Corn protein isolate and methods of manufacturing same

A method of producing a corn protein isolate, comprising:

• a) providing a destarched wet cake corn gluten material having a moisture content of from about 40 to about 60%;
• b) treating the destarched corn gluten material to separate a solvent containing non-protein components from a protein-enriched stream;
• and
• c) drying the protein-enriched stream and recovering the corn protein isolate;
• wherein the corn protein isolate:
• i. comprises at least 85 wt % protein on a dry basis;
• ii. has an L* color value of from about 88 to 95, an “a*” color value between about −0.5 and 1.5, and a “b*” color value between about 10 and 25;
• iii. comprises less than about 1.5% oil on a dry basis;
• and
• iv. has a soluble carbohydrate concentration of 40 g/kg or less;
• wherein the treating consists essentially of washing the destarched corn gluten material with a solvent comprising water and a water-miscible organic solvent selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, and mixtures thereof in a water-miscible organic solvent concentration of from about 75 to about 95 wt % in a solvent amount of from about 3 to about 40 liters of solvent per kg of destarched corn gluten material, and separating the resulting protein-enriched stream from the solvent containing non-protein components, which protein-enriched stream is collected as solids by a separation method selected from the group consisting of filtration, centrifugation, and decanting and wherein the treating is carried out a minimum of three times or using an immersion extractor comprising a conveyor and having a minimum of three extraction stages;
• and
• wherein the destarched corn gluten material is maintained at ambient temperature or in a frozen state
• from
• the providing of the destarched wet cake corn gluten material in providing step a) until
• initiation of the treatment of the destarched corn gluten material in treating step b).