Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Normally noningestible chewable material or process of... – Packaged – structurally defined – or coated
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-24
2003-05-27
Sayala, Chhaya D. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Normally noningestible chewable material or process of...
Packaged, structurally defined, or coated
C426S003000, C426S431000, C426S481000, C426S507000, C426S634000, C426S658000, C426S660000, C426S549000, C426S804000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06569473
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for production of water-soluble vegetable fibers from water-insoluble vegetable fibers which are residues obtained by defatting oil seeds such as soybeans and the like, and extracting protein therefrom (e.g., “okara” and the like), or residues obtained by extracting starch from cereals. Further, the present invention relates to transparent biodegradable films, paste and chewing gum as well as low calorie food products using the water soluble vegetable fibers.
PRIOR ART
Residues obtained by extracting fats and oils from oil seeds and then extracting protein, or by extracting starch from, cereals are rich in vegetable fibers. However, it is difficult to recover the vegetable fibers in good yield because remaining protein entangles with vegetable fibers. Further, because of water-insolubility of these vegetable fibers, it is difficult to obtain water-soluble vegetable fibers in good yield with minimizing contamination of protein by degrading these water-insoluble vegetable fibers. For example, a residue, “okara”, which is obtained by extracting fats and oils as well as protein from soybeans and the like are water-insoluble vegetable fibers still containing soybean protein. When the water-insoluble vegetable fibers are degraded with an alkali to extract water-soluble polysaccharides, the saccharides are degraded to oligosaccharides, or soybean protein, degraded soybean peptide and/or amino acids are contaminated. Thus, it is difficult to obtain highly purified vegetable fibers in a high yield.
At present, no process for recovering water-soluble vegetable fibers in high purity and high yield from such water-insoluble fibers has been found. If it were possible to obtain water-soluble vegetable fibers in high purity and high yield, such water-soluble vegetable fibers could be widely applied to various kinds of films and adhesives, food products and the like. For example, plastic package films are not naturally degraded. Although collagen films and pullulan films have biodegradable properties, i.e., capability for degradation by microorganisms, and the like, there are problems that collagen films have inferior heat-seal property, and pullulan films are expensive. On the other hand, it is possible to obtain the films without these problems by using the water-soluble vegetable fibers.
Further, adhesives such as animal glue, modified starch, gum arabic, pullulan, polyvinyl alcohol and the like, in particular, paste as remoistening adhesives have practical problems that their adhesive strength is low, they are expensive, and the like. However, such problems can be solved by using the water-soluble vegetable fibers.
Further, for example, when pullulan, which is water soluble polysaccharide produced by a microorganism, is used in chewing gum, pullulan is expensive in comparison with the water-soluble vegetable fibers, and the resulting chewing gum has inferior durability of pleasant chewing property and inferior water retention. However, when the water-soluble vegetable fibers is used, such problems can be solved.
Furthermore, the water-soluble vegetable fibers can be used for low calorie food products and such low calorie food products have not been known heretofore in the prior art.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a process for production of water-soluble vegetable fibers from water-insoluble vegetable fibers containing protein, and is to provide films, paste, chewing gum and low calorie food products obtained by using the resulting water-soluble vegetable fibers.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The process for production of water-soluble vegetable fibers of the present invention comprises degrading water-insoluble vegetable fibers containing protein under acidic conditions of at about the isoelectric point of the protein and at a temperature of 130° C. or lower.
As the water-insoluble vegetable fibers containing protein, there can be used residues obtained by removing husks, fats and oils and protein from oil seeds (e.g., soybeans, palm, coconut, corn, cottonseed, corn, etc.), and residues obtained by removing grounds, starch and the like from cereals (e.g., rice, wheat, etc.).
In the process of the present invention, it is suitable to degrade the water-insoluble vegetable fibers by heating at about an isoelectric point (normally, acidic range) of protein which is contained in the water insoluble vegetable fibers. Thereby, in comparison with alkaline degradation, contamination of protein in a degraded fraction can be minimized and no post step for removing protein is required to obtain water soluble-vegetable fibers having lower protein contents and high purity. Further, formation of any harmful material such as lysinoalanine or the like can be prevented and this is preferred from the viewpoint of productivity.
The pH about the isoelectric point of the protein contained in the water-insoluble vegetable fibers is normally within an acidic range (not higher than pH 6). For example, in the case of a residue obtained by extracting fats and oils and protein from soy beans, i.e. “okara”, pH 3 to 6 is preferable.
Further, when husks such as peels and the like are contained in the water-insoluble vegetable fibers, the taste and flavor of the water-soluble vegetable fibers obtained becomes inferior and, therefore, in the present invention, it is preferred to use water-insoluble vegetable fibers from which husks—such as peels and the like are removed. When the water-insoluble vegetable fibers are obtained from oil seeds, green flavor and the like of the resulting water-soluble vegetable fibers can be reduced by using water-insoluble vegetable fibers from which husks and the like are removed. For example, in the case of “okara” containing soybean protein, it is preferred to use “okara” obtained from dehusked soybeans.
“Okara” to be used in the present invention is a residue obtained by adding water to defatted soybeans from which its oil fraction has been extracted and removed, forming a slurry which contains okara and a water-soluble fraction by mixing the resultant mixture, e.g., with stirring and removing the water-soluble fraction, e.g., with centrifugation.
When the water-soluble fraction is subjected to isoelectric precipitation, e.g., by addition of an acid, it can be fractionated into soybean protein and whey. Whey contains carbohydrates containing oligosaccharides and proteins such as soybean albumin and the like.
“Okara” contains water-insoluble fibers and soybean proteins which remain without extraction. Normally, “okara” contains about 40 to 65% by weight of edible fibers based on the dry solids thereof. Suitably, “okara” contains 10 to 40% by weight, preferably 10 to 20% by weight of proteins based on the dry solids thereof.
In the present invention, the reason why the water-insoluble vegetable fibers containing protein are degraded under acidic conditions at about the isoelectric point of protein is that the vegetable fibers are excessively degraded under considerably stronger acidic conditions than those at the isoelectric point of protein, for example, in the case of the degradation of “okara” containing soybean protein as described above under strong acidic conditions of pH 2 or lower, which results in deterioration of functions as the vegetable fibers.. Further, protein is also degraded together with the vegetable fibers and dissolved and, thereby, when the fibers are used for drinks and the like, clouding of liquid is caused by neutralization. Furthermore, sufficient neutralization is required because of low pH and, therefore, the amount of a salt formed by neutralization increases, which requires an additional desalting step.
On the other hand, when water-insoluble vegetable fibers containing protein are degraded at a considerably higher pH than the isoelectric point of protein such as under neutral or alkaline conditions, for example, when “okara”containing soybean protein as described above is degraded under alkali conditions, i.e., at a pH higher than 7, protein is degrad
Furuta Hitoshi
Maeda Hirokazu
Mori Hiroyuki
Saito Toshiaki
Takei Chiemi
Fuji Oil Company Limited
Sayala Chhaya D.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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