Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Plant material or plant extract of undetermined constitution... – Containing or obtained from a tree having matured height of...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-11
2004-06-01
Tate, Christopher R. (Department: 1654)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Plant material or plant extract of undetermined constitution...
Containing or obtained from a tree having matured height of...
C424S776000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06743450
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to the extraction of valuable by-products from cocoa hulls.
2. Description of Related Art
Cocoa hulls are a waste by-product of the roasting of cocoa beans and have little value in chocolate manufacturing. Generally, the cocoa hulls are used as compost.
Seventeen Herrania and 22 Theobroma species have been described. See Schultes, R. E.,
J. Arnold Arb.,
39:216, 1958; Cuatrescasas J.,
Cont. Nat. Herb
. (USA), 35:379, 1964; and Wood, G. A. R. and R. A. Lass, Cocoa, 4
th
edn., Longman Inc., New York, 1985, pp. 11-37. Of these,
Theobroma cacao
is the only species of major economic importance because its fat rich seeds are the unique source of cocoa solids and cocoa butter used by the confectionery industry. Cocoa beans are produced by cocoa trees which are found in warm, moist climates in areas about 20 degrees latitude north and south of the Equator. In general, the seeds of the
Theohroma cacao
(of the order Sterculiacae) are known chiefly in two varieties: Criollo and Forastero, with Forastero divided into several varieties. A third group, called Trinitario, is essentially a cross between Criollo and Forastero and is not found in the wild. Criollo beans are pale brown in color while Forastero beans are a purple hue. The cocoa tree produces leaves, flowers and fruit throughout the year, and the ripe fruit or pod resembles a long cantaloupe, typically containing from about 20 to 40 almond-shaped cocoa beans.
The cocoa bean is comprised of an inner nib portion covered by an outer shell, also referred to as the hull. On a dry basis, the shell of the bean comprises about 12 to 15% of the weight of the bean, while the nib and residual moisture amounts to approximately 85 to 88%. Typical analytical data ranges for chemical components of cocoa nib are: fat content of 48 to 57%; theobromine content of 0.8 to 1.3%; caffeine content of 0.1 to 0.7%; total nitrogen content of 2.2 to 2.5%; ash content of 2.6 to 4.2%; and water content of 2.3 to 3.2% (see
Pearson's Composition and Analysis of Foods,
9
th
Edition,
1991).
Various processes are traditionally employed to extract cocoa butter and cocoa solids from commercial cocoa beans. Typical methods of processing cocoa beans include the steps of (a) bean cleaning; (b) bean roasting; (c) bean winnowing; (d) nib grinding; (e) liquor pressing to produce cocoa butter and cocoa cake, also referred to as partially defatted cocoa solids; (f) optionally cake alkalizing; and (d) cake milling.
The initial step of typical cocoa bean processing methods consists of cleaning the beans to remove extraneous non-cocoa materials. Conventional bean cleaning separates beans from extraneous non-cocoa materials by either size or density using a cleaning machine which is a gravity, vibratory or aspiration table (See
Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionery: Science and Technology,
3
rd
Ed., by Bernard W. Minifie, page 35;
Chocolate Production and Use,
3
rd
Ed
., by L. Russell Cook, page 144-146; and
Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use,
2
nd
Ed
., by S. T. Beckett, page 55.
In most conventional processes, roasting of the whole bean or nib is an essential step in the manufacture of chocolate or cocoa. Roasting develops the natural flavor and aroma of the cocoa beans, and also loosens the shell so that it can be readily removed during the winnowing process. The degree of cocoa roast is a time/temperature dependent relationship, where the time can vary from 5 to 120 minutes and the temperature of the whole bean can typically vary from 125° C., and with respect to the roasting of nibs, an initial drying process step can be at just below 100° C. to remove the shell, with second stage roasting of nibs alone being at elevated temperatures up to about 130° C.; all of which depend on the construction of the machine, size of the batch and final product desired (see
Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionery: Science and Technology,
3
rd
Ed
., by Bernard W. Minifie, especially page 37, 45-46;
Chocolate Production and Use.
3
rd
Ed
., by L. Russell Cook, page 146-152; and
Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use,
2
rd
Ed
., by S. T. Beckett, page 55-64) hereby incorporated by reference). U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,349 to Carter, Jr., hereby incorporated by reference), involves heating the bean to a temperature of about 152° C. to 160° C. for about 5 to 8 minutes.
An alternative method for directly processing cocoa beans to cocoa butter and partially defatted cocoa solids is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,913 (issued Jan. 18, 2000 to Kealey et al.), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The method involves heating the cocoa beans for a time and at an internal bean temperature sufficient to loosen the cocoa shell without roasting the nib, winnowing the nibs from said shells, and screw pressing the nibs to produce cocoa butter and partially defatted cocoa solids. Typically, the internal bean temperature is about 100-110° C., preferably less than about 105° C. and typically, the heating is carried out by infra red heating in a micronizer. The winnowing is carried out in an air fluidized bed density separator. The loss of cocoa polyphenols including cocoa procyanidins is minimized because the temperatures used are lower than those used in a process.
The winnowing operation serves to separate the beans into the desired inner portion of the bean (nib) and the outer portion of the bean (shell or hull). The principle of separation by a winnowing process depends on the difference in the apparent density of the nib and of the shell. Standard winnowing machines make use of the combined action of sieving and air aspiration. As discussed earlier, the shell is loosened during the conventional roasting step and/or other heating or drying steps. After loosening, the beans are typically broken between rollers or such devices to shatter the cocoa beans along natural fracture lines of the cocoa nib to facilitate shell removal during winnowing (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,078 to Jones. U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,349 to Carter, Jr., hereby incorporated by reference.
Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionery: Science and Technology,
3
rd
Ed
., by Bernard W. Minifie. pp. 47-51
; Chocolate Production and Use,
3
rd
Ed
., by L. Russell Cook. pp. 152-153; and
Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use,
2
nd
Ed
., by S. T. Beckett, page 67-68.
Some cocoa bean processing techniques include the use of thermal pre-treatment equipment to aid in the separation of the shell from the nib. This involves giving the beans a thermal shock by hot air, steam or infra-red heat (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,444 to Zuilichem et al., and British Patent No. 1,379,116 to Newton,
Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionery: Science and Technology,
3
rd
Ed
., by Bernard W. Minifie page 44-45;
Chocolate Production and Use.
3
rd
Ed
., by L. Russell Cook, page 155; and
Industrial chocolate Manufacture and Use,
2
nd
Ed
,. by S. T. Beckett, page 60-62, hereby incorporated by reference).
Infra-red pre-treatment uses infra-red heating to rapidly heat and expand the beans which assists in loosening the shells. The method consists of treating the beans with infra-red radiation for a period between one-half and two minutes, during which time the beans are typically heated to a temperature of about 100 to 110° C. The infra-red radiation used has a wavelength between 2 and 6 microns which corresponds to a frequency in the range of 0.7 to 1.2×10
8
megacycles per second. This energy penetrates and excites the molecules of the bean which causes them to vibrate at their own frequency and results in rapid heating of the beans.
Cocoa hulls resulting from the above processes are removed from further cocoa/chocolate manufacturing steps. As such, the cocoa hulls are considered a waste by-product with little economic value, although they are used for mulching or composting applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, the term “phytosterols” refers to lipid mixtures obtained from a plant source containing free or bound sterols.
McClelland Craig
Romanczyk Jr. Leo J.
Clifford Chance LLP
Kelley Margaret B.
Mars Incorporated
Tate Christopher R.
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