Gelatinous food elastomer compositions and articles

• US 7,108,873 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2002
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Elastomerics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Elastomerics Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, John Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lilling, Herbert J.
• Application Number:
  US10/199,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20040018223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,522 Days
• Field of Search: 524/505, 424/486, 426/1, 426/648, 426/656, 426/534, 426/555, 426/573
• US Class Current: 426/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 13/67 Reformed meat products other than sausages
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 17/70 Comminuted, e.g. emulsified, fish products; Processed products therefrom such as pastes, reformed or compressed products A23L17/65, A23L17/10, A23L17/20, A23L17/40, A23L17/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 29/284 Gelatin; Collagen

Abstract

A soft gelatinous food elastomer composition and article useful as simulated food formed from one or a mixture of two or more of a thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s) and one or more plasticizers and a food or components of food. The plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom.

Claims

1. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) a selected plasticizer being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with

(III) a selected amount of one or more dry foodstuff.

2. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

In combination with

(III) a selected amount of one or more dry foodstuff protein.

3. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more of a thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with

(III) a selected amount of one or more amino acids, proteins, crude proteins, true proteins, and lipids of a dry foodstuff;

wherein said block copolymers is poly(styrene-ethylene-ethylene-propylene-styrene).

4. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinoUS food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more of a hydrogenated styrene isoprene/butadiene block copolymer(s) and from

(II) about 300 to about 1,600 parts by weight of a plasticizing oil;

with or without

(III) a selected amount of one or more polymers or copolymers of poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene)_n, poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene)_n, poly(styrene-isoprene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene- styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene)_n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene)_n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, or polyethylene, wherein said selected copolymer is a linear, radial, star-shaped, branched or multiarm copolymer, wherein n is greater than one; and

in combination with

(IV) a selected amount of one or more amino adds, proteins, crude proteins, true proteins, and lipids of a dry seafoodstuff.

5. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom;

in combination with one or more selected amounts of lipids, amino acids, proteins, minerals, vitamins, sugars, blood plasma, serum, hormones, tissue, cartilage, and bone matter of a foodstuff selected from animal foodstuff, vegetable foodstuff, and microbiological foodstuff.

6. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with a dry foodstuff.

7. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with one or more foodstuff flavorings.

8. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in suffident amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with one or more foodstuff additives;

wherein said block copolymers is poly(styrene-ethylene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene) or poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene.

9. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with one or more foodstuff selected from animal foodstuff, vegetable foodstuff, and microbiological foodstuff;

wherein said block copolymers is poly(styrene-ethylene-ethylene-propylene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene) or poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene).

10. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom;

said gelatinous food elastomer composition in combination with one or more dry foodstuff selected from meats, vegetables, fruits, bacteria, fungus, yeasts, alga, seaweeds, and grasses, including one or more foodstuff extracts selected from proteins, cells, blood plasma, serum, and hormones.

11. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with or without one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom;

in combination with or without

(III) one or more selected polymers or copolymers; and

in combination with

(IV)one or more dry foodstuff;

said second plasticizers being in effective amounts in combination with said first plasticizers for said gelatinous compositions to have a greater temperature compression set than a gelatinous composition having the same rigidity formed from said first plasticizers alone;

said second plasticizers for said gelatinous compositions to have a greater temperature compression set than a gelatinous composition having the same rigidity formed from said first plasticizers alone or formed from a combination of said first plasticizers and said second plasticizers.

12. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more plasticizers with a selected amount of one or more waxes, said plasticizers in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with one or more a dry foodstuff;

with or without one or more selected polymers or copolymers;

said waxes in effective amounts for said gelatinous food elastomer composition to have a greater temperature compresion set than a gelatinous food elastomer composition having the same rigidity formed from said plasticizers alone.

13. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastamer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more plasticizers with a selected amount of one or more waxes, said plasticizers in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with

(III) one or more foodstuff selected from animal foodstuff, vegetable foodstuff, and microbiological foodstuff.

14. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more plasticizers in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom;

said gelatinous food elastomer composition in combination with a selected amount of one or more foodstuff selected from a fish foodstuff, an animal foodstuff, a meat foodstuff, a vegetable foodstuff, a microbiological foodstuff, a bacteria foodstuff, a fungus foodstuff, a mold foodstuff, an alga foodstuff, a seaweed foodstuff, a grass foodstuff, a yeast foodstuff, a protein foodstuff, a seafood protein foodstuff, a vegetable protein foodstuff, a crude protein foodstuff, a true protein foodstuff, an amino acid extract foodstuff, a sugar extract foodstuff, a plant starch extract foodstuff, a carbohydrate extract foodstuff, an extract of foodstuff, a lipid extract foodstuff, a fruit foodstuff, a fruit extract foodstuff, an extract of fungus foodstuff, an extract of microbiological foodstuff, an insect foodstuff, an insect extract foodstuff, and mineral foodstuff, and a mineral extract foodstuff.

15. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more thermoplastic elastamer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more first plasticizers with one or more second plasticizers being in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom;

in combination with a selected amount of one or more foodstuff selected from animal foodstuff, vegetable foodstuff, fungus foodstuff, and microbiological foodstuff;

said second plasticizers being in effective amounts in combination with said first plasticizers for said gelatinous compositions to have a greater temperature compression set than a gelatinous composition having the same rigidity formed from said first plasticizers alone.

16. A foodstuff comprising a soft gelatinous food elastomer composition formed from

(I) 100 parts by weight of one or more of thermoplastic elastomer block copolymer(s);

(II) one or more plasticizers in sufficient amounts to achieve a gel rigidity of from about 20 gram Bloom to about 1,800 gram Bloom; and

in combination with a selected amount of one or more biological foodstuffs.