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
1999-10-01
2001-11-27
Weier, Anthony J. (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,...
C426S598000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322846
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates generally to soy drink compositions, and more particularly, to soy milks and beverages and related methods of preparation. The inventive compositions retain the natural components and health and nutritional benefits of soy, yet have a taste and texture similar to dairy milk.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Simulated milk products utilizing vegetable materials have been known for many years. The most common vegetable material used to prepare simulated milk products is a soybean. Two of the most common simulated milk products made from soybeans are soy milk and tofu. Soy milk is a water extract of soybeans which has been found to be nutritionally comparable to cow's milk in most respects. Because soy milk does not contain lactose and has no cholesterol, it is an ideal substitute for cow's milk. Individuals who are lactose-intolerant and on restricted cholesterol intake diets can now be able to drink a product similar to milk without the adverse side effects. Additionally, soy milk is much less expensive and is a more readily available protein source for individuals in developing nations. For these reasons, it is important to solve problems pertaining to production and storage of soy milk.
Unfortunately, the present methods of making soy milk result in a less than optimal dairy milk substitute. Generally, soy milk has a clear, distinct, and unappealing flavor difference and a difference in texture that gives the soy milk a poor and unpleasant “mouthfeel.” The poor mouthfeel is a result of cellulosic, proteinaceous and carbohydrate constituents of the soybean. These constituents are known by those skilled in the art as okara. Additionally, the appearance of soy milk manufactured by traditional methods is quite unlike milk in both color and degree of opacity. Dairy milk's appearance as a suspension has not been subject to accurate replication with the vegetable food materials, partially because of the high dispersability of milk solids and low dispersability of vegetable solids in water, wherein such dispersability is the ability to partially dissolve and partially suspend as tiny nonsettling particles, and partially because of the off-yellow, off-brown, or off-green color of the vegetable based liquid.
To combat some of these problems associated with duplicating dairy milk, methods of extracting a milk substitute from soybeans have been improved upon. The most common method to eliminate the adverse characteristics of simulated milk products is to remove the okara during the extraction process. The okara generally comprises approximately 35% of the whole soybean. By removing the okara, this method effectively removes 35% of the nutritional value of the soybean. Furthermore, the removal of the okara has created a considerable demand for waste depositories which will collect okara refuse. Because it is becoming cost prohibitive to continue removing the okara from the soybean extract and to discard the okara, this method has numerous disadvantages.
There have been attempts to eliminate the disadvantages of soy milk in comparison with dairy milk. U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,890 to Drachenberg et al. discloses a method of making soy milk that attempts to utilize the whole soybean. Under this method, it is necessary to first microwave heat the soybeans and then use enzymes and a colloid mill to provide a consistency similar to dairy milk. This method has at least three distinct disadvantages. First, this method requires the soybeans to be heated by a microwave apparatus to degrade the enzymes found in whole soybeans. Second, this method utilizes only enzymes to act upon and liquefy those constituents of soybeans known as okara. It is well known that enzymes are extremely fragile and any heat fluctuations or improper solution conditions can alter and adversely affect the efficiency of those enzymes. Because enzymes are so sensitive, this method is not reliable to produce a consistent soy milk product. Lastly, the method as described by this patent requires a colloid mill to provide a consistent simulated milk product. Colloid mills are typically slow, work only at low volumes and do not consistently provide particles of desired size, the later of which is important for providing a mouthfeel similar to dairy milk.
Yet, in view of rising dairy costs, and of food shortages in parts of the world, a definite need has existed for a low-cost, highly-nutritious product that could be substituted freely for dairy milk. This needs to be accomplished without having to slowly condition people to a completely new taste and beverage appearance. Additionally, this should be accomplished by retaining the nutritional value of the whole soybean and eliminating the waste by-product created by removing the okara from the soy milk extract.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There are a considerable number of problems and deficiencies associated with soy milk compositions of the prior art and as previously prepared. There is a demonstrated need for a tasteful, satisfying drink product and method of preparation, in order to better utilize the health and nutritional benefits associated with soy foodstuffs. Accordingly, it is a primary objective of this invention to provide a soy milk composition with the same mouthfeel as dairy milk.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a soy milk composition made from whole soybeans including okara with a mouthfeel similar to dairy milk. It is an objective of this invention to accomplish these results by use of common machines and inexpensive additives used by those skilled in the dairy or simulated milk product industry.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a method of making a soy milk composition having the complete nutritional value of whole soybeans and with a mouthfeel similar to dairy milk.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a process of preparing a soy milk composition that eliminates okara waste from the soy milk extracts. This objective will provide a soy milk with approximately 35 percent more nutritional value while eliminating an equal volume of environmental waste.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide a nutritionally complete soy milk composition that costs a fraction of dairy milk yet retains the same taste and texture characteristics as dairy milk.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide various soy milk and/or beverage compositions, thereby overcoming various deficiencies and shortcomings of the prior art, including those outlined above. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or more other aspects can lead to certain other objectives. Each objective may not apply equally, in all instances, to every aspect of the present invention. As such, these and other objects can be viewed in the alternative with respect to any one aspect of the present invention.
Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in this summary and descriptions of preferred embodiments, and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the knowledge and experience in the area of soy food technology and nutrition. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the accompanying examples, data and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom.
In part, the present invention is a process for preparing a soy beverage. The method can include (1) providing a dry ground soybean particulate, (2) incorporating either an organic or inorganic acid or an acid salt thereof, (3) adding water in an amount sufficient to provide a liquid consistency, and (4) treating the liquid at a pressure greater than about 2,000 psi. In preferred embodiments, the organic acid salt can be an alkali metal salt of citric acid, an alkaline earth metal salt of citric acid and/or combination of such salts. Favorable results can be realized if the soybean starting material is ground to a particulate dimens
Chen Manxiang
Gandhi N. R.
Hackbarth Harlan R.
Jeneil Biotech Inc.
Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren, Norris & Rieselbach, s.c.
Weier Anthony J.
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