WO2008056967A1

WO2008056967A1 - Novel method for preparing and stabilising a nutritious amaranth product

Info

Publication number: WO2008056967A1
Application number: PCT/MX2007/000130
Authority: WO
Inventors: Manuel SORIANO GARCÍA
Original assignee: Gastronomía Molecular, S.A.
Priority date: 2006-11-09
Filing date: 2007-11-01
Publication date: 2008-05-15
Also published as: MXPA06013015A

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel method for preparing an amaranth drink or amaranth milk from whole amaranth grain. The resulting amaranth drink has improved properties compared with those of the prior art. In addition, the resulting drink has a similar appearance to cow's milk and improved organoleptic and palatability properties, as well as a greater nutritional and caloric value. The invention also relates to nutraceutical compositions and to the use thereof in people who are healthy or suffering from any metabolic disorder.

Description

NEW PROCESS OF ELABORATION AND STABILIZATION OF A NUTRITIVE PRODUCT OF AMARANTO

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention belongs to the area of the food and nutraceutical industry and is related to a new process of manufacturing an amaranth product that is obtained from the seeds of this crop; The product can be produced in a liquid or solid presentation, in the form of soluble powder. Also, within the scope of this application is the use of amaranth product as a nutritious drink to be taken by healthy individuals as well as by people who have a metabolic disorder, such as food intolerances, food allergies and overweight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Amaranth scientifically belongs to the dicotyledonous class, order Centrospermae and Amaranthaceae family. The Amaranthaceae family consists of 60 genera and about 800 species. Approximately 50 species of the same genus are native to America and others are located in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. In Mexico, only three of them are cultivated: Amaranthus hypochondriacus, originally from Mexico, A. cruentus, originally from Guatemala and southeastern Mexico and A. caudatus, whose origin is South America. It should be mentioned that the present invention describes the preparation of an amaranth nutrient product from the hypochondriacus species, whose seeds are obtained from different cultivation areas of the plant, within the Mexican territory. Amaranth has a high nutritional value, since its multiple forms are used: as grain, vegetables or fodder. It is also a highly efficient crop that can thrive in adverse agroclimatic conditions, such as drought, high temperatures and saline soils. Amaranth grain is considered a pseudo-cereal, since it has characteristics similar to those of true cereal grains of monocots. The embryo of this grain is large, thus forming a good source of lipids and proteins (storage proteins). Storage proteins have a high level of expression and accumulation in grains, playing a very important role in the nutrition of human beings.

The amount of total protein present in amaranth seeds (13.2-18.4%) is intermediate between cereals (8.5-14.0%) and legumes (25-35%). For example, the protein content in wheat is 10-12.8%, in corn 9-9.5%, in rice 5.6-6.5%, in oats of 13-15%, in rye of 11-14% and in soybeans of 35-40% (USDA & National Research Council). In addition, this protein has a better balance of essential amino acids, than that presented by legumes and cereals. The lysine content of amaranth species is relatively high (3.2- 6.4%), compared to most cereals (2.2-4.5%) and sulfur amino acid concentrations (2.6-5.5%) are higher than in Ia Most legumes. It has slight limitations in valine, isoleucine and threonine, being more deficient in leucine. Even with these limitations, amaranth proteins satisfactorily meet the essential amino acid requirements for humans recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) for optimal human nutrition. In addition, amaranth seed has been cataloged by the United States National Academy of Science, within the 38 most promising crops as food for humanity.

However, milk of animal origin is the normal product of secretion of the mammary gland. Milk is a complex nutritive product that has more than 100 substances found in solution, suspension or emulsion in water. Milk contains casein, the main protein that is dispersed and remains in the suspension; The fat and water soluble vitamins are in the form of an emulsion; Lactose, milk sugar, some serum proteins and mineral salts are completely dissolved in milk water. Naturism in its diet, replaces cow's milk due to the intolerance that lactose produces from a certain age. Lactase, an enzyme that digests milk, loses its activity in the small intestine between the age of one year and a half and four years, and this intolerance may be the cause of digestive, skin or immune problems of the type of allergies. Also, vegetable drinks have a better digestibility than cow's milk, in this way constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel and allergies are avoided.

Thus, although the name of milk is proper only for breast or animal milk, they have been referred to as "milks", products of plant origin with a dairy appearance. There are several vegetable drinks that we can find in the natural food trade, each of them made based on different foods such as: nuts (almonds or hazelnuts), some cereal (rice or oatmeal) or a legume (Ia soy) . The almond or hazelnut drink can be found in pasta (to dilute in hot water) and already prepared to consume. These two presentations when coming from oleaginous fruits are much more energetic, contributing more calories and sugars of rapid absorption. On the other hand they are excellent sources of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium, as well as vitamin A and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).

Vegetable drinks are especially suitable for children, adolescents, convalescents and nursing mothers. The rice drink has the characteristic of being refreshing and very digestive, ideal for people with slow digestion or delicate stomach. The oat drink has great nutritional properties, among which its essential fatty acids and its high content of thiamine (vitamin B1), iron, manganese and trace elements stand out, it has a delicate creamy flavor and texture, which is also often used to thicken creams, sauces and even make mayonnaise, replacing the egg with oat milk. Finally, soy milk is especially rich in protein, rich in lecithin, a substance that nourishes the nerves and also helps lower blood cholesterol and has low fat and calories. Although products such as milk and tofu or tofu can be made, their disadvantages are the lower proportion of calcium and their taste is not as pleasant.

In the present invention a food product obtained from amaranth seeds is described, as well as the process by which it is obtained and its use in consumption as a nutritious drink for healthy individuals or even for people who have lactose intolerance, allergies to casein or any other protein or carbohydrates of animal milk or with disorders such as anemias and overweight.

There are two US patents reported:

(1) US 4,911, 943 published March 27, 1990 entitled "Process for products from amaranth" and (2) US 5,789,012 published August 4, 1998, entitled "Products from sweet potatoes, cassava, edible aroids, amaranth, yams, lotus, potatoes and other roots, seeds and fruit ", which is derived as a continuation in part of several US applications and patents including the one mentioned in point 1.

These patents describe the production of various flours and related products from amaranth, which are for daily consumption (bread, pancakes, muffins, imitation of cornbread, amaranth wafers, French bread, cookies, donuts, pretzels, crepes, tortillas, chips, imitation of amaranth mayonnaise, amaranth milk, pasta and pudding) and industrial products (prepared to make pancakes, cake dough, and cooked amaranth flour). It is important to mention that the process of manufacturing the amaranth product of the present invention for obtaining a nutrient product from amaranth is totally different from the procedure described in the aforementioned US patents. In the section of examples of US Patent 4,911, 943 (Example 19) and of US Patent 5,789,012 (Example No. 125) mention the preparation of an amaranth milk from amaranth flour, where they are limited only to Describe a process where the flour is mixed with water, regardless of the quality and palatability of the product obtained, or its nutritional properties.

There are differences between the amaranth drink or amaranth milk mentioned in the aforementioned US patents and the one obtained by the process described in the present invention. These differences or advantages are: (a) in the reported inventions it is commented that one of the uses of amaranth flour is the preparation of amaranth milk but it is not indicated exactly the process by which the milk is obtained, for which reason On the contrary, in the present invention a complete description of the elaboration of milk is made; (b) in US patents 9% of oil is added to the flour for the production of milk, in the present invention no oil is added, obtaining an amaranth milk with low calorie content;

(c) in the multicited North American documents the content of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins in the product obtained is not mentioned, in the present invention the complete nutritional composition is provided;

(d) in US patents it is indicated that the version of amaranth milk is liquid, in the present invention an amaranth product is obtained that can be presented in its liquid or solid version, in the form of soluble powder; (f) in the reported patents it is not mentioned that amaranth milk may have different flavors, have different preservatives and may have different colors, unlike what is described in this application. In addition, as is evident to a technician in the field, the process of obtaining in both US patents is from amaranth flour and not from complete seed, therefore, these documents do not teach or anticipate the matter described and claimed in the This application, which provides extraordinary competitive advantages regarding the process of obtaining and the quality of the final product.

On the other hand, the Chinese patent application No. CN 1686009 published on October 26, 2005 and entitled "Amaranth beverage and its preparation method" describes a method of preparing a supposedly amaranth beverage; however, in that country the name "amaranth" is given the evening primrose, which is a plant of the species Oenothera macrocarpa belonging to the Onagraceae family, which has no relation to amaranth, which belongs to the class Dicotyledon, order Centrospermae and Amaranthaceae family. The described process comprises totally different stages to those described for the invention in comment, since it includes stages of heating and application of pressure, characteristics totally different from those of the present application, therefore the matter of the aforementioned Chinese application is not related to the subject of the present application and is incorporated herein only as a reference without prejudice to The patentability of the present invention.

However, with reference to the field of the technique of the present invention, only the documents are incorporated as reference: Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1985 Dec; 35 (4): 603-19 de Sánchez-Marroquin A, Maya S, Domingo MV entitled "Effect of heat treatment and grinding on seed, flour, rheology and cooking quality on certain amaranth ecotypes", teaches that heat affects the proportion of protein and lysine in amaranth and in the case of milk, produced satisfactory protein values, without mentioning the final characteristics of the product or its preparation process; the document Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1987 Mar; 37 (1): 147-59 of lmeri AG, Elias LG, Bressani R entitled "Amaranth: a technological alternative for infant nutrition", describes a composition prepared from amaranth seed by partially cooking it to high temperatures and combined with water, milk and sugar as an alternative for infant feeding, however, the preparation process is different, as well as the characteristics of the final product; on the other hand the document Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1985 Dec; 35 (4): 620-30, from Sánchez-Marroquin A, Maya S, Domingo MV describes the effect of grinding on amaranth grains, not to mention specific products or processes with industrial application.

Additionally, as referenced in previous pages, there are "milk" drinks of plant origin derived from various plants. As for beverages prepared from other vegetables, the following documents can be cited: document RU20040107718 20040315 by TEMIRAEV RB (RU); KABALOEV T KH (RU); TEDTOVA VV (RU); TER-TER JAN NG (RU) dated August 20, 2005, describes the preparation of soy milk from seed, where the process includes the steps of soaking and grinding the seed at high temperatures and with alkaline agents , without any relation to the method of the present application; The Canadian application CA20032505350 20031114, published on November 14, 2003, describes the process of preparing a hemp milk from India, which is totally different from that of the present invention since it requires soaking the seed at high temperature and extracting the pulp of the shell; The Ukrainian application UA20030098698 20030924 of BOROVSKYI VOLODYMYR RUDOLPHOVY (UA); RATUSHNIAK VOLODYMYR VASYLIOVY (UA); BOROVSKYI SERHII VOLODYMYROVYC (UA) presented on July 15, 2004, describes a procedure for the preparation of soy milk comprising grinding soaked soybean seed at high temperatures, which is not related to the method of the present application; WO / 2005/120259 dated December 22, 2005, describes a method for preparing a hazelnut drink with other components, which consists in heating the hazelnut seed together with other elements at high temperatures; WO / 2003/045170, published on June 5, 2003, describes a process and product of soy milk from seed, but using high pressures to obtain microscopic particles; WO / 2002/011557, published on February 14, 2002, describes an enzymatic process for preparing soy milk which is not related to the present invention.

As can be seen, the existing prior art does not affect the patentability of the present application, since it involves procedures with unrelated crops and that comprise different stages since the main technical problem to be solved is the elimination of unpleasant taste and consistency earthy drinks derived from soybeans and therefore are inventions not related to the novel process described and claimed in this application, which is economically viable by reducing production costs and providing a natural product without the influence of high temperatures that could affect its nutritional and palatal properties.

On the other hand, an attempt to prepare an amaranth drink is described in the Mexican patent application 2004/006688, where a process for the production of an amaranth product that is obtained from the busted amaranth flour is taught and defatted It is important to mention that the process of manufacturing the amaranth product of the present invention for obtaining a nutritive product from amaranth is different from the procedure described in the application with File No. 2004/006688. Likewise, there are other differences between the amaranth drink or amaranth milk mentioned in the patent with file 2004/006688 and the one obtained by the process described in the present invention. These differences or advantages are:

(a) the seeds are used and not the popped and defatted amaranth flour;

(b) Amaranth seeds maintain their nutritional potential for more than ten years, if kept in a dry, cool and ventilated place. On the contrary, when grinding the dried seeds to obtain the flour, rancidity is favored, which is due to: (1) the action of lipases that hydrolyse the ester bond, producing free acids and (2) the action of oxygen and lipoxygenases on fatty acid unsaturations. In both situations the acidity index is increased producing the rancidity of the flour with an unpleasant smell and taste; (c) in the present invention of milk, grinding of dried seeds is not required to obtain flour, but grinding of soaked seeds is required;

(d) in the present invention of milk, lipid extraction from amaranth flour is not required using organic solvents, this reduces process steps and product contamination problems;

(e) in the present invention it is not required to dry the degreased paste with hot air, this reduces the process stages, costs and problems of product contamination; (f) in the present invention the grinding of the soaked seeds allows to obtain a homogenization of the beverage. In the homogenization process, the fat globules are reduced in size and the process of non-covalent association of the small fat globules and soluble proteins is induced, obtaining a beverage similar in appearance to cow's milk, since the proteins and Separate lipids in the presence of water form colloidal dispersions and emulsions, respectively;

(g) the grinding of the soaked seeds allows obtaining an adequate dispersion of soluble sugars, cations and anions and water-soluble vitamins; Y

(h) in the beverage of the present invention, a stabilizer is added in such a way that the suspension maintains greater stability at changes in temperature after processing and during its shelf period, avoiding the precipitation of proteins and carbohydrates and maintaining stability of the homogeneous phase of soluble proteins and fat globules.

The advantages of the amaranth product of the present invention in its presentation as a beverage or milk over soy milk are: (1) the beverage of Amaranth has a better balance of amino acids in its composition since its proteins are rich in lysine (3.2-6.9%), tryptophan (2.0-3.8%) and sulfur amino acids (2.6-5.5%), which are essential for health , resulting in the combination that meets the requirements recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) for optimal human nutrition; (2) Amaranth drink is rich in squalene (0.2-0.5%), a substance that helps lower blood cholesterol content; (3) It is rich in calcium (0.1-0.3%), an essential element of teeth and bones (such as calcium hydroxyphosphate), present in numerous body fluids (as a component of protein complexes essential for muscle contraction), essential for transmission of nerve impulses and blood clotting; (4) it is rich in iron (0.009-0.025%), an essential component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the blood to all parts of the body and (5) the drink has a very pleasant taste and also solves the technical problem present in the product of the Mexican patent application 2004/006688, since the beverage obtained by that process produces a precipitate, which is unpleasant to the eye and the palate and has a certain unpleasant taste.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

From the description that proceeds below, it follows that it falls within the scope of the present application, in the first instance: a process of preparing an amaranth product in liquid and solid form, as soluble powder, as well as the products that They are obtained from this process and its application as a nutritious drink to be ingested by any person and to be used as an aid in the treatment of some metabolic disorders.

The process of the invention comprises the steps of: 1- selecting amaranth seeds according to their solid internal content and a yellow appearance;

2- clean the seeds through sieves;

3- wash the seeds with water, characterized in that it comprises washing with water free of microorganisms; 4- soak the seeds with microorganism-free water and subsequently wash the soaked seeds with microorganism-free water;

5- grind the seeds;

6- homogenize the suspension of the ground seeds;

7- filter the suspension; 8- add a desired antioxidant;

9- add a stabilizer;

10-adjust the volume of the solution to the desired protein concentration; 11- homogenize the suspension by stirring. A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises the step of adding an artificial or natural flavoring, such as cinnamon, during the grinding of the seeds. Another additional embodiment comprises the step of adding a dye. It is also an embodiment, the addition of some nutritional supplement, such as vitamins of natural or synthetic origin to the product of the invention. A further modality of said process is that which comprises the stage of determining the amount of protein, additionally the stage of determining the amount of fat and also the stage of carbohydrate determination. Also, the process may comprise the stage of determining the amounts of vitamins and minerals. In a further embodiment, the process comprises the step of drying the liquid product to produce a powder product and also, with the modality of providing a stage of adding a flavoring to the liquid or powder product.

It should be noted that the stage of selection of the seed is carried out by visual inspection, in which, the seed must have a solid internal content and a uniform yellow appearance, should not have black seeds that correspond to the wild variety, no soil particles, no seed husks, or small pieces of stalk. In this sense, the stage of cleaning the seed consists in eliminating: (1) the black seeds that correspond to wild amaranth; (2) small pieces of stem; (3) seed husks and (4) dust particles through different sieves that allow to obtain a clean yellow seed.

For washing the seeds, water has been used that has been passed through several filters containing cellulose cartridges for dust particles and activated carbon to remove chlorine and finally an ultraviolet light treatment for the elimination of microorganisms. Washing is done for 8 to 12 minutes in a stream of treated water, with a temperature between 0 and 10 ⁰ C and in a proportion of 5 to 10 parts by volume for one part by weight of seeds. Additionally, the soaking of the seeds with treated water is carried out for 8 to 16 hours, at a temperature of 0-10 ⁰ C.

In one embodiment of the invention, the grinding of the soaked seeds is carried out by means of a team selected from the group consisting of: an industrial blender or grinding means that have a blade system, where the grinding time varies between 5 to 9 minutes and the suspension obtained is allowed to stand for a period of time between 6 and 15 minutes at a temperature of 10 ⁰ C to 30 ⁰ C. Optionally, a flavoring can be incorporated into the milling process, the amount of flavoring, it can go from 1.0 to 3.5 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the whole seed.

The homogenization stage is carried out by means of agitation of the suspension and the filtration stage of the suspension is carried out by using a flannel fabric, usually woven, usually woven, perched and slightly batted wool and the gravity effect or, using industrial press filtration equipment or other type of industrial suspension filtration.

As for the amount of added antioxidant, it can range from 0.01 to 1.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the whole seed, the antioxidant agent being selected from a group comprising: ascorbic acid, salts of ascorbic acid, Erythorbic acid, salts of erythoric acid, sodium sulphite, potassium sulphite, dibasic sodium sulphite, dibasic potassium sulphite, sodium hyposulphite, potassium hyposulphite, potassium pyrosulfate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate and L hydrochloride -cysteine wherein the preferred antioxidant agent is ascorbic acid. The process of the present invention provides, in a preferred embodiment, to add an amount of stabilizing agent that ranges from 0.005 to 0.03 parts by weight per 100 dry weight parts of the seed. Where preferably the amount of stabilizing agent ranges from 0.01 to 0.015 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the seed and wherein the stabilizing agent is selected from a group comprising: agar-agar, acacia (gum arabic), alginate of ammonium, calcium alginate, carrageenan, potassium alginate, sodium alginate, Ghatti gum, Esterculia gum (Karaya gum), tragacanta (tragacanta gum), Guar gum, sodium bicarbonate, trisodium citrate, calcium chloride and disodium phosphate, being the preferred one in a modality, but without excluding the previous ones, the carrageenan.

In a further embodiment, the artificial flavoring that is added is selected from a group comprising: strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, nut, banana, coconut, or mixtures thereof and the natural flavor is selected from a group comprising: guava , apple, pear, mango, soursop, banana, peach, papaya, quince, strawberry, nut, passion fruit, cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cranberry, grape, apricot or mixtures thereof. Also, the food supplement is selected from a group comprising vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E or complex B and the color is selected from the group comprising white 1, red 40 and yellow 5.

In additional embodiments: the desired protein concentration when adjusting the volume of the solution with water is 3 to 20% protein, where the preferred protein concentration is 12 to 15%. The amount of protein is determined using methods known as the bicinconinic acid method, Biuret reaction, Lowry method, absorption method in the ultraviolet region and immunological methods; Bicinconinic acid method is preferred. A second stage of homogenization is carried out for 10-20 minutes by means of a low-scale or industrial homogenization system; The determination of the amount of fat is carried out using methods known as Gerber's, of Babcock, the Tesa, Rosse-Gottlier and Mojonnier technique, the Gerber method being preferred. Additionally, the amount of carbohydrates present is determined, by methods known as the Fehling method or by the differences in weight of the dry matter and the amounts of protein, fat and ash and the weight of water lost during drying, the preferred being the Fehling method; Optionally, the amounts of minerals in the amaranth drink can be determined, using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry methods, by hydride generation techniques and graphite furnace or in a microwave digester with pressure and temperature control, preferably uses the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. Likewise, the amount of vitamins in the amaranth beverage can be determined using calorimetric, spectrophotometric and fluorometric methods and preferably the reverse phase high resolution liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is used.

In addition to the process described, within the scope of the present invention is the nutrient product of amaranth, which in its liquid presentation is obtained through the aforementioned process and is characterized in that it does not precipitate and comprises 3 to 20% protein , preferably 12 to 15% protein; from 2 to 10% lipids, preferably 3 to 8% lipids; 1 to 2.0% of salts, preferably 1.0 to 1.6% of salts, which are 0.1 to 0.3% calcium, 0.009 to 0.025% iron, 0.2 to 0.4% phosphorus, 0.001 to 0.002% sodium and 0.09 to 0.35 % of other salts; 9 to 30% carbohydrates, preferably 9.5 to 12% carbohydrates and 88 to 96% water, preferably 90 to 94% water.

The product also contains small fat globules, proteins, sugars, cations and anions in soluble form and water-soluble vitamins are in a suitable dispersion to give the beverage a homogeneous appearance. with an appearance similar to cow's milk; said beverage additionally comprises a high content of essential amino acids representing 45 to 52% and preferably 49.3% of its composition, said amino acid composition of the most abundant globulin contained in the amaranth drink is: 4.5 to 4.7% alanine, 2.4 a 3.5% arginine, 9.2 to 11.0% asparagine, 5.2 to 5.6% aspartic acid, 1.4 to 1.8% cysteine, 4.4 to 5.1% glutamine, 4.4 to 4.8% glutamic acid, 5.0 to 5.6% glycine, 2.2 to 2.5% histidine, 6.3 to 6.8% isoleucine, 8.4 to 8.7% leucine, 6.7 to 7.0% lysine, 2.2 to 2.6% methionine, 5.3 to 5.8% phenylalanine, 3.5 to 3.8% proline, 6.7 to 7.0% serine, 5.7 to 6.1% threonine, 2.1 to 2.5% Tryptophan, 4.7 to 5.0% tyrosine and 6.1 to 6.4% valine. In specific embodiments, the product has a liquid presentation with the appearance of milk and the solid presentation is in the form of soluble powder, its nutritional content being: 30 to 40% protein, 3 to 7.0% lipids, 20 to 40% carbohydrates and 5 to 10% humidity and presenting a good solubility in water at different temperatures from 4 to 60 ⁰ C. It is an additional objective of the invention to provide the use of the aforementioned product, to prepare a nutraceutical composition useful to be consumed by healthy individuals as a food supplement and additionally to be consumed by people with some metabolic disorder such as: lactose intolerance, allergies caused by animal milk, anemia or overweight. In a particular embodiment, the beverage is used for feeding children with lactose intolerance of cow's milk or mother's milk, as well as in children and elderly people who have anemia or poor nutrition; an additional objective being the use of said product as a nutritional supplement for the contribution of vegetable protein for athletes. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a nutraceutical composition, characterized in that it comprises a product such as the one mentioned above and a nutraceutically acceptable vehicle. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

Some of the multiple qualities that the subject described in the present invention has are:

1.- The nutrient product of amaranth in its liquid version or as a soluble powder is indicated to be consumed by healthy individuals, as a nutritional supplement. The advantages are: (a) better balance of amino acids in its composition since its proteins are rich in lysine, tryptophan and sulfur amino acids, which are essential for health, resulting in a combination that meets the requirements recommended by Ia Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) for optimal human nutrition; (b) The product is rich in squalene, a substance that helps lower blood cholesterol content; (c) it is rich in calcium, an essential element of teeth and bones (such as calcium hydroxyphosphate) and in numerous body fluids (as a component of protein complexes) essential for muscle contraction, blood clotting; (d) it is rich in iron, an essential component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the blood to all parts of the body and (e) the product in its liquid and soluble powder versions has organoleptic properties of color, taste, texture , solubility, etc., very pleasant and superior to those reported in the prior art.

2.- The protein found in the nutrient amaranth drink or powder has the following advantages: a) it can be used for the feeding of healthy individuals and / or people with some metabolic disorder such as: food allergies due to casein and other proteins present in the serum of animal milk, anemia, lactose intolerance or overweight; b) it can be used in the feeding of children with lactose intolerance of cow's or mother's milk, as well as in children and elderly people who have anemia or poor nutrition; c) can be used as a food supplement; d) The protein can be used for the contribution of vegetable protein that serves as a nutritional supplement for athletes.

3.- The new process of elaboration of the nutrient amaranth drink in its liquid version (drink or milk) allows obtaining a stable product formed by a satisfactory suspension in its components: protein, lipids and carbohydrates, without forming precipitates. The product can have a solid presentation, in the form of soluble powder to prevent its decomposition by bacteria and increase its shelf life, especially for places where there is no refrigeration to preserve the formulation in its liquid version. 4.- The physicochemical characteristics (density, viscosity, acidity, amount of reducing sugars, refractive index and fats) of the amaranth drink made in this new process, allows to obtain a product very similar to cow's milk and higher as to palatability characteristics, stability and nutritional content. 5.- The amaranth drink has a very convenient shelf time, remains stable and does not decompose for a week, when it is kept at refrigeration temperatures 4 to 6 ° C and for a month, as long as it remains frozen.

6.- The nutrient amaranth drink allows to inhibit or reduce appetite due to its high protein content. 7.- The nutrient amaranth drink has a very pleasant basic feeling, nuanced by the presence of its proteins, carbohydrates and lipids that have allowed to obtain an ideal emulsion, surpassing similar products of the prior art. Its flavor is very pleasant and allows it to be properly combined with a wide variety of natural fruits, such as, but not limited to apple, pear, peach, mamey, guava, strawberry, cherry, mango, coconut , the apricot, the peanut,

Ia papaya, etc. Its color and appearance is very similar to cow's milk. If the beverage is placed in a glass container and stirred, it is observed how the beverage containing the suspended lipids forms a characteristic film very similar to that of cow's milk.

8.- The amaranth drink is slightly sweet, with a characteristic vegetable smell and a color similar to cow's milk.

The nutrient amaranth product can be used as a nutritional supplement in the following ways: a.- To be consumed as a nutritious drink by healthy people. b.- Hypoallergenic infant formulations. In the case of intolerances and allergies produced by milk due to lactose and proteins present in cow's milk. c- Formulations for special nutrition for athletes who require a product with high protein content quickly assimilated depending on the type of training they perform. d.- Dietary supplements for overweight people, since due to its high protein content, it allows a correct supply of amino acids, reducing at the same time the individual's appetite. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new process for making an amaranth product, which can be produced in liquid version (drink or "amaranth milk") or in the form of soluble powder, with the product produced through said process and with its use as a nutritional drink for the feeding of healthy individuals and / or as an aid in the treatment of different metabolic disorders such as lactose intolerance, allergies caused by casein or other proteins present in the serum of animal milk, anemia or overweight .

In this document the term "nutraceutical" defines "Foods for specific health use", is "one that has satisfactorily proven to beneficially affect one or more specific functions in the body, beyond the appropriate nutritional effects. They are those natural or processed foods, of which apart from their nutritional content, they contain ingredients that perform a specific activity in the physiological functions of the human organism, favoring physical capacity and mental state. The main functions are related to optimal growth and development, the normal activity of the cardiovascular system, prevention of cardiovascular, liver and degenerative diseases such as cancer, provide antioxidants and protect the gastrointestinal system, among others.

Elaboration process

The process of manufacturing the liquid version amaranth product or "amaranth milk" consists of the following stages:

1. Whole or complete seeds are selected according to their solid internal content and a uniform yellow appearance. The process of selecting the seed is done by visual inspection by breaking

The seed in a porcelain mortar. The seed that is selected must have a complete and solid content. 2. The seeds are cleaned to remove the husk, the black seed, the dust particles and small pieces of stem. The black seeds are of the wild amaranth species. The cleaning of the seeds is done through different sieves that allow to obtain a clean yellow seed.

3. The seeds are washed with water for a suitable period in a water jet. The water must be treated by some means known in the art in order to remove dust particles, chlorine, such as by means of filters containing cellulose cartridges and activated carbon and finally an ultraviolet light treatment for the elimination of microorganisms

4. The seeds are placed in a container and water that has been previously treated is added, in a proportion of 10 to 15 parts by volume per one part by weight of seeds. The seeds are soaked for 8 to 16 hours at a temperature of 0-10 ⁰ C. 5. The seeds are washed for 8 to 12 minutes in a stream of water

6. previously treated. The soaked and cleaned seeds are milled, with previously treated water, the process is carried out at a temperature between 0 -10 0C, in a proportion of 5 to 10 parts by volume for one part by dry weight of seeds. The grinding time varies between 5 to 9 minutes. The grinding equipment can be selected for example from industrial blenders or grinding media that have a blade system, among other commercial grinding equipment. Let stand for a period of time between 10 and 15 minutes, at a temperature of 10 ° C to 30 ⁰ C.

7. The suspension is filtered in order to separate the amaranth drink from the insoluble components and recover the soluble protein in aqueous solution. lipids that form the suspension and soluble carbohydrates, thus eliminating non-soluble carbohydrates such as starches, some lipids that are not part of the suspension, proteins not soluble in aqueous solution and fiber. The filtering process can be through the use of any small-scale or industrial filtration system, such as, but not limited to, a thinly woven flannel fabric generally of carded, perched and lightly batted wool and the effect of gravity or either using industrial press filtration equipment or other type of industrial suspension filtration. 8. The volume of the solution is adjusted to the desired protein concentration that varies from 3 to 20% protein, preferably the protein concentration is 12 to 15% using previously treated water.

9. The suspension is stirred to homogenize its contents for 10-20 minutes with a low-scale or industrial homogenization system. In the homogenization process, the fat globules are reduced in size and the process of non-covalent association of the small fat globules and soluble proteins is induced, obtaining a beverage similar in appearance to cow's milk, since the proteins and lipids separately in the presence of water form colloidal dispersions and emulsions, respectively. Likewise, the grinding of the soaked seeds allows to obtain an adequate dispersion of the soluble sugars, of the cations and anions and of the water-soluble vitamins. In this way an amaranth drink or milk is obtained.

10. Optionally, the amount of protein in the amaranth drink is determined using methods known in the art, where it can be exemplified: bicinconinic acid method, Biuret reaction, method of Lowry, absorption method in the ultraviolet region and immunological methods, preferably the bicinconinic acid method is used.

11. Optionally, the amount of fat in the amaranth drink is determined using methods known as Gerber, Babcock, Tesa, Rosse-Gottlier and Mojonnier, preferably the method of

Gerber

12. Optionally, the amount of carbohydrates present in the beverage is determined, using methods known as the Fehling method or by the differences in weight of the dry matter and the amounts of protein, fat and ash and the weight of water lost during drying. , the Fehling method being preferred.

13. Optionally, the amount of minerals in the amaranth drink is determined using the atomic absorption spectrophotometry methods of flame, by the techniques of hydride generation and graphite furnace; or in a microwave digester oven with pressure and temperature control, the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry method is preferably used.

14. Optionally, the amount of vitamins in the amaranth drink is determined using calorimetric, spectrophotometric and fluorometric methods, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is preferably used.

15. An antioxidant is added from a group comprising ascorbic acid, salts of ascorbic acid, erythoric acid, salts of erythoric acid, sodium sulfite, potassium sulphite, dibasic sodium sulphite, dibasic potassium sulphite, sodium hyposulphite, hyposulphite potassium, potassium pyrosulfate, sodium citrate, citrate potassium and L-cysteine hydrochloride. Ascorbic acid is used and the amount of antioxidant varies from 0.01 to 1.00 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the whole seed.

16. A stabilizer can be selected which can be selected from a group comprising agar-agar, acacia (gum arabic), ammonium alginate, calcium alginate, carrageenan, potassium alginate, sodium alginate, Ghatti gum, Esterculia gum (gum Karaya), tragacanta (gum tragacanta), Guar gum, sodium bicarbonate, trisodium citrate, calcium chloride and disodium phosphate. For example, carrageenan can be used and the amount of stabilizer varies from 0.005 to 0.03 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the seed, preferably from 0.01 to 0.015.

17. In another embodiment, a natural flavor is added, during the grinding process of the soaked seeds, the flavoring can be cinnamon.

18. A different modality is to add an artificial or natural flavor to the amaranth drink. Among the artificial flavors that can be used are, but are not limited to: strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, nut, banana, coconut, etc., or mixtures thereof. If the flavoring is natural from fruits and seeds, it is selected from a group that includes but is not limited to among others: guava, apple, pear, mango, soursop, banana, peach, papaya, quince, strawberry, nut, passion fruit, cherry , raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, grape, apricot, etc. or mixtures thereof.

19. In a further embodiment, a food supplement from a group comprising vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E or B complex can be added to the amaranth drink. 20. In another additional embodiment, a color selected from a group comprising white, red and yellow, among others, can be added to the amaranth drink.

It should be mentioned that in stages 15 and 16 where an antioxidant and a stabilizer are added to the beverage, the precipitation of the protein and carbohydrates is avoided, favoring the homogeneous appearance and prolonging the storage or shelf life, with which solves the technical problem present in similar products and processes of the prior art, this being a competitive advantage of the present invention. Likewise, in steps 17 to 20 corresponding to preferred embodiments of the invention, where a flavoring, a vitamin and coloring supplement is added to the amaranth drink, make the product more attractive by increasing its appearance, taste and value characteristics. nutritious.

Amaranth seeds are very small, lenticular, golden yellow and measure between 1-1.4mm in diameter; The main advantage of using them as raw material instead of using amaranth flour, is that the seeds maintain their nutritional potential for more than ten years if they are kept in a dry, cool and ventilated place. On the contrary, when grinding dry seeds to produce amaranth flour, rancidity is favored, it is produced through two mechanisms by which lipids are altered, these are: lipolysis or hydrolytic rancidity and oxidative self-oxidation or rancidity ; The first is basically due to the action of lipases that release fatty acids from triacylglycerides, while the second refers to the action of oxygen and lipoxygenases acting on the unsaturations of fatty acids, as a result a smell and unpleasant taste Another advantage of the process of the invention is that in the present invention of the amaranth drink, the grinding of the seeds is not required for the obtaining of the flour but rather the grinding of the soaked seeds is required, which allows obtaining the homogenization of the drink. In the homogenization process, the fat globules are reduced in size and the process of non-covalent association of small fat globules and soluble proteins is induced, obtaining a beverage similar to cow's milk, since proteins and lipids in the presence of water they form colloidal dispersions and emulsions respectively; The grinding of the soaked seeds allows obtaining an adequate dispersion of soluble sugars, cations and anions and water-soluble vitamins.

As a result of the new process, a beverage with a homogeneous content of the protein, lipid and carbohydrate components is obtained. The precipitation of protein in the drink does not occur, which favors a pleasant appearance and prolongs the shelf life or shelf. The process for the elaboration of the amaranth product in a soluble powder version is carried out by means of the process described for the liquid version but with an additional stage where the amaranth drink obtained is subjected to a drying process, which can be be for example but not limited to being carried out in a spray dryer, to obtain a slightly yellowish powder. According to the described process, an amaranth drink characterized by containing the following nutritional characteristics is obtained: 3 to 20% protein, preferably 12 to 15% protein; 2 to 10% lipids, preferably 3 to 8% lipids; 1 to 2.0% of salts, preferably 1.0 to 1.6% of salts, which are 0.1 to 0.3% calcium, 0.009 to 0.025% iron, 0.2 to 0.4% phosphorus, 0.001 to 0.002% of sodium and 0.05 to 0.47% of other salts; 9 to 30% carbohydrates, preferably 9.5 to

12% carbohydrates and 88 to 96% water, preferably 90 to 94% water.

Amaranth drink that contains an average of 12 to 15% of excellent proteins, has a high content of essential amino acids representing approximately 45 to 52% and preferably 49.3% of its composition. The amino acid composition of the most abundant globulin contained in the amaranth drink is: 4.5 to 4.7% alanine, 2.4 to 3.5% arginine, 9.2 to 11.0% asparagine, 5.2 to

5.6% aspartic acid, 1.4 to 1.8% cysteine, 4.4 to 5.1% glutamine, 4.4 to 4.8% glutamic acid, 5.0 to 5.6% glycine, 2.2 to 2.5% histidine, 6.3 to 6.8% isoleucine, 8.4 to 8.7% leucine, 6.7 to 7.0% lysine, 2.2 to 2.6% methionine, 5.3 to 5.8% phenylalanine, 3.5 to 3.8% proline, 6.7 to 7.0% serine, 5.7 to 6.1% threonine, 2.1 to 2.5% tryptophan, 4.7 to 5.0% tyrosine and 6.1 to 6.4% valine As can be seen, amaranth drink has a high value of the essential amino acids lysine, tryptophan, methionine and cysteine. These amino acids are essential for health, resulting in a beverage that satisfactorily meets the requirements recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, for optimal human nutrition.

It has been determined that the amaranth product does not contain cholesterol or lactose, which is why its consumption by individuals with intolerance to this sugar present in animal milk is excellent. Amaranth product contains squalene, a substance that helps lower blood cholesterol content and an excellent amount of calcium, an essential element of teeth and bones (such as calcium hydroxyphosphate) and also present in numerous body fluids (as a component of protein complexes), essential for muscle contraction, the transmission of nerve impulses and blood clotting. The amaranth product in its liquid version has a good taste and appearance very similar to cow's milk and can be prepared in a soluble powder version, to be able to take it to places where there is no infrastructure to cool the liquid product.

In order to highlight the competitive advantages of the present invention over the closest prior art, namely, the Mexican patent application 2004/006688, Table 1 is shown below, which contains the composition of prepared amaranth beverages in the Mexican application 2004/006688 and the current invention. The studies of the composition of amaranth were carried out by Dr. Manuel Soriano García in the Laboratory of the Gastronomy Company Molecular S.A. The analysis of the nutritional content of the amaranth drink obtained in the present invention indicates a product of excellence for the increase in the content of squalene and antioxidants when compared with the beverage obtained in the Mexican patent application 2004/006688. As mentioned previously, the current amaranth drink is much more stable to its storage since it does not precipitate and its appearance is very similar to cow's milk.

Table 1. Composition of amaranth drinks of the Mexican patent application 2004/006688 and of the current invention (per 100 grams)

Nutrient Patent Application Present invention 2004/006688

Protein 3.0-20.0 3.0-20.0

Fat 3.0-6.0 g ϊ 3.0-7.0 g *

Fraction 2-2.5 g 2-3.5 g saponifiable Linoleic acid (ωβ) 0.5-1.O g 0.5-1.5 g Linolenic acid (ω ₃ ) 10-50 mg 10-80 mg

Squalene 0.2-0.25 g 0.2-0.5 g

Antioxidants 1.0-1.5 g 1.0-2.5 g Tocopherols 25-50 mg 25-60 mg Alpha- 0.25-0.40 mg 0.25-0.60 mg Beta- 6.5-7.5 mg 6.5-8.5 mg

Bicinconinic acid method. b Gerber's method. c Fehling method d Determination of metals by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. e Determination of vitamins by high performance liquid chromatography, normal phase with previous saponification. f Loss on drying.

Additionally, Table 2 is presented, where the composition range of the dry version of the amaranth product of the present invention is shown.

Table 2. Average range of the composition of several batches of the dry version of the amaranth product.

The powder obtained has an excellent and improved solubility in water at different temperatures from 4 to 60 ⁰ C, preferably at room temperature, Io which allows the preparation of both fresh and hot drinks. In one embodiment of the invention, the powder or dry version of the amaranth product is processed together with suitable vehicles or excipients to prepare nutraceutical compositions. Amaranth powder is rehydratable to reconstitute and prepare amaranth milk while retaining the essential technical characteristics of the product in its liquid version.

Due to the special qualities of the amaranth product in its liquid or soluble powder version, it must be considered as a "nutraceutical product" or "functional food", due to the enormous benefits of its components, which help to maintain a good health condition. Nutraceutical or functional foods are those whose consumption does not produce harmful effects, have nutritional and beneficial properties for the organism and at the same time decrease and prevent the risk of contracting diseases, in addition to improving the general state of health.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the amaranth product, in its presentation of soluble powder, can be added with flavorings to obtain drinks of different flavors, for example: artificial flavorings selected from a group that can comprise among others: strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, walnut, banana, coconut, etc., or mixtures thereof. If the flavoring is natural from fruits and seeds, it is selected from a group that can comprise among others: guava, apple, pear, mango, soursop, banana, peach, papaya, quince, strawberry, nut, passion fruit, cherry, raspberry, blackberry , cranberry, grape, apricot, etc. or mixtures thereof.

In a further embodiment of the invention, to the amaranth product in its presentation of soluble powder, different vitamins of a group can be added that can comprise vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E or B complex among others. In another embodiment of the invention, the amaranth product, in its presentation of soluble powder, may contain different preservatives of a group comprising ascorbic acid, ascorbate salts, potassium sorbate, propionic acid, sodium and potassium tartrate, sodium citrate , succinic acid, tocopherols, sorbic acid and sodium sesquicarbonate.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the amaranth product, in its presentation of soluble powder, can be added with dyes of a group comprising white, red and yellow in its different intensities.

The invention also includes the process and the product per se, the use thereof for the nutrition of healthy individuals or as an aid in the treatment of individuals suffering from any metabolic deficiency. The nutraceutical compositions of this invention, in its liquid version or as a soluble powder can be used as auxiliaries in the treatment and / or prevention of lactose intolerance, in allergies to casein or any other protein contained in the serum of animal milk, in anemias and to control overweight, since its high protein content can help reduce food intake.

The nutrient product of amaranth in its liquid or powder version can be used as a nutritional supplement in the following ways: a.- It can be consumed by any person as a nutritional drink. b.- Hypoallergenic infant formulations. In the case of allergies produced by milk due to casein and other proteins present in cow's milk. Also in formulations for children and adults suffering from lactose intolerance. c- Formulations for special nutrition for athletes who require a product with high protein content of rapid assimilation, depending on the type of training they perform. d.- Dietary supplements for overweight people, since due to its high protein content, it allows a correct supply of amino acids, reducing at the same time the individual's appetite.

Evidence of the applicability of amaranth derived products described in the present invention

The amaranth product in its liquid or powder version contains a double iron content when compared to cow's milk. Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most important nutritional problems in the world. It is estimated that more than 2 billion people suffer from iron deficiency and that more than half are anemic; The prevalence of anemia among pregnant women, infants and children under two years of age in developing countries exceeds 50%; among preschoolers and among women of childbearing age it is a bit lower, but always of significant magnitudes. Anemia in children and infants is associated with delayed growth and cognitive development, as well as decreased resistance to infections. In adults, anemia causes fatigue and decreases physical work capacity. In pregnant women, it is associated with low birth weight and an increase in perinatal mortality. The amaranth product in its liquid or solid version represents a viable alternative to resolve anemia in our country.

The amaranth product in its liquid or powder version contains a high protein content, three times more than cow's milk. Amaranth protein is of excellence because it has twice as much lysine (an essential amino acid) than wheat and triple that in corn. The protein can be used for feeding healthy individuals and / or patients with some metabolic disorder such as intolerance to Ia casein or obesity and even as a nutritional supplement for athletes with high protein requirements.

The amaranth product in its liquid or powder version has been tested in children who have casein intolerance of cow's milk and in whom the albumin content in the blood was very low. The amaranth product has also been tested in its liquid or powder version with elderly people, who did not tolerate the animal protein of cow's milk. In both cases the results obtained have been very satisfactory and albumin levels in the blood were restored. Also, due to the high protein content in the amaranth product in its liquid or powder version, it has been tested in healthy individuals who are overweight and require a treatment to control this situation, in a diet high in protein . The amaranth product in its liquid or powder version turns out to be appropriate for reducing weight without causing any harm to the human body. The amaranth product in its liquid or powder version contains a considerable amount of lipids and consists mainly of: saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic) and unsaturated fatty acids [linoleic (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3)], tocopherols and tocotrienols (antioxidants) and squalene. The squalene content is relatively high in the seed and forms the majority of the content of the neutralized fraction; It is an unsaturated triterpenic hydrocarbon (C ₃₀ H ₅₀ ) that participates as an intermediary in the biosynthesis of cholesterol through lanosterol and is part of food beneficial to health as a cholesterol lowering agent in the blood. The excess cholesterol in the blood can be stored in the arteries (blood vessels) and make them narrower, producing the atherosclerosis Large deposits of cholesterol can completely block the artery, so that blood cannot flow through it.

The amaranth product in its liquid or powder version has been tested in patients presenting with atherosclerosis, reducing their cholesterol levels significantly when compared to commercial drugs. The amaranth product in its liquid or powder version does not produce harmful side effects to health such as those produced by commercial drugs. In addition, the amaranth drink contains the tocopherols and tocotrienols that are powerful antioxidant agents.

The nutrient amaranth drink contains starch with a particle size ranging from 1 to 3 microns, while those of corn are up to 10 times larger and those of the potato can be up to 100 times larger. These small dimensions of amaranth starch granule facilitate its digestion, which is 2.4 to 5 times faster than corn starch. The drink is easily and properly assimilated and the waste is quickly disposed of. Therefore, less energy is spent on decomposing it and we absorb more nutrients to have more energy in our lives. Amaranth drink has been tested in healthy individuals who develop sports activities and has shown that these individuals recover their energy, after carrying out their physical training.

The amaranth product in its liquid or solid version represents a complete food product of plant origin for human consumption since in addition to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and mineral salts it contains ascorbic acid and niacin in appreciable amounts.

Examples of the best way of carrying out the invention are described below, however, said examples should not limit the scope of the present invention and are only demonstrative but not limiting thereof. EXAMPLE 1

From 50 to 250 grams of whole or complete seeds are selected according to their solid internal content by breaking the seeds and visual inspection. The seed is cleaned by removing black seeds, small pieces of stalk, seed husks and dust particles. The seeds are washed with microorganism-free water. The seeds are soaked for several hours at a temperature between 4 and 36 ° C using water free of microorganisms. The soaked seed is ground, in the presence of cinnamon as a natural flavoring, in an industrial blender until a suitable suspension is obtained. The suspension is filtered using a filter press in order to remove insoluble solids. The composition of insoluble solids is: fiber, a protein that is not soluble in aqueous solution, a portion of lipids and carbohydrates. The volume of the solution obtained is adjusted according to the desired protein, lipid and carbohydrate content. Stir vigorously to obtain a homogeneous distribution of its components. The solution obtained has characteristics and properties similar to those of cow's milk.

The composition of amaranth product in its presentation as a beverage obtained from the process described above is: 3 to 20% protein; 2 to 10% lipids; 1 to 2% salts; 9-30% carbohydrates and 88-94% water.

EXAMPLE 2

From 50 to 250 grams of whole or complete seeds are selected according to their solid internal content by breaking the seeds and visual inspection. The seed is cleaned by removing black seeds, small pieces of stalk, seed husks and dust particles. The seeds are washed with water free of microorganisms. The seeds are soaked for several hours at room temperature using microorganism-free water. The soaked seed is milled, in the presence of cinnamon as a natural flavoring, in a hammer mill and adding a stabilizer until a suitable suspension is obtained. The suspension is filtered using a filter press or a filter equipped with a sifting device constructed of stainless steel in order to eliminate insoluble solids. The volume of the solution obtained is adjusted according to the desired protein, lipid and carbohydrate content. Stir vigorously to obtain a homogeneous distribution of its components. The solution obtained has characteristics and properties similar to those of cow's milk.

EXAMPLE 3

From 50 to 250 grams of whole or complete seeds are selected according to their solid internal content by breaking the seeds and visual inspection. Black seeds that correspond to wild amaranth are not removed, but small pieces of stalk, seed husks and dust particles are removed. In this procedure the wild seed is used, which contains very similar amounts of protein, lipids, carbohydrates and water very similar to the domesticated seed. The seeds are washed with microorganism-free water. The seeds are soaked for a short period of time at room temperature using water free of microorganisms. The soaked seed is milled, in the presence of cinnamon as a natural flavoring, in a hammer mill or blades and a stabilizing agent is added until a suitable suspension is obtained. The suspension is filtered using a filter press, a filter equipped with a sifting device built with stainless steel or a cloth filter equipped with a vacuum system that allows the process to be carried out quickly and efficiently, in order to eliminate insoluble solids. The volume of the solution obtained is adjusted according to the desired protein, lipid and carbohydrate content. Stir vigorously to obtain a homogeneous distribution of its components. The solution obtained has characteristics and properties similar to those of cow's milk. The composition of amaranth product in its presentation as a beverage obtained from the process described above is: 3 to 20% protein; 2 to 10% lipids; 1 to 2% salts; 9-30% carbohydrates and 88-94% water.

EXAMPLE 4 50 to 250 grams of whole or complete seeds are selected according to their solid internal content by breaking the seeds and visual inspection. The seed is cleaned by removing black seeds, small pieces of stalk, seed husks and dust particles. The seeds are washed with microorganism-free water. The seeds are soaked for a short period of time at room temperature using water free of microorganisms. The soaked seed is milled, in the presence of cinnamon as a natural flavoring, in a hammer mill and adding a stabilizer until a suitable suspension is obtained. The suspension is filtered using a filter press or a filter equipped with a sifting device constructed of stainless steel in order to eliminate insoluble solids. The volume of the solution obtained is adjusted according to the protein content, Lipids and carbohydrates desired. Stir vigorously to obtain a homogeneous distribution of its components. The solution obtained is subjected to spray drying to obtain a white to slightly yellowish powder. The evaporation capacity at a ratio of inlet and outlet temperatures of 220/90 ⁰ C and the production of dry material was 7.5 Kg / h. The atomizer speed was 25,000 rpm, the energy consumption of the atomizer was 0.736KW, the power consumption of the heaters was 9 KW, the compressed air consumption was 120 L / min and the compressed air pressure was of 4Kg / cm ² .

The composition of the amaranth product in its presentation of soluble powder, obtained from the process described above is: 30-40% protein; 3-7.0% of lipids; 1-2% salts; 20 to 40% carbohydrates and 5-10% humidity.

EXAMPLE 5

Amaranth milk was administered in children with casein intolerance of cow's milk and in whom the albumin content in the blood was very low. After a constant treatment of administration of the product, it was detected by specialized analyzes, that the levels of albumin in the blood went from a level of hypoalbuminemia of on average 2.5 mg / ml to normal levels of on average 3.5 mg / ml, so Patients are considered to have returned to a state of homeostasis.

EXAMPLE 6

Amaranth milk was administered to the elderly, who did not tolerate the animal protein of cow's milk. In this case the results obtained they were also satisfactory and albumin levels in the blood were restored, as well as the recovery of energy by the protein and vitamin intake of the product. All publications cited in this description are incorporated herein by reference. Although the invention has been described with reference to a particularly preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended that said modifications be within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the above invention, the property contained in the following claims is claimed as property:

Claims

1. A process of preparing an amaranth product comprising the steps of selecting amaranth seeds according to their solid internal content and a yellow appearance, cleaning the seeds by sieves, washing the seeds with water, soaking the seeds with microorganism-free water, wash the soaked seeds with microorganism-free water, grind the seeds, homogenize the suspension of the ground seeds, filter the suspension, add an antioxidant, add a stabilizer, adjust the volume of the solution to the concentration of desired protein and homogenize the suspension by stirring.

2. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises the step of adding an artificial or natural flavoring.

3. The process according to any one of claims 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of adding a food supplement.

4. The process according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises the step of adding a dye.

5. The process according to any one of claims 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of determining the amount of protein.

6. The process according to any one of claims 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of determining the amount of fat.

7. The process according to any of claims 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of determining the amount of carbohydrates.

8. The process according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it further comprises the step of drying the liquid product to produce a solid product, in the form of soluble powder.

9. The process according to any of claims 8, characterized in that it further comprises the step of adding a flavor to the solid product.

10. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the stage of selecting the seed is carried out by visual inspection, in which, the seed must have a solid internal content and a uniform yellow appearance, must not to have black seeds that correspond to the wild variety, no soil particles, no seed husks and no small pieces of stem.

11. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the stage of cleaning the seed consists in eliminating: (1) the black seeds corresponding to wild amaranth; (2) small pieces of stem; (3) seed husks and (4) dust particles.

12. The process according to claim 11, characterized in that the cleaning process is also carried out through different sieves that allow obtaining a clean, yellow seed.

13. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the step of washing the seeds is done by using water that has been treated by several filters containing cellulose cartridges to remove dust particles and carbon cartridges activated to eliminate chlorine, it is finally treated with ultraviolet light for the elimination of microorganisms.

14. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of soaking the seeds with treated water is also carried out for 8 to 16 hours, at a temperature of 0 to 10 ⁰ C.

15. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition to the step of washing the soaked seeds, it is carried out for 8 to 12 minutes in a stream of previously treated water, at a temperature between 0 and 10 ⁰ C and in a proportion of 5 to 10 parts by volume per one part by weight of seeds.

16. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the step of grinding the seeds to obtain a suspension is carried out by means of a team selected from the group consisting of an industrial blender or grinding means having a blade system

17. The process according to claim 16, characterized in that during the passage of the grinding of the seeds, a natural or artificial flavor is added.

18. The process according to claim 17, characterized in that the added flavor is natural and the amount added can range from 1.0 to 3.5 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the whole seed.

19. The process according to claim 18, characterized in that the natural flavor added is cinnamon.

20. The process according to claim 16, characterized in that in addition the grinding time varies between 5 to 9 minutes.

21. The process according to claim 16, characterized in that the suspension is also allowed to stand for a period of time between 6 and 15 minutes, at a temperature of 10 ⁰ C to 30 ⁰ C.

22. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the homogenization stage is carried out by means of stirring the suspension.

23. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the stage of filtration of the suspension is carried out by means of the use of a flannel fabric, of generally woven, woven, lightly woven and slightly battered wool fabric and the effect of severity or using industrial press filtration equipment or other type of industrial suspension filtration.

24. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the amount of added antioxidant is from 0.01 to 1.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the whole seed.

25. The process according to claim 24, characterized in that the antioxidant agent is also selected from a group comprising ascorbic acid, salts of ascorbic acid, erythoric acid, salts of erythorbic acid, sodium sulphite, potassium sulphite, sodium sulphite. dibasic sodium, dibasic potassium sulphite, sodium hyposulphite, potassium hyposulphite, potassium pyrosulfate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate and L-cysteine hydrochloride.

26. The process according to claim 25, characterized in that in addition the antioxidant agent selected is ascorbic acid.

27. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the amount of stabilizing agent that is added to the suspension is from 0.005 to 0.03 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the seed.

28. The process according to claim 27, characterized in that in addition the amount of stabilizing agent is from 0.01 to 0.015 parts by weight per 100 parts by dry weight of the seed.

29. The process according to claims 27 or 28, characterized in that the stabilizing agent is also selected from a group comprising agar-agar, acacia (gum arabic), ammonium alginate, calcium alginate, carrageenan, potassium alginate, Sodium alginate, Ghatti gum, Esterculia gum (Karaya gum), tragacanta (tragacanta gum), Guar gum, sodium bicarbonate, trisodium citrate, calcium chloride and disodium phosphate.

30. The process according to claim 29, characterized in that the stabilizing agent is also carrageenan.

31. The process according to claim 2, characterized in that an artificial flavoring selected from the group comprising: strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, nut, banana, coconut or mixtures thereof is added.

32. The process according to claim 2, characterized in that the natural flavor is selected from the group comprising: guava, apple, pear, mango, soursop, banana, peach, mamey, papaya, quince, strawberry, nut, passion fruit, cherry , raspberry, blackberry, cranberry, grape, apricot or mixtures thereof.

33. The process according to claim 3, characterized in that the nutritional supplement is also selected from a group comprising vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E or B complex.

34. The process according to claim 4, characterized in that the dye is also selected from the group comprising white 1, red 40 and yellow 5 or mixtures thereof.

35. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that, in addition, the desired protein concentration when adjusting the volume of the solution, is 3 to 20% protein by weight of the total composition.

36. The process according to claim 35, characterized in that the protein concentration is preferably from 12 to 15% by weight of the total composition.

37. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the homogenization stage is carried out for 10 to 20 minutes by means of a low-scale or industrial homogenization system.

38. The process according to claim 36, characterized in that the amount of protein is also determined using known methods.

39. The process according to claim 6, characterized in that the amount of fat is also determined using known methods.

40. The process according to claim 7, characterized in that the amount of carbohydrates is also determined using known methods.

41. An amaranth product in liquid presentation, characterized in that it does not precipitate and comprises 3 to 20% protein, preferably 12 to 15% protein; 2 to 10% lipids preferably 3 to 8% lipids; 1 to 2.0% salts, preferably 1.0 to 1.6% salts, which are 0.1 to 0.3% calcium; 0.009 to 0.025% iron; 0.2 to 0.4% phosphorus; 0.001 to 0.002% sodium and 0.05 to 0.47% of other salts; 9 to 30% carbohydrates, preferably 9.5 to 12% carbohydrates and 88 to 96% water, preferably 90 to 94% water.

42. The amaranth product according to claim 41, characterized in that it also contains small fat globules, proteins, sugars, cations and anions in soluble form and the water-soluble vitamins are in a suitable dispersion to give Ia Drink a homogeneous appearance with an appearance similar to that of cow's milk.

43. The amaranth product according to claim 42, characterized in that it also comprises a high content of essential amino acids approximately 45 to 52% and preferably 49.3% of its composition, said amino acid composition of the most abundant globulin contained in the beverage Amaranth is: 4.5 to 4.7% alanine, 2.4 to 3.5% arginine, 9.2 to 11.0% asparagine, 5.2 to 5.6% aspartic acid, 1.4 to 1.8% cysteine, 4.4 to 5.1% glutamine, 4.4 to 4.8% glutamic acid, 5.0 to 5.6% glycine, 2.2 to 2.5% histidine, 6.3 to 6.8% isoleucine, 8.4 to 8.7% leucine, 6.7 to 7.0% lysine, 2.2 to 2.6% methionine, 5.3 to 5.8% phenylalanine, 3.5 to 3.8% proline, 6.7 to 7.0% serine, 5.7 to 6.1% threonine, 2.1 to 2.5% tryptophan, 4.7 to 5.0% tyrosine and 6.1 to 6.4% valine.

44. The amaranth product according to any one of claims 41 to 43, characterized in that it also has a liquid or solid presentation.

45. The amaranth product according to claim 44, characterized in that the liquid presentation also has the appearance of milk or drink.

46. The amaranth product according to claim 44, characterized in that the solid presentation is also in the form of a soluble powder.

47. The amaranth product according to any one of claims 46, characterized in that its nutritional content in the solid presentation is: 30 to 40% protein, 3 to 7.0% lipids, 20 to 40% carbohydrates and 5 to 5 10% humidity

48. The product of amaranth in accordance with any of claims 46 and 47, further characterized by a good solubility in water at different temperatures from 4 to 60 ⁰ C.

49. The use of an amaranth product, to be ingested by healthy individuals, by individuals with extra nutrient requirements or by people with metabolic problems such as food allergies, food intolerances, anemia or overweight.

50. The use of an amaranth product according to claim 49, which is in liquid form and has a composition as follows: 3 to 20% protein, preferably 12 to 15% protein; 2 to 10% lipids preferably 3 to 8% lipids; 1 to 2.0% salts, preferably 1.0 to 1.6% salts, which are 0.1 to 0.3% calcium; 0.009 to 0.025% iron; 0.2 to 0.4% phosphorus; 0.001 to 0.002% sodium and 0.05 to 0.47% of other salts; 9 to 30% carbohydrates, preferably 9.5 to 12% carbohydrates and 88 to 96% water, preferably 90 to 94% water.

51. The use of an amaranth product according to claim 49, which is in solid form, of soluble powder and has a composition as follows: 30 to 40% protein, 3 to 7.0% lipids, 20 to 40 % carbohydrates and 5 to 10% humidity.

52. The use of an amaranth product according to any one of claims 49 to 51, to prepare a nutraceutical composition useful as an aid in the treatment of individuals with some metabolic disorder such as

Ia lactose intolerance.

53. The use of an amaranth product according to claim 52, to prepare a nutraceutical composition useful for feeding children or adults with lactose intolerance of cow's milk or in the case of children, mother's milk.

54. The use of an amaranth product according to claim 49 to prepare a nutraceutical composition useful for feeding children and the elderly who have anemia or poor nutrition.

55. The use of an amaranth product according to claim 49, to prepare nutritional supplements for the provision of vegetable protein for people who require it.

56. A nutraceutical composition, characterized in that it comprises a product according to claims 41 to 48 and a nutraceutically acceptable carrier.