Description
METHOD FOR MAKING SOY EXTRACTS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for making soya extracts .
More specifically, the present invention relates to a method allowing to make a concentrated soluble soya seed extract, having a light cream perfume, a neutral taste and devoid of any aftertastes .
As is known, an adult person must have a blood cholesterol rate within 200 mg/dl, for preventing infarcts and cardiovascular diseases .
Actually, scientific searches, carried out through the overall world, have demonstrated that by reducing the average cholesterol rates of a 1% population, a decrease of the infarct mortality rate of about 2% is obtained.
A consolidated scientific literature has demonstrated that a soya based feeding would reduce the excess cholesterol by 50-60% without any contraindications .
Accordingly, it would be very advantageous, from an adult person and child standpoint, to add to frequently used food such as creams, salamis, cheese, yoghurt, butter, cakes and the like as well as child snacks, ravioli and tortellini, cannelloni and pizzas, hamburgers and meat based product in general, as well as chocolates based products and many other gastronomic products usually containing great amounts
of unsaturated fat acids and cholesterol, a vegetable product, such as soya, which is a very efficient natural anticholesterol material.
In order to meet the above mentioned requirements, it has been already suggested to use, for said anticholesterol function, the soya milk, soya tofu as well as several types of soya proteins; however, these soya based materials would be unsuitable since these products are characterized by a strong aftertaste similar to that of an uncooked bean which would be inevitably transmitted to the product to which such an anticholesterol material would be added.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a method for making soluble concentrated soya extracts, having a light cream perfume, and a neutral taste, free of any aftertastes, thereby allowing said concentrated soya extracts to be added to a lot of high cholesterol contents food materials such as creams, cooked salamis, cooked ham, Parma ham, cheese, yoghourt, butter, fresh and dried pastas, ravioli and tortellini, cannelloni and pizzas, hamburgers and meat based products in general, as well as chocolate based products and many other gastronomic products, without modifying the natural taste of these products . Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention is to provide such a method specifically designed for
making a concentrated soya extract having a light cream perfume, a neutral taste, devoid of any aftertastes, holding intact the health properties of the soya material, and without the need of performing complex processing steps.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a method which is very reliable and safe in operation.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method for making water soluble soya extracts, characterized in that said method provides for subjecting soya seeds to the following operating steps:
A) hulling of the soya seeds; B) softening in water the hulled soya seeds and boiling and crushing said seeds; C) centrifuging the seed mass thereby separating a filtrate and a solid panel therefrom; D) fermenting the product followed by a first ultrafiltering of the fermented material, separating the bitter peptides therefrom, and further followed by a second ultrafiltering step for separating lecithin, and pasteurizing the ultrafiltered material; E) diversifying the obtained product by fermenting it with different fermenting materials, suitably selected depending on the end desired product; F) concentrating, under low temperature and high vacuum conditions, the product obtained by the preceding operating steps.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the product diversifying step is
carried out by fermenting said product by using Streptococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus for 35 minutes at 34 °C, with a grafting of 20% of lean milk in order to favour the fermenting of said product.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the product diversifying step is carried out by fermenting, with a recovery of lecithin, by Streptococcus reffinolactis at 30°C for 45 minuted to provide a soya extract adapted to be mixed with a soft or hard wheat meal, to provide pastas either of the fresh or of a dried type.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the product diversifying step is carried out by fermenting the product by Streptococcus thermophilus at 40 °C for 45 minutes to provide a natural soya yoghurt.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the product diversifying step is performed by fermenting the product by acid-lactic Pediococcus at 40 °C for 45 minutes to provide a filtrate suitable for mixing with a fresh salami mixture to provide aged salami products. According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said product diversifying step is carried out by fermenting the product by Lactobacillus fermentum at 37 °C for 25 minutes to provide an extract to be mixed with a fresh "mortadella" paste, to provide a mortadella like product, or with meat for cooked jam, to provide a cooked jam-like product.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become more apparent thereinafter from the following detailed description 5 of a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, given by way of a not limitative example of several possible variations of the invention.
The method for making a concentrated soya 10 extract, having a light cream perfume, and a neutral taste devoid of any aftertastes, according to the present invention, comprises a first step in which the soya seed material is loaded in a suitable volume silo, where the soya seeds, in particular yellow soya ,(. (Glycine Hispida) seeds are hulled by a continuously operating hully device, with the simultaneous empting of the silo.
A satisfactory hulling system would provide a soya seed hulling rate of about 8,000 kg of soya 20 seeds in 4 working hours by 4 operators.
The soya seed hulling step is preferably carried out in a stainless steel 316 hulling device operating at room temperature; in this connection it should be pointed out that the soya seed hulling 25 would also facilitate the softening and boiling of the hulled soya seeds, for removing therefrom any antitripsine factors.
The second operating step comprises the softening, boiling and crushing of the hulled soya 30 seeds.
The softening time, in particular, will be of 10-12 hours in water at 4°C and it will vary
depending on the ageing degree of the soya seeds and their source, whereas the cooking will be performed at 110°C in a pressurized reactor for 15 minutes.
Then, the thus processed soya seed mass will be cooled by causing icy water to pass through the reactor gap to provide a temperature of about
30°C, as required for the third operating or processing step.
More specifically, for processing a feeding amount of 8,000 kg of dry soya seeds, the soya seed and necessary water loading time will be of 2 hours, while using 4 workers.
The third operating or processing step, in particular, comprises a centrifuging of the "mass" coming from a drying and powdering step in a conical mill oven in which operation the centrifuging apparatus waste, rich in fibers and particularly suitable for backed product will be also processed.
The centrifuging of a "mass" of about 64,000 liters will be performed in a period of about 6 hours. The filtrate material will correspond to 60,000 liters, whereas the centrifuging step (wet) material will correspond to about 4,000 kg.
The fourth processing or operating step would comprise a first fermenting step at 30°C by using Aspergillus oryzae for 240 minutes, and ultrafiltering, at a preset cut-off the fermented product in order to remove some bitter peptides therefrom, and pasteurizing the ultrafiltered or ultrafiltrated material at 60°C for 60 minutes and cooling at a temperature deemed necessary for one of the different possible fermentations.
In this step two workers would be used, for the product amounts thereinabove indicated.
The fifth operating or processing step would be a diversifying step specifically provided for diversifying the end extract product thereby making it suitable for use to provide a lot of different finished or end products.
This step, in particular, comprises a fermenting operation which can be carried out by using different fermenting substances, depending on the use of the end extract.
For example, as stated, if the made extract must be mixed with a partially skimmed milk to provide a "crescenza"-like cheese, then the fermenting step will be carried out by using Streptococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus at 34 °C, while adding to the extract 20% of lean milk in order to favor the fermentation thereof.
The other above mentioned fermenting substances, as used in different proportions and combinations, will provide extracts which, upon concentrating, can be used for making any types of cheese, uncooked and cooked salamis, fresh and dried pastas, ice creams, cakes and the like, creams and saucers, chocolate based products, thereby each type of fermenting would provide a different type of end product.
More specifically, the following examples are hereinbelow considered: fermenting, while recovering lecithin, by using
Streptococcus raffinolactis at 30 °C for 45 minutes to provide a soya extract suitable for mixing with soft
and hard wheat meal to provide fresh or dried pastas.
Fermenting by Streptococcus thermophilus at 40°C for 45 minuted to provide natural soya yoghurts.
Fermenting by acid-lactic Pediococcus at 40 °C for 45 minutes to provide a filtrate adapted for mixing with a fresh salami paste, to provide aged salamis.
Fermenting by Lactobacillus fermentum at
37°C for 25 minutes to provide an extract to be mixed with a fresh mortadella paste to provide a mortadella-like product, or with meat to provide a cooked jam-like product.
The sixth operating or processing step comprises a low temperature and high vacuum concentration which would vary depending on each different types of concentrated extracts to be made.
The concentrating time will vary from two to six hours, by using two workers.
The seventh operating or processing step comprises a spray drier processing, necessary for making some products such as uncooked salamis, chocolate and the like.
The soya extract made by the above disclosed method has the great advantage that it is very soluble, as a light cream perfume, a neutral taste devoid of any aftertaste, thereby it can be easily hot and cold amalgamated or mixed with products such as butter, curd cream, salamis, cooked jam, yoghurt, milk and milk cream, pizza paste, fresh and dried pastas, cakes and pastries, tortellini and ravioli, hamburgers and so on.
Thus, the above mentioned food products
will be provided with the valuable and delicate organoleptic characteristics of the above disclosed concentrate filtrate, with its health properties, typical of the soya, with a great reduction, in the end products, of the saturated fats and cholesterol, up to 80-90% of the starting product, without any taste difference from a conventional like food product.
From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.
In particular, a method has been provided allowing to make a soluble product, devoid of any aftertaste and of neutral taste, having a pleasant cream perfume, which can be easily mixed with the most part of food products.
While the method of the invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiments are susceptible to several modifications and variations all of which will come within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.