Flavor-Enhanced Beverage Product and Method of Enhancing the Flavor Thereof

Abstract

A flavor-enhanced beverage includes an added amount of pyroglutamic acid or a salt thereof. The pyroglutamic acid may be in the form of L-pyroglutamic acid, D-pyroglutamic acid, monosodium L-pyroglutamate, monosodium D-pyroglutamate, or a mixture thereof. Both ready-to-drink beverages (such as fruit juices, vegetable juices, coffee, tea, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, dairy, and low calorie drinks) as well as concentrated beverages used for the preparation of ready-to-drink beverages benefit from the addition of the pyroglutamic acid. The addition to a beverage product may be in an amount of up to about 3,000 ppm of pyroglutamic acid or a salt thereof, in concentrates, or up to about 300 ppm in ready-to-drink beverages.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A beverage product comprising an added amount of pyroglutamic acid or a salt thereof,
 wherein the concentration of added pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof ranges from 5 ppm to less than 100 ppm by weight of the beverage product;   wherein the beverage product has enhanced mouthfeel relative to a beverage product without added pyroglutamic acid.   
     
     
         2 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , wherein the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof is in the form of L-pyroglutamic acid, D-pyroglutamic acid, monosodium L-pyroglutamate, monosodium D-pyroglutamate, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , wherein the added pyroglutamic acid consists of L-pyroglutamic acid. 
     
     
         4 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , wherein the added pyroglutamic acid consists of D-pyroglutamic acid. 
     
     
         5 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , wherein the added pyroglutamic acid consists of L-pyroglutamic acid and D-pyroglutamic acid. 
     
     
         6 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , wherein the added pyroglutamic acid comprises L-pyroglutamic acid and D-pyroglutamic acid in a ratio ranging from about 50:50 to about 100:0. 
     
     
         7 . The beverage product of  claim 6 , further comprising dairy. 
     
     
         8 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , further comprising an added flavor. 
     
     
         9 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , further comprising a sweetener, water, dairy, caffeine, carbonation, fruit juice, vegetable juice, a food grade acid, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The beverage product of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage product is a ready-to-drink beverage and wherein the concentration of added pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof in the beverage ranges from about 5 ppm to about 75 ppm by weight of the beverage product. 
     
     
         11 . The beverage product of  claim 10 , wherein the concentration of added pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof in the beverage product ranges from about 5 ppm to about 50 ppm by weight of the beverage product. 
     
     
         12 . The beverage product of  claim 10 , wherein the concentration of added pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof in the beverage product ranges from about 15 ppm to about 50 ppm by weight of the beverage product. 
     
     
         13 . The beverage product of  claim 10 , wherein the pyroglutamic acid is L-pyroglutamic acid. 
     
     
         14 . A method of enhancing mouthfeel of a beverage product, the method comprising adding pyroglutamic acid or a salt thereof to the beverage product in an amount sufficient to obtain a concentration of added pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof in the beverage product from about 5 ppm to less than 100 ppm by weight of the beverage product. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof is L-pyroglutamic acid, D-pyroglutamic acid, monosodium L-pyroglutamate, monosodium D-pyroglutamate, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof is L-pyroglutamic acid. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof is D-pyroglutamic acid. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof is a mixture of L-pyroglutamic acid and D-pyroglutamic acid. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof comprises L-pyroglutamic acid and D-pyroglutamic acid in a ratio ranging from about 50:50 to about 100:0. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising adding the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof to a flavor or flavor solvent prior to adding the pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof to the beverage product. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the beverage product is a ready-to-drink beverage and wherein the concentration of pyroglutamic acid or salt thereof in the beverage after the pyroglutamic acid has been added ranges from about 5 ppm to about 75 ppm by weight of the beverage product.