CA1179188A - Food product having a main component comprising powder made from soft shell turtles and the method of manufacture therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure Since ancient times, in China and/or in Japan, soft-shelled turtles have been thought much of as highest quality food for physical health and tonic strength.
Because, food made from soft-shelled turtles contain various kind of proteins, fats and minerals beneficial for us and that above food have excellent characteristics for season-ing and flavoring.
However, up to this time, soft-shelled turtles have been marketed as living bodies or canned soup, therefore naturally they could not prevail for general use because of their high cost.
According to this invention, whole of clean living soft-shelled turtles frozen with the liquid netrogen are crushed up to be small masses, and then these masses are grinded down to be minute powder.
Enriched nutritious food and/or feed consisting of main component of said minute powder are quite useful as raw materials of enriched nutrition capsules or cooking raw materials for seasoning and flavoring, and also as auxiliary healthy feed for such animals as race horses and dogs.

Description

~L~l7~ 38 A food produ_t havinq a main component comprisin~ powder made from soft shell turtles and the method of .
manufacturin~ therefor BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
F eld of the Invention ~he present invention relates to enriched nutritious food and/or feed comprising a main component of powder made from soft-shelled turtles and the manufacturing method for making the enriched food.
Discussion o~ Related Art Since ancient times, in China and in Japan, soft-shelled turtles have been served as high quality food which promotes energy and health. Those turtles have been used as foodstuffs for physical strength, beauty foods or patientsq foods. Moreover, as this food con-tains various nutritious components described hereinafter, which make it quite useful as well for feed for such domestic animals, such as race horses, dogs and so on.
Especially, since race horses are forced to race beyond the limit of their physical ability, such an enriched nutritious food and/or feed would contribute effectively to controlling their physical condition, promoting their physical strength and aiding in their fatigue recovery.
However, due to present marketing techniques, soft-shelled turtles must be dealt with as living bodies .~ ~ . . ,!, .' . . ~

and/or canned soup. Therefore this food and/or feed is not available for general use.
Recently, milled paste of living bodies or fementative food made therefrom have been sold. However, with these foods, difficult problems in quality such as decaying or changing of colours are prevalent. Therefore, even though pure (100%) powder of soft-shelled turtles applicable to various uses has been expec~ed for a long time, no high quality product of this type is curren~ly available~
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the present invention is to provide enriched nutritious food and/or feed consisting mainly of minute powder made from soft-shelled turtles and also the manufacturing method therefor.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a food which can be taken by itself, or by adding to and mixing with other foods, can be used as raw material for processing foods.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a food which, in nations not having a custom of eating soft-shelled turtles, can be used as domestic animals' feed.
According to the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing minute powder from ~oft shell tur~les, comprising: freezing clean, living soft shell turtles in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of about -196 degrees Centigrade or lower; coarsely crushing the frozen soft shell turtles; and grinding the crushed soft shell turtles into a minute powder in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas at a temperature at least as low as -50 degrees Centigrade.
Another aspect of the invention comprises the food product produced by the above method.
The preferred manufacturing method for producing minute powder of soft-shelled turtles comprises the following procedures.

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- 2a -Living soft-shelled turtles are cleaned without feeding for at least 2 days. After that, in a crushing process, they are immersed in liquid nitrogen and are frozen completely, and the whole frozen living bodies are then crushed into small masses with a coarse crusherO
After the crushing process, the masses are preferably pasteurized by any pasteurizing means, in a pasteurizing process.
After pasteurization, the small masses of soft-shelled turtles are dried well by any drying means in a drying process.
After above pasteurizing and drying, in a grinding process, the small masses are frozen with the liquid .~

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nitogen and are ground down into a minute powder in the nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature equal to or below -50 degrees Centigrade.
Mowever, in an alternate m~thod, the pasteurizing and drying procedures can be executed after the grinding process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following descriptions relate to a procedural embodiment for producing manufacturing method of enriched nutritious food and/or feed consisting mainly of minu~e powder made from soft-shelled turtles~
First, after cleaning the entire living bodies of soft-shelled turtles without feeding them for at least 2 days, these living turtles are immersed in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196 degrees Centigrade and are frozen completely. Immediately after this, frozen living bodies are crushed up small masses having a size of nearly 1 cm by a coarse crusher. When immersed in the liquid nitrogen, the living bodies of soft-shelled turtles turn very brittle because of the low temperature. Thus, the frozen living bodies can he minutely crushed easily and quickly.
It is not practical to crush t:he bodies without applying liquid nitrogen because a temperature of -40 degrees Centigrade by an ordinary freezing method does not provide the low temperature brittleness essential for the crushing process.
Only by applying super low temperature freezing method using liquid nitrogen can the process be executed.
After crushing, the masses of soft-shelled turtles are sterilized by a high-pressure flash pasteurization. This pasteurization is an indispensable process because soft-shelled turtles contain various kinds of bacterium. Be-cause the primary fat contained in soft-shelled ~urtles has the characteristic of being oxidized quite easily, before pasteurizing it is preferable to add a given .~

1~7~8~3 percentage of vitamin E in order to prevent oxidation.
After pasteurization, the small masses are dried by an ordinary freeze drying method so that the water content is reduced below 4 percent.
At this stage, the dried masses consist of dark brown solid chunks of bone, shell and meat having a size of about 1 cm, and having a proper flavor for soft-shelled turtles.
The dried masses are then frozen by immersing them in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196 degrees Centigrade, and after that the masses, including all the components, are ground down to a minute powder having a grade equal to or smaller than 200 mesh in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas at a temperature of -50 degrees Centigrade.
The minute powder formed is a beautiful dark brown colour and is a high quality~ bacteria free product having a flavor appropriate to soft-shelled turtles.
The liquid nitrogen is used for the following reasons.
The dried masses have a primary fat content of over 17 percent, which fat is easily oxidized. Therefore, the masses must be ground to a low temperature which is equal to or below -50 degrees Centigrade.
Also, it is difficult to crush masses of bones and shells completely at a normal temperature, therefore they have to be crushed at a low temperature so.as to be ground uniformly to a minute powder having a grade equal to or smaller than 200 mesh.
However, it is possible to perform the pasteuri2ing and drying processes after the grinding process. That is, after freezing and coarsely crushing the soft-shelled turtles into small masses, these masses are ground into a minute powder in a nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature equal to or below -50 degrees Centigrade, and after that the powder can be pasteurized and dried.
In case of pasteurizing, said powder made from soft-shelled turtles become cooked minute powder of dark brown f~

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colour, but in case of executing of blood removal and omitting pasteuri~ation, beautiful whi~e raw minute powder can be obtained.
Hereinafter, the description relates to the charac-teristics of the powder made by the above manufacturing method and preferable embodiments of enriched nutritious food and/or feed consisting mainly of minute powder made from soft-shelled turtles according to the present invention.
The powder contains various useful nutritious com-ponents which are not oxidized, and also contains gelatin and fat with no loss by effusion. These components are in minute powder form having a grade equal to or smaller than 200 mesh, and have tastes and flavors appropriate to soft-shelled turtles.
The minute powder is quite convenient to deal with, and is easily blended with various raw materials. ~lso, the pGwder is very useful as a raw material for processed foods and has a high nutritional value.
The minute powder contains many quality proteins, amino acids, minerals, vitamins and fats containing the same unsaturated fat-acids as that of a plant. Therefore the powder can be used as food and/or feed for men and/or animals.
The general analytical value of the powder is shown in the followin~ table 1.
Table 1 water (drying at normal pressure) 2.8 protein (coefficient 6.25) 53.3%
fat (Soxhlet extractinq method)24.9%
fibre 0.2 mineral 16.6%
suqar _ 2.2%
calorie per 100 q _ _ _ 447 cal ~79~

As for the complete hygenic analytic value of the powder, general raw bacteria is below 300 /g, and colon bacillus group is negative, and peroxide value is 26.8 meg/kg.
The powder contains such amino acids as arginine, lysine, leucine, alanine, glycine, proline, glutamic acid, serine, asparaginic acid and aminos. The powder also contains such vitamins as retinol, vitamin Bl, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin Bl2, vitamin E, choline, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin and inositol, and contains such minerals as calcium, kalium, ferrum, zinc anc lead.
Thus, the minute powder made from soft-shelled turtles contains as many, if not more nutritious components than ordinary medicines for health. The powder is very valu-able as an additional raw material for various kinds of food and/or feed and drinks, and also as an auxiliary nutritious food for seasoning and flavoring~ as well as a raw material for medical use.
Hereinafter, the description relates to the most preferable e~bodiments of the powcler as an enriched nutritious food.
(1) The first embodiment is the enriched nutritious food and/or feed consisting of pure minute powder made from soft-shelled turtles according to the foregoing manu-facturing method. The enriched food and/or feed can be utilized as a nutritious and tonic food and/or feed for the health of men and/or animals tfor example, race horses and dogs, etc.), and also as an auxiliary additional food for seasoning and flavoring, as well as an additional raw material for healthy food, drinks and Chinese medicines.

(2) ~he second embodiment is in the form of enriched nutritious capsules made by the following procedure.
First of allf the minute powder in the proportion of 30%
to 20~ is added to natural vitamin E in the proportion of 20% to 30%. Next this mixture is mixed into wheat germ oil in the proportion of 50%, and after that the mixture is incorporated in gelatin capsules.

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Hereinbefore, % shows weight percentages, and the reason for adding vitamin E is to prevent oxidizing and also to enrich the food in vitamin E. The reason for mixing with wheat germ oil is to improve the convenience of encapsulating and at the same time to add various vitamins and thereby prevent oxidation and improve the storage life of the product.
The enriched nutritious capsules can be ta~en by themselves, and also can be utilized as additional food for seasoning and flavoring in cooking.

(3) The third embodiment is in the form of enriched nutritious granules made by the following proced~re.
First, the following ingredients are mixed minute powder (40%); lactose (about 45%) as an excipient; pickled-plum powder ~about 3%); bone powder (about 2~); sea-tangle powder (about 2~), others (about 3%) for spice; and ester (about 4%) for decay stimulator. These components are mixed uniformly, and the mixture of powder is added to water and alcohol and kneaded to form a paste. ~he paste is formed into granules by a granulating machine. The weight percentages given above for the components are given as a percentage of the gran~lle product. If neces-sary, seasoning may be added.
It is also possible to manufacture tablet products by processing nearly the same mixed paste as described above in a tablet-forming machine.
The foregoing description is set forth for the purpose of describing the present invention in sufficient detail to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, this description is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Clearly, numerous addi-tions, changes in proportions, and other modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the scope thereof, as set forth in the appended claims.

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Claims (18)

Claims:

1. A method of manufacturing minute powder from soft shell turtles, comprising:
freezing clean, living soft shell turtles in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of about -196 degrees Centigrade or lower;
coarsely crushing the frozen soft shell turtles; and grinding the crushed soft shell turtles into a minute powder in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas at a temperature at least as low as -50 degrees Centigrade.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including the steps of pasteurizing the crushed soft shell turtles and drying the pasteurized crushed soft shell turtles to remove moisture.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including the steps of pasteurizing the ground soft shell turtles and drying the ground pasteurized soft shell turtles to remove moisture.

4. The method as set forth in claim 2 and further including the step of refreezing the dried soft shell turtles at a temperature at least as low as -50 degrees Centigrade before grinding the soft shell turtles.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein the step of refreezing comprises refreezing the dried soft shell turtles in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of about -196 degrees Centigrade or less.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the frozen soft shell turtles are crushed to a size of about 1 centimeter in the crushing step.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 or 1, wherein the crushed soft shell turtles are ground to a grade of about 200 mesh or smaller in the grinding step.

8. A food product comprising minute power of soft shell turtles made by:
cleaning soft shell turtles;

freezing the cleaned soft shell turtles in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of about -196 degrees Centigrade or lower;
coarsely crushing the frozen soft shell turtles; and grinding the coarsely crushed soft shell turtles into a minute powder in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas at a temperature at least as low as -50 degrees Centigrade.

9. The food product as set forth in claim 8, wherein the soft shell turtle powder is further formed by pasteurizing the crushed soft shell turtles and drying the pasteurized crushed soft shell turtles to remove moisture.

10. The food product as set forth in claim 8, wherein the soft shell turtle powder is further formed by pasteurizing the ground soft shell turtles and drying the ground pastureized soft shell turtles to remove moisture.

11. The food product as set forth in claim 9, wherein the dried, ground and pasteurized soft shell turtles are refrozen at a temperature at least as low as -50 degrees Centigrade before being ground.

12. The food product as set forth in claim 11, wherein the dried soft shell turtles are refrozen in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of about -196 degrees Centigrade or lower.

13. The food product as set forth in claim 8, wherein the frozen soft shell turtles are crushed to a size of about 1 centimeter.

14. The food product according to claim 8, wherein the crushed soft shell turtles are ground to a grade of about 200 mesh or smaller.

15. The food product as set forth in claim 8 and further including wheat germ oil mixed with said processed soft shell turtles, and a gelatin capsule enclosing said mixture.

16. The food product as set forth in claim 15 and further including vitamin E mixed with said processed soft shell turtles and wheat germ oil.

17. The food product as set forth in claim 8 and further including spice and excipient mixed with said processed soft shell turtles.

18. The food product as set forth in claim 17, wherein said mixture is formed into tablets.