RESULTANT THEREOF

Cross reference to related applications: This international application under the PCT is filed pursuant to Indian patent application No. 201821 010974 dated 26 May 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein entirely by reference.

Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of food processing and more particularly to the preparation of a non-alcoholic, ready-to-drink beverage from sugarcane that essentially has a long shelf life without depending on chemical preservatives or cold chain requirements.

Background of the invention and description of related art

Sugarcane, a plant of the genus Saccharum, is a tall perennial grass native to various warm temperate to tropical regions of the world and indigenous to tropical South and Southeast Asia. Sugarcane is one of the world's best-established industrial crops that is efficiently grown and harvested to produce both food and bio-energy. Brazil is the largest producer of sugar cane followed by India and China.

Cultivation of sugarcane is mainly undertaken on a large scale as a cash crop for production of cane sugar, or sucrose. In fact, 70% of the world's sugar comes from sugarcane and the remaining 30% comes from other sources, mainly sugar beet. As mentioned above, India is the second largest producer of sugarcane in the world after Brazil and Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh rank topmost in cultivation of sugarcane. Sugar extraction processes leads to other commercially exploitable commodities including bagasse, molasses, and filter cake which can be processed downstream for use as fuel, to make paper, sound insulating boards and alcohol.

Sugarcane contains 18-24% solids and the juice obtained from it is a popular beverage in many countries. It would however be an incomplete story to overlook commercial dietary utility of native sugarcane juice itself. Juice expressed via compaction of ripe sugarcane stalk is praised from ancient times for having excellent thirst-quenching as well as medicinal properties. Nutritionally, sugarcane juice is known to be rich in antioxidants, iron, magnesium, calcium and other electrolytes. Effects of such constitution are corroborated in Ayurvedic texts, where it’s strength improving, digestive, anti-dehydrating, diuretic, laxative, antacid, constipation- relieving, aphrodisiac, and anti-cancer effects are noted.

To those who have tasted it, a glass of cool sugarcane juice, especially in summer season, is undoubtedly refreshing and revitalizing as it builds up plasma and body fluids and helps counter dryness and fatigue. Regular consumption of sugarcane juice, a relatively inexpensive affair, would hence benefit people from all age groups and strata of society, even diabetics due to its low glycemic index. A major problem encountered however is the lack of hygiene during crushing operation resulting in the contamination of the juice with a heavy load of micro-organisms which arises due to improper cleaning of the sugarcanes and handling of the finished product. Therefore to reap aforementioned benefits, it is extremely essential to ensure that sugarcane juice is extracted in a hygienic manner and consumed soon after it is extracted because it tends to get oxidized within no time.

It is well known in many countries to drink the juice of freshly crushed sugar cane. However, it has not been possible to commercialize the provision of sugar cane juice because of very rapid discoloration of the juice from a pale yellow colour (or green, reddish, blackish depending upon sugarcane used) to brown / black and that the juice shows sedimentation during storage. Freshly extracted sugarcane juice has very low shelf life i.e. 1 -2 hrs at room temperature and 7-8 hrs at refrigerated temperature. The art hence has a pressing need for some means of preventing such occurrence.

Abundant availability of fresh sugarcane juice is limited largely to non-urban environments where sugarcane is cultivated. In urban locales, availability of sugarcane juice is restricted to extraction units (Raswantigrihas) which are losing mass popularity in modern days of ready-to-drink packaged beverages that can be bought and consumed conveniently on the go.

Markets worldwide are chock-a-block today with packaged beverages prepared from all kinds of fruit, vegetables, synthetic flavors, and their combinations. However, it is rare to find packaged ready-to-drink pure sugarcane juice that truly has long shelf life while retaining its flavor and nutritional properties without depending overly on chemical preservatives.

The main issues preventing the advent of a packaged, ready-to-drink, pure, fresh sugarcane juice product that is preservative-free and retains taste and nutritive value of native sugarcane juice, are- a) Rapid deterioration of harvested sugarcane stalks due to native and soil- borne microbial flora;

b) Early onset of microbial, enzymatic, and chemical deterioration of freshly extracted sugarcane juice due to high concentrations of easily metabolizable sugars; and

c) Rapid discoloration of freshly extracted sugarcane juice due to oxidation

Therefore, it is a pressing need to develop new methods of processing sugarcane juice that is not limited by aforesaid vices, and hence allow a product that meets expectations for an able packaged, ready-to-drink, pure, fresh sugarcane juice product that is chemical-preservative-free and retains taste and nutritive value of native sugarcane juice.

Attempts have been made by many to develop processes for preserving the sugarcane juice in liquid form. There are a few patents relating to the preparation of fruit juices in powder form but none of them relate to sugarcane juice, especially in liquid original form. For example, JP1983000179309 refers a process for the preparation of powdery fruit juice in which a fruit juice, lemon or orange, is mixed with palatinose and the resultant mixture is dried and powdered by the conventional method such as spray drying with hot air or freeze vacuum drying. However this process is largely non-utilizable owing to enormous time required, namely, 30 hrs and an expensive freezing step which may lead to low productivity and higher cost of the final product.

Another example is JP1987000086465 discloses a method for preparation of a powdery health beverage wherein a fruit juice such as apple, grape or tangerine orange, is blended with an extract essence of Flammulinavelutipes Sing., frozen at -30 C. for 1 0 hr and subjected to dehydration treatment at 30 C. for 8 hr and 50 C. for 12 hr in a vacuum dryer to provide a solid material which is subsequently powdered. Yet another reference is RU2136182C1 , in which dried fruit juice is prepared by freeze drying of cut fruit and later ground to a powder state. However, these processes are plagued by high cost of freeze drying process hence not industrially viable.

Another reference is a report (Nigam and Raha, 1982, Proceeding of 37th Annual Convention of Sugar Technologists Association of India, pp.206-21 5) regarding spray drying of sugarcane juice, but the information is incomplete and a person skilled in the art will not be able to obtain a sugarcane juice beverage powder which is commercially viable, safe to drink and possible to manufacture at reasonably less economic value by following the report.

Prior art, to the limited extent presently surveyed, does not list a single effective solution embracing all considerations mentioned hereinabove. This has preserved an acute necessity-to-invent for the present inventor who, as result of his focused research, has come up with a novel solution for resolving all needs of the art once and for all. Work of the presently named inventor, specifically directed against the technical problems recited hereinabove and currently part of the public domain including earlier filed patent applications and marketed products, is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosures.

A better understanding of underlying principles of the present invention will be obtained from the following narration which sets forth an illustrative yet-preferred embodiment.

Objectives

The present invention is identified in addressing at least all major deficiencies of art discussed in the foregoing section by effectively addressing the objectives stated under, of which:

It is a primary objective to providea standardized method for making available sugarcane juice in a shelf-stable, ready-to-drink packaged product form, therein containing no chemical preservatives while retaining its flavor and nutritional properties It is another objective further to the aforesaid objective(s) that the method so provided does not alter original constitution of sugarcane juice including its color, nutritional and medicinal properties as well as mouth-feel.

It is another objective further to the aforesaid objective(s) that the method so provided lends favorably to implementation on an industrial scale without departing fundamentally from its essential steps.

It is another objective further to the aforesaid objective(s) that the method so provided is not burdened overly with technicalities and high costs, to therefore being within ambit of any person having at least average skill in the art.

The manner in which the above objectives are achieved, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the detailed description set forth below in reference to the accompanying drawings and furthermore specifically outlined in the independent claims. Other advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

Statement of the invention

The invention claimed herein relates to an inventive method for preparing a ready-to- drink product from sugarcane by careful conditioning of sugarcane stalks, crushing them under hygienic conditions, and subjecting them to consortium of pasteurization, preservatives, and filtration to result in a ready-to-drink, shelf-stable, packaged sugarcane juice product. The novelty of this process lies in the combined manner in which critical steps are performed and said method scores over traditional methodologies for processing fresh juice product particularly in that it avoids clarification, harsh heating, and refining operations, and results in a stabilized ready- to-drink sugarcane juice product which has original color, flavor, nutrient quotient and mouth-feel of sugarcane juice.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention is explained herein under with reference to the following drawings, in which:

The above drawings are illustrative of particular examples of the present invention but are not intended to limit the scope thereof. The drawings are not to scale (unless so stated) and are intended for use solely in conjunction with their explanations in the following detailed description. In above drawings, wherever possible, the same references and symbols have been used throughout to refer to the same or similar parts. Though numbering has been introduced to demarcate reference to specific components in relation to such references being made in different sections of this specification, all components are not shown or numbered in each drawing to avoid obscuring the invention proposed.

Attention of the reader is now requested to the detailed description to follow which narrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention and such other ways in which principles of the invention may be employed without parting from the essence of the invention claimed herein.

Detailed description

Principally, general purpose of the present invention is to assess disabilities and shortcomings inherent to known systems comprising state of the art and develop new systems incorporating all available advantages of known art and none of its disadvantages.

Accordingly, the disclosures herein are directed towards an inventive process for processing sugarcane juice and resultant product thereof in form of a packaged, ready-to-drink, pure, fresh sugarcane juice that is chemical-preservative-free and yet retains taste, nutritive, medicinal, and aesthetic properties of native sugarcane juice.

In the following description, for purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

In a preferred embodiment hereof, the best mode of performing the present invention can be appreciated from the performance, in sequence, of certain steps as showcased in the process flow illustrated in the accompanying Figure 1 . As seen in this drawing, the process initiates via step (01 ) wherein fresh sugarcane stalks / stems are harvested from fields and collected for further processing as per the present invention. The process of obtaining a fresh juice of sugarcane according to the invention can be applied equally to all domestic varieties of sugarcane of the Saccharum genus however the inventor recommends using a favorable variety, such as co-419 or 86032 of sugarcane herein for best effect.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , it can be seen that the fresh sugarcane harvested is then pre-treated via subjecting serially to steps of cleaning (02) by wiping / scrubbing with hands / cloth to get rid of waxes, soil and other debris, peeling (03) with help of knife or similar equipment to remove thick skin / cuticle of the sugarcane, cutting (04) with help of knife or similar equipment, and blanching (05) to obtain conditioned sugarcane stalks for further processing as per the present invention. The reader shall appreciate that conventional additive processes such as soaking in potassium meta bisulphate baths is totally avoided here.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , it can be seen that the conditioned sugarcane stalks are crushed in step (06) using a steel roller crusher. Said crusher is pre-cleaned and disinfected using hot water. Crushed canes were repeatedly passed through the crusher so as to obtain juice from the stalks being crushed.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , it can be seen that in the sugarcane juice extracted, non-chemical permissible food preservative INS 223 (INS = International Numbering System for Food Additives; INS 223 CAS No. 7681 -57-4; Chemical names: Sodium Disulfite; Disodium Pentaoxodisulfate; Disodium Pyrosulfite) is added in step (07) to arrest oxidation and hence prevent browning / blackening of the juice. Said juice is then passed in step (08) through a mesh at normal pressure and ambient conditions to filter out undesired particles. The reader shall appreciate that this step enjoins many advantages like low energy consumption, low operation cost, no thermal damage to heat sensitive aroma components, improved product quality and microbially safe product besides occasioning increased juice clarity, better retention of flavor due to removal of suspended solids, colloidal materials, waxes and high molecular weight polysaccharides from the fresh juice without any chemical and harsh heat treatment.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , the filtered sugarcane juice is subjected to checking of physico-chemical and sensory parameters via corresponding serial assays for determining compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11 ), and pH (12). Juice that qualifies these sequential validations, is allowed to undergo further processing as per the present invention, else is either rejected or optionally subjected to correction in step (13) till all of said standards are all met. The reader shall appreciate that standard food laboratory techniques and equipments were used for these validations - these are not elaborated herein for sake of not obscuring the invention claimed.

In a related aspect of the present invention, the elective correctional step (13) comprised one or more interventions undertaken to achieve success in steps for correspondingly checking compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11), and pH (12). For pH adjustments, lime juice or concentrate is added. For viscosity adjustments, thickening agents INS 415, INS 466, INS 412 are used in mixture or individually or water is used for dilution. The reader shall appreciate that the method proposed herein does away with requirement of adding heteropolysaccharide additives and resins as conventionally practiced in the art for imparting body and mouth-feel.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , it can be seen that the sugarcane juice meeting the standard indices mentioned above was subjected via step (14) to controlled pasteurization in a double jacketed kettle to hence induce static conditions whereby microbial growth is greatly reduced to obtain a shelf stable final product.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , it can be seen that in the pasteurized sugarcane juice, flavoring agents were added next amidst stirring at discretion of the user via step (15). Such flavorings were selected from one or more among lime juice, ginger juice, salt, black salt, cardamom powder, clove powder, chaat masala, garam masala, mango pulp/ extract, turmeric, asafetida, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, mace powder, mustard powder, guava pulp/concentrate/juice, and / or cumin powder to obtain a correspondingly flavored variant of the final product.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , it can be seen that the pasteurized sugarcane juice with or without flavoring is then packaged via step (16) by filling hot in pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles. In an alternative embodiment, the pasteurized sugarcane juice with or without flavoring is hermetically sealed in food- grade plastic pouches, dipped in hot water and normal water. The reader shall appreciate that no stringent and / or aseptic conditions are required in this packaging step (16), hence simplifying the operations hereof.

With continued reference to the accompanying Figure 1 , it can be seen that the packaged pasteurized sugarcane juice is finalized via culminating step (17) by allowing it to cool, and subjecting it to downstream processes such as labeling, quality evaluation before being dispatched for storage at ambient temperature and served chilled for best taste. Total suspended solids, acidity, and preservative content, sensory properties, physical chemical and microbial aspects are parameters monitored during quality evaluation of this final, ready-to-drink, shelf-stable, packaged sugarcane juice. The packaged pasteurized sugarcane juice may be, in isolated embodiments, blended with other juices like grape juice orange juice, amla juice so as to increase its nutritional and anti-oxidant properties.

Reference is now made to certain examples, which showcase generally the manner in which the present invention may be implemented. These examples shall be regarded exemplary and not restrictive.

Example 1 :

Co-419 variety of sugarcane was selected in step (01 ) and conditioned via steps of cleaning (02) by wiping / scrubbing with hands / cloth, peeling (03) with help of knife, cutting (04) with help of knife to obtain 2 to 3 feet long pieces of sugarcane. Said pieces of sugarcane were blanched at step (05) with 50 °C water bath for 5 minutes. The conditioned sugarcane pieces were crushed in step (06) by using a SS304/SS316 (food grade) steel roller crusher. Said crusher was pre-cleaned and disinfected using hot water prior to use. Approximately juice weighing in at about 45% w/w of the stalks being crushed was obtained. Non-chemical permissible food preservative (INS 223) was added at step (07) within statutorily prescribed limits, that is between 120 ppm to 270 ppm and the juice was filtered at step (08) through a mesh having pore size of 0.50 mm ² under ambient conditions and atmospheric pressure. Resultant juice was subjected to physico-chemical and sensory evaluation via assays for determining compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11), and pH (12). Juice that qualifies these sequential validations, that is, consistency / viscosity of 0.04 ^* 10 ³ CPS, total suspended solids 0% (filtered juice used, which takes off all suspended solids), sweetness 14.5° Brix, and pH 3.50. Juice that did not qualify either of these parameters was subjected to elective correctional step (13), wherein lime juice or concentrate was added via titration to reduce pH, thickening agents INS 415, INS 466, INS 412 were used in mixture or individually or water was used for dilution. Juice that qualified or after aforesaid correction, was subjected via step (14) to controlled pasteurization in a in double jacketed kettle at a temperature of 50°C while holding for 5 minutes to hence induce static conditions whereby microbial growth is greatly reduced to obtain a shelf stable final product. Here, flavoring agents selected from one or more among lime juice, ginger juice, salt, black salt, cardamom powder, clove powder, chaat masala, garam masala, mango pulp/ extract, turmeric, asafetida, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, mace powder, mustard powder, guava pulp/concentrate/juice, and / or cumin powder were added next amidst stirring at discretion of the user via step

(15). Resultant sugarcane juice with or without flavoring was then packaged via step

(16) by filling hot in pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles, which were hermetically sealed and dipped in hot water and normal water. Downstream processes such as labeling, quality evaluation were undertaken via step (17) before the pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles were dispatched for storage at ambient temperature.

Example 2:

Co-419 variety of sugarcane was selected in step (01 ) and conditioned via steps of cleaning (02) by wiping / scrubbing with hands / cloth, peeling (03) with help of knife, cutting (04) with help of knife to obtain 2 to 3 feet long pieces of sugarcane. Said pieces of sugarcane were blanched at step (05) with 90°C water bath for 25 minutes. The conditioned sugarcane pieces were crushed in step (06) by using a SS304/SS316 (food grade) steel roller crusher. Said crusher was pre-cleaned and disinfected using hot water prior to use. Approximately juice weighing in at about 75% w/w of the stalks being crushed was obtained. Non-chemical permissible food preservative (INS 223) was added at step (07) within statutorily prescribed limits, that is between 120 ppm to 270 ppm and the juice was filtered at step (08) through a mesh having pore size ranging between 0.90 mm ² under ambient conditions and atmospheric pressure. Resultant juice was subjected to physico-chemical and sensory evaluation via assays for determining compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11), and pH (12). Juice that qualifies these sequential validations, that is, consistency / viscosity of 5 ^* 10 ³ CPS, total suspended solids 0% (filtered juice used, which takes off all suspended solids), sweetness 17°, and pH 4.80. Juice that did not qualify either of these parameters was subjected to elective correctional step (13), wherein lime juice or concentrate was added via titration to reduce pH, thickening agents INS 415, INS 466, INS 412 were used in mixture or individually or water was used for dilution. Juice that qualified or after aforesaid correction, was subjected via step (14) to controlled pasteurization in a in double jacketed kettle at a temperature of 100°C while holding for 25 minutes to hence induce static conditions whereby microbial growth is greatly reduced to obtain a shelf stable final product. Here, flavoring agents selected from one or more among lime juice, ginger juice, salt, black salt, cardamom powder, clove powder, chaat masala, garam masala, mango pulp/ extract, turmeric, asafetida, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, mace powder, mustard powder, guava pulp/concentrate/juice, and / or cumin powder were added next amidst stirring at discretion of the user via step

(15). Resultant sugarcane juice with or without flavoring was then packaged via step

(16) by filling hot in pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles, which were hermetically sealed and dipped in hot water and normal water. Downstream processes such as labeling, quality evaluation were undertaken via step (17) before the pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles were dispatched for storage at ambient temperature.

Example 3:

Co-419 variety of sugarcane was selected in step (01 ) and conditioned via steps of cleaning (02) by wiping / scrubbing with hands / cloth, peeling (03) with help of knife, cutting (04) with help of knife to obtain 2 to 3 feet long pieces of sugarcane. Said pieces of sugarcane were blanched at step (05) with 90°C water bath for 15 minutes. The conditioned sugarcane pieces were crushed in step (06) by using a SS304/SS316 (food grade) steel roller crusher. Said crusher was pre-cleaned and disinfected using hot water prior to use. Approximately juice weighing in at about 60% w/w of the stalks being crushed was obtained. Non-chemical permissible food preservative (INS 223) was added at step (07) within statutorily prescribed limits, that is between 120 ppm to 270 ppm and the juice was filtered at step (08) through a mesh having pore size ranging between 0.50-0.90 mm ² under ambient conditions and atmospheric pressure. Resultant juice was subjected to physico-chemical and sensory evaluation via assays for determining compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11 ), and pH (12). Juice that qualifies these sequential validations, that is, consistency / viscosity of 5 ^* 10 ³ to 0.04 ^* 10 ³ CPS, total suspended solids 0% (filtered juice used, which takes off all suspended solids), sweetness of 16° Brix, and pH 4.2. Juice that did not qualify either of these parameters was subjected to elective correctional step (13), wherein lime juice or concentrate was added via titration to reduce pH; thickening agents INS 415, INS 466, INS 412 were used in mixture or individually or water was used for dilution. Juice that qualified or after aforesaid correction, was subjected via step (14) to controlled pasteurization in a in double jacketed kettle at a temperature of 80°C while holding for 15 minutes to hence induce static conditions whereby microbial growth is greatly reduced to obtain a shelf stable final product. Here, flavoring agents selected from one or more among lime juice, ginger juice, salt, black salt, cardamom powder, clove powder, chaat masala, garam masala, mango pulp/ extract, turmeric, asafetida, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, mace powder, mustard powder, guava pulp/concentrate/juice, and / or cumin powder were added next amidst stirring at discretion of the user via step (15). Resultant sugarcane juice with or without flavoring was then packaged via step (16) by filling hot in pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles, which were hermetically sealed and dipped in hot water and normal water. Downstream processes such as labeling, quality evaluation were undertaken via step (17) before the pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles were dispatched for storage at ambient temperature.

Example 4:

86032 variety of sugarcane was selected in step (01) and conditioned via steps of cleaning (02) by wiping / scrubbing with hands / cloth, peeling (03) with help of knife, cutting (04) with help of knife to obtain 2 to 3 feet long pieces of sugarcane. Said pieces of sugarcane were blanched at step (05) with 50 °C water bath for 5 minutes. The conditioned sugarcane pieces were crushed in step (06) by using a SS304/SS316 (food grade) steel roller crusher. Said crusher was pre-cleaned and disinfected using hot water prior to use. Approximately juice weighing in at about 45% w/w of the stalks being crushed was obtained. Non-chemical permissible food preservative (INS 223) was added at step (07) within statutorily prescribed limits, that is between 120 ppm to 270 ppm and the juice was filtered at step (08) through a mesh having pore size of 0.50 mm ² under ambient conditions and atmospheric pressure. Resultant juice was subjected to physico-chemical and sensory evaluation via assays for determining compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11), and pH (12). Juice that qualifies these sequential validations, that is, consistency / viscosity of 0.04 ^* 10 ³ CPS, total suspended solids 0% (filtered juice used, which takes off all suspended solids), sweetness 14.5° Brix, and pH 3.50. Juice that did not qualify either of these parameters was subjected to elective correctional step (13), wherein lime juice or concentrate was added via titration to reduce pH ; thickening agents INS 415, INS 466, INS 412 were used in mixture or individually or water was used for dilution. Juice that qualified or after aforesaid correction, was subjected via step (14) to controlled pasteurization in a in double jacketed kettle at a temperature of 50°C while holding for 5 minutes to hence induce static conditions whereby microbial growth is greatly reduced to obtain a shelf stable final product. Here, flavoring agents selected from one or more among lime juice, ginger juice, salt, black salt, cardamom powder, clove powder, chaat masala, garam masala, mango pulp/ extract, turmeric, asafetida, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, mace powder, mustard powder, guava pulp/concentrate/juice, and / or cumin powder were added next amidst stirring at discretion of the user via step

(15). Resultant sugarcane juice with or without flavoring was then packaged via step

(16) by filling hot in pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles, which were hermetically sealed and dipped in hot water and normal water . Downstream processes such as labeling, quality evaluation were undertaken via step (17) before the pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles were dispatched for storage at ambient temperature.

Example 5:

86032 variety of sugarcane was selected in step (01 ) and conditioned via steps of cleaning (02) by wiping / scrubbing with hands / cloth, peeling (03) with help of knife, cutting (04) with help of knife to obtain 2 to 3 feet long pieces of sugarcane. Said pieces of sugarcane were blanched at step (05) with 90°C water bath for 25 minutes. The conditioned sugarcane pieces were crushed in step (06) by using a SS304/SS316 (food grade) steel roller crusher. Said crusher was pre-cleaned and disinfected using hot water prior to use. Approximately juice weighing in at about 75% w/w of the stalks being crushed was obtained. Non-chemical permissible food preservative (INS 223) was added at step (07) within statutorily prescribed limits, that is between 120 ppm to 270 ppm and the juice was filtered at step (08) through a mesh having pore size ranging between 0.90 mm ² under ambient conditions and atmospheric pressure. Resultant juice was subjected to physico-chemical and sensory evaluation via assays for determining compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11 ), and pH (12). Juice that qualifies these sequential validations, that is, consistency / viscosity of 5 ^* 10 ³ CPS, total suspended solids 0% (filtered juice used, which takes off all suspended solids), sweetness 17°, and pH 4.80. Juice that did not qualify either of these parameters was subjected to elective correctional step (13), wherein lime juice or concentrate was added via titration to reduce pH; thickening agents INS 415, INS 466, INS 412 were used in mixture or individually or water was used for dilution. Juice that qualified or after aforesaid correction, was subjected via step (14) to controlled pasteurization in a in double jacketed kettle at a temperature of 100°C while holding for 25 minutes to hence induce static conditions whereby microbial growth is greatly reduced to obtain a shelf stable final product. Here, flavoring agents selected from one or more among lime juice, ginger juice, salt, black salt, cardamom powder, clove powder, chaat masala, garam masala, mango pulp/ extract, turmeric, asafetida, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, mace powder, mustard powder, guava pulp/concentrate/juice, and / or cumin powder were added next amidst stirring at discretion of the user via step

(15). Resultant sugarcane juice with or without flavoring was then packaged via step

(16) by filling hot in pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles, which were hermetically sealed and dipped in hot water and normal water . Downstream processes such as labeling, quality evaluation were undertaken via step (17) before the pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles were dispatched for storage at ambient temperature.

Example 6:

86032 variety of sugarcane was selected in step (01 ) and conditioned via steps of cleaning (02) by wiping / scrubbing with hands / cloth, peeling (03) with help of knife, cutting (04) with help of knife to obtain 2 to 3 feet long pieces of sugarcane. Said pieces of sugarcane were blanched at step (05) with 90°C water bath for 15 minutes. The conditioned sugarcane pieces were crushed in step (06) by using a SS304/SS316 (food grade) steel roller crusher. Said crusher was pre-cleaned and disinfected using hot water prior to use. Approximately juice weighing in at about 60% w/w of the stalks being crushed was obtained. Non-chemical permissible food preservative (INS 223) was added at step (07) within statutorily prescribed limits, that is between 120 ppm to 270 ppm and the juice was filtered at step (08) through a mesh having pore size ranging between 0.50-0.90 mm ² under ambient conditions and atmospheric pressure. Resultant juice was subjected to physico-chemical and sensory evaluation via assays for determining compliance with user-defined standards of consistency (09), total suspended solids (10), desired color (11 ), and pH (12). Juice that qualifies these sequential validations, that is, consistency / viscosity of 5 ^* 10 ³ to 0.04 ^* 10 ³ CPS, total suspended solids 0% (filtered juice used, which takes off all suspended solids), sweetness of 16° Brix, and pH 4.2. Juice that did not qualify either of these parameters was subjected to elective correctional step (13), wherein lime juice or concentrate was added via titration to reduce pH; thickening agents INS 415, INS 466, INS 412 were used in mixture or individually or water was used for dilution. Juice that qualified or after aforesaid correction, was subjected via step (14) to controlled pasteurization in a in double jacketed kettle at a temperature of 80°C while holding for 15 minutes to hence induce static conditions whereby microbial growth is greatly reduced to obtain a shelf stable final product. Here, flavoring agents selected from one or more among lime juice, ginger juice, salt, black salt, cardamom powder, clove powder, chaat masala, garam masala, mango pulp/ extract, turmeric, asafetida, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, mace powder, mustard powder, guava pulp/concentrate/juice, and / or cumin powder were added next amidst stirring at discretion of the user via step (15). Resultant sugarcane juice with or without flavoring was then packaged via step (16) by filling hot in pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles, which were hermetically sealed and dipped in hot water and normal water . Downstream processes such as labeling, quality evaluation were undertaken via step (17) before the pouch/pet bottle/ glass bottles were dispatched for storage at ambient temperature.

From foregoing disclosures, the reader shall appreciate that the present invention scores above prior art by being a totally hygienic process (as defined in good manufacturing practices and other standards of food industry) wherein flavor, taste, texture, and nutritional / medicinal values of natural sugarcane juice are preserved, besides realizing refreshing pure juice instead of concentrated juice which is unobvious over that obtained in conventionally methodologies known in the art. Also, it shall be appreciated that stocking and sales of the final, ready-to-drink, shelf-stable, packaged sugarcane juice product does not require refrigeration / cold chain and can be very well conducted under ambient conditions.

The present invention has been reduced to practice by the inventor and examples 3 or 6 above were determined as best mode for the same. For shelf life studies, the samples of sugarcane juice prepared as per the foregoing narration were stored at room temperature in pre- sterilized bottles and analyzed for physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory attributes at every 7 days interval for 90 days and results are acceptable for long shelf life. During storage period TPC (Total plate count), Conforms and Yeast and Molds were within limit as per standard guidelines. An acceptable quality beverage of sugarcane juice with satisfactory storage stability for long shelf life at room as well as refrigeration temperature could be prepared.

State of art testing by NABL accredited Food Hygiene and Health laboratory (Hadapsar, Pune) has yielded successfully validated data on proximate constituents, microbial proliferation and sensory quality attributes, which are elaborated in Table 1 below-

Furthermore, the present invention is identified in achieving most, if not all, of the salient features listed below- a) Provision of a ready-to-drink, packaged sugarcane juice product having good shelf stability, substantially free of viable organisms and colloidal particles b) Optimization in process of hygienically extracting juice from sugarcane in a manner that checks discoloration and spoilage of resultant juice;

c) Determination of additives that improve quality, taste, color, consistency, and storability of sugarcane juice;

d) Achieving a packaged, ready-to-drink, pure, fresh sugarcane juice product that is chemical-preservative-free and retains taste and nutritive value of native sugarcane juice

e) Achieving GMP, HACCP and FSSAI-compliant packaging of native sugarcane juice; and f) Generating employment among mass populace, and more income for sugarcane cultivators/farmers.

From the foregoing narration, an able technology for processing sugarcane juice and obtaining a ready-to-drink, stabilized, packaged sugarcane juice product is thus provided with improved functionality and feasibility than any of its closest peers in state-of-art.

As will be evident to a person skilled in the art, components and related details of the present invention recited above are capable of alterations, all without departing from the basic concept of the present invention. Ambit of the present invention shall cover these, and shall so be limited by the appended claims set forth in this specification.