Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of plant or plant derived material
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-19
2002-05-07
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of plant or plant derived material
C426S007000, C426S046000, C426S049000, C426S060000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06383532
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a process for the production of a hydrolysate, in particular the production of hydrolysate by the biological hydrolysis of a protein containing material. The various forms of the hydrolysate can be used as a sauce, seasoning agent, or a base for culinary products.
BACKGROUND ART
Hydrolyzed proteins in the form of a soya sauce have been used as seasonings in food systems for centuries in the Far East. Traditionally the soya sauce was prepared by fermentation for a long period of time, usually several months. In producing soya sauce, plant protein containing materials such as cooked soya beans or defatted soy grits together with carbohydrates are inoculated with Aspergilli and the semi solid product is fermented for 2 days to make a Koji. During this time enzymes are produced that are able to hydrolyze the protein and carbohydrates in a second stage, called the moromi stage. The fermented Koji is mixed with a solution of common salt to provide the moromi, which is then fermented for 4 to 8 months by the soya lactic acid bacteria and soya yeasts. The soya sauce is obtained by removing the insoluble fractions from the fermented moromi.
About 100 years ago, a more rapid method of hydrolyzing proteins to produce seasonings was developed. This method uses hydrochloric acid and the time required for hydrolysis is only a few hours. In recent years, however, the use in culinary applications of acid hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP) has been under criticism due to the presence of chloro-compounds that arise from the acid process. Therefore, attempts have been made to develop HPP replacements that can be used as body-givers in culinary applications. Soya sauce is one such suitable replacement.
HPP and soya sauce, however, are not the same. For example, there are differences in the chemical composition and flavor profile of HPP and soya sauce owing to the differences in the raw materials and the processing methods involved. In addition, the dosage or amount of soya sauce that can be used as an HPP replacement is also limited due to its “fermented” note. Furthermore, the different processing procedures results in a significant variation in the degree that the protein containing materials are hydrolyzed to amino acids. Also soya sauce has a lower amino acid content than HPP that leads to a significantly weaker body in soya sauce than in HPP. Thus, there is a need in the culinary field for improved HPP replacements such as soya sauce.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for production of a hydrolysate as well as to the hydrolysates thus produced and their use in culinary products. The process includes fermenting a Koji substrate that contains a protein containing material and a carbohydrate that has been inoculated with a culture of a lactic acid bacteria that is capable of imparting a specific characteristic note to the hydrolysate at an inoculation density of from about 10
3
to 10
7
cfu/g of fermented Koji to produce a fermented Koji. Next, the fermented Koji is hydrolyzed at a temperature of between about 2° C. and 50° C. and a pH of from about 5.6 to 7, and preferably 5.8 to 6.6, for a period of from about 1 to 20 days to produce the hydrolysate. The hydrolysate has a characteristic note that is stronger than if the inoculation with the lactic acid bacteria occurred after the fermentation stage.
The lactic acid bacteria may be
L. sake, L. plantarum, L. cuvatus
, or a mixture thereof. The Koji may be fermented by inoculating a culture bed of the protein containing material and the carbohydrate with a culture of
Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae
, or a mixture thereof.
The protein containing material may be a plant protein material containing cysteine in an amount of between about 0.5 to 3% by weight of the protein containing material. The protein containing material may be selected from the group consisting of soya, wheat germ, corn gluten, rice gluten, wheat gluten, or a mixture thereof. The amount of protein containing material in the Koji substrate may be from about 30 to 100% and preferably from about 70 to 90%. The protein containing material may be cooked and in solid particulate form. In one embodiment the protein containing material is fermented in the solid state.
Hydrolysis of the fermented protein Koji may be carried out in the presence of water and in the absence of salt. When the hydrolysis is carried out in the presence of water and in the absence of salt it may be carried out at a temperature of between about 30° to 37° C. for a period of between about 2 to 5 days. The hydrolysis of the fermented protein Koji may also be carried out in the presence of water and in the presence of salt in an amount of up to about 100% by weight based on the weight of the fermented Koji.
The hydrolysis may also be carried out in stages. In one embodiment, the hydrolysis is carried out in a first hydrolysis stage at a temperature of from about 40° to 25° C. for a period of from about 1 to 48 hours and then a second hydrolysis stage at a temperature of from about 25° to 50° C. for a period of from about 1 to 20 days.
In another embodiment, an additional protein that contains cysteine in an amount of between about 0.5 and 3% by weight of the protein is added to the fermented Koji at the beginning of the hydrolysis.
The hydrolysate may be pressed to separate a liquid sauce from a solid residue. The present invention also relates to the liquid sauce prepared by pressing the hydrolysate The liquid sauce may be pasteurized at a temperature of from about 90° to 140° C. for a period of from about 15 seconds to 30 minutes and filtered to give a liquid seasoning. The present invention also relates to the liquid seasoning prepared by pasteurization.
Salt may be added to the hydrolysate or to the liquid sauce to give a liquid sauce having a salt content of up to about 60% by weight based on the weight of dried matter. The liquid sauce may also be concentrated to produce a concentrate, the concentrate dried to a low moisture content to give a dry concentrate, and the dry concentrate milled to give a powdered solid seasoning. The present invention also relates to the solid seasoning prepared according to the above-described process.
The hydrolysate may also be dried to give a dried hydrolysate and the dried hydrolysate mixed with water, salt, and reducing sugars to give a base for an aromatizing agent for a culinary product in the form of a paste. The paste may have a dry matter content of from 35 to 55% by weight and contain, on a dry matter basis, from about 24 to 97% of the hydrolysate, about 2 to 40% salt, and about 1 to 4% reducing sugar.
The present invention also relates to a base for an aromatizing agent for a culinary product prepared according to the above-described process. The dried hydrolysate may be mixed with a sulphur containing amino acid or thiamine so that the paste contains, on a dry matter basis, from about 0 to 2% of the sulphur containing amino acid or thiamine. The paste may also be heated at a temperature of from between about 80° and 150° C. for a period of time of between about 1 minute and 4 hours. The paste may also be dried to a residual water level of up to about 2% to provide a base for an aromatizing agent for a culinary product as a dried powder.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In our U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,178, we describe a process or the production of a seasoning which comprises preparing a fermented protein Koji from a protein containing material and a carbohydrate, hydrolyzing the fermented protein Koji at a temperature between 15° C. and 60° C. an a pH of from 4.5 to 10 for a period of from 6 hours to 28 days characterized in that the protein containing material and the carbohydrate are inoculated with a culture of a lactic acid bacteria at an inoculation density of from 10
3
to 10
7
cfu/g of fermented protein Koji at either the fermented protein Koji stage or in the hydrolysis stage.
We have now surprisingly found that certain specific lactic acid bacteria are capab
Dac Thang Ho
Heyland Sven
Lim Bee Gim
Ng Tsui Luan
Nestec S.A.
Winston & Strawn
Wong Leslie
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