Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Isolated whole seed – bean or nut – or material derived therefrom
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-05
2001-04-03
Cano, Milton (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Isolated whole seed, bean or nut, or material derived therefrom
C426S549000, C426S590000, C426S599000, C426S615000, C426S629000, C426S496000, C424S439000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210722
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an extruded product containing a soluble fiber and an insoluble fiber useful as an intermediate in the production of foodstuffs, e.g. drink mixes and baked food products. In preferred embodiments, the soluble fiber is provided by psyllium.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, there are two main types of known dietary fibers broadly classified as soluble fibers and insoluble fibers. Insoluble fibers are recognized for their bulk laxative effect, while soluble fibers are known to have a cholesterol-lowering effect. Certain natural grains, particularly farinaceous grains, contain both soluble and insoluble fibers, and are particularly useful as fiber sources because they can be manufactured into a wide variety of edible products for consumption. Insoluble fibers are generally found in the husk of the grain, while soluble fibers may be found in the husk or in other parts of the grain. Examples of soluble fibers that have been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect include, e.g. psyllium and &bgr;-glucan.
Psyllium an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fibers, and has a proven cholesterol-lowering effect. Psyllium is known mucilaginous material derived from seeds from the plants of the Plantago genus, which grows in certain sub-tropical regions. The seeds are dark brown, smooth, boat shaped and shiny. In addition to its cholesterol lowering effects, psyllium is well known for its bulk laxative effect. Psyllium seed is used in whole, ground or dehusked form to make a variety of psyllium containing products, including cookies, laxative drink mixes, and other foodstuffs.
Psyllium is mucilagenous in nature and acquires a slimy or adhesive texture and mouthfeel upon hydration. This slimy mouthfeel is unpalatable and, accordingly, various additives have been incorporated in psyllium-containing ingestible compositions to mask the undesirable texture and mouthfeel of psyllium. In addition, psyllium develops a distinctive, undesirable flavor and color in the presence of heat and moisture which further limits its use in food and drink mix products.
The mucilagenous nature of psyllium husks and of soluble fibers in general presents grave processing difficulties and there have been numerous prior attempts to produce palatable, food and drink mix products. Difficulties notwithstanding, the desirable therapeutic effects provided by psyllium have led to many prior art psyllium-containing formulations. For example, various psyllium containing foodstuffs have been proposed which purport to take advantage of the natural digestion regulation properties of psyllium, or the satiating effect of psyllium. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,574,634 and 4,348,379.
It has also been suggested, e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,114, that whole psyllium husks, such as the ground husks of the seed
Plantago psyllium,
lowers blood cholesterol upon oral administration thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,222 discloses a medicament composition for reducing blood cholesterol levels in humans and lower animals which comprises a mixture of psyllium seed gum, or source of psyllium seed gum, and a nonabsorbable, nondigestible polyol polyester.
Prior attempts have been made to overcome the problems of using psyllium in ready-to-eat cereal and bakery products such as cookies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,248, hereby incorporated by reference, describes preparation of an extruded psyllium nugget that is incorporated into cereal and baked products such as cinnamon cookies. The nuggets used were approximately ⅛ to ¼ inch in diameter.
The mucilagenous nature of psyllium and other soluble fibers provides particular difficulties in the preparation of psyllium-containing drink mix products. As noted above, psyllium gels when exposed to an aqueous environment, leading to palatability and stability problems such as poor suspendability. Attempts have been made to control the psyllium particle size, slow the gellation rate of psyllium in a liquid formulation by inclusion of, e.g. citric acid, and addition of suspending agents. Certain dry psyllium-containing formulations are commercially available, as liquid drink mixes have proven to have an inadequate shelf life for commercialization.
The present invention provides fiber-containing intermediates comprising a soluble fiber source and an insoluble fiber source that overcome the defeciencies associated with prior art products containing soluble fiber sources such as psyllium. The extruded intermediates are useful in preparing palatable foodstuffs, e.g. drink mix and baked good formulations. Methods of producing the intermediates are also described herein. The food and drink mix preparations, and even the intermediates themselves, are useful for reducing serum cholesterol levels upon administration to a mammal, e.g. a human. Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and examples thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fiber-containing foodstuffs, e.g. dry drink mixes, liquid drinks and baked products. Preferably, the products contain a sufficient quantity of a soluble fiber source to provide a cholesterol-reducing effect if ingested by humans and lower mammals (hereinafter referred to generically as mammals). The direct source for the soluble fiber is preferably psyllium in the form of the psyllium seed husk, whole psyllium seed or dehusked psyllium seed. When ingested, the fiber-containing food product effectively reduces the mammalian serum and/or liver cholesterol levels. Other therapeutic effects can also be achieved upon administration of the fiber containing products, e.g. laxative effects and lowered glycemic index.
The extruded intermediate is preferably an agglomeration of a soluble fiber source, an insoluble fiber source and other ingredients, e.g. starches, sweeteners, suspending agents, flavorants, gel-modifying agents and other processing aids. It has been found that food products containing the agglomerated intermediates have excellent flavor and textural characteristics and do not exhibit the slimy mouthfeel typical of prior art compositions.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “soluble fiber source” is defined herein as any natural or synthetic soluble fiber or soluble fiber-containing product, e.g. whole grains, portions of whole grains, and the like. Similarly, “insoluble fiber source” for purposes of the present invention is defined as any natural or synthetic insoluble-fiber or product containing an insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber source can be the same as or different from the soluble fiber source. Preferably, the insoluble fiber source is the bran of a farinaceous grain, e.g. oat bran.
The present invention also relates to a novel process for producing the fiber-containing products. In a preferred embodiment, the fiber-containing intermediate is preferably formed by extruding the soluble fiber source together with the insoluble fiber source and optionally other ingredients such as starches, sweeteners, flavorants etc. to produce an intermediate nugget product, which may then milled to produce an intermediate of the preferred mean particle size (mps). A sufficient quantity of liquid, e.g. water may be added during the extrusion process to assist extrusion manufacture of the intermediate. The intermediate is then mixed with other ingredients using conventional techniques to produce the final product, e.g. liquid drinks or baked goods containing the intermediates.
The final products preferably contain a sufficient quantity of soluble fiber to produce desired in-vivo effects upon ingestion by a mammal, e.g. reduced serum and liver cholesterol levels, Taxation, etc.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The food products of the present invention may be produced utilizing a variety of different methods, depending on the desired form of the final product. For example, the production of baked goods, liquid drinks and drink mixes all require different process steps and equipment.
In a preferred embodiment, th
Dickmann Robin S.
Holder James B.
Wullschleger Richard D.
Cano Milton
Howard & Howard
Kellogg Company
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