IP Library › Patent Application 12573347
Patent Application
App. No. 12/573,347

Stabilising Beverages

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Patent No.
US None
App. No.
12/573,347
Abstract

A process for stabilising a beverage against haze formation comprising treating the beverage with a stabilising agent comprising a particulate silica having a mean pore diameter of at least 6 nm and which has been modified by interaction with a water-soluble polymer having pendant pyrrolidone groups, the polymer being present on the silica in an amount from 5 to 35 percent by weight with respect to anhydrous weight of silica.

Claims (34)

1 . A process for manufacturing a stabilizing agent against haze formation in a beverage comprising:

(a) contacting silica particles having a weight mean particle size in the range of 2 to 100 micrometers and a mean pore diameter of at least 6 nm with a water-soluble polymer having pendant pyrrolidone groups to form polymer coated silica particles;

(b) drying the polymer coated silica particles to form the stabilizing agent, wherein the amount of water-soluble polymer on the silica particles is in the range of 5 to 35 percent by weight based on weight of anhydrous silica.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein silica particles are contacted with the water-soluble polymer by:

(a) dispersing the silica particles in an aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer;

(b) stirring the silica particles in said aqueous solution to ensure deposition of the water soluble polymer onto the surfaces of the silica particles to form modified silica particles;

(c) collecting the modified silica particles; and

(d) drying the modified silica particles to form the stabilizing agent.

3 . A process for reducing the amount of water-soluble polymer required to effectively stabilize a beverage against haze formation through removal of haze-forming polyphenols, comprising:

treating a beverage with a stabilizing agent comprising a particulate silica having a weight mean particle size in the range of 2 to 100 micrometers and a mean pore diameter of at least 6 nm, said particulate silica having been modified by deposition of a water-soluble polymer having pendant pyrrolidone groups onto surfaces of the silica particles in an amount from 5 to 35% by weight with respect to the anhydrous weight of silica;

wherein the stabilizing agent is prepared by the process of claim 2 .

4 . The process of claim 3 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and a homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone.

5 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 8,000 to 1,300,000.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the silica particles are contacted with the water-soluble polymer by:

(a) forming a blend of dry or nearly dry silica particles with sufficient aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer to deposit 5 to 35% by weight of the water-soluble polymer, with respect to the anhydrous weight of silica, onto the surfaces of the silica particles; and

(b) drying the blend to form the stabilizing agent.

7 . A process for reducing the amount of water-soluble polymer required to effectively stabilize a beverage against haze formation through removal of haze-forming polyphenols, comprising:

treating a beverage with a stabilizing agent comprising a particulate silica having a weight mean particle size in the range of 2 to 100 micrometers and a mean pore diameter of at least 6 nm, said particulate silica having been modified by deposition of a water-soluble polymer having pendant pyrrolidone groups onto surfaces of the silica particles in an amount from 5 to 35% by weight with respect to the anhydrous weight of silica;

wherein the stabilizing agent is prepared by the process of claim 6 .

8 . The process of claim 7 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and a homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone.

9 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 8,000 to 1,300,000.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the silica has a surface area to nitrogen in the range of 200 to 1000 m 2 /g.

11 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the silica has a pore volume to nitrogen in the range of 0.5 to 2.5 cm 3 /g.

12 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the silica has a total moisture content in the range of 2 to 70 percent by weight.

13 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and a homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone.

14 . The process of claim 13 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 8,000 to 1,300,000.

15 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the amount of water-soluble polymer on the silica is in the range of 10 to 30% by weight based on weight of anhydrous silica.

16 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing agent is mixed with a beverage at a dose level in the range of 50 to 500 g/m 3 .

17 . A process for stability a beverage against haze formation comprising treating the beverage with a stabilizing agent prepared by the process of claim 1 .

18 . A process for reducing the amount of water-soluble polymer required to effectively stabilize a beverage against haze formation through removal of haze-forming polyphenols, comprising:

treating a beverage with a stabilizing agent comprising a particulate silica having a weight mean particle size in the range of 2 to 100 micrometers and a mean pore diameter of at least 6 nm, said particulate silica having been modified by deposition of a water-soluble polymer having pendant pyrrolidone groups onto surfaces of the silica particles in an amount from 5 to 35% by weight with respect to the anhydrous weight of silica;

wherein the stabilizing agent is prepared by the process of claim 1 .

19 . The process of claim 18 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and a homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone.

20 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the water-soluble polymer is polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 8,000 to 1,300,000.