Solid concentrate for broths, bouillons, soups, sauces, (side)dishes, garnishing or seasoning and process for preparing the same

• US 20070134397A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Mueller, Andrea, Melwitz, Dieter, Mahut, Jean-Bernard, Eppler, Wolfgang
• Application Number:
  US11/633,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20070134397A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/589
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 19/05 Stuffed or cored products; Multilayered or coated products; Binding or compressing of original pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 23/10 Soup concentrates, e.g. powders or cakes
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 10/28 Tabletting; Making food bars by compression of a dry powdered mixture

Abstract

Concentrates for bouillons, broths, soups, sauces, gravies, dishes, side dishes, or for use as garnishing or seasoning containing dry herbs and/or vegetables, which concentrate is in the form of a solid body or bodies having a weight of 2-250 g, in particular a cube, block, or tablet shape, which yield a soup, sauce etcetera upon dilution with (hot) water or an aqueous liquid, or can be used as a (side)dish, seasoning or garnishing, and wherein the dry herbs and/or vegetables are present in or with the concentrate as one or more compressed particles or layers.

Claims

1. Process for preparing a food concentrate, the concentrate comprising:

20-98% (preferably 40-95%, weight % on total concentrate) bulk ingredients comprising one or more of salt, taste enhancers, sugar(s), fat, oil, gums, thickeners, creamers, spices, starch, starch-derivatives, flour, maltodextrin, ground herbs, ground vegetables, ground legumes, meat extracts, vegetable extracts,

2-80% (preferably 5-60%, weight % on total concentrate) of herb and/or vegetable pieces,

which process comprises the steps of;

(a) pressing said herb and/or vegetable pieces (preferably 0.5-100 g of it) having a moisture content of 5-30% wt to one or more compressed particles or layers,

(b) forming 2-250 g (preferably 3-50 g) of a mixture of the bulk ingredients with 1-20 of the compressed particles or layers as obtained under (a) to a solid, shaped article.

4. Process according to claim 1, characterised by drying the herb and/or vegetable pieces prior to step (a) to a moisture content of below 5% and then rehydrating to a moisture content of 5-30%.

5. Process according to claim 1, wherein the compressed particles or layers obtained after (a) are dried to a moisture content of below 15%, preferably below 5%.

6. Process according to claim 1, wherein the forming under (b) comprises pressing.

2. Process for preparing a food concentrate, the concentrate comprising:

20-98% (preferably 40-95%, weight % on total concentrate) bulk ingredients comprising one or more of salt, taste enhancers, sugar(s), fat, oil, gums, thickeners, creamers, spices, starch, starch-derivatives,-flour, maltodextrin, ground herbs, ground vegetables, ground legumes, meat extracts, vegetable extracts,

2-80% (preferably 5-60%, weight % on total concentrate) of herb and/or vegetable pieces,

which process comprises the steps of;

(a) pressing said herb and/or vegetable pieces (preferably 0.5-100 g of it) having a moisture content of 5-30% wt to one or more compressed particles or layers,

(b) forming 2-250 g (preferably 3-50 g) of a mixture of the bulk ingredients to a particle or layer,

(c) jointly packaging 1-10 of the compressed particles or layers as obtained under (a) with 1-10 particles or layers as obtained under (b).

3. Process for preparing a food concentrate, the concentrate comprising:

20-98% (preferably 40-95%, weight % on total concentrate) bulk ingredients comprising one or more of salt, taste enhancers, sugar(s), fat, oil, gums, thickeners, creamers, spices, starch, starch-derivatives, flour, maltodextrin, ground herbs, ground vegetables, ground legumes, meat extracts, vegetable extracts,

2-80% (preferably 5-60%, weight % on total concentrate) of herb and/or vegetable pieces,

which process comprises the steps of;

(a) pressing said herb and/or vegetable pieces (preferably 0.5-100 g of it) having a moisture content of 5-30% wt to one or more compressed particles or layers,

(b) forming 2-250 g (preferably 3-50 g) of a mixture of the bulk ingredients to a particle or layer,

(c) adhering 1-10 of the compressed particles or layers as obtained under (a) to 1-10 particles or layers as obtained under (b).

7. Food concentrate suitable for preparing broths, bouillons, soups, sauces, dishes, side dishes, for use as garnishing or seasoning, the concentrate being a solid article, comprising two parts (a) and (b), wherein part (a) comprises 20-98% (preferably 40-95%, weight % on total concentrate) bulk ingredients comprising one or more of salt, taste enhancers, sugar(s), fat, oil, gums, thickeners, creamers, spices, starch, starch-derivatives, flour, maltodextrin, ground herbs, ground vegetables, ground legumes, meat extracts, vegetable extracts, and wherein part (b) comprises 2-80% (preferably 5-60%, weight % on total concentrate) of compressed herbs and/or vegetables.

10. Concentrate according to claim 7, wherein the herb and/or vegetable pieces have a moisture content of below 15% wt, preferably below 5%.

8. Packaged food concentrate suitable for preparing broths, bouillons, soups, sauces, dishes, side dishes, for use as garnishing or seasoning, the concentrate being a solid article, comprising at least two separate solid parts (a) and (b) packaged together, wherein part (a) comprises 20-98% (preferably 40-95%, weight % on total packaged composition of (a) and (b)) bulk ingredients comprising one or more of salt, taste enhancers, sugar(s), fat, oil, gums, thickeners, creamers, spices, starch, starch-derivatives, flour, maltodextrin, ground herbs, ground vegetables, ground legumes, meat extracts, vegetable extracts, and wherein part (b)-comprises 2-80% (preferably 5-60%, weight % on total packaged composition of (a) and (b)) of herb and/or vegetable and wherein part (b) is in the form of a compressed article of bound herb and/or vegetable pieces.

9. Food concentrate suitable for preparing broths, bouillons, soups, sauces, dishes, side dishes, for use as garnishing or seasoning, the concentrate being a solid article comprising at least two discrete solid parts (a) and (b) adhered together, wherein part (a) comprises 20-98% (preferably 40-95%, weight % on total concentrate) bulk ingredients comprising one or more of salt, taste enhancers, sugar(s), fat, oil, gums, thickeners, creamers, spices, starch, starch-derivatives, flour, maltodextrin, ground herbs, ground vegetables, ground legumes, meat extracts, vegetable extracts, and wherein part (b) comprises 2-80% (preferably 5-60%, weight % on total concentrate) of herb and/or vegetable and wherein part (b) is in the form of a compressed article of bound herb and/or vegetable pieces.