Gellan Gum Products and Methods of Manufacture and Use Thereof

• US 20160295887A1
• Filed: 04/13/2015
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cp Kelco (JM Huber Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cp Kelco (JM Huber Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Hailong, Morrison, Neil A., Talashek, Todd A., Raczkowski, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,638,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 29/272 Gellan
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs

Abstract

Gellan gum products having an increased bulk density are provided that include a gellan gum co-precipitated with a co-precipitation agent to form a co-precipitated gellan composition. The co-precipitation agent and the gellan gum are present in the co-precipitated composition in a weight ratio effective to produce the gellan gum product, in which the gellan gum product bulk density is greater than a bulk density of the gellan gum precipitated, dried, and milled without the co-precipitation agent. This greater bulk density is about 0.30 g/mL or greater. Methods are provided for preparing a gellan gum product having an improved bulk density, in which the gellan gum product bulk density is greater than a bulk density of the gellan gum precipitated, dried, and milled without the co-precipitation agent. This greater bulk density is about 0.30 g/mL or greater.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a gellan gum product, comprising:

co-precipitating an aqueous gellan gum solution with a co-precipitation agent comprising a biopolymer to form a co-precipitated composition,

wherein the gellan gum product, after drying and milling, has a bulk density greater than a bulk density of the aqueous gellan gum solution precipitated, dried, and milled without the co-precipitation agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising drying the co-precipitated composition.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising milling the co-precipitated composition subsequent to the step of drying.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising de-liquefying the co-precipitated composition.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of de-liquefying comprises pressing the co-precipitated composition, centrifuging the co-precipitated composition, or a combination of pressing and centrifuging the co-precipitated composition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of co-precipitating comprises

combining the co-precipitation agent with the gellan gum solution to form a mixture;

and

precipitating the mixture to form the co-precipitated composition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of co-precipitating comprises precipitating a mixture of the aqueous gellan gum solution and the co-precipitation agent to form the co-precipitated composition by adding an effective amount of an anti-solvent to the mixture.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the anti-solvent comprises one or more alcohols.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the anti-solvent is an alcohol-water mixture that comprises an alcohol in an amount from about 80.0% to about 99.0% based on volume of the alcohol-water mixture.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating the aqueous gellan gum solution with one or more enzymes, one or more surfactants, or a combination of the one or more enzymes and the one or more surfactants.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of co-precipitating comprises

treating a mixture of the aqueous gellan gum solution and the co-precipitation agent with one or more enzymes, one or more surfactants, or a combination of the one or more enzymes and the one or more surfactants;

and

precipitating the mixture to form the co-precipitated composition.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of co-precipitating further comprises pasteurizing the mixture.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of co-precipitating comprises

treating the aqueous gellan gum solution with one or more enzymes, one or more surfactants, or a combination of the one or more enzymes and the one or more surfactants;

combining the co-precipitation agent with the aqueous gellan gum solution to form a mixture;

pasteurizing the mixture; and

precipitating the mixture to form the co-precipitated composition.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of co-precipitating comprises

combining the co-precipitation agent with the aqueous gellan gum solution to form a mixture;

treating the mixture with one or more enzymes, one or more surfactants, or a combination of the one or more enzymes and the one or more surfactants;

pasteurizing the mixture; and

precipitating the mixture to form the co-precipitated composition.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the gellan gum is a high-acyl gellan gum, low acyl gellan gum, or mixture thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the gellan gum product bulk density is about 0.30 g/mL or greater.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the gellan gum product bulk density is about 0.30 g/mL to about 1.00 g/mL.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the gellan gum product bulk density is about 0.40 g/mL to about 0.85 g/mL.

19. A gellan gum product comprising:

a co-precipitated composition comprising a gellan gum co-precipitated with a co-precipitation agent comprising a biopolymer,

wherein the co-precipitation agent and the gellan gum are present in the co-precipitated composition in a weight ratio effective to produce the gellan gum product, and

wherein the gellan gum product, after drying and milling, has a bulk density greater than a bulk density of the gellan gum precipitated, dried, and milled without the co-precipitation agent.

20. The gellan gum product of claim 19, wherein the gellan gum is a high-acyl gellan gum, low acyl gellan gum, or a combination thereof.

21. The gellan gum product of claim 19, wherein the gellan gum product bulk density is about 0.30 g/mL or greater.

22. A method of preparing a gellan gum product, comprising:

co-precipitating an aqueous gellan gum solution with a co-precipitation agent comprising a biopolymer to form a co-precipitated composition;

wherein the gellan gum product, after drying and milling, has a bulk density of about 0.30 g/mL or greater.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising drying the co-precipitated composition.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising milling the co-precipitated composition subsequent to the step of drying.