Chemistry: natural resins or derivatives; peptides or proteins; – Proteins – i.e. – more than 100 amino acid residues – Plant proteins – e.g. – derived from legumes – algae or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-04
2002-04-09
Riley, Jezia (Department: 1656)
Chemistry: natural resins or derivatives; peptides or proteins;
Proteins, i.e., more than 100 amino acid residues
Plant proteins, e.g., derived from legumes, algae or...
C426S634000, C426S429000, C426S431000, C426S490000, C426S520000, C549S403000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06369200
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
A novel process for making an isoflavone concentrate product from soybeans which includes diluting solubles from alcohol-extracted hexane-defatted soybean flakes to about 10% to about 30% solids, separating undissolved solids from the diluted soy solubles, such that the separated solids have at least 4% isoflavones by weight of dry matter. That concentrate can then be further concentrated to at least 40% isoflavones by weight of dry matter by adjusting pH and temperature and extracting with solvents. The soy isoflavone concentrate products are then used in liquid or dry beverage, food or nutritional products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for making an isoflavone concentrate product from soybeans. Isoflavones are a unique class of phytoestrogens—plant hormones—that naturally occur in soybeans.
It is anticipated that consumer demand for soy isoflavones will continue to grow. Scientists have demonstrated that isoflavones have the ability to inhibit cancer cell growth, and some researchers believe that isoflavones may contribute to soy's ability to lower blood-cholesterol levels.
Research shows that soy isoflavones have a wide range of health benefits that include moderating normal symptoms associated with menopause and promoting bone and heart health. It appears that about 100 milligrams of isoflavones (expressed in the glucoside form) are necessary to deliver most of these health benefits. This is about the average amount consumed daily by Asian men and women who have a much lower incidence of heart disease, osteoporosis and uncomfortable menopausal symptoms compared to Western societies.
Some women's health problems during and after middle age are related to a changing hormonal state. Consuming soy isoflavones can help moderate the natural hormonal changes associated with several menopausal and postmenopausal symptoms.
Soy isoflavones are potent antioxidants capable of reducing the amount of LDL-cholesterol (bad cholesterol) that undergoes modification in the body. Entry of the modified LDL-cholesterol into the walls of blood vessels contributes to the formation of plaques. These plaques cause the blood vessels to lose their ability to function normally. Research in both animals and humans shows that ingesting soy isoflavones can help maintain normal blood vessel function.
Soy isoflavones are actively studied for their effects on maintaining and improving bone health. Women can lose up to 15% of their total bone mass in the early years following the onset of menopause. This loss can be quite detrimental, particularly to women who enter menopause with weaker bones. Emerging research shows that isoflavones appear to play a role in both preventing bone loss and increasing bone density.
The principal types of isoflavones found in soybeans are glucones (with sugars) and aglucones (without sugars). Glucones have the glucose molecule attached, and include genistin, daidzin and glycitin. Aglucones are isoflavones without the glucose molecule, and they include genistein, daidzein and glycitein. It is an object of this invention to produce products with the isoflavones genistein, daidzein and glycitein in similar proportions as those found naturally in soybeans when isoflavones are reported in the aglucone form.
The prior art teaches isolating genistin from hexane-extracted soybean flakes. Walter (“Genistin (an Isoflavone Glucoside) and Its Aglucone, Genistein, from Soybeans,”
J. of Am. Chem. Soc.,
63, 3273 (1941)) describes a method involving, among other steps, extracting the flakes with methanol, precipitating with acetone and recrystallizing with ethanol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,746 (Fleury et al.) describes a method for preparing an impure extract of two specific isoflavones daidzin malonate and genistin malonate. Fleury describes a method involving, among other steps, mixing hexane-defatted ground soybeans with 80 percent (%) aqueous methanol, filtering and drying; adjusting pH multiple times with, among other chemicals, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, and extracting with an organic solvent, such as butanol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,384 (Shen) describes making an aglucone enriched fiber. Shen describes solubilizing isoflavones from soy flour by, among other steps, forming a slurry with an extractant, such as sodium, potassium or calcium hydroxide, to adjust the pH to the proteins' isoelectric point of 6.7-9.7, and reacting the slurry with the enzyme &bgr;-glucosidase.
It is apparent that an efficient process for removing isoflavones from soybeans is needed. It also is apparent that a low-cost soy isoflavone concentrate (SIC) product is needed.
The invention uses the by-product soy solubles to SIC products. Soy solubles are recovered from alcohol-extracted hexane-defatted soybean flakes. These solubles, sometimes called soy “molasses”, are desolventized, such that they contain less than 0.5% alcohol, and typically are evaporated to 60% solids.
It was discovered that soy solubles, on average, contain 3.31 milligrams per gram (mg/g) genistin on a wet basis and have a total isoflavone content (i.e., daidzin, glycitin, genistin, mal-daidzin, mal-genistin, daidzein, glycitein, genistein and some unidentified isoflavones) of 8.96 mg/g on a wet basis as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The genistin to daidzin ratio of soybeans is about 1 to 1 and that ratio in soy solubles was found to be about 1-1.5 to 1.
It was further discovered that if the soy solubles are diluted with water to form a slurry and the undissolved solids are removed from the slurry to form a wet “cake”, the cake contains a significantly concentrated amount of isoflavones.
It was further discovered that if the soy solubles, which have about 20 mg/g isoflavones on a dry basis, are diluted with water to a certain percent solids and the undissolved solids are separated from the diluted solubles that the isoflavone content of the solubles can be concentrated by at least 2 times, or about 4% isoflavones by weight of dry matter.
It was further discovered that the 4% isoflavone material can then be further concentrated to at least 40% isoflavones by weight of dry matter by adjusting pH and temperature and extracting with solvents, like acetone and hexane.
It was further discovered that acetone extraction of the isoflavone material separated from the soy solubles also yields a by-product solution that is high in saponins, which are beginning to be recognized as having many useful nutritional and health benefits like soy isoflavones.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a novel process for manufacturing a novel soy isoflavone concentrate (SIC) product. The isoflavone content by weight of the SIC product is 8 to 11 times that of soy flour, which typically has about 0.6% by weight isoflavones. More particularly, the SIC product contains at least 4% by weight isoflavones, 20-60% protein, with it typically being at least one-third protein, and a relatively low amount of fiber, with it typically being less than 5% crude fiber and less than 20% dietary fiber. The 4% material can then be further concentrated to produce a SIC product having at least 40% by weight isoflavones, with such product typically being greater than 80% carbohydrates, less than about 5-10% protein, about one-third dietary fiber and less than 5-10% crude fiber. The SIC products are then used in liquid or dry beverage, food or nutritional products.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a novel process for manufacturing a novel soy isoflavone concentrate (SIC) product. The isoflavone content by weight of the SIC product is 8 to 11 times that of soy flour, which typically has about 0.6% by weight isoflavones. More particularly, the SIC product contains at least 4% by weight isoflavones, 20-60% protein, with it typically being at least one-third protein, and a relatively low amount of fiber, with it typically being less than 5% crude fiber and less than 20% dietary fiber. The 4% material can then be further concentrated to produce a SI
Dobbins Thomas A.
Konwinski Arthur H.
Central Soya Company, Inc.
Fuelling Michael L.
Riley Jezia
LandOfFree
Soy isoflavone concentrate process and 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 Soy isoflavone concentrate process and product, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Soy isoflavone concentrate process and product will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2868275