Process for preparing a nutraceutical beverage and a nutraceutical beverage

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method of introducing a nutraceutical to a beverage comprising treating a beverage with a primary sterilizing agent, such as ozonation, filling a container with said beverage, adding an amount of a nutraceutical and sealing said container. The present invention allows for the production of a suitably sterile beverage without a substantial loss in the activity, or change in the structure, of a nutraceutical.

1 . A method of making a shelf-stable nutraceutical-containing aqueous liquid comprising: 
 treating an aqueous liquid with a primary sterilizing agent;    adding said aqueous liquid to a container;    adding said nutraceutical to said aqueous liquid; and    sealing said container.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said aqueous liquid is chilled prior to adding it to said container.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nutraceutical is added to said aqueous liquid immediately prior to sealing said container.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nutraceutical is a liquid shelf-stable syrup.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising adding a supplemental sterilizing agent to said aqueous liquid or said container.  
     
     
         6 . A method of adding a nutraceutical to an aqueous liquid to form a shelf-stable beverage comprising: 
 ozonating at least a part of said aqueous liquid to form an ozonated aqueous liquid;    providing a container having an internal volume at least equal to a pre-selected nutraceutical amount and a pre-selected aqueous liquid amount, said container including a sealable opening communicating with said internal volume;    adding said ozonated pre-selected aqueous liquid amount to said container;    adding said pre-selected nutraceutical amount to said container; and    sealing said sealable opening of said container.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said nutraceutical is a liquid, shelf-stable syrup.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising adding a supplemental sterilizing agent to said aqueous liquid or to said container.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said nutraceutical is added to said container immediately prior to sealing said container.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the oxidative activity of ozone remaining as such in said aqueous liquid is at least partly reduced prior to adding a nutraceutical.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising heating said liquid shelf-stable syrup to a temperature between about 138° C. and about 145° C., wherein said heating is done before adding said nutraceutical to said container.  
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein said nutraceutical comprises a pre-selected amount of a nutraceutical selected from the group consisting of Forskohlin, hydroxycitric acid, salts thereof, or fructooligosaccharides.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein said shelf-stable syrup comprises a solution having a dissolved solid compound content sufficient to produce a hydrometer reading of between about 60 and about 80 brix.  
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein said shelf-stable syrup comprises a solution having a dissolved solid compound content sufficient to produce a hydrometer reading of between about 65 and about 75 brix.  
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said ozonated aqueous liquid is chilled prior to adding ozone and having an ozone concentration in said ozonated aqueous liquid between about 0.2 and about 0.4 mg/L.  
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said nutraceutical comprises a shelf-stable syrup having a dissolved solid content between about 65 and about 75 brix.  
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising heating said shelf-stable syrup to a temperature between about 138° C. and about 145° C., wherein said heating is done before adding said nutraceutical to said container in the amount of said nutraceutical volume.  
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising adding a supplemental sterilizing agent having a copper compound, and wherein said aqueous liquid comprises purified water.  
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein said shelf-stable syrup comprises Forskohlin, hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, and fructooligosaccharides, present in a final amount having a ratio of said forskohlin to said hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, of about 1:1 to about 1:3, and a ratio of said forskohlin to said fructooligosaccharides of about 1:1 to about 1:10.  
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said nutruceutical comprises Forskohlin, hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, and fructooligosaccharides, present in a final amount having a ratio of said forskohlin to said hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, of about 1:1 to about 1:3, and a ratio of said forskohlin to said fructooligosaccharides of about 1:1 to about 1:10.  
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein said ozonated aqueous liquid is chilled prior to adding ozone and having an ozone concentration in said ozonated aqueous liquid between about 0.2 and about 0.4 mg/L.  
     
     
         22 . A nutraceutical beverage produced by the process comprising: 
 forming a nutraceutical comprising Forskohlin, hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, and fructooligosaccharides, wherein a weight of forskohlin to a weight of said hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, is a ratio of about 1 to about 3, and wherein a weight of said forskohlin to a weight of said fructooligosaccharides is in a ratio of about 1 to about 10;    forming a shelf-stable syrup, wherein said Forskohlin, hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, and fructooligosaccharides are introduced into water to form said shelf-stable syrup having a dissolved solid content between about 65 and about 75 brix by weight;    heating said shelf-stable syrup to a temperature between about 138° C. and about 145° C. for between about 2 and about 8 seconds;    ozonating at least a part of a purified water to form an ozonated purified water having a dissolved ozone concentration between about 0.2 and about 0.4 mg/L;    providing a container having an internal volume at least equal to a nutraceutical volume and a purified water volume, said container including a sealable opening communicating with said internal volume;    adding said ozonated purified water to said container in the amount of said purified water volume;    adding said shelf-stable syrup to said container in the amount of said nutraceutical volume;    adding a supplemental sterilizing agent having about 0.25 to about 0.5 mg/L copper to a volume selected from the group consisting of said nutraceutical volume and said purified water volume; and    sealing said sealable opening of said container, thereby providing a purified water.    
     
     
         23 . The nutraceutical according to  claim 21 , wherein said purified water comprises a final Forskohlin concentration of about 100 mg/L, a final hydroxycitric acid, and salts thereof, concentration of about 300 mg/L and a final fructooligosaccharides concentration of about 1 g/L.