Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series – Organic compounds – Carbohydrates or derivatives
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-25
2001-09-25
Geist, Gary (Department: 1623)
Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series
Organic compounds
Carbohydrates or derivatives
C536S056000, C536S058000, C536S063000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06294665
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a water-soluble polysaccharide, and more specifically, it relates to a process for producing a water-soluble polysaccharide excellent in its dissolution behavior, and in suppression of foaming and dusting during its dissolution.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a water-soluble polysaccharide is dissolved in or dispersed into water, it has had useful effects such as the so-called dispersion effect of improving the dispersibility of other substances, the so-called thickening effect of increasing the viscosity of the system and an emulsifying effect, and it has shown various useful functions and properties.
Many of the water-soluble polysaccharides are often in the form of dried powder products. When the powder products are added to water, they are hydrated more quickly, on their surface contacted with water, than they are dissolved therein while they are being dispersed thereinto. They have therefore the problem in that they produce so-called “undissolved powder lumps” which are difficult to dissolve. That is, since many of the water-soluble polysaccharides exhibit thickening behavior and are capable of lowering the surface tension, they have problems such as mentioned below. When they are added to water, to be dissolved therein, they tend to generate foam and, in extreme cases, the volume of the foams becomes larger than that of the aqueous solution, which requires enlargement of the dissolution installation. Moreover, when “undissolved powder lumps” exist in the foam thus generated, dissolution of the “undissolved powder lumps” is very difficult.
In order to efficiently dissolve such water-soluble polysaccharide powder which is difficult to dissolve in water, there are procedures such as a procedure in which stirring is conducted under reduced pressure, a procedure in which the water temperature is raised or the water is heated during dissolution, and a procedure in which a dissolver of a centrifugal defoaming type is used. However, any one of these procedures requires a corresponding facility. Accordingly, a water-soluble polysaccharide in a commercial form, in which the polysaccharide is readily dissolved in water, is desired.
Moreover, in order to suppress foaming during dissolution of the water-soluble polysaccharides in water, there has been a procedure of adding an antifoamer. However, the procedure requires repeated operations; therefore a water-soluble polysaccharide which foams less is desired.
Furthermore, since many of the water-soluble polysaccharides are in the form of dried fine powder, the polysaccharides tend to float in the air at the time of handling them, that is, so-called “dusting” tends to take place; in extreme cases there arises not only the danger of dust explosion but also a sanitary problem in that the operation environment is polluted.
In order to prevent such dusting of the water-soluble polysaccharides, there is a procedure in which the particle size is increased in the granulating step and a procedure in which the particle surfaces of the powder are processed. However, since the granulation and surface processing steps become costly, the steps are difficult to adopt as mere countermeasures for the powder floating.
As explained above, in order to make the water-soluble polysaccharides exhibit their functions and properties, it is essential to dissolve them in or disperse them into water. However, the water-soluble polysaccharides in powder form have the problem of dissolution in water as well as that of foaming during dissolution and dusting during the handling operation. Accordingly, they are not necessarily satisfactory at present from the aspect of handling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for producing a water-soluble polysaccharide exhibiting excellent handling behavior such as excellent dissolution in water, suppressed foaming during dissolution and suppressed dusting during handling operation.
As a result of intensively investigating the problems as mentioned above, the present inventors have made the discovery that granulation of a water-soluble polysaccharide in powder using a mixed solution of a water-soluble polysaccharide and an emulsifier as a binder solution can produce a water-soluble polysaccharide excellent in handling behavior such as significantly improved dissolution in water of the granules, suppressed foaming during dissolution and suppressed dusting during handling operation. The present invention has been completed on the basis of this discovery.
That is, the present invention provides a process for producing a granulated water-soluble polysaccharide, comprising granulating a water-soluble polysaccharide in powder while a mixed solution of a water-soluble polysaccharide and an emulsifier is being used as a binder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the present invention, ordinarily, the water-soluble polysaccharide in powder which is to become the nuclei of the granules is fundamentally identical to the water-soluble polysaccharide to be used in the binder solution. However, both polysaccharides may differ from each other. Accordingly, the water-soluble polysaccharide in the present specification designates either one of the polysaccharide to become the nuclei of the granules and that to be used in the binder solution or both polysaccharides, unless otherwise noted.
Examples of the water-soluble polysaccharides include water-soluble hemicellulose, gum arabic, tragacanth gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, tara gum, gloiopeltis glue, agar, furcellaran, tamarind seed polysaccharide, kalaya gum, hibiscus, pectin, sodium alginate, pullulan, jellan gum, locust bean gum, various starches, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), methylcellulose (MC), ethylcellulose (EC), hydroxymethylcellulose (HMC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), hydroxyethylmethylcellulose (HEMC), hydroxyethylethylcellulose (HEEC), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropylethylcellulose (HPEC), hydroxyethylhydoxypropylcellulose (HEHPC), sulfoethylcellulose, dihydroxypropylcellulose (DHPC), propylene glycol alginate and processed starches such as soluble starch.
Of the water-soluble polysaccharides mentioned above, water-soluble hemicellulose is preferred in the present invention, and plant-derived water-soluble hemicellulose is more preferred. The plant-derived water-soluble hemicellulose is preferred to be derived from beans, particularly from soybeans, more particularly from soybean cotyledon.
Although the water-soluble hemicellulose can be used regardless of its molecular weight, a preferred average molecular weight is from several tens of thousand to several millions, and a specifically preferred average molecular weight is from 50,000 to 1,000,000. In addition, the average molecular weight of water-soluble hemicellulose is a value obtained by the intrinsic viscosity method by which the viscosity thereof in a 0.1 M NaNO
3
solution is measured using standard pullulan (commercially available from Showa Denko K.K.) as a standard substance. Moreover, measurement of uronic acid was performed by the Blumenkrantz method, and measurement of neutral sugars was performed by the GLC after converting it into alditol acetate.
Water-soluble hemicellulose can be extracted with water from a raw material containing hemicellulose. In some cases, it is heat eluted under an acidic or alkaline condition, or it is decomposition eluted with an enzyme. One example of the process for producing water-soluble hemicellulose is as explained below.
The following plant materials can be used as raw materials for water-soluble hemicellulose: husks usually obtained by removing oil and fat and protein from oily seeds such as soybeans, palms, coconut, cone and cotton seed; and lees usually obtained by removing starch and the like from grains such as rice and wheat. When soybeans are the raw material, okara (bean-curd refuse) produced simultaneously during preparation of tofu (bean-
Hattori Mitsuo
Maeda Hirokazu
Nagaoka Shushi
Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.
Geist Gary
Paul & Paul
White Everett
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