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Process for producing cold-gelling hydrocolloidsRelated Patent Categories: Food Or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, And Products, Products Per Se, Or Processes Of Preparing Or Treating Compositions Involving Chemical Reaction By Addition, Combining Diverse Food Material, Or Permanent Additive, Carbohydrate ContainingProcess for producing cold-gelling hydrocolloids description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060029718, Process for producing cold-gelling hydrocolloids. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention is directed generally to food additives, and more particularly to food additives that thicken, suspend or gel foods. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Hydrocolloids are substances often used in the stabilizing, thickening and gelling in food and other products. Hydrocolloids are large molecular weight polysaccharides that can gel through interlinking of their polymer chains. In gelation, water is trapped within an intertwined network of polymer chains. Hydrocolloids can gel in a variety of ways, including heat-cool cycling and the addition of chemical agents. [0003] One such hydrocolloid, carrageenan, is a family of linear sulfated food grade polysaccharides typically obtained from red seaweed. Carrageenans are present in the seaweed as gels under natural environmental conditions and have the unique ability to form an almost infinite variety of gels at room temperature, rigid or compliant, tough or tender with high or low melting point. Carrageenan solutions can thicken, suspend and stabilize particulates as well as colloidal dispersions and water/oil emulsions. The solutions are pseudoplastic, but quickly rebuild viscosity and suspending power upon standing. Carrageenan can be used in a wide variety of foods, including sauces and gravies, processed meats and cheeses, chocolate milk, dressings, desserts, and the like. [0004] The carrageenan family has three main types (known as kappa, iota and lambda), which are well differentiated in terms of their gelling properties and protein reactivity. Kappa carrageenans typically produce strong rigid gels, while those made with iota products are flaccid and compliant. Although lambda carrageenans do not gel in water, they can interact strongly with proteins to stabilize a wide range of dairy products. Exemplary chemical structures for kappa, iota, and lambda carrageenan are disclosed in A. Imeson, Thickening and Gelling Agents for Food, (Blackie Academic & Professional 1992), which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference as though set forth in full herein. Kappa and iota carrageenans form helical tertiary structures, which tend to destabilize in the presence of sulfate substituents (it is the higher percentage of sulfate groups in lambda carrageenan that is believed to prevent it from gelling). [0005] Production of carrageenan typically begins with the extraction of the material from the seaweed with alkaline aqueous solutions at elevated (i.e. about 50.degree. C.) temperature. After extraction, the carrageenan is clarified to remove cellulose, (typically by filtration), concentrated, and recovered (often through an alcohol precipitation on freeze-thawing technique). The carrageenan is then typically ground to a powder for use. Exemplary procedures are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,915, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. In many instances, different carrageenans are blended in known percentages (e.g., 45 percent kappa, 45 percent iota and 10 percent lambda) prior to use in food. [0006] Preparation of a carrageenan gel has typically commenced with the dispersion of the carrageenan powder in cold water, which is then heated to a temperature above 75.degree. C. to dissolve. The dissolution disentangles the polymer chains and uncoils the helices thereof. The solution is then cooled to form a gel, during which time the helices recoil, thereby causing the carrageenan molecules to entangle and cross-link (electrostatic bonding between the sulfate groups and ions in the solution can also occur). This cross-linking increases the ability of the carrageenan to gel. [0007] In some instances, the gelation of the carrageenan solution (and, in turn, the thickening or other alteration of the foodstuff to which it is added) is carried out during the preparation of the food itself (for example, if carrageenan is used to thicken a pudding, the pudding and carrageenan are heated, then cooled, at which point the pudding gels). However, in some instances, it would be convenient if carrageenan would gel and thicken without undergoing heating. This behavior would also be desirable for ready-to-eat chilled foods. It would also be convenient if other hydrocolloids could be similarly prepared. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention can provide a cold-gelling hydrocolloid product that may be used advantageously to thicken foods such as puddings, ice cream, milk shakes, custards, gels and the like. As a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a dry hydrocolloid powder with cold-gel capabilities. The powder is produced by: dissolving a hydrocolloid comprising polysaccharide chains in an aqueous solution, the polysaccharide chains having an original tertiary structure; gelling the dissolved hydrocolloid solution under conditions sufficient to form a gelling network; and drying the hydrocolloid gel network to form a dry powder. In some embodiments, the dry powder has a solution viscosity of between about 10 and 40 mPa-s when reconstituted in a 2% weight/weight solution at 25.degree. C. [0009] As a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a dry hydrocolloid powder with cold-gel capabilities. The powder is produced by: dissolving a hydrocolloid comprising polysaccharide chains in an aqueous solution; heating the dissolved hydrocolloid solution to a temperature and for a time sufficient to induce a substantial alteration in the tertiary structure of the polysaccharide chains of the hydrocolloid; cooling the dissolved hydrocolloid solution to a temperature and for a time sufficient to substantially return the polysaccharide chains of the hydrocolloid to their original tertiary structure, wherein the polysaccharide chains form a gelling network; and drying the cooled hydrocolloid solution to form a dry powder. In some embodiments, the dry powder has a viscosity of between about 10 and 40 mPa-s when reconstituted in a 2% weight/weight solution. In other embodiments, the dry powder has a water absorption value of greater than 20.0 g H.sub.2O/g powder when reconstituted in an excess of distilled water. Carrageenan is a particularly suitable hydrocolloid. These powders can be added to ingredients of edible food products to increase the viscosity thereof. [0010] As a third aspect, the invention is directed to a process for producing a dry powder. The process comprises: heating a dissolved hydrocolloid solution to a temperature and for a time sufficient to induce a substantial alteration in the tertiary structure of the polysaccharide chains of the hydrocolloid; cooling the dissolved hydrocolloid solution to a temperature and for a time sufficient to substantially return the polysaccharide chains of the hydrocolloid to their original tertiary structure, wherein the polysaccharide chains form a gelling network; and powdering the cooled hydrocolloid network to form a dry powder. [0011] As a fourth aspect, the invention is directed to a process for thickening an edible food product, comprising: heating an aqueous hydrocolloid solution to a temperature and for a time sufficient to induce a substantial alteration in the tertiary structure of the polysaccharide chains of the hydrocolloid; cooling the dissolved hydrocolloid solution to a temperature and for a time sufficient to substantially return the polysaccharide chains of the hydrocolloid to their original tertiary structure, wherein the polysaccharide chains form a gelling network; and mixing the aqueous hydrocolloid network with the remaining ingredients of the edible food product, the aqueous hydrocolloid solution being included in an amount sufficient to increase the viscosity of the edible food product. This technique avoids the steps of powdering and reconstituting the gelled, cooled hydrocolloid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0012] FIG. 1 is a graph plotting viscosity as a function of shear rate at 25.degree. C. for 2 percent w/w carrageenan gels for control hydrocolloid and hydrocolloid modified according to embodiments of the present invention. [0013] FIG. 2 is a photograph showing 2 percent w/w gels of unmodified carrageenan powder and carrageenan powder according to embodiments of the present invention, wherein it can be seen that the modified carrageenan gel showed no appreciable phase separation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0014] The present invention will be described more particularly hereinafter. The invention is not intended to be limited to the illustrated embodiments; rather, these embodiments are intended to fully and completely disclose the invention to those skilled in this art. Like numbers refer to like components throughout, and certain dimensions and thicknesses may be exaggerated for clarity. [0015] As described above, the present invention is directed to the use of a hydrocolloid-based thickening agent. As used herein, a "hydrocolloid" is intended to include any large molecular weight polysaccharide known to form a gel in water. Exemplary hydrocolloids include xanthan gum, guar gum, locus bean gum, tara gum, agar, furceltaran, sodium alginate, pectin, gum arabic, and carrageenan. Other hydrocolloids include carboxy-methylcellulose, methylcellulose, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulos- e, [0016] As used herein, "carrageenan" is intended to include any of the family of linear sulfated food grade polysaccharides typically obtained from red seaweed. It is preferred that the carrageenan be provided in an extracted form. The carrageenan can be kappa, iota or lambda carrageenan, or a blend of two or three of these forms. Particularly suitable is a blend comprising kappa carrageenan and at least one of iota and lambda carrageenan. An exemplary carrageenan blend suitable for use with the present invention is SeaGel DP 437, a commercial blend available from FMC Corporation (Philadelphia, Pa.). [0017] The hydrocollids employed in embodiments of the present invention can be provided in solid form (such as a powder, cake, particle, or the like) or in solution (for example, as an aqueous solution), and can be produced in any production manner known to those skilled in this art. A suitable production technique for carrageenan is described generally in U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,915 to Hansen et al., supra. [0018] According to embodiments of the present invention, the hydrocolloid is dissolved in an aqueous solution. As used herein, an "aqueous solution" is intended to mean solutions that include water as the predominant solvent. Also, the aqueous solutions may comprise distilled or deionized water, or alternatively may include ionic components (such as salts like sodium chloride or potassium chloride, preferably in a concentration of between about 0.1 and 2 percent) that may impact gelation. The aqueous solutions may be of a neutral, acidic or basic pH, with solutions having a pH of between about 6.0 and 8.0 being preferred. [0019] The hydrocolloid is typically dissolved in the aqueous solution in a concentration of between about 0.01 and 10 percent by weight, and preferably in a concentration of between about 0.1 and 5 percent by weight, although other concentrations of hydrocolloid may also be suitable for use with the present invention. It may be desirable to enhance or expedite dissolution of the hydrocolloid through agitation or stirring of the solution. Continue reading about Process for producing cold-gelling hydrocolloids... 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