Purification and stabilization of fruit juices by ion exchange treatment

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION, CLARIFICATION AND STABILIZATION OF FERMENTABLE FRUIT JUICES IN A STAGE PRIOR TO THE AGING OF SAID FRUIT JUICES, SAID FRUIT JUICES CONTAINING AS IMPURITIES, PRECIPITABLE POTASSIUM BITARTRATE, PRECIPITABLE CALCIUM IONS, HEAVY METAL IONS, BISULFITE SALTS AND ALIPHATIC CARBOXYLIC ACIDS COMPRISING PASSING SAID IMPURE FRUIT JUICE THROUGH A SYNTHETIC CATION EXCHANGER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF AFTER-SULFONATED POLYSTYRENE CROSS LINKED WITH UP TO 10% DIVINYL BENZENE, AFTER-SOLFONATED POLYSTYRENE CROSSED LINKED WITH ALLYL ESTERS OF UNSATURATED DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND POLYVINYL SULFONATES OBTAINED BY THE OXIDATION OF COPOLYMERS OF ALKOYL VINYL SULFIDES AND SULFONES, SAID FRUIT JUICE PASSED RAPIDLY THROUGH A BED OF SAID CATION EXCHANGER TO SUBSTANTIALLY REMOVE THE HEAVY METAL IONS THEREFROM AND TO REMOVE PRECIPITABLE POTASSIUM BITRATE AND PRECIPITABLE CALCIUM IONS THEREFROM SO AS TO TO PROVIDE A MOLAR RATIO OF POTASSIUM TO CALCIUM IONS OF ABOUT 4 TO 1 TO PRODUCE A STABILIZED FRUIT JUICE HAVING A PH OF ABOUT 2, WHICH PH IS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE STARTING FRUIT JUICE, WHEREAFTER SAID TREATED FRUIT JUICE IS PASSED RAPIDLY THROUGH A BED OF A SYNTHETIC RESIN ANION EXCHANGER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF TERNARY ALKENYL AMMONIUM POLYSTYRENE, QUATERNARY ALKENYL AMMONIUM POLYSTYRENE MIXTURES OF TERNARY ALKENYL AMMONIUM POLYSTYRENE CROSSED LINKED WITH ALKYLAMINOPOLYSTYRENE AND A MIXTURE OF QUATERNARY ALKENYL AMMONIUM POLYSTYRENE CROSS LINKED WITH ALKYLAMINOPOLYSTYRENE TO REMOVE FROM SAID FRUIT JUICE THE ALIPHATIC CARBOXYLIC ACID IMPURITIES AND BISULFITE IMPURITIES THEREFROM AND TO PROVIDE A PH OF BETWEEN ABOUT 3 AND 4.