Patent Abstract:
the objective of the invention is to provide an improved method of making healthier juice products inoculated with probiotics , wherein the juice includes but is not limited to apple juice , coconut water , coconut milk , orange juice and / or carrot juice . the present invention relates to a method of pressure treating a juice containing probiotics . vegetative cells of harmful microorganisms and enzymes are inactivated by applying high pressure while maintaining the activity of the probiotics . the juice preferably is dairy - free . the juice could be any dairy - free juice , such as a fruit juice , a vegetable juice , or their combination . fruit and / or vegetable juice are prepared by any traditional methods , including but not limited to , washing , extracting by optionally treating with enzyme , centrifuging and packing . probiotics , e . g ., probiotics from bacterial spores , such as the spores of bacillus coagulans and / or lactobacillus plantarum , stay alive and active in the fruit or vegetable juice after high pressure pasteurization , as well as during the product shelf life .

Detailed Description:
the juice mixed with probiotics in step ( 1 ) of the method of preparing the juice product of the invention is preferably dairy free , or a fresh juice , or a dairy - free fresh juice . the juice product containing live probiotics prepared by the method of the invention is preferably dairy free . the fresh juices are prepared by any conventional fruit juice preparation method , such as extraction , enzymatic hydrolysis , centrifugation and filtration . probiotics is then added to the prepared juices . the mixture is stirred gently for 1 minute to 30 minutes at a temperature of 10 ° c - 60 ° c . the final count of probiotics in the juice ranges from 10 5 to 10 12 cfu / ml . the prepared juice with probiotics is filled into a container having flexible wall , e . g ., a plastic container such as a plastic bottle or pouch , sealed and subjected to hpp . the juice used in this invention can be a fruit juice , a mixture of fruit juices , a vegetable juice , a mixture of vegetable juices or a mixture of at least one fruit juice with at least one vegetable juice , with or without addition of extra sugar , sweetener or acid . the juice brix ranges from 6 to 25 , and the ph value ranges from 2 . 5 to 8 . examples of the juice include , but not limited to , fruit juices , such as apple juice , coconut juice , or orange juice , and vegetable juices , such as carrot juice . as used herein , the term “ probiotics ” refer to beneficial bacteria , which can survive in the human digestive system and have the ability to balance the intestinal bacteria flora , and to improve the digestive ability . probiotics can include bacteria of the lactobacillus genus and bifidobacterium genus naturally existing in the intestine of healthy mammals , particularly , humans . examples of probiotics are lactobacillus plantarum , lactobacillus acidophilus , lactobacillus casei , bifidobacterium bifidum , bifidobacterium longum , bifidobacterium breve , bifidobacterium infantis , bifidobacterium lactis , and bacillus coagulans . probiotics used in this invention can be a spore forming bacillus coagulans strain , or a lactobacillus plantarum strain , or their combination with a number ratio of bacillus coagulans to lactobacillus plantarum ranging from 1 : 99 to 99 : 1 , 1 : 50 to 50 : 1 , 1 : 10 to 10 : 1 , 1 : 5 to 5 : 1 , or approximately 1 : 1 . before mixing the probiotics with the juice to get a juice having the desired final concentration of the probiotics , probiotics powder can be mixed with the prepared juices at a temperature in the range of 4 ° c .- 100 ° c . to get a stock with a high count of probiotics in a liquid state for further dilution with the target juice to obtain a juice with an appropriate final concentration of 10 5 to 10 12 cfu / ml for hpp . hpp is used to pasteurize the juice product from the above step by destroying harmful microorganisms and inactivating most enzymes . flavor and taste of the juice product are preserved much better by pasteurizing through hpp compared to the traditional thermal pasteurization . in addition , thermal pasteurization will deactivate the probiotics . the pressure and holding time parameters for high pressure pasteurization can range from 100 mpa to 1 , 000 mpa , 100 mpa to 800 mpa , 100 mpa to 500 mpa , 100 mpa to 300 mpa , 500 mpa to 1 , 000 mpa , 500 mpa to 800 mpa , 500 mpa to 700 mpa , or 600 mpa to 700 mpa , for 1 minute to 20 minutes . the temperature during the hpp treatment can range from 5 ° c . to 80 ° c . the high pressure pasteurized products can be chilled by any conventional method and stored at a temperature ranging from 0 ° c . to 40 ° c . for 1 month to 20 months . one hundred tons of apples were prepared by any conventional methods , such as washing , sanitizing , and rinsing for further processing . washing was done with water at a temperature ranging from 1 ° c . to 90 ° c . sanitizing agents such as chlorine or its derivatives , peroxyacetic acid , or any organic / inorganic bases were added to the water during the wash or separately added into a second wash before the final rinse . apple juice was extracted by any conventional method available , including the optional addition of macerating enzyme ( s ). apple juice might or might not be centrifuged at a speed ranging from 100 to 10 , 000 rpm for 1 to 30 minutes . if centrifuged , the centrifugation temperature was maintained at a temperature ranging from 5 ° c . to 45 ° c . the clarified apple juice was prepared for further processing . one gram to 100 grams of probiotics powder , containing 10 2 to 10 12 cfu / g of bacillus coagulans , lactobacillus plantarum or a mixture thereof , were mixed with 1 to 100 liters of the juice until complete suspension , wherein the temperature was maintained in the range of 5 ° c .- 60 ° c . this stock solution was used for the inoculation of the apple juice . one liter of the concentrated stock solution was mixed with 10 - 10 6 liter prepared apple juice at a temperature ranging from 5 ° c . to 60 ° c . with stirring at a speed of 1 - 500 rpm for 1 - 30 min . the juice mixture was then filled into a 50 ml to 5 l plastic bottle , cup or pouch and sealed with the headspace volume within 0 . 1 % to 10 % of the total bottle or pouch volume and minimizing air or any other gases in the package . the packaging material could be , but not limited to , polyethylene ( pe ), polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), nylon , ethylene vinyl alcohol ( evoh ), or a mixture thereof . the sealed plastic package was loaded into the chamber of a hpp unit for pasteurization . the processing pressure ranged from 100 mpa to 1 000 mpa , 100 mpa to 800 mpa , 100 mpa to 500 mpa , 100 mpa to 300 mpa , 500 mpa to 1 , 000 mpa , 500 mpa to 800 mpa or 600 mpa to 700 mpa , the holding time ranged from 1 to 30 minutes , and the temperature ranges from 10 ° c . to 60 ° c . the pasteurized products were dried and chilled using forced air or any other conventional methods of drying / cooling , and stored at the temperature ranged from 1 ° c . to 30 ° c . for 1 - 12 months . one hundred tons of coconuts were washed , sanitized and rinsed for further processing . washing was done with water at a temperature at 1 ° c . to 90 ° c . sanitizing agents such as chlorine or its derivatives , peroxyacetic acid or any organic / inorganic bases were added to the water during the wash or separately added into a second wash before the final rinse . the juice was collected in a sanitary condition from the washed coconut for further process . one to 100 grams of probiotics powder containing 10 2 to 10 12 cfu / g of bacillus coagulans or lactobacillus plantarum and / or their combination , was added into 1 liter to 100 liters of the prepared coconut juice and mixed to complete dispersion at a temperature in the range of 5 ° c .- 60 ° c ., to get a high concentration probiotics stock in a liquid state for further mixing process . the temperature of the probiotics stock solution was maintained at a temperature in the range of 5 ° c .- 60 ° c . one liter of the concentrated probiotics stock solution was mixed with 1 - 10 6 liter of the prepared coconut juice the mixing was performed between 1 - 30 minutes at 1 - 500 rpm at a temperature of 5 ° c .- 60 ° c . the juice mixture was then filled into 50 ml - 5 l plastic bottles , cups or plastic bags and sealed with the headspace volume controlled within 1 % to 5 % of the total bottle , cup or bag volume and minimizing air or any other gases in the package . the packaging material could be but not limited to polyethylene ( pe ), polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), nylon , ethylene vinyl alcohol ( evoh ), or combination of some or all of these materials . the sealed plastic package was loaded into the chamber of high pressure machine for pasteurization . the pressure for processing ranged from 100 mpa to 800 mpa , and holding time ranging from 1 min to 30 min , and the temperature of the high pressure transmit medium ranges from 5 ° c . to 90 ° c . the pasteurized bottle / cup / bag / any flexible containers of the products were dried and chilled using forced air or any other conventional methods of drying / cooling , and stored at the temperature ranging from 1 ° c . to 30 ° c . for 1 - 10 months . one hundred tons of each oranges , and carrots , were washed , sanitized and rinsed for further processing . the washing was done with water at 1 ° c . to 90 ° c . sanitizing agents such as chlorine or its derivatives , peroxyacetic acid or any organic / inorganic bases were added to the water during the wash or separately added into a second wash before the final rinse . oranges and carrots were juiced with a juice extractor respectively at an extraction temperature ranging from 1 ° c . to 90 ° c . after extraction , juices were maintained at 20 ° c . to 50 ° c . for 30 minutes to 10 hours . macerating enzyme ( s ) might or might not be added into orange juice and carrot juice for hydrolysis , if needed , the enzyme ( s ) concentration range would be from 0 . 001 % to 1 % of the total juice volume . during the juicing process , vitamin c or other natural antioxidants or mixture of antioxidants were added to the juices to protect juice color or modify the ph . after enzymatic hydrolysis if needed in some cases , both orange and carrot juices were subjected to centrifugation at a speed ranges from 100 to 20 , 000 rpm / min for 1 minute to 30 minutes , the centrifugation temperature was maintained at temperatures ranging from 5 ° c . to 45 ° c . in some cases , centrifugation might not be needed . the orange and carrot juices were mixed with an orange to carrot ratio from 1 : 3 to 3 : 1 ( v / v ). one gram to 100 grams of probiotics powder , containing 10 2 to 10 12 cfu / g of lactobacillus plantarum or bacillus coagulans and / or their combination , was combined with 1 liter to 100 liters of the prepared juice mixture until complete mixing to get a high concentration of probiotics stock solution for further dilution . the temperature of mixing process was maintained in the range of 5 ° c . to 60 ° c . one liter of the high concentration probiotics stock solution was mixed with 1 - 10 6 liter of the prepared juice mixture maintaining the temperature at 5 ° c . to 60 ° c . the mixing process was progressed with stirring at the speed of 1 - 500 rpm for 1 - 30 min . the juice mixture was then filled into 50 ml - 5 liters plastic bottles , cups or pouches and sealed with the headspace volume within 1 %- 10 % of the total bottle , cup or pouch volume . the packaging material could be but not limited to polyethylene ( pe ), polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), nylon , ethylene vinyl alcohol ( evoh ), or combination of some or all of these materials . the sealed plastic package was loaded into the chamber of high pressure machine for pasteurization . the pressure for processing ranged from 100 mpa to 800 mpa , the pressure holding time ranged from 1 min to 30 min , and the temperature of pressure transmit medium ranged from 5 ° c . to 90 ° c . the pasteurized bottles / cups / pouches / any other flexible container of the products were dried and chilled using forced air or any other conventional methods of drying / cooling , and stored at the temperature ranging from 1 ° c . to 40 ° c . for 1 - 12 months . ep 0480422 b1 a method for treating fruit juice with high pressure ep 1051087 a2 method for ultra high pressure inactivation of microorganisms in juice products cn 101708018 a lactobacillus - casei probiotics beverage and preparation method thereof y shao , hs ramaswamy . 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