Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Treatment of live animal
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2003-10-07
Weier, Anthony J. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Treatment of live animal
C426S614000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06630181
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to the field of animal nutrition. Specifically, the present invention relates to the use of high oleic feed sources to lower the cholesterol levels and/or alter the fatty acid content in eggs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As public awareness of the dangers of cholesterol has increased in recent years, a number of popular food products have drawn criticism for containing high levels of cholesterol. Eggs are among the maligned products that have suffered because of a public perception that eggs are unhealthy.
As a result of concern over cholesterol intake, a market has developed for egg products having reduced cholesterol. Many of these reduced cholesterol products are produced using additional processing steps after collection of the eggs, which add substantial cost to the production process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,095 to Jackeschky, PCT application WO 99/56565 to Lederer, PCT application WO 94/05166 to Hsieh and European patent EP 0607120 to Oakenfull each describe these types of processes.
Also, as the consumer's knowledge of cholesterol has increased, most consumers have become aware of the difference between low density lipoproteins (LDL), often referred to as bad cholesterol, and high density lipoproteins (HDL), often referred to as good cholesterol. Thus, it would be beneficial to produce an egg with increased levels of HDL and decreased levels of LDL.
Attempts have also been made to reduce egg cholesterol by modifying the feed given to the egg-producing animals. For example, fibrous feed ingredients, such as barley, and feed additives, such as copper, iodine, wood shavings, human cholesterol reducing agents and other specialty chemicals have been utilized in an effort to reduce egg cholesterol. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,665,375 to Meier, 5,246,717 to Garwin, 4,764,531 to Nissen and European Patent EP 0978236 each describe this type of approach. These types of feed and feed additives have proven disadvantageous for a number of reasons: they are typically expensive, increase feed costs, are not available in continuous supply, occupy valuable space during the feed mixing process, result in environmental contamination and/or have undesirable effects on the animal.
In addition to cholesterol, fatty acid composition of the diet is believed to have an impact on human health. Mono-unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, are believed to be nutritionally more favorable for the human diet. In addition, mono unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, are more stable against oxidation than some other fatty acids and thereby reduce the tendency of food products with a greater proportion of oleic fatty acids to become rancid or contain off flavors. Attempts have been made to feed poultry supplements high in oleic acid, such as olive oil, as described in Watkins, B. A. and Elkin, R. G., 1992, Dietary Modulation of Oleic and Stearic Acid in Egg Yolks, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 3(3):209-215. However, this method has the disadvantage of producing poor quality feed pellets if the supplement is present above a certain level. Feed supplements such as high oleic sunflower seeds have been tried, but these have the disadvantage of containing such a high fiber content that only a limited amount can be included in the diet.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for a method of lowering the cholesterol levels and/or altering the fatty acid composition of animals and eggs without requiring substantial additional process steps, feed additives or non-optimum feed ingredients.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method of reducing cholesterol and/or altering the fatty acid content in eggs. The method includes feeding the animals a high oleic feed source, and may be practiced individually or in combination with known methods of layer feeding and egg processing, including those involving a further reduction in cholesterol or alteration of fatty acids. As used herein, “feed source” refers to sources that provide a substantial portion of the nutritional and caloric requirements of the animal, rather than sources, such as mineral supplements, that provide limited nutritional and caloric value. For example, feed sources useful in the present invention include soybeans or cereal grains such as corn, sorghum, barley, rye, wheat, rice, millet, processed products derived from the above or mixtures thereof. As used herein, the term “total feed source” refers to the total amount of grain and soybeans used as a feed source and includes both high oleic grain and soybeans (the high oleic feed source) and any non-high oleic grain and soybeans used in the feed source.
Specifically, the method of reducing cholesterol and/or altering the fatty acid profile of the egg comprises providing a feed source comprising a high oleic feed source with at least 3.5% percent weight oleic acid when measured on a dry weight basis. The high oleic feed source is preferably high oleic corn, or more preferably high oleic high oil corn. After the feed source has been fed, the egg is collected. Any species of poultry may be used in this invention, although layer hens are preferred. Some non-exhaustive examples of poultry include laying hen or layer, turkey, emu, ostrich, duck, and goose.
The egg yolks produced by the above method have at least 5.0% less total cholesterol as compared to a normal egg yolk, preferably at least 7.8% less total cholesterol. Similarly, eggs produced by the above process have at least 3.1% less low density lipoprotein as compared to a normal egg, and preferably at least about 5.9% less low density lipoprotein. Further, eggs produced by the above process have at least 3.2% more high density lipoprotein as compared to a normal egg, and preferably at least about 8.7% more high density lipoprotein. A “normal egg” is defined as an egg produced by an animal fed conventional feed sources containing conventional amounts and forms of oil with conventional amounts of oleic acid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method of reducing cholesterol in eggs and/or to a method of altering the fatty acid profile of eggs. The present invention is also directed to eggs and egg products containing reduced cholesterol and/or altered fatty acid profiles.
Regular corn typically contains about 2.5 to about 5.1 weight percent oil, based upon the total dry weight of regular corn. The oil content of high oil corn is typically at least greater than 5.1 weight percent and more preferably at least about 6.0 weight percent. Some high oil corn varieties have been developed with an oil content of about 12.0 weight percent, or more, based on the total dry matter weight of the high oil corn.
The oleic acid concentration in the oil of regular corn typically ranges from about 20 weight percent, to about 30 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the oil in the regular corn. The oleic acid concentration in the oil of high oleic corn is typically at least about 45 weight percent, more preferably at least about 60 weight percent, and even more preferably at least about 64 weight percent, based upon the total weight of the oil in the high oleic corn. Some high oleic varieties have been developed with an oleic content of about 75 weight percent, or more, based on the total weight of the oil in the high oleic corn, and these would be most preferable for use in the present invention.
Any variety of high oleic corn with sufficient oleic levels may be used in the present invention. An example of a high oleic corn variety is described in PCT application WO 92/01367 to Alexander. However, most preferable is the use of a variety that has the high oleic trait in combination with a high oil trait, as this variety will have the highest oleic levels when measured on an absolute basis. A variety with the high oleic trait in combination with a high oleic trait is described in PCT application WO95/22598 to Leto. High oleic high oil corn is available from DuPont Specialty Grains in Johnston Iowa. The corn used in the p
Callistein Steven J.
DuPont Specialty Grains
DuPont Specialty Grains
Loppegard Kathryn K.
Weier Anthony J.
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