Functional water

• US 7,141,264 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2003
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unilever Home & Personal Care Usa Division Of Conopco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Unilever Bestfoods North America (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Zhang, Shi Qiu
• Primary Examiner(s): WEIER, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US10/452,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20040241299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 426/597, 426/66, 426/435
• US Class Current: 426/597
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 3/163 Liquid or semi-liquid tea extract preparations, e.g. gels, liquid extracts in solid capsules
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/66 by neutralisation; pH adjustment for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/68 by addition of specified substances, e.g. trace elements, for ameliorating potable water medicinal water A61K
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/001 Upstream control, i.e. monitoring for predictive control
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/06 pH
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/07 Alkalinity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/10 Solids, e.g. total solids [TS], total suspended solids [TSS] or volatile solids [VS]

Abstract

Tea-based beverages prepared from functional water are described. The functional water comprises less than 200 ppm total dissolved solids and, when used to make a tea-based beverage, results in a beverage having superior flavor and appearance characteristics, even when up to 6% by weight of tea solids are present within the beverage.

Claims

1. A tea-based beverage comprising:

(a) tea solids; and

(b) functional water comprising less than about 200 ppm of total dissolved solids, more total dissolved solids than reverse osmosis water, less than about 50 ppm bicarbonate, and from about 50 to about 200 ppm ions which are monovalent,

wherein the functional water has a pH from about 7.0 to less than about 8.5, and the tea-based beverage comprises from about 0.05 to about 6% by weight tea solids.

2. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the tea-based beverage is ready-to-drink.

3. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the beverage comprises from about 0.001 to about 10 ppm bicarbonate, from about 50 to about 200 ppm ions which are monovalent and from about 0 to about 95 ppm ions which are divalent.

4. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the tea-based beverage has a Hunter Haze Value from about 15 to about 50.

5. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the tea-based beverage has, independently, a Darkness value (L) and a redness value (a) from about 25 to about 35.

6. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the tea solids make up from about 0.1 to about 3.0% by weight of the tea-based beverage.

7. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the tea solids are provided from a tea concentrate comprising carbohydrate.

8. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the functional water has at least about 45 ppm total dissolved solids.

9. The tea-based beverage according to claim 1 wherein the functional water has at least about 60.3 ppm total dissolved solids.