Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series – Organic compounds – Fatty compounds having an acid moiety which contains the...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-11
2001-11-06
Carr, Deborah D. (Department: 1621)
Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series
Organic compounds
Fatty compounds having an acid moiety which contains the...
C554S009000, C554S012000, C554S020000, C554S021000, C426S417000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06313328
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to processing corn. In particular, the invention relates to processing corn to produce a corn oil and/or a meal product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Corn,
Zea mays
L., is grown for many reasons including its use in food and industrial applications. Corn oil is one of many useful products derived from corn. Commercial processing plants utilizing conventional methods for extracting corn oil typically separate the corn seed into its component parts, e.g., endosperm, germ, tipcap, and pericarp, and then extract corn oil from the corn germ fraction.
Although the precise processing steps and types of equipment vary somewhat from plant to plant, commercial corn processing can be classified as either a wet milling or dry milling process. Overall, wet milling is a sophisticated process involving many steps. When isolating the corn oil fraction, corn seed is first steeped in a water/sulfur dioxide (SO
2
) mixture at an elevated temperature and then passed through degerminating mills to separate out the corn germ. The wet milled germ contains about 50% oil, which is then washed and dried.
Dry milling physically separates the germ and pericarp from the rest of the corn seed. Dry milling can include tempering the seed by adding water followed by drying, cooling, grinding, sifting and aspirating the seed. Degermination is accomplished using a Beall degerminator (™), impact mills, granulators or other similar degerminating equipment. The oil content of dry milled germ ranges from about 18% to about 27% oil.
Corn oil is extracted from wet milled or dry milled germ using physical expellers, solvent extractors, or a combination of both. Wet milled germ typically undergoes a two-step extraction because complete oil extraction is often unattainable using a single extraction.
It is also conventional practice to condition corn germ before oil extraction by adding moisture and heating the germ to about 100° C. Conditioning facilitates complete oil extraction. Heating corn seed or germ before or during the extraction, however, can detrimentally affect oil quality.
Corn oil extracted using wet milling methods has a dark color and requires additional processing to achieve a useful oil. Dry milling methods tend to produce a better quality oil. Nevertheless, both dry and wet milling processes have drawbacks that include high energy costs, expensive equipment, high maintenance costs, and variable oil quality. Other corn oil recovery methods have been attempted, but most have not proven to be commercially feasible. Thus, there exists a need for improved methods that alleviate one or more of the drawbacks associated with conventional corn oil recovery methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention features a commercial-scale method for processing corn grain that includes the steps of flaking corn grain, and extracting an oil from the flaked corn grain. The corn grain should have an elevated total oil content of at least about 8%. The corn processing method may be effective for producing corn oil and corn meals having defined characteristics.
In one embodiment, the corn grain has a total oil content of at least about 14%. In alternative embodiments, the corn grain has a total oil content of at least about 12%, at least about 10%, or from about 12% to about 30%.
In another embodiment, the corn grain being flaked is whole corn grain. In another embodiment, the corn grain is cracked corn grain.
In another embodiment, the method of processing corn includes an extracting step wherein the flaked corn grain is pressed to extract an oil. Alternatively, the extraction step exposes the flaked corn grain to solvent-based oil extraction. Solvents used to extract miscible or soluble substances from the flaked grain include hexane, n-hexane, isopropyl alcohol, and supercritical carbon dioxide. Extracting steps can produce a miscella and a corn meal.
In another embodiment, the corn meal resulting from corn processing has a fiber content of about 3%, a starch content of about 65%, and a protein content of about 14%, at a moisture content of about 10%. In alternative embodiments, a subset of the fiber content, starch content, and protein content are measured in the resulting meal. For example, a corn meal may have a fiber content of about 3%, and a protein content of about 14%, at a moisture content of about 10%.
In another embodiment, miscella is desolventized to produce a corn oil. The corn oil may be further refined. The corn oil may have a phosphorous content of less than about 500 parts per million, a free fatty acid content of less than about 0.3%, and/or a neutral oil loss of less than about 2%.
In another embodiment, the corn oil has a light yellow color. The color of the corn oil may have yellow and red colors. The yellow color values may range from about 60 to about 70 and red color values may range from about 7 to about 10, as determined by American Oil and Chemical Society method Cc 13b-93.
In another embodiment, the corn processing method is effective for processing at least about 100 tons of corn per day or for processing from about 100 tons of corn per day to about 3,000 tons of corn per day.
In another aspect, the invention features a method of selling corn seed that includes the offering corn seed for sale, or actually selling corn seed, wherein the corn seed can produce corn grain having a total oil content of at least about 8% and advertising that the corn grain may be processed by flaking the corn grain. In one embodiment, the method includes advertising that the flaking of the corn grain is effective for producing a corn oil.
In another aspect, the invention features a method for marketing corn seed that includes making, using, selling offering for sale, or otherwise providing corn seed wherein the corn seed can produce corn grain having a total oil content of at least about 8% and advertising that the corn grain may be processed by flaking the corn grain. In one embodiment, the method includes advertising that the flaking of the corn grain is effective for producing a corn oil.
In another aspect, a novel method of doing business comprises the steps of buying, purchasing, or offering to buy corn grain having a high oil content for the purpose of processing the purchased grain by flaking the grain and extracting an oil therefrom. In one embodiment, the method includes advertising that a facility flakes high oil corn grain.
In another aspect, the invention features an article of manufacture that includes packaging material, a label accompanying the packaging material and seed corn contained within the packaging material. The packaged seed corn is effective for producing grain having a total oil content of at least about 8%. Labels associated with the article of manufacture indicate that the grain produced by the corn seed can be processed by flaking the grain and extracting an oil therefrom.
Advantages of the invention include commercially feasible methods for extracting an oil from corn without having to steep the corn or heat the corn to elevated temperatures. Corn oil can be extracted from whole corn grain without having to separate the corn grain into its component parts. The corn oil produced can be of a better quality than the oil produced by known wet-milling methods, which currently process about 50,000,000 tons of corn grain per year world wide. Dry milling, on the other hand, accounts for about 3,000,000 tons of corn grain per year. The crude oil can require fewer processing steps. Oil loss during the oil processing can be minimized. Products other than corn oil can still be obtained. Processing equipment used for other seed types, such as soybeans, can be utilized for multiple grains.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms and abbreviations used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suit
Anderson Beth R.
Anderson Stephan C.
Ulrich James F.
Anderson Beth R.
Cargill Incorporated
Carr Deborah D.
Fish & Richardson P.C. P.A.
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