Abbott seeks to patent fruit and vegetable powder for milk and yogurt

The international patent application, filed by Illinois-based Abbott in November 2014, details a nutritional powder - combining powdered soluble and insoluble fruit and vegetable fiber - that is "readily dispersible"​ in milk and yogurt.

Each serving of the powder - developed by researchers at the Abbott Nutrition Research and Development Centre in Columbus, Ohio - provides soluble and insoluble fruit and vegetable fiber in levels equal to "​1/8 to 1/2 cup of serving fruit and from 1/8 to 1/2 cup of serving vegetable," ​it reads.

In another embodiment, milk powder could be added to the fruit and vegetable powder - meaning only water is needed to reconstitute the mix. 

The researchers also envisaged a ready-to-drink product comprised of milk powder and the fruit and vegetable powder. 

Whatever the format, the patent-pending nutritional powder "provides a route to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables," ​the inventors claim.

“The powdered nutritional composition may increase the likelihood that the subject consumes fruit and vegetable fiber as part of a daily diet as opposed to if the powdered nutritional composition was unavailable for consumption,”​ says the patent application.

“It is noted that the powdered nutritional compositions of the present invention are added to fluid dairy products which are typically readily consumed by human beings, particularly those aged two to 18 years old.”​

While any one or more fruit or vegetable powder may be used, Abbott identified soluble and insoluble apple, pumpkin and carrot powders as “particularly suitable sources.”​

Source: WIPO PCT/US2014/063985​​
Title: Dairy mix-in with fruits and vegetables​
Inventors: Gaurav Patel, Normanella Dewille, Rockendra Gupta, Tama Bloch​