The Quaker Oats Company

Stokely-Van Camp, Inc.

Tropicana Products, Inc.

Michael J Morello

Alice H Hibbs

James D Hansa

Susan L Franz

Thomas Hofmann

Margaret Havekotte

Rachel Lisa Jordan

Anneke Glabasnia

Cheryl Nagle

Todd A Rakofsky

Rachel L Jordan

Todd Rakofsky

Rachel Jordan

Control of flavor characteristics of and fresh taste in fruit juice, particularly citrus fruit juice, and especially orange juice.

Control of flavor characteristics of and indicator of freshness in fruit juice

An aqueous beverage solution includes L-ascorbic acid and EDTA. The resulting solution is free of sufficient constituents which could mask color change due to oxidation of the L-ascorbic acid. A color and/or turbidity of the beverage is substantially stable over a desired predetermined time.

Beverages having L-ascorbic acid with stability of color and clarity

Processes directed to increasing the solution mobility, solution concentration, and/or solution kinetics with respect to at least simple sugars within the groat to increase the availability of the simple sugars to react with nitrogen containing compounds, in particular amino acids. Improved control over the thermal stability of each groat is provided by enhancing the removal of thermal energy from the individual groats during Maillard reactions. Preferred processes include increasing the moisture content of groats to a level sufficient to solubilize upon dry heating and evaporating at least a sufficient amount of simple sugars present in the groat to yield after dry heating and evaporating an MRP &gE; about 34 ppb and an (MRP/LOP)&times;1000 value &gE;6.0. Groats are dried with a forced atmosphere having a temperature of about &gE;200&deg; F. Full reaction and drying can be accomplished in as little as 8-30 minutes. Rates of thermally controlled reaction and drying may includes about 0.5-3% by weight moisture loss per minute. Oat groats with improved toast flavor are made according to these processes, including oat groats having an MRP value within a range of about 100-2300 ppb and an (MRP/LOP)&times;100 having a corresponding range of about 11-500.

Methods for processing oat groats to have a toast flavor attributable to enhanced maillard products and products made by the methods

Beverage having L-ascorbic acid with stability of color and clarity

Processes directed to increasing the solution mobility, solution concentration, and/or solution kinetics with respect to at least simple sugars within the groat to increase the availability of the simple sugars to react with nitrogen containing compounds, in particular amino acids. Improved control over the thermal stability of each groat is provided by enhancing the removal of thermal energy from the individual groats during Maillard reactions. Preferred processes include increasing the moisture content of groats to a level sufficient to solubilize upon dry heating and evaporating at least a sufficient amount of simple sugars present in the groat to yield after dry heating and evaporating an MRP &gE; about 34 ppb and an (MRP/LOP)&times;1000 value &gE;6.0. Groats are dried with a forced atmosphere having a temperature of about &gE;200&deg;  F. Full reaction and drying can be accomplished in as little as 8-30 minutes. Rates of thermally controlled reaction and drying may includes about 0.5-3% by weight moisture loss per minute. Oat groats with improved toast flavor are made according to these processes, including oat groats having an MRP value within a range of about 100-2300 ppb and an (MRP/LOP)&times;100 having a corresponding range of about 11-500.

Method for processing oat groats to enhance desired maillard products to promote desired toast flavor in the groats and products made by the methods

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Cary, IL, United States of America

Michael J Morello