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
2001-02-15
2002-09-17
Hendricks, Keith (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,...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06451369
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to non-dairy cereal dispersions prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis and more specifically, to non-dairy oat dispersions prepared by synergistic enzymatic hydrolysis and to the products produced therefrom, such as non-dairy, ready-to-use milk substitutes, yogurt, ice cream, and the like.
BACKGROUND
The beneficial health effects of dietary fibers are well known. In this context, there has been a growing interest in food products made from cereal grains, such as oats and barley. In many respects, however, oats offer more health benefits than do other cereals.
Oats have a higher protein and fat content than do other cereals and, in addition, the proteins in oats are of higher food value than are those found in other cereals. Oat grains also have a higher concentration of beta-glucans, which are believed to lower the serum cholesterol level of hypercholesteremic individuals, and as a raised serum cholesterol concentration is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, it is important to be able to include foods high in beta-glucans in one's daily diet (as disclosed in Consumption of Oat Milk for 5 Weeks Lowers Serum Cholesterol and LDL Cholesterol in Free-Living Men with Moderate Hypercholesterolemia, 1999,
Nutrition
&
Metabolism
43:301-309, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein). Additionally, oats have a high content of soluble fiber (most of which is beta-glucans), and foods containing soluble dietary fiber have also been shown to decrease serum cholesterol concentration. Oats also have a lower carbohydrate content than comparable cereals, contain considerable proportions of mono and polyunsaturated fats, and many essential amino acids, and minerals.
In oats, the most nutritious components are distributed fairly evenly in the whole grain, whereas in other grains, the nutritious components are frequently concentrated in specific parts of the grain. This means that when using oats, once the hull has been removed, the whole grain can be used for making various products.
The nutritional aspects of oat components have prompted the introduction of oats, or parts thereof, into several different food products. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,063 (G. F. Inglett) discloses the preparation of water-soluble dietary fiber compositions by treating ground oat products with &agr;-amylases. The &agr;-amylase serves to thin the oat starch, and any &agr;-amylase may thus be used. The produced pulverulent dietary fiber compositions are used as additives in food products, such as fat substitutes. However, these products not only lack desirable aromatics of natural oats, but are also deprived of agreeable natural oat flavorings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,123 (to L. Lindahl et al.) discloses a homogeneous and stable cereal suspension having the taste and aroma of natural oats. The disclosed cereal suspension is prepared by treating a suspension of oatmeal with beta-amylase, which has no glucanase and proteinase activity, in a first enzyme treatment step, which specifically generates maltose and maltodextrin units. Then in a second enzyme treatment step, the suspension is treated with &agr;-amylase, which also has no glucanase and proteinase activity, and which specifically generates maltose units. This oat suspension is a milky product, which can be used as an alternative to milk, especially for lactose-intolerant people. It may also be used as the basis of or an additive in the manufacture of ice cream, gruel, yogurt, milkshakes, health beverages, and snacks. However, this process is time consuming because of the sequential treatments with different hydrolases, thereby increasing the cost of production. Moreover, sequential enzyme treatments eliminate any possible positive synergic effects that may occur when enzymes are used simultaneously. Furthermore, the overall viscosity and/or sugar content of the cereal suspension cannot be efficiently controlled or manipulated.
In view of these shortcomings, there is a need for cereal dispersions, including ready-to-use, non-dairy whole milk substitutes and products containing such milk substitutes, which can be made using enzyme preparations which hydrolyze cereal starch in a more cost-efficient and timely manner while producing a nutritious, lactose free cereal dispersion which retains the flavor and aromatic qualities of the natural cereal, and in which the viscosity, sugar content, and overall texture can be regulated or modified for a preferred end product, while maintaining cholesterol lowering properties.
SUMMARY
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to non-dairy cereal dispersions that satisfy these needs.
Thus, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide for non-dairy cereal dispersions made using enzyme preparations, which hydrolyze cereal starch in a cost-efficient and timely manner.
It is another object to produce nutritious, non-dairy, lactose free cereal dispersions, which retain the flavor and aromatic qualities of the natural cereal.
It is yet another object to produce cereal dispersions in which the viscosity, sugar content, and overall texture can be regulated or manipulated by varying the relative amounts of the enzymes used, while maintaining a high concentration of natural sugars, proteins, and of beta-glucans which provide cholesterol lowering properties.
A still further objective is to provide ready-to-use and consume, non-dairy milk substitute oat milks each having a sugar and maltodextrin composition, and a viscosity value that can be related to the enzyme preparation used, wherein the oat milks can be used directly for drinking and for cooking in place of dairy milk, or that can be further treated to provide for a range of products, including concentrates and powdered products, and ready-to-consume products, such as ice cream and yogurt.
These objectives are met by non-dairy cereal dispersions comprising a cereal substrate suspension and an enzyme composition for the enzymatic hydrolysis of the constituents in the cereal substrate suspension, wherein the heat-treated, enzyme modified cereals contain intact &bgr;-glucans, proteins, and natural sugars. The non-dairy cereal dispersions are prepared by the process comprising the steps of:
(i) providing a cereal suspension;
(ii) providing a starch degrading enzyme composition devoid of &bgr;-glucanase and proteinase activity and that includes &agr;-amylase and &bgr;-amylase, and
(iii) treating the cereal suspension with the enzyme composition by introducing the &bgr;-amylase and the &agr;-amylase simultaneously to the cereal suspension to provide for:
(a) accelerated enzymatic hydrolysis, and
(b) reduced amounts of the enzymes as compared to the larger amounts that would be required if the enzymes would be introduced sequentially.
Non-dairy, ready-to-use, milk substitute, cereal dispersions, which contain intact &bgr;-glucans, proteins, and natural sugars may also be prepared by:
(i) providing a dehulled and heat treated oat suspension which comprises from about 5 to about 20 percent w/w oats in water,
(ii) providing a starch degrading enzyme composition devoid of &bgr;-glucanase and proteinase activity and that contains &agr;-amylase and &bgr;-amylase, and
(iii) treating the cereal suspension with the enzyme composition by introducing the &bgr;-amylase and the &agr;-amylase simultaneously to the cereal suspension to provide for:
(a) accelerated enzymatic hydrolysis, and
(b) reduced amounts of said enzymes than otherwise needed when the enzymes are introduced sequentially,
whereby the natural flavor and aroma of the oat cereal are retained.
The previously discussed non-dairy, ready-to-use cereal dispersions may be consumed in place of dairy milk products, as well as being used in recipes for cooking and for making other non-dairy or dairy-containing products, such as yogurts, ice creams, and other confectionary products. Such products will be characterized as being thick, creamy, homogenous dispersions all containing intact &bgr;-glucans, proteins, and natural sugars, w
Cereal Base CEBA AB
Hendricks Keith
Simpson & Simpson PLLC
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