Patent ID: 6251193
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: A23G,A23L,A24B,A61K,A61Q

Abstract:
Apparatus for carrying out the production of a natural tastand or food, beverage, chewing gum oral care composition or calcium supplement additive comprising:(i) harvesting means for harvesting a plurality of sugarcane stalks which bear a plurality of cane stalk leaves;(ii) first conveying means for conveying said plurality of sugarcane stalks to leaf removal means;(iii) leaf removal means proximate said first conveying means for removing a plurality of leaves from said sugarcane stalks in order to provide a plurality of cane stalk leaves;(iv) second conveying means for conveying said cane stalk leaves to macerating means;(v) macerating means for macerating at least a finite portion of said cane stalk leaves in order to produce a composition comprising macerated cane stalk leaves;(vi) third conveying means for conveying said macerated cane stalk leaves to extraction means;(vii) extraction means for causing cane stalk leaves, including macerated cane stalk leaves, to be in intimate contact with an aqueous vapor over a prolonged period of time in order to form an aqueous vapor-tastand or food, beverage, chewing gum oral care composition or calcium supplement additive composition in the vapor phase;(viii) vapor condensing means for condensing said vapor phase aqueous vapor-tastand or food, beverage, chewing gum oral care composition or calcium supplement additive composition whereby a liquid phase aqueous tastand or food, beverage, chewing gum oral care composition or calcium supplement additive composition is formed;(ix) physical separation means for carrying out a physical separation unit operation on said liquid phase aqueous tastand or food, beverage, chewing gum oral care composition or calcium supplement additive composition whereby said natural tastand or food, beverage, chewing gum oral care composition or calcium supplement additive composition is isolated;(x) fourth conveying means for conveying the resulting isolated tastand or additive to freeze drying or spray drying means; and(xi) spray drying or freeze drying means for spray drying or freeze drying the thus-conveyed tastand or additive.