Microalgal flour

• US 10,264,809 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corbion Biotech, Inc. (Corbion NV)
• Original Assignee: Corbion Biotech, Inc. (Corbion NV)
• Inventors: Norris, Leslie, Piechocki, John, Baliu, Enrique, Desai, Ruchir, Ruyet, Marie Le, Patinier, Samuel, Passe, Damien, Druon, Amandine
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarazano, D. Lawrence
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dubois, Philip
• Application Number:
  US14/166,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20140234479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 426 7
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 17/60 Edible seaweed

Abstract

The present invention relates to microalgal food products with acceptable sensory characteristics and methods of producing the food products. The flour can be produced by cultivating microalgal cells of a strain of Chlorella protothecoides under conditions of acceptable pH and dissolved oxygen to produce a desired amount of lipid. The microalgal cells can be lysed, heat-treated, washed and dried to produce a microalgal flour that can be incorporated into a variety of products.

Claims

1. An edible microalgal flour comprising:

microalgal cells of the genus Chlorella having a lipid content between 35% and 75% and less than 200 ppm of chlorophyll, wherein between 50% and 90% of the cells are lysed; and

the microalgal flour comprises one or more compounds that define a flavor descriptor of the microalgal flour, said one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of;

dimethyl sulfide, 2,3-butanedione, butanal, 2-methylpropanal, 3-methyl furan, ethyl acetate, (2E)-but-2-enal, 3-methyl-butanal, 1-butanol, 2-methyl butanal, thiophene, 1-pentene-3-ol, 1-penten-3-one, 2-pentanone, 2,3-pentanedione, pentanal, 2-ethyl furan, thiozole, 3-penten-2-one, dimethyl disulfide, (E)-2-pentenal, pyrrole, 4,5-dimethyl oxazole, cis-2-Penten-1-ol, 3-methyl thiophene, hexanal, 4-methylthiazole, methyl pyrazine, furfural, trimethyl oxaxole, 3-methyl butanoic acid, 2-methyl butanoic acid, 2-hexenal, 1-hexanol, 4-heptanone, 2,6-dimethyl pyridine, 2,4-dimethyl thiazole, 3-heptanone, 2-heptanone, 3-heptanol, heptanal, methional, 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine, 2,6-dimethyl pyrazine, ethyl pyrazine, 2,3-dimethyl pyrazine, ethenyl pyrazine, 4,5-dimethyl thiazole, 6-methyl-2-heptanone, 2-ethyl hexanal, (Z)-2-Heptenal, non-3-en-2-one, 5-methyl furfural, benzaldehyde, hexanoic acid, 1-octen-3-ol, dimethyl.trisulfide, 2,5-octanedione, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 2-pentyl furan, (2E,4E)-hepta-2,4-dienal, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine, octanal, trimethyl pyrazine, 2-ethyl-3-methyl pyrazine, 2-ethylhexanol, (E)-3-octen-2-one, 5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one, benzeneacetaldehyde, 3,5-Octadiene-2-one, acetophenone, 1-octen-3-one, 2,5-dimethyl-3-ethylpyrazine, tetramethyl pyrazine, 5-methyl-2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde, g-heptalactone, linalool, nonanal, thymol, phenethyl alcohol, 2,3,5-trimethyl-6-ethyl pyrazine, benzyl acetate, safranal, (E)-2-decenal, g-octalacone, o-amino.acetophenone, 2,4-decadienal, g-nonalactone, ionone, geranyl acetone, ionene, 2,4-nonadienal, 2,4-decadienal, g-undecalactone, d-decalactone, cis-geranylacetone, δ

-Dodecalactone, and d-undecalactone;

wherein the flavor descriptor falls within a three-dimensional ellipsoid in a flavor-description space having dimensions defined by three principle components, PC1, PC2, and PC3, the ellipsoid defined by the equation;

A_x²+B_xy+C_y²+D_x+E_y+F=0,

wherein A, B, C, D, E, and F are defined below and represent three standard deviations from the center point of the ellipsoid;

2. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1, wherein A, B, C, D, E, and F are defined below and represent two standard deviations from the center point of the ellipsoid:

3. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1, wherein A, B, C, D, E, and F are defined below and represent one standard deviation from the center point of the ellipsoid:

4. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1, having an undetectable fish or cabbage flavor when the flour is dispersed in deionized water at 10% (w/v), as detected by a tasting panel.

5. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1, wherein the flour is white, pale yellow or yellow in color.

6. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having no apparent green color.

7. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 comprising 40% and 60% lipid.

8. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having a pH between 5.5 and 8.5 when dissolved in water at 1% (w/v).

9. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having a pH between 6.0 and 8.0 when dissolved in water at 1% (w/v).

10. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 when dissolved in water at 1% (w/v).

11. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 comprising less than 20 ppm of chlorophyll.

12. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1, further comprising an added antioxidant.

13. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1, comprising:

from 400 ppb to 1800 ppb of undecalactone,

from 0 ppb to 11,000 ppb of 3-methyl butanol,

from 160 ppb to 10,7000 ppb of pentanal,

from 0 ppb to 2500 ppb or 2-methyl butanal,

from 30 ppb to 10,600 ppb 2-pentanone, and

from 0 ppb to 15,000 ppb of 3-pentene-2-one.

14. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having an aerated density of 0.30 to 0.50.

15. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having a bulk density of 0.50 to 0.65.

16. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having an oversize of 15% to 35% at 2000 μ

m, wherein the oversize is the percent too large to pass through a 2000 μ

m sieve.

17. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having an oversize of 40% to 70% at 1400 μ

m, wherein the oversize is the percent too large to pass through a 1400 μ

m sieve.

18. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having an oversize of 1% to 20% at 800 μ

m, wherein the oversize is the percent too large to pass through an 800 μ

m sieve.

19. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having a wettability of 1 to 25 mm.

20. The edible microalgal flour of claim 1 having a surface area of 0.1 m²/g to 0.7 m²/g.

21. The edible microagal flour of claim 1, wherein the microalgal cells are of the species Chlorella protothecoides.

22. The edible microagal flour of claim 2, wherein the microalgal cells are of the species Chlorella protothecoides.

23. The edible microagal flour of claim 3, wherein the microalgal cells are of the species Chlorella protothecoides.