Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-30
2004-06-29
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
C426S580000, C426S581000, C426S601000, C426S654000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06756070
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Peanut butters are customarily made by first roasting and blanching raw peanuts to clean the peanuts and to remove much of the moisture from the peanuts. The cleaned and roasted peanuts are then subsequently ground to form a pasty material which is a mixture of peanut particles and peanut oil. The pasty material is typically cooled to form peanut butter and packaged for later use. If the peanut butter is allowed to stand for a period of time, the peanut oil will begin to separate from the peanut particles and form a separate layer on top of the particles and leave a rigid crumbly peanut particle mass underneath.
Several additives have been developed to inhibit or prevent the peanut oil from forming a separate layer after a period of time. Typically, a stabilizer is added to the peanut particle and peanut oil mixture to inhibit the peanut oil separation. It is known that the addition of hydrogenated oils, such as hydrogenated peanut oil, will help stabilize the peanut butter to prevent excessive amounts of peanut oil from separating from the peanut butter. The hydrogenated oils form a crystal matrix with the peanut oil and peanut particles which then forms a rigid mass and inhibits the settling of the peanut particles from the peanut oil. However, if too much hydrogenated oils are added to the peanut butter to prevent peanut oil separation from the peanut particles, the large amount of hydrogenated oils will cause the peanut butter to become excessively firm resulting in a difficult to spread product that has a waxy taste and undesirably clings to the roof of the mouth when eaten.
As a result, a wide variety of stabilizers have been developed which prevent the separation of the peanut oil from the peanut particles without forming an overly firm product having a waxy aftertaste. Examples of such stabilizers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,395,934; 2,504,620; 2,521,243; 2,552,925; 2,562,630; 2,688,554; 3,129,103; 3,127,272; 3,265,507; 3,671,267; 4,288,378; and 4,341,814. Although these stabilizers are effective in preventing or inhibiting the peanut oil from separating from the peanut particles in the peanut butter, these stabilizers are all artificially produced. Many of these stabilizers are formed from natural oils which have been hydrogenated so as to saturate the carbon bonds with hydrogen. Other types of stabilizers modify natural oils by an interesterifying process. The addition of these actinically produced stabilizers result in a peanut butter product which does not contain all natural ingredients.
Recently, there has been a growing demand for organically grown products and all natural products. This trend is partially the result of a belief that products made by all natural ingredients are healthier than products which contain artificial ingredients. Although there are some peanut butters which are packaged and sold as containing only natural ingredients, these all natural peanut butters do not include stabilizers. As a result, these natural peanut butters exhibit peanut oil and peanut particle separation. The user must stir the peanut oil into the peanut butter prior to use. This mixing step can be very messy and inconvenient, the separation of the peanut oil from the peanut particles in the peanut butter creates an undesirable looking product for many individuals, and if the peanut oil and peanut particles are not throughly mixed, the peanut butter can have an undesired oily taste.
In view of the present state of the art of peanut butter, there is a demand for a peanut butter which includes all natural ingredients, and inhibits or prevents the separation of the peanut oil from the peanut particles over an acceptable shelf life time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread which contains essentially all natural ingredients. The peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread includes peanut particles, peanut oil and a natural stabilizer. The natural stabilizer forms a matrix with the peanut oil and peanut particles resulting in a firm peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread which resists the separation of the peanut oil from the peanut particles after the peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread has been packaged. The natural ingredient peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread is preferably produced by conventional methods. In one embodiment, raw peanuts are cleaned, roasted and blanched. The peanuts are then ground and/or pressed forming a pasty material made of peanut particles and peanut oil. In one aspect of this embodiment, the roasted peanuts are ground between metal grinding plates which have burrs or teeth, and the plates are spaced apart such that a small clearance between the grinding plates exists during the grinding process. The ground peanuts that are forced out the end of the plates are in the form of pasty material made of fine peanut particles in oil. During the grinding process, the resulting pasty material is maintained above about 100° F. and typically between about 120°-250° F. The natural stabilizer is added and mixed with the pasty mixture to form a substantially homogeneous mixture of peanut particles, peanut oil and natural stabilizer prior to packaging the peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread. In another embodiment, the natural stabilizer is added to the pasty mixture after the pasty mixture exits the grinders and prior to the pasty material being cooled. The natural stabilizer is mixed with the pasty material to form a substantially homogeneous mixture. In one aspect of this embodiment, the natural stabilizer is added to the pasty material in a solid or semi-solid form. When the natural stabilizer is added in a solid or semi-solid form, the temperature of the pasty material is typically maintained at a high enough temperature to cause the solid natural stabilizer to transform into a substantially liquid state so that a substantially homogeneous mixture of peanut particles, peanut oil and natural stabilizer is formed. In another aspect of this embodiment, the natural stabilizer is added in a liquid form. When the natural stabilizer is added in a liquid form, the temperature of the pasty material is typically maintained at a high enough temperature to prevent the liquid natural stabilizer from solidifying prior to forming a substantially homogeneous mixture of peanut particles, peanut oil and natural stabilizer. After the natural stabilizer is added to the peanut particles and peanut oil, the mixture is typically cooled and then packaged. In still another embodiment, the natural stabilizer is added to the pasty mixture after the pasty mixture has been fully or partially cooled. The natural stabilizer is mixed with the cooled pasty material to form a substantially homogeneous mixture and is then packaged. In one aspect of this embodiment, the natural stabilizer is added to the pasty material in a liquid form. When the natural stabilizer is added in a liquid form, the temperature of the pasty material is typically maintained at a high enough temperature to prevent the liquid natural stabilizer from solidifying prior to forming a substantially homogeneous mixture of peanut particles, peanut oil and natural stabilizer. After the natural stabilizer is added to the peanut particles and peanut oil, the mixture is packaged or further cooled then packaged. In yet another embodiment, a part of the natural stabilizer is added to the pasty mixture after the pasty mixture exits the grinders and prior to the pasty material being cooled, and the remainder of the natural stabilizer is added after the pasty mixture has been partially or fully cooled. In still yet another embodiment, the peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread includes at least about 75 weight percent peanut particles and peanut oil, and at least about 1 weight percent natural stabilizer. In one aspect of this embodiment, the peanut butter and/or peanut butter spread includes about 80-99.7 weight percent peanut particles and peanut oil, and about 0.3-15 weight percent natural stabilizer, preferably
Calfee Halter & Griswold LLP
Pratt Helen
The J.M. Smucker Company
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