Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Gels or gelable composition
Patent
1996-05-01
1998-04-14
Czaja, Donald E.
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Gels or gelable composition
426574, 426575, 426576, 426577, 424401, A23L 105
Patent
active
057388970
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application claims benefit of International application PCT/EP94/03611, filed Nov. 2, 1994.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to suspensions of gelled and hydrated biopolymer particles as well as to a process for obtaining such suspensions, either from dried gelling biopolymers or from dissolved gelling biopolymers.
(2) Description of the Related Art
It is widely known that gelled biopolymer particles having a specific size when dispersed or suspended in an aqueous medium may have useful properties such as imparting fat-like feel or character to products such as edible spreads and ice creams, but also to personal care products like skin creams and moisturizers. This is for example disclosed in EP 0 355 908 (A). Such biopolymer particles are prepared from the gels which are sheared, shredded or otherwise subjected to shear. In EP 0 501 758 (A) for example it is disclosed that a preformed gel is sheared or shredded. It is also possible to simultaneously form the gel phase and apply shear to the biopolymer, as is disclosed in EP 0 355 908 (A). A considerable disadvantage of these methods is that first a gel state has to be induced by cooling a solution containing said biopolymer, whereafter the gel is sheared either during its formation or following setting, under controlled circumstances to yield the desired particles.
Another disadvantage of these known methods for preparing a suspension of gelled biopolymers particles is that the preparation is carried out in a "wet" state, i.e. there is no active ingredient which can be isolated in a dry state (e.g. as a compact, dry powder or mix) which would be easy to store, handle, transport, sell, etcetera and which upon mixing with a (polar) liquid such as water directly yields the desired suspension or dispersion. The material according to EP-A-0 501 758 always contains from 72 to 99.9 percent water, which makes it a bulky material having considerable disadvantages on storage, transport, handling etcetera.
Suspensions of gelled hydrated biopolymers can be used as fat replacers or fat simulating material to replace fat or oil partially or completely in food products. Another use for the suspensions is in products for personal care, like (skin-) moisturizers, skin creams, ointments, hair gels etcetera. For the purpose of this invention, such suspensions are hereinafter collectively referred to as a fat simulating material, although its application is not limited to food products but includes personal care products such as skin creams, moisturizers or hair gels.
In view of the disadvantages as set out above, there is a need for a convenient, easy to prepare fat simulating material obtainable without the need to first prepare a wet gel which thereafter needs to be sheared under controlled circumstances. Also, there is a need for such a material of which the active ingredient can be isolated in a dry state, thus yielding a compact, dry powder or mix which is ready to use conveniently at any time, and which, upon simple mixing with water or another polar solvent yields a fat simulating material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that these objectives above can be met by a suspension of particles, which particles comprise hydrated gelled biopolymers, which suspension is obtainable by hydrating dry particles of said biopolymers at a temperature of below T.sub.gel, under the condition that dry particles are obtained by dehydrating at a temperature of equal to or above T.sub.gel a solution comprising at least one biopolymer selected from the group consisting of agar, carrageenan, gelatin, gellan, furcelleran, alginate and (low methoxy) pectin. For the purpose of the invention, the term "hydrating" means: mixing of dry particles with a liquid to obtain completely wetted particles which are thereby swelled to the extent that individual particles can still be identified (using suitable means, e.g. by microscopic observation) and that thus no complete dissolution of the particle material takes place. Due
REFERENCES:
patent: 4571346 (1986-02-01), Lehmann et al.
patent: 4588602 (1986-05-01), Brown et al.
patent: 4663178 (1987-05-01), Gehrig et al.
patent: 5424088 (1995-06-01), Christianson et al.
Database WPI, Week 8340, Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; AN 83-779408 & JP,A, 58 142 936, (Morinaga) Aug. 25, 1983 see abstract.
Database WPI, Week 8834, Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB;, AN 88-237971 & JP, A3 169 948 (SANE) Jul. 13, 1988 see abstract.
Gidley Michael John
Hedges Nicholas David
Czaja Donald E.
Leavitt Steven B.
Quest International B.V.
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