GB2066042A - Edible compositions comprising gelatin - Google Patents

Abstract

An edible composition comprises gelatin, a sweetener and a buffer. It may also comprise flavourants, aromatising substances, vitamins. A preferred ingredient is a hydrolytic enzyme such as papain. The gelatin may have a viscosity of 20 to 70 MP and a Bloom value of 20 to 80. The sweetener may be saccharin and the buffer sodium citrate. Citric, malic, sorbic, adipic, or fumaric acid may also be included. When papain is used the composition may be in the form of a beverage.

Description

SPECIFICATION Edible proteinaceous compositions Recently, severai attempts have been made to prepare foodstuffs having a low calorific content.

The intention is to counteract obesity by using such foodstuffs while retaining a suitable level of vitamins and salts in the subject. One of the most important problems in this field is concerned with producing foodstuffs which can be ingested.

Synthetic jellies are disclosed in, for example, Argentine Patent Specification No. 167,007. The preparation on the synthetic jelly disclosed therein requires care. The most important aspect is the degree of moisture associated with the carrageenate which is used, especially if the product is to be free of sugar. In order to achieve rapid and complete dissolution, thorough and continuous stirring is necessary when heating the solution which is used, on the addition of a thickener. The volume of water which is needed is large and the product must be prepared ready packaged for sale. The temperature under which the product is stored must be controlled with care, because the product is a gel whose viscosity depends on the temperature. Accordingly, it is necessary to store the product cold. Finally, the product usually includes sugar, having a calorific value of 15 cal/100 g.

From the viewpoint of consumer acceptance, it appears that drinkable compositions are more attractive than jellies. For example, sweetened beverages are known which contain only 1 cal/100 cc.

According to the present invention, an edible composition comprises gelatine. Such a composition can be provided in the form of a powder, jelly or beverage. For presentation as a beverage, the composition comprises a proteolytic enzyme such as papain. Such an enzyme hydrolyses the gelatine which is then capable of ready absorption as an aminoacid by the bloodstream. Papain can act as a catalyst for the hydrolysis, while the undigested enzyme residue promotes the digestion of the remainder.

A composition of the invention can readily be prepared to allow simple mixing with various flavours.

It can also be packaged simply.

A gel of the invention can have a calorific value of, for example, 9 cal/i 00 g. This is lowerthan for the known gel described above but-it is an additional advantage of the present invention that the calorific source is preferable. In the known gel, the higher calorific value is derived from sugar, whereas the calorific value of a composition of the present invention is proteinaceous. A calorific value of 9 cal/100 g is obtained by using 2.5 g of gelatine dissolved in 100 cc of water. A composition of the invention may additionally comprise one or more additives selected from sweeteners, colourants, flavou rants, vitamins, buffer media, citric acid, malic acid, sorbic acid, adipic acid, fumaric acid and sodium citrate. An example of a suitable synthetic sweetener is saccha rin.

If papain is a constituent of the composition of the invention, the amount of papain is preferably from 0.5 to 3, and more preferablyfrnm 1 to 2.5,% by weight of the composition. The amount of gelatine is preferably from 40 to 80, and more preferably from 45 to 60, % by weight ofthe composition. The amount of sweeteners, colourants and/or flavour ants/aromatic agents is preferably from 20 to 40, and more preferably from 25 to 35, % by weight of the composition.

The gelatine which is used in the invention prefer ably has a minimum viscosity of 20,30 or 40 mP and a minimum Bloom value of 20, 30 or40. Its max imum viscosity is usually 50, 60 or 70 and its max imum Bloom value is 60,70 or 80.

A composition of the invention may be stored in any suitable form in a refrigerator. Its composition may be varied as desired by the user.

Any buffer preferably comprises a weak acid and a salt, e.g. an alkali metal salt, thereof. This can pro vide an effect preferable to the acid alone.

Gelatine is a natural protein obtained by the partial hydrolysis of collagen tissues. For example, high quality, selected bones and bovine skins which are subjected to thorough processing, purification and extraction under severe chemical controls and sanit ary conditions, e.g. in accordance with the provi sions of the Argentine Alimentary Code (Law 18.284 - Decree 2126), can be used.

Structurally, gelatine is formed of a number of molecules of great complexity and different sizes. Its molecular weight may be from 20,000 to 200,000, or higher. Aminoacids are the units of conformation of gelatine (as is the case for all proteins), eight of the nine aminoacids considered as essential for human nutrition being present.

Gelatine cannot be classified as a complete protein owing to the absence of tryptophan, but gelatine is the only natural protein containing substantially equal amounts of hydroxyproline and hydrox ylysine. A further distinctive feature of gelatine is its high proline concentration. Owing to the absence of purine and uric acid, gelatine is valuable in the prep aration of meatless and low protein diets. Gelatine constitutes a valuable source of proteins amounting to 85%, i.e. gelatine has the property or finality of increasing the protein supply. Further, gelatine pro vides water in a physical state different from that usually taken and introduces an element of variation into the diet. The addition of papain to the gelatine causes a partial hydrolysis which itself promotes rapid absorption by the blood stream.

As a protein, gelatine displays a specific dynamic action which indicates that the calorific requirement for its ingestion is higher than its inherent calorific value. Gelatine contains only 3.59 calories per gram. Gelatine is non-allergic. If it composed of "essentiai" and "non-essential" aminoacids, both types of aminoacids being useful for nutrition.

Gelatine is easily digestible and replaces proteins in addition to being a supplementary protein. The amount of gelatine necessary for obtaining positive results is, for example, 6 to 8 grams per day, and the use of higher amounts, e.g. up to 25 grams, may not have any effect.

The amount of natural gelatine employed in a composition ofthe invention is in inverse relation to its viscosity. In obtaining good results, gelatines having the following characteristics were employed in the preparation of compositions in the form of jellies:

Gelatine Bloom Value Viscosity Humidity t pH (mP) (%) A 230 50 11 B 200 51 10.1 sot C 200 50 11 51 As indicated above, a proteolytic enzyme such as papain may be used to provide a drinkable composition of the invention. The hydrolysis of the protein gives amino-acids which are incapable of forming a gel on refrigeration.The optimum enzymatic activity depends on the temperature; the duration of action; the specificity of the enzyme for the substrate; the substrate concentration; the pH of the medium; and the presence or absence of inhibitors or activators.

Papain, which can be derived from papaya juice, is known as a meat tenderiser. The disintegration of a proteinaceous structure caused by proteolytic hydrolysis causes the Bloom value of the protein (a measure of the number of molecules in the protein) to decrease. For example, gelatine can have an initial Bloom value of 50, but this low value can be reduced by the addition of papain.

Papain can be inactivated by heating, e.g. above SOOC. The rate of action of the proteolytic enzyme can therefore be controlled by controlling the temperature.

When the substrate is in excess relative to the enzyme, the rate of formation of the product is initially proportional to the reaction time. As the amount of the substrate is reduced, the kinetics become of the first order. The rate of reaction is then directly proportional to the remaining substrate concentration. For example, if 50% of an amount ofthe substrate is converted in 30 minutes, an additional 25% of the additional substrate, i.e. 50% ofthe remaining substrate, is converted within the next 30 minutes. The hydrolysis time may therefore need control.

As indicated above, a composition of the invention will often contain a buffer and this is most appropriate where a proteolytic enzyme is used whose activity depends on the pH of the environment. Each enzyme usually has an optimum pH. A buffer comprising citric acid and sodium citrate can provide a buffered pH of about 5 which is the optimum value for papain. Accordingly, it is preferred that any buffer used in a composition of the present invention should provide a pH within one, and preferably within 0.5, of the optimum pH for the proteolytic enzyme. When a composition of the invention com prides papain and a buffer, the buffer is thus preferably one which provides a pH of from 4to 6 and more preferably of from 4.5 to 5.5.

An exemplary composition of the invention is an aqueous solution comprising 50 Bloom gelatine, papain and which is buffered to a pH of about 5.

Under suitable conditions, the gelatine can be totally hydrolysed by the papain. After total hydrolysis, the product does not gel in a conventional refrigerator.

Even on sudden cooling after the composition has stood for an hour or more at room temperature, ice rather than a gel is formed.

The following Examples illustrate the invention.

The gelatine which is used has initial viscosity of 40 to 51, e.g 50 or 51, mP.

Example 1 70.8 g of gelatine, 1.9 g of saccharin, 1.75 g of sorbic acid, 4.74 g of malic acid, 8.98 g of citric acid, 2.55 g of sodium citrate, 1 g of flavouring essence and 0.2 g of a colourant were mixed. 40.1 g of this mixture were dissolved in 1000 cc of water in the following sequence: 250 cc of cold water, 500 cc of hot water, and finally 250 cc of cold water. A jelly was obtained.

Example 2 A mixture of the type described in Example 1 was made, and 1.3 g of papain were added thereto.

40 g of the mixture were dissolved in 11 of water in the following sequence: first 0.375 ml of cold water, then 0.25 ml of hot water and finally 0.375 ml of cold water. The resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 1 hour and then cooled in a refrigerator. The product was a drinkable composition.

For the purposes of comparison, a 150 g apple contains 90 calories derived from sugar. One litre of a composition of the present invention contains 100.8 calories, derived from proteins.

Claims (11)

1. An edible composition comprising gelatin having a viscosity of from 40 to 50 mP, a sweetener and a buffer.

2. A composition according ta claim 1 in which the sweetener is saccharin.

3. A composition according to claim 1 or claim 2 additionally comprising colouring and/or aromatising substances.

4. A composition according to any preceding claim additionally comprising adipic and/orfumaric acid.

5. A composition according to any preceding claim additionally comprising vitamins.

6. A composition according to any preceding claim additionally comprising papain.

7. A composition according to claim 6 comprising, per 100 parts thereof, from 0.5 to 3 parts of papain.

8. A composition according to claim 7 comprising from 1 to 2.5 parts of papain.

9. A composition according to any preceding claim comprising, per 100 parts thereof, from 40 to 80 parts of gelatin having a viscosity of 30 to 70 Bloom.

10. A composition according to claim 9 comprising from 45 to 60 parts gelatin.

11. A composition according to claim 1 substantially as described herein.