Method for extracting gluten
First Claim
1. A method for extracting gluten from flour comprising the following steps:
- (a) mixing milled flour with water and an agent for breaking chemical bonds between starch molecules and protein molecules, (b) maturing the flour and water mixture in a maturation tank, (c) combining the flour and water mixture into masses of dough consisting mostly of gluten, (d) presenting the masses of dough to at least one rinser having a screen for retaining the masses of dough as starch is rinsed away from the masses composed mostly of gluten, (e) feeding the rinsed masses composed mostly of gluten produced in step (d) through a comminuting machine which forces the dough through a channel wherein the dough alternately encounters at least one set of cutting blades and at least one perforated plate to produce smaller masses composed mostly of gluten, (f) presenting the smaller masses composed mostly of gluten produced in step (e) to at least one rinser having a screen for retaining the smaller masses composed mostly of gluten as a substantial portion of the remaining starch is rinsed away from the smaller masses, (g) drying the rinsed smaller masses produced in step (f) to produce a dry product consisting mostly of gluten protein.
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Abstract
The present invention is a method for separating gluten from wheat flour to produce a protein isolate that is at least 90% protein. The method includes at least one emulsification step where the starch within gluten masses is exposed. Masses composed of mostly gluten and some starch from a typical agglomeration tank and screen rinse process are processed through at least one emulsifying step where the masses are chopped and then drawn through a perforated plate to produce relatively small gluten masses. The relatively small gluten masses from the at least one emulsifying step are screen rinsed to remove much of the remaining starch thus producing a protein isolate. The resulting protein isolate gluten product is then dried and processed using conventional methods known in the art.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for extracting gluten from flour comprising the following steps:
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(a) mixing milled flour with water and an agent for breaking chemical bonds between starch molecules and protein molecules, (b) maturing the flour and water mixture in a maturation tank, (c) combining the flour and water mixture into masses of dough consisting mostly of gluten, (d) presenting the masses of dough to at least one rinser having a screen for retaining the masses of dough as starch is rinsed away from the masses composed mostly of gluten, (e) feeding the rinsed masses composed mostly of gluten produced in step (d) through a comminuting machine which forces the dough through a channel wherein the dough alternately encounters at least one set of cutting blades and at least one perforated plate to produce smaller masses composed mostly of gluten, (f) presenting the smaller masses composed mostly of gluten produced in step (e) to at least one rinser having a screen for retaining the smaller masses composed mostly of gluten as a substantial portion of the remaining starch is rinsed away from the smaller masses, (g) drying the rinsed smaller masses produced in step (f) to produce a dry product consisting mostly of gluten protein. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for separating gluten from grain flour to produce a protein isolate, comprising the following steps:
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(a) mixing grain flour with water and a protein starch bond breaking agent to produce masses of dough, (b) agglomerating the masses of dough by moving the masses of dough of step (a) through an agglomeration tank wherein a portion of the starch in the dough is washed away from the masses to produce masses composed mostly of gluten, (c) rinsing the masses composed mostly of gluten of step (b) with water over a screen to produced rinsed gluten masses, (d) emulsifying the rinsed gluten masses of step (c) by passing the rinsed gluten masses through a throat and past rotating blades to produce chopped gluten masses and then drawing the chopped gluten masses through a perforated plate proximate to the rotating blades to produce relatively small chopped gluten masses, (e) rinsing the relatively small chopped gluten masses from step (d) to remove a portion of the remaining starch such that the resulting gluten masses are at least 90% gluten thereby providing masses of protein isolate. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for separating gluten from grain flour to produce a protein isolate, comprising the following steps:
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(a) mixing grain flower with water and a protein starch bond breaking enzyme to produce masses of dough, (b) agglomerating the masses of dough by moving the masses of dough of step (a) through an agglomeration tank wherein a portion of the starch in the dough is washed away from the masses to produce masses composed mostly of gluten, (c) rinsing the masses composed mostly of gluten of step (b) with water over a screen to produced rinsed gluten masses, (d) washing the masses composed mostly of gluten in a rotary drum washer, (e) emulsifying the whshed gluten masses of step (d) by (i) emulsifying the rinsed gluten masses in a batch emulsification step in which rinsed gluten masses from step (d) are passed through a throat, past rotating blades and through a perforated plate, (ii) storing the gluten masses from step (i) in a surge storage tank, (iii) rinsing the gluten masses from the surge storage tank, (iv) providing a substantially continuous supply of gluten masses from the surge storage tank to a continuous emulsification step in which rinsed emulsified gluten masses from step (iii) are passed through a throat, past rotating blades and through a perforated plate in a once through, continuous manner, and, (e) washing the relatively small chopped gluten masses from step (d) (iv) to remove a portion of the remaining starch such that the resulting gluten masses are at least 90% gluten thereby providing masses of protein isolate. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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Specification