Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2002-12-31
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Plant material is basic ingredient other than extract,...
C426S516000, C426S517000, C426S518000, C426S618000, C426S619000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06500480
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a psyllium husk containing intermediate product, a process for manufacturing the intermediate product, a ready-to-eat cereal product containing the intermediate product, and a process for manufacturing the ready-to-eat cereal product.
BACKGROUND ART
Psyllium is well known mucilaginous material obtained from the seeds of plants in the Plantago genus. Psyllium has found extensive use in bulk laxatives.
EP0105195 (Searle) discloses a process for sanitizing psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid by exposure to moist heat under elevated pressure in an extruder.
WO9507632 (Kellogg) discloses a ready-to-eat cereal having superior organoleptic properties that contains from about 6 to 19% by weight of extruded pre-wetted pure psyllium.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,298 (Kellogg) discloses a ready-to-eat cereal product obtained by admixing a precooked bulk cereal ingredient with an intermediate product which preferably contains about 75% psyllium and forming the mixture into shaped cereal pieces which contain about 2 to 30% by dry weight psyllium.
EP0144644 (Procter & Gamble) discloses an expanded high fiber bar made by a process comprising dry mixing about 10 to 80% by weight of psyllium mucilloid, about 10 to 30% by weight percent expander, and further dietary fiber from a grain source and extruding the mixture with water at a temperature of from 150 to 200° C.
There remains a need, however, for improved products that contain psyllium.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a psyllium husk intermediate composition that includes a cooked-extruded mixture of psyllium husk in an amount of from about 84 to 96 percent by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition, oil or fat in an amount of up to about 8 percent by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition, cereal bran in an amount of up to about 10 percent by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition, vegetable binder in an amount of up to about 10 percent by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition, and a stabilizer against oxidation in an amount up to about 1.5% by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition.
The oil or fat may be present in an amount of from about 3 to 8 percent by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition, the cereal bran may be present in an amount of from about 2 to 10 percent by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition, and the vegetable binder may be present in an amount of from about 2 to 10 percent by weight of the psyllium husk intermediate composition. The cereal bran may be wheat, barley, oat, rice bran, corn bran, bran concentrate, or a mixture thereof. The vegetable binder may be flour, starch, maltodextrin, a vegetable gum, or a mixture thereof. The stabilizer is preferably a phosphate such as disodium phosphate. Also, the psyllium husk intermediate composition may further include one or more additives selected from the group consisting of vitamins, minerals, sodium chloride, and antioxidants.
The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing a psyllium husk containing intermediate composition. The process involves combining and mixing 84 to 96 parts by weight psyllium husk, up to 8 parts by weight of an oil or fat, up to 10 parts by weight of a cereal bran, up to 10 parts by weight of a vegetable binder, up to 1.5 parts by weight of stabilizer against oxidation, and from about 24 to 45 parts by weight of water to form a mixture; cooking-extruding the mixture for from about 5 to 50 seconds at a temperature of from about 130° to 220° C. and a pressure of from about 10 to 18 MPa, to provide a strand or rope of expanded thermoplastic mass; cutting the strand or rope of expanded thermoplastic mass into pieces, and drying the pieces. The process may also include a step of rolling the cut pieces before they are dried to flake them. The pieces may be dried to a residual water content of from about 1 to 4 percent by weight of the psyllium husk containing intermediate composition.
The invention also relates to a ready-to-eat cereal product that contains agglomerated particles and/or flakes of the psyllium husk containing intermediate product of the invention, one or more cereal products, and milk solids coated with a syrup that includes sugar and an oil or fat. The one or more cereal products may be one or more of the whole grain, the germ, the bran, the flour, or starch derived from corn oats, whole wheat, barley, rice, and rye. The milk solids may be one or more of skim milk powder or demineralized whey. The sugar may be one or more of sucrose, dextrose, or fructose. The oil or fat may be one or more of palm kernel fat and coconut fat. The psyllium husk containing intermediate product may be present in an amount of from about from about 20 to 50 parts by weight of the ready-to-eat cereal, the one or more cereal products may be present in an amount of from about 20 to 50 parts by weight of the ready-to-eat cereal, the milk solids may be present in an amount of from about 5 to 15 parts by weight of the ready-to-eat cereal, the sugar may be present in an amount of from about 15 to 40 parts by weight of the ready-to-eat cereal, and the oil or fat may be present in an amount of from about 10 to 30 parts by weight of the ready-to-eat cereal.
The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a ready-to-eat cereal product of the invention. The method includes the steps of mixing particles and/or flakes of the psyllium husk containing intermediate product of the invention, one or more cereal products, and milk solids to provide a dry mixture; mixing sugar, oil or fat, and water to provide a syrup base; mixing the dry mixture and syrup base to form an agglomerated mass; and drying the agglomerated mass to provide the ready-to-eat cereal product. The dry mixture and syrup base may be mixed in a ratio of from about 1:2 to 2:3. The syrup base may include sugar in an amount of about 15 to 40 parts by weight of the syrup, oil or fat in an amount of about 10 to 30 parts by weight of the syrup, water in an amount of about 8 to 30 parts by weight of the syrup. The sugar base may also include sodium chloride in an amount of from about 0.5 to 1.5 parts by weight of the syrup. The agglomerated mass may be dried to a residual water content of from about 1 to 4 percent by weight of the agglomerated mass. The process may further include reducing the size of the agglomerated mass to a size of from about 5 to 15 mm.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It has surprisingly been found that it is possible to provide a cooked-extruded psyllium husk containing intermediate product which comprises from about 84 to 96 percent by weight psyllium husk and which is suitable for manufacturing a ready-to-eat cereal end product that may be eaten as such or may be added to a light meal such as a muesli or a yogurt, for example.
Any form of psyllium husk may be used in the psyllium husk containing intermediate product. It is generally believed by those of ordinary skill in the art that the active ingredient of psyllium is the psyllium seed gum, which is located primarily in the seed husk. Thus, the ground seed husk is primarily used as the source of psyllium, however, the whole seed as well as the dehusked seed may be used. Preferably, the psyllium husk is in powdered form.
The psyllium husk containing intermediate product comprises up to about 8 percent oil or fat. Preferably the psyllium husk containing intermediate product comprises at least 1 to 7 percent and more preferably at least 2 to 5 percent oil or fat. The oil or fat may be any oil or fat that acts as lubricating agent in the cooking-extruding process. Preferably, the oil of fat is butter oil vegetable, or a mixture thereof.
The term “cereal bran,” as used herein means the external part of the cereal grain that is rich in fiber. The psyllium husk containing intermediate comprises up to about 10 percent cereal bran. Preferably at least about 1 to 9 percent cereal bran and more preferably at least about 2 to 8 percent cereal bran is used. Any
Burri Josef
Guex Claude
Nestec S.A.
Pratt Helen
Winston & Strawn
LandOfFree
Psyllium husk product does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Psyllium husk product, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Psyllium husk product will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2947253