Noncarbonated beverage products with improved microbial stability and processes for preparing

The noncarbonated beverage products have a pH of between 2.5 and 4.5 and contain from about 300 ppm to about 3000 ppm of a polyphosphate; from about 100 ppm to about 1000 ppm of a preservative such as sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof; from about 0.1% to about 40% by weight of fruit juice; and from about 80% to about 99% by weight of added water, the added water contains from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness, and preferably contains from 0 ppm to about 300 ppm of alkalinity. These noncarbonated beverage products can be stored at ambient temperatures for at least about 10 days, without substantial microbial proliferation therein after exposure to beverage spoilage organisms.

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What is claimed is:

1. Noncarbonated beverage product with improved microbial stability, comprising:

(a) from about 100 ppm to about 400 ppm of a preservative selected from the group consisting of sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof;

(b) from about 300 ppm to about 900 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula: ##STR3##

where n averages from about 3 to about 100 and each M is independently selected from the group consisting of sodium and potassium atoms;

(c) added water having from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness; and

(d) a vitamin selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, provitamins thereof, and mixtures thereof, but wherein the beverage product is not fortified with calcium, magnesium, or iron;

wherein the resulting beverage product has a pH of from about 2.5 to about 4.5 and an ambient display time of at least about 10 days.

2. The beverage product of claim 1, wherein the preservative is potassium sorbate and the polyphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate.

3. The beverage product of claim 2, comprising from about 200 ppm to about 400 ppm potassium sorbate.

4. The beverage product of claim 1, further comprising from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of a carbohydrate sweetener selected from the group consisting of fructose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, invert sugars and mixtures thereof.

5. Noncarbonated beverage product with improved microbial stability, comprising:

(a) from about 100 ppm to about 1000 ppm of a preservative selected from the group consisting of sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof;

(b) from about 300 ppm to about 900 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula: ##STR4##

where n averages from about 3 to about 100 and each M is independently selected from the group consisting of sodium and potassium atoms;

(c) added water having from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness; and

(d) a vitamin selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, provitamins thereof, and mixtures thereof, but wherein the beverage product is not fortified with calcium, magnesium, or iron;

wherein the resulting beverage product has a pH of from about 2.5 to about 4.5 and an ambient display time of at least about 10 days.

6. The beverage product of claim 5, wherein the preservative is potassium sorbate and the polyphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate.

7. The beverage product of claim 6, further comprising from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of a carbohydrate sweetener selected from the group consisting of fructose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, invert sugars and mixtures thereof.

8. Noncarbonated beverage product with improved microbial stability, comprising:

(a) from about 400 ppm to about 650 ppm of a preservative selected from the group consisting of sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof;

(b) from about 900 ppm to about 3000 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula: ##STR5##

where n averages from about 3 to about 100 and each M is independently selected from the group consisting of sodium and potassium atoms;

(c) added water having from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness; and

(d) a vitamin selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, provitamins thereof, and mixtures thereof, but wherein the beverage product is not fortified with calcium, magnesium, or iron;

wherein the resulting beverage product has a pH of from about 2.5 to about 4.5 and an ambient display time of at least about 10 days.

9. The beverage product of claim 8, wherein the preservative is potassium sorbate and the polyphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate.

10. The beverage product of claim 9 comprising from about 1000 ppm to about 1500 ppm sodium hexametaphosphate.

11. The beverage product of claim 8, further comprising from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of a carbohydrate sweetener selected from the group consisting of fructose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, invert sugars and mixtures thereof.

12. A method of preserving a noncarbonated beverage product comprising combining:

(a) from about 100 ppm to about 400 ppm of a preservative selected from the group consisting of sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof;

(b) from about 300 ppm to about 900 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula: ##STR6##

where n averages from about 3 to about 100 and each M is independently selected from the group consisting of sodium and potassium atoms;

(c) water having from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness; and

(d) a vitamin selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, provitamins thereof, and mixtures thereof, but wherein none of calcium, magnesium, or iron are combined into the beverage product;

wherein the resulting beverage product has a pH of from about 2.5 to about 4.5 and an ambient display time of at least about 10 days.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the preservative is potassium sorbate and the polyphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the resulting beverage product comprises from about 200 ppm to about 400 ppm potassium sorbate.

15. A method according to claim 12, further comprising combining from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of a carbohydrate sweetener selected from the group consisting of fructose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, invert sugars and mixtures thereof.

16. A method of preserving a noncarbonated beverage product comprising combining:

(a) from about 100 ppm to about 1000 ppm of a preservative selected from the group consisting of sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof;

(b) from about 300 ppm to about 900 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula: ##STR7##

where n averages from about 3 to about 100 and each M is independently selected from the group consisting of sodium and potassium atoms;

(c) water having from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness; and

(d) a vitamin selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, provitamins thereof, and mixtures thereof, but wherein none of calcium, magnesium, or iron are combined into the beverage product;

wherein the resulting beverage product has a pH of from about 2.5 to about 4.5 and an ambient display time of at least about 10 days.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the preservative is potassium sorbate and the polyphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising combining from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of a carbohydrate sweetener selected from the group consisting of fructose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, invert sugars and mixtures thereof.

19. A method of preserving a noncarbonated beverage product comprising combining:

(a) from about 400 ppm to about 1000 ppm of a preservative selected from the group consisting of sorbic acid, benzoic acid, alkali metal salts thereof and mixtures thereof;

(b) from about 900 ppm to about 3000 ppm of a polyphosphate having the formula: ##STR8##

where n averages from about 3 to about 100 and each M is independently selected from the group consisting of sodium and potassium atoms;

(c) water having from 0 ppm to about 60 ppm of hardness; and

(d) a vitamin selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, provitamins thereof, and mixtures thereof, but wherein none of calcium, magnesium, or iron are combined into the beverage product;

wherein the resulting beverage product has a pH of from about 2.5 to about 4.5 and an ambient display time of at least about 10 days.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the preservative is potassium sorbate and the polyphosphate is sodium hexametaphosphate.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the resulting beverage product comprises from about 1000 ppm to about 1500 ppm sodium hexametaphosphate and from about 650 ppm to about 750 ppm potassium sorbate.

22. A method according to claim 19, further comprising combining from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of a carbohydrate sweetener selected from the group consisting of fructose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, invert sugars and mixturesthereof.