Concentrated natural food additive and methods of preparing the same

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a concentrated and natural, vinegar-derived food additive, wherein the food additive is an antimicrobial food additive or buffering food additive, compositions comprising the vinegar-derived food additive, methods for making the vinegar-derived food additive. The concentrated food additive can have a high acid value. Food products and methods of making food products containing the vinegar-derived food additive are provided. The food products can be meat, poultry, or fish food products.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of preparing a concentrated food additive consisting of:
 (a) treating vinegar with a basic neutralizing agent to partially neutralize the vinegar to a pH in the range of about 4.0 to less than 5.5 without adding acid to adjust said pH to be within said range in this step; and   (b) evaporating water from and drying the product of step (a) to produce the concentrated food additive having an acetate and an acid in the form of a dry powder.   
     
     
         22 . A method of preparing a concentrated food additive consisting of:
 (a) treating vinegar with a basic neutralizing agent to partially neutralize the vinegar to a pH in the range of about 4.0 to less than 5.5 without adding acid to adjust said pH to be within said range in this step;   (b) evaporating water from and drying the product of step (a) to produce the concentrated food additive having an acetate and an acid in the form of a dry powder; and   (c) adding untreated vinegar to the product of step (b), and only after step (b), to produce the concentrated food additive in the form of an acetate-vinegar and acid dry powder.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the concentrated food additive of step (c) has a pH of about 4.5 to 5.7. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to claim  20 , wherein the basic neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of: sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium carbonate or bicarbonate, a flour, a starch, a natural fiber, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the basic neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of: sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium carbonate or bicarbonate, a flour, a starch, a natural fiber, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the acetate is selected from the group consisting of: sodium acetate, potassium acetate, calcium acetate and magnesium acetate. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the acetate is selected from the group consisting of: sodium acetate, potassium acetate, calcium acetate and magnesium acetate. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the concentrated food additive consists essentially of an acetate and an acid. 
     
     
         29 . A concentrated food additive produced by a process consisting of:
 (a) treating vinegar with a basic neutralizing agent to partially neutralize the vinegar to a pH in the range of about 4.0 to less than 5.5 without adding acid to adjust said pH to be within said range in this step; and   (b) evaporating water from and drying the product of step (a) to produce the concentrated food additive consisting essentially of an acetate and an acid in the form of a dry powder.   
     
     
         30 . A concentrated food additive produced by a process consisting of:
 (a) treating vinegar with a basic neutralizing agent to partially neutralize the vinegar to a pH in the range of about 4.0 to less than 5.5 without adding acid to adjust said pH to be within said range in this step;   (b) evaporating water from and drying the product of step (a) to produce the concentrated food additive consisting essentially of an acetate and an acid in the form of a dry powder; and   (c) adding untreated vinegar to the product of step (b), and only after step (b), to produce the concentrated food additive in the form of a concentrated acetate-vinegar and acid dry powder having a pH of about 4.5 to 5.7.   
     
     
         31 . The concentrated food additive of  claim 29 , wherein the concentrated food additive is a concentrated buffering agent, or a concentrated antimicrobial food additive. 
     
     
         32 . The concentrated food additive of  claim 30 , wherein the concentrated food additive is a concentrated buffering agent, or a concentrated antimicrobial food additive. 
     
     
         33 . The concentrated food additive of  claim 29 , wherein the acetate is selected from the group consisting of: sodium acetate, potassium acetate, calcium acetate and magnesium acetate. 
     
     
         34 . The concentrated food additive of  claim 30 , wherein the acetate is selected from the group consisting of: sodium acetate, potassium acetate, calcium acetate and magnesium acetate. 
     
     
         35 . The concentrated food additive of  claim 30 , wherein the basic neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of: sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium carbonate or bicarbonate, a flour, a starch, a natural fiber, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         36 . The concentrated food additive of  claim 34 , wherein the basic neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of: sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium carbonate or bicarbonate, a flour, a starch, a natural fiber, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         37 . A method of reducing bacterial growth and retaining flavor in meat, poultry, or fish comprising injecting and/or massaging an effective amount of the concentrated food additive of  claim 29  into the meat, poultry, or fish to reduce bacterial growth during storage of the meat, poultry, or fish. 
     
     
         38 . A food product comprising an effective amount of the concentrated food additive according to  claim 29 , wherein the effective amount is effective to do one or more of increasing the usable life of the food product, increasing the shelf life of the food product, preventing or slowing the growth of one or more pathogenic microorganisms; and preventing or slowing the growth of one or more food spoilage microorganisms as compared to the otherwise same food product under the otherwise same conditions except without the concentrated food additive. 
     
     
         39 . The food product of  claim 38 , wherein the food product is a meat product, a fish product, a poultry product, or a ready-to-eat food product.