CA1039103A - Method of cooling and collecting protein fibers - Google Patents
Method of cooling and collecting protein fibersInfo
- Publication number
- CA1039103A CA1039103A CA181,256A CA181256A CA1039103A CA 1039103 A CA1039103 A CA 1039103A CA 181256 A CA181256 A CA 181256A CA 1039103 A CA1039103 A CA 1039103A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- filaments
- slurry
- protein
- temperature
- orifice
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23J—PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
- A23J3/00—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs
- A23J3/22—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs by texturising
- A23J3/26—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs by texturising using extrusion or expansion
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Food Science & Technology (AREA)
- Nutrition Science (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
- Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)
- Peptides Or Proteins (AREA)
- Fodder In General (AREA)
- Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
- Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
- Paper (AREA)
- Artificial Filaments (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Invention The process for continuously forming a plurality of tender, textured, protein structures is disclosed. A protein-aceous slurry is formed into the plurality of textured filaments by contacting the slurry with a cooling medium as the heated slurry is conducted through orifice means under pressure.
Description
1(339103 METHOD OF COOLING & COLLECTING PROTEIN FIBERS
Background of the Invention Food scientists have been interested for some time in providing textured, fibrous protein products for human con-sumption which can be produced from non-textured edible protein sources. The problem o producing such protein food products has been compounded by the difficulty in providing palatable protein foods from the available sources of protein. Many protein sources such as animal protein concentrates and by-products, cereal proteins, oilseed protein and microbial protein have not been fully utilized for human food because they are not in a form which is acceptable to humans. It is desirable to produce protein food products which have the mouthfeel of meat, i.e., a definite texture and a fibrous quality. Most animal protein concentrates and by-products, cereal proteins, oilseed protein concentrates and microbial protein concentrates are in a paste or an amorphous powdered form. To make animal protein, oilseed protein and microbial protein useful, it is desirable to process them to give them a textured or fibrous quality which is appealing to humans. It is also desirable with various of the vegetable proteins, particularly soy protein, to improve the flavor of such ~ .
, SP-409 ~ 039103 products.
; Food scientists have resorted to a variety of techniques to produce structured protein. One of the common techniques has been the wet spinning process such as that disclosed in the United States Patent 2,730,447 to R. ~.. Boyer. The wet spinning process produces fibers by extruding a plurality of fine streams of an aqueous solution of protein into a chemical coagulating bath. The fine streams of the aqueous solution of protein coagulates in the bath into fine fibers which are collected to-~ gether on rolls or reels and treated to form an edible textured protein. Other methods of forming textured protein is the expansion of proteinaceous material as disclosed by United States Patent 3,142,571 to J. K. McAnelly and heat coagulation of un-denatured protein as disclosed by United States Patent 3,047,395 to I.I. Rusoff et al.
The above methods of producing textured protein individually or collectively have a number of drawbacksg includ-ing difficulty of use in commercial practice, requirement of special equi~ment necessitating a large capital expenditure to commercialize, and requirement of a number of operative steps and the large amount of reagent chemicals in proportion to the amount of fibered protein produced.
The basic process of this invention is described in assignee's patent 3,662,671 issued May 16, 1972, and produces tender, bland fibers of a desired size which can be directly , ~2i`
1039~03 incorporated into simulated meat or other products to provide a pleasing taste and mouthfeel and to form a food product which is acceptable for human consumption. The bland food product can be produced directly from protein sources such as oilseed protein, S having a high proportion of undesirable components, e.g., "off"
flavoring and flatulence production compounds, without the necessity of intermediate isolation and washing steps. T~e present invent.ion signi~icantly improves upon the prior art processes which required separate or intermediate steps for washing or removing the "off" flavoring and flatulence producing compounds. The starting material for the process need not be protein of high purity. By practicin;~ the process of this invention it is possible to simultaneously make a plurality of light strands of filamentary materiaL. The product can be ma~e directly from proteinaceous materials having a high content of "off" flavoring materials and only a moderate protein content because the process provides significantly improved capability of removal of flatulents and "off-f~avor" materials. This becomes more important as lower cost, less refined sources, ~0 such as soybean meal, are utilized. It also makes economically feasible the production of product of small dimension on a commercial productio~ basis. In a significant number of end products the large sized filamentary material product is not as desirable as that resulting from this process. This inven-tion provides a process accomplishing these objectives in a commercially feasible manner. The resultir.g product has a high 1035~103 protein content and can be directly lncorporated into simulated meat, meat extenders, or other protein products without extensive washing steps. The process can be carried out on - simple, readily available equipment and does not require a large amount of reagent chemicals. The process is inexpensive and simple to operate.
This invention relates generally to the method described in assignee's patent 3,662,671. However, the methods described in assignee's patent 3,662,671 were essentially concerned with the formation of an individual protein filament having a fairly large diameter size. This large diameter size filament was produced primarily because of the necessity of having certain production rates. Additionally, the disclosure was directed to a batch recovery or collection systems, i.e., a batch of water was utilized to collect the fibers or a process was utilized wherein alternatively the proteinaceous slurry and the water were passed through the system. The protein filaments were recovered from the collection zone. Extreme difficulty was encountered when a plurality of filaments were to be simultaneously manufactured as discrete strands due to the protein filaments having a high degree of adhesion upon exiting from multiple adjacent orifices.
The present invention relates to a method of continuously and simultaneously forming a plurality of discrete protein filaments from a proteinaceous material wherein a slurry of the proteinaceous material with water is formed, the slurry having a proteinaceous solids content of between about 5 and 35%
by weight. The discrete elongated protein filaments are formed by continuously conducting the proteinaceous slurry under 3~ pressure through a heat exchange zone and in the zone heating the slurry to a temperature above 240~F. but less than that which will degrade the protein, whereby the protein lS subjected to such temperature for a sufficient period of time so that elongated tender filaments are formed. The heated slurry is ~1 lO;~9~1D3 continuously removed from the heat exchange zone through an orifice whereby the elongated filaments and remaining constituents of the slurry are discharged into a collecting zone and from the collecting zone the discrete tender elongated protein filaments are recovered. The improvement of the method comprises conducting the slurry through an orifice having a plurality of openings therein with each of said openings having a diameter in the range of approximately .006 to .030 inches and being spaced apart from one another to prevent the filaments discharged from the plurality of openings from contacting one another until the filaments are sufficiently cooled to inhibit the adhesion thereof. The filaments upon discharge from the openlngs are immediately contacted with a cooling medium selected from the group consisting of refrigerated water and air and refrigerated water to cool the filaments to a temperature of between about 40 and 60F. so as to prevent adhesion of the filaments as they are conducted from the orifice to the collecting zone. Removal of the refrigerated water used for cooling of the filaments is provided to wash the filaments and remove off flavors.
Applicants' process makes it possible to obtain high rates of production and to obtain protein filaments having a diameter of approximately .006 to .030 inches in a simplified manner such that the fibers or filaments do not adhere or become welded together in a matted or tangled fashion.
A further advantage of applicants' continuous method of treating protein fibers is 1) that a plurality of adjacent and smaller orifices may be used to obtain a plurality of finer fibers while maintaining and in fact, under proper conditions, 3U increasing the production rate; 2) discrete protein filaments having a diameter of approximately .OU6 to .030 inches in diameter may be produced in an economical manner; and 3) under certain cooling conditions the fibers exhibit additional "off-flavor" removal.
~ _5_ 1~U9103 These and other advantages will become more apparentfrom the description hereinafter.
Pre_erred Embodiments of the Present Invention As previously discussed, preferably the present invention involves heating a slurry of proteinaceous material by conducting the slurry through a heat exchanger under high pressure. This slurry preferably will have a solids content of about 5% - 35% by weight which will be primarily dependent upon the limitations of the pump. After the proteinaceous slurry , , ~, .
~1 , .
, . . .. .
q , ,''''~
".
~, ' .
"
,~
SP~409 ~ :, . .
1039~03 passes through the heat exchanger, it is conducted through orifice means having a plurality of adjacent openings therein. As the plurality of formed elongated filaments are discharged to a collecting zone the fibers or filaments are immediately contacted' by a cooling medium which is effective to sufficiently cool the protein filaments to prevent the adhesion thereof. The protein filaments are then collected and desirably subjected to a further ; cooling to a ~esired temperature. A more detail description of the process of forming the protein filaments is contained in a;ssignee's patent 3,662,671.
The proteinaceous material which may be used to produce the fibers by the process of this invention include vegetable protein such as soy or other oilseed protein materials, e.g., oilseed meals concentrates or isolates such as soybean, sesame, cottonseed or peanut; animal ~rotein such as albumen'and casein;
and microbial protein from sources such as brewers yeast, torula yeast or petro-protein may be utilized in the process of this invention. As discussed in assignee's patent 3,662,671, the ' slurry of proteinaceous material will be conducted from ~he orifice at a temperature in the preferred range of about 240 -315 F. or above and preferably at a pressure of about 50 -5,000 psig. The protein will degrade if it is heated to too high a temperature for too long. According'to the present invention, the orifice means through which the proteinaceous slurry is conducted will have a plurality of orifices or openings therein to permit the simultaneous production of th~ proteinaceous fil-aments of the desired size. The openings in the orifice means will be predeterminately spaced a sufficient distance from each other to prevent the filaments or fibers from contacting one another until the fibers are cooled sufficiently to inhibit or prevent the adhesion thereof. Desirably, the openings in the orifice means will have a diameter in the range of approximately .006 to .030 inches and preferably .015 to .030 inches. The number of openings in the orifice means will be dependent upon the temperature and pressure of the slurry of proteinaceous ; material which is being processed, however, for a temperature of 295 - 310 F. and a pressure of 1,500 - 2,000 psig orifice means of approximately a .21 inch diameter having 9 - 25 openings therein has proven to be quite satisfactory. ~ther orifice means may be selected by the operator depending on production require-ments and the size of filaments desired.
As the proteinaceous fibers or filaments are conducted from the orifice means to the collecting zone, they are immediately subjected to a cooling medium which is sufficient to cool the filaments to a sufficient degree to inhibit or prevent the adhesion of the filaments. This cooling medium preferably con-sists of spraying water on the filaments immediately upon their discharge from the orifice means to the collecting zone with the water preferably being refrigerated and at a temperature of approximately 35 - 50 F. The cooler the water the quicker the protein material is reduced in temperature which serves to inhibit bacteria growth as well as inhibiting or preventing the adhesion . SP-409 ~.
1(~3~103 of the fibers. This cooling with water also has the additional benefit of washing or removing the flatulents and "off-flavor"
materials which are present on the filaments. After the fila~ents have been cooled to a sufflcient degree to prevent the adhesion thereof, they are collected on suitable means such as a conveyor.
The conveyor is constructed such that the wa~er utili~ed for the initial cooling of the filaments may be conducted away. By conducting this water away from the filaments or fibers, the temperature of the filaments is better controlled, the "off-flavor"
materials are washed off and removed, and bacteria growth is inhibited. If desired, the filaments may be cooled to the final desired temperature prior to recovery, however, it is preferred that the filamen~s have the initial cooling which is then followed by another step of cooling the filaments to the final desired temperature. Rather than spraying water on the filaments as they exit from the orifice means, the filaments may be submerged or passed through a continuously exchanged water bath preferably using refrigerated water. By continuously changing the water in the bath, the temperature of the water may be maintained at a temperature permitting the cooling of the filaments sufficiently to prevent the adhesion thereof and also permitting the "off-flavors" to be washed from the filaments and to be carried away.
Alternatively, the filaments as they exit from the or~fice means may have air, preferably refrigerated, passed around the filaments to ~chieve the desired cooling. As previously sp-~o9 ~ ~ 9 ~ O 3 discussed, this cooling would be for a time using refrigerated air at a temperature which is sufficient to cool the filaments sufficiently to prevent the filaments from adhering or matting together. While it is possible to use air as the cooling medium, the use of water is preferable because of its high thermal capacity and thus more rapid control of the adhesive properties of the formed filament product. Additionally, the water will wash the filaments, removing "off-flavors" dissolved in the slurry which remains with the filaments after the discharge from the orifice means.
Following the cooling of the filaments to the temperature which is sufficient to inhibit or prevent the adhesion thereof, the filaments are then subjected to a second cooling such as by ! spraying refrigerated water thereon to reduce the temperature of the protein filaments or ~ibers to d desired temperature and preferably approximately 40 - 60 F. The washing of the filaments ~mmediately after discharge from the orifice means and/or the ; washing by the second cooling step improves the flavor of the final product. The wash water should be positively removed or separated from the filaments to carry away the constituents washed from the filaments to achieve the flavor improvement.
From the foregoing it is now apparent that applicants.
have disclosed a unique method of cooling and collecting protein filaments or fibers and of simultaneously forming a plurality of discrete strands of filaments or fibers meeting the objectives and advantages set forth herein and that modifications or changes , SP-409 may be made in the method without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the claims which follow.
Background of the Invention Food scientists have been interested for some time in providing textured, fibrous protein products for human con-sumption which can be produced from non-textured edible protein sources. The problem o producing such protein food products has been compounded by the difficulty in providing palatable protein foods from the available sources of protein. Many protein sources such as animal protein concentrates and by-products, cereal proteins, oilseed protein and microbial protein have not been fully utilized for human food because they are not in a form which is acceptable to humans. It is desirable to produce protein food products which have the mouthfeel of meat, i.e., a definite texture and a fibrous quality. Most animal protein concentrates and by-products, cereal proteins, oilseed protein concentrates and microbial protein concentrates are in a paste or an amorphous powdered form. To make animal protein, oilseed protein and microbial protein useful, it is desirable to process them to give them a textured or fibrous quality which is appealing to humans. It is also desirable with various of the vegetable proteins, particularly soy protein, to improve the flavor of such ~ .
, SP-409 ~ 039103 products.
; Food scientists have resorted to a variety of techniques to produce structured protein. One of the common techniques has been the wet spinning process such as that disclosed in the United States Patent 2,730,447 to R. ~.. Boyer. The wet spinning process produces fibers by extruding a plurality of fine streams of an aqueous solution of protein into a chemical coagulating bath. The fine streams of the aqueous solution of protein coagulates in the bath into fine fibers which are collected to-~ gether on rolls or reels and treated to form an edible textured protein. Other methods of forming textured protein is the expansion of proteinaceous material as disclosed by United States Patent 3,142,571 to J. K. McAnelly and heat coagulation of un-denatured protein as disclosed by United States Patent 3,047,395 to I.I. Rusoff et al.
The above methods of producing textured protein individually or collectively have a number of drawbacksg includ-ing difficulty of use in commercial practice, requirement of special equi~ment necessitating a large capital expenditure to commercialize, and requirement of a number of operative steps and the large amount of reagent chemicals in proportion to the amount of fibered protein produced.
The basic process of this invention is described in assignee's patent 3,662,671 issued May 16, 1972, and produces tender, bland fibers of a desired size which can be directly , ~2i`
1039~03 incorporated into simulated meat or other products to provide a pleasing taste and mouthfeel and to form a food product which is acceptable for human consumption. The bland food product can be produced directly from protein sources such as oilseed protein, S having a high proportion of undesirable components, e.g., "off"
flavoring and flatulence production compounds, without the necessity of intermediate isolation and washing steps. T~e present invent.ion signi~icantly improves upon the prior art processes which required separate or intermediate steps for washing or removing the "off" flavoring and flatulence producing compounds. The starting material for the process need not be protein of high purity. By practicin;~ the process of this invention it is possible to simultaneously make a plurality of light strands of filamentary materiaL. The product can be ma~e directly from proteinaceous materials having a high content of "off" flavoring materials and only a moderate protein content because the process provides significantly improved capability of removal of flatulents and "off-f~avor" materials. This becomes more important as lower cost, less refined sources, ~0 such as soybean meal, are utilized. It also makes economically feasible the production of product of small dimension on a commercial productio~ basis. In a significant number of end products the large sized filamentary material product is not as desirable as that resulting from this process. This inven-tion provides a process accomplishing these objectives in a commercially feasible manner. The resultir.g product has a high 1035~103 protein content and can be directly lncorporated into simulated meat, meat extenders, or other protein products without extensive washing steps. The process can be carried out on - simple, readily available equipment and does not require a large amount of reagent chemicals. The process is inexpensive and simple to operate.
This invention relates generally to the method described in assignee's patent 3,662,671. However, the methods described in assignee's patent 3,662,671 were essentially concerned with the formation of an individual protein filament having a fairly large diameter size. This large diameter size filament was produced primarily because of the necessity of having certain production rates. Additionally, the disclosure was directed to a batch recovery or collection systems, i.e., a batch of water was utilized to collect the fibers or a process was utilized wherein alternatively the proteinaceous slurry and the water were passed through the system. The protein filaments were recovered from the collection zone. Extreme difficulty was encountered when a plurality of filaments were to be simultaneously manufactured as discrete strands due to the protein filaments having a high degree of adhesion upon exiting from multiple adjacent orifices.
The present invention relates to a method of continuously and simultaneously forming a plurality of discrete protein filaments from a proteinaceous material wherein a slurry of the proteinaceous material with water is formed, the slurry having a proteinaceous solids content of between about 5 and 35%
by weight. The discrete elongated protein filaments are formed by continuously conducting the proteinaceous slurry under 3~ pressure through a heat exchange zone and in the zone heating the slurry to a temperature above 240~F. but less than that which will degrade the protein, whereby the protein lS subjected to such temperature for a sufficient period of time so that elongated tender filaments are formed. The heated slurry is ~1 lO;~9~1D3 continuously removed from the heat exchange zone through an orifice whereby the elongated filaments and remaining constituents of the slurry are discharged into a collecting zone and from the collecting zone the discrete tender elongated protein filaments are recovered. The improvement of the method comprises conducting the slurry through an orifice having a plurality of openings therein with each of said openings having a diameter in the range of approximately .006 to .030 inches and being spaced apart from one another to prevent the filaments discharged from the plurality of openings from contacting one another until the filaments are sufficiently cooled to inhibit the adhesion thereof. The filaments upon discharge from the openlngs are immediately contacted with a cooling medium selected from the group consisting of refrigerated water and air and refrigerated water to cool the filaments to a temperature of between about 40 and 60F. so as to prevent adhesion of the filaments as they are conducted from the orifice to the collecting zone. Removal of the refrigerated water used for cooling of the filaments is provided to wash the filaments and remove off flavors.
Applicants' process makes it possible to obtain high rates of production and to obtain protein filaments having a diameter of approximately .006 to .030 inches in a simplified manner such that the fibers or filaments do not adhere or become welded together in a matted or tangled fashion.
A further advantage of applicants' continuous method of treating protein fibers is 1) that a plurality of adjacent and smaller orifices may be used to obtain a plurality of finer fibers while maintaining and in fact, under proper conditions, 3U increasing the production rate; 2) discrete protein filaments having a diameter of approximately .OU6 to .030 inches in diameter may be produced in an economical manner; and 3) under certain cooling conditions the fibers exhibit additional "off-flavor" removal.
~ _5_ 1~U9103 These and other advantages will become more apparentfrom the description hereinafter.
Pre_erred Embodiments of the Present Invention As previously discussed, preferably the present invention involves heating a slurry of proteinaceous material by conducting the slurry through a heat exchanger under high pressure. This slurry preferably will have a solids content of about 5% - 35% by weight which will be primarily dependent upon the limitations of the pump. After the proteinaceous slurry , , ~, .
~1 , .
, . . .. .
q , ,''''~
".
~, ' .
"
,~
SP~409 ~ :, . .
1039~03 passes through the heat exchanger, it is conducted through orifice means having a plurality of adjacent openings therein. As the plurality of formed elongated filaments are discharged to a collecting zone the fibers or filaments are immediately contacted' by a cooling medium which is effective to sufficiently cool the protein filaments to prevent the adhesion thereof. The protein filaments are then collected and desirably subjected to a further ; cooling to a ~esired temperature. A more detail description of the process of forming the protein filaments is contained in a;ssignee's patent 3,662,671.
The proteinaceous material which may be used to produce the fibers by the process of this invention include vegetable protein such as soy or other oilseed protein materials, e.g., oilseed meals concentrates or isolates such as soybean, sesame, cottonseed or peanut; animal ~rotein such as albumen'and casein;
and microbial protein from sources such as brewers yeast, torula yeast or petro-protein may be utilized in the process of this invention. As discussed in assignee's patent 3,662,671, the ' slurry of proteinaceous material will be conducted from ~he orifice at a temperature in the preferred range of about 240 -315 F. or above and preferably at a pressure of about 50 -5,000 psig. The protein will degrade if it is heated to too high a temperature for too long. According'to the present invention, the orifice means through which the proteinaceous slurry is conducted will have a plurality of orifices or openings therein to permit the simultaneous production of th~ proteinaceous fil-aments of the desired size. The openings in the orifice means will be predeterminately spaced a sufficient distance from each other to prevent the filaments or fibers from contacting one another until the fibers are cooled sufficiently to inhibit or prevent the adhesion thereof. Desirably, the openings in the orifice means will have a diameter in the range of approximately .006 to .030 inches and preferably .015 to .030 inches. The number of openings in the orifice means will be dependent upon the temperature and pressure of the slurry of proteinaceous ; material which is being processed, however, for a temperature of 295 - 310 F. and a pressure of 1,500 - 2,000 psig orifice means of approximately a .21 inch diameter having 9 - 25 openings therein has proven to be quite satisfactory. ~ther orifice means may be selected by the operator depending on production require-ments and the size of filaments desired.
As the proteinaceous fibers or filaments are conducted from the orifice means to the collecting zone, they are immediately subjected to a cooling medium which is sufficient to cool the filaments to a sufficient degree to inhibit or prevent the adhesion of the filaments. This cooling medium preferably con-sists of spraying water on the filaments immediately upon their discharge from the orifice means to the collecting zone with the water preferably being refrigerated and at a temperature of approximately 35 - 50 F. The cooler the water the quicker the protein material is reduced in temperature which serves to inhibit bacteria growth as well as inhibiting or preventing the adhesion . SP-409 ~.
1(~3~103 of the fibers. This cooling with water also has the additional benefit of washing or removing the flatulents and "off-flavor"
materials which are present on the filaments. After the fila~ents have been cooled to a sufflcient degree to prevent the adhesion thereof, they are collected on suitable means such as a conveyor.
The conveyor is constructed such that the wa~er utili~ed for the initial cooling of the filaments may be conducted away. By conducting this water away from the filaments or fibers, the temperature of the filaments is better controlled, the "off-flavor"
materials are washed off and removed, and bacteria growth is inhibited. If desired, the filaments may be cooled to the final desired temperature prior to recovery, however, it is preferred that the filamen~s have the initial cooling which is then followed by another step of cooling the filaments to the final desired temperature. Rather than spraying water on the filaments as they exit from the orifice means, the filaments may be submerged or passed through a continuously exchanged water bath preferably using refrigerated water. By continuously changing the water in the bath, the temperature of the water may be maintained at a temperature permitting the cooling of the filaments sufficiently to prevent the adhesion thereof and also permitting the "off-flavors" to be washed from the filaments and to be carried away.
Alternatively, the filaments as they exit from the or~fice means may have air, preferably refrigerated, passed around the filaments to ~chieve the desired cooling. As previously sp-~o9 ~ ~ 9 ~ O 3 discussed, this cooling would be for a time using refrigerated air at a temperature which is sufficient to cool the filaments sufficiently to prevent the filaments from adhering or matting together. While it is possible to use air as the cooling medium, the use of water is preferable because of its high thermal capacity and thus more rapid control of the adhesive properties of the formed filament product. Additionally, the water will wash the filaments, removing "off-flavors" dissolved in the slurry which remains with the filaments after the discharge from the orifice means.
Following the cooling of the filaments to the temperature which is sufficient to inhibit or prevent the adhesion thereof, the filaments are then subjected to a second cooling such as by ! spraying refrigerated water thereon to reduce the temperature of the protein filaments or ~ibers to d desired temperature and preferably approximately 40 - 60 F. The washing of the filaments ~mmediately after discharge from the orifice means and/or the ; washing by the second cooling step improves the flavor of the final product. The wash water should be positively removed or separated from the filaments to carry away the constituents washed from the filaments to achieve the flavor improvement.
From the foregoing it is now apparent that applicants.
have disclosed a unique method of cooling and collecting protein filaments or fibers and of simultaneously forming a plurality of discrete strands of filaments or fibers meeting the objectives and advantages set forth herein and that modifications or changes , SP-409 may be made in the method without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the claims which follow.
Claims (8)
1. A method of continuously and simultaneously forming a plurality of discrete protein filaments from a proteinaceous material wherein a slurry of the proteinaceous material with water is formed, the slurry having a proteinaceous solids content of between about 5 and 35% by weight, the discrete elongated protein filaments being formed by continuously conducting the proteinaceous slurry under pressure through a heat exchange zone and in the zone heating the slurry to a temperature above 240°F. but less than that which will degrade the protein, whereby the protein is subjected to such temperature for a sufficient period of time so that elongated tender filaments are formed, and the heated slurry is continuously removed from said heating zone through an orifice whereby the elongated filaments and remaining constituents of the slurry are discharged into a collecting zone and from the collecting zone the discrete tender elongated protein filaments are recovered, the improvement comprising; conducting the slurry through an orifice having a plurality of openings therein, each of said openings having a diameter in the range of approximately .006 to .030 inches and being spaced apart from one another to prevent the filaments discharged from said plurality of openings from contacting one another until the filaments are sufficiently cooled to inhibit the adhesion thereof, and immediately contacting the filaments upon discharge from the openings with a cooling medium selected from the group consisting of refrigerated water, and air and refrigerated water to cool the filaments to a temperature of between about 40 and 60°F. so as to prevent adhesion of the filaments as they are conducted from said orifice to the collecting zone, whereby removal of the refrigerated water used for cooling of the filaments is provided to wash the filaments and remove off flavors.
2. The method according to Claim 1 wherein the refrigerated water is sprayed on the filaments.
3. The method according to Claim 1 wherein the water is refrigerated to a temperature in the range of 35° - 50°F.
4. The method according to Claim 1 wherein said cooling medium is a continuously exchanged body of refrigerated water.
5. The method of Claim 1 wherein the orifice has approximately 9 - 25 openings.
6. The method according to Claim 4 wherein the temperature of the water is in the range of 35° - 50°F. and the orifice has approximately 9 - 25 openings.
7. The method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the temperature of the slurry as it exits the orifice is approx-imately 240° - 315°F. and the pressure is approximately 50 -5,000 psig.
8. The method according to Claim 4, 5 or 6 wherein the temperature of the slurry as it exits the orifice is approximately 240° - 315°F. and the pressure is approximately 50 - 5,000 psig.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US30226572A | 1972-10-30 | 1972-10-30 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1039103A true CA1039103A (en) | 1978-09-26 |
Family
ID=23167001
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA181,256A Expired CA1039103A (en) | 1972-10-30 | 1973-09-17 | Method of cooling and collecting protein fibers |
Country Status (18)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS4971159A (en) |
| AR (1) | AR216735A1 (en) |
| BE (1) | BE806755A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1039103A (en) |
| CS (1) | CS173644B2 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2353271A1 (en) |
| DK (1) | DK145265C (en) |
| ES (1) | ES420052A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2204364B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1422436A (en) |
| HU (1) | HU171507B (en) |
| IL (1) | IL43277A (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1003545B (en) |
| NL (1) | NL7313790A (en) |
| PL (1) | PL90855B1 (en) |
| RO (1) | RO66581A (en) |
| SE (1) | SE392669B (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA737411B (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1539725A (en) * | 1974-12-23 | 1979-01-31 | Unilever Ltd | Fibres containing soy protein |
| US3953612A (en) * | 1975-01-06 | 1976-04-27 | Miles Laboratories, Inc. | Process for preparing a fibrous protein product and the product thereof |
| GB1508635A (en) * | 1975-06-13 | 1978-04-26 | Du Pont | Method and apparatus for texturising a proteinaceous substance |
-
1973
- 1973-09-17 CA CA181,256A patent/CA1039103A/en not_active Expired
- 1973-09-19 IL IL43277A patent/IL43277A/en unknown
- 1973-09-19 ZA ZA737411*A patent/ZA737411B/en unknown
- 1973-10-01 JP JP48109414A patent/JPS4971159A/ja active Pending
- 1973-10-05 AR AR250390A patent/AR216735A1/en active
- 1973-10-08 NL NL7313790A patent/NL7313790A/xx not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1973-10-17 CS CS7162A patent/CS173644B2/cs unknown
- 1973-10-17 IT IT53191/73A patent/IT1003545B/en active
- 1973-10-24 DE DE19732353271 patent/DE2353271A1/en active Pending
- 1973-10-25 FR FR7338059A patent/FR2204364B1/fr not_active Expired
- 1973-10-29 DK DK583773A patent/DK145265C/en active
- 1973-10-29 ES ES420052A patent/ES420052A1/en not_active Expired
- 1973-10-29 SE SE7314677A patent/SE392669B/en unknown
- 1973-10-29 RO RO7376448A patent/RO66581A/en unknown
- 1973-10-29 HU HU73RA00000605A patent/HU171507B/en unknown
- 1973-10-30 BE BE137272A patent/BE806755A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1973-10-30 PL PL1973166209A patent/PL90855B1/en unknown
- 1973-10-30 GB GB5041973A patent/GB1422436A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| HU171507B (en) | 1978-01-28 |
| IT1003545B (en) | 1976-06-10 |
| NL7313790A (en) | 1974-05-02 |
| BE806755A (en) | 1974-02-15 |
| JPS4971159A (en) | 1974-07-10 |
| FR2204364B1 (en) | 1977-02-18 |
| AR216735A1 (en) | 1980-01-31 |
| CS173644B2 (en) | 1977-02-28 |
| ZA737411B (en) | 1974-08-28 |
| DE2353271A1 (en) | 1974-05-16 |
| SE392669B (en) | 1977-04-18 |
| DK145265B (en) | 1982-10-18 |
| IL43277A (en) | 1976-08-31 |
| DK145265C (en) | 1983-03-07 |
| RO66581A (en) | 1980-03-15 |
| GB1422436A (en) | 1976-01-28 |
| IL43277A0 (en) | 1974-03-14 |
| FR2204364A1 (en) | 1974-05-24 |
| ES420052A1 (en) | 1976-02-16 |
| PL90855B1 (en) | 1977-02-28 |
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