Methods for making fruit or vegetable extract from by-products

摘要

A process for making a fruit or vegetable extract including diffusing, screening, and pressing the pomace, and spinning, filtering and concentrating juice from the pomace to form an extract. Also, the pomace may be hydrated at various points during this process by water or by reclaimed condenser condensate. Also included is an extract made using the present inventive methods.

主权项

1. A method for making a fruit or vegetable extract having polyphenols from a fruit or vegetable pomace wherein the fruit or vegetable extract is chosen from the group consisting of: a cranberry extract, a blueberry extract, a grape extract, a blackberry extract, a black currant extract, a tomato extract, a carrot extract, and a beet extract having a phenolics content of at least 3960 mg/100 g of extract comprising the steps of:
providing a phenolic containing fruit or vegetable pomace chosen from the group consisting of: a cranberry pomace, a blueberry pomace, a grape pomace, a blackberry pomace, a black currant pomace, a tomato pomace, a carrot pomace, and a beet pomace; diffusing the pomace in a first amount of water to form a hydrated pomace; heating the hydrated pomace to form heated and hydrated pomace; screening the heated and hydrated pomace using a flat, perforated drag screen by moving the heated and hydrated pomace across the flat, perforated drag screen using a series of brushes to liberate a free-run juice through the flat, perforated drag screen and a screened pomace are separated from the heated and hydrated pomace; pressing the screened pomace using a press whereby a pressed juice and a primary pressed pomace are separated from the screened pomace; combining the free-run juice and the pressed juice into a combined pressed juice; spinning the combined pressed juice whereby a clarified juice and a sediment are separated from the combined pressed juice; filtering the clarified juice to form a filtered juice; and concentrating the filtered juice to form the extract chosen from the group consisting of: a cranberry extract, a blueberry extract, a grape extract, a blackberry extract, a black currant extract, a tomato extract, a carrot extract, and a beet extract; and wherein gravity is used to move the hydrated pomace through the screening step and the screened pomace through the pressing step and wherein there is no pumping used to move the hydrated pomace through the screening step or to move the screened pomace through the pressing step.