Process for Spray Drying Botanical Food

• US 20130122151A1
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Decas Botanical Synergies LLC (Decas)
• Original Assignee: Decas Botanical Synergies LLC (Decas)
• Inventors: Ghaedian, Reza, Shinde, Rahul M., Karava, Nilesh
• Application Number:
  US13/483,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20130122151A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/71
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 7/026 Spray-drying
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 19/01 Instant products; Powders; Flakes; Granules A23L19/10 – A23L19/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 19/07 Fruit waste products, e.g. from citrus peel or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 19/105 Sweet potatoes
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/105 Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/135 Bacteria or derivatives thereof, e.g. probiotics

Abstract

In some embodiments, the invention provides processes for making a spray-dried whole botanical food powder from a whole botanical food. The processes comprise combining 0-95% of a juice component and 5-100% of at least one non-juice component of a whole botanical food to create a whole botanical food slurry, the at least one non-juice component comprising 0-100% intact botanical food, 0-100% skin, 0-100% pomace, and 0-100% seed or seed fiber, wherein the juice and non-juice components total 100%; adding water to the whole botanical food slurry to produce a mixture with a solids content of about 1-50%; heating the mixture to reduce viscosity and improve flow properties; shearing the mixture to create a uniform slurry; and spray drying the uniform slurry to form a spray-dried whole botanical food product. Also provided are powderized compositions made, for example, using the disclosed processes.

Claims

1. A process for making a spray-dried food product from a whole botanical food, the process comprising:

combining 0-95% of a juice component and 5-100% of at least one non-juice component of a whole botanical food to create a whole botanical food slurry, the at least one non-juice component comprising 0-100% intact botanical food, 0-100% skin, 0-100% pomace, and 0-100% seed or seed fiber, wherein the juice and non-juice components total 100%;

adding water to the whole botanical food slurry to produce a mixture comprising a suspended solids content of about 1-50%;

heating the mixture to reduce viscosity and improve flow properties;

shearing the heated mixture to reduce particle size and to create a uniform slurry; and

spray drying the uniform slurry with a spray dryer to form a spray-dried whole botanical food product.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the mixture comprises a suspended solids contents of about 1-20%.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein following the shearing step, the uniform slurry is further pumped through a high intensity shear pump prior to the spray drying step.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the uniform mixture has a consistent flow for feeding into the spray dryer and for preventing clogging of the spray dryer.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the non-juice components comprise 0-80% intact botanical food, 0-75% skin, 20-80% pomace, and 0-75% seed or seed fiber.

6. The process according to claim 1, further comprising cooling the spray-dried whole botanical food product in a cyclone.

7. The process according to claim 1 or 6, further comprising milling the spray-dried whole botanical food product.

8. The process according to claim 7, wherein milling comprises using a hammer mill with a round perforated screen.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein the non-juice components comprise 0% skin, 20-50% pomace, and 0-20% seed or seed fiber.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein water is added to the whole botanical food slurry to achieve a solids content of about 6-12%.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the high shear mixer comprises a high shear impeller serrated blade.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein the mixture is heated to 90-120 degrees Fahrenheit and sheared for 20-40 minutes.

13. The process according to claim 3, wherein the high intensity shear pump has 1, 2 or 3 sets of tooth rotors/stators, and wherein the tooth rotors/stators are used at a tip speed of 1,800 to 10,000 rpm.

14. The process according to claim 3, wherein the high intensity shear pump has 3 sets of tooth rotors/stators, and wherein the 3 sets of tooth rotors/stators are used at a tip speed of 1,000 to 3,000 rpm.

15. The process according to claim 3, wherein the high intensity shear pump is operated under a back pressure of 30-120 psi.

16. The process according to claim 1, wherein the high intensity shear pump achieves a highly uniform particle size distribution, wherein approximately 80% of the uniform particle slurry passes through a 30 mesh.

17. The process according to claim 1, wherein the high intensity shear pump is operated under a back pressure of 50-100 psi.

18. The process according to claim 1, wherein atomizing the uniform particle slurry comprises the use of a nozzle or a spindle.

19. The process according to claim 18, wherein the spindle is used, and wherein the spindle has a diameter selected from the group consisting of 4-12 inches and 7-10 inches

20. The process according to claim 18, wherein the spindle is used, and wherein the spindle is used at a spindle speed selected from the group consisting of 5,000 to 20,000 revolutions per minute and 15,000 to 18,000 revolutions per minute.

21. The process according to claim 1, wherein the whole botanical food is selected from the group consisting of a vegetable, a herb, a fungi, a legume, and a fruit.

22. The process according to claim 21, wherein the fruit is from the genus Vaccinium.

23. The process according to claim 21, wherein the fruit is selected from a group consisting of blueberries and cranberries.

24. The whole botanical food powder composition made using the process according to any of claims 1-23.

25. A whole botanical food powder composition produced by spray-drying a starting composition comprising 0-95% of a juice component of a whole botanical food and 5-100% of at least one non-juice component of the whole botanical food, the at least one non-juice component comprising 0-100% pomace, 0-100% skin, 0-100% seed or seed fiber and 0-100% intact botanical food, wherein the juice and non-juice components total 100% in the starting composition and wherein the powder composition is characterized by a uniform particle size distribution and is non-hygroscopic.

28. The composition according to claim 25, 26, or 27, wherein the composition comprises non-juice components in amounts of 5-50% pomace, 0-90% skin, 0-75% seed or seed fiber and 0-90% intact botanical food.

29. The composition according to claim 25, 26, or 27, wherein the botanical food is selected from the group consisting of a vegetable, an herb, a fungi, a legume, and a fruit.

30. The composition according to claim 25, 26, or 27, wherein the botanical food is a fruit.

31. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is from the genus Vaccinium.

32. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is selected from a group consisting of blueberry and cranberry.

33. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is cranberry and the composition comprises about 60% cranberry skins, 38% cranberry pomace and 2% cranberry seed or seed fiber, and wherein the composition is characterized by a bulk density of 0.40-0.60 g/ml and a moisture content of 3-5%, and wherein at least 90% of particles in the composition pass through a 60 mesh.

34. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is cranberry and the composition comprises about 80% intact cranberries, 18% cranberry pomace and 2% cranberry seed or seed fiber, and wherein the composition is characterized by a bulk density of 0.5-0.7 g/ml and a moisture content of less than 5%.

35. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is cranberry and the composition comprises about 60% cranberry skins, 38% cranberry pomace and 2% cranberry seed or seed fiber, and wherein the composition is characterized by a bulk density of 0.4-0.6 g/ml and a water activity of less than 0.2, and wherein at least 60% of particles in the composition pass through a 60 mesh.

36. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is blueberry and the composition comprises about 80% blueberry pomace and 20% blueberry pomace and wherein the composition is characterized by a bulk density of 0.4-0.6 g/ml and a moisture content of 3-5%.

37. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is from the genus Vitis.

38. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the fruit is a grape.

39. The composition according to claim 25, 26, or 27, wherein the composition is formulated into a capsule.

40. The composition according to claim 25, 26, or 27, wherein the composition is formulated into a soft gel.

41. The composition according to claim 25, 26, or 27, wherein the composition is formulated into a tablet.

26. A whole botanical food powder composition produced by spray-drying a starting composition comprising 0-95% of a juice component of a whole botanical food and 5-100% of at least one non-juice component of the whole botanical food, the at least one non-juice component comprising 0-100% pomace, 0-100% skin, 0-100% seed or seed fiber and 0-100% intact botanical food, wherein the juice and non-juice components total 100% in the starting composition and wherein the powder composition comprises a prebiotic activity.

27. A whole botanical food powder composition produced by spray-drying a starting composition comprising 0-95% of a juice component and 5-100% of at least one non-juice component of a whole botanical food, the at least one non-juice component comprising 0-100% pomace, 0-100% skin, 0-100% seed or seed fiber and 0-100% intact botanical food, wherein the juice and non-juice components total 100% in the starting composition and wherein the composition is characterized by a uniform particle size distribution and a water activity of 0.2 or less.