MXPA99010470A - Milled cereal by-product which is an additive for increasing total dietary fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a high fiber additive composition which is a by-product of milling processes wherein the high fiber additive enhances the fiber content of a variety of products including flour, yoghurts, beverages, baking items, snack foods such as pretzels, cereal products such as breakfast cereals, and salsa. The additive is provided from a high fiber, low starch source of plant material.

Description

SECONDARY CEREAL MOLDED PRODUCT, WHICH IS AN ADDITIVE TO INCREASE THE FIBER OF TOTAL DIET Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to an additive composition effective to increase total dietary fiber in a wide variety of food products. Background of the Invention For the preparation of refined foods, the cereal grain is usually subjected to a grinding process. In these processes, the husks (bran) and the germ, which are structures rich in minerals and vitamins, are removed more or less completely. Refined ground products, such as flour for tortilla dough, consist mainly of the endosperm. Portions of the kernel of corn removed from the endosperm, such as husks or bran, are considered secondary waste products that are often available in animal feed. Components of the Corn Core Botanically, a kernel of corn is known as a caryopsis, a walnut-like, dry, seed-like mulberry, in which the lining of the fruit and the seed are fused together to form a single kernel. The mature nuclei are composed of four main parts: pericarp (shell or bran), germ (embryo), endosperm and tip cap. The average composition of the whole corn, and its fractions, in a moisture-free (dry) base, is as follows: Pericarp: the kernel of the corn is covered by a cuticle impervious to water. The pericarp (shell or bran) is the mature ovary wall that is below the cuticle, and comprises all the outer cell layers down to the seed coat. It is high in polysaccharides, not starch, such as cellulose and pentosans. (A pentosan is a complex carbohydrate present in many plant tissues, particularly bran, characterized by hydrolysis to give monosaccharides of five carbon atoms - (pentoses) is any member of a group of pentose polysaccharides having the formula (C5H804) n which are found in various foods and vegetable juices.) Due to its high fiber content, the pericarp is tenacious. Germ: the escutiform organ and the embryonic axis are the two main parts of the germ. The escutiform organ constitutes up to 90% of the germ, and stores mobilized nutrients during germination. During this transformation, the embryonic axis develops in a seedling. The germ is characterized by its high content of fatty oil. It is also rich in crude proteins, sugars and ash constituents. The escutiform organ contains oil-rich parenchyma cells that have cell walls with holes. Of the sugars present in the germ, about 67% is glucose. Endosperm: the endosperm contains the starch, and has a lower protein content than the germ and the bran. It is also low in crude fat and ash constituents. Tip cap: the tip cap, where the core is attached to the ear, is a continuation of the pericarp, and is usually present during peeling. It contains a loose and spongy parenchyma. - - - Corn grinding When grinding the corn to obtain the flour, the corn is first cleaned, and then it is usually passed through a scrubber to remove the tip from the end of the kernel germ. The corn is then tempered by adding water to a moisture content that is generally around 21 to about 24%. The corn is then often passed through a corn des-germinator, which releases the bran and germ, and breaks the endosperm into two or more pieces. The des-germinator material is generally dried to about 14 to 16% moisture in revolving dryers equipped with steam coils, and then cooled in revolving or gravity-type chillers. The material is then passed through a crusher separator, which first separates the fine particles, and then classifies and polishes the largest fragments into four sizes. The various grades of broken corn are passed through centrifugal type aspirators to remove any loose bran from the endosperm fragments, and produce milled cereal by-products, such as sucked bran. These secondary products are waste products that until now had little value. "Bran sucked" from corn and other cereal grains is an impure form of whole bran that generally contains some of the mealy endosperm, and the starch and protein present in it, and some of the germ, and the protein present in it, and can contain some half-grinded corn. Generally, most of the germ and half-milled corn may have already been removed from the cereal grain at this point in the milling process. It is possible that the aspirated bran does not contain germ, contains all the germ, or contains any amount of germ between them. Similarly, the fraction of aspirated bran may not contain half-milled corn from the cereal grain, may contain all of the half-milled corn, or may contain any amount of the half-milled corn. Flour for dough and dough Flour for dough (dry corn flour that has usually been nixtamalized) and dough (mass of corn that has usually been nixtamalized) are raw materials that can be used for the preparation of tortillas, fried corn, fried tortilla, fried for tacos, nachos and similar products. The nixtamalization in the cooking of the cereal grain, such as whole corn kernels, in a medium that usually contains an alkaline agent, such as water containing lime (CaO). Subsequently, there is soaking (immersion) of the cereal grain for a period of time, for example for about 3 to 14 hours, subsequent draining of any remaining cooking liquor, washing of the cereal grains, and grinding of the cereal grains. to make, with drying, a cereal grain flour, which can be added with water to make a cereal grain mass from which tortillas and related products can be prepared. It would also be advantageous to provide an additive that increases the fiber content and the nutritional value of the products produced from flour or dough, as well as other food products, providing an additive with a higher fiber content, and with additional vitamins and minerals. In addition, it would be advantageous to produce such an additive composition without the production of liquid waste with a material that is essentially a waste by-product of the milling of the cereal, such as whole corn. It would also be advantageous to have tortillas and related products prepared with such an additive, which retain the flavors and other positive attributes of the tortillas and related products prepared without such additive. The additive of the present invention imparts the advantageous properties described above to tortillas and other food products, such as juices, other beverages and yogurt. Moreover, the food products produced with the additive composition will be more nutritious and healthy than the products that do not contain the additive. The products with the additive of the invention will also have a higher fiber content, and will also include vitamins and minerals that are present in the secondary product from which the additive is made. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an additive composition with high fiber content that is a by-product of milling processes, where the additive with high fiber content improves the fiber content of a variety of products, including flour, yoghurts, beverages, baked goods, snacks such as pretzels, cereal products such as breakfast cereals, and salsa. The additive is provided from a source high in fiber, low in starch of plant material. In an extremely important aspect of the invention, the source high in fiber, low in starch is a bran of cereal or mixture of bran obtained from the commercial grinding of corn, wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye, sorghum or any other cereal grain. In an alternative aspect of the invention, the source high in fiber, low in starch can be soybean husks. The low levels of starch in the additive composition make it less sticky than additives with higher levels of starch, and hence, the additive composition of the invention can be used in a wide variety of food products. In an important aspect, the high fiber additive composition comprises aspirated cereal bran having less than about 15 wt% starch, which starch content is gelatinized, at least about 2 wt% protein, and at least about 75% by weight of total diet fiber. In an important aspect, the starch in the cereal bran has been substantially gelatinized. In another important aspect, the starch in the cereal bran is gelatinized by cooking it with at least about 0.05% by weight, based on the weight of the bran, calcium oxide or lime or its equivalent. This should provide the additive with at least about 0.025% by weight of calcium, based on the weight of the additive. The additive should also provide a pH of at least about 7 when mixed with water and the additive comprises about 10% weight of the additive / water mixture. In another important aspect, the additive composition with high fiber content comprises soya peels having an extremely low starch content and at least about 2% by weight of protein, and at least about 75% by weight of total diet fiber .

In an important aspect, the additive composition comprises soy husks having little or no starch. Soybeans also comprise at least about 2% by weight of protein and at least 75% by weight of dietary fiber. In this aspect of the invention, which uses soya peels, there is little starch, if at all, by gelatinization. However, soybeans are heat treated under the same conditions used to gelatinize the starch in cereal bran. This heat treatment opens the structure of non-starch polysaccharides such as araquinoxylans, beta glucans and pectic substances. The invention also includes a process for making the additive composition. The method comprises mixing aspirated cereal bran comprising less than about 15% by weight of soy starch or shells with water or an alkaline agent and water to provide an aqueous fiber mixture and cooking the aqueous fiber mixture (or alkaline mixture). water) to gelatinize the starch in the soybean husks and provide a cooked bran or cooked soybean husks. The cooked product is dried. If an alkaline agent is used during cooking, the cooked product is dried without first removing aqueous alkaline water, such as limewater, to provide a dry bran, with alkaline treatment. Subsequently, the bran treated with water or with alkaline treatment is ground to a particle size such that it passes through a mesh screen with openings no greater than 0.1-mm2. In an important aspect, the high fiber additive is pulverized such that at least 70% by weight of the material is less than 500 microns. In an important aspect, the bran is corn bran, the starch is corn starch, and the additive composition of bran comprises sucked bran having less than about 15% by weight of starch, of which at least a substantial amount has approximately been gelatinized In this aspect, the alkaline agent, such as lime, comprises from about 0.05 to about 5% by weight, based on the weight of the secondary product or bran. The amounts of lime, water and cooking are effective to gelatinize the starch. Detailed Description of the Invention 1. The Additive Composition of the Invention The present invention provides an additive composition with high fiber content, which is made of a cereal grain by-product or soybean husks. The additive improves the nutritional value by increasing the fiber content of food products to which it is added. The additive composition comprises by-product of cereal grain and gelatinized edible starch, at least about 2% by weight of protein, and from about 75 to about 90% by weight of total diet fiber. (The fiber can be measured as raw fiber, as a neutral diet fiber or as an acid diet fiber, by means of known methods.) In an important aspect, the by-product used to make the additive comprises from about 2 to less than about 15% by weight of starch and is preferably from about 5 to about 12% by weight, and most preferably from about 7 to about 10% by weight. Generally, the starch in the additive made from cereal bran is substantially gelatinized to at least about 100% (ie, no remaining native starch). Where a lower percentage by weight of starch is used to prepare the additive, the highest percentage of starch will be gelatinized (probably 100%). At a higher percentage of starch (up to about 15%), slightly less than 100% by weight of the starch may be gelatinized. The degree to which the starch has been gelatinized can be determined by detecting the loss of bi-refringency in a manner known to those skilled in the art. For example, the microscopic techniques, absorption, cold paste viscosity, hot paste viscosity, and cold water solubility can be determined with the methods described in US Pat. No. 3., 404, 986. The cereal by-product used to make the additive composition of the present invention can be an aspirated bran obtained from the commercial dry milling of wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye, sorghum or any other cereal or other grain. . In an important aspect, the aspirated bran is from the dry milling of whole corn of any kind (of tooth, of hard grains, sweet, popcorn, hybrid, yellow, white, blue, black, red, etc.) and, The greatest preference is obtained from the dry grinding of yellow and white corn. The safe dry suction has from about 10 to about 25% moisture by weight. The bran can also be bran white or other fiber produced by the commercial wet milling of corn or other cereal grains. Different sizes of whole bran and / or fragments or pieces of the whole bran can be used for the bran. The cereal bran side product also contains at least about 2% by weight of protein. This prstein may be of the class of albumins, globulins, prolamins or glutelins, for example zein or glutelin, and adds flavor (good taste) to the products produced with the bran additive composition of the invention. The additive of the present invention, optionally, may contain one or more additional ingredients, such as vitamins (vitamins A, B, C, D, E, etc.), minerals (calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese, etc.), germ, other carbohydrates, fats or oils, other proteinaceous materials (such as corn protein or wheat protein), other germ nutrients, flavor ingredients, emulsifiers, preservatives, gums and / or ingredients similar ones that can improve the quality of the products produced from the additive. The amounts of these optional ingredients that can be added to the additive can be readily determined by those skilled in the art. By way of example, germ or protein may be added such that the additive may comprise from about 0.5 to about 15% by weight of each of these additional ingredients. In any case, the amounts of these ingredients must be a percentage by weight that is high enough to impart some additional beneficial property to the products produced with the additive, but not so high as to negatively affect the increase in flexibility and / or stability. imparted to these products by the secondary product and the gelatinized starch. 2. Method for Preparing the Additive Composition The additive composition with high fiber content can be manufactured by heating the cereal bran with water to gelatinize the starch in the bran or by heating the soybeans in water to alter the non-starch polysaccharides, as It was described before. Alternatively, the cereal bran or soybean husks can be heated with an aqueous alkaline system if the final application for the additive requires a lime constituent, such as Mexican food where a lime flavor is desirable. use an alkaline agent to make the additive, mix a secondary product containing high fiber, low starch, such as sucked bran or soybean husks, alkaline agent, such as lime (CaO), and water, and cook for provide the additive composition.The water and the alkaline agent are in effective amounts to gelatinize the edible starch in the cereal bran or to open the structure of the polysaccharides in the soybean husks at cooking temperatures of about 70 to about 100 C. In an important aspect, the bran of aspirated cereal is mixed with water and an alkaline agent, such as lime, to provide an aqueous alkaline mixture of bran. It contains about 0.05 to about 5% by weight of lime, based on the percentage by weight of the secondary product used to prepare the additive, and preferably about 1.2% by weight of lime. The amount of alkaline agent in the aqueous alkaline bran mixture is effective to provide the mixture with a pH of about 7 to about 11., and preferably around 9. The water in the aqueous mixture is an amount effective to provide the cooked bran, treated with lime, with a moisture content of about 20 to about 85% by weight. The amount of water used to achieve this latter moisture content is minimized, so that a stream of alkaline waste water is minimized or eliminated. Humidity can be provided to the cooked product by supplying water vapor to cook the product. Water vapor also minimizes the water used in the process and prevents a stream of waste water. The moisture content of the cooked mixture will preferably be about 55% by weight. In an important aspect, the alkaline agent used in the process is lime (calcium oxide). Other edible and non-toxic alkaline materials, such as calcium hydroxide and calcium carbonate, may be used. Sufficient quantities of materials that are alternatives to lime, which are equivalent to the use of about 0.05 to about 5% by weight of lime, as mentioned above, can be used. The alkaline agent is preferably in a dry form. Lime can be added to the water used to cook the cereal bran and starch, it can be mixed with the bran and starch before the addition of water, or it can be mixed with the bran and the starch after the addition of water . The method for adding lime to bran and starch is not critical. However, water is used in liquid form to cook the bran and starch. In a preferred cooking process, about 1.0% by weight dry lime is added to the cereal bran aspirated through a dry lime feeder and mixed with the aspirated bran. Subsequently, water heated to about 200 ° F (93 ° C) is added to the cooking device, with mixing, at a ratio of about 1 part of water or more to about 1 part of sucked bran and lime mixture. This should result in a moisture content of the mixture of about 50 to about 60% by weight, which is optimal. However, moisture levels will operate within the range of from about 20 to about 80% by weight.

A temperature that is effective to gelatinize the starch to at least about 100% must be achieved. Because corn starch generally gelatinizes at about 160 ° F (71 ° C), the cooking temperature, or the temperature of the hot water, will generally be at least about 135 ° F. The temperatures used to cook and dry the cereal grain bran and the starch should not be so high that the compositions being cooked or dried burn and, perhaps, lose their functional properties. The preferred cooking temperature, or hot water temperature, will generally be from about 167 to about 212 ° F (75 to 100 ° C), and more preferably from about 195 to about 210 ° F (90 to 99) ° C), the most preferred being around 197 ° F (92 ° C). The hot water is added through the cooking device, and the suspension is stirred to suspend the lime in the sucked cereal bran and the starch. The mixture is mixed at this temperature for about 20 to about 600 seconds, and preferably about 60 to about 300 seconds. The temperature of the lime-treated bran and the starch, upon discharge from the cooking device, will generally be from about 190 to about 195 ° F (87 to 90 ° C), and is preferably around 197 ° F. (92 ° C). The moisture content of the bran fraction treated with lime and the starch upon occurrence of such discharge will generally be about 50 to about 60% by weight.

The firing of the secondary product, water and alkaline agent can be carried out in a continuous process, or by batch or batch. The heating can be achieved in various ways, such as directly injecting live steam or hot water into the mixtures or adding steam or hot water to maintain the temperature described above for the mixtures. The high-fiber secondary product, treated with alkaline, cooked agent, can optionally be stored for a period of time before drying. However, it must be stored at a temperature that is high enough to prevent microbial decomposition. After cooking, the bran treated with alkaline agent, cooked, can be used wet or it can be dried by dripping (dehydrated by runoff), without washing, to quickly reduce the moisture content thereof to less than about 10% in weight, and preferably less than about 3 to about 5% by weight. In dewatering by runoff, hot air currents at high speed, having a temperature of about 350 to about 390 ° F, are generally employed for rapid dehydration. The total residence time of the composition within the dehydrator by runoff is generally from about 2 to about 15 seconds. The drying method to provide the cooked, dehydrated additive is not critical. Other methods of drying the cooked, lime-treated bran, such as with an oven, steam pipe dryer, belt dryer, spray dryer, or other methods known to those skilled in the art, may also be used. . The inlet temperature of the drier dryer is around 650 ° F (343 ° C), and the outlet temperature of the drier dryer is around 220 ° F (104 ° C). After drying, the cooked, dehydrated additive composition is milled, for example in a stone mill, disk mill, hammer mill, roll mill, wet mill or other mill, or otherwise reduced in size such that the The average particle diameter of the cooked, dehydrated additive composition is generally less than about 0.1 mm 2 (ie, the particles will pass through a screen having apertures of 0.1 mm 2), and preferably about 99% thereof. However, the average particle size of the ground additive composition, dehydrated only needs to be small enough that it can be added to flour or dough, and can be made from the same tortillas or related products. Preferably, a hammer mill is used. The resulting cooked, dehydrated and milled additive composition is then sieved to remove thicker material than that which passes through a No. U.S. 40. The moisture content of the sifted product will generally be less than about 10% by weight and preferably less than about 8% by weight. However, the moisture content of the sifted product is not critical. It is possible to add wet additives of the invention to wet corn dough or other dough to produce the tortillas and related products. 3. Preparation of Food Products with High Content Fiber The food products to which the high fiber additive can be added can be prepared by mixing the additive with the flour, dough, beverage or other product, such that the resulting product has from about 0.1 to about 10% by weight of additive. When the food product is a dough or flour, the additives of the present invention can be added wet or in dry form to corn flour or other flour or mass of cereal grain treated with lime or without lime, by one of several methods different The additive in dry form, pulverized, can be mixed with dry corn flour or other grain flour of c-ereal (nixtamalized or not nixtamalized). Subsequently, the dry mix can be added with water to form a dough from which tortillas or related products can be made. Alternatively, the additive in dry, powdered, or wet form, or cornmeal or other cereal grain, can be mixed with water. Then, the resulting water can be mixed with the remaining dry ingredient (additive composition of cornmeal or other grain of cereal or bran in dry, powdered form) to form a dough from which tortillas or related products can be made. The dry, powdered, or moist additive can be added to a tortilla batter and thoroughly homogenized with it. They can then make tortillas or related products from this dough. Other methods of adding the additive of the invention to flour or dough may also be employed. For example, a flour can be produced by mixing 97.5% by weight of a corn flour (with lime or without lime) or another cereal grain, such as tortilla dough, with 2.5% by weight of the additive of the present invention. This mixture can then be made into a dough by the simple addition of from about 1 to about 1.4 parts by weight of water at room temperature, with about 1 part by weight (dry basis) of the flour mixture, together with kneading. Tortillas and related products can then be prepared from this dough, in the manner described herein.

Claims (18)

1. CLAIMS 1. An additive composition for improving the fiber content of food products, comprising a secondary product with a high content of fiber, cooked, selected from the group consisting of cooked cereal bran, soybean husks and their mixtures, the additive composition having less than about 15% by weight of starch, at least about 2% by weight of protein, and at least about 75% by weight of total diet fiber, the starch in the secondary product being substantially gelatinized.
2. 2. An additive composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the additive composition has at least about 0.05% by weight of alkaline agent, based on the weight of the milled cereal by-product.
3. 3. An additive composition as defined in claims 1 or 2, wherein the secondary product is corn bran and about 100% by weight of the starch has been gelatinized.
4. 4. An additive composition as defined in claim 3, wherein the additive composition includes from about 10 to less than about 15% by weight of starch.
5. 5. An additive composition as defined in claim 1, wherein the cereal bran side product is selected from the group consisting of corn bran, wheat bran, oat bran, barley bran, rice bran, bran rye, sorghum bran, and their mixtures.
6. 6. An additive composition for improving the fiber content of food products, the composition comprising: bran including from about 1.0 to less than about 15% by weight of starch, at least about 2% by weight of protein, and at least about 75% by weight of total diet fiber, the starch in the bran being substantially gelatinized.
7. 7. An additive food composition is defined in claim 6, wherein the bran is corn bran, and about 100% by weight of the starch in the bran has been gelatinized.
8. An additive composition as defined in claim 7, wherein the additive composition has at least about 0.05% by weight of alkaline agent, based on the weight of the bran, the alkaline agent selected from the group consisting of lime, hydroxide of calcium, calcium carbonate, and their mixtures.
9. 9. An additive composition for improving the fiber content of food products, the composition comprising: aspirated corn bran comprising less than about 15% by weight of starch, at least about 2% by weight of protein, and at least about 75% by weight of total diet fiber, at least 100% by weight of the starch being gelatinized; the starch being gelatinized by mixing the corn bran aspirated with lime and water to provide an aqueous, alkaline mixture of bran and subsequently cooking the aqueous, bran alkaline mixture, the lime comprising from about 0.05 to about 5% by weight of the aqueous, alkaline bran of bran, the amount of water and cooking effective to gelatinize at least 100% by weight of the starch and to provide a bran treated with alkaline, cooked agent, with a moisture content of about 20 to about 80% in weigh.
10. 10. An additive composition as defined in claim 9, wherein the bran treated with alkaline, cooked agent is dried at a moisture content of not more than about 10% by weight to provide a bran treated with an alkaline, dry agent. , and milling the bran treated with an alkaline agent to a particle size that passes through a screen with a mesh of no more than about 0.1 mm 2, and where the additive composition comprises at least about 0.025 weight% calcium, and wherein a mixture of the additive and water comprising 10% by weight of additive, based on the weight of water and additive, provides a pH of at least 7.
11. 11. A process for making an additive composition to improve the fiber content of food products, the process comprising: (a) mixing a secondary product with high fiber content, cooked, selected from the group consisting of cooked cereal bran, soybean husks and mixtures thereof, with an alkaline agent and water to provide a aqueous, alkaline mixture, the secondary product comprising less than about 15% by weight of starch, at least about 2% by weight of protein, and at least about 75% by weight of total diet fiber; and (b) firing the aqueous mixture to provide a baked, alkaline agent treated product.
12. 12. A process as defined in claim 11, wherein the cereal bran is selected from the group consisting of corn bran, wheat bran, oat bran, barley bran, rice bran, rye bran, bran sorghum, and its mixtures.
13. 13. A process as defined in claim 11, wherein about 100% by weight of the starch in the bran has been gelatinized.
14. 14. A process as defined in claim 12, wherein the cereal bran is corn bran.
15. 15. A process as defined in claim 11, wherein the secondary product with high fiber content is soybean husks.
16. 16. A process as defined in claim 11, wherein the process further comprises drying the treated, cooked product at a moisture content of not more than about 10% by weight without first removing the water with aqueous lime from the treated product , cooked, to provide a product treated with alkaline, dry agent; and grinding the product treated with an alkaline, dry agent, to a particle size that passes through a screen with a mesh of no more than about 0.1 mm2.
17. 17. A process as defined in claim 16, wherein at least about 70% by weight of the product treated with alkaline, dry, milled agent is less than about 500 microns.
18. 18. A process as defined in claim 11, wherein the food product is a beverage.