Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of plant or plant derived material
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-06
2003-09-02
Sayala, Chhaya D. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of plant or plant derived material
C426S054000, C426S635000, C426S805000, C426S807000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06613365
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to animal feeds and production methods thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to the animal feeds obtainable by fermenting a mixture of grains and/or fiber materials and wastes containing protein of animal origin, such as, those originating from fisheries, livestock industries and food industries, using koji mold, and production methods thereof. The present invention further relates to the use of koji mold in the production of animal feeds.
BACKGROUND ART
Most industrial wastes are discarded, these including industrial effluents produced in the production process of foods such as dried skipjacks, fish cakes (fish broth), animal waste produced in livestock industries, or distillatory effluents resulting from the distillation process in the production of liquors.
Only a small proportion of these industrial wastes which are abundant in organic ingredients have been utilized as efficient soil fertilizers although it is preferred in view of recycling.
One reason is that the wastes are bulky due to its substantial water content which makes it difficult to stock and transport the wastes. Their tendency to rot quickly is another reason which makes storage difficult. Accordingly, these waste products have been discarded without any effective uses, causing environmental problems such as pollution of the soil, groundwater, river and sea.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems. It is an object of the present invention to effectively utilize wastes. It is another object of the present invention to provide a nutritious animal feed by fermenting a crude mixture containing the above-described industrial wastes using koji mold, in which process heat generated by fermentation is utilized to dehydrate the mixture, resulting in a less costly process. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing such animal feed having an excellent shelf life. The method comprises controlling the water content of the mixture containing the above-described industrial wastes by making use of fermentation heat to dry the mixture.
In the first aspect, the present invention provides animal feed with enhanced digestiveness comprising koji mold and digestive enzymes produced thereby.
In the second aspect, the present invention provides animal feed produced by a process in which a grain material and/or a fiber material is mixed with at least one industrial waste selected from the group consisting of fish-broth effluents, fish viscera, animal wastes, and distillatory effluents, to form a mixture. Koji mold is then added to the mixture. The mixture is allowed to undergo fermentation and is dried, which completes the animal feed.
The present invention, which utilizes at least one industrial waste selected from the group consisting of fish-broth effluents, fish viscera, animal wastes, and distillatory effluents, can make effective use of the industrial wastes that would otherwise have been discarded. Amino acids that are contained in the above-described industrial wastes and that are useful in making the animal feed nutritious are efficiently recovered. Further, when fish broth or fish viscera are used, unsaturated fatty acids with low melting points that have been found to be an effective growth promoter can be efficiently recycled.
Thermophilic fungi have been typically used to process the wastes into a fertilizer. In such a case, most of the organic substances present in the processed matter are discomposed into carbon dioxide and water and are released into the atmosphere. In contrast, koji mold used in the present invention can resynthesize most of the organic substances into high quality fungal proteins although some parts are still converted to carbon dioxide and water through the fermentation process. Therefore, an advantage of the present invention is that useful substances are generated through the processing of organic waste matter, as compared with the conventional waste product processing in which organic wastes are mostly decomposed.
Also, due to the activity of koji mold, various enzymes such as amylases and proteases are abundantly accumulated in the animal feed of the present invention. These enzymes significantly facilitate digestion in the animals fed with the animal feed.
Further, kojic acid produced by koji mold is renowned as an anti-oxidant. Thus, the animal feed of the present invention enhances the inherent healing ability of animals fed with the animal feed of the present invention.
In one embodiment, the mixing ratio of the grain material and/or the fiber material to the industrial waste is preferably from 1:0.5 to 1:2 by weight. The preferred amount of the koji mold to be added is in the range of 0.05 wt % to 0.2 wt % with respect to the weight of the mixture. The efficiency of fermentation is maximized and the above-described advantages of the present invention become most significant by employing these mixing ratios.
Preferably, the water content of the animal feed after fermentation and the drying is 30 wt % or less.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a method for producing animal feed is provided. The method comprises the following steps: mixing a grain material and/or a fiber material with at least one industrial waste selected from the group consisting of fish-broth effluents, fish viscera, animal wastes, and distillatory effluents to form a mixture with the water content of 45 wt % or less; adding koji mold to the mixture to cause fermentation; and drying the mixture by utilizing heat generated by the fermentation caused by the koji mold and, if necessary, by driving a current of air upon the mixture.
The method of the present invention is advantageous in that such enzymes as amylases and proteases are produced, which enables the production of animal feed with high digestibility. The amount of enzymes, especially proteases, is nearly doubled as compared to conventional animal feeds, due to the protein-rich materials used.
The above-described fermentation and drying steps of the present invention may comprise a plurality of steps; that is, the drying step may preferably comprise mixing into the mixture an additional volume of at least one industrial waste when the water content of the mixture is reduced to 35 wt % or less. This makes a mixture having a water content in the range of 40 wt % to 45 wt %. The industrial waste is selected from the group consisting of fish-broth effluent, fish viscera, animal waste, and distillatory effluent. The mixture is allowed to continue with fermentation and drying to form the animal feed with a water content of 30 wt % or less.
An additional volume of at least one industrial effluent may also be added during the drying step when the water content of the mixture is reduced to 35 wt % or less, to form a mixture having a water content in the range of 40 wt % to 45 wt %. The industrial waste is selected from the group consisting of fish-broth effluents, fish viscera, animal wastes, and distillatory effluents. The mixture is allowed to continue with fermentation and drying until the water content is reduced to 35 wt % or less. The mixture is then mixed with a further volume of at least one industrial waste selected from the group consisting of fish-broth effluents, fish viscera, animal wastes, and distillatory effluents, to form a mixture having a water content in the range of 40 wt % to 45 wt %. The resulting mixture is allowed to continue with fermentation and drying to form an animal feed with a water content of 30 wt % or less.
The efficiency of fermentation is maximized and the above-described advantages of the present invention become most significant by employing these mixing ratios in the above-described multiple steps.
In the fourth aspect, the present invention provides a novel use of koji mold in the production of animal feed with enhanced digestiveness wherein koji mold is mixed with crude materials and laid for fermentation to produce digestive enzymes.
MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
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Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Sayala Chhaya D.
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