Title:  Reduction of heartburn episodes after ingestion of orange juice

United States Patent:  6,565,898

Issued:  May 20, 2003

Inventors:  McArdle; Richard N. (Bradenton, FL); McGill; Carla R. (Sarasota, FL); Letourneau; Stephen A. (Holmes Beach, FL); Green; Nancy R. (Bradenton, FL)

Assignee:  Tropicana Products, Inc. (Bradenton, FL)

Appl. No.:  848523

Filed:  May 3, 2001

Reducing heartburn episodes is achieved in individuals having an orange juice intolerance or food allergy. The orange juice product has a low titratable acidity which combines with a condition resulting after addition of a calcium source such as a calcium citrate source. Individuals prone to orange juice induced heartburn episodes experience a reduced incidence of these heartburn episodes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Orange juice products are provided which have been found to alleviate gastrointestinal distress in individuals which tend to have negative or uncomfortable gastrointestinal experiences upon ingesting orange juice. Such individuals experience post-ingestive symptoms of so-called acid reflux or heartburn. Included in the orange juice products, which are included as an aspect of the invention, is an orange juice supply having low-acid characteristics. The orange juice supply also is further modified in a manner which combines with the low acidity to achieve superior distress relief.

Referring to the low-acid component of the invention, this is expressed in terms of titratable acidity. While the concept of titratable acidity is well-known to those in the art, the preferred test for measuring titratable acidity is the standard method of titration of citric acid with sodium hydroxide.

Although the titratable acidity of orange juice will vary somewhat depending upon the fruit cultivar from which the juice is extracted and the time of the year within the growing season for each cultivar, historically it can be noted that titratable acidity typically varies between about 0.62 and 0.82 for Not From Concentrate orange juices. In most instances, normal titratable acidity values are between about 0.65 and 0.8 for a typical orange juice supply before any processing. In accordance with this invention, the finished juice product will have a titratable acidity of not greater than about 0.6 weight percent. Typically, the titratable acidity will be between about 0.5 and about 0.6 weight percent. An especially advantageous target acidity level is about 0.55 weight percent.

In one aspect of the low-acid characteristic of the invention, the orange juice supply is modified (or selected) without carrying out any specific deacidification process. In accordance with this aspect, at least two different approaches can be practiced. In one approach, the fruit going into the extractor is selected so as to provide juice modified to have the desired titratable acidity. In another approach, the juice stream from the extractor is segregated so as to separate the higher acidity flows from lower acidity flows to provide the modified juice. This typically will include monitoring titratable acidity in the flows so as to provide the modifying of an orange juice supply having the titratable acidity needed to achieve the desired low-acid characteristic in the orange juice product. For example, a Not From Concentrate orange juice can be sourced at a desired titratable acidity, such as 0.58, according to this aspect of the low-acid feature.

Another aspect for modifying the orange juice supply to a low-acid orange juice supply is by proceeding with deacidification of an orange juice supply which has a titratable acidity greater than the titratable acidity to be provided. The deacidification of juice products is well-known in the art. A preferred deacidification approach utilizes ion exchange equipment and procedures. Contact between the juice stream and the ion exchange resin basic moieties reduces the acid level and titratable acidity of the juice contacted by the ion exchange resin bed. Any other suitable deacidification approach likewise can be practiced provided the selected technology achieves the desired titratable acidity level.

It is generally preferred that any of these methods for modifying the orange juice supply to a low-acid orange juice supply, whether using deacidification techniques or not, is carried out prior to additional modification of the juice supply. Generally, this modification is a calcium addition such as a calcium citrate source addition.

Adding a calcium citrate source to the low-acid orange juice supply provides a calcium concentration within the orange juice that is greater than 0.04 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the orange juice. The Ca levels are measured by a standard wet chemistry analysis of titration with ethylene diaminetetracetic acid. While not wishing to be bound by any particular mechanism for achieving the objects herein, it is believed that the calcium citrate source addition has at least two advantageous effects.

One effect is that the calcium source such as a calcium citrate source apparently lowers somewhat the titratable acidity. This can be considered as a mechanism which, together with the low-acid modifying approach, combine to achieve the target low titratable acidity which is selected for the product. For example, an orange juice supply which has a borderline or a slightly elevated titratable acidity can be brought within the needed titratable acidity range by the calcium citrate source addition.

Another mechanism which is believed to occur with the addition of a calcium source such as a calcium citrate source can be loosely characterized as assisting in negating the distress-aggravating effects of the citrus oil content of the juice supply. This is believed to be particularly evident when the citrus oil content of the orange juice supply being used is not lowered substantially by either formulation or processing.

The calcium citrate source typically is provided as a powdered tetrahydrate. Calcium citrate preferably is provided as tricalcium citrate tetrahydrate. It will be appreciated that most orange juice sources already have a relatively low quantity of calcium. The concentration of calcium is increased by the calcium citrate source addition such that the concentration of calcium within the orange juice product is greater than 0.04 weight percent and equal to or less than 0.2 weight percent. It will be appreciated that calcium levels within higher portions of this range can produce juice products which are characterized as containing a calcium supplement. It is not the objective of the calcium citrate source addition to add calcium citrate to levels at or in excess of that which a claim for a calcium supplemented juice can be made. Rather, it is contemplated that calcium levels can be at lower levels. Thus, the advantages of the calcium citrate source addition according to this invention typically are achieved without any need to be as high as that needed to provide a juice which can be labeled as a calcium supplemented orange juice.

In fact, it is generally preferred that the calcium citrate source addition be at a level below that at which taste or other sensory parameters will be affected negatively or will otherwise deviate from a chosen norm. Levels above about 0.065 weight percent calcium in the orange juice product tend to exhibit these effects. Accordingly, when these effects are to be avoided, the calcium content should be below about 0.07 weight percent, more comfortably below about 0.06 weight percent. An especially preferred calcium content range for products according to the invention for many juice sources is between above 0.04 weight percent and below 0.05 weight percent.

Addition of the calcium citrate source into the orange juice supply can be carried out by any conventional means of adding a powdered or particulate product and which is suitable for industrial-scale operations. Typically, a conventional dry solids mixing system is adequate. Generally, there is no need to prepare any calcium solution, such as one that is made up for the addition of a liquid type of calcium additive as a premix or into the orange juice stream.

Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is presently believed that the citrus oil content of an orange juice product is a primary contributor the distress experienced by those individuals having an orange juice intolerance or food allergy, and the calcium citrate source effectively reduces this negative impact. Citrus oil is generally understood in the art as being the component of citrus juice at a concentration measured by the Scott oil method, which is well-known in the citrus juice art. Typically, the Scott oil method detects and measures the effects of compounds which add bromine across double bonds. Typical citrus oil content is primarily a terpene content which originates to a large extent from citrus peel. A typical major terpene in orange juice is d-limonene.

Referring particularly to the method for reducing the incidence of heartburn episodes or other distress experienced by individuals having an orange juice intolerance or allergy, an orange juice supply first is provided. This supply is modified either by selecting an orange juice supply having the low-acid characteristics discussed herein and/or by deacidifying the orange juice supply. A low-acid orange juice supply thus is provided. Adding a calcium source such as a calcium citrate source to the orange juice supply is carried out. A typical orange juice product thus prepared has a pH between about 3.7 and 4.4.

The resulting orange juice product has characteristics which safeguard and/or insulate the individual from heartburn causation so as to reduce the incidence of heartburn episodes. More particularly, the method achieves a reduction in the incidence of heartburn episodes in an individual having difficulties with orange juice ingestion, this reduction being when compared with the incidence of heartburn episodes by that individual ingesting an orange juice supply which does not have the characteristics of the juice described herein.

This method achieves these effects without significantly detrimentally affecting the sensory attributes of the citrus juice. These sensory attributes include taste and especially mouthfeel of the juice. In most instances, the juice products carrying out the method exhibit a mouthfeel and/or taste which is recognized as being smoother than orange juice not having the characteristics disclosed herein.

Claim 1 of 25 Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reducing the incidence of heartburn episodes in an individual having an orange juice intolerance, comprising the steps of:

providing an initial orange juice supply;

modifying said initial orange juice supply to a low-acid orange juice supply having a low titratable acid content;

adding a calcium citrate source to said low-acid orange juice supply thereby increasing the calcium content of the low-acid orange juice and thereby providing an orange juice having heartburn-safeguarding characteristics, said orange juice having heartburn-safeguarding characteristics being an orange juice product having:

(a) a titratable acidity which is not greater than about 0.6 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the orange juice product, and

(b) a calcium concentration which is greater than 0.04 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the orange juice product; and

ingesting said orange juice product having heartburn-safeguarding characteristics by an individual having an orange juice intolerance such that the incidence of heartburn episodes by that individual is reduced over the incidence of heartburn episodes by said individual ingesting said initial orange juice supply.
 

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