Low-mycotoxin coffee cherry products

• US 20060263507A1
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VDF FutureCeuticals Incorporated (VDF FutureCueticals Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: VDF FutureCeuticals Incorporated (VDF FutureCueticals Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miljkovic, Dusan, Duell, Brad, Miljkovic, Vukosava
• Granted Patent: US 7,815,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/596
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 3/16 Tea extraction; Tea extracts; Treating tea extract; Making instant tea
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 3/34 Tea substitutes, e.g. matè; Extracts or infusions thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 5/02 Treating green coffee; Preparations produced thereby roasting A23F5/04; removing unwanted substances A23F5/16; reducing or removing alkaloid content A23F5/20; extraction A23F5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 5/08 Methods of grinding coffee coffee mills A47J42/00
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 5/16 Removing unwanted substances reducing or removing alkaloid content A23F5/20
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 5/24 Extraction of coffee; Coffee extracts with reduced alkaloid content A23F5/20; Making instant coffee methods of roasting extracted coffee A23F5/06

Abstract

A coffee cherry is harvested, preferably in a sub-ripe state, and quick-dried to provide a basis for numerous nutritional products. Such coffee cherries and portions thereof may be particularly characterized by their extremely low concentration of mycotoxins, including various aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, and/or vomitoxin (DON, deoxynivalenol).

Claims

1. A food product that comprises a preparation of a coffee cherry that is quick-dried such that a mycotoxin level of the coffee cherry is less than 20 ppb for total aflatoxins, less than 10 ppb for total ochratoxins, and less than 5 ppm for total fumonisins.

2. The food product of claim 1 wherein the preparation of the coffee cherry comprises a ground fragment of the coffee cherry.

3. The food product of claim 2 wherein the preparation of the coffee cherry comprises an extract from a ground fragment of the coffee cherry.

4. The food product of claim 1 wherein the preparation of the coffee cherry comprises at least one of a bean of the coffee cherry, a pulp of the coffee cherry, a mucilage of the coffee cherry, and a hull of the coffee cherry.

5. The food product of claim 1 wherein the preparation of the coffee cherry comprises an extract from at least one of a bean of the coffee cherry, a pulp of the coffee cherry, a mucilage of the coffee cherry, and a hull of the coffee cherry.

6. The food product of claim 1 wherein the coffee cherry is a sub-ripe coffee cherry and has a primarily green color with less than 25% red color.

7. The food product of claim 1 wherein the coffee cherry is a sub-ripe coffee cherry and has a primarily red color with less than 25% green color.

8. The food product of claim 1 wherein the coffee cherry is a sub-ripe coffee cherry and has a primarily red color with less than 5% blemished area.

9. The food product of claim 1 wherein the coffee cherry is quick-dried in a dryer using heated air.

10. The food product of claim 1 wherein the coffee cherry is quick-dried in a dryer using solar radiation.

11. The food product of claim 1 wherein the coffee cherry is quick dried by exposing the coffee cherry to at least one of ambient air and sun light.

12. The food product of claim 1 wherein the food product is a tea brewed from the coffee cherry.

13. The food product of claim 1 wherein the food product is a beverage comprising an extract of the coffee cherry.

14. The food product of claim 1 wherein the food product is nutritional supplement in liquid or solid form and comprising an extract of the coffee cherry.

15. A tea that is brewed from a comminuted quick-dried coffee cherry or portion thereof.

16. The tea of claim 15 wherein the coffee cherry has a mycotoxin level of less than 20 ppb for total aflatoxins, less than 10 ppb for total ochratoxins, and less than 5 ppm for total fumonisins.

17. The tea of claim 16 having a polyphenol concentration of at least 10 mg/oz.

18. The tea of claim 15 wherein the coffee cherry is a sub-ripe coffee cherry.

19. A quick-dried coffee cherry or portion thereof that has a mycotoxin level of less than 20 ppb for total aflatoxins, less than 10 ppb for total ochratoxins, and less than 5 ppm for total fumonisins.

20. The quick-dried coffee cherry of claim 19 wherein the coffee cherry is a sub-ripe coffee cherry.