MXPA98001836A - Enrichment juice products by eta - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a step enrichment system and a method for providing infant enrichment, on a step-by-step basis, which involves feeding an infant with a juice enriched with Vitamin C, when the infant is 3 to 6 months old of age, feed an infant with a juice enriched with vitamin C and iron when the infant is 6 to 9 months old, feed an infant with a juice enriched with vitamin C, iron and zinc, when the infant has 9 12 months of age, and feed an infant with a juice enriched with Vitamin C, iron, zinc, and calcium when the infant is 1 year old or older. The step-wise enrichment system provides the adequate vitamins and minerals that are needed at particular stages in the development of an infan

Description

ENRICHMENT JUICE PRODUCTS BY STAGE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to enriched nutrition products and, more particularly, to juice products enriched with itamin-as and / or minerals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Enriched juice products for infants include Vitamin C, but do not include minerals and, particularly, do not contain iron, zinc, calcium or combinations of these. Therefore, nutrition products enriched with vitamins and minerals for infants have been limited to baby cereals. Although fortified baby cereal products probably provide some benefit, in most cases they do not , provide adequate amounts of Vitamin C or certain minerals in a sufficient normal portion.

Generally, it is recognized that many vitamins and minerals can only provide some beneficial effect if they are taken regularly (i.e., at least a daily serving), due to the body's tendency to rapidly reduce or eliminate these nutrients. In general, infants are not fed a regular enough portion to provide adequate amounts of Vitamin C or some minerals to achieve the desired beneficial effect. Accordingly, there is a need for a nutrition product enriched with Vitamin C and / or minerals that can feed an infant with a daily portion. Another disadvantage of trusting that baby cereals provide adequate amounts of Vitamin C and some minerals is that, typically, baby cereals contain a variety of minerals and vitamins that are not necessary or beneficial for infants of all ages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to: 1) providing balanced juice products that provide enrichment of specific nutrients needed by infants in the * different stages of its development; 2) a method of enrichment of a balanced portion for infants that provides them with the appropriate nutrients in a beneficial biological form, depending on the stage of development or age of the infant; 3) provide juice products, which contain Vitamin C and iron and do not have a taste or appearance - unpleasant; 4) provide calcium-containing juice products, in which calcium is present in a beneficial biological form and which is resistant to precipitation; and 5) providing a juice product, in which Vitamin C, iron, zinc, and calcium are present in a highly beneficial biological form and in sufficient amounts to provide a beneficial effect when feeding a baby with a normal portion, and that does not have a 'unpleasant appearance or taste, and where calcium is not subject to precipitation. The staged juice products of this invention comprise a juice enriched with Vitamin C for babies 3 to 6 months of age, a juice enriched with Vitamin C and iron for babies 6 to 9 months of age, a juice enriched with Vitamin C , iron and zinc for babies 9 to 12 months of age; and a juice enriched with Vitamin C, iron, zinc and calcium for infants aged 1 year or older.

The juice products enriched with Vitamin C and iron are prepared by the addition of ferrous gluconate and Vitamin C to fruit and / or vegetable juices. The resulting juices containing iron and gluconate ions in solution do not have a noticeable taste to iron and do not have a darker appearance than similar juices that do not contain Vitamin C or iron nor are they different in appearance to those juices. Calcium-enriched juice products are prepared by combining fruit and / or vegetable juice concentrates with yoghurt to provide a juice product that contains calcium in a form that is not susceptible to precipitation. These and other objects, advantages and characteristics of the invention will be fully understood and will be appreciated with reference to the Description of the Preferred Modalities and the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The term "juice product" herein means a nutrient liquid product containing one or more juices or concentrates of fruits and / or vegetables. Specific examples include juices that consist, primarily, of at least one juice of a fruit or vegetable or juice concentrate, fruit or vegetable porridge, and / or fruit or vegetable paste, and may include an amount of water to reconstitute and / or diluting any concentrate, porridge and / or paste to obtain desired flavor, appearance, consistency and final viscosity and which are normally associated with fruit and / or vegetable juices. The juices may also contain essences and flavors of fruits and / or vegetables, other natural or artificial flavors, sugar and other natural or artificial sweeteners in amounts necessary to obtain the desired sweetness, citric acid and other appropriate acidulants in sufficient quantities to adjust the juice at an appropriate pH (eg, a maximum of about 4.1), as well as other conventional ingredients in amounts that do not affect the essential character of the juices, such as dyes, chemical preservatives, emulsifiers, thixotropic agents, etc. In addition, the juices of this invention are all enriched with Vitamin C and, optionally, are enriched with iron; iron and zinc; or iron, zinc and calcium. Also, the term "juice products" as used herein encompasses liquid nutritional products that contain juices or concentrates thereof. Under the term "concentrates" is meant porridges, pastes and their like, as well as concentrates prepared by evaporating the water from natural fruit juices. An example of a juice product according to this invention includes a juice or juice concentrate, as defined above, which is combined with yoghurt. Yoghurt contains calcium in a form that does not tend to precipitate from a juice product that contains yoghurt and juice or juice concentrate. Vitamin C, iron, zinc and various combinations thereof can be added to the juice or juice concentrate before being combined with the yoghurt. Alternatively, Vitamin C, iron, zinc and various combinations thereof can be added to the yogurt and juice or to the juice concentrate combination, or to the yoghurt, before it is combined with the juice or the concentrate. juice. Vitamin C is preferably added to the enriched juice products of this invention in the form of ascorbic acid. However, Vitamin C can also be added to juice products in some other appropriate form (in the form of ascorbic acid salt), which does not introduce undesirable compounds * or ions that could affect the appearance, taste or other qualities of the juice product, and that are not susceptible to precipitation, and that do not transform other nutrients or compounds of the juice product into susceptible to precipitation. Preferably, the Vitamin C that is added is approximately the amount that will provide the juice product with a total Vitamin C content that is sufficient to reach approximately 100% of the recommended daily nutritional requirements of Vitamin C, as determined by the authority of the country or jurisdiction in which the product will be for sale. The amount of Vitamin C added that is necessary to provide a single serving of juice product with 100% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of "Vitamin C," as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which it is to be sold the product depends on the size of the portion and the natural content of Vitamin C in the juice before enrichment with added Vitamin C. A typical serving size of a juice product for an infant is approximately 4 fluid ounces (approximately 118 milliliters) In general, when concentrates and water juices are prepared, the amount of additional ascorbic acid that is needed to reach 100% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is to be sold, is about 0.12 grams (about 0.10% by weight) to about 0.15 grams (about 0.13% by weight) for a 4-ounce serving, depending of the amount of Vitamin C already present in the juices or juice concentrates used to prepare the juice product. Those involved in the preparation of enriched foods and beverages can determine the amount of Vitamin C added that is necessary to achieve a final Vitamin C content. Although the juice products of this invention, preferably, already contain enough Vitamin C to provide 100% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of Vitamin C, as determined by the authority, if desired, you can add more or less amounts of Vitamin C. However, all products, by stages, of enriched juice of this invention , preferably, contain approximately 100% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of Vitamin C, as determined by the authority, since it is believed that most infants, without responsibility for their diets, can benefit by taking these amounts of Vitamin C and, generally, it is known or believed that the amounts of Vitamin C that are greater than 10 0% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement does not produce - detrimental effects to infants, on the contrary, they can be beneficial. The juices of the first stage are enriched only with Vitamin C and no other vitamins and minerals are added to reach any amount, which are already present naturally in the juice or in the juice concentrates used to prepare the juice products. of the first stage. Juice products that are intended to feed infants between 6 months and 9 months of age, in addition to containing Vitamin C, are enriched with iron. Iron and Vitamin C are also added to juice products enriched with zinc for infants between 9 and 12 months; and to juice products for infants 12 months and older together with zinc and calcium. Iron is introduced into the enriched juice products of all stages for infants 6 months of age and older, because it helps to avoid anemia, which is a major health problem worldwide. The iron is added to the juice products of the second, third and fourth stage in the form of ferrous gluconate, in an amount that will provide approximately 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily iron nutrient requirement, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product will be sold. Ferrous gluconate provides iron at the prescribed levels in a highly beneficial biological form, and which has no significant adverse effects on the taste, color or other properties of the juice product. By providing iron within the range of 10% to 20% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement, sufficient iron is provided to reach another iron diet feeding channel and to provide a beneficial result by aiding in the prevention of anemia, thus The amount of iron is not that high to cause iron levels to become excessive if the infant already gets enough iron from their diet. For a typical portion of 4 ounces (118 milliliters) of juice product, ferrous gluconate of about 0.9 to about 1.8 grams (about 0.008 to about 0.016 weight%) is added, to provide about 10% to 20% of the requirement recommended daily nutrimental. For juice products of the third and fourth stages, for infants between 9 and 12 months of age and 12 months and older, respectively; zinc is added in an amount to provide in a single portion of about 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily nutrient requirement of zinc, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is to be sold. Appropriate method to enrich the products of the third and fourth stage with zinc, is to add zinc sulfate. For a 4-ounce serving (118 milliliters), about 0.2 to 0.4 grams (about 0.018 to 0.036 weight%) of zinc sulfate are added, to obtain a juice product containing about 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily nutrimental requirement, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product will be sold. Zinc is added to the third and fourth stage products for infants 9 months and older to help maintain normal growth during this period in which the zinc supply may be deficient, due to the transition between the formula and food. Calcium is introduced into the juice products of the fourth stage because it helps build stronger bones, at the point when the milk feed channel is lower than during the earliest childhood, when babies get enough calcium in the milk. substantial amounts of their diets based on breast milk, formula and / or cow's milk. The juice products of the fourth stage are enriched with calcium by adding yoghurt to the juice or concentrate of juice, water and other conventional additives that are needed to achieve the desired taste, appearance and consistency, along with Vitamin C, iron and zinc. The amount of yoghurt that is added to the juice product is, preferably, a sufficient amount to obtain a juice product that contains approximately 10% to 20% of the recommended daily calcium nutritional requirement, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is going to be sold. Approximately 50 grams of yoghurt in a 4-ounce serving (118 milliliters) will provide a calcium content of approximately 10% of the recommended daily calcium nutritional requirement, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is to be sold. The incorporation of yoghurt in the products of the fourth stage represents a preferred method of enriching a juice product with calcium, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that any alternative method can be used to enrich with calcium a fruit juice product or vegetable. Examples of these methods are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,325,360; 3,657,424; 4,722,847 and 4,919,963. These methods include calcium carbonate, calcium chlorides, calcium citrates, calcium phosphates, calcium acetate, calcium tartrate, calcium malate, calcium hydroxide, calcium lactate and their like or combinations thereof. Although juice products can be prepared from fresh fruit juices, they are generally prepared from concentrates, porridges or pastes, etc., which are reconstituted and / or diluted with water. Examples of appropriate fruit and vegetable juices and / or concentrates that can be used in the preparation of juice products enriched in stages include: apple, pear, orange, pineapple, papaya, guava, mango, grape, plum, cherry, apricot, banana, peach, beet, tomato and the combinations of the same. The following examples illustrate the specific embodiments of the invention, and should not be considered as limiting the invention in any aspect.

Example 1 - First Stage Juice Product A 1,000 pound lot of a first stage apple juice product, according to this invention, is prepared by * combining 172 pounds of apple juice concentrate (71 ° Brix) with 821.9 pounds of water, mix to form a watery paste. Then, 1.3 pounds of ascorbic acid are mixed with the slurry. The juice product enriched with Vitamin C can be adjusted to pH and then strained, pasteurized and packaged.

Example 2 - Tropical Fruit Juice Stage 2 1,000 pounds of a tropical stage 2 fruit juice are prepared by combining 103.5 pounds of orange juice concentrate (64 ° Brix), 18.9 pounds of apple juice concentrate (71 ° Brix) ), 40.2 pounds of pineapple juice concentrate (60.5 ° Brix) and 774.9 pounds of water. Concentrates of orange juice, apple and pineapple and water are mixed to form a "watery paste." To the watery paste is added 34 pounds of papaya porridge (14 ° Brix) and 15 pounds of guava porridge (29 °). Brix), which are mixed with water and concentrates, then 12.2 pounds of granulated cane sugar are mixed with the watery paste, in 5 liters of decanted water, 1.2 pounds of ascorbic acid and 0.0821 pounds of ferrous gluconate are dissolved. before, and then mixed with the slurry, then citric acid is added to adjust the pH, the second stage tropical fruit juice is strained, pasteurized and packed.

Example 3 - Third Stage Grape Juice Product A 1,000 pound lot of third stage grape juice concentrate, enriched with Vitamin C, iron and zinc, is prepared by mixing 232.8 pounds of grape juice concentrate with essence ( 68 ° Brix), 10.8 pounds of granulated cane sugar, 755.28 pounds of water, and an enriched premix consisting of 1.02 pounds of ascorbic acid, 0.0811 pounds of ferrous gluconate and 0.0184 pounds of zinc sulfate previously dissolved in approximately 5 liters of Water. The concentrated juice, sugar, water and the enriched premix are mixed to form a watery paste, which is then strained, pasteurized and packed.

Example 4 - Fourth Stage Apple Juice Product A 1,000 pound shipment of a product enriched with fourth stage apple juice with Vitamin C, iron, zinc and calcium is prepared with a sugar solution containing 53.8 pounds of sugar. granulated cane and 6.8 lb. of high-methoxyl pectin, and an enriched premix containing 0.96 lb. of ascorbic acid, 0.0806 lb ferrous gluconate and 0.0183 lb. zinc sulfate, previously dissolved in approximately 5 liters of water. To the sugar / pectin solution is added 448.5 pounds of pure low-calorie yogurt, 80 pounds (71 Brix) of apple juice concentrate, and the enriched premix. The pectin / sugar solution, yoghurt, apple juice concentrate, and enriched premix are mixed vigorously to form a watery paste. Then, the pH is adjusted to a maximum of 4.1 by adding citric acid. The resulting product is strained, pasteurized and packaged. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that some modifications can be made to the preferred embodiment of the invention as described above, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (41)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A step enrichment system comprising; a juice enriched with Vitamin C for babies from 3 to 6 months of age; a juice enriched with Vitamin C and iron for babies from 6 to 9 months of age; a juice enriched with Vitamin C, iron and zinc for babies from 9 to 12 months of age; and a juice enriched with Vitamin C, iron, zinc and calcium for children 1 year of age and older.
2. 2. The step enrichment system of claim 1, wherein the juices contain a sufficient amount of Vitamin C to provide 100% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of Vitamin C, determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which it is administered. will sell the product.
3. 3. The step enrichment system of claim 2, wherein the juices are enriched with iron by incorporating ferrous gluconate thereto.
4. 4. The step enrichment system of claim 3, wherein sufficient ferrous gluconate is incorporated into the juice products to provide approximately 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily nutrient requirements of iron, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is going to be sold.
5. 5. The step enrichment system of claim 3, wherein the juice enriched with zinc is enriched by the incorporation of zinc sulfate into the juice.
6. 6. The step enrichment system of claim 5, wherein the zinc is incorporated into the juice enriched with zinc at a level sufficient to provide about 10% to about 20% of the daily nutritional requirement recommended by the jurisdiction authority in which is going to sell the product.
7. 7. The step enrichment system of claim 5, wherein the juice enriched with calcium is enriched with calcium by incorporating yoghurt in the juice enriched with calcium.
8. The step enrichment system of claim 7, wherein the calcium-enriched juice contains a sufficient amount of calcium to provide about 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily calcium nutritional requirement, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction where the product will be sold.
9. 9. The step enrichment system of claim 1, wherein the juices are enriched with iron by incorporating ferrous gluconate thereto.
10. The step enrichment system of claim 9, wherein sufficient ferrous gluconate is incorporated into the juice products to provide approximately 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily iron nutrient requirements, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is going to be sold.
11. The step enrichment system of claim 11, wherein the juice enriched with zinc is enriched with the incorporation of zinc sulfate into the juice.
12. 12. The step enrichment system of claim 11, wherein the zinc is incorporated into the juice enriched with zinc at a level sufficient to provide about 10% to about 20% of the daily nutritional requirement recommended by the jurisdiction authority in which is going to sell the product.
13. 13. The step enrichment system of claim 1, wherein the juice enriched with calcium is "enriched with calcium by incorporating yoghurt in the juice and enriched with calcium.
14. 14. The step enrichment system of claim 7, wherein the juice enriched with calcium contains a sufficient amount of calcium to provide! about 10% to about 20% of | nutritional requirement di rio recommended, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction where the product will be sold.
15. 15. A method for providing infants with enrichment, on a step-by-step basis, comprising: feeding an infant with a vitamin C-enriched juice when the infant is 3 to 6 months old; feed an infant with a juice enriched with Vitamin C and iron when the infant is 6 to 9 months old; feed an infant with a juice enriched with Vitamin C, iron and zinc when the infant is 9 to 12 months old; and feeding an infant with a juice enriched with Vitamin C, iron, zinc and calcium when the infant is 1 year old or older.
16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the juices contain a sufficient amount of Vitamin C to provide 100% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of Vitamin C, determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is to be sold.
17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the juices are enriched with iron by incorporating ferrous gluconate thereto.
18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein sufficient ferrous gluconate is incorporated into the juice products to provide approximately 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily iron nutritional requirements, as determined by the jurisdiction authority in accordance with which is going to sell the product.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the juice enriched with zinc is enriched by incorporating zinc sulfate into the juice.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the zinc 'is incorporated into the juice enriched with zinc at a level sufficient to provide about 10% to about 20% of the daily nutritional requirement recommended by the authority of the jurisdiction in question. which is going to sell the product.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the juice enriched * with calcium is enriched with calcium by incorporating yoghurt in the juice enriched with calcium.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the juice enriched with calcium contains an amount of calcium sufficient to provide about 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of calcium, determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in the which is going to sell the product.
23. 23. The method of claim 15, wherein the juices are enriched with iron by incorporating ferrous gluconate thereto.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein sufficient ferrous gluconate is incorporated into the juice products to provide approximately 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily iron nutritional requirements, as determined by the jurisdiction authority in accordance with which is going to sell the product.
25. 25. The method of claim 15, wherein the juice enriched with zinc is enriched by incorporating zinc sulfate into the juice.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the zinc is incorporated into the juice enriched with zinc at a level sufficient to provide approximately 10% to about 20% of the daily nutritional requirement recommended by the jurisdiction authority in which the product is going to be sold.
27. The method of claim 15, wherein the juice enriched with calcium is enriched with calcium by incorporating yoghurt in the juice enriched with calcium.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the juice enriched with calcium contains a sufficient amount of calcium to provide approximately 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of calcium, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in question. which is going to sell the product.
29. 29. An enriched juice product that contains a fruit or vegetable juice enriched with iron.
30. 30. The enriched juice of claim 29, in which ferrous gluconate is incorporated to achieve iron enrichment.
31. 31. The enriched juice of claim 30, wherein the iron is present in an amount sufficient to provide from about 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily nutrient requirement of iron, determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which it will be sold. the product.
32. 32. The enriched juice of claim 29, which is enriched with Vitamin C.
33. 33. The enriched juice of claim 32, wherein the amount of Vitamin C present is sufficient to provide approximately 10% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of Vitamin C, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is going to be sold.
34. 34. The enriched juice of claim 32 which is zinc enriched.
35. 35. The enriched juice of claim 32, in which zinc is present in an amount sufficient to provide about 10% to about 20% of the recommended daily nutrient requirement of zinc, as determined by the authority of the jurisdiction in which the product is to be sold.
36. 36. The enriched juice of claim 34, wherein zinc enrichment is achieved by adding zinc sulfate.
37. 37. The enriched juice of claim 34, which is enriched with calcium.
38. 38. The enriched juice of claim 37, wherein calcium enrichment is achieved by incorporating yoghurt into the juice.
39. 39. The enriched juice of claim 29, which is enriched with zinc.
40. 40. The enriched juice of claim 39, which is enriched with calcium.
41. 41. The enriched juice of claim 29 that is enriched with calcium.