Method and system for spray drying insects

• US 10,638,788 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aspire Food Group Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Aspire Food Group USA Inc.
• Inventors: Mott, Gabriel, Harrington, Serena, Soor, Shobhita, Ashour, Mohammed, Hall, Michael Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Becker, Drew E
• Application Number:
  US15/586,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20170318855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 426641, 426645, 426646, 426443-444, 426455, 426464, 426467, 426469, 426471-473, 426479, 426518-521, 426524
• CPC Class Codes: A21D 2/34 Animal material
• CPC Class Codes: A23J 1/00 Obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs; Bulk opening of eggs and separation of yolks from whites
• CPC Class Codes: A23J 1/02 from meat
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/20 from material of animal origin obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes A23K10/10
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 30/20 Dehydration of green fodder A23K30/12
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 13/10 Meat meal or powder; Granules, agglomerates or flakes
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/46 Spray-drying
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 10/22 Agglomeration or granulation with pulverisation of solid particles, e.g. in a free-falling curtain
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 10/40 free-flowing powder or instant powder, i.e. powder which is reconstituted rapidly when liquid is added A23P10/20, A23P10/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2200/126 Flour replacer
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2250/542 Animal Protein
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2300/10 Drying, dehydrating
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2300/41 Shearing

Abstract

In some examples, a system may be configured to generating flour having a uniform particle size of less than 100 Microns from whole insects. For example, the may include generating a slurry from whole insects by adding water while blending the whole insects using one or more mixers to generate an insect slurry. In some cases, the water is added to the insect parts to reduce the viscosity and to assist in separating the whole insects into parts. In some cases, the insect slurry may be filtered.

Claims

1. A method for generating insect-based flour comprising:

generating a slurry from whole insects by spraying the whole insects with water for a period of time greater than one hour, prior to reducing a size of suspended particles of the slurry;

reducing, by a mixer and a first shear device, the size of the suspended particles of the slurry to less than 100 microns by first mixing the slurry by an impeller of the mixer set to a first rate 1140 RPM for a first period of time and a second rate 1800 RPM for a second period of time at a temperature of approximately 140°

F. in the mixer, second processing the slurry by the first shear device at a first rotational speed of between 35 HZ and 60 HZ, third returning the slurry to the mixer to reheat the slurry to 140°

F., and fourth re-processing the slurry by the first shear device at a second rotational speed of between 50 HZ and 80 HZ;

dispensing, by a rotary atomizer, the slurry into a drying chamber to generate dried particles; and

separating the dried particles using at least one cyclone and a mesh to generate the insect-based flour.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising pasteurizing the slurry prior to dispensing into the drying chamber.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising heating the whole insects prior to generating the slurry.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising grinding the slurry to reduce the particle size below a first particle size threshold prior to dispensing the slurry into the drying chamber.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dispensing the slurry into the drying chamber includes utilizing a rotary disk having a diameter of between approximately 170 mm and approximately 300 mm.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dispensing the slurry into the drying chamber includes utilizing a rotary disk spinning at a rate of approximately 5000 RPMs and approximately 25,000 RPMs.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dispensing the slurry into the drying chamber is at a rate of approximately 1715 pounds per hour.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dispensing the slurry into the drying chamber is at a rate of between approximately 1700 and 1750 pounds per hour.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one cyclone is at least two cyclones and wherein the mesh is a 40 mesh sifter.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating the slurry includes mixing the whole insects while introducing the water and applying heat to pasteurize the slurry.

11. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein pasteurizing the slurry includes holding the slurry at a desired temperature for at least 35 minutes.

12. A method for generating cricket based flour comprising:

placing whole crickets into a wire basket;

heating whole crickets by rinsing the whole crickets within the wire basket with water at a temperature of between 35°

F. and 80°

F. for a period of greater than two hours and less than three hours;

generating, at a mixer, a first slurry from the whole crickets by mixing the whole crickets while water at a temperature of approximately 140°

F. is added to the whole crickets at a rate of 2.0 pounds of the water to 1.5 pounds of the whole crickets, the mixer including an impeller that is initially set to a rate of 1140 RPM'"'"'S and increased to a rate of 1800 RPM'"'"'S after a period of time elapses;

generating, at a first shear device, a first fluid, the first fluid having a particle size of less than 100 microns and the first shear device having a rotational speed of between 35 HZ and 60 HZ;

drying the first fluid;

re-suspending the dried first fluid by mixing with additional water at the temperature of approximately 140°

F. at the rate of 2.0 pounds of the water to 1.5 pounds of the dried fluid;

generating, at the first shear device, a second slurry, the second slurry having the particle size of less than 100 microns and the first shear device having the rotational speed of between 35 HZ and 60 HZ;

filtering the second slurry to generate a first portion and a second portion;

pasteurizing the second portion of the second slurry; and

dispensing at a rate of between approximately 1500 pounds per hour and 2000 pounds per hour, by a rotary atomizer having a disk with a diameter of between approximately 170 mm and approximately 300 mm and rotating at a speed of between approximately 5000 RPMs and approximately 25,000 RPMs, the pasteurized second portion into a drying chamber to generate a first resulting product, the drying chamber between approximately 10 feet in diameter and approximately 22 feet in diameter and approximately 10 feet tall and approximately 22 feet tall;

mixing, at the mixer, the first portion with additional whole insects and additional water to generate a third slurry, the additional water at a temperature of approximately 140°

F.;

generating, at the first shear device, a second fluid from the third slurry, the second fluid having a particle size of less than 100 microns and the first shear device having a rotational speed of between 35 HZ and 60 HZ;

pasteurizing the second fluid; and

dispensing at the rate of between approximately 1500 pounds per hour and 2000 pounds per hour, by the rotary atomizer at the speed of between approximately 5000 RPMs and approximately 25,000 RPMs, the second fluid into the drying chamber to generate a second resulting product;

drying the first resulting product and the second resulting product; and

filtering the first resulting product and the second resulting product to remove any product greater than a desired particle size using at least two cyclones and at least two mesh sifters to generate the cricket-based flour.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein heating the whole crickets includes thawing the whole crickets from a frozen state.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the drying chamber is approximately 14 feet in diameter and 14 feet in height.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the rotary atomizer dispenses the slurry at a rate of approximately 1715 pounds per hour.

16. A method for generating insect-based flour comprising:

generating a slurry of water and insect parts by spraying whole insects with water for a period of time greater than one hour, the period of time received from a management system;

converting, by a mixer and a first shear device, the slurry of water and insects parts into a fluid with no suspended particles greater than 100 microns in size by passing the slurry through the mixer and the first shear device at least two times, a speed of the mixer controlled by the management system;

grinding the fluid to reduce the particle size below a first particle size threshold;

pasteurizing the fluid;

dispensing, by a rotary atomizer utilizing a rotary disk having a diameter of between approximately 170 mm and approximately 300 mm, the fluid into a drying chamber in response to a completion of the pasteurization, a speed of the rotary disk controlled by the management system; and

separating dry particles produced by the drying chamber using at least one cyclone and a 40 mesh sifter to generate the insect-based flour.

17. The method for generating insect-based flour as recited in claim 16, further comprising heating whole insects prior to generating the slurry.

18. The method for generating insect-based flour as recited in claim 16, wherein generating the slurry includes mixing whole insects while introducing the water.