FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[1] The present invention relates to natural sweetening agent for replacing the granulated sugar in food and confectionary industry. Particularly, the present invention relates to date syrup as substitute of granulated sugar. More specifically, the present invention relates to transparent date syrup. Process of preparation is also disclosed. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[2] Granulated sugar is abundantly used in daily used food and confectionary items. Chemically, the granulated sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide, composed of monosaccharides glucose and fructose. Mostly, the granulated sugar is produced from sugarcane. Sugarcane juice is a clear juice. This clear juice is evaporated to a syrup stage, bleached with Sulphur Dioxide and then sent to vacuum pans for further concentration and sugar grain formation. Thus, the granulated sugar produced therefrom is contaminated with impurities like Sulphur Dioxide. The normal quantity of granulated sugar generally consumed contains Sulphur Dioxide in safe and acceptable range; however, few people are sensitive/allergic to Sulphur Dioxide and it can be harmful for them to consume sugar. Further, patients suffered with sucrose intolerance are unable to digest granulated sugar due to deficiency of sucrase- isomaltase.

[3] There are numerous alternatives available to the non-sucrose sweeteners e.g. aspartame, saccharine, acesulfame potassium, neotame, sucralose, stevia/rebaudioside, however, most of these are non-sugar. Moreover, regular consumption of these may lead to various disorders including renal failure and cancer. Due to their non- sugar character, these sweeteners do not raise the blood sugar level quickly and lacks in providing instant energy.

[4] Date syrup is one of the best alternative for replacing granulated sugar with natural sweetener keeping almost all properties of granulated sugar but avoiding the intake of Sulphur Dioxide. Date syrup is rich in the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, and so most of its sugar content is absorbed into the bloodstream in the mouth, meaning that it raises the blood glucose levels more efficiently and immediately than other syrups (even more efficiently than sucrose syrup). It is therefore highly suitable for people suffering from hypoglycemia, or for those with sucrose-intolerance or those with pancreatic problems who have difficulty absorbing disaccharides. Higher amount of magnesium and potassium also makes it preferred natural sweeteners then other natural sweeteners e.g. maple syrup and honey. [5] Date syrup is a thick, caramel-colored sweetener and abundantly used to impart sweetness in the food and confectionary items. The date syrup present in market is available in dark brown and/or black color. The dark brown and/or black color makes it unacceptable and unfit to be used to replace the sugar completely specifically in the food items or confectionary items which are of brighter colors, e.g. sweets etc. There has been done many efforts for discoloration of the date syrup by chemical treatment, ultrafiltration etc. The ultrafiltration process has been proved effective in discoloration of the date syrup; however, slight pinkish / yellowish color is remains in the filtrate / filtered date syrup. Further, the large amount of fibers in the date pulp clog the pores of the ultrafiltration membrane, which makes the ultrafiltration membrane unusable for subsequent use and thus increase the cost of the overall discoloration process. Therefore, there exists an urgent requirement to provide date syrup, which can be used to replace the sugar completely in food and confectionary items. The method of the present invention involves the sequential filtration comprising pre-filtration with a pre-filter before the ultrafiltration of the date syrup. Further, the present invention employs centrifugal filtration, which helps to avoid the clogging of the pores of the ultrafiltration membrane. In addition, the application of centrifugal force would result into formation of another filtration membrane by date pulp fibers, which would enhance the filtration process and provide clearer date syrup with better transparency. [6]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [7] The present invention discloses a transparent date syrup.

[8] In one aspect, the present invention discloses a natural sweetener, which can replace the granular sugar completely in food and confectionary items.

[9] In one another aspect, the present invention discloses a transparent date syrup, which can replace the granular sugar completely in food and confectionary items.

[10] In one another aspect, the present invention discloses an alternative to granular sugar for patients suffering from sucrose-intolerance.

[11] In one another aspect, the present invention discloses an alternative to granular sugar for patients suffering from hypoglycemia.

[12] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a process of preparing transparent date syrup.

[13] In one embodiment, the present invention provides an efficient and cost effective process for preparing date syrup. [14] Various aspects of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying description and embodiments. Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the entire description thereof, including the description and the embodiments. Any subject matter described in the specification can be combined with any other subject matter in the specification to form a novel combination. The invention is also capable of other and different examples and aspects, and its several details can be modified in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[15] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the present disclosure.

Abbreviations:

[16] Mpa: millipascal

[17] cps: centipoise

[18] rpm: revolutions per minute

[19] mm: millimeters

[20] ^° C: degree centigrade

[21] The present invention discloses a natural sweetening agent for replacing the granulated sugar in food and confectionary industry. Particularly, date syrup as substitute of granulated sugar is disclosed. More specifically, a transparent date syrup is disclosed. Process of preparation is also disclosed.

[22] Definitions: It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "filter membrane" includes one or more such filter membranes and the like.

[23] Unless defined otherwise, all technical, scientific or other terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although other process and materials similar, or equivalent, to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, the preferred materials and process are described herein. [24] In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below.

[25] As used herein, the term “date syrup” refers to syrup extracted from date fruits, which particularly contains sweetening agents from the date fruit.

[26] As used herein, the term “transparent date syrup” refers to the date syrup disclosed in the present invention, which is partly of fully transparent. The transparent date syrup of the present invention may have transparency of about

10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 100%. Preferably, the transparent date syrup of the present invention has transparency of more than 70%.

[27] As used herein, the term “pre-filtration” refers to a process of removing large particles, dirt, dust and fibers particularly from the date syrup by filtering it through a pre-filter. The pre-filter used in the present invention is a filter cloth.

[28] As used herein, the term “microfiltration” refers to a process of removing particles in a size range between 0.1 to 10 pm. particularly from the date syrup by filtering it through a pre-filter. The micro-filters used in the present invention is selected from cellulose acetate (CA) membrane, polysulfone membrane, polyvinylidene fluoride membrane, polyethersulfone membrane or polyamide membrane.

[29] As used herein, the term “ultrafiltration” refers to a process of removing particles in a size range between 10 ³ to 10 ⁶ Da. particularly from the date syrup by filtering it through a pre-filter. The ultra- filters used in the present invention is selected from polysulphone membrane, polypropylene membrane, cellulose acetate membrane, polylactic acid membrane.

[30] As used herein, the term “water” refers to ThO in pure form. The water includes any purified form of water including demineralized water or distilled water. Preferably, the water herein means distilled water.

I. A TRANSPARENT DATE SYRUP

[31] The present invention discloses a transparent date syrup. [32] The date syrup disclosed in the present invention having white color in Pfund scale.

[33] The date syrup disclosed in the present invention having a Pfund reading between 30 and 34. [34] The date syrup of the present invention is transparent; therefore, it can be used to replace the granular sugar from the food and confectionary items.

[35] The date syrup of the present invention is rich in monosaccharides glucose and fructose, which start absorbing from the mouth itself, therefore the intake of date syrup raises blood glucose level with immediate effect. Therefore, the transparent date syrup would specifically benefit to the patients of hypoglycemia.

[36] Further, the patients suffering from sucrose tolerance cannot digest sucrose, which is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose due to deficiency of enzyme sucrase-isomaltase. For such patients the present invention will proved to be a boon and enable them to replace their all granular sugar intake by the transparent date syrup of the present invention.

[37] The granular sugar is generally manufactured by sugar can juice and Sulfur Dioxide is used as a bleaching chemical; traces of which are generally safe in usual consumable quantities. However, in case of excess consumption the increased intake of the Sulfur Dioxide may cause ailment specifically related to the respiratory system. The transparent date syrup can be proved to boon for such users who consumers the sweeteners in large quantities. [38] The present invention also discloses one or more sweetener, which contains transparent date syrup disclosed herein. Such one or more sweetener may contain the transparent date syrup in any quantity. The one or more sweetener of the present invention may contain the transparent date syrup in a quantity of about 1% to 100%. The one or more sweetener contains the transparent date syrup in about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 100%.

[39] In one embodiment, the transparent date syrup can be dried and converted to powdered form to be reconstituted at the time of consumption. In one embodiment, the transparent date syrup can be prepared of various viscosities for different purposes.

[40] The transparent date syrup of the present invention may contain one or more preservative to increase shelf life.

II. PROCESS OF PREPARING TRANSPARENT DATE SYRUP [41] The present invention discloses, a process of preparing transparent date syrup; the process comprising the steps of a) adjusting the viscosity of the date syrup in a range between 40 to 50 cps by diluting with water; b) filtering the diluted date syrup through a pre-filter having mesh size between 300 and 400; c) filtering the filtrate obtained in step (b) through micro-filtration membrane; d) filtering the filtrate obtained in step (c) through ultrafiltration membrane to get transparent date syrup; and e) concentrating the transparent date syrup by evaporating excess water. [42] The date syrup is the general date syrup available in the market. Viscosity of such date syrup is between 10,000 to 15,000 cps which is available in market.

[43] First, the viscosity of the date syrup is adjusted so as the filtration can be facilitated. The viscosity of the date syrup is adjusted between 40 to 50 cps.

Generally, the date syrup is diluted with distilled water in a ratio 1 : 1 to achieve viscosity of diluted date syrup in the desired range of 40 to 50 cps. The dilution ration may differ depending upon the initial viscosity of the date syrup available in the market. Preferably, the dilution is done by mixing the date syrup in distilled water at 60-65 °C.

[44] The diluted date syrup is first filtered through a pre-filter. The pre filtration is carried out using a cloth filter for removing impurities including suspended particles, dirt, dust fibers, pollen and wax. The mesh size of the pre filter is in a range from 300 to 400. [45] The pre-filtration can be carried out by any known filtration process, however the preferred filtration process used for pre-filtration is centrifugal filtration. The centrifugal filtration is carried out at about 500 to 700 rpm.

[46] The filtrate obtained in step (b) is then filtered using micro-filter membrane. The micro-filtration membrane is selected from cellulose acetate (CA) membrane, polysulfone membrane, polyvinylidene fluoride membrane, polyethersulfone membrane or polyamide membrane. In a preferred embodiment, the microfiltration membrane is cellulose acetate (CA) membrane.

[47] The micro-filtration can be carried out by any known filtration process, however the preferred filtration process used for micro-filtration is centrifugal filtration. The microfiltration is carried out to remove any particulate matter in a size range of 0.1 to 10 pm.

[48] The microfiltration is carried out applying a pressure of about 0.1 to 1 Mpa. Preferably, the microfiltration is carried out at a pressure of 0.5 Mpa.

[49] The filtrate obtained in step (c) is filtered through an ultrafiltration membrane. The ultrafiltration removes the particle size of more thanlO ³ to 10 ⁶

Da depending upon the selection of the ultrafiltration membrane. The ultrafiltration membrane is selected from polysulphone membrane, polypropylene membrane, cellulose acetate membrane, polylactic acid membrane. In a preferred embodiment, the ultrafiltration membrane is polysulphone membrane having a pore size of 20,000 Da.

[50] The ultrafiltration can be carried out by any known filtration process, however the preferred filtration process used for ultrafiltration is centrifugal filtration. The ultrafiltration is carried out at a pressure of about 0.5 to 1.5 Mpa; preferably at 1 Mpa. The ultrafiltration is carried out at a pressure of about 0.5 to 1.5 Mpa; preferably at 1 Mpa.

[51] The method of the present invention involves the sequential filtration comprising pre-filtration with a pre-filter before the ultrafiltration of the date syrup. Further, the present invention employs centrifugal filtration, which helps to avoid the clogging of the pores of the ultrafiltration membrane. In addition, the application of centrifugal force would result into formation of another filtration membrane by date pulp fibers, which would enhance the filtration process and provide clearer date syrup with better transparency.

[52] The difference between other types of filters and centrifugal filters is that in centrifuges, in addition to the pressure due to the centrifugal head due to the layer of the liquid on top of the cake, the liquid flowing through the cake is also subjected to centrifugal forces, which tend to pull it out of the cake. Thus, this makes the Date syrup free from fibers, which ultimately result, into clearer or more transparent date syrup.

Example- 1:

[53] Process of preparing transparent date syrup:

[54] Materials and method: Date syrup available in market (Viscosity 12,775 cps), cloth filter having pore size 350; Cellulose Acetate microfiltration membrane; Polysulfone MWCO -20000 ultrafiltration membrane, pressure pump.

Procedure:

[55] Date syrup (available in market) was diluted by mixing with distilled water at temp of 65 °C to adjust the viscosity 45 cps. The diluted date syrup is filtered through filter cloth of mesh size 350 at 600 rpm at centrifugal filtration assembly to remove coarse particles, pollens, dirt, dust and wax. The filtrate was filtered through Cellulose Acetate microfiltration membrane applying a pressure of 0.5 Mpa. The filtrate was further filtered through polysulfone MWCO-20,000 applying a pressure of 1 Mpa. The transparent filtrate was vacuum evaporated to get the viscous date syrup.

Evaluation(s):

[56] Date syrup available in the market and the transparent date syrup prepared using the process (n=3) of the present invention were tested for Pfund color test and results were compared. [57] The test was conducted using spectrophotometer detecting transmittance of the light in order to determine color. The silicon photo cell was used with narrow band interference filter @420 nm and 525 nm. Result is given in the below table 1. Result and conclusion:

[58] The transparent date syrup was found to be white in Pfund. Such transparent date syrup could successfully replace the granular sugar in food and confectionary items completely. [59] The present description is the best presently-contemplated system and process for carrying out the present invention. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles of the present invention may be applied to other embodiments, and some features of the present invention may be used without the corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest cope consistent with the principles and features described herein.