METHOD FOR TREATING RAW AND PROCESSED GRAINS AND STARCHES

• US 20080260922A1
• Filed: 01/11/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Giant Investing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GB International Limited
• Inventors: Kirkpatrick, Robin Duncan, Speakman, Nickolas
• Granted Patent: US 8,147,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/331
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 9/30 Inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 30/02 Preparatory treatment, e.g. crushing of raw materials or steeping process machines for preliminary washing A23N
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 30/042 from cereals or grains
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 30/044 from corn or maize
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 31/18 Oxidised starch
• CPC Class Codes: C12C 1/047 Influencing the germination by chemical or physical means

Abstract

A method of decontaminating grain, nut, or seed products and a method for conditioning grain in a milling process for decontamination and to produce an improved milled product which will yield baked goods, for example, of increased size and extended shelf life. In the decontamination and/or conditioning procedure, the grain, nut, or seed product is contacted with an aqueous anolyte product which can be undiluted or can be diluted with non-activated water. In undiluted form, the aqueous anolyte product preferably has a pH in the range of from about 4.5 to about 7.5 and a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺550 mV.

Claims

1. A method for reducing contaminants on a surface of a product, said product being a grain product, a nut product, or a seed product and said process comprising the step of contacting said surface of said product with an amount of an aqueous anolyte product effective for at least reducing an amount of bacterial, an amount of fungus, an amount of yeast, or a combination thereof on said surface wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a pH in the range of from about 4.5 to about 7.5 and a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺550 mV.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous anolyte product is undiluted.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, in said step of contacting, said aqueous anolyte product is in the form of a diluted anolyte composition comprising said aqueous anolyte product and an amount of non-electrochemically activated water, said amount of non-electrochemically activated water being at least 50% by weight of said diluted anolyte composition.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous anolyte product has a free active oxidant concentration of less than 250 ppm.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous anolyte product is an anode product which has been produced by electrochemical activation of an aqueous salt solution comprising from about 1 to about 9 grams of salt per liter of water, wherein said salt is sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, or sodium bicarbonate.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of contacting said surface of said product with an amount of an aqueous catholyte product effective for at least reducing an amount of a mycotoxin on said surface wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous catholyte product has a pH in the range of from about 8 to about 13 and a negative oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁻

700 mV.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺650 mV.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a pH in the range of from about 5.5 to about 7.

9. A method of processing grain comprising the steps of:

(a) conditioning said grain, prior to milling, by contacting said grain with an amount of an aqueous conditioning fluid effective to increase a moisture content of said grain, said aqueous conditioning fluid at least partially comprising an aqueous anolyte product wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a pH in the range of from about 4.5 to about 7.5 and a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺550 mV and

(b) milling said grain to produce a milled product.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps, after step (a) and prior to step (b), of:

removing at least an outer layer from said grain and

removing a grain germ material from said grain.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said aqueous conditioning fluid is a diluted anolyte composition comprising said aqueous anolyte product and non-electrochemically activated water, said aqueous anolyte product being present in said diluted anolyte composition in a concentration of at least 1% by weight and said non-electrochemically activated water being present in said diluted anolyte composition in a concentration of at least 50% by weight.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said aqueous anolyte product has a free active oxidant concentration of less than 250 ppm.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said aqueous anolyte product is an anode product which has been produced by electrochemical activation of an aqueous salt solution comprising from about 1 to about 9 grams of salt per liter of water, wherein said salt is sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, or sodium bicarbonate.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺650 mV.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a pH in the range of from about 5.5 to about 7.

16. In a method comprising the steps of forming a dough comprising flour and yeast and baking said dough to produce a baked product having a finished volumetric size per a given weight amount of said flour used in forming said dough, the improvement comprising said flour used in forming said dough being a flour product which was produced by a process comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting grain, prior to milling, with an amount of an aqueous conditioning fluid to increase a moisture content of said grain, said aqueous conditioning fluid at least partially comprising an amount of an aqueous anolyte product wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a pH in the range of from about 4.5 to about 7.5 and a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺550 mV and

(b) milling said grain,

wherein said amount of said anolyte product in said aqueous conditioning fluid and said amount of said aqueous conditioning fluid which was used in said step of contacting are effective for increasing said finished volumetric size of said baked product per said given weight amount of said flour used in forming said dough.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said amount of said aqueous anolyte product in said aqueous conditioning fluid and said amount of said aqueous conditioning fluid which was used in said step of contacting are effective for increasing said finished volumetric size of said baked product per said given weight amount of said flour used in forming said dough by at least 6.78%.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said amount of said aqueous anolyte product in said aqueous conditioning fluid and said amount of said aqueous conditioning fluid which was used in said step of contacting are effective for increasing said finished volumetric size of said baked product per said given weight amount of said flour used in forming said dough by at least 9.15%.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said amount of said aqueous anolyte product in said aqueous conditioning fluid and said amount of said aqueous conditioning fluid which was used in said step of contacting are effective for increasing said finished volumetric size of said baked product per said given weight amount of said flour used in forming said dough by at least 10.53%.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein said process which was used for forming said flour product further comprised the steps, after step (a) and prior to step (b), of:

removing at least an outer layer from said grain and

removing a grain germ material from said grain.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said aqueous conditioning fluid is a diluted anolyte composition comprising said aqueous anolyte product and non-electrochemically activated water, said aqueous anolyte product being present in said diluted anolyte composition in a concentration of at least 1% by weight and said non-electrochemically activated water being present in said diluted anolyte composition in a concentration of at least 50% by weight.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein said aqueous anolyte product has a free active oxidant concentration of less than 250 ppm.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein said aqueous anolyte product is an anode product which has been produced by electrochemical activation of an aqueous salt solution comprising from about 1 to about 9 grams of salt per liter of water, wherein said salt is sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, or sodium bicarbonate.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a positive oxidation-reduction potential of at least ⁺650 mV.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein, when in undiluted form, said aqueous anolyte product has a pH in the range of from about 5.5 to about 7.