Patent ID: 6159527
Filing Date: 2000-12-12
Classification: A23B,A23L

Abstract:
A process for infusing fruit with sugar and for obtaining substantial juice by-products, the process comprising the following steps:(a) preliminarily processing the fruit prior to step (b) to make the fruit receptive to infusing, the fruit being pressed during the preliminary processing and wherein fruit juice is extracted and collected from the fruit during pressing;(b) placing the preliminarily processed fruit in a tank to form a bed of fruit;(c) plumping preliminarily processed fruit, after it has been placed in the tank, by replacing the extracted fruit juice with a fluid to plump the fruit to the same or nearly the same volume it had before the fruit juice was extracted from the fruit(d) progressively subjecting the bed of fruit to strata of infusing liquors of progressively higher sugar content to cause osmotic transfer of sugar from the infusing liquors into the fruit and to cause osmotic transfer of fruit juice from the fruit into the infusing liquors, this step being performed at a temperature preferably of not more than 38.degree. C. and at a rate sufficiently slow so as to prevent osmotic dehydration of the fruit, the liquors moving upwardly through the fruit; and(e) subsequently further processing the fully infused fruit.