Claims
- 1. A process for the preparation of a clear homogeneous fructose alcohol dispersion suitable for introduction into a crystallizer for fructose crystallization comprising:
- providing an aqueous high fructose dispersion having a fructose content of at least about 85% by weight, dry solids basis,
- maintaining said dispersion at an elevated temperature between about 50.degree. C. and 80.degree. C.,
- admixing with said dispersion an amount of hot alcohol sufficient to form a fructose to alcohol weight ratio of 3:1 to 1:3,
- said alcohol being selected from ethanol, methanol, isopropanol and mixtures thereof,
- maintaining the temperature of said hot alcohol between about 46.degree. C. and about 75.degree. C., and
- controlling the temperature of said hot alcohol within said temperature range so that upon addition to said syrup formation of a precipitate is avoided.
- 2. The process of claim 1 wherein the aqueous dispersion contains from about 5% to about 15% by weight water.
- 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the fructose is present in the aqueous dispersion at from about 88% to about 97% by weight (d.s.b.).
- 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the alcohol is maintained between about 55.degree. C. and about 70.degree. C.
- 5. The process of claim 1 wherein the aqueous dispersion also contains dextrose.
- 6. The process of claim 1 additionally recovering fructose through seeding the homogeneous mixture to initiate crystallization.
- 7. The process of claim 6 wherein the seeding is accomplished using a saccharide.
- 8. The process of claim 7 wherein the seeding is accomplished utilizing crystalline fructose.
- 9. The process of claim 6 wherein the temperature of the homogeneous mixture is maintained between about 30.degree. C. and about 50.degree. C. during the crystallization.
- 10. The process of claim 6 wherein the recovered particles of crystalline fructose are substantially between about 100 and 1000 microns.
- 11. The process of claim 1 wherein a mixture of ethanol and isopropanol is employed.
- 12. The process of claim 11 wherein the ethanol and isopropanol is used in a respective weight ratio of from 80:20 to 98:2.
- 13. The process of claim 12 wherein the temperature of said hot alcohol is controlled so as to be substantially similar to the temperature of said dispersion.
- 14. The process of claim 11 wherein the temperature of said hot alcohol is controlled so as to be substantially similar to the temperature of said dispersion.
- 15. The process of claim 1 wherein the alcohol is ethanol.
- 16. The process of claim 1 wherein agitation is employed to maintain the homogeneous mixture.
- 17. The process of claim 1 wherein the pH of the aqueous dispersion is between about 3.0 and about 5.0 during addition of the alcohol.
- 18. The process of claim 1 wherein the alcohol is a mixture of methanol and ethanol.
- 19. The process of claim 18 wherein the temperature of said hot alcohol is controlled so as to be substantially similar to the temperature of said dispersion.
- 20. The process of claim 1 wherein the temperature of said hot alcohol is controlled so as to be substantially similar to the temperature of said dispersion.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 06/588,479, filed Mar. 9, 1984 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,773.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2015591 |
Jan 1972 |
DEX |
77919 |
Feb 1984 |
PTX |
2133796 |
Aug 1984 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
588479 |
Mar 1984 |
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