Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Animal derived material is an ingredient other than extract...
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-25
2001-02-13
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Animal derived material is an ingredient other than extract...
C426S092000, C426S103000, C426S105000, C426S520000, C426S578000, C426S629000, C426S634000, C426S652000, C426S657000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06187367
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a low viscosity, high gel strength protein-starch composition, a meat emulsion containing the same, and a process for producing the protein-starch composition and meat emulsion. More particularly, the present invention relates to a protein-starch composition containing a complex of a protein material and a starch where the starch is substantially in its native nongelatinized conformation, and a meat emulsion containing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Protein materials are widely used to supplement meat products since meat is more scarce worldwide, and much more expensive, than protein materials, which are relatively abundant. For example, soy protein materials such as soy isolates and soy concentrates are commonly used as meat analogs or as meat extenders. The protein materials may be used in several forms of meat products, for example, a protein material may be mixed with ground meat to form meat patties useful for hamburgers, meat loafs, or other minced meat applications, or a protein material may be mixed with meat and stuffed into casings to form frankfurters, sausages, or similar products.
Protein materials may be combined with plant components to reduce the cost of producing meat emulsions from the protein materials and to provide meat emulsions having improved meat-like characteristics. For example, wheat flour may be co-dried with a vegetable protein material such as soy protein isolate to form a composition useful as a meat extending component in a pet food emulsion which provides gel strength to the emulsion upon pasteurization.
Carbohydrates from plant materials are commonly used with protein materials to provide desirable characteristics to the protein materials and meat emulsions containing such protein materials. Starch is a particularly useful carbohydrate for use in combination with protein materials since starch is abundant and can improve the texture and taste of meat emulsions formed with a supplemental protein material.
Meat emulsions containing a protein material blended with starch have improved moisture and fat absorbing characteristics, which lead to improved taste and tenderness upon cooking the meat emulsion. In a study comparing the moisture retaining capacity of soy protein and a filler material formed of cold-blended soy protein and starch, the filler material was found to have a higher moisture retaining capacity, and, therefore, was determined to be the preferred material for forming meat emulsions. I. Rogov & V. Dianova,
Study of the Hygroscopic Properties of Meat and Meat Products
, Myasnaya Industriya SSSR, No. 12, pp. 29-31 (1978).
Dry-blended or cold-blended protein and starch mixes, while providing desirable moisture and fat absorbing characteristics in a meat emulsion, provide relatively poor gel strength and emulsion stability to a meat emulsion even after the emulsion is cooked. Gel strength and emulsion stability are desirable in a meat emulsion so the meat emulsion has a firm meat-like texture with a stable protein and moisture level.
A starch-protein complex having an improved gel strength and emulsion stability is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,982 to Hermansson. The starch-protein complex is formed by heating starch with an aqueous dispersion of casein at a temperature above the gelation temperature of the starch. The casein protein forms a complex with gelatinized starch granules. The degree of gel strength of the complex is greater than that of the casein itself and the emulsion stability of the protein is improved.
Gelatinization of starch in the presence of protein to form a protein-starch complex, while improving the gel strength and emulsion stability of the protein, excessively increases the viscosity of the complex relative to a dry-blend of the protein and starch, as well as that of a meat emulsion material containing the complex relative to a meat emulsion containing a dry or cold-blended mixture of protein and starch. Processing the high viscosity protein-starch complex into a meat emulsion, and processing the resulting high viscosity meat emulsion material is difficult and expensive on a commercial scale since the high viscosity materials do not flow easily.
What is needed, therefore, is a process for forming a low viscosity protein-starch composition and meat emulsion containing the same which have a high gel strength and emulsion stability upon being cooked.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a protein-starch composition having a low viscosity in water and capable of forming a firm gel upon cooking. The protein-starch composition contains a protein material and a starch material. The protein material and the starch material are complexed, however, the starch material is in a substantially non-gelatinized state.
In one embodiment of the invention, at least some of the starch material of the protein-starch composition is partially encapsulated in the protein material.
In another aspect, the invention is a meat emulsion containing a protein-starch composition and a meat material which are blended together. The protein-starch composition is formed of a protein material and a starch material, where the protein material and the starch material are complexed and the starch material is in a substantially non-gelatinized state.
In yet another aspect the invention is a process for forming a low viscosity protein-starch composition which has a high gel strength and emulsion stability upon being cooked. An aqueous slurry of a protein material is formed. The slurry of protein material is treated at a temperature and for a time effective to denature the protein material. A non-gelatinized starch material is then added to the slurry of denatured protein material at a slurry temperature below the gelatinization temperature of the starch material. The slurry of denatured protein material and starch material is spray-dried under conditions sufficient to substantially couple the protein material and the starch material yet insufficient to substantially gelatinize the starch material to form the protein-starch composition.
In still another aspect, the present invention is a process for forming a low viscosity meat emulsion which attains a high gel strength and emulsion stability upon cooking. A protein-starch composition is provided containing a starch material coupled to a protein material with the starch material being substantially in its native non-gelatinized conformation. An aqueous slurry is formed of the protein-starch composition, and the slurry is blended with a meat material to form a meat emulsion.
The protein-starch composition of the present invention has a low viscosity well suited for use in large scale commercial production of meat emulsions, yet has a gel strength and emulsion stability comparable to a gelatinized starch-protein complex once the composition is cooked. Prior to cooking the protein-starch composition of the invention, or a meat emulsion containing the composition, the starch of the protein-starch composition is coupled to the protein substantially in its native, non-gelatinized state. This substantially reduces the viscosity of the protein-starch composition relative to a gelatinized starch-protein complex since gelatinized starch is much more viscous than non-gelatinized starch. Upon cooking the protein-starch composition or a meat emulsion containing the protein-starch composition, the closely associated protein and starch further complex as the starch is gelatinized by the cooking temperature, thereby developing a high gel strength and emulsion stability relative to a dry or cold-blended mix of protein and starch.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3833413 (1974-09-01), Glabe et al.
patent: 3836677 (1974-09-01), Freck et al.
patent: 3865959 (1975-02-01), Lecluse
patent: 4044158 (1977-08-01), Burkwall, Jr.
patent: 4159982 (1979-07-01), Hermansson
patent: 4251556 (1981-02-01), Burkwall, Jr. et al.
patent: 4297382 (1981-10-01), Hosaka
patent: 4562082 (1985-12-01), Morimoto
patent: 4690820 (1987-09-01),
Bates Gregory A.
Cho Iue Chung
Coco Charles Edward
Pratt Helen
Protein Technologies International, Inc.
Taylor Richard B.
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