Soy protein products having altered characteristics

This invention relates to soy protein products obtained from high oleic soybeans wherein the protein product(s) have improved whiteness, reduced viscosity and reduced gel-strength.

Soybeans have the highest protein content of all cereals and legumes. In particular, soybeans have about 40% protein, while other legumes have 20-30%, and cereals have about 8-15% protein. Soybeans also contain about 20% oil with the remaining dry matter mostly carbohydrate (35%). On a wet basis (as is), soybeans contain about 35% protein, 17% oil, 31% carbohydrates and 4.4% ash. Soybean storage protein and lipid bodies are contained in the usable meat of the soybean called the cotyledon. The complex carbohydrate (or dietary fiber) is also contained in the cell walls of the cotyledon. The outer layer of cells (called the seed coat) makes up about 8% of the soybean\'s total weight. The raw, dehulled soybean is, depending on the variety, approximately 18% oil, 15% insoluble carbohydrates, 14% moisture and ash and 38% protein.

Plant protein materials are used as functional food ingredients, and have numerous applications in enhancing desirable characteristics in food products. Soy protein materials, in particular, have seen extensive use as functional food ingredients. Soy protein materials are used as an emulsifier in meats to bind the meat and give the meat a good texture and a firm bite. Another common application for soy protein materials as functional food ingredients is as a thickening agent to provide a creamy viscosity to the food product.

In general, soy protein materials include soy flakes, soy grits, soy meal, soy flour, soy protein concentrates, and soy protein isolates with a primary difference between these materials being the degree of refinement relative to whole soybeans.

Apart from the soy protein content, flavor, gel-strength, whiteness-index, and viscosity of a soy protein material are also a relevant criteria for the selection of a soy protein material as a functional food ingredient. Conventional soy protein material may have a strong beany, bitter flavor and odor as a result of the presence of certain volatile compounds and/or an undesired appearance due to the presence of other relatively low molecular weight compounds in the soy protein material.

The present disclosure generally relates to a soy protein-containing composition having reduced gel-strength, reduced viscosity, and improved whiteness.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,599,556 B2, issued to Stark et al. on Jul. 29, 2003, describes confectionary products, which include high protein content modified oilseed material.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,716,469 B2, issued to Stark et al. on Apr. 6, 2004, describes frozen dessert products, which include high protein content modified oilseed material.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,720,020 B2, issued to Karleskind et al. on Apr. 13, 2004, describes beverage compositions, which include high protein content modified oilseed material.

JP Patent No. 5,168,416 A1, issued to Takeshi et al. on Jul. 2, 1993, describes obtaining a concentrated soybean having improved taste, flavor and color tone and useful as a food material, etc., with simple operation at a low cost without changing the nature of the protein by washing soybeans, etc., with a water-containing alcohol under weakly acidic condition in the presence of an acid.

JP Patent No. 4,207,159 A1, issued to Hiroko et al on Jul. 29, 1992, describes the title raw material having bright and white color tone and useful for marine and knead eater -dispersed liquid of acid-precipitated soybean protein with an alkali metal hydroxide to control pH.

WO2007013146A1, published Feb. 1, 2007, describes compositions for processed soy protein foods.

In a first embodiment, the invention concerns a soy protein product obtained from a high oleic soybean wherein said product has at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of improved whiteness, reduced gel strength and reduced viscosity when compared to a soy protein product obtained from a commodity soybean using the same process as that to obtain the soy protein product from a high oleic soybean.

In a second embodiment, the invention concerns a soy protein product derived from high oleic soybeans having an at least 3% increase in the whiteness index compared to a soy protein product derived from commodity soybean using the same process as that to obtain the soy protein product from a high oleic soybean.

In a third embodiment, the invention concerns an unhydrolyzed soy protein product derived from high oleic soybeans having a reduction of viscosity by at least 9% compared to a soy protein product obtained from a commodity soybean using the same process as that to obtain the soy protein product from a high oleic soybean.

In a fourth embodiment, the invention concerns a soy protein product derived from high oleic soybeans having reduction in gel strength by at least 25% compared to a soy protein product obtained from a commodity soybean using the same process as that to obtain the soy protein product from a high oleic soybean.

In a fifth embodiment the invention concerns soy protein products selected from the group consisting of a soy protein isolate, a soy protein concentrate, soy meal, full fat flour, defatted flour, soymilk powder, soymilk, textured proteins, textured flours, textured concentrates and textured isolates.

In a sixth embodiment the invention concerns a method for improving drying efficiency of a soy protein product, comprising feeding at least one soy protein product obtained from a high oleic soybean seed at higher feed solids to a pasteurizer or a dryer compared to feeding at least one soy protein product obtained from a commodity soybean.

In a seventh embodiment the invention concerns a method for improving drying efficiency of a soy protein product, comprising feeding at least one soy protein product obtained from a high oleic soybean seed at no less than 14% feed solids to a pasteurizer or a dryer.

Additional embodiments of the invention include soy protein products with at least 40%, 65%, or 90% protein (N×6.25) on a moisture-free basis.