A carotenoid-enriched fraction is extracted from natural sources, such as carrots, by (i) separating the carotenoid-containing natural source into a carotenoid-containing liquid fraction and a pulp fraction, (ii) adding a carotenoid precipitation agent including calcium chloride, calcium hydroxide, calcium lactate or calcium gluconate to the liquid fraction to form a carotenoid-enriched solid precipitate, and (iii) separating the carotenoid-enriched solid precipitate from the carotenoid-depleted liquid portion.
This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/012,314, filed 02 Feb. 1993 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/684,590, filed 12 Apr. 1991 which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,095 on 14 Sep. 1993.
The present invention provides a composition comprising dietary fibers with high water holding capacity (WHC) wherein said composition is obtained from tomato pulp which is substantially free of see, peels, carotenoids and lipids and exhibits WHC, in weight ratio, in the range of about 1:13 to 1:60. The present invention further provides the use of the composition of the present invention as a texturing, bulking, viscosity controlling or syneresis-preventing agent for food. The present invention further provides a process for preparing said composition.
A process of extracting carotenoids from a source of fruit or vegetable processing waste including the steps of: admixing the source, a first organic solvent and a surfactant to form a slurry, whereby surface tension in tissue cell structure of the source is decreased, enhancing penetration of the surfactant into the tissue cell structure so that the carotenoids and the surfactant may form a combination; treating the slurry with a second organic solvent which solubilizes the combination; separating the treated slurry into a liquid fraction and a solid fraction; and separating a first portion from the liquid fraction, the first portion including a solution of the second organic solvent and the combination.
A process of extracting carotenoids from a source of fruit or vegetable processing waste including the steps of: admixing the source, a first organic solvent and a surfactant to form a slurry, whereby surface tension in tissue cell structure of the source is decreased, enhancing penetration of the surfactant into the tissue cell structure so that the carotenoids and the surfactant may form a combination; treating the slurry with a second organic solvent which solubilizes the combination; separating the treated slurry into a liquid fraction and a solid fraction; and separating a first portion from the liquid fraction, the first portion including a solution of the second organic solvent and the combination.
