FOOD ADDITIVE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT

Abstract: Naturally occurring plant or vegetable matter, such as rhubarb or cranberries, is liquefied into a homogeneous, fibrous and gelatinous mass of vegetable matter. The liquified fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter is dehydrated to a predetermined state such as a powder or paste. This raw material is useful as a food additive which acts as a flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent. In addition, it is believed that it acts as a cholesterol reducing agent.

Description: FOOD ADDITIVE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Cross Reference to Copendinq Application This application is a continuation-in-part of Application Serial No. 020,969 filed March 3, 1987, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of food additives. Specifically, this invention relates to the field of food additives which act as emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agents and which maintain and enhance the flavor of foods to which they have been added. It is believed that the invention is a cholesterol reducing agent. Background of the Invention Prior to the invention of this application, various additives have been used to achieve certain characteristics in food products. For example, various artificial flavoring agents have been added to foods. Also, thickening agents have been added to foods to increase the viscosity of the resulting food product. In foods having two or more components which are immiscible, various agents have been added to create a stable emulsion and to homogenize the resulting food product. Recently, many concerns have been raised about the health consequences of the additives that have been used in foods, especially artificially derived food additives. Accordingly, there has been a move toward either lessening the amount of additives used in foods or using all natural food additives. Unfortunately, no satisfactory substitute for the food additives used to date has been discovered. Fiber containing foods such as oat bran have been proposed as a means of reducing harmful cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Pectin and other water soluble carbohydrates and fibers have also been proposed for use in the diet to reduce unhealthy cholesterol. However, no truly palatable food products have been developed thus far which contain significant amounts of these ingredients. Summary of the Invention Applicant has found that naturally occurring vegetable or plant matter processed into a homogeneous, fibrous and gelatinous mass of vegetable matter in accordance with the invention of this application, such as rhubarb leafstalk or cranberries processed in accordance with the invention of this application, is a food additive which accomplishes a wide variety of the functions of food additive compositions used in the past. It also addresses some of the health concerns recently raised about the use of prior food additives. For example, it permits the production of food products which are low in harmful fat and cholesterol by replacing components in food which are sources of such fat and cholesterol such as plant oils and animal fats, for instance, animal fats found in meat and dairy products. It is an all natural ingredient which is seemingly a desirable characteristic for foods consumed in the diet. Also, it has been reported that plant matter used to prepare the fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter as disclosed in this application is a significant source of pectin which has been reported to be an agent which is able to significantly reduce existing harmful cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Accordingly, it is believed that food products prepared with fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter in accordance with the invention of this application are able to help avoid the problems associated with the consumption of high fat and cholesterol content foods. It is also believed that the fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter even has significant therapeutic effects in reducing existing blood cholesterol levels. In addition to the health benefits outlined above, it is believed that the natural acidity of the fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter in accordance with the invention, such as rhubarb or cranberries, acts as a flavor enhancer in the foods with which it is used. At the same time, the inherent flavor of the fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter does not interfere with the flavor of the food with which it is used. Not only does the it enhance the flavors of the foods with which it is used, it tends to cause each of a multiplicity of flavors in food mixtures to stand out and to be distinguishable from one another. The acidity of the fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter is also believed to inhibit microbial growth which renders the use of preservatives either not as important or, in some cases, completely unnecessary. Fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter prepared in accordance with the invention of this application, such as rhubarb or cranberries processed in accordance with the invention, also acts as an emulsifier and homogenizing agent. When it is added to a food composition normally consisting of two or more components which are not miscible, the immiscible components tend to become intimately and homogeneously mixed together. Moreover, the intimate nature of the mixture remains stable over long periods of time. Additionally, fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter prepared in accordance with the invention of this application, such as rhubarb or cranberries prepared in accordance with the invention, acts as a thickening agent which controls the viscosity of a food composition with which it is mixed. It also is a bulking agent and an extender which can reduce the cost of producing a food product because the amount of relatively expensive ingredients needed to make the food product can be reduced. Fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter prepared in accordance with the invention disclosed in this application, such as rhubarb or cranberries prepared in accordance with the invention, has a property which causes food in which it is used to retain liquid and to be a more cohesive composition than comparable compositions of the past. This is advantageous because the food composition tends to be dripless and therefore less messy. As a result, juiciness and flavors are retained even when the food composition is cooked. In its simplest terms, the invention of this application involves liquefying plant or vegetable matter, such as raw rhubarb leafstalk or raw cranberries, into a homogeneous and viscous mass and dehydrating the liquefied product so that it has a desired consistency. The dehydrated resultant product then may be added to a wide variety of food products to achieve the aims of many food additives of the past. The invention involves not only the process of making the additive and using it to formulate a variety of food products, but also the composition of the additive and the resulting food products. The detailed description of the invention that follows refers to many specific examples of the invention. The claims at the end of the application define the scope of the invention and the exclusionary right conferred by a patent issuing from this application. Detailed Description of the Invention A specific example of the invention of this application involves using rhubarb as a food additive to achieve the results sought from food additives of the past, such as enhancing the flavor of food products, thickening food products, homogenizing and emulsifying food products, and extending the ingredients used in food products. Cranberries or naturally occurring plant matter of equivalent properties may be substituted for the rhubarb in the following procedures. The raw material used in the practice of the invention may be made as follows. First, raw rhubarb leafstalk is liquefied into a homogeneous and viscous mass of fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter. The mass of fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter is then dehydrated to a desired consistency. In certain situations, it may be desirable to change the color of the raw material, such as in situations where the natural color of the raw material would lend an undesirable and commercially unacceptable color to the food to which it is added. Any safe and sanitary coloring or bleaching procedure or additive, including those generally known in the art of producing foods, may be applied to the raw material to produce the desired color. Also, in some situations, it may be desirable to control or change the pH of the raw material. This may be accomplished in any safe and sanitary manner including any of those generally known in the art of producing food products. A specific example of a process for preparing a rhubarb food additive in accordance with the invention is as follows. First, rhubarb leafstalks are cut into small pieces, such pieces being on the order of one inch long. The size of the pieces is not critical as long as they are convenient to handle for performing the processing steps described below. The larger the pieces are, however, the longer are the fibers in the composition resulting from the process described below. It is believed that longer fibers are helpful in rendering the resulting additive more cohesive and better able to accomplish the aims of the invention. After having been cut into pieces, the rhubarb is then cooked or heated until a uniform, homogeneous, viscous, and gelatinous mass results. The temperature to which the rhubarb may be raised may be about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooked rhubarb should be relatively elastic and translucent and fibers should be evident. This condition may be achieved by cooking the rhubarb in a small quantity of water on an ordinary kitchen stove. Larger scale commercial equipment may also be used. The amount of water should be as little as possible and should be just enough to provide steam for cooking the rhubarb. For example, about one quarter cup to one cup of water for about four pounds of rhubarb has proven satisfactory. The amount of water also should be enough to prevent the rhubarb from burning in the initial stages of cooking. In later stages of cooking, liquid released from the cooking rhubarb will be enough to prevent such burning. As the rhubarb releases liquid during cooking, more uncooked rhubarb may be added to the cooking rhubarb without the addition of water until the desired amount of rhubarb is being liquefied. Before cooking, during cooking, or after cooking, sugar or sugar substitute, either naturally occurring or man-made, may be added to the rhubarb as a flavoring agent. The amount of such sugar or sugar substitute added to the rhubarb is dictated by the desired sweetness and consistency of the resulting food composition. When a desired amount of rhubarb has been cooked so that it has the desired consistency described above, an additional liquefaction step may be performed to homogenize the rhubarb further. This additional step comprises placing the cooked rhubarb in a blending apparatus, which may be an ordinary kitchen blender or a commercial blending apparatus, preferably involving shearing action. The cooked rhubarb is further liquefied until a relatively uniform, homogeneous, gelatinous, and cohesive mass is formed. After the liquefaction of the rhubarb, some or all of the water contained in the liquefied rhubarb is removed by a dehydration step. The dehydration may be accomplished in any manner. For example, the liquefied rhubarb may be heated until the required amount of water has been driven off. Dehydration may be facilitated by controlling the level of heat applied to the rhubarb and the amount of time the heat is applied. Furthermore, dehydration may be additionally facilitated by arranging the rhubarb so as to maximize the surface area of the rhubarb exposed to the environment into which the water evaporates. This may be accomplished by spreading the rhubarb in a thin sheet before exposing it to heat. Exposing the rhubarb to a vacuum while it is being heated will also facilitate dehydration. For example, any commercial equipment, including equipment which sprays the liquefied rhubarb through a high pressure nozzle into a hot environment, may be employed. The dehydration is carried out until an appreciable amount of the water contained in the liquefied rhubarb has been driven off. Preferably, the rhubarb is dehydrated until there remains a composition having a consistency from about a paste to a solid mass which can be ground into pieces convenient for use in a variety of food compositions. Those pieces preferably can be such that the ground rhubarb can be characterized as substantially a powder. In more specific terms, the liquefied rhubarb is dehydrated until anywhere from approximately 90% of its original weight remains to complete desiccation. Later, a desired amount of water may be added to reconstitute the dehydrated food additive into a desired form. The resultant material prepared in accordance with the processing steps described above may be used in a variety of food products. Those products include sauces, gravies, soups, salad dressings, a variety of carbonated products, fillings, puddings, frozen desserts, baby foods, dips, pies, and toppings. It avoids the use of earlier food additives such as thickeners, for example, roux, which is a fat and flour based thickener. Below are some detailed examples of food products using the fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter of the invention. The food additive lends all the properties described above to the resulting food products. Some of the more notable properties for each example are described in detail below. Example 1 - Sauces, Toppings, and Dips The food additive prepared in accordance with the invention can be used in sauces, such as pasta sauces and salad dressings. The additive may take the place of thickeners, homogenizing agents, and extenders normally used in those sauces. It absorbs and retains liquids within the food composition and disperses them evenly throughout the food composition. For example, the food additive in accordance with the invention may replace prior food additives such as fats, oils, starch or flour based thickeners, and other naturally occurring or artificially prepared thickeners such as gums and resins. The food additive does not require that any special ingredients be used. The additive can be used in any of the generally known processes of preparing sauces employing normal ingredients, such as herbs, spices, vegetables, and seasonings. No additional ingredients in the way of thickeners, extenders, emulsifiers, and homogenizing agents are needed. One particularly illustrative example of the advantages of using the food additive in accordance with the invention is in barbecue sauces and other such coatings applied to food prior to cooking. A barbecue sauce containing the food additive of the invention lessens the burning and drying out of the food and yet permits the surfaces of the food to be seared and to take on a crispy character. Water and juices tend to be retained in the food during cooking, which leads to a desirable flavor and moistness. The flavor oils in the herbs, spices, and seasonings tend to be drawn out, which adds to the flavor of the food. The acidity of the food additive causes salivation which enhances the flavors present in the food. It also permits the individual flavorings in foods to stand out more clearly and to be more readily identifiable. The food additive is also particularly useful for these kinds of products because of its ability to thicken those products without the need to use any other thickener, especially those which might have unhealthful side effects. It also permits some products such as soups, for example, gazpacho, to be thickened to an extent that they might be used as dips. The food additive is useful as a thickener for toppings of various kinds, such as toppings having a fruit base which might be used in various frozen or nonfrozen desserts. The food additive is a replacement for the usual thickeners such as corn starch and the like. It also may be used to reduce the amount of sugar used for thickening purposes. Example 2 - Soups The food additive in accordance with the invention may be used in making soups in a manner similar to that of making sauces. Specifically, the food additive is added to and intimately mixed with a base stock, which may contain water, meat, wine, vegetables, seasonings, and the like. The advantages of doing so are similar to those obtained in sauces. One particular advantage for soups involves the thickening properties of the food additive. One of the main ways of thickening soups in the past was to cook them for long periods of time, which had a tendency to destroy or change the flavor. The food additive of the invention avoids the necessity for long cooking time and thus preserves flavor, vitamins, and minerals. It also avoids the use of roux and other flour and fat based thickeners which tend to reduce flavors, for example, by adding a starchy flavor which masks other flavors. Example 3 - Salad Dressings The food additive in accordance with the invention may be used to prepare salad dressings and like compositions. Fresh herbs and spices normally used in salad dressings along with other ingredients such as vinegar, sugar, vegetables, wine, and oils, preferably relatively healthful oils such as olive oil, may be used in the preparation of such salad dressings. The food additive may be stirred into the other ingredients and the resulting dressing may be thinned to a desired consistency by the controlled addition of water or wine. Use of the food additive in a salad dressing results in all the advantages described above. Particularly notable is the fact that the acidity of the food additive acts as a flavor enhancer and permits the use of less vinegar which normally causes raw vegetables in the salad to wilt and lose their crispness. The food additive also permits the preparation of mayonnaise substitutes, which might be used as sandwich spreads, dips, or the like. The use of eggs, dairy products, and other significant sources of harmful cholesterol may thus be avoided. Example 4 - Carbonated Products The food additive in accordance with the invention may be used in a wide variety of foods into which a gaseous component, such as carbon dioxide, has been introduced. The food additive lends the properties to the carbonated product that have been described above. Most notably, it assists in homogenizing and dispersing the ingredients used in these products and it assists in trapping and maintaining the gaseous component in the product. Examples of carbonated products are frozen desserts and sodas. A particular example involves liquefying a fruit which may be a relatively flavorful or relatively non-flavorful fruit such as melon, depending on the resultant taste desired for the final product. Unfrozen food additive in accordance with the invention is then added to the liquefied fruit and mixed intimately with the fruit. For example, the additive may whipped into the liquefied fruit. A flavoring agent such as concentrated cola flavor may be added to the mixture. The mixture then is introduced into an ice cream making machine or other similar freezing unit. While the mixture is being frozen, a gaseous component is introduced in any generally known way, for example, by exposing the mixture to granulated dry ice so that a carbonated, fizzy product results. Example 6 - Desserts A variety of desserts can be made using the food additive of the invention. Particularly notable examples of such desserts can be found in the copending parent Application Serial No. 020,969 mentioned at the beginning of this continuation-in-part application. The food additive may be reconstituted by the addition of a desired amount of water so that the liquefied fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter referred to in that application is produced. Then the reconstituted additive may be used to prepare a frozen dessert in accordance with the principles outlined in the earlier application. Puddings, yogurts, and pastry and other types of fillings, such as pie and pastry shell fillings, either warm or cold, and the like may also prepared by using the food additive. Although the food additive lends all the desirable properties described above to such compositions, it is particularly advantageous because less gelling agents must be used. The use of eggs and egg products, lecithin and similar compositions, flours, such as soy flours and the like, and dairy products may be reduced or avoided. Also, the liquid retentive properties of the food additive reduces the tendency of a filling to wet the food into which it is introduced, for example, a pastry shell and the like will not become soggy or otherwise over moist because of the filling it contains. The food additive is useful in frozen desserts or other food which needs to be kept cool in microwaveable frozen dinners, such as TV dinners. These foods are normally completely enclosed in a metal foil or the like to prevent melting of the food when the dinner is heated. The heat insulative properties and cohesiveness that the additive lends to such frozen desserts are attractive in preserving the frozen characteristics of such desserts when the dinner is heated in a microwave oven. The food additive described here is also useful as an additive for candy fillings, for example, as anadditive to fillings for chocolates, such as fruit fillings. The water retentive properties of the food additive keep the filling hydrated which results in a softer, more flavorful filling. Example 7 - Expanders As mentioned above, the food additive may be used as an extender and a bulking agent, which permits the use of lesser amounts of some food ingredients and thus may lessen the cost of the resulting food or may produce a more desirable food product which has less of an undesirable property such as fat or cholesterol content. One possible use of the material of the invention is as an extender for dehydrated fruit such as dried strawberries or bananas or dehydrated peach flakes. Jams are also another possibility for use of the material of the invention as an extender. Example 8 - Baby Foods The food additive may be used in baby foods to replace the thickeners usually used in such foods, particularly, the conventional flour based thickeners. In addition to thickening, the tartness of the food additive adds flavor which makes the baby food more palatable.

Claims: Claims 1. A process of preparing a food additive composition, comprising the steps of: liquefying naturally occurring plant matter into a homogeneous fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter; and dehydrating the liquefied fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter. 2. The process of claim 1, in which the liquefying step comprises the step of cooking the plant matter. 3. The process of claim 2, in which the liquefying step further comprises the step of stirring the cooked plant matter in a blending apparatus to homogenize the cooked plant matter. 4. The process of claim 1, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of heating the liquefied plant matter. 5. The process of claim 1, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of heating the liquefied plant matter in a vacuum. 6. The process of claim 1, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter until it has the consistency of a paste. 7. The process of claim 3, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter until it has the consistency of a paste. 8. The process of claim 1, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter until it has the consistency of a powder. 9. The process of claim 3, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter until it has the consistency of a powder. 10. The process of claim 1, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of dehydrating the liquefied rhubarb until its weight is from (1) about 90% of its weight prior to dehydration to (2) that at complete desiccation. 11. The process of claim 3, in which the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter comprises the step of dehydrating the liquefied plant matter until its weight is from (1) about 90% of its weight prior to dehydration to (2) that at complete desiccation. 12. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of flavoring the liquefied plant matter. 13. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of sweetening the liquefied plant matter. 14. The process of claim 1, in which the plant matter is selected from the group consisting of rhubarb and cranberries. 15. The process of claim 3, in which the plant matter is selected from the group consisting of rhubarb and cranberries. 16. The process of claim 14, in which the plant matter is selected from the group consisting of rhubarb and cranberries. 17. The process of claim 16, in which the plant matter is selected from the group consisting of rhubarb and cranberries. 18. A process of making a food composition, comprising the steps of: adding liquefied and dehydrated fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter to a base material, the liquefied fibrous and gelatinous vegetable being selected from the group consisting of rhubarb and cranberries. 19. The process of claim 18, in which the liquefied and dehydrated fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter comprises a rhubarb or a cranberry paste. 20. The process of claim 18, in which the liquefied and dehydrated fibrous and gelatinous vegetable matter comprises a rhubarb or a cranberry powder. 21. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a sauce. 22. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is soup. 23. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is salad dressing. 24. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is useful in making a frozen dessert. 25. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a carbonated food. 26. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is pudding. 27. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a filling. 28. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is baby food. 29. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a dip. 30. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a pie filling. 31. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a fruit composition. 32. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a jam. 33. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a TV dinner composition. 34. The process of claim 18, in which the base material is a topping. 35. A flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent prepared in accordance with the process of claim 1. 36. A flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent prepared in accordance with the process of claim 3. 37. A flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent prepared in accordance with the process of claim 6. 38. A flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent prepared in accordance with the process of claim 8. 39. A flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent prepared in accordance with the process of claim 10. 40. A flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent prepared in accordance with the process of claim 14. 41. A flavor enhancing, emulsifying, homogenizing, and thickening agent prepared in accordance with the process of claim 15. 42. A food composition prepared in accordance with the process of claim 18. 43. A food composition prepared in accordance with the process of claim 19. 44. A food composition prepared in accordance with the process of claim 20.

Inventors: HARRA JOHN, HARRA, JOHN
Applicants: HARRA JOHN, HARRA, JOHN
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A23L1
IPC codes: A23B7, A23G9, A23L1