Nestec S.a.

Societe Des Produits Nestle S.a.

Lawrence G Carns

James Tuot

Dean F Rushmore

Johannes Cilliers

Takehito Ohashi

Jason Gawronski

Brian Blackwell

Dean Frederick Rushmore

Methods for modulating the bitterness and astringency of green tea, and nutritional products having a green tea with reduced bitterness and astringency, are provided. In a general embodiment, the methods comprise performing microfiltration on green tea extract to form a microfiltration retentate and a microfiltration permeate; performing at least one of ultrafiltration or reduced temperature fractionation on the microfiltration permeate; and using the ultrafiltration permeate from the ultrafiltration or the supernatant from the reduced temperature fractionation to make a green tea product. The ultrafiltration permeate or the supernatant can be further concentrated, spray or freeze dried to form a powder, used as a concentrate, or diluted to form a ready-to-drink beverage. In an embodiment, the ultrafiltration is performed on the microfiltration permeate to form an ultrafiltration retentate and an ultrafiltration permeate and then the reduced temperature fractionation is performed on the ultrafiltration permeate to form a supernatant and a sediment.

Methods for increasing the clarity and refreshing attributes and reducing the bitterness and astringency of green tea

A tea bag for ice tea beverages. The tea bag contains a tea mixture made up of about 30% to about 95% by weight of tea leaves, and about 5% to about 70% by weight of dried soluble tea solids. The tea bag may be immersed in cold water to provide a tea beverage of acceptable color and flavor in less than about 10 minutes.

Tea bag for iced tea

A process for incorporating an aroma-containing substrate into a soluble beverage powder in a filling machine in which the soluble beverage powder is filled into containers. The soluble beverage powder is introduced into the filling machine and caused to flow in the form of a moving bed. While in the filling machine and prior to the soluble beverage powder being filled into containers, the aroma-containing substrate is sprayed onto the moving bed. In this way, a mixture of soluble beverage powder and aroma-containing substrate having a substantially constant ratio of aroma-containing substrate to soluble beverage powder, is provided in the containers.

Aromatization of soluble beverages

A process for incorporating an aroma-containing substrate into a beverage powder. The beverage powder is transported in the form of a moving bed and caused to fall in an annular curtain into a filler for filling the beverage powder into containers. As the beverage powder falls in the annular curtain, the aroma-containing substrate is sprayed onto the beverage powder from a position above the moving bed. This provides a substantially homogenous distribution of the aroma-containing substrate in the beverage powder in the filler.

Aromatization of beverage powders

A process for providing aroma in a container for a product such as instant coffee. Empty, open-topped containers are conveyed one after the other to beneath an aroma spraying station which contains at least one spraying nozzle. Once an open-topped container is positioned substantially beneath a spraying nozzle, the spraying nozzle is activated and aroma is dispensed into the open top of the container while the open-topped container continues to be conveyed. The aroma is dispensed in the form of fine droplets to coat the inner side walls of the open-topped container. The spraying is then discontinued while the open-topped container is still beneath the spraying nozzle. The container may then be transferred to a filling station where product may be filled into the container. In this way, aroma may be incorporated into a product at production rates of 200 to 500 containers per minute.

Spraying aroma in containers

Coffee aroma gases are conveyed to a cryogenic collector in which liquid nitrogen is sprayed directly into the aroma gas stream to rapidly condense the aroma gas and form finely divided particles of coffee aroma frost suspended in a stream of nitrogen gas, while minimizing contact of the cooled gas with the walls of the collector. The suspension of aroma frost particles in gaseous nitrogen is passed through a tubular porous filter to remove the aroma frost particles which collect on the outer surface of the tubular filter, with the nitrogen gas passing through the porous filter and being exhausted from the collector. The porous filter is periodically back pulsed to dislodge aroma frost particles collected on the outer surface of the tubular filter, with the particles being recovered for incorporation in soluble coffee products. Condensation of aroma components present in the aroma gas may be carried out in several stages to effect fractionation of the aroma gas.

Recovery of aroma gases

Coffee aroma gases are conveyed to a cryogenic collector in which liquid nitrogen is sprayed directly into the aroma gas stream to rapidly condense the aroma gas and form finely divided particles of coffee aroma frost suspended in a stream of nitrogen gas, while minimizing contact of the cooled gas with the walls of the collector. The suspension of aroma frost particles in gaseous nitrogen is passed through a tubular porous filter to remove the aroma frost particles which collect on the outer surface of the tubular filter, with the nitrogen gas passing through the porous filter and being exhausted from the collector. The porous filter is periodically back pulsed to dislodge aroma frost particles collected on the outer surface of the tubular filter, with the particles being recovered for incorporation in soluble coffee products.

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Plain City, OH, United States of America

Lawrence G Carns