Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-03
2003-03-11
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...
C426S656000, C426S804000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06531171
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to novel food or nutritional products. More particularly, the present invention relates to intermediate-moisture food products containing betaine that are particularly suitable for consumption by persons seeking to maintain a reduced carbohydrate diet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Prepared food or nutritional products such as food bars are well known and have been readily available for some time. They vary in composition, some having a marshmallow base while others, originally introduced as health food bars, often comprise grains, nuts, dried fruit, sweeteners and other ingredients. In the latter, the dried ingredients are generally mixed with a binder, such as sugar syrup, compressed into bars, and then cut to the desired length. Depending on their composition, the bars may be mixed, formed, and/or baked prior to packaging and sale.
Early food bars were typically hard and crunchy. Although the bars were generally moist when initially formed, within the first 24 to 48 hours following production, moisture from the sugar syrup would generally migrate to the dry ingredients of the bar. Subsequent crystallization of the sugars present in the syrup, primarily dextrose, caused the bars to harden, providing a dry, crunchy texture.
Simply increasing the moisture in the food bars fails to provide a satisfactory solution to the problem of poor texture, however. Although an increase in moisture may improve texture, high levels of moisture in food generally promote the growth of organisms such as yeasts, molds and bacteria, leading to microbiological spoiling and a shortened shelf life. Stabilization of food products through the use of traditional means such as freezing, or sterilization followed by hermetic sealing of the food product have known drawbacks, not least of which is cost. In recent years, however, the shelf-life of various food products has been extended by incorporating humectants into the products. These humectants can be used to produce softer foods having an intermediate level of moisture. Intermediate-moisture foods rely on a reduction of the availability of water in the food to prevent microbial growth and lengthen shelf life. Such availability of water in the food is commonly termed water activity (A
&ohgr;
). The A
&ohgr;
of the food, or the partial vapor pressure of the water at the temperature of the food, can be readily determined by placing the sample in a sealed container and, upon reaching equilibrium, determining the relative humidity in the head space. In general, a low A
&ohgr;
, i.e., less than 0.90, indicates the existence of an environment in which growth of most microorganisms will be retarded.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,202,514 to Burgess et al., which discloses an intermediate moisture pet food, was one of the first to demonstrate the principle of extending the shelf-life of a food by controlling or altering the A
&ohgr;
. Burgess et al. shows how the A
&ohgr;
of a food product can be maintained at a low level by a high sugar content. U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,652 to Kahn et al. discloses the substitution of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerine and sorbitol for sucrose. Glycerine and other polyhydric alcohols are known to also affect the texture of food bars. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,488, for example, Cook et al. used polyhydric alcohols to reduce the migration of moisture to the dry ingredients and thereby overcome the hard and crunchy texture found in earlier bars, while still retaining a low and A
&ohgr;
and good flavor characteristics. Although other humectants besides glycerine and sorbitol are now known and widely used in the food industry, glycerine continues to be the humectant most widely used in intermediate-moisture food products. Prior art food bars may frequently contain, for example, as much as 25% glycerine or more, by weight.
Nutritional bars also now play a part in weight control programs. As part of such programs, people have turned to very low-carbohydrate diets in an effort to overcome their weight problems. Several such programs suggest limiting carbohydrate intake to 20-30 grams a day initially. Many people find such carbohydrate-restricted diets more appealing than calorie-restricted or starvation diets. Although there is considerable disagreement within the medical community regarding the use of low carbohydrate diets, public enthusiasm for and acceptance of these diets remains high.
Consumption of carbohydrates causes an elevation of blood glucose, which in turn triggers the secretion of insulin by the beta-cells of the pancreas. Insulin plays a crucial role in the regulation of blood glucose, lowering the concentration of blood glucose by: 1) increasing the capacity for transport of glucose from the bloodstream into cells, particularly of muscle and adipose tissue; 2) stimulating conversion of glucose to glycogen, a storage form of glucose; and 3) stimulating adipose cells to convert glucose to fat.
A very low intake of carbohydrate leads to low concentrations of insulin in the blood. As a result, liver glycogen is rapidly broken down to maintain blood glucose. This source is quickly depleted, however, and glucogenic amino acids from the breakdown of food and body proteins become the source of glucose for the body. Low insulin also encourages the breakdown of body fat stores and the oxidation of fatty acids from both dietary and body fats to provide energy. Fatty acids cannot be converted to glucose, however. Instead, when little glucose is available, the liver converts fatty acids to “ketone bodies” which many cells can use as an alternative fuel. In time, even the brain can adapt to using ketone bodies for energy. Ketone bodies appear in blood in elevated amounts (ketosis), and significant quantities are excreted in the urine (ketonuria). One explanation for the enhanced weight loss observed with ketogenic diets is the marked urinary excretion of ketone bodies that very low carbohydrate diets produce. These low-carbohydrate diets are thus referred to as “ketogenic diets.”
Some scientists have argued that ketosis may be unhealthy or even dangerous. Ketogenic diets have been used for nearly 70 years, however. These diets have been helpful in treating children with difficult to control seizures, and have been shown to reduce the need for oral hypoglycemic agents in patients with type-2 diabetes. Ketogenic diets have also been used to treat obesity in Navy personnel and young college men. Reports have demonstrated that superior loss of body fat may be achieved by a ketogenic diet, compared to both an isocaloric (60% carbohydrate) mixed diet and to a total fast, and a greater weight loss was seen with a 30 gram carbohydrate diet as compared with isocaloric diets containing 60 and 104 grams of carbohydrate. These studies also showed good retention of lean body mass and no ill effects from the attendant ketosis.
Although the advisability of ketogenic diets may be disputed, there is a general consensus that the public health would benefit greatly from decreased consumption of cane sugar and other refined carbohydrates. Diabetics, for example, must continually monitor and restrict their carbohydrate intake, in order to maintain a normal blood glucose level. Many athletes, at certain points in their training, may also wish to limit carbohydrate intake, so as to avoid an increase in insulin secretion.
Thus, it is clear that there is both a need and a public demand for reduced carbohydrate food and nutritional products that may be suitable for persons wishing to reduce their intake of sugars and carbohydrates.
The term carbohydrate traditionally refers to polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones, or substances that yield such compounds on hydrolysis. This traditional definition describes the sugars (e.g., sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose), starches (e.g., of potatoes, rice, wheat flour, etc), and fiber (e.g., cellulose). Carbohydrates in human diets are divided into two major classifications: “available carbohydrates,” consisting primarily of sugars and starches that can be digested to supply blood glucose either
Armand Andree
Lam Denise W.
Rittmanic Steve
Vanwinkle Samina
Nutricia USA, Inc.
Pratt Helen
Woodcock & Washburn LLP
LandOfFree
Food products containing betaine does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Food products containing betaine, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Food products containing betaine will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3051049