Apparatuses for producing a proteinaceous product by digestion of raw animal parts

• US 5,113,755 A
• Filed: 10/01/1991
• Issued: 05/19/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Hydrolyzing Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Hydrolyzing Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Law, Roger W., Law, Ronald R., Lum, Kenneth, Anderson, Paul S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US07/770,090
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• Field of Search: 99/483, 99/484, 99/485, 99/486, 99/495, 99/509, 99/510, 99/516, 99/534, 99/536, 241/65, 241/101.2, 241/301, 452/198, 426/55, 426/56, 426/59, 426/657, 435/68.1, 435/268, 435/272, 435/287, 435/819
• US Class Current: 99/483
• CPC Class Codes: A23J 3/341 of animal proteins

Abstract

A particulate proteinaceous product and methods for producing the same from waste raw animal parts are disclosed. The product is dry to the touch, is compressible into pellets or cakes, and comprises about 45 to 65 w/w percent partially hydrolyzed, non-denatured animal protein, about 20-35 w/w percent oil derived from the animal parts, about 10-15 w/w percent moisture, and about 0-7 w/w percent ash. The product also has less objectionable odor, less propensity to oxidize, and higher nutritional value than existing products. The method comprises 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.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preparing a particulate, proteinaceous product from raw protein-comprising animal parts, the apparatus comprising:

mulling means for converting the raw animal parts to ground animal parts, said mulling means having an inlet through which raw animal parts to be ground may be introduced and an outlet through which ground animal parts may be discharged;

hydrolyzing means adapted for enzymatically hydrolyzing proteins in the ground animal parts to form an aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts, said hydrolyzing means having an inlet through which the ground animal parts may be introduced and an outlet through which the aqueous suspension may be discharged;

separating means for removing non-digestible solids from the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts, said separating means having an inlet through which the aqueous suspension may be introduced and an outlet through which the aqueous suspension, from which the non-digestible solids have been removed, may be discharged;

oil-addition means coupled to the outlet of said separating means for adding oil to the aqueous suspension passing through the outlet of said separating means, thereby forming a protein-oil suspension;

concentrating means for partially dehydrating the protein-oil suspension, thereby forming an oleaginous suspension of partially hydrolyzed protein, said concentrating means having an inlet through which the protein-oil suspension may be introduced and an outlet through which the oleaginous suspension may be discharged after passing through said concentrating means; and

oil-removal means for removing a predetermined portion of the oil in the oleaginous suspension, thereby forming a particulate, proteinaceous product, said oil-removal means having an inlet through which the oleaginous suspension may be introduced, a first outlet through which the proteinaceous product may be discharged after passing through said oil-removal means, and a second outlet through which the predetermined portion of oil removed from the oleaginous suspension may be discharged.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising a heat exchanger for warming the ground animal parts to a temperature conductive for enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in the ground animal parts before said ground animal parts are introduced through the inlet of said hydrolyzing means.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2 further comprising means for adding extraneous proteolytic enzymes to the ground animal parts before the ground animal parts are introduced through the inlet of said hydrolyzing means.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 2 further comprising means for urging passage of the ground animal parts through the heat exchanger at a predetermined hydraulic flow rate.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said hydrolyzing means comprises a plurality of horizontal, longitudinally extended digesters coupled to each other end-to-end in a series configuration.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5 further comprising means for passing the ground animal parts through the digesters at a predetermined hydraulic flow rate and in a plug flow manner so as to attain a predetermined degree of hydrolysis of proteins in the ground animal parts as the ground animal parts pass through the digesters.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 5 further comprising a heat exchanger for warming the ground animal parts to a temperature conducive for enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in the ground animal parts before the ground animal parts pass through the digesters.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising heat-deactivating means operable to heat said aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts discharged through the outlet of said hydrolyzing means to a temperature sufficient to stop enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in said aqueous suspension.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said heat-deactivating means comprises a steam injector coupled to the outlet of said hydrolyzing means for controllably passing live steam into the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts discharged through the outlet of said hydrolyzing means.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said separating means further comprises an inclined vibrating screen.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said concentrating means further comprises means for pasteurizing the protein-oil suspension.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said concentrating means further comprises a first evaporator having an inlet coupled to the outlet of the separating means and an outlet, and a second evaporator having an inlet coupled to the outlet of the first evaporator and an outlet through which the oleaginous suspension may be discharged.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the first evaporator includes means for pasteurizing the protein-oil suspension.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the first and second evaporators are in a double-effect configuration.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the first evaporator is a wiped-film type of evaporator.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 further comprising pump means for urging passage of the protein-oil suspension through the first evaporator, said pump means having a pumping capacity sufficient to continuously unload the first evaporator, thereby preventing the first evaporator from becoming filled with the protein-oil suspension as the protein-oil suspension passes through the first evaporator.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said oil-addition means further comprises means for delivering a predetermined portion of the oil discharged through the second outlet of said oil-removal means to said oil-addition means.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said oil-removal means comprises an oil-separation centrifuge.

19. An apparatus for preparing a particulate, proteinaceous product from raw protein-comprising animal parts, the apparatus comprising in combination:

a grinder for converting the raw animal parts to a ground condition, said grinder having an inlet through which raw animal parts to be ground may be introduced and an outlet for discharging ground animal parts;

a heater adapted for warming the ground animal parts to a temperature conducive for enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in the ground animal parts, the heater having an inlet through which the ground animal parts may be introduced and an outlet through which the warmed round animal parts may be discharged;

a plurality of horizontally oriented, longitudinally extended digesters coupled to each other end-to-end in a series configuration for enzymatically hydrolyzing proteins in the ground animal parts to form an aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts, where a first digester in the series configuration has an inlet through which the warmed ground animal parts may be introduced, and a last digester in the series configuration has an outlet through which the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts may be discharged;

a separator for removing non-digestible solids from the aqueous suspension, the separator including an inlet through which the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts may be introduced and an outlet through which the aqueous suspension, from which the non-digestible solids have been removed, may be discharged;

an oil injector for adding a predetermined amount of oil to the aqueous suspension discharged through the outlet of the separator, thereby forming a protein-oil suspension;

first and second evaporators for partially dehydrating the protein-oil suspension, thereby forming an oleaginous suspension of partially hydrolyzed protein, the first evaporator having an inlet through which the protein-oil suspension may be introduced and an outlet, and the second evaporator having an inlet coupled to the outlet of the first evaporator and an outlet through which the oleaginous suspension of partially hydrolyzed protein may be discharged;

an oil-remover for removing a predetermined amount of oil from the oleaginous suspension, thereby forming a particulate, proteinaceous product, the oil-remover having an inlet through which the oleaginous suspension may be introduced, a first outlet through which the particulate, proteinaceous product may be discharged, and a second outlet through which oil removed from the oleaginous suspension may be discharged.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 19 comprising means for passing the ground animal parts through the digesters at a predetermined hydraulic flow rate and in a plug flow manner so as to control the extent of hydrolysis of proteins in the ground animal parts as the ground animal parts pass through the digesters.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 19 further comprising means for heat-deactivating proteolytic enzymes in the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts discharged through the outlet of the last digester.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein the first evaporator includes means for pasteurizing the protein-oil suspension passing through the first evaporator.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein the first evaporator is a wiped-film type of evaporator and the apparatus further comprises pump means for urging passage of the protein-oil suspension through the first evaporator, said pump means having a pumping capacity sufficient to continuously unload the first evaporator, thereby preventing the first evaporator from becoming filled with the protein-oil suspension as the protein-oil suspension passes through the first evaporator.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein the oil injector further comprises means for delivering a predetermined portion of the oil discharged through the second outlet of the oil remover to the oil injector.

25. An apparatus for preparing a particulate, partially hydrolyzed proteinaceous product from raw, protein-comprising animal parts, the apparatus comprising:

a grinder for comminuting the raw animal parts, the grinder having an inlet through which the raw animal parts to be comminuted may be introduced and an outlet for discharging ground animal parts;

means for adding extraneous proteolytic enzymes to the ground animal parts;

a heat-exchanger for warming the ground animal parts to a temperature conducive for enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in the ground animal parts, the heat exchanger having an inlet through which ground animal parts may be introduced and an outlet through which the warmed ground animal parts may be discharged;

a plurality of horizontally oriented, longitudinally extended digesters coupled to each other end-to-end in a series configuration or enzymatically hydrolyzing proteins in the warmed ground animal parts as the warmed ground animal parts pass through the digesters to form an aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts, where a first digester in the series configuration has an inlet through which the warmed ground animal parts may be introduced and a last digester in the series configuration has an outlet through which the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts may be discharged;

means for passing the warmed ground animal parts through the digesters at a predetermined hydraulic flow rate and in a plug flow manner so as to control the extent of enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in the ground animal parts as the warmed ground animal parts pass through the digesters;

a heat-deactivator operable to heat the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts discharged through the outlet of the last digester to a temperature sufficient to stop enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in the aqueous suspension;

an inclined vibrating screen for removing non-digestible solids from the aqueous suspension, the screen including an inlet through which the aqueous suspension of partially hydrolyzed animal parts may be introduced and an outlet through which the aqueous suspension, from which the non-digestible solids have been removed, may be discharged;

an oil injector for adding a predetermined amount of oil to the aqueous suspension discharged through the outlet of the screen, thereby forming a protein-oil suspension;

a first evaporator for pasteurizing and partially dehydrating the protein-oil suspension, the first evaporator having an inlet through which the protein-oil suspension may be introduced and an outlet;

a second evaporator for further dehydrating the protein-oil suspension after the protein-oil suspension has passed through the first evaporator, thereby forming an oleaginous suspension of partially hydrolyzed protein, the second evaporator having an inlet coupled to the outlet of the first evaporator and an outlet through which the oleaginous suspension may be discharged; and

an oil remover or removing a predetermined amount of oil from the oleaginous suspension, thereby forming a particulate, proteinaceous product, the oil-remover having an inlet through which the oleaginous suspension may be introduced, a first outlet through which the particulate, proteinacous product may be discharged, and a second outlet through which oil removed from the oleaginous suspension may be discharged, where the second outlet is coupled to a pump delivering a predetermined portion of the oil to the oil injector.