Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-04
2001-09-11
Bhat, Nina (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
C426S585000, C426S588000, C426S599000, C426S800000, C426S801000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287623
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to protein-containing acidic foods and drinks which are smooth, tasteful, palatable and have good storage stability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Known examples of protein-containing acidic food and drink are acidic milk drinks. These acidic milk drinks are typically prepared by adding sours such as fruit juices, acidic electrolytes and the like to the main component of fermented milk that is obtained through fermentation of milk with lactic acid bacteria or yeasts. However, fermented milk has little taste for refreshment, and, in addition, it coagulates to a rough and non-smooth texture when electrolytes, fats and oils are added thereto.
Known methods for producing smooth, acidic milk drinks, for example, include: a method of homogenizing a raw material mixture that comprises acidic milk, pectin and a calcium-containing component, and a method of homogenizing a raw material mixture that comprises acidic milk and pectin followed by adding calcium thereto (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56567/96); and a method of forming fat-containing, condensed sour milk beverage containing lactic acid bacteria through high pressure homogenization, which are characterized by stable fat dispersion therein (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 20057/89). However, even in these methods, the smoothness of the acidic milk drinks obtained is still unsatisfactory.
On the other hand, long-term storage of acidic milk drinks is difficult. In general, acidic milk drinks can only be distributed in the market at low temperatures and for a period of 2 weeks or so. In order to distribute acidic milk drinks in the market at room temperature for a longer period of time, they must be further treated. For example, they must be sterilized by ultra-high-temperature flash pasteurization (UHT) or retorting. Alternatively, fermented milk is processed with an acid added thereto, thereby having a pH of not higher than 4.0, and thereafter this is subjected to cold pasteurization. In those sterilization methods, however, acidic milk drinks generally coagulate.
On the other hand, known methods for producing acidic milk drinks that are not derived from fermented milk include: a method of adding stabilizers (Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 35470/73, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 280366/96, etc.), or a method of adding saccharides (U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,052); and a method of solubilizing protein in milk with strong acids (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 20508/74), etc.
However, in those methods for producing acidic milk products that do not start with fermented milk, most proteins that are present in the starting milk pass through their own isoelectric point, and coagulate when they pass through the isoelectric point. This means that good products are difficult to produce.
For these reasons, few protein-containing acidic drinks are known other than the acidic milk drinks that are produced from fermented milk.
On the other hand, there is increasing a demand for liquid nutrients such as thick liquid diets that contain protein as the nitrogen source. Many of conventional liquid nutrients that contain protein as the nitrogen source are processed to a pH value that falls within a neutral range. However, the nutrients that are processed to have a pH value that falls within a neutral range are defective in that they often taste oily and their taste is bad. Therefore, it is desirable to develop protein-containing acidic foods and drinks such as acidic liquid nutrients, etc. However, even in the process of producing high-protein, acidic liquid nutrients, the same problems occur as in the process of producing acidic milk drinks not from fermented milk. In particular, when liquid nutrients are made and are supplemented with electrolytes such as minerals, water-soluble vitamins and the like, the coagulation of protein is promoted by the electrolytes when the protein passes through its isoelectric point. Therefore, in that case, good acidic liquid nutrients are difficult to obtain.
On the other hand, as nutrient supplements for aged persons having lowered chewing and swallowing power, protein-containing semi-solid foods such as jellies, puddings, etc. are desirable. However, for the same reasons as those for protein-containing acid drinks noted above, it is difficult to produce acidic, protein-containing semi-solid foods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a protein-containing acidic food and drink which is smooth, tasteful, palatable and have good storage stability, as well as a method for producing them.
Specifically, the invention provides a method for producing a protein-containing acidic food and drink, which comprises processing a protein emulsion having a pH value that is higher than the isoelectric point of the protein in the emulsion at a high temperature to make the emulsion having a pH value that is lower than the isoelectric point of the protein; the protein-containing acidic food and drink obtainable by the method; a protein-containing acidic food and drink containing protein, fat and oil, and water-soluble polysaccharide, in which the particles dispersed have a mean particle size of not greater than 15 &mgr;m; and a protein-containing acidic drink containing protein, fat and oil, and water-soluble polysaccharide, in which the particles dispersed have a mean particle size of not greater than 15 &mgr;m and/or having the viscosity of not greater than 20 centipoises (cPs).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A protein-containing acidic food and drink referred to herein means foods and drinks which are acidic and which contain proteins. Preferably, a food and drink has a pH value falling between 2.5 and 5.0 in order to have a good sour taste, but more preferably has a pH value of between 2.5 and 4.0 in order to have a better taste for refreshment. The protein content of the protein-containing acidic food and drink can depend on the desired end product. However, the protein content is preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 7% by weight in order that the food and drink could be smooth.
Protein-containing acidic food and drink includes, for example, acidic drink to be prepared by adding sour or the like to protein-containing drink such as milk, soy milk, etc.; protein-containing acidic drink, for example, acidic liquid nutrient such as acidic, thick liquid diet that contains protein as the nitrogen source; protein-containing acidic semi-solid food to be produced by semi-solidifying protein emulsion, which is prepared in the same manner as in the production of protein-containing acidic drink noted above, into jellie, paste, etc.
To prepare the product of the present invention, any suitable protein usable in foods, drinks and medicines can be used, and preferably used are proteins usable in foods and drinks. Typical proteins for use in the present invention include, for example, any one or more of natural protein material having a high content of vegetable protein, animal protein, milk protein, etc.; as well as low-purity protein and high-purity protein derived from such natural protein material, etc. The protein for use in the invention may be any of those as processed through any one or more of chemical treatment, enzymatic treatment, physical treatment or the like (processed proteins), for example, hydrolyzed, acylated, alkylated, esterified, phosphorylated, glycosylated, hydroxylated, methylated, oxidized or reduced protein; or those in the form of salt with alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or the like (protein salt). Specific examples of the protein for use in the invention include soybean protein, wheat protein such as gluten, corn protein, plasma protein, blood cell protein, egg white protein, egg yolk protein, meat protein, fish protein, milk protein such as casein, whey protein, collagen, gelatin, albumin, globulin, fibrin, fibrinogen, etc.
In accordance with a preferred aspect of the present invention, protein having an isoelectric point that falls within a pH range betwe
Harada Shinpei
Muromachi Ayako
Nakayama Motokazu
Sato Iwao
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Bhat Nina
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd.
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