NZ629773B - Novel Food Product and Method of Use - Google Patents
Novel Food Product and Method of UseInfo
- Publication number
- NZ629773B NZ629773B NZ629773A NZ62977314A NZ629773B NZ 629773 B NZ629773 B NZ 629773B NZ 629773 A NZ629773 A NZ 629773A NZ 62977314 A NZ62977314 A NZ 62977314A NZ 629773 B NZ629773 B NZ 629773B
- Authority
- NZ
- New Zealand
- Prior art keywords
- foam
- egg white
- composition
- stability
- thickener
- Prior art date
Links
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 title description 27
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 283
- 235000014103 egg white Nutrition 0.000 claims abstract description 158
- 210000000969 egg white Anatomy 0.000 claims abstract description 158
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 105
- 239000002562 thickening agent Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 71
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 229920001285 xanthan gum Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 239000000230 xanthan gum Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 235000010493 xanthan gum Nutrition 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 229940082509 xanthan gum Drugs 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 244000215068 Acacia senegal Species 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 229920000084 Gum arabic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 239000000205 acacia gum Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 235000010489 acacia gum Nutrition 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 229920002907 Guar gum Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 229920001938 Vegetable gum Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 239000000665 guar gum Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 235000010417 guar gum Nutrition 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 229960002154 guar gum Drugs 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 235000010420 locust bean gum Nutrition 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 229920000161 Locust bean gum Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000000711 locust bean gum Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 102000004169 proteins and genes Human genes 0.000 claims description 60
- 108090000623 proteins and genes Proteins 0.000 claims description 60
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 16
- 239000000443 aerosol Substances 0.000 abstract description 9
- 229920002472 Starch Polymers 0.000 abstract description 6
- 235000019698 starch Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 6
- 239000008107 starch Substances 0.000 abstract description 6
- 229920002261 Corn starch Polymers 0.000 abstract description 3
- 240000000745 Erythronium japonicum Species 0.000 abstract description 3
- 235000000495 Erythronium japonicum Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 3
- 240000003183 Manihot esculenta Species 0.000 abstract description 3
- 235000016735 Manihot esculenta subsp esculenta Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 3
- 240000005504 Maranta arundinacea Species 0.000 abstract description 3
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- 235000012419 Thalia geniculata Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000008120 corn starch Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
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- 235000013312 flour Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000001814 pectin Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 229920001277 pectin Polymers 0.000 abstract description 3
- 235000010987 pectin Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 3
- 229920001592 potato starch Polymers 0.000 abstract description 3
- 229920000591 gum Polymers 0.000 abstract description 2
- 235000018102 proteins Nutrition 0.000 description 59
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 55
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 45
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 31
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- 238000010411 cooking Methods 0.000 description 26
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 23
- 230000001965 increased Effects 0.000 description 21
- 239000000047 product Substances 0.000 description 20
- 238000005187 foaming Methods 0.000 description 16
- CZMRCDWAGMRECN-UGDNZRGBSA-N D-sucrose Chemical compound O[C@H]1[C@H](O)[C@@H](CO)O[C@@]1(CO)O[C@@H]1[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@@H](CO)O1 CZMRCDWAGMRECN-UGDNZRGBSA-N 0.000 description 14
- CZMRCDWAGMRECN-GDQSFJPYSA-N Sucrose Natural products O([C@@H]1[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@H](CO)O1)[C@@]1(CO)[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H](CO)O1 CZMRCDWAGMRECN-GDQSFJPYSA-N 0.000 description 14
- 239000005720 sucrose Substances 0.000 description 14
- 239000004615 ingredient Substances 0.000 description 13
- KRKNYBCHXYNGOX-UHFFFAOYSA-N citric acid Chemical compound OC(=O)CC(O)(C(O)=O)CC(O)=O KRKNYBCHXYNGOX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 12
- 238000009928 pasteurization Methods 0.000 description 12
- 235000000346 sugar Nutrition 0.000 description 10
- 230000002829 reduced Effects 0.000 description 9
- 230000036425 denaturation Effects 0.000 description 8
- 238000004925 denaturation Methods 0.000 description 8
- 239000000416 hydrocolloid Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000008256 whipped cream Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000002585 base Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000000796 flavoring agent Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000007792 addition Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000000654 additive Substances 0.000 description 6
- 239000000843 powder Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000002195 synergetic Effects 0.000 description 6
- 235000013601 eggs Nutrition 0.000 description 5
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- 238000006011 modification reaction Methods 0.000 description 4
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 230000000717 retained Effects 0.000 description 4
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- 241000195940 Bryophyta Species 0.000 description 3
- 210000002969 Egg Yolk Anatomy 0.000 description 3
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000006071 cream Substances 0.000 description 3
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- 238000002203 pretreatment Methods 0.000 description 3
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- 239000011780 sodium chloride Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 3
- HVYWMOMLDIMFJA-DPAQBDIFSA-N (3β)-Cholest-5-en-3-ol Chemical compound C1C=C2C[C@@H](O)CC[C@]2(C)[C@@H]2[C@@H]1[C@@H]1CC[C@H]([C@H](C)CCCC(C)C)[C@@]1(C)CC2 HVYWMOMLDIMFJA-DPAQBDIFSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 210000003128 Head Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 108010064983 Ovomucin Proteins 0.000 description 2
- 241000206766 Pavlova Species 0.000 description 2
- 102000007544 Whey Proteins Human genes 0.000 description 2
- 108010046377 Whey Proteins Proteins 0.000 description 2
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 235000013527 bean curd Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 2
- 235000015872 dietary supplement Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 235000013345 egg yolk Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 230000002708 enhancing Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004088 foaming agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000000813 microbial Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- GQPLMRYTRLFLPF-UHFFFAOYSA-N nitrous Oxide Chemical compound [O-][N+]#N GQPLMRYTRLFLPF-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 235000016709 nutrition Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000003002 pH adjusting agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 235000012162 pavlova Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 235000021119 whey protein Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 235000013618 yogurt Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 241001474374 Blennius Species 0.000 description 1
- 241001416152 Bos frontalis Species 0.000 description 1
- 229940107161 Cholesterol Drugs 0.000 description 1
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- 235000003363 Cornus mas Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- WQZGKKKJIJFFOK-GASJEMHNSA-N D-Glucose Natural products OC[C@H]1OC(O)[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H]1O WQZGKKKJIJFFOK-GASJEMHNSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 241000238557 Decapoda Species 0.000 description 1
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- 102000006395 Globulins Human genes 0.000 description 1
- 108010044091 Globulins Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 206010021137 Hypovolaemia Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 108010014251 Muramidase Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 102000016943 Muramidase Human genes 0.000 description 1
- 108010058846 Ovalbumin Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 229940092253 Ovalbumin Drugs 0.000 description 1
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002378 acidificating Effects 0.000 description 1
- 125000003275 alpha amino acid group Chemical group 0.000 description 1
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- 150000001720 carbohydrates Chemical class 0.000 description 1
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- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N carbon dioxide Chemical compound O=C=O CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000001569 carbon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910002092 carbon dioxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
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- 150000002632 lipids Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 239000004325 lysozyme Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000010335 lysozyme Nutrition 0.000 description 1
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- MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N oxygen Chemical compound O=O MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
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Abstract
The disclosure relates to a composition when used for the subsequent preparation of an egg white foam, comprising egg white, at least one thickener wherein the thickener in the preparation is at equal to or above 2% w/v and wherein the composition is heat treated. The thickener may be a starch, a vegetable gum, a pectin, or any combinations thereof. More specifically, the thickener may be fecula, arrowroot, rootstarch, cornstarch, katakuri starch, potato starch, sago, tapioca flour, alginin, guar gum, locust bean gum, gum arabic and xanthan gum, or any combinations or derivatives thereof. The disclosure also relates to preparing said composition by gas sparging, whipping or shaking the composition, perhaps by using an aerosol container. getable gum, a pectin, or any combinations thereof. More specifically, the thickener may be fecula, arrowroot, rootstarch, cornstarch, katakuri starch, potato starch, sago, tapioca flour, alginin, guar gum, locust bean gum, gum arabic and xanthan gum, or any combinations or derivatives thereof. The disclosure also relates to preparing said composition by gas sparging, whipping or shaking the composition, perhaps by using an aerosol container.
Description
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Novel Food Product and Method of Use
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a novel food product and method of use, and particularly is in relation to a
foamable food product including egg white, and methods of manufacture and use.
BACKGROUND ART
Egg white is a commonly utilised food material because of it is widely available and inexpensive to
obtain, and has a good shelf life at room temperature in the unshelled egg form. Egg white can also be
prepared and sold in a ready to purchase in a liquid form (EWL), conveniently separated from the egg
yolk and shells. Egg white is also conveniently provided as a powder (EWP).
Additionally, egg whites have particularly beneficial nutritional qualities, being high in readily
absorbable protein and essential amino acid content, and low in cholesterol, fats and sugar. For this
reason, egg white based products have become a very popular nutritional supplement for sports
athletes, amongst other nutritional uses.
Egg white is also well known as a foaming agent, and is commonly used as a foam base for many food
products. It can be appreciated that raw, un-foamed egg white is not particularly appetizing for the
large majority of consumers, and therefore has very little commercial application in this form. It is
primarily the foamed egg white that has been, and will continue to be the focus for food technologists
and manufacturers.
Although egg white is a very good foaming agent in general, there are many factors and considerations
that alter the quality of the resulting foam. Significant research since the early 1980s has gone into the
preparation of egg white foam and understanding the complexity of the science (both structure and
1,2,3,4
function) behind it . For instance, it is well established that the primary determinant of egg white
Kinsella, J. E. (1981). Functional properties of proteins: Possible relationships between structure and function in
foams. Food Chemistry, 7(4), 273-288.
Damodaran, S., Anand, K., & Razumovsky, L. (1998). Competitive adsorption of egg white proteins at the air-water
interface: direct evidence for electrostatic complex
formation between lysozyme and other egg proteins at the interface. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,
46(3), 872-876.
Lomakina, K., & Mikova, K. (2006). A study of the factors affecting the foaming properties of egg white – a review.
Czech Journal of food Science, 24(3), 110–118
Murray, B. (2007). Stabilization of bubbles and foams. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 12(4–5),
232-241.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
foamability is the egg white proteins, the most significant being ovomucin, ovomucoid, lysozyme and
globulins .
Foam quality is generally measured with two criteria, namely “foamability” and “foam stability” .
Foamability is related to the volume of air that is incorporated into solution, and is generally measured
by the total volume of the foam. Foam stability relates to the properties of interfacial films surrounding
air bubbles, both in terms of their strength and viscoelastic properties . Foam stability is normally
assessed through both foam volume depletion vs. time, and secondly through rate of liquid drainage
from the foam vs time. A common comparison measurement is the time taken for half of the foam
mass to collapse (i.e. foam volume) and/or half of the foam liquid to drain (i.e. liquid drainage).
There are three main methods to develop foamed egg whites; namely whipping, gas sparging and
shaking.
Whipping is the most commonly used method. It relies on imparting mechanical forces on the egg
white to produce foams that typically can last approximately one hour before the foam volume starts to
subside. This can be enough time to then cook the foamed food product if required, allowing the foam
structure to be maintained long term (e.g. in a Pavlova). The mechanical forces can be provided by
hand using a whisk, or for instance by using an electric mix beater, blender or so forth.
Although the whipping method is widely used, it can take significant time to produce the foam and
therefore does not provide a convenient, ready to use egg white foam.
Also, the method can and often provides inconsistent results depending on a variety of factors. For
example, the quality of the resulting foam (will be discussed shortly) will depend on the speed and/or
time of agitation, the actual technique used, additional variables such as temperature/pressure, added
ingredients in the product, and so forth. For example, although increasing the whipping time to a
certain extent can impart greater foam qualities (e.g. foam stability), whipping the egg white for too
long can deleteriously effect the quality.
Also, if the user is working directly from a whole egg, the inadvertent incorporation of even minute
amounts of yolk will prevent the egg white from foaming all together.
Therefore, although the end results of the whipping method can sometimes be optimal, the method is
generally inconvenient for a number of reasons discussed above.
Damodaran, S., Anand, K., & Razumovsky, L. (1998). Competitive adsorption of egg white proteins at the air-water
interface: direct evidence for electrostatic complex formation between lysozyme and other egg proteins at the
interface. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 46(3), 872-876.
Lau, K., & Dickinson, E. (2004). Structural and rheological properties of aerated high sugar systems containing egg
albumen. Journal of Food Science, 69(5), E232-E239.
Altalhi., 2013 – unpublished embargoed Masters thesis, Massey University
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Gas sparging is a much less commonly used technique to produce foamed egg white, and subsequent
food products (Wang & Wang., 2009). Essentially, the method involves injecting the egg white solution
with a gas such as nitrogen (N ) under pressure (for instance in a sealed canister), and then the solution
is released quickly through a nozzle in the canister, at which point the gas bubbles quickly expand to
produce the egg white foam. Although this method provides an improved level of convenience (i.e. it
is essentially immediate) and a high degree of reproducibility compared to the whipping method, it is
not commonly used commercially because the resulting foam is very unstable. Typically, it immediately
begins to lose its structure and volume, with almost complete loss of volume within 10-20 minutes.
This limits its commercial use because the product does not hold its structure for either uncooked or
cooked applications.
The third option is shaking in a sealed canister. This is similar to the mechanical action of whipping, but
again has numerous disadvantages and inconveniences similar to the whipping method. Again, for
obvious reasons, this method is not commonly used.
There has been much research into avenues to improve either the foamability and/or foam stability of
8,9,10
egg white, and comparing the different techniques . Because of the complexity of the science and
many variants involved, there has been a considerable amount of contradictions seen in the results,
confusing best practices.
Additionally, many additives/techniques have been shown to provide minor improvements or
alterations to the egg white foam quality.
For example, the concentration of protein is known to affect foam stability. Generally speaking, higher
protein concentrations lower liquid drainage and reduce the surface tension in the solution to produce
smaller bubbles (i.e. increasing foam stability). Yet, if protein concentration is too high, it can have an
adverse effect on foamability (i.e. volume) thought to be because of the higher viscosity, slower rate of
diffusion and unfolding of the protein at the air bubble interfaces . Additionally, if the protein
concentration is too high, it can adversely affect taste of the product. If certain proteins (e.g.
ovalbumin) concentration is too low, for instance below 0.2 % w/w it has been reported that the foam
stability was reduced significantly (Rodriquez Patino et al., 1995).
Bergquist, H. (Eds.). (2000). Eggs Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alleoni, A. (2006). Albumen protein and functional properties of gelation and foaming.Scientia Agricola, 63(3),
291-298.
Wang, G., & Wang, T. (2009). Effects of yolk contamination, shearing, and heating on foaming properties of fresh
egg ehite. Journal of Food Science, 74(2), C147-C156.
Lau, C., & Dickinson, E. (2005). Instability and structural change in an aerated system containing egg albumen
and invert sugar. Food Hydrocolloids, 19(1), 111-121.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
As noted above, whipping time can alter the foam quality, but this method is irrelevant to the gas
sparging process.
Control of pH can have a small degree of effectiveness at improving foam stability. For instance, it has
been observed that if the pH is maintained at approximately pH 4-5 (the pI of most egg white proteins),
the foam stability is improved, thought to be because of an increased protein absorption at the air-
water interface of air bubbles .
Some food grade hydrocolloids have been tested and shown to marginally improve foam stability over a
short term (e.g. 1-10 minutes after foaming), thought to be because of increased viscosity provided by
the thickening effect provided by the hydrocolloid . However, in another study, addition of
hydrocolloid actually significantly decreased foamability compared to controls . Therefore, although
slight improvements in foam stability may have been observed with use of hydrocolloids, it appears to
come at the expense of reduced foamability.
Raikos et al 2007 reported marginal improvement of foam stability by addition of 15% w/w sucrose to
pre-heated egg samples, which the authors thought acted by increasing the liquid viscosity around
bubbles, lowering the drainage rate. But the report also found that sucrose at 12% w/w or higher can
inhibit foamability. This can be a problem especially if the intention is to develop a high foam volume
product (for texture, mouth feel and appearance) with sucrose based flavourings.
Salt has also been reported to influence foaming properties of proteins, through protein coagulation.
Yet, a problem is that salt can adversely affect taste, and if provided at the incorrect concentration can
actually diminish foamability and stability.
The addition of metallic cations have also been reported to affect foamability of egg white up to 1 mM
concentration.
Heat treatment is used to pre-pasteurize the egg white for food safety, typically at 58°C for 3-4 minutes.
If the temperature and/or time exceeds this protocol, there is substantial denaturation of the egg white
proteins which has severe negative effects on foam stability and foamability. Therefore, the
pasteurization must be kept below a certain temperature to allow downstream the base level and
Foegeding, E., Luck, P., & Davis, J. (2006). Factors determining the physical properties
of protein foams. Food Hydrocolloids, 20(2–3), 284-292.
Mott, C., Hettiarachchy, N., & Qi, M. (1999). Effect of xanthan gum on enhancing the
foaming properties of whey protein isolate. Journal of the American Oil Chemists'
Society, 76(11), 1383-1386.
ErÇElebi, E. A., & IbanoGLu, E. (2009). Effects of ionic strength on the foaming
properties of whey protein isolate and egg white in the presence of polysaccharides.
Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 33(4), 513-526.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
desirable foam characteristics. However, Patino et al 1995 studied how pre-heat treatment of egg
whites prior to gas sparging affected foam quality. It was found that only at the lower pre-treatment
temperatures of between 5-20°C, the foam stability increased slightly. Also, if protein concentration
and pre-heat temperatures were both increased, the results showed considerable foam instability.
As an alternative to heat treatment as a pre-pasteurization method, high pressure treatment has been
used, and the effect of egg white foam has been analysed. The problem with this method is that it also
causes protein denaturation. Indeed, in a study performed by Van der Plancken et al 2007 , high
pressure pre-treatment significantly reduced the foam stability of egg white solutions.
In summary, there has been many studies investigating ways to improve egg white foam properties
(primarily foamability and foam stability), but each of the reported solutions comes with complexities
and downfalls. Also the actual effectiveness can be quite minimal, and does not drastically improve the
qualities of the foam observed from the gas sparging method in particular, which despite the
convenience factors available, still suffers from considerable foam stability issues that are not
addressed by the solutions discussed above.
Therefore, despite the difficulty, time delay and inconsistencies, the whipping method remains the
mainstay for making egg white foam both in the commercial settings (e.g. restaurants, hotels, cafes,
bakeries), and private use (e.g in the home kitchen).
Furthermore, there is also a long felt need to develop a composition and method that provides an egg
white foam that:
- can be used with a range of cooking / extrusion techniques to produce a wide variety of food
products, yet still retain suitable foam characteristics and/or visual appearances (may depend
on the application); and/or
- can provide substantially immediate, and/or consistent egg white foam that displays good foam
properties (foamability and/or foam stability); and/or
- can be easily manipulated with a variety of flavourings and additives without having detrimental
and/or unwanted effects on the foam properties, either with or without downstream cooking.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the
public with a useful choice. It is a particular object to improve the effectiveness and usefulness of egg
white foam produced by the gas sparging method.
Patino, J., Niño, R., & Álvarez Gómez, J. (1997). Interfacial and foaming characteristics of protein-lipid systems.
Food Hydrocolloids, 11(1), 49-58.
Van der Plancken, I., Van Loey, A., & Hendrickx, M. E. (2007). Foaming properties of egg white proteins affected
by heat or high pressure treatment. Journal of Food Engineering, 78(4), 1410-1426.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby
incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The
discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to
challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that,
although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an
admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New
Zealand or in any other country.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words
“comprise”, “comprising”, and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an
exclusive or exhaustive sense, that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to”.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing
description which is given by way of example only.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a composition when used for the
subsequent preparation of an egg white foam, characterised in that
the composition includes:
a) an amount of egg white material
b) at least one thickener
and wherein the composition is heat treated.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a egg white foam characterised
in that
the egg white foam includes:
a) an amount of egg white material
b) at least one thickener
and wherein at least the egg white material and at least one thickener had been heat treated together
prior to forming the egg white foam.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of preparing a
foamed egg white or foamed egg white based food product
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characterised by the steps of:
a) applying a gas sparging, whipping or shaking method to the composition as described herein to
achieve desirable foamability and/or foam stability of the foamed egg white or foamed egg
white based food product.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a food product including a
foamed egg white substantially as described herein.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a kitset, wherein the kitset
including:
a) the composition as described herein;
b) a gas sparging device suitable to retain the composition prior to delivery, and subsequently
administer the composition through an aperture to produce the egg white foam.
The Applicant has identified a highly beneficial and synergistic effect seen from the claimed invention in
that it leads to a substantial, unexpected improvement at least with regards to egg white foam stability,
and also may help to open a wide range of downstream food applications as will be discussed in further.
Other aspects of the invention will be elaborated on below.
Although the Applicant sees the commercial uses of this invention to be particularly applicable to the
gas sparging method (which has good foamability, but suffers from foam instability compared to the
whipping method), there is no reason why the invention described herein could not be used to develop
egg white foams with other methods, such as the whipping and/or shaking methods as will be discussed
in more detail below. However, for brevity, the majority of this specification will describe the
composition and its uses particularly in the context of using the gas sparging method.
DEFINITIONS AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Throughout this specification the term egg white or egg white material should be taken as meaning
substantially all of, or an extract of, the largest component of eggs other than the egg yolk (the yellow
sac portion) and outer hard shell. A typical egg white, also referred to commonly as albumen, contains
about 90% water, 10% protein, less than 1% carbohydrate (e.g. glucose) and 0.5% ash, and less than
17, 18
about 0.01% lipids ). There are also a wide variety of minor nutrients in egg white, as detailed in
Huopalahti et al 2007.
Hui, Y. H., & Al-Holy, M. A. (Eds.). (2007). Food chemistry: Principles and Applications (2nd ed.). West
Sacramento, CA: Science Technology System.
Huopalahti, R., Lopez-Fandino, R., Anton, M., & Schade, R. (Ed.). (2007). Bioactive Egg Compounds. Berlin
London: Springer.
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It should be appreciated that the egg white material may be from egg white liquid (EWL) and/or egg
white powder (EWP), the latter which is subsequently reconstituted prior to use for foaming methods.
In preliminary trials, the EWL showed an improved overall appearance (smooth, silky and creamy)
compared to the trails with EWP.
Throughout this specification the term egg white foam should be taken as meaning an aerated, bubble
containing or gas induced foamy material using egg white as a base ingredient, together with any
number or combination of additional excipients, flavourings, and/or ingredients.
Thickener
Throughout this specification the term thickener should be taken as meaning any naturally available,
isolated, or synthetically derived food grade material which acts to increase the viscosity of the
composition and/or acts as a hydrocolloid. There is a wide variety of thickeners commercially used and
available, and it is envisaged that substantially any or all (either available now or in the future) of these
are applicable and should work according to the present invention. After understanding the concept of
the present invention, it would be routine workshop variation to test thickeners to observe if the
results expected particularly with regards to foam stability, are seen. A number of thickeners are
exemplified in this specification to illustrate this point, but the invention should not be limited to such
examples.
Preferably, the thickener is selected from the group consisting of a starch, a vegetable gum and pectin,
or any combinations thereof.
Preferably, a starch thickener is selected from the group consisting of fecula, arrowroot, rootstarch,
cornstarch, katakuri starch, potato starch, sago, tapioca flour or any combinations or derivatives
thereof.
Preferably, a vegetable gum thickener is selected from the group consisting of alginin, guar gum, locust
bean gum, gum arabic and xanthan gum, or any combinations or derivatives thereof. Such vegetable
gum may be provided by a variety of sources, although commonly are extracted from plants and
seaweeds or produced by microbial synthesis. Some thickeners are often referred to as hydrocolloids.
The Applicant is aware based on the literature (e.g. Mott et al., 1999 ) that some hydrocolloid
thickeners can improve egg white foam stability for the short term (1-10 minutes after foaming). This is
consistent with trials conducted by the Applicant wherein addition of various thickeners alone did
marginally improve egg white foam stability over a 1-10 minute time frame. Yet foam volume / liquid
drainage measurements then began to sharply deteriorate about 10 minutes, and by 30 minutes
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showed no difference to the negative positive control egg white samples, where both foam volume and
liquid drainage were essentially reduced close to the 0% base line. This is not ideal, and still does not
address the underlying issue with gas sparged egg white foam instability compared to the more stable
whipping method.
Whereas, the Applicant then conducted further trials and saw an unexpected and quite a spectacular
phenomenon. When the egg white was combined with the thickener as a composition, and then the
composition being pre-heat treated prior to developing the foam, significant and unexpected results
were seen. Specifically, the Applicant observed the following advantages:
- the resulting foam showed exceptionally improved foam stability compared to the heat treated
samples (without thickener) and compared to samples containing thickener (without pre-heat
treatment). Both foam volume and foam liquid measurements were substantially improved in
preliminary trials, and was encroaching on the beneficial stability seen with whipped egg white
foam.
For example, the egg white + thickener sample heated to 63°C prior to foaming showed about
75% foam volume and 55% foam liquid after 30 minutes. Oppositely, samples with thickeners
(yet no pre-heating) showed about 10% foam volume and 10% foam liquid at the 30 minute
time point. Similarly, all the egg white foams that were pre-heat treated between 20 to 63°C
(yet without a thickener) showed about 10% foam volume and essentially 0% foam liquid at the
minute time point. Therefore, there is clearly a substantial and unexpected synergistic effect
occurring between the thickener, egg white material and the pre-heat treatment.
- The resulting foam and/or cooked foam showed excellent visual appearance compared to
samples without thickener and/or pre-heat treatment.
- As the pre-heat temperature increased from 20°C to 63°C, the foam stability measurements
unexpectantly improved quite significantly, particularly at the higher temperatures. This is
completely contrary to what is taught by the prior art, where foam stability is negatively
affected by pre-heat treatment above 20°C. Furthermore, visual appearance of the foams were
not negatively affected by the heat treatment when thickeners were present.
- Unlike what is taught in the prior art, the higher temperatures such as 63°C do not adversely
affect foamability when the thickener is present. Therefore, both good foamability and foam
stability are unexpectantly achieved. This is a considerable benefit, as many approaches trialed
may have some minor improvement in say foam stability over the short term, but then equally
Mott, C., Hettiarachchy, N., & Qi, M. (1999). Effect of xanthan gum on enhancing the foaming properties of whey
protein isolate. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, 76(11), 1383-1386.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
negatively affects the foamability. Not only does the present invention achieve beneficial levels
of both measurements, but it does so exceptionally well.
- Additionally, the thickener is also providing a beneficial effect by protecting the egg white
protein from denaturation during the pasteurization process, normally conducted at 58°C for 3-
4 minutes. As such, it is possible to speed up the pasteurization process because higher
temperatures such as 63°C can be conveniently used for shorter time frames, whilst also
observing the beneficial effects with foam quality at higher temperatures as noted above.
- In preliminary trials, the synergistic effect observed does not appear to be affected substantially
by altering or adding additional excipients such as sugars, flavourings, and so forth.
Preferably, the composition includes between 0.01% to 10% w/w thickener(s).
More preferably, the composition includes between 0.04% to 3% w/w thickener(s).
Up to a certain point, Applicant observed that the greater the amount of thickener, the greater the
foam stability and synergistic effect seen. However, it was seen that if amount of thickeners is
increased too much, the concentration of the foam forming elements in the egg white (i.e. the proteins)
may be reduced, which could impact overall foam characteristics. However, one option to circumvent
this (if required) is to simply to add EWP to the EWL to increase the protein concentration whilst also
achieving higher levels of thickener as required. Additionally, it was seen that foamability was not
reduced or improved based on the amount of thickeners added.
More preferably the composition includes at least two thickeners.
In preliminary trials increasing the number of thickeners in the composition tended to improve foam
stability.
The combination of thickeners used in preliminary trials that showed particularly good results were
0.04% xanthan gum, 0.04% gaur gum and 2% gum arabic.
Heat treatment
To overcome contamination of egg white, it is standard practice to pasteurize the material using heat
pasteurization, or in some cases the combination of high hydrostatic pressure processing (HHP) and
temperature (perhaps at a lower temperature, yet still effectively is heat pasteurization). The pressure
from HPP improves the effectiveness of the inactivation of microorganisms at a temperature. There are
also various alternatives to heat pasteurization, including pulsed electric field (PEF), UV radiation,
ultrasonic treatment, and ionizing radiation treatment. Such techniques can significantly improve shelf
life. It should be appreciated that such pasteurization techniques may be applied to either the
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composition at any stage prior to foaming, or even to the resulting product prior for sterilization for
storage (for instance UV radiation of a cooked foam as an alternative to tofu – see further below).
It should be appreciated that the term heat treated or heat treatment should be taken as meaning any
incubating, storing or otherwise bringing the temperature of the composition to above about 4°C
(standard refrigeration storage conditions of egg white) for a pre-determined length of time (with or
without HPP treatment) prior to producing the egg white foam. It should be appreciated that the term
heat treatment does not necessarily need to be sufficient to act as a pasteurization step to sterilize the
composition, but most preferably it does. Doing so helps to achieve at least two different issues, both
pre-pasteurization (for food safety) and improving the downstream stability of the egg white foam.
Preferably, prior to use, the composition has been heat-treated between 15°C to 75°C.
More preferably, the composition has been heat treated between 50°C to 70°C.
Most preferably, the composition has been heat treated at about 63°C.
It was unexpectantly found that the thickeners seemed to protect the egg white protein from
denaturing when incubated/pasteurized the higher temperatures above 58°C. This effect may very
advantageous because it should allow a faster (and/or improved) pasteurization step at higher
temperature (for instance 2 minutes instead of 4 minutes). Shelf life trials showed that the higher
temperature treatment at 60°C for 2 minutes showed shelf life stability of the composition (without
microbial contamination) for 4°C for 8 weeks.
The high temperature pre-treatment also is seen to significantly improve foam stability, and without
causing a significant negative effect on foamability. This is completely contrary to the prior art findings,
as well as the Applicant’s own studies with heat treatment of pure egg white.
Preferably, the composition is heat treated for between 10 seconds to 10 minutes.
More preferably, the composition is heat treated for about 2 minutes.
A test with a two minute incubation at about 63°C showed very beneficial results, and it is quite
possible that varying the temperature/time will show even greater effects. Similarly, it may allow one
to control the foamability or foam stability as so desired.
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Protein
Throughout this specification the term protein should be taken as meaning any amino acid chain, or
polypeptide molecule in any form that is made from, extracted from, genetically manipulated or
artificially produced from a naturally occurring biological material, or is synthetically manufactured.
Proteins are an integral component of the egg white system that provides the foaming characteristics.
Preferably, the composition includes at least 5% w/w protein.
More preferably, the composition includes between 5% w/w to 20% w/w protein.
Most preferably, the composition includes about 8-12% w/w protein.
Pure egg whites naturally have approximately 10% w/w protein, leading to good foamability (and foam
stability when using the whipping method). However, when other ingredients or excipients are added
to the composition (for instance thickener(s)), the relative concentration of protein in the composition
decreases, and foamability/stability tends to suffer.
Additionally, the Applicant observed that when sucrose was added to pure egg white in concentrations
higher than about 10% (for example 18% w/w), the resulting foam stability decreased substantially.
Yet, as protein concentration in the egg white was increased from about 10% to 18% (by adding EWP),
the foam stability increased in a linear fashion. Therefore, in the presence of high sugar concentration
(which is often preferred for taste and/or providing a glossy appearance to the foam), protection from
severe foam instability may be provided by increasing protein concentration. Yet, this becomes
problematic because of negative taste issues and sensory mouth feel, as well as possible negative
effects with foam stability, from a high protein concentration in the foam.
It became evident that the present invention helps to address this conundrum. In compositions with
egg white, thickener, 20% w/w sucrose and with pre-heat treatment (with no added protein, therefore
about 9% w/w protein), the resulting foamability, and more importantly, foam stability was not
negatively affected by a high sucrose content.
Sugar
As noted above, sugar is often a desired ingredient in egg white foams, to improve taste as well as
sensory mouth feel and appearance (it provides a smooth glossy appearance to the foam). Yet, it can
negatively affect foam stability. The present invention helps to address this issue without having to
revert to high protein concentrations. Instead, protein levels may be retained at an optimal level, and
the improved stability may be retained whilst still being able to use high levels of sucrose.
The same results are expected to be seen with other sugar types and or flavourings.
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Preferably, the concentration of sugar is in the range of 10-30% w/v. However, it is clear the present
invention allows one to adjust this concentration without the impact seen with sucrose on pure egg
white.
It is known that adjusting the pH of egg white to its pI (pH 4-5) improves foam stability substantially .
Preferably, the pH of the composition is between 6-10.
More preferably, the pH of the composition is between 8-9.
The Applicant identified that the present invention provides improved foam stability, whilst being able
to retain the normal pH of egg white (about pH 8.6) in the composition and resulting foams. Therefore,
good foam stability could be provided without having to decrease the pH of the composition just prior
to foaming to near acidic levels of pH 4-5, as seen in the prior art. Such acidity may negatively affect
other aspects of the composition, such as taste. Also, storing an egg white based composition
according to the present invention at pH 4-5 would almost certainly lead to low shelf life, due to
denaturation of the proteins.
Any such commonly known or used pH modifier may be used (if necessary), and citric acid is given as
one example in this application. The invention should in no way be limited to such, and it would require
only common workshop variation and trials to exchange citric acid for a suitable alternative pH
modifier.
Other additives
One of the advantages of the composition of the present invention is that it provides a base to which
different ingredients, additives and so forth can be added, with or without subsequent downstream
cooking of the resulting foam. In preliminary trials (not shown), the good foamability and foam stability
appear to be retained despite substantial manipulation of the composition’s contents.
The types of additives that may be used in the present invention include metal cations, salts, jams,
chocolate, flavourings, ground or freeze dried food material (for instance freeze dried shrimp), spices,
herbs, and so forth. It is possible that some of these additives may also act beneficially as the thickener,
and provide the advantages according to the present invention. The versatility of this composition and
egg white foam produced will become more apparent in the next section which elaborates on preferred
methods of use.
Bovšková, H., & Míková, K. (2011). Factors influencing egg white foam quality. Czech Journal of Food Sciences,
29(4), 322-327.
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Method of preparing a foamed egg white and optional downstream cooking
As discussed previously, the invention is particularly applicable to the gas sparging method of preparing
egg white foam. This conventional, yet unpopular method is particularly convenient and reproducible
compared to the whipping method, but unfortunately suffers because of the significant issues with
foam stability which has led to a substantial amount of R&D and corresponding literature attempting to
remedy this problem.
As previously discussed, the gas sparging method should be taken as meaning any method which
involves retaining the egg white solution under pressure (for instance in a sealed canister) with a gas
such as nitrogen (N ), carbon dioxide (CO ) or even atmospheric oxygen, and then the solution is
released quickly through a nozzle in the canister, at which point the gas bubbles quickly expand to
produce the egg white foam. A wide variety of options are available through this method, for instance
by using a small aerosol can (for convenient long term storage and subsequent use), or in a large scale
processing tank to produce products on a commercial scale (e.g. high throughput extrusion technology).
The present invention overcomes this significant hurdle seen in the industry, and therefore may lead to
the gas sparging becoming a much more widely and commercially used method. Equally, it opens up
many opportunities to make egg white foam easily, substantially instantaneously, reproducibly, and
without hassles or physical mechanical energy required by a person (i.e. whipping or shaking).
Preferably, the method of preparing the foam includes using the gas sparging method.
For example, a re-usable whipping cream canister which can be charged with a N gas canister, to which
the composition is added when required, prior to use by spraying the foam out via the nozzle on the
canister.
In one embodiment, the method does not include cooking the egg white foam.
For example, a pre-prepared aerosol can with the composition already provided within it (stored under
gas pressure) may be commercially useful. In one embodiment, the Applicant envisages this approach
may allow the foam to be made as a ready to consume nutritional/protein supplement, for instance for
athletes. In this embodiment, the nozzle may be adapted to include a user friendly mouth-piece to
allow a user to apply it directly to the mouth for consumption. Consuming liquid egg white (albeit
pasteurized) is not particularly desirable, but converting it instantaneously to a foam on demand
overcomes this unpalatable association with raw egg.
In a similar sense, the Applicant sees that foam produced by the present invention may be
commercially used a stable dairy-free base for products like thick-shakes, smoothie bases, protein
based shakes, yogurts, mousses, sorbets, and the like. Conveniently, such products do not typically
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require cooking of the egg white foam, so the ability to provide a stable, easy and quick source of egg
white foam is commercially very useful.
Alternatively, the egg white foam produced by the method is cooked.
In preliminary trials, the synergistic effect regarding foam stability observed does not appear to be
negatively affected, comparatively, by downstream cooking processes of the egg white foam. Quite the
opposite, in preliminary trials foamability is substantially improved, and the relative foam volume
overall vs time improved. Additionally, the thickeners and/or pre-heat treatment also provides
considerably better visual appearance to the cooked product compared to the cooked product without
thickeners and/or heat treatment.
Regarding cooked products, one can easily see the immediate commercial opportunities such as a
commercial kitchen or household utilising a ready to use “pavlova in a can” product which can be
immediately sprayed onto a baking tray in a desirable shaped foam, and then baked in the oven.
As another example, a “meringue-in-a-can” product can be easily envisaged. The present invention
overcomes the foam stability issues seen with gas sparging, and avoids the requirement to using
whipping as the mainstay of developing such food products.
Another commercially viable option is high throughput extrusion cooking, whereby the foamed egg
white is transferred through a cooking process, before being extrusion cut to prepare products like a
tofu alternative, a dairy free alternative to a yogurt or mousse style snack (typically stored in a plastic
container), and so forth.
Another feasible alternative is frying the egg white foam on a frying pan to prepare an omelet style
meal. The user could easily add his/her own flavourings or ingredients to the top of the foam, such as
slices ham, mushrooms etc, before flipping on the pan for further cooking.
Preferably, the egg white foam is cooked by microwave cooking.
In one example, the egg white foam may be microwaved for about 10 to 40 seconds at 1000 W in a
25.5 litre capacity (or equivalent conditions).
The Applicant has trialed microwaving cooking, and has shown that by varying the time and intensity of
cooking, different results may be achieved with the resulting cooked product. A variety of cooking
techniques may be applied, including microwaving, frying, baking, deep-frying, extrusion cooking,
poaching and so forth.
After microwaving, the Applicant saw remarkable increases in foamability beyond the initial foaming
seen after the gas sparging methods.
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As discussed previously, if the gas sparging method is used to prepare egg white foam simply from pure
egg white, the Applicant’s studies showed the cooked foam quickly loses its stability after about two
minutes, and essentially collapses.
The Applicant identified that cooking the egg white foam by microwave (as an example) using the
composition according to the present invention, it resulted in further beneficial results with regards to
initial foam volume, and foam volume and liquid drainage over time.
Overall, as shown in the results, the inclusion of the thickener(s) in the pre-heated composition led to
the following beneficial and commercially important characteristics in cooked products (compared to
either just pure egg whites treated in the same fashion, or compared to whipped egg whites that are
subsequently cooked):
- good overall appearance (glossy, thick and creamy);
- good foamability;
- good relative foam volume over time; and/or
- good liquid retention over time.
In a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of preparing a cooked food
product including an egg white foam, characterised by the steps of:
a) inserting an amount of egg white material into a substantially sealable canister
b) pressurizing the canister by incorporating a gas
c) releasing at least a portion of the egg white through an aperture in the canister to produce a
foamed egg white; and
d) cooking the egg white material.
In a further aspect of the present invention there is provide a food product
characterised in that the food product includes egg white material in an aerosol can or container.
Throughout this specification the term aerosol is a mixture of particles or liquid droplets in air or
another gas.
In a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an egg white based foam produced from
egg white material stored in an aerosol can or container, and then subsequently purged through an
aperture to produce the egg white foam.
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The Applicant’s research has found that there is no prior teaching of using a gas charged (ie. aerosol)
canister to produce egg white foam, which is then used in an uncooked format, or subsequently cooked
to form a cooked food product. It should be appreciated that the method most preferably utilises the
composition of the present invention, as significantly improved results are seen. However, the method
may simply use pure egg white or egg white with other excipients/treatments as described in this
specification besides the composition as described having a thickener and is pre-heated.
Finally, it should be appreciated that the composition may be stored prior to carrying out the foaming
method in a variety of containers, and need not be a pre-charged aerosol can, despite this being a
preferred embodiment for convenience. Similarly, the end product, be it the egg white foam, or the
cooked egg white foam (or a product containing either) may be stored in a wide variety of container
types.
The present invention provides at least one of the following advantages
- providing a convenient, reproducible and/or substantially instantaneous method for foaming
egg white compared to the whipping method, and one which provides improved foamability
and/or foam stability characteristics (compared to control gas sparged pure egg whites) using
the composition and methods as described;
- providing a composition that can be pasteurized at higher temperatures/lower time frames
than currently available, whilst also “charging” the composition at the same time to produce
remarkably improved foam characteristics.
- providing a closely comparable egg white foam (e.g. foam stability and foamability) to the
whipping method, yet using the gas sparging method;
- improvements in sensory characteristics and/or stability of subsequently cooked egg white
foams;
- providing a wide variety of commercial opportunities for both uncooked and cooked egg white
foam based products.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is
given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 Effect of whipping time on foamability of egg white liquid prepared using a standard
mixer;
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Figure 2 Stability of (A) foam volume and (B) foam liquid from foams produced by whipping
method at different times,
Figure 3 The volume of foams produced by a gas sparging method (whipped cream dispenser)
after shaking EWP solution for different times
Figure 4 Stability of EWP foams produced by a gas sparging method after shaking for different
times (0-50 times); (A) foam volume stability and (B) foam liquid stability
Figure 5 Changes to stability of foam volume (A, B, C and D) and foam liquid (E, F, G and H) over
time after foam preparation. Foams were prepared by gas sparging in a whipped cream
dispenser after shaking different volumes of EWP solution, for different times (10-50
times).
Figure 6a Appearance of foams prepared from (A) 50 ml of egg white liquid(EWL) and (B) 50 ml of
egg white powder (EWP) solution by gas sparging using a whipped cream dispenser after
shaking for 20 times.
Figure 6b Foamability of EWL and EWP solutions produced by gas sparging using whipped cream
dispenser.
Figure 7 Stability of foams prepared with EWL and EWP solutions after shaking for 20 times with
50 ml solution; (A) foam volume stability and (B) foam liquid stability.
Figure 8 Effects of concentrations of sucrose and protein on (A) foamability, (B) foam volume
stability and (C) foam liquid stability of foams produced from 100 ml of egg white
powder (EWP) solutions after shaking 20 times.
Figure 9 Foamability of EWP solutions (10% protein; 4 and 20°C) prepared from EWP with three
different types of thickeners at different concentrations.
Figure 10 Stability of foam volume and foam liquid of egg white foams prepared, at two different
temperatures, from solutions of egg white powder mixed with thickeners at different
concentrations.
Figure 11 Pictures of egg white liquid (EWL) containing 10% protein after heat treatment at
different temperatures; (A) 58°C for 3.5 min, (B) 60°C for 2 min and (C) 63°C for 2 min.
Figure 12 Foamability and foam stability of foams produced from EWL solutions after heat
treatment at 20, 58, 60 and 63°C which were shaken for 20 times; (A) foamability, (B)
foam volume stability and (C) foam liquid stability.
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Figure 13 Images of EWL samples taken 1 hr after heat treatment at 58°C for 3.5 min (A and D),
60°C for 2 min (B and E) and 63°C for 2 min (C and F) in the absence (A, B and C) and
presence of ingredient mixture (sucrose, thickener, citric acid) (D, E and F).
Figure 14 Effect of heat-treatment of EWL containing ingredients (sucrose, thickener, citric acid) at
different temperatures (20, 58, 60 and 63°C) on (A) foamability, (B) foam volume
stability and (C) foam liquid stability.
Figure 15 Foam stability of egg whites with and without added ingredients. The egg white
solutions mixed with ingredients were heat-treated at different temperatures (20, 58,
60 and 63°C) prior to foaming. Foam volume stability (A, B, C and D) and foam liquid
stability (E, F, G and H).
Figure 16 Effect of microwave cooking on the foam volume of egg white foam produced from EWL
as a function of cooking times (10, 20, 30 and 40 s).
Figure 17 Effect of microwave cooking on the foam stability of egg white foam produced from
EWL as a function of cooking times (10, 20, 30 and 40 s); (A) foam volume stability and
(B) foam liquid stability.
Figure 18 Effect of heat treatment of EWL solution at 20, 58, 60 and 63°C, prior to making foam
on the foam volume (A), foam volume stability (B) and foam liquid stability (C) of foams
after cooking in the microwave for 30 s.
Figure 19 Pictures of foams prepared from EWP solutions mixed with three different types of
thickeners at different combinations and concentrations.
Figure 20 Foam appearance after cooking in the microwave oven for different times (10, 20, 30
and 40 s). Egg white foams prepared from EWP solutions containing 10% protein (A, B, C
and D) and 20% protein (E, F, G and H).
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BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Example 1: Analysis of foamability and foam stability of pure egg white foam – using whipping method
Methodology:
Frozen pasteurised egg white liquid (EWL) (10% w/v protein), and egg white powder (EWP) (99.4%
protein in dry base) were purchased from Eggcel (Eggcel, New Zealand) and used for all experiments
herein unless stated otherwise.
Egg white foam was prepared using a standard kitchen mix beater, which was a standard mixer with
two stainless steel beaters (5 speed control) (Breville Wizz Mix EM3, New Zealand).
Results and discussion:
i) Foamability
As shown in Figure 1, foamability results varied widely depending on the whipping time,
illustrating the inconsistencies seen with this method. At best, foamability was recorded at
about 730% (5 minutes whipping time).
ii) Foam stability
As shown in Figure 2 foam stability shows overall fairly good results, although the results vary
significantly with the whipping time, again leading to problematic inconsistencies with this
method. Although longer whipping times led to increased foam volume stability, foam liquid
stability was dramatically lost with higher whipping times – this is again problematic. At best,
foam volume showed about 50% reduction after about 300 minutes (whipping time of 9
minutes). Similarly, at best there was a 50% loss of foam liquid after about 120 minutes
(whipping time of 5 minutes). Despite the inconsistencies and inconvenience of the whipping
method, the overall stability results are the reason why the whipping method has been the
mainstay of producing egg white foam.
Example 2: Analysis of foamability and foam stability of pure egg white foam – using gas sparging
method
Methodology:
In this study, egg white foams were prepared from EWL or EWP solutions using a whipped cream
dispenser (0.5 litres size) with a nitrous oxide (NO ) gas charger (8 g pure NO2 per charger) (Mosa
cream whipper, Mosa Industrial Corp., Yunlin, Taiwan). According to the manufacturer’s guidelines, one
charger can whips up to 0.5 litre of solution (e.g. whipping cream, desserts, mousses, sauces, etc).
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Briefly, an aliquot amount of EWL or EWP solutions (50 g unless otherwise stated) was poured into the
whipped cream canister. The canister was tightly closed with a top head which had a metal nozzle part
(attachable with a decorator tip), a lever arm and a metal holder (to be attached with a gas charger
cylinder holder).
After inserting the NO gas charger into its cylinder holder, the cylinder holder was attached to the
metal holder on the canister head and twisted clockwise until it was locked into position. Upon placed
into a lock position, the NO gas was released into the canister containing the egg white solution. The
canister was then shaken up for 20 times (unless otherwise stated) to enhance the sparged gas to be
uniformly transferred into and absorbed by the egg white solution, thus generating gas pressure inside
the canister. The dispenser was hold upside down pointing the nozzle tip down and triggered to release
the foam from the canister into a glass beaker (250 ml) by pressing the lever. This methodology for gas
sparging was used for all gas sparging trials below, unless stated otherwise.
The resulting foams were then analysed immediately for foamability and foam stability.
Results and Discussion:
i) Foamability
As shown in Figure 3, foamability results were fairly consistent, despite varying the number of initial
shakes (simply to help mix the gas within the canister). It is clear that shaking has no real effect on
the results. Foamability was consistently at about 300%, so quite a bit less than the foamability
seen with the whipping method.
ii) Foam stability
As shown in Figure 4, foam stability was poor. Foam volume decreased to about 30% within 15
minutes. Foam liquid decreased to about 5% or less within the same 15 minutes. This illustrates
why gas sparging has not been a popular method compared to whipping, despite the initial
advantages of convenience, consistency and speed.
Example 3: Effect of volume of EWL with gas sparging
Methodology:
Different amounts of EWL were added to the canister to see if volume to gas ratio made a difference to
the foam characteristics.
Results and Discussion:
i) Foamability
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
As shown in Table 1 below, foamability increased marginally with greater volumes of EWL as
expected.
Altalhi., 2013 – unpublished embargoed Masters thesis
ii) Foam stability
As shown in Figure 5, foam volume stability was consistently poor regardless of the amount of EWL
added. Interestingly, foam liquid stability increased considerably if 200 ml EWL was used in
combination with increased amounts of shaking. However, this result was not seen with 400 ml
EWL.
Example 4: Effect of using EWP vs EWL with gas sparging
Methodology:
In this experiment, a 50 ml of EWL and EWP solutions both containing 10% wt proteins at 20°C were
used, and both were shaken 20 times for the gas sparging method.
Results and discussion:
i) Foamability
As shown in Figure 6a, the appearance of the foam between the EWL and EWP were very different.
The EWL produced a thick and creamy foam, whereas the EWP solution produced a liquid-like foam.
As shown in Figure 6B, the actual foamability between the two samples were very similar (about
300%).
ii) Foam stability
As shown in Figure 7, booth the EWP and EWL were very unstable, both in terms of foam volume
and foam liquid stability.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Example 5: Effect of sucrose / protein with gas sparging
Methodology:
The addition of different concentrations of sucrose and protein was tested. In order to adapt the
concentration of protein, EWP was added to an EWP solution as necessary.
Results and discussion:
i) Foamability
As shown in Figure 8a, foamability was not overly affected by sugar and/or protein. This is
interesting, as foamability was severely affected by sugar in the whipping method (not shown). In
the gas sparging method, sugar advantageously improves the overall texture of the foam to be
more smooth and creamy. It also is beneficial for flavouring.
ii) Foam stability
As shown in Figures 8b and 8c, foam stability was affected reduced when sucrose concentration
was increased. However, if protein concentration was increased concurrently, foam stability was
restored slightly. However, in all cases, foam stability was depleted to almost 0% within 30
minutes.
Example 6: Effect of thickeners with gas sparging
Methodology:
Different types, concentrations and combinations of thickeners (xanthan gum – XG, guar gum – GG and
gum Arabic – GA) were trialed as shown in Table 2 (Table 4.2). The amounts were dissolved into EWP
solution (10% protein) before testing foam characteristics using the gas sparging method.
Altalhi., 2013 – unpublished embargoed Masters thesis
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Results and Discussion:
i) Foamability
As shown in Figure 9, foamability was not overly affected by adding different
amounts/types/combinations of thickeners compared to the control, regardless of whether the
temperature of the gas sparged EWP solution was at 20°C or 4°C. The thickeners did have a good
effect, however, on overall creaminess of the foams (not shown).
ii) Foam stability
As shown in Figure 10, the thickeners did have a positive effect on foam stability, particularly in the
short term. However, by the 30 minute time point all samples showed close to baseline (0%) foam
volume and foam liquid.
Example 7: Effect of heat treatment of EWL
Methodology:
Pre-heating the EWL was tested to determine the effect on foam characteristics. Samples were heated
to various temperatures shown in the results, and then once reached, the samples were placed in a ice
water bath to cool down.
Results and Discussion:
i) Protein denaturation
As shown in Figure 11, protein denaturation began to occur as shown by the relative turbidly of the
samples.
ii) Foamability
As shown in Figure 12, foamability was not affected by the pre-heat temperature.
iii) Foam stability
As also shown Figure 12, foam stability remained poor and dropped to a baseline of close to 0%
within about 30 minutes in all samples.
Example 8: Effect of heat treatment of composition containing EWL and thickener(s)
Methodology:
As shown in Table 3 below, EWL was mixed with a number of ingredients as shown below, most notably
the addition of a combination of thickeners. It should be appreciated that the protein concentration will
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
have reduced slightly below 10% as a result of adding these ingredients. After mixing, the sample was
split up into aliquots, and heat treated at 20, 58, 60 and 63°C before applying the gas sparging method.
Altalhi., 2013 – unpublished embargoed Masters thesis
Results and Discussion:
i) Protein denaturation
As shown in Figure 13, the presence of thickeners dramatically improved stability of the protein,
and reduced protein denaturation at the upper temperatures.
ii) Foamability
As shown in Figure 14, the foamability was not overly affected, and remained at about 300% in all
samples.
iii) Foam stability
As shown also in Figure 14, the foam stability was remarkably improved as the pre-heat step was
raised to higher temperatures. Both foam volume and foam liquid improved substantially. At the
30 minute time point, foam volume remained at about 70%, and foam liquid remained at about
50%. This was a substantial and unexpected improvement compared to other trials, which all
showed close to 0% at this 30 minute time point. Even at 45 minutes (at the end of the
experiment), foam volume and foam liquid showed beneficial results.
Figure 15 also illustrates the same point comparing each pre-heat condition with or without added
thickeners. Where no thickeners are present, the pre-heat step has poor outcomes. As soon as the
combination is made (thickener + pre-heat), a synergistic effect is observed. One can expect that in
the case of using HHP in combination with pre-heat, albeit at lower temperatures (as can be used
for pasteurization), the same beneficial results would be observed.
Example 9: Effect of subsequent cooking of foams
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Methodology:
To exemplify a further advantage of the invention, microwave cooking was trialed on the egg white
foams.
Egg white foams were produced using the whipped cream dispenser as described previously. Foams
produced were cooked immediately using a microwave oven (Menumaster commercial microwave,
RMS510D, UK) with 1000 watt and 25.5 litre capacity. Egg white solutions used for this experiment
were EWL and EWP solutions. The initial volume of egg white solutions used for the foam preparation
with the whipped cream dispenser was 100 g and the shaking time applied was 20 times. After shaking,
foam was dispensed into a glass beaker (700 ml) and then cooked in the microwave oven for different
cooking times ranging from 5 s to 40 s to determine its influence on the foam properties.
Various combinations of thickeners (XG, GG, LBG, GA) were added to the EWL/EWP, as shown in Table 4
below. Sample 1 can be seen as the control sample without any thickener added.
In some trials, discussed below, the compositions were pre-heat treated to determine the effect on the
subsequent cooked foams.
Altalhi., 2013 – unpublished embargoed Masters thesis
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Results and Discussion:
i) Foamability (without pre-heating)
As shown in Figure 16, microwaving increased the foam volume dramatically, particularly for
samples microwaved for between 20-40 seconds.
ii) Foam stability (without pre-heating)
As shown in Figure 17, the cooked products showed about 50% loss of foam volume within 5
minutes. Foam liquid dropped sharply to about 0% in samples only microwaved for 10-20 seconds.
Yet, in samples microwaved for 30-40 seconds, foam liquid stayed at virtually 100% without any
sign of reduction.
iii) Foamability (with pre-heating)
As shown in Figure 18 (Fig 5.11), foam volume was considerably higher for the EWL that was pre-
heat treated at 58, 60 and 63°C, even more-so than seen without pre-heating.
iv) Foam stability (with pre-heating)
As also shown in Figure 18, foam volume was roughly consistent regardless of the pre-heat
temperature. Yet, it begins to plateau out by about 5 minutes, where foam volume is at about 40%.
However, remembering that the initial foaming volume had dramatically increased by at least 3-
fold, a 60% reduction still represents over 100% relative foamability at this six minute time point.
Foam liquid was also shown to be retained at about 90% or above with pre-heating above 58°C, and
plateaued at this level at 5 minutes. The sample pre-heated to 20°C only showed 80% foam liquid
at 5 minutes.
Example 10 Foam appearances
Figure 19 illustrates the appearance of some foams according to the present invention that are un-
cooked. The appearance may be altered based on amounts and types of thickeners used, and pre-heat
temperatures applied.
Figure 20 illustrates the appearance of some foams according to the present invention that are
subsequently cooked by microwave.
The entire disclosures of all applications, patents and publications cited above and below, if any, are
herein incorporated by reference.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
Reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement
or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in the field
of endeavour in any country in the world.
The invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or
indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of
two or more of said parts, elements or features.
Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to integers or components having known
equivalents thereof, those integers are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.
It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments
described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its
attendant advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be included within
the present invention.
Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be
appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope
thereof as defined in the appended claims.
James & Wells ref: 703126/76 AH
WHAT I
Claims (10)
1. A composition when used for the subsequent preparation of an egg white foam, characterised in that the composition includes a) an amount of egg white material b) at least one thickener, wherein the amount of thickener in the composition is at equal to or above 2.0% w/v; and wherein the composition has been heat treated at or above about 40°C prior to preparing the egg white foam.
2. The composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vegetable gum thickeners are selected from the group consisting of alginin, guar gum, locust bean gum, gum arabic and xanthan gum, or any combinations or derivatives thereof.
3. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition includes between 2% to 10% w/w thickener(s).
4. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition includes between 2% to 3% w/w thickener(s).
5. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition has been heat-treated between 15°C to 75°C.
6. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition has been heat-treated between 50°C to 70°C.
7. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition has been heat-treated at about 63°C.
8. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition has been heat-treated for between 10 seconds to 10 minutes.
9. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition has been heat-treated for about 2 minutes.
10. The composition as claimed in any one of the above claims wherein the composition includes at least 5% w/w protein. James & Wells ref:
Priority Applications (10)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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NZ629773A NZ629773B (en) | 2014-08-29 | Novel Food Product and Method of Use | |
EP15834908.4A EP3185698A4 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-08-27 | Novel food product and method of use |
JP2017510581A JP6839649B2 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-08-27 | New foods and how to use them |
PCT/NZ2015/050122 WO2016032346A1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-08-27 | Novel food product and method of use |
CN201580050006.2A CN107072267A (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-08-27 | Novel foodstuff product and application method |
US15/507,197 US20170238562A1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-08-27 | Novel Food Product and Method of Use |
CA2996268A CA2996268A1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-08-27 | Novel food product and method of use |
AU2015307328A AU2015307328B2 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2015-08-27 | Novel food product and method of use |
AU2019268060A AU2019268060A1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2019-11-19 | Novel food product and method of use |
US17/204,789 US20210337816A1 (en) | 2014-08-29 | 2021-03-17 | Novel Food Product and Method of Use |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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NZ629773A NZ629773B (en) | 2014-08-29 | Novel Food Product and Method of Use |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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NZ629773A NZ629773A (en) | 2016-03-31 |
NZ629773B true NZ629773B (en) | 2016-07-01 |
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