Sugar – starch – and carbohydrates – Products – Modified starches
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-15
2002-04-30
Brunsman, David (Department: 1755)
Sugar, starch, and carbohydrates
Products
Modified starches
C127S071000, C426S442000, C426S454000, C426S658000, C426S661000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06379467
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the field of starch hydrolysates, in particular maltodextrins and other malto-oligosaccharides. More particularly, the invention relates to modification of such starch hydrolysates to impart improved characteristics.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Starch hydrolysate products are commonly spray dried, providing fine particle products which have relatively poor flow and bulk handling properties. Under humid conditions, these products will pick up moisture, become sticky, and form into large agglomerates or even solubilize into a sticky mass. They are not suitable for bulk shipping. In particular, when the starch hydrolysate is intended as an animal feed, in particular, a poultry feed, the stickiness that develops upon exposure to ambient moisture can plug handling equipment, and can prevent the animal feed from being transportable in normal process conveying equipment, such as bulk bins and auger conveyors. In particular, compressive forces at the discharge location of a bulk bin can cause sticky starch hydrolysate particles to compress and to form a solid, unitary mass.
The prior art has provided controlled agglomeration techniques, which provide products that can be handled in bulk and provide improved flow. However, agglomerated products have a relatively low bulk density, which often is undesirable. Moreover, compaction of dried starch hydrolysates can provide a more dense, free-flowing product. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,810,307 and 4,954,178, particles of starting material are blended with a volatile liquid other than water, and the resulting blend is compacted. The volatile liquids required by the processes disclosed in these patents are undesirable as they are released and must be dealt with via expensive measures.
It is a general object to provide a method for preparing a starch hydrolysate product that has reduced tendency to become sticky. Another general object is to provide such a starch hydrolysate.
THE INVENTION
It has now been found that starch hydrolysates can be compacted without an added volatile liquid to form a compacted product that has a relatively reduced tendency to become sticky in the presence of ambient moisture. Generally, the converted product further will have a reduced tendency to become compressed, and thus when subjected to pressures in bulk handling, the product will have a reduced tendency to form a unitary mass. The invention generally contemplates compaction, preferably roller compaction, of a starch hydrolysate. In certain embodiments, the starch hydrolysate is compacted without any added liquid, and in other embodiments, a liquid may be used, but the hydrolysate is compacted without any added liquid that is more volatile than water. Other means of compacting the starch hydrolysate include pellet milling and extrusion.
The resulting compacted starch hydrolysate exhibits improved bulk handling characteristics and a reduced tendency to become sticky if exposed to moisture during humid storage. The invention offers product with potential uses in animal feed applications such as for poultry and swine and in food applications where bulk handling is a necessity. The starch hydrolysate used in such applications preferably is a maltodextrin or syrup solid (e.g., a corn syrup solid).
The invention finds particular applicability in the field of poultry feeds, in particular, specialty, high carbohydrate feeds. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, a poultry feed is prepared from a starch hydrolysate, optionally with an additional poultry nutrient, by compacting the starch hydrolysate or nutrient/hydrolyzate blend under sufficient compaction pressure to provide a compacted product that has a relatively reduced tendency to become sticky in the presence of ambient moisture. The poultry feed thus prepared can be more readily transported, and will have a greater tendency to remain in the form of particles of a size suitable for feeding to a poultry bird. The hydrolysate also will have a reduced tendency to become compressed. The compacted product thus is particularly suitable for transport in bulk.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention contemplates the modification of a starch hydrolysate via compaction, or the modification of a blend of starch hydrolysate with one or more other components. Of the numerous starch hydrolysates known in the art, the invention finds particular applicability in connection with malto-oligosaccharides, which include maltodextrins and syrup solids. More generally, by “malto-oligosaccharides” is contemplated any species comprising two or more saccharide units linked predominately via 1-4 glycoside linkages, and including maltodextrins and syrup solids. Those malto-oligosaccharides and mixtures of malto-oligosaccharides having a DE (dextrose equivalent) less than 20 are known as maltodextrins; malto-oligosaccharide mixtures having a greater DE are known as syrup solids.
Malto-oligosaccharides most typically are provided as mixtures of a plurality of individual malto-oligosaccharide species. In preferred embodiments, at least 50 percent of the saccharide units in the malto-oligosaccharide are linked via 1-4 linkages. More preferably, at least about 60 percent of the saccharide units are linked via 1-4 linkages; even more preferably, at least about 80 percent of the saccharide units are so linked. The malto-oligosaccharides may include saccharide species having an odd DP (degree of polymerization) value, and the DP profile of the malto-oligosaccharide mixture may be partially defined by a saccharide species having a DP value of 1, for example, dextrose or sorbitol. The mixture further may include other saccharide species or other components. The malto-oligosaccharide mixture may be a reduced malto-oligosaccharide mixture, as disclosed, for example, in copending international application Ser. No. PCT/US9901098, filed Jan. 19, 1999, which application designates the United States.
The invention is particularly applicable to malto-oligosaccharide species in which at least a portion of the malto-oligosaccharides in the mixture have a DP value greater than 5. Preferably, at least one of the malto-oligosaccharide species in the mixture has a DP value of 8 or more. More preferably, at least one species has a DP value of at least 10. For example, in preferred embodiments of the invention, at least 80 percent of the malto-oligosaccharide species in the mixture have a DP greater than 5, and at least 60 percent may have a DP greater than 8. In another embodiment, at least 80 percent of the malto-oligosaccharides species have a DP greater than 10. In some embodiments of the invention, the DP profile of the starting mixture is such that at least 75 percent of the malto-oligosaccharides species in the mixture have a DP greater than 5 and at least 40 percent of the species in the mixture have a DP greater than 10.
Suitable malto-oligosaccharides are sold as maltodextrins under the trademark MALTRIN® by Grain Processing Corporation of Muscatine, Iowa. The MALTRIN® maltodextrins are malto-oligosaccharide products, each product including a mixture of malto-oligosaccharide species and having a known typical DP profile. Suitable MALTRIN® maltodextrins that may be used in conjunction with the present invention include, for example, MALTRIN® M040, MALTRIN® M050, MALTRIN® M100, MALTRIN® M150, and MALTRIN® M180. Typical approximate DP profiles of the subject MALTRIN® maltodextrins are set forth in the following table (the DP profiles being approximate as indicated in the table):
Typical DP profile (% dry solids basis)
DP profile
M180
M150
M100
M050
M040
DP > 8
46.6 ± 4%
54.7 ± 4%
67.8 ± 4%
90.6 ± 4%
88.5 ± 4%
DP 8
3.9 ± 2%
4.8 ± 1.5%
4.5 ± 1.5%
1.5 ± 1%
2.0 ± 1%
DP 7
9.5 ± 2%
9.1 ± 1.5%
7.0 ± 1.5%
1.5 ± 1%
2.4 ± 1%
DP 6
11.4 ± 2%
8.4 ± 1.5%
6.1 ± 1.5%
1.4 ± 1%
1.8 ± 1%
DP 5
5.9 ± 2%
4.7 ±
Andren Terry V.
Gute Frank
Hubbard E. Daniel
Olson Robert L.
Wiesner Thomas A.
Brunsman David
Grain Processing Corporation
Leydig, Voit & Mayer LTD.
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