Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-22
2001-05-08
Paden, Carolyn (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Inhibiting chemical or physical change of food by contact...
C426S607000, C426S611000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228407
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to food products and, more particularly, to enhancement of the shelf life of food products by incorporation of plant-derived phytosterols into the formulation for the food product.
Currently consumers are presented with a wide variety of prepared food products that are manufactured in locations quite distant from their point of distribution. Current manufacturing and distribution practices also result in many food products being purchased and consumed weeks or even months after their production. During this time delay, food products undergo a complex series of chemical reactions, many of which may lead to a deterioration of the desired texture, flavor and appearance of the food product. Deterioration in the overall quality of a food product may result in lower purchases by the consumer and increased food product waste. If the deterioration in product quality is significant the product may be discontinued by a company due to low consumer acceptance. To combat this deterioration in food quality, or shelf life, manufacturers typically include one or a combination of preservative agents in an attempt to enhance the shelf life of a given food product.
One problem with currently available preservatives is that they introduce the possibility of additional chemical reactions with the ingredients of a food product. Sometimes these additional chemical reactions lead to undesirable changes in the organoleptic qualities of the food product itself. For example, many preservatives produce an off taste in a food product or affect its color. In addition, consumers are increasingly demanding fewer “chemical” additives in prepared food products. Consumers prefer food products composed of “natural” ingredients. Thus, it is desirable to provide an alternative to current preservatives for enhancing the shelf life of foods products. It is furthermore desirable that the additive be derived from “natural sources” found more acceptable by consumers. In addition, it is desirable that any additive not negatively affect the organoleptic properties of the food product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general terms, this invention provides a method and natural additive for enhancing the shelf life of food products.
In a preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention comprises adding a plasticized blend agent comprising the combination of an edible diluent fat with a plant-derived phytosterol to a food product formulation in order to enhance the shelf life of the food product. In a most preferred embodiment, the plant-derived phytosterol is obtained from an extract of the Shea nut. It is furthermore preferable that a portion of the fat content of the food product be replaced with the plasticized blend of fat and Shea nut extract to maintain or reduce the fat content of the final food product.
Food products prepared in accordance with the method of the present invention have an enhanced shelf life with a significant maintenance of the organoleptic properties of a fresh produced food product. This affect is maintained over periods of time in excess of one year from the manufacturing date of the food product. The method of the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of food products including many baked food products.
These and other features and advantages of this invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Sterols are found in vegetable oils and are consumed at levels of 160-360 mg in a typical diet In addition to the ability of some phytosterols to lower serum cholesterol, phytosterols have been recognized as providing a positive impact on physiological diseases. Studies have been published on the ability of various sterols to reduce serum cholesterol and inhibit prostate and colon cancers.
Phytosterols broadly include any of several plant alcohols that have the properties of sterols and are defined herein to include sterols, stanols, and their esters. The most predominate plant sterols are sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. Phytosterols are related to cholesterol and have a ring structure that is the same as cholesterol with the differences residing in the structure of a side chain branch from one of the carbon atoms in one of the rings. The triterpene family of compounds is structurally somewhat different from the above noted other phytosterols, although they are often classified as phytosterols. One representative triterpene often classified as a phytosterol is the compound &agr;-amyrin. Phytosterols can be extracted from a wide variety of plant sources including soy beans, rice bran, and rapeseeds. The Shea nut contains high levels of the phytosterol &agr;-amyrin, which can be readily extracted from the Shea nut.
Phytosterols typically have a thick, hard consistency. However, phytosterols are fat miscible and, therefore, can be mixed and blended with a fat, such as animal, vegetable, or synthetic fat, to yield a plasticized blend agent. The fats that are mixed with phytosterols to produce the plasticized blend agent are referred to as diluent fats in this specification and the claims.
The phytosterols used in the present invention are preferably esterified but can be utilized in their non-ester form. The esterified phytosterols are preferred because they are more easily combined with appropriate diluent fats, and subsequently more easily incorporated into the food product. Preferably, the phytosterols are extracted in their natural state which retains high concentrations of the esterified form using techniques known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, the phytosterols can be esterified utilizing a number of mechanisms and ingredients well know to those skilled in the art such as esterification with fatty acids, cinnamic acid, acetic acid, or sugar through a glycosidic linkage.
As discussed above, Shea nuts are a plant source having high levels of &agr;-amyrin. The Shea nuts are typically processed to produce an oil stream and a waste stream. The oil stream is used to formulate Shea nut oil and Shea nut butter, the waste stream has often been discarded. The concentrated &agr;-amyrin material is found in the waste stream of the Shea nuts. Commercially, a Shea nut extract prepared from the waste stream and having a high level of the phytosterol &agr;-amyrin can be obtained from Loders Croklaan, Wormerveer, The Netherlands. The Shea nut extract is combined with an edible diluent fat to produce a plasticized blend agent. The diluent fat can be a vegetable oil, such as, for example, sunflower oil or other edible oils. In a preferred embodiment the diluent fat is sunflower oil and the sunflower oil is combined with the Shea nut extract to achieve a plasticized blend agent containing 50% phytosterols.
In this specification and the accompanying claims the term plasticized blend agent refers to at least one plant-derived phytosterol in combination with a diluent fat to produce a plasticized blend agent.
The plasticized blend agent possesses a similar functionality to a vegetable or animal shortening or spread. The plasticized blend agent can be readily substituted for shortening in baked goods and can replace all or a portion of the fat normally found in food products such as cereal products, margarines/spreads, dairy products such as ice cream, yogurt and fabricated cheese, snack foods such as popcorn, chips, and other extruded products, shortenings or oils for deep fat frying, fabricated meat products such as bologna or sausage, beverages, salad dressings, and the like. Thus, the plasticized blend agent can be easily and readily incorporated into existing formulae for food products. Alternatively, the plasticized blend agent can simply be added to the existing formulation of the food product.
An additional benefit of the plasticized blend agent is the ability to enhance the nutritional value of the food product by incorporating the plasticized blend agent. Many diluent fa
Casey Bridget Nicole
Kepplinger John
Norstrom Karla Kaye
Howard & Howard
Paden Carolyn
W. K. Kellogg Institute
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