Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Gels or gelable composition
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-31
2003-04-08
Paden, Carolyn (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Gels or gelable composition
C426S602000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06544575
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an oil-in-water type emulsion composition which comprises a fat or oil, water, a protein, and a carrageenan but is free from emulsifiers, and to a process for producing the same.
BACKGROUND ART
For keeping their emulsified state stable, the majority of conventional emulsions having an oil-in-water type emulsion structure contain one or more than one emulsifiers, such as glycerol fatty acid esters, glycerol acetic acid fatty acid esters, glycerol lactic acid fatty acid esters, glycerol succinic acid fatty acid esters, glycerol diacetyltartaric acid fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sucrose acetic acid isobutyric acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, stearoyl calcium lactate, stearoyl sodium lactate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoglyceride, in their systems.
For the case where the use of an emulsifier alone is unable to bring out the intended physical properties, a number of attempts to solve such problem through the use of the emulsifier in combination with a stabilizer such as a polysaccharide thickener, a salt, and a pH adjuster have been made.
One example of such attempts is a process for producing a foamable oil-in-water type emulsion composition being a combination of a polyglycerol fatty acid ester, a polysaccharide thickener such as xanthan gum and &lgr;-carrageenan, and an lipophilic processed starch (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 6-225720).
However, a problematic aspect of the addition of emulsifiers, including those mentioned above, is that their own taste and smell spoil the original flavor of food.
Furthermore, in recent years, there is such a strong, society-wide preference for foods that are more natural as is typified by a tendency for consumers to prefer foods that are free from synthetic emulsifiers and show more naturally emulsified state, and it is expected that this tendency will further continue growing.
Under the circumstances, the technique recited in the patent publication mentioned above in which the use of a polyglycerol fatty acid ester as an essential and indispensable component for bringing out the intended physical properties is a prerequisite does not meet the demand.
Although there exist techniques that relate to oil-in-water type emulsion compositions that contain protein but are free from emulsifiers as mentioned above, problems in terms of emulsion stability against physical stresses, such as modification of protein by heating or freezing and destruction of emulsified state by stirring or kneading, remain to be solved. Particularly, in the case of the use of a solid fat, there arises, for example, the problem that its crystal growth with time exerts a large influence on the emulsified state and emulsion stability of the resulting emulsion composition.
For such reasons, realization of an oil-in-water type emulsion composition which keeps its emulsified state firm and stable even without the aid of an emulsifier has strongly been desired.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oil-in-water type emulsion composition which shows, even without an emulsifier, high emulsion stability against such physical stresses as heating, freezing, stirring, kneading, etc.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention achieved the above-described object by providing an oil-in-water type emulsion composition which is characterized in that it comprises a fat or oil, water, a protein, and a carrageenan but is free from emulsifiers.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the oil-in-water type emulsion composition of the present invention will be described in further detail.
Although there is no particular restriction as to the oil or fat to be used in the present invention, examples thereof are a variety of vegetable and animal fats and oils typified by palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cotton seed oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, rice oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, beef tallow, milk fat, lard, cacao fat, fish oil, and whale oil; and processed ones thereof obtained through one or more than one treatment steps selected from hydrogenation, fractionation, and transesterification. In the present invention, these oils and fats can be used either alone or in combination.
The amount of the fat or oil incorporated in the oil-in-water type emulsion composition of the present invention is preferably 4 to 85% by weight (hereinafter, abbreviated as “%”), more preferably 4 to 70%, much more preferably 4 to 50%.
Although there is no particular restriction as to the protein to be used in the present invention, examples thereof are whey proteins such as &agr;-lactalbumin, &bgr;-lactoglobulin, and serum albumin; casein and other lactoproteins; low-density lipoproteins; high-density lipoproteins; egg proteins such as phosvitin, livetin, phosphoglycoprotein, ovalbumin, conalbumin, and ovomucoid; wheat proteins such as gliadin, glutenin, prolamine, and glutelin; and other animal and vegetable proteins. One or more than one of these proteins that can be employed in the present invention, or a food material containing one or more than one of these proteins, may be added to the composition, depending on the purpose.
Among the proteins listed above, the use of one or more than one proteins selected from whey proteins such as &agr;-lactalbumin, &bgr;-lactoglobulin, and serum albumin, and casein, or the use of a food material containing one or more than one of these proteins is preferred.
The protein content of the oil-in-water type emulsion composition of the present invention is preferably 0.05 to 15%, more preferably 0.05 to 10%.
Examples of the carrageenan which is used in the present invention are &kgr;-carrageenan, &lgr;-carrageenan, &igr;-carrageenan, &mgr;-carrageenan, &ngr;-caffageenan, &thgr;-cafageenan, &xgr;-carrageenan, &pgr;-carrageenan, and &bgr;-carrageenan. The carrageenan to be used in the present invention is one containing at least one or more of these.
Typical algae as a raw material from which the carrageenans mentioned above are derived are those of the genus Hypnea of the family Hypneaceae, the genus Eucheuma of the family Solieriaceae, the genus Chondrus of the family Gigartinaceae, the genus Gigartina, the genus Iredaea, and others. Of the above-mentioned carrageenans that can be used in the present invention, for example, algae of the genus Hypnea, the genus Eucheuma, the genus Chondrus, and the genus Iredaea are high in &kgr;- and &mgr;-carrageenan content. Moreover, algae of the genus Iredaea, the genus Gigartina, and the genus Chondrus are high in &lgr;- and &thgr;-carrageenan content. Algae of the genus Eucheuma are high in &igr;- and &ngr;-carrageenan content. The carrageenan to be used in the present invention is a crude extract derived from any of these raw material, algae or its refined product.
Of the carrageenans mentioned above, preparation of the oil-in-water type emulsion composition using a carrageenan containing a carrageenan(s) other than &kgr;-carrageenan is preferable because the stability of the resulting emulsion against physical stresses such as stirring is improved.
&kgr;-carrageenan has the characteristic of forming a tough brittle gel with low elasticity in an aqueous solution. Especially, such tendency becomes apparent particularly in a system in which monovalent cations such as potassium ions, rubidium ions, and cesium ions are present, resulting in the formation of a tougher and more brittle gel.
In contrast to the oil-in-water type emulsion composition of the present invention being in a stably emulsified state, the reason why an oil-in-water type emulsion composition prepared using a carrageenan composed of &kgr;-carrageenan alone is poor in emulsion stability could be assigned to the gelling properties &kgr;-carrageenan possesses, but the details are not known.
Therefore, preferred as the carrageenan to be used in the present invention is one that cont
Ikeda Kenji
Kaneko Mikihiro
Okutomi Yasuo
Asahi Denka Koygo Kabushiki Kaisha
Paden Carolyn
Young & Thompson
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