object of this invention to provide an acceptable preservative which will help to limit caloric intake for the overweight, diabetics and obese and ultimately reduce glycosylated hemoglobin levels.

[031 ] It is another object of the present invention is to provide for a preservative composition that is economical to produce, stable to store and adaptable in use without any modification to existing preservation procedures and have no adverse effects on the environment. [032] It is another object of present invention to keep taste of food item being preserved as close to original as far as possible.

[033] It is another object of present invention to enable processes of preparation and preservation of food products which can be easily put to practice.

[034] These and further objects shall present themselves to the reader upon description presented herein below along with accompanying examples and appended claims.

[035] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[036] In view of foregoing disadvantages inherent in prior art the general purpose of present invention is to provide process of food product preparation in which common salt can be avoided thus making food product healthy for consumption by people suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease and making food products that do not predispose healthy population to high blood pressure and heart disease.

[037] The chemical compound potassium chloride (KCI) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state it is odorless. Potassium is vital in the human body and oral potassium chloride is the common means to replenish it, although it can also be diluted and given intravenously. The potassium ion is the principal intracellular cation of most body tissues. Potassium ions participate in a number of essential physiological processes including the maintenance of intracellular tonicity, the transmission of nerve impulses, the contraction of cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle and the maintenance of normal renal function. Potassium is a normal dietary constituent and under steady state conditions the amount of potassium absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract is equal to the amount excreted in the urine. The usual dietary intake of potassium is 50 to 100 mEq per day.

[038] In accordance with principles of the present invention, food products and packaged food products are intended to be made by replacing common salt with potassium chloride in the same amount on weight to weight basis of common salt as used in production of food and packaged food by prior art processes. Use of class I and/ or class II preservatives in addition to composition proposed by the present invention can be achieved and practiced in same manner as prescribed elsewhere in this description.

[039] Salting or curing draws moisture from the food products through a process of osmosis. Both sugar and salt serve as preservatives by extracting water from the food tissues through osmotic activity. The reader shall find it obvious that sugar in concentrations exceeding 50% stops the growth of most micro organism that causes spoilage. However, such concentrations do also substantially increase the caloric value of the food item intended to be preserved and hence, shifting original taste of the food item and making unacceptable for diabetics and calorie- watchers. The composition of the present invention addresses this aspect via limiting amount of sugar incorporated to maximum of 25% yet achieving preservative effect intended via synergy with other ingredients of the composition proposed by the present invention. As saltiness of potassium chloride is much lesser than sodium chloride, a higher concentration than about 5% salt solution minimal to reduce microbial activity can be used, thereby targeting even the salt tolerant and halophiles without affecting taste, mouth feel and texture of the food product intended to be preserved.

[040] The novel composition of the present invention can be used as a replacement to common salt, with any residual bitterness being capable of being masked, in an exemplary embodiment, via addition of 1 PPM Thaumatin.

[041 ] Reference is now made to some examples of the present invention. It shall be appreciated by the reader that these examples are for illustration purpose only and do not limit the invention in any manner whatsoever.

[042] In accordance with principles of the present invention, the present disclosure is directed towards product compositions as specified in Table 1 .

COMPOSITIONS OF FOOD PRESERVATIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[043] Thus, qualities of low caloric value, low cost of production, stability, NaCI-equivalence, microbistatic / antimicrobial activity and other health benefits, health promoting effects are achieved via synergistic association of components of the preservative outlined by the present invention. It shall be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that these properties are not merely additive and are beyond achievable via mere admixtures of the said components.

[044] Under these conditions, the object of the present invention is to solve the technical problem which consists in providing a sodium free composition for preservation of food stuff, which can be manufactured and used easily, reproducibly on an domestic to industrial scale at a relatively low cost price, and which uses potassium chloride as an logically optimized substituent to sodium chloride.

[045] In using the preservative proposed in this invention, it is incorporated in the material to be preserved in the amount required to attain the desired level. It is obvious that there is nothing critical about the mode of mixing which is used. It is simply a matter of attaining a homogenous composition appropriate to the food item in question.

[046] According to another aspect of the present invention, costs for manufacture and use of the preservative made according to principles of the present invention are comparatively low and reasonable for industrial scale production and usage. [047] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILTY

[048] Following is a non-exhaustive list of food products to which composition of the present invention can be applied as a substituent to common salt:

1 ) Pickles (salting, curing of vegetarian and non vegetarian foodstuffs)

2) Chutneys

3) Sauces

4) Papads

5) Soups

6) Masalas

7) Noodles

8) Traditional fried food products (snacks / savouries) like bhujia, chiwda, dal mot, kadubale, khara bundi, spiced and fried dais and nuts, banana chips

9) Potato wafers and chips

10) Chips and wafers made from cereals and pulses.

1 1 ) Banana chips

12) Salty biscuits

[049] Usage pattern of the preservative outlined by the present invention does not require any change to recipes or processes of manufacture of foods as the preservative of the present invention matches taste and weight/volume equivalence of sodium chloride. Thus, the preservative outlined by the present invention truly displaces sodium in these foods and completely avoids calorie and other health hazards associated with other conventional sugar / sodium based preservatives. The present invention is believed to find wide practical application due to simplicity of manufacturing process and ease of handling the preparations. Also it is understood that the list given above and phraseology and terminology used is for purpose of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to precise form mentioned above and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of above teachings. The list of products were chosen and described in order to best explain principle of invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in art to best utilize the present invention and various applications with various modifications to suit the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

I claim,

1 ) A synergistic sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs, said composition comprising, in combination,

^■ from about 0% to about 25% w/w of an saccharide component for lowering water activity in the food item to be preserved;

^■ from about 0% to about 0.5% w/w of a weak acidulant for providing cytostatic conditions in the food item to be preserved;

^■ from about 0% to about 10% w/w of sodium chloride for providing hypertonic environment in the food item to be preserved; and

^■ from about 10% to about 25% w/w of sodium-free salt component for providing dehydration conditions in the food item to be preserved.

2) The synergistic sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs according to claim 1 , wherein said saccharide component is selected among the group comprising sucrose, dextrose, glucose, honey and their combinations.

3) The synergistic sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs according to claim 1 , wherein said weak acidulant is selected among the group comprising acetic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, citric acid and their combinations.

4) The synergistic sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs according to claim 1 , wherein said salt component is potassium chloride.

5) The synergistic sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs according to claim 1 , wherein said sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs additionally comprises 0.1 to 2 PPM of thaumatin for masking bitter taste of potassium chloride. 6) The synergistic sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs according to claim 1 , wherein said sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs additionally comprises class I preservatives selected among the group comprising common salts, sugars, dextrose, glucose syrup, honey, edible vegetable oils, vinegar, spices and their combinations.

7) The synergistic sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs according to claim 1 , wherein said sodium free composition for preservation of foodstuffs additionally comprises class II preservatives selected among the group comprising benzoic acid, sulphurous acid, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sorbic acid salts of sodium, potassium and calcium, propionates of calcium or sodium, lactic acid, and acid calcium phosphate, nicin, Methyl or propyl Parahydroxybenzoate, Propionic acid, including esters or salt thereof, Sodium diacetate, Sodium, potassium and calcium salts of lactic acid and their combinations.

8) A method for preservation of foodstuffs normally preserved using sodium chloride wherein composition of claim 1 is used as weight- to-weight replacement for sodium chloride being used in isolation.