Field of the invention

The invention consists of a new product, Fresh Fruit Bar, characterized by the union of natural and healthy ingredients such as fruit, fruit juice and algae, which method of production involves the following steps: reception, evaluation and storage of the raw-material (33) ; disinfection by submersion; washing; mechanical peeling (35) ; mechanical cut (36); anti-oxidizing bath (37); gel preparation; hot extrusion (38); cooling and cut (3,9); primary packaging and coding (40). The invention consists in a method of production and also in a device which, due to its peculiar and particular new characteristics, is able to execute and produce the new production method.

Background of the invention

The benefits of the introduction of fresh fruit in a healthy diet are commonly recognized, both in children as in adults. However, the rush of day to day life and the lack of time that characterizes the current way of life, is often the cause of a careless food diet without the adequate and healthy quantities of fresh fruit ingestion. The different ways of fruit ingestion are well known: the preparation of each fruit piece by the consumer, the fruit prepared and served in restaurants and similar places and the fruit prepared in slices, cubes or small parts sold to consumers in small containers, in some stores and commerce. The present invention tries to present a solution to the low fruit intake by consumers, justified by the fast pace of modern life, lack of time to care about eating habits, consumer habits or laziness, translating on beneficial and prophylactic effects to consumers health.

The invention introduces a new concept of fruit ingestion, answering to the demands of modern life through the creation of a fresh fruit bar, a product which will constitute a smooth, easy and practical alternative to the ingestion of fresh fruit, as a light snack.

The Fresh Fruit Bar may be eaten everywhere at any time in an easy way.

The invention is clearly different from the other traditional ways of fresh fruit consumption, being a product with alimentary, dietetic and functional purposes.

The invention also refers to an innovative method of industrial production, which particular characteristics, as per the invention, allow the industrial production of ^v Fresh Fruit Bar") . Description

The invention is intended to create a new product, consisting in "Fresh Fruit Bar" and the correspondent method of industrial production, through a different union of healthy and natural ingredients, namely the fruit, the fruit juice, in a snack, to which are associated specific packaging and essential characteristics.

This product is obtained through the use of the following ingredients: fresh fruit juice, fresh fruit pieces, fruit extract, algae, sodium citrate, citric acid monohydrated, carofa gum and ascorbic acid.

The new product emerges from the union of fresh fruit with the fresh fruit juice, which is made possible by a natural jellification component, the algae. The fruits extracts are also used to adjust sweetness of the final product with the desired level of ^σ Brix. The use of citric acid (acidifier) and sodium citrate (buffer- pH stabilizer) is intended to stabilize the pH.

The product is stabilized through a thermic process that is applied to the fruit, as well as to the blend of the juice with the algae, the citric acid monohydrated and sodium citrate. The fruit may be submitted to a sudden scalding, depending on the kind of fruit? as to the blend it is heated by exchange of heat by conduction/convection until it reaches the ideal temperature to incorporate the fruit. The blend will show different stages of viscosity, thorough the process of heating and will present a liquid aspect by the end of the process.

The fruit is then incorporated in the blend while this is still hot and by the cooling of fruit and blend, the total jellification of the bar will be accomplished.

As its main characteristics it is important to address that there is no sugar addition, the aw {water activity) may change depending on the kind of fruit, and the pH is also variable depending on the kind of fruit.

The production process of the Fresh Fruit Bar, from the raw material reception until its expedition consists of the following stages:

Acceptance, evaluation and storage of Raw Material- the raw material, fresh fruit, after being subject to a quality evaluation, by cut, ⁰ BrIx analysis and hardness, is stored on a cold chamber at a temperature which will differ depending on the fruit, until the beginning of the transformation phase .

Disinfecting by submerging - when the fruit arrives to the transformation room it is immersed in a tub with water and the appropriate disinfectant for the washing. Washing - after the fruit's disinfection, on the conveyor belt, it is subject to a clear water washing made by sprinklers as it moves along on the conveyor belt. Mechanical Peeling - The fruit is peeled, it is pitted (if necessary) and is sent for the cutting machine (35) , Mechanical Cut - After being pitted the fruit is then mechanically sliced into cubes (36) ,

Antioxidant bath - the fruit is then submitted to an antioxidant natural bath through an perforated immersed conveyor belt system that re-circulates so that sprinklers also touch the fruit (37) .

Gel preparation - the mechanical blend of the several ingredients of the gel, namely algae, sodium citrate, citric acid, a carob gum and ascorbic acid. The ingredients are stirred, and the temperature is heightened for its preparation.

Extrusion - After the previous stages, the fruit is then sent fo.r the extrusion equipment through a conveyor belt system. The above mentioned blend - gel - is then produced on a jacketed heated tank with stirring and scraping machines and pumped to the extruding device. The blend is directed by a pump system to the area where the gel and the fruit are joined in the extruding device, which is composed by two cylinders, a inner and a outer one. The inner cylinder carries the fruit and the outer one carries the gel, converging into a unique section, joining both products, creating the final bar appearance (38) .

Cooling - Its purpose is to abruptly reduce the temperature with the objective of solidifying and grant the consistency of the bars of Fresh Fruit, allowing for a better cut and greater stability (39) .

Cut - Diagonal cut to grant the wanted format. The cut must allow that no piece of fruit is cut, in order for the fruit to be engulfed by the mixture of juice and addictives (39) , Primary packaging - The product is hermetically packaged, in a sealed package in a protected environment (40) , The invention also comprises a device that presents specific characteristics to allow for the process to work, namely the extrusion phase (fig, 3) .

The extruding device is composed by jacketed cooled pipe to form and cool the Fresh Fruit bars. This part of the device possesses an entrance and an exit to promote the thermal transference from the product from the inside. In the area where the Bar is formed there is an entrance in the inner cylinder for the fruit already cut in pieces (and by an outer cylinder for the blending of the Gel. It possesses the ability to regulate the thickness of the gel layer, according to the wanted measure. The exit section of the extruding device is comprised by a cylinder that will shape the desired section for the light meal.

Siammary of the drawings

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention are shown on the following description in which the ways of creating the invention are discriminated with reference to the designs that come with it. The drawings show;

Fig.l: schematic representation that illustrates the process of preparation of fruit.

Fig.2: Schematic representation that illustrates the process of preparation of the algae mixture, citric acid, sodium citrate, juice and fruit extract.

Fig.3; Device through which the extrusion is performed, part of the fabrication process.

Fig.4,* Schematic representation of the mixing process of the fruit with the blend.

Fig. S: Illustration of the sizing of the production process -

Schematic of the transformation room.

Description of the ways to accomplish the invention' s object.

The production of the Product is divided into two phases: 1st ^■• - Preparation of the fruit; 2nd - Preparation of the blending and the adding of the fruit.

Phase 1; Preparation of the Fruit (Fig.l):

1) After the fruit is chosen with ideal state of ripeness and satisfying organoleptic characteristics, the fruit is subject to peeling and pitted if necessary and afterwards turned into cubes (2) ,

2} The fruit cut into cubes (2) is placed in a natural antioxidant solution (1), according to the kind of fruit through a perforated conveyor belt submerged in the antioxidant bath that re-circulates by sprinklers that touch the fruit.

3) The fruit is then removed from the anti-oxidant bath with the help of a conveyor belt. Afterwards, the cubes (2) are placed, on a water bath, that depending on the kind of fruit ca.n be, or not, subject to a scalding (3) .The fruit is retrieved and the water is exuded (4) by gravity or by applying air under pressure along with a air treatment system.

4) The fruit is now prepared (5) .

2 ^a Phase: Preparation of the blend and fruit incorporation (Fig. 2, 3 e 4) : 1) The fruit extract and the juice is weighted and measured

(6), as well as the ingredients that are part of the gel, the algae, citric acid, sodium citrate, carob gum e ascorbic acid (7) . The mechanical blending of the several ingredients that are part of the gel is made and added, at cold temperature, to the fruit juice the fruit extract (8) . The blend is then shaken (9), elevating its temperature, and adding all the ingredients that are part of the gel., which are sodium citrate, citric acid, o ascorbic acid and algae (Fig. 2) .

2) The blend is then ready to enter the extrusion process that will compact and shape to its final form. The gel is then placed on the exterior cylinder (10) and the fruit on the inner cylinder (11) . This stage objective is to join the fruit, by temperature difference to the gel. (Fig. 3) .

3) The fruit, being at a lower temperature than the gel (30), entering in contact with the gel (31) will allow the creation of connections (beginning of jellification) that will place the fruit on a central zone of the bar when the gel is applied (32) (Fig. 4) .

4) The bar produced, molded, and cut is ready to be packed.

Caption of drawing ar . 3. 10. Carrying body 11. Head

12. Axis

13. Head Roller

14. Unique capacity series

15. Chassis

16. Buccal

17. Buccal Support

18. Support

19. Support

20. Engine

21. Shaft

22. Inner roller Axis

23. Unique capacity serie

24. Inner Roller

25. Bearing

26. Redutor SIEPI

27. Traction Axis

28. Traction Roller

29. Strecher Support

Caption of image nr. S .

33. Juice storage zone

34. Addictives to join the juice

35. Peeling fruit area 36. Fruit Cutting Area

37. Anti-oxidizing tank

38. Extrusion

39. Cooling of the Bar and Cut of the Bar

40. Packaging

19th March 2010