CA1118270A - Method of agglomerating and deflavoring pea flours and pea protein concentrates and products thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A process is described herein for agglomerating and deodorizing pea flours, pea protein concentrates, or admixtures of pea flours or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, said admixtures containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flours or pea protein concentrates, which process comprises: (a) charging said pea flours.
pea protein concentrates, or said admixtures to a treatment chamber (b) agitating said charge while spraying same with water or suitable aqueous solutions or emulsions in the amount of about 5% to about 30% by weight of the dry charge, thereby to form bead-like agglomerates having about 12% to about 30% by weight of moisture; (c) heating the agglomerated flours, concentrates or admixtures to a temperature in the range of 185°-200°F., thereby to remove pea-like flavor and bitterness from the material: and (d) drying said agglomerated flours, concentrates or admixtures at a temperature in the range of 100°-130°F. Desirably, step (d) of this process is carried out for a time ranging from about 20 to about 40 minutes. The process produces a bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomeration:
pea flours, pea protein concentrates or of mixtures ??????? with other foodstuffs, and having a relatively high bulk density, e.g. up to 3 times greater than that of raw pea protein concentrate. The products of this invention can be readily incorporated into food mixtures such as bread, cookie or pasta doughs, and the food mixtures containing such products can be readily handled in conventional equipment. Foods containing such products are quite palatable, being free from pea-like flavour and bitterness; and provide a good source of protein.

Description

METHnD OF AGGLOMER~TING A~ ~EFLAVORI~G PE~ FLOURS
PF~ PROTFIN CO~'CE~TRATES A~D PRODUCTS THE~OF
_ -The in~T~ntion herein described relates to a method of Proce~sin~
flours or prot~in concentrates obtained from legumes such as peas, for example fielcl peas (Pisu~ Sativum)l agglomerates of a beadlike nature which are essentially bland in flavour, and to the incorporation o~ these agglo-merated su~stances or ~ixtures into foods.

By pea flour is meant the product of dry mi~ling of dehydrated whole or dehulled peas, and bv pea protein concentrate is meant the product of an air classification process b~ means of which pea flour is separated into a starch rich fraction and a protein rich fraction which protein fraction constitutes a pea protein concentrate. Other foodstuffs can be soya flour or soya protein concentrate, proteinaceous materials such as casein,gluten, fish protein concentrate, nutmeats, etc., cereal flours, sugars and vitamins and minerals, for example.
A common method of preparing protein rich concentrates from peas consists of dehydrating the peas, milling the dried peas into a flour, and fractioning the flour into protein and starch rich fractions by means of separation with air. The dried peas are first cleaned, possibly dehulled, and ground to a fine flour which is 90% less than 325 mesh in particle size (90% less than 0.0017 inches in diameter), where mesh refers to the number of screen openings per lineal inch of screen. ~ typical composition of pea flour obtained from whole ground peas might be as follows: protein - 26%, starch - 44%, fibre - 7%, lipids - 2.5%, ash - 3%, non-fat extract - 17.5%. If the peas are first dehulled, much of the fibre is removed as the hulls consist of approximately 80% cellulose and represent about 8% by weight of the peas.
hn~en dried peas are ground to a flour the fragile protein rich matrix of endosperm which encapsulates the starch granules is fragmented into very fine particles while the starch granules remain basically intact due to their resistance to grinding. Conse~lently, it is possible to separate the lighter protein rich fines from the heavier starch granules simply by air classificationof the flour. The separation is not complete, as some bro~en starch granules are carried over with the protein rich fines, and some large unbroken agglomerates of endosperm (containing protein) remain in -the coarse starch fraction.
In a typical separation process, for example, in which 100 lbs of pea flour from dehulled peas consistins of approximately 29% protein, 47%
starch, and 17% non-fat extract which consists of oligosaccharides (sugars), the balance being ash, fibre and lipids, is classified with air, 31 lbs.
of a protein rich fraction consisting of 60% protein, 11% sugars, 8% starch and 4~ lipids, and 6g lbs. of a starch rich fraction consisting of 14-15%
protein, 53% starch, 5% sugars and 1.5% lipids are obtained.

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In order to further separate the remaining protein from the starch fraction, it is necessary to re-grind this fraction to break down the remaining agglomerates of endosperm and to re-classify with air. Consequently, 17 lbs. of a second protein rich fraction consisting of 40% protein, 28~ starch,10% sugars, and 4% lipids, and 52 lbs. of a final starch fraction consisting of 5~ protein, 78% starch and 4% sugars is obtained.
The protein rich fractions or mixtures of such fractions, generally known as pea protein concentrates, obtained by these prior art methods, generally contain 40 - 6% protein and are 9o% less than 800 mesh in particle size, ( 90% less than 0.00106 inches in diameter). These materials also possess a characteristic pea-like flavour and a bitter taste which in all likelihood is due to the presence of lipids, phytic acid and volatile compounds in these materials. The pea flours generally contain 2.5% lipids and 1.5% - 2%
phytic acid and when these flours are air classified to produce the concentrates, the lipids and phytic acid are carried over into the concentrates, resulting in typical concentrations of 4.0-5.0% lipids and 1.5-2.0% phytic acid in the concentrates.
According to prior art, the pea flours or pea protein concentrates produced by dry milling or air classification methods can be used to prepare protein enriched foods, such as bread or cookies, for example, by straightforward addition and/or blending without subsequent treatment prior to incorporation.
However, the food products obtained are generally unsatisfactory in that they have unacceptable flavour and texture characteristics, and in most cases are unpalatable.
Firstly, the flours, or concentrates, are very fine in particle size;
they possess high water absorption characteristics; and the proteins in the flours or concentrates, do not have desirable water binding properties.
Consequently, when these materials are incorporated into bread or cookie doughs,for example, in order to obtain sufficiently high protein levels in the final products, an amount of flour or concentrate, which represents 5-10% of the formula weight, produces doughs which are dry and crumbly or tough, and are difficult to form or mold, which characteristics necessitate either the additionof excess water to the doughs or a reduction in the amount of flour or concer.trate used. Furthermore, after baking, these products are moist, dense or hard and donot have an open texture in the case of a bread product or a crisp and crumbly texture in the case of a cookie product, such texture characteristics being most desirable.
Particularly in the case of pea proteinconcentrates,for example, ~ins to the high protein and relatively high sugar content of these materials, it is extremely difficult to disperse or dissolve these materials in water, and theresulting mixtures can be excessively sticky or pasty in character. When the concentrates are used to prepare bread or cookie doughs, owing to the high moistur~
absorption characteristics and the poor water binding properties of the concentrates, excess water must be added in order to obtain doughs of workable characteristics. Consequently, after these products are baked, further dryi~g is required to reduce the moisture levels in order to improve shelf life or keeping qualities of the product. In the case of cookies or biscuits, a hard or dense and moist product results so that it is sometimes necessary to use an excess of leavening agents or of eggs in order to provide good biscuit texture and to aid drying without case hardening, or to perforate the biscui,s, or to dry th~m for several hours after bakiny, at reduced temperatures, to obtain acceptable finai moisture levels.
When the flours or concentrates are used to prepare pasta doughs, snack chip doughs, beverage drinks, or are added to ground meats as an extender, similar texture problems occur, due to the sticky, pasty nature of these materials and due to their relatively poor water binding characteristics~
Secondly, in these raw flours and concentrates are present trypsin inhibitors, enzymes responsible for oxidation and rancidity in these materials, and toxic substances, all of which cause the flours and concentrates to be indigestible or unfit for human consumption without further heat processing prior to consumption. Such hea-treatment is usually achieved by heating or cooking the foods to which the concentrat or flours have been added; however, such practice does not necessarily ensure that harmful factors have been destroyed, depending on the cooking method used, or the nat;
of the product being heated or cooked. Consequently, the raw flours or concentra_es, may not be used in foods which do not involve a cooking step in their preparation.
Thirdly, the flours and concentrates obtained from peas by dry milling znd air classification methods, contain pea flavours and a bitter taste characteristic of the raw seed. The bitter taste of pea flours and concentrates is thought to be due to the presence of oxidized phospholipids, such oxidation being promoted by a lipase enzyme present in the flours and concentrates. These flavours and bitter tast~
are especially concentrated in the protein fractions, but are also present to a more limited extent in the original pea flours. Consequently, when these materia~s are used in food products, the flavour and bitter taste of raw peas is transferred to these products and is only partially removed by cooking or baking.
Finally, the flours and concentrates produced from peas, by air classificatio techniques, are not free f:Lowing and are extremely difficult to transport, or to store owing to their fineness of grind. Vse of the flours and concentrates in rixing, bagging or transferring operations results in the production of a fine dust which coats equipment and processing areas and is difficult to remove by washing with water due to the sticky nature of these materials. In addition, the flours and conce~trate~
have relatively low bulk densities which necessitate the use of high volume storage systems and result in relatively high costs of shipping or transporting the flour and concentrates.
In practice, it is found that a moist-heat treatment method may be used to reduce or eliminate pea-like flavour and bitterness of pea flours and concentrates obtained by milling and air classification. In one such example of a prior art treatment method, the flours or concentrates are slurried in water, the slurries are heated to sufficient temperature in order to reduce or remove the raw pea-like flavour and bitterness, and the slurries are drum-dried or spray-dried, to obtain a bland flour or concentrate, which may then be added to foods. In a second such exæm~~
of a prior art treatment method, the flours or concentrates are exposed to mois, steæ-at a temperature of 212F ~100C) or greater, for extended periods of time.

-3a-In all of the above described prior art treatment methods, the removal of pea flavours is thought to be due to ~he removal of volatiles, which are present in these flours and concentrates, by a common physical chemical technique, kno~ as steam distillation, and the removal of bitterness is thought to be due to the destruction of enzymes which promote oxidation of phospholipids, through the use of heat. The principle of this steam distillation technique, is that when steam is blown through a liquid which is immiscible with water (that is to say, insoluble in water), the resulting vapour contains both steam and a vapour of the immiscible liquid so that the immiscible liquid itself is distilled and may be condensed overhead, together with the steam. In this way, vapours of flavour compoments of the pea flours and concentrates, which are immiscible with water, are distilled when these materials are subjected to steaming treatments, or to moist-heat treatments. (The lipids and flavour components are insoluble in water, and are, therefore, removed by steaming or by moist-heat treatment.)

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The disadvantages of such prior art treatment methods are that, firstly, owing to the high temperatures employed~ to the extended processing times employed~ to the degree of moisture used, or to the presence of oxygen during processing, essential amino acids or vitamins may be destroyed, so that the nutritional value of the products is decreased; secondly the products which result, do not necessarily have such desirable characteristics as reduced stickiness or pastiness, or flowability etc. which deficiencies cause these products to be unsuitable in the preparation of certain foods; and lastly, the energy costs to remove added moisture from theproducts by drying, tespecially in the case where a slurry method is used), are excessive and prohibitive to the practical use of these methods. Conseq~ently, when these prior art processes are used to treat pea flours and protein concentrates, the treated materials are not entirely suitable for the preparation of food products, apart from the fact that they may have reduced pea-like flavour.
To conclude, raw pea floux and pea protein concentrates obtained by dry milling and air classification of peas are not suitable for use in foods without treatment to remove raw pea flavour and bitterness, and to make the pxoducts easier to handle and to incorporate into various foods. Such methods as are presently used to treat raw flours and concentrates, result in products which are not entirely suitable to be used in foods, due to their low nutritional value and to other undesirable characteristics, and such treatment methods are expensive to employ.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to prepare pea flours or pea protein concentrates in forms which are essentially bland in flavour, which do not have a bitter taste. Such forms are free-flowing, have relatively high bulk densities, and are generally superior to flours and concentrates prepared according to prior art methods.
It ~s another object of this invention to prepare pea flour and pe2 protein concentrates in forms which may be readily utilized in various foods without causing excessive stickiness or pastiness, or mechanical forming pro~lems, thereby resulting in food products superior in flavour and texture characteristics to similar products produced by prior art methods, and also to prepare admix~lres of pea flours and pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, which admixtures can readily be processed into secondary food products by means of a secondary processing step, said admixtures themselves being new food products, which were hitherto unknown to the prior art.

~i3 -4~-It is a further object of this invention, to moist-heat treat pea flours an~ pea protein concentrates and to produce forms thereof which ha~e superior nutrltional value to ~hose products pro~uced by prlor art moist heat-treatment methods, which fo~ns are readil~ digestib'e and may be added to or used in foods whose preparation utilizes a minimum of cooking or heatlng prlor to cons~ption.
Still another object of this invention to prepare such forms of pea flour and pea protein concentrates as above described, by use of a moist, heat-treatment and drying method, which is less cos~ly than prior art moist heat-treatment and drying methods, by virtue of low energy requirements to dry the moist heat-treate~ fo.rms, increased ease of tran~porting or storing t~le resulting products, reduced volumes required to store or to transport the pro~ucts, ~Id ease of incorporating or forming the products into various foods by means of commonly known food processing equipment.
The present invention, in one embodiment, resides in a process for agglc~nerating and deodorizing pea flours, pea protein concentrates, or admixtures of pea flours or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, said admixtures containing at least 25~ by weight of said pea flours or pea protein concentrates, which process comprises: ta) charging said pea flours, pea protein concentrates, or said admixtures to a treatment chamberJ (b) agitating said charge while spraying same with water or suitable aqueous solutions or emulsions in the amount of about 5% to about 30% by weight of the dry charge, thereby to form bead-like agglomerates having between about 12 and about 30% by weight of moistureJ (c) heating the agglomerated flours, concentrates or admixtures to a temperature in the range of 185 -200 F, thereby to remove pea-like flavour and bitterness from the material; and (d) drying said agglomerated flours, concentrates or admixtures at a temperature in the range of lO0 -130 F.

In its broadest process embodiment, the present invention resides in a process as defined in the immediately preceding paragranh, hut in which the flours or protein cnncentrates are not limited to those derived from peas, but may be derived from any edible legume.

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In another embodiment, this invention resides ln a bland flavored,light-colored, free-flowing, bead-li~e agglomerate having a relatively high bulk density, said agglomera-te belng either of (1) pea flour, or pea protein concentrates or (2) of mlxtures of pea flour or pea protein concentrates wi.th other foodstuffs such as cereal flours , starches, dehydrated vegeta~le flours, soya flour, soya protein concentrates, casein, gluten, whole egg powders, eag albumen, milk powders and fish protein concentrates an~ o?tionally, one or more other ad~itives such as sugars, salt, malt, cocoa po~der, citric acid, phosphates, sodium bicarbonate, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, vegetable oils, lecithin, butter and other fatty or waxy materials, emulsifiers~
flavourings ar,d cclors. Sald mixtures contain at l~ast 25~ b~
weight of said pea flours or pea protein concentrates. The afore-said agglomerates are made by the process recited above.
According to the process aspect of this invention, pea flours or pea protein concentrates, obtained by grinding ancl air classification of peas, or admixtures of these flours and concentrates with other foodstuffs, with or without additives, are first sprayed with water or with an a~ueous solution or emulsion in the amount of 5% to 30% of the dry material by weight while being agitated, in order to form bead-like agglomerates.
These agglomerates are then subjected to a heat treatment method while still in their essentially moist state, by heating the agglomerates to temperatures of 185-200F, in order to remove pea-like flavour and 'bitterness, and to inactivate enzymes present in the original flours and concentrates.
Finally, the agglomerates are dried to a moisture content of 12go or less, or to a moisture content suitable to prevent spoilage on extended periods of storage, and are then ground and/or sized to obtain products with a uniform particle size distribution.
Agai.n, as wi.th the process aspect, the present inventi.on in its broadest product aspect, resides in a bland flavored, light colored, free-Elowing, bead-like agglomerate as described in the first paragraph on this page, but wherein the flour or protein concentrates are not limited to those derived from peas, but may he derived from any edible legume.

-5a-I.~.ere admixtures of the pea flours ~r pea protein concentrate5 with other foodstuffs or additives are contemplated, the other foodstuffs m~y consist o~ such materials as cereal flours, dehydrated vegetable flours, or proteinaceous materials such as nut meats, soya flour, soya protein concentrates, casein, gluten, dried egg albumin, or whole egg powder, fish protein concentrate, or yeasts, etc.
The additives may be sugars, salt,cocoa powders, citric acid, phosphates, sodium bicarbonate, vitamins, minerals, flavourings or colours, etc. The aqueous solutions may consist of sugars, salt, colours and flavours, emulsifiers and wetting agents, etc., dissolved in water and the emulsions may consist of essential oils or flavours, vegetable oils, lecithin, and other fatty or waxy substances dispersed in water with the aid of suitable emulsifiers.
The pea flours or concentrates or admixtures are agitated while being s~-ayed in order to effect z uniform dispersion of the aqueous solution or emulsion and to form agglomerates of a bead-like nature and uniform particle size. The agitation can be suitably carried out using types of mixers such as ribbon blenders, V-cone blenders~ double cone blenders, vacuum mixers, or in a fluidized bed chamber. In these types of mixers, agitation of the flour or concentrate is achieved either by means of blades or paddles such as in a ribbon blender or in a vacuum mixer, or by rotation of the mixer itself to produce a tumbling mixing action as in the case of a V-cone or double cone blender, or by means of blowing air or gas directly through the flours or concentrates as in the case of a fluidized bed chamber.
The spraying action can conveniently be carried out by means of nozzles, spray bars or special dispersion bars common to these types of mixers. The liquid to be sprayed is pumped or is introduced by gravity flow and is unifor21ydispersed into the flours or concentrates. In addition, the V-cone, double coneor vacuum type mixers can also be equipped with chopper blades which rotate at relatively high speeds of 1750 - 3500 r.p.m.* and create a uniform dispersion ofliquid throughout the solid mixture and also control the final particle size of the mixture by brea~ing up larger sized agglomerates.
* (revolutions per minute) In examples characteristic of the process of the invention, it is four.d that when water is added to the pea flour or concentrates by means of a uniform spray, or by other liquid disperson techniques, owing to the stickiness or pastiness of these materials, the particles are wetted and are immediately coated with adjacent fine particles of unwetted material to form bead-like agglomerates. The siæe of these agglcmerates may be controlled by the rate of addition of water, by the size of water droplets sprayed into the mixture or by the degree of agitation, or by the degree of chopping or cutting action wherein a chopper blade is used.
It is found for example, that effective agglomeration and deflavouring of pea flours and concentrates is achieved through the use of lQ-25% of the dry material weight as water, and most effectively through the use of 15-20% by weight of the material as water. As the moisture content of the original flours and concentrates is generally about 10~, the addition of 15-20% water by weight, causes the wetted materials to have an overall moisture content of from 20 to 25~ by weight. When the amount Or water added is less than 10% of the material by weight, not all of the material is agqlomerated, and the material may have residual pea flavour and bitterness after drying. When the amount of water added is greater than 25%, the material is practically totally agglomerated, and has no residual pea flavour and bitterness, but is dark in colour, and possesses a higher degree of denatured or insoluble protein than when processed at lower moisture levels. In the case of flour or concentrate admixtures and other foodstuffs the amount of water to be added varies between 5 and 30% by weight, but is generally 15-20% of the pea flour or pea concentratepresent in such admixtures.
It is found that when the moist agglomerates are heated to temperatures of 185-200F or (85-95C) pea flavour and bitterness are effectively removed.
When the maximum temperature during heating exceeds 200F (95C~, a dark coloured product is obtained which has a high degree of insoluble protein. hnenthe maximum temperature during heating is below 185F (85C) it is found that pea-like flavour and bitterness are not completely removed. Therefore the optimum, maximum temperature range is found to be between 185-200F. In adciticn, it is also found that it is not necessary to hold the temperature within this maximum range for any period of time. Effective removal of pea flavour and bitterness is obtained simply by allowing the agglomerates to reach the maxi~lm temperature, and then to immediately dry the agglomerates at lower temperatures,for example, by inducing a vacuum on the mixing cham~er or by introducing dr~
air through the agglomerates. The resulting agglomerates are bland, and have acceptable colour and soluble protein characteristics.
Additionally, it is found that when an inert gas bleed is passed through the moist agglomerates during the heating step, oxidative changes are minimized and the product generally has a more acceptable colour after heating and drying.The inert gas bleed also helps to remove vapours which are evolved during the heating step, and to prevent condensation of these vapours on the product.
A similar reduction in colour is noticed if an acid such as citric or phosphoricacid is added in the amount of up to 0.5~ by weight to the pea flour or concentrate before heating. The resulting products generally have a light golden-brown colour, but a slightly lower soluble protein content due to denaturation of the protein by the acids.

After heat treatment the agglomerates are dried at product ~emperatures of 100-130F(or 40-55C)using conventional drying techniques.
When product temperatures lower than 100F are used, drying rates are slow.
If product temperatures exceed 130F excessive denaturation of proteins present in the pea flour and concentrates may occur, and the materials may develop a dar~ colour.
The conventional techniques used can be hot air drying, or vacuum-heat drying. Such heat treatment can conveniently be carried out in the mixing chamber which is used for the agglomeration process. For example, heat may be applied to a jacket on the mixer by means of steam, hot oil or hot water, or the p}oduct dried by circulating hot air through the mixer or by pulling a vacu~m on the mixing chamber. In the case of a fluidized bed chamber, for example, product may be dried simply by circulating the hot air throu~h the bed. ~he materials may also be heated through the use of dlelectric or microwave methods.
After the beaded agglomerates have been dried, they may be screened to separate ooarse particles and fine particles from the product. For example, two screens with different hole sizes, might be used such that an over sized fraction is retained on the upper screen (large hole size), a product fraction passes through the upper screen and is retained on the lower screen ~small hole size) and an under-sized fraction consisting of fines passes through the lower screen.
It is found that when the heat treated agglomerates are dried and sized in this fashion, hard, dense, bead-like particles are obtained. These particles exhibit reduced pastiness and stickiness when dispersed in water, and have little or no residual raw pea flavour or bitter taste.
Such difference in properties can be immediately distinguished simply by tasiing the flours and concentrates and the products of the process of this invention.
To illustrate the above described method of agglomerating pea flours and pea protein concentrates, a flowsheet for the process is shown in Pigure 1.
The extent of processing variables such as time and temperature employed for each step of the process, is illustrated by means of a typical processing curve,as ~3yen in Fiqure 2.
~ l~ith reference to the processing curve of Figure 2, and only by way of example, the time x for the agglomeration of a pea flour, pea protein concentrate, or admlxture, during which aqueous solution or emulsion is added to the dry material, may varybetween 1 and 10 min.; the time y, during which the wetted material is heated to the maximum temperature a, ~nd is subsequently deflavoured and debittered, may vary from 20 to 40 min; and the time z, during which the heat-treated deflavoured agqlomerate is dried to a final moisture content of 12% or less, may vary from 20 to 40 min. In addition, the maximum temperature a, reached at the end of the heating period y, may vary from 185F to 200F;
and the temperature b at which the agglomerate is dried, may vary from 100F
to 130F, for example. Preparing pea flours, concentrates or admixtures using the processing parameters as described above~ will generally result in acceptable products.

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According to the process of this invention, various time values for the parameters x, y and z, other than those values described above, would produce comparable results. For example, a shorter heating time (i.e. a faster heating rate, for y less than 20 min), would result in less destruction of nutritive value in moist pea flours and concentrates, but provided that a final temperature between 185 F and 200 F is reached, pea flavour and bitterness would still be removed. Such heating might be carried out in continuous fashion, by using a fluidized bed for example, or by rapidly and continuously feeding themoist agglomerates into one end of a heated zone, and continuously removing the heated agglomerates from the opposite end of this zone.
Contrarily, a longer heating time (i.e. slow heating rate; y greater than 40 min.), would result in greater destruction of nutritive value, by virtue of the fact that the material is subjected to high temperatures for relatively long time periods. With regard to the maximum temperature range employed, if the agglomerate were processed at a maximum temperature a of 210F,for example, the resulting product might still be acceptable for use in certain foods as relates to its physical properties such as flowability, and ease of incorporation etc, but would generally have an inferior nutritional value and aninferior colour, etc. when compared with products made at temperatures of 185 - 200 F. Similarly, an agglomerate processed at temperatures below 185 F, would have unacceptable pea-like flavour and bitterness etc, when compared to a product made at a temperature of 185-200 F.
lhe temperature at which the product is dried, would have similar effects on the properties of the product, but, generally, it is found that acceptable products are produced when the materials are dried at a temperature of 100 - 130 F.

When the products of this process, are compared to raw pea flours and concentrates with regar~ to their physical characteristics, it is found that the products are free-flo~ing and have lower a~gles of repose than the original materials. Moreover, it is found that especially in the case of pea protein concentrate, the hulk density of the agglomerated concentrate is as much as 3 times greater than that of the raw concentrate -for example, the bulk density of agglomerated pea protein concentrate is 50 and 60 lb./ft.3 as compared to 20 lb/ft.~ for raw pea protein concentrate.
The products of this process can be added to various food products.
It is found, for example, that in the case of a cookie product, where agglomerated heat-treated pea protein concentrate is used, the doughs are soft, moist and workable. These doughs are easily handled using conventional wire-cutcookie machines, and the ba~ed products possess e~cellent flavour cand texture characteristics. It is also found that 10% or more of the agglomerated heat-treated pea protein concentrate can be used to prepare these doughs, based on total formula weight. Consequently, it is possible to achieve relatively high protein levels in these products, through the use of agglomerated pea protein concentrate. When similar doughs are prepared using unprocessed pea protein concentrate, the doughs become dry and cxumbly and it is necessary to add excess moisture to the doughs. In addition, the products obtained after baking are moist, dense and hard, and have an objectionable pea-like flavour.
In general, the products of this invention are easy to incorporate into food mixtures, such as bread, cookie or pasta doughs, or can be used as meat extenders. They do not cause excessive stickiness or pastiness, nor do they require the addition of excessive quantities of water in order to obtain workable mixtures. Consequently, these food mixt~Lres or doughs c~n be readily handled in conventional equipment and do not require extensive handling or processing techniques.
Finally, it is found tilat various food admixtures can be produced by the method of this invent:ion. For example, a mixture of ~ea flour and pea protein concentrate, or a mixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrate with either corn starch, pea starch or other starch such as wheat starch, ta~ioca starch and/or rice starch can be agglomerated by the process of this invention. When such admixtures contain pea flours or pea protein concentrates in amounts greater than 25% by weight of the admixture, it is noticed that the admixtures have a characteristic pea-like flavour, and a bitter taste. Furthennore, it is found that the pea-like flavour and bitterness can be removed from such admixtures by the process of this invention,and that the resulting agglomerated admixtures can be used to prepare various secondary food products. For example, a snack food product can be prepared by a secondary processing method, whereby the heat-treated agglomerated admixture is formed into a dough by the addition of water, and is sheeted or extruded to produce a flaked product which may then be deep-fat fried, or a pu~fed-expanded product which is made ready t~ eat by the addition of suitable fats and seasonings.

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-ln-Similarly, a breakfast cereal admixture consisting of pea protein concentrate and an added starch, toyether ~ith various flavourings and additives, can be agglomerated by the method of this invention. Such agglomerated admixture may then be formed into a flaked cereal product or a puffed-expanded product according to the above described methods.
Such heat treated agglomerated admixtures exhibit reduced stickiness and pastiness, are bland in flavour, have higher bulk densities than the original untreated admixtures, are free-flowing, and can readily be formed into acceptable products using conventional snack and cereal processing equipment.
Such admixtures based on pea flours and pea protein concentrates, and produced by a heat treatment agglomeration method, are unknown to the prior art, and result in secondary snack and cereal products with higher protein contents and higher nutritional value than hitherto obtained by processing pea flours or pea protein concentrates by prior art methods.
Although this invention employs a moist heat-txeatment method, as do other prior art processes, the differences between the method of this invention and prior art methods are that:
The amount of water used in agglomeration is substantially less than the amounts used in a slurry process for example, so that energy costs of drying the agglomerate are considerably reduced over drying costs for these other processes. The maximum temperature employed during heat-treatment, is lower than the temperatures used in other prior art heat treatment processes; consequently, the products of the process of this invention have higher nutritional values than those products made by prior art methods. Finally, the process of this invention results in products and in secondary food products which were hitherto unknown to the prior art, and although pea flours, pea concentrates and various admixtures containing these materials and other food stuffs can be prepared by prior art methods, such products are inferior to the products of the process of this invention.
The description herein is given with particu]ar reference to the processin~ of ~ flours or pea protein concentrates; however, this invention is applicable to the process of flours and protein concentrates obtainable from other edible legumes as well, as for instance, from the various types of beans, and from lentils and peanuts.

The present in~ention is further illustrated bv the follol~lng examples;
however, it is to be understood that it is not applicant's intention that the invention be in any sense limited thereby:
~LE 1 An agglomerated 2ea ~rotein concentrate.
70 lb. of a pea protein concentrate containing 50~ protein by wgt. 3 derived from pea flour by an air classification process, was charged to a treatment chamber equipped with mixing blades and a chopper blade.
12 lb. of water was sprayed into the concentrate, with suitable agitation of the material provided. The water added represented 17% of the concentrate by weight.
The mixture was then heated to a temperature of 185 F, which heatin~
action required 30 minutes, and the heat treated agglomerate was then dried in 30 minutes using a vacuum pressure of 28-29 inches of mercury to a final temperature of 120F, and a moisture content of 9.5%, according to the typical processing curve of Figure 2.
The resulting product was a free-flowing, dust free, bead-like agglomerate, which had virtually no pea-like flavour and no bitter taste. Its properties are shown in Table 1. This product ~as then ground to a uniform particle size and used to prepare various food products, as in Examples 9 and 10hereinafter.

.._ - .~ _ _ _ Moisture Protein % Nitrogen Bulk Plate Moisture Solubility ~ensi3tY Count absorption index lb/ftcapacity 50~ ~ _ _ 5/100 5.
Raw Concentrate 10.13% 47.48% ¦ 60% 23 18,200 452 . ._ _ _ Agglomerated 50%
concentrate8.24 50.13 55.3~ 56.65 4,300 481 .. __ _ _ .
Particle Pea Bitterness Colour Size Flavour . _ .
90% thru. Strong Strong Light 800 mesh__ yellow 90% above Slisht No Golden 100 mes~ ~ea bitterness yellow EX~PLE 2 Agglomerated pea protein concentrate - inert gas bleed used.
70 lb of a protein concentrate containina 60% protein by wgt., derived from pea flour by an air classification process, was charged to a treatment chambe~ and water added as in Example 1.
The mixture was then heated to a temperature of 185F in 30 mins., and nitrogen gas was passed through the mixture at a rate of 15 cubic feet p~r hour, during the heating period.
At the end of this period, the nitrogen gas bleed was stopped, and the mixture dried as in Example 1.

The product obtained was similar in physical characteristics to that of Example 1, except that a lighter colour was evident. (See Table 2).

=_ _ __ Moisture % Protein Nitrogen ~ Bulk Molsture Solubility ¦ Density Absorption Index I lb/ft3 a~100 a __ _ _ . _ , ., Raw 60% 8.81 62.2 84.4 20.0 547 ~oncentrate _ .. . _ hgglomerated 8.77 63.0 68.4 58.5 560 60% Concentrate .. _ _ ... .. _ .. ... ~
Particle Pea Bitterness I Colour Size Flavour . .. _ ._ _ _ 90% thru. Very Very Light 800 mesh strong strong yellow _ .~ _ __ _ ._ 90% above Slight No Light 100 mesh cooked bitterness golden _ _ pe~ _ yellow The product was used to ma~e a pasta product as in Example 14.

~L18;;~7~

EX~LE 3 Agglomerated pea concentrate with acid added.
As in Example l, only 2 114 oz. of citric acid was dissolved in the agglomeration water. The amount of acid used, represents approximately 0.2%
of the weight of the concentrate.
The results (see Table 3) were similar to those obtained in Examples l and 2, only the material was very light in colour, and the colour ~as similar to that of the raw concentrate.
TA~LE 3 .. _ . _ __ _ ~ _ _ - _ I - l Moisture Protein Nitrogen Bulk Particle Pea Bitterness Colou % % Solubility Densit~ Size Flavour Index _ lb/ft. _ - ~-~ -1- -Raw 50~ 90% thru Strong Strong Light ~oncentrate 10 13 47.48 60% 1 23 800 mesh -- I yel ~gglomerated 9.02 48.36 ~6% 56 9o% None None Very 50% above slight light ~oncentrate _ _ ~ 100 mesh ~ ¦ yelldoer . .. _ _ EXAMPLE 4:
Agglomerated pea flour.
70 lb of a pea flour consisting of 25% protein was charged to a treatment chamber as in Example l.
12 lb. of water was sprayed into the flour as in Example l(The amount of water added represented 17~ of the flour by weight).
The material was heated to 185F and dried under Yacu D to 120F., as in Example l.
The resulting material had a bulk density of 60 lb/ft3, was very light golden brown in colour, and had no pea flavour or bitterness.

E~'~LE_5 An admi:;ture of a pea protein c~ncentrate ~n~i a starch (a snack food mixture).
50 lb. of a ~ea protein concentrate containing 50~ pro~ein, and 50 lb. of a pea starch containing 80% starch and 5% pr~tein, was charged to a treatment chamber as in Example 1. ~Total weight was 100 lb.) ln lb. o~ water was sprayed into the mixture, and the mixture was agglomerated, heated and dried, as in Example 2. The amount of water added represents 20% of the pea protein concentrate in the admixture. The results obtained are shown in Table 4. The product was ground and sized and was used to make a snack product, as in Example 12.

T~BLE 4 .. _ __ _ j _ Moisture Protein Bulk Particle Pea Bitterness Colour ldb/ft3tY Size Flavour .. _. . ._ . _ _ . . .
50/50 9C~ above None None Very light Concentrate/ 9.45 29.24 58.5 100 mesh golden Pea Starch yellow __ _ . ~ _ .__ _ _ __ EXAMP~E 6:
An admixture of pea concentrate and other foodstuffs: ~a breakfast cereal admixture).
A mixture of the following ingredients was prepared:
50% pea protein concentrate - 40 lb.
Corn flour - 10 Ib.
80~ pea starch - 40 lb.
Sugar - 8 lb.
Malt - ~ lb.
Salt - ~ lb.
TOTAL - 98 3/4 lb.
The mixture was charged to a treatment chamber, as in ~xample 1, and 8 lb. of water was sprayed into the mixture. (The amount of water added represented 20% by weight of pea concentrate present in the admixture).
The mixture was the~ agglomerated, heated, and dried as in Example 1.
The resulting product was dense, light in colour, with no residual pea flavour or bitterness~ The product was ground and sized and used to make a ready to eat breakfast cereal as in Example 13.

2L~
An adm~ixture of pea concentrate and other foodstuffs (a meat extender).
The following admixture was prepared:
50% Pea Protein Concentrate - 70 lb.
50~ Soya Flour - 25 lb.
Hydrol~ed Vegetable Protein - 5 lb.
TOTAL 100 lbs.
The rnixture was agglornerated, heated and dried as in Exarnple 1.
20 lbs. of water was used which represents approximately 20%
of the pea concentrate and soya flour in the mixture.
The agglomerated product was ground and sized, and used to make a meat produc-t as in Example 11.
~he ground product was dense and had no pea-like flavour or bitterness.

EXAMPLE 8:
An admixture of pea protein concentrate and other foodstuffs (a beverage product) The following beverage type admixture was prepared:
Skim Milk Powder - 20 lb Sucrose - 12 lb Dextrose - 4.5 lb Vegetable gum - Q.5 lb Cocoa powder - 3.5 lb 53,0 Pea protein concentrate - 8.0 lb 48.5 lb This admixture had a noticeable raw pea-like flavour and a bitter taste.
To this mixture was added 1~2 lb of water, in the form of a spray, which quantity represents approx. 20% of the pea protein concentrate in the admixture.

-- 1. S.l --The admixture was consequentlY agg]omerated, heated, and dried as in Exam?le 1. .~fter drying, 8 oz. of chocolate colour and fiavour, and 1 oz. of vanillin ~ere added to the agglomel-ated admixture.
The product ~as then ground and sized, and used to prepare a beverage drink by mixing the dry product with water.
The product dispersed readily in water, and the resulting beverage had a rich chocolate-milk like flavour, and had no pea-like flavour or bitterness when compared with the original unagglomerated admixture.
The protein content of the dry, agglomerated beverage mixture was 23%.

,7~

E,~LES OF SECON~ARY FOOD PRODUCTS MADE ~SING PR~DUCTS OP TXE PROCESS:

EXA.b~PLE g:
A cookie product:
The product of the process of Example 1 was blended with the following ingredients and used to make a cookie dough:
Agglomerated 50% Pea Protein Concentrate - 7~ lb.
C2ke Flour - 7~ lb.
Liquid Eggs - 2 lb.
Granulated Sugar - 5 lb.
Brown Sugar - 5 lb.
Vegetable Shortening - 8 lb.
Baking Powder - 5 07.
Lemon Flavour - 4 oz The dough was then extruded into 1 oz. buttons using a wire-cut cookie machine, and baked at 400F for 10-12 mins. in a conventional oven.
The resulting cookies were crisp and crumbly, and had no detectable pea-like flavour or bitlerness. The protein content of the cookies after baking was 14%.

EXAMPLE 10.
A hamburger roll product (a bread type product).
25% of the flour in a basic hamburger roll formula was replaced with the ~roduct from E~ample 1, and the formula ingredients formed into a dough.
The dough was formed into rolls and baked in a conventional manner.
The baked products were moist, had a light, open te~ture a light golden yellow colour, and no pea-like flavour or bitterness.
The baked products had a protein content of 14-16~, and were analyzed to be an excellent source of protein.

E~'T.~
A meat product.
The product admixture of Example 7 was added to ground beef in the following manner:
Agglomerated Admixture (Example 7) - lC pts.
Ground Beef - 90 pts.
Water - 10 pts.
110 pts.
The mixture was blended well in a meat grinder, formed in~o patties and fried.
The resulting fried meat product was moist and tender, and had no pea~like flavour or bitterness.

A protein snack food product.
The agglomerated product of Example 5 consisting of an admixture of 2ea protein concentrate and pea starch, was cooked and extruded in a conventional extruder, and formed into an expanded snack food.
The resultins product was seasoned with vegetable~ oil, salt, and various flavourings, and was light and very crisp, with no residual pea flavour or bitterness.
The~protein content of this product was 24~.

EXAMPLE 13:
A protein breakfast Cereal Product.
The agglomerated product of Example 6, consisting of an admixture of pea protein concentrate, corn flour, pea starch, sugar, salt, and malt, was cooked and extruded in a conventional cereal extruder and formed into pellets. These pellets were then formed into flakes by passing the pellets between sheeting or flaking rollers. The flaked product wzs then dried and toasted in a conventional oven to form a ready to eat breakfast cereal product.
The cereal product was light and crisp, had no pea flour or bitterness, and had a protein content of 22~o ~:IL1827~

EX~PLE 14:
A Protein Pasta Product.
20 pts. of a 60% pea protein concentrate from Example 2, was blended with 80 pts. of a semolina flour.
45 pts. of water was added to form a wet granular mixture, and the wet mixture was extruded into various pasta forms such as macaroni, spagnetti, and noodles, etc., and dried to a moisture content of 4%, using conventional pasta equipment.
The product was then cooked in boiling water to form a ready to eat pasta product.
The cooked pasta exhibited reduced stickiness and pastiness, had no pea-like flavour or bitterness, was moist and turgid, and had a desirable texture, characteristic of such products.
The dry pasta forms had a protein content of 22~%.

EXAMPLE 15:
A Protein Candy Product.
The agglomerated admixture of Example 5, consisting of 50% pea protein concentrate blended with pea starch was used to make a candy bar product as follows:
90 pts. of agglomerated admixture ~Example 5) was blended with 9 pts.
sugar and l pt. flavouring.
This mixture was then cooked~extruded to form a crisp, aerated, expanaed product, using conventional snack extrusion equipment.
The product was cut into pieces of appropriate length and the pieces enrobed with liquid chocolate, to form a ready-to-eat candy bar.
"
EXAMPLE 16:
A Crouton product (a biscuit type product).
The product of the process of Example l, was blended with the following ingredients, and used to prepare a Crouton or a biscuit type product:

~ 7~:~

Wheat Flour - 114 lb.
Agglomerated Pea Concentrate(from ~xample 1~ - 40 lb.
Corn Meal 20 lb.
Corn ~lour - 10 lb.
Skim Milk Powde~ - 7 lb.
Soya Oil - 5 lb.
Salt - 4 lb TOTAL200 lbs.

This dry mixture was formed into a dough by the addition of 60 lb.
of water, and the dough was cooked, extr~lded, and dried to fo~m a light and crisp crouton product.
This product had no pea-like flavour or bittPrness and was suitable to be used as a garnish for soups and salads.
The protein content of the product was 20%.

Example 17 - A Snack Product The agglomerate of Example 1 was ground and sized to produce a coarse material between 1300 and 700 microns in particle size . 30 pts of this coarse fraction was then blended with 70 pts of corn meal of approx. the sa~e particle size, and the resulting mixture was extruded to form a crisp expanded product.
The mixture cou]d easily be extruded and had a good volume, was ligh~ and very crisp, and was an acceptable product.
The protein content of this product was 21%.

Claims (45)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A process for agglomerating and deodorizing pea flours, pea protein concentrates, or admixtures of pea flours or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, said admixtures containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flours or pea protein concentrates, which process comprises:
(a) charging said pea flours, pea protein concentrates, or said admixtures to a treatment chamber;
(b) agitating said charge while spraying same with water or suitable aqueous solutions or emulsions in the amount of about 5% to about 30% by weight of the dry charge, thereby to form bead-like agglomerates having about 12% to about 30% by weight of moisture;
(c) heating the agglomerated flours, concentrates or admixtures to a temperature in the range of 185 -200 F., thereby to remove pea-like flavor and bitterness from the material; and (d) drying said agglomerated flours, concentrates or admixtures at a temperature in the range of 100 -130 F.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein, in step (b), said charge is contacted with water in an amount of 15% to 20% by weight of the dry charge, and the agglomerates so formed having a moisture content of from about 20% to about 25% by weight.

3. A process according to claim 1 wherein in step (c) the heating of the agglomerates is effected for a time ranging from about 20 to about 40 minutes.

4. A process according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the drying step (d) is carried out for a period of time ranging from about 20 to about 40 minutes, the heat-treated, deflavored agglomerate being dried to a final moisture content of not more than 12% by weight.

5. A process according to claim 1 wherein admixtures of the pea flour or pea flour concentrates with other foodstuffs and, optionally, one or more other additives are employed as the starting material.

6. A process as in claim S wherein the other foodstuffs are se-lected from the group consisting of cereal flours, starches, dehydrated vegetable flours, soya flour, soya protein concentrates, casein, gluten, whole egg powders, egg albumen, milk powders and fish protein concentrates.

7. A process as in claim 6 wherein the other foodstuffs are starches, derived from one of the following sources: wheat, corn, potatoes, rice, tapioca and peas.

8. A process according to claim 5 wherein the admixture includes at least one other suitable additive.

9. A process according to Claim 8 wherein the additives are selected from one or more of the following: sugars, salt, malt, cocoa powder, citric acid, phosphates, sodium bicarbonate, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, vegetable oils, lecithin, butter and other fatty or waxy materials, emulsifiers, flavourings and colors.

10. A process according to Claim 1 wherein, in step (b) the charge of pea flours, pea flour concentrates or of said admixtures is sprayed with an aqueous solution containing at least one of the following: sugar, salt, sodium bicarbonate, phosphates, citric acid, phosphoric acid, flavorings and coloring materials.

11. A process according to Claim 1 wherein, in step (b), the charge of pea flours, pea flour concentrates or of said admixtures is sprayed with an aqueous emulsion containing therein at least one of the following: essential oils or flavors, vegetable oils, lecithin, butter or other fatty or waxy materials, and emulsifiers.

12. A process according to Claim 1, wherein an inert gas is passed through the agglomerated material during the heating step.

13. The process of claim 11 wherein the inert gas is nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

14. A process according to Claim 1 wherein a food acid is added to the flours, pea protein concentrates or admixtures before or during the agglomeration step.

15. A process according to Claim 1 wherein the trying of the agglomerates is effected under vacuum.

16. A process as in Claim 1 wherein, following the drying step (d), the dried agglomerates are sized to obtain particles of uniform size.

17. A process as in Claim 5, wherein following the drying step (d), the dried agglomerates are sized to obtain particles of uniform size.

18. A process as in Claim 6 wherein, following the drying step (d), the dried agglomerates are sized to obtain particles of uniform size.

19. A process as in Claim 7 wherein, following the drying step (d), the dried agglomerates are sized to obtain particles of uniform size.

20. A process as in Claim 9 wherein, following the drying step (d), the dried agglomerates are sized to obtain particles of uniform size.

21. A process according to Claim 14 wherein the food acid is citric acid or phosphoric acid, said food acid being added in an amount up to 0.5% by weight of the pea flours, pea protein concentrates or admixtures.

22. A process according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the process is carried out in continuous fashion.

23. A process according to Claim 10 or claim 11, wherein said process is carried out in continuous fashion.

24. A process according to Claim 12, wherein said process is carried out in continuous fashion.

25. A process according to Claim 15, wherein said process is carried out in continuous fashion.

26. A process according to Claim 16, wherein said process is carried out in continuous fashion.

27. A process according to Claim 17, wherein said process is carried out in continuous fashion.

28. A bland-flavored, light-colored, edible material selected from the following: (A) free flowing, bead-like agglomerates of pea flour or of a pea protein concentrate, and (B) free-flowing, bead-like agglomerates of mixtures of pea flour or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, said mixtures containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrates, said agglomerates having a relatively high bulk density, said material having been prepared by the process of claim 1, 2 or 3.

29. A bland flavored, light-colored, edible material selected from the following: (A) free-flowing, bead-like agglomerates of pea flour or of a pea protein concentrate, and (B) free-flowing, bead like agglomerates of mixtures of pea flour or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, said mixtures containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrates, said agglomerates having a relatively high bulk density, said material having been prepared by the process of claim 12.

30. A bland flavored, light-colored, edible material selected from the following: (A) free-flowing, bead-like agglomerates of pea flour or of a pea protein concentrate, and (B) free-flowing, bead-like agglomerates of mixtures of pea flour or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, said mixtures containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrates, said agglomerates having a relatively high bulk density, said material having been prepared by the process of claim 15.

31. A bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate having relatively high bulk density, said agglomerate being of an admixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrate with other foodstuffs and, optionally, one or more other additives, said admixture containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrate, said agglomerate having been prepared by the process of claim 5.

32. A bland flavored, light colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate according to Claim 31 wherein the other foodstuffs are selected from the group consisting of cereal flours, starches, dehydrated vegetable flours, soya flour, soya protein concentrates, casein, gluten, whole egg powders, egg albumen, milk powders, and fish protein concentrates, when prepared by the process of claim 6.

33. A bland flavored, light-colored, free flowing, bead-like agglomerate according to Claim 32, wherein the other foodstuffs are starches derived from one of the following sources. wheat, corn, potatoes, rice, tapioca and peas; said agglomerate having been prepared by the process of claim 7.

34. A bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate according to claim 31, wherein the admixture includes at least one other additive selected from the following: sugars, salt, malt, cocoa powder, citric acid, phosphates, sodium bi-carbonate, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, vegetable oils, lecithin, butter and other fatty and waxy materials, emulsifiers, flavorings and colors, when prepared by the process of claim 9.

35. A bland flavored, light-colored, edible material selected from the following: (A) free-flowing, bead-like agglomerates of pea flour or of a pea protein concentrate, and (B) free-flowing, bead-like agglomerates of mixtures of pea flour or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs, said mixtures containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrates, said agglomerates having a relatively high bulk density, and being further characterized in that the agglomerate particles are of uniform size, when prepared by the process of claim 16.

36. A bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate having relatively high bulk density, said agglomerate being of an admixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrate with other foodstuffs and, optionally one or more other additives, and being further characterized in that the agglomerate particles are of uniform size, when prepared by the process of Claim 17.

37. A bland flavored, light-colored, free flowing agglomerate having relatively high bulk density, said agglomerate being of an admixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrate with other foodstuffs selected from the group consisting of cereal flours, starches, dehydrated cereal flours, soya flour, soya protein concentrates, casein, gluten, whole egg powders, egg albumen, milk powders, and fish protein concentrates, and being further characterized in that the agglomerate particles are of uniform size, when prepared by the process of Claim 18.

38. A bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate having a relatively high bulk density, said agglomerate being of an admixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrate with starches derived from one of the following sources: wheat, corn, potatoes,rice, tapioca and peas, said admixture containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrate, and being further characterized in that the agglomerate particles are of uniform size, when prepared by the process of claim 19.

39. A bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate having relatively high bulk density, said agglomerate being of an admixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrates with other foodstuffs and including at least one other additive selected from the following: sugars, salt, malt, cocoa powder, citric acid, phosphates, sodium bicarbonate, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, vegetable oils, lecithin, butter and other fatty and waxy materials, emulsifiers, flavorings and colors, said admixture containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrate, and being further characterized in that the agglomerate particles are of uniform size, when prepared by the process of Claim 20.

40. A process according to Claim 17, wherein pure pea flour or pea flour concentrates are blended with corn meal to form said admixture, and said process includes the further step of extruding said mixture to form a crisp expanded product.

41. A snack food product formed from a bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate of relatively high bulk density, which agglomerate is of an admixture of pure pea flour or pea protein concentrate with corn meal, the admixture containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrate, the agglomerate particles being of uniform size; said product being prepared by the process of Claim 40.

42. A process according to Claim 5, and including the additional steps of (e) forming said dried agglomerated admixture into a dough, and (f) sheeting or extruding said dough to form a snack food product.

43 A snack food product formed from a bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate having relatively high bulk density, said agglomerate being of an admixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrate with other foodstuffs and, optionally one or more other additives, said admixture containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrate, said product being prepared by the process of Claim 42

44 A process according to Claim 6, wherein there is included in the admixture at least one other additive selected from the following: sugars, salt, malt, cocoa powder, citric acid, phosphates, sodium bicarbonate, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, vegetable oils, lecithin, butter ant other fatty or waxy materials, emulsifiers, flavorings ant colors; said process including the additional steps of (e) forming said dried agglomerated admixture into a dough, and (f) extruding said dough, and, optionally, expanding the extrudate,thereby to form a breakfast cereal product.

45. A breakfast cereal product formed from a bland flavored, light-colored, free-flowing, bead-like agglomerate of relatively high bulk density, which agglomerate is of an admixture of pea flour or pea protein concentrate with foodstuffs selected from the group consisting of cereal flours, starches, dehydrated vegetable flours, soya flour, soya protein concentrates, casein, gluten, whole egg powders, egg albumen, milk powders and fish protein concentrates, and including at least one additive selected from the following: sugars, salt, malt, cocoa powder, citric acid, phosphates, sodium bicarbonate, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, vegetable oils, lecithin, butter and other fatty or waxy materials, emulsifiers, flavorings and colors, said admixture containing at least 25% by weight of said pea flour or pea protein concentrate; said breakfast cereal product being prepared by the process of Claim 44.