Method for producing a proteinaceous product by digestion of raw animal parts
First Claim
1. A method for preparing a proteinaceous product from raw protein-comprising animal parts, the method comprising the steps:
- (a) reducing the raw animal parts to aground condition;
(b) hydrolyzing the proteins in the ground animal parts using proteolytic enzymes, where the hydrolysis is performed at a temperature within a range conducive for hydrolytic activity of the enzymes without denaturing the protein and for a time period sufficient to achieve a preselected degree of partial hydrolysis of the protein, to form an aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts;
(c) heating the aqueous suspension sufficiently to deactivate the proteolytic enzymes therein and convert fats therein to oils;
(d) separating and removing non-digestible solids from the heated aqueous suspension;
(e) adding oil to the heated aqueous suspension to form a protein-oil suspension;
(f) pasteurizing the protein-oil suspension;
(g) reducing the concentration of water in the protein-oil suspension to form an oleaginous suspension of partially hydrolyzed protein; and
(h) removing a portion of the oil from the oleaginuous suspension to form a particulate, partially hydrolyzed, non-denatured proteinaceous product.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A particulate proteinaceous product is prepared from waste raw protein-containing animal parts with a method and an apparatus having a mulling stage wherein the raw animal parts are reduced to a ground condition; a hydrolyzing stage wherein proteins in the ground animal parts are hydrolyzed to a predetermined extent to form an aqueous suspension, using either endogenous or supplementary proteolytic enzymes, and subsequently heated to inactivate the enzymes and convert fats in the suspension to oils; a screening stage wherein non-digestible solids are removed from the suspension; a concentration stage wherein extraneous oil is added to the suspension, the suspension is pasteurized, and a large portion of the water is removed therefrom; and an oil-separation stage wherein sufficient oil is removed to form the product. A portion of the removed oil is routed back to the beginning of the concentration stage as extraneous oil added to the suspension to permit sufficient water to be removed from the suspension without forming a stiff, unprocessable mass. The method is distinctive in that it produces a dry, flaky product without the use of a conventional dryer. The method is also distinctive for its substantial resistance to equipment clogging. The proteinaceous product is dry to the touch, is compressible into pellets or cakes, and contains about 45 to 65 w/w percent partially hydrolyzed, non-denatured animal protein, about 20 to 35 w/w percent oil derived from the animal parts, about 10 to 15 w/w percent moisture, and about 0 to 7 w/w percent ash. The product also has reduced objectionable odor, reduced propensity to oxidize, and high nutritional value.
73 Citations
33 Claims
-
1. A method for preparing a proteinaceous product from raw protein-comprising animal parts, the method comprising the steps:
-
(a) reducing the raw animal parts to aground condition; (b) hydrolyzing the proteins in the ground animal parts using proteolytic enzymes, where the hydrolysis is performed at a temperature within a range conducive for hydrolytic activity of the enzymes without denaturing the protein and for a time period sufficient to achieve a preselected degree of partial hydrolysis of the protein, to form an aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts; (c) heating the aqueous suspension sufficiently to deactivate the proteolytic enzymes therein and convert fats therein to oils; (d) separating and removing non-digestible solids from the heated aqueous suspension; (e) adding oil to the heated aqueous suspension to form a protein-oil suspension; (f) pasteurizing the protein-oil suspension;
(g) reducing the concentration of water in the protein-oil suspension to form an oleaginous suspension of partially hydrolyzed protein; and(h) removing a portion of the oil from the oleaginuous suspension to form a particulate, partially hydrolyzed, non-denatured proteinaceous product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 25)
-
- 3. A method for preparing a proteinaceous product as recited in claim including the step of adding supplementary proteolytic enzymes after step (a) but before step (b).
-
26. A method for preparing a particulate proteinaceous product comprising about 45 to 65 w/w percent partially hydrolyzed animal protein from raw protein-comprising animal parts, the method comprising the steps:
-
reducing the raw animal parts to a ground condition; adding an enzyme composition comprising at least one type of proteolytic enzyme to the ground raw animal parts to form a predigestion mixture; preheating the predigestion mixture to a digestion temperature within a range suitable for proteolytic activity of the enzyme composition without denaturing the protein in the predigestion mixture; maintaining the predigestion mixture at said digestion temperature while the enzyme composition hydrolyzes the proteins in the predigestion mixture to a preselected degree of partial hydrolysis of the protein, to form an aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts; heating the aqueous suspension to a temperature greater than the digestion temperature so as to heat-deactivate the enzyme composition and convert fats therein to oils; separating and removing non-digestible solids from the heated aqueous suspension; adding oil to the heated aqueous suspension to form a protein-oil suspension; pasteurizing the protein-oil suspension; reducing the concentration of water in the protein-oil suspension to form an oleaginous suspension of partially hydrolyzed protein; and removing oil from the oleaginous suspension until the concentration of oil in the resulting proteinaceous product is within a range of about 20 to about 35 w/w percent and the concentration of partially hydrolyzed animal protein in said product is within a range of about 45 to about 65 w/w percent. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A method for preparing a proteinaceous product from raw protein-comprising animal parts, the method comprising the steps:
-
(a) grinding the animal parts; (b) adding a protein-hydrolyzing composition comprising proteolytic enzymes to the ground animal parts to form a predigestion mixture; (c) passing the predigestion mixture through a heat exchanger to preheat the predigestion mixture to a digestion temperature within a range of about 140°
to about 150°
F. and to disperse the proteolytic enzymes throughout the ground animal parts;(d) while maintaining the predigestion mixture at the digestion temperature, passing the predigestion mixture sequentially through plural digesters in a plug-flow manner at a predetermined flowrate to achieve a predetermined degree of hydrolysis of the proteins in the predigestion mixture, thereby forming an aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts; (e) heating the aqueous suspension to an enzyme-deactivating temperature within a range of about 175°
to about 185°
F. to stop digestion of the proteins and to convert fats in the aqueous suspension to oils;(f) while maintaining the aqueous suspension at the enzyme-deactivating temperature, separating and removing non-digestible solids from the aqueous suspension by passing the aqueous suspension through an inclined vibrating screen capable of obstructing passage therethrough of non-digestible solids; (g) adding supplementary oil to the aqueous suspension to form a protein-oil suspension; (h) passing the protein-oil suspension through a first evaporator for pasteurization of the protein-oil suspension at a temperature within a range of about 200°
to about 250°
F., at a pressure of about 0 to about 15 psig, and for a predetermined time period within a range of about 10 to about 20 seconds;(i) removing a portion of the water from the pasteurized protein-oil suspension to form an oleaginous suspension by passing the pasteurized protein-oil suspension through a second evaporator at a subatmospheric pressure within a range of about 15 to about 25 inHg, at a transit time preselected within a range of about 10 to about 20 seconds so as to ensure that the oleaginous suspension exits the second evaporator at a temperature within a range of about 175°
to about 200°
F; and(j) removing sufficient oil from the oleaginous suspension to form a particulate proteinaceous product comprising oil at a concentration within a range of about 20 to about 35 w/w percent, moisture at a concentration within a range of about 10 to about 15 w/w percent, ash at a concentration within a range of about 0 to about 7 w/w percent, and non-denatured, partially hydrolyzed animal protein at a concentration within a range of about 45 to about 65 w/w percent. - View Dependent Claims (33)
-
Specification