# US 12,178,227 B2 · High protein food

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,178,227 B2
- Document ID: US12178227B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/168,324
- Filed: 2021-02-05
- Published: 2021-08-12
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-07
- Assignees: General Mills, Inc.
- Applicants: General Mills, Inc.
- Inventors: Allison Brown; Catherine Davlin; Sara Rosene; Jon Duke Seibold; Natasha Weatherby
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178227B2

## CPC

- A23L 25/10: Peanut butter
- A23L 25/30: {Mashed or comminuted products, e.g. pulp, pastes, meal, powders; Products made therefrom, e.g. blocks, flakes, snacks; Liquid or semi-liquid products (A23L25/10 and A23L25/40 take precedence)}
- A23D 9/007: characterised by ingredients other than fatty acid triglycerides
- A23J 3/14: Vegetable proteins
- A23L 33/105: Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
- A23L 33/185: Vegetable proteins
- A23V 2250/54: Proteins
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)
- A23D: EDIBLE OILS OR FATS, e.g. MARGARINES, SHORTENINGS OR COOKING OILS (preservation thereof A23B20/00; production, refinement or preservation of animal or vegetable fats or oils C11B, C11C)
- A23J: PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
- A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION

## Abstract

Described herein is a food that is suitable for use as a filling or topping for a shelf stable snack. The food has a protein content of at least 25% by weight, and a nut butter content of at least 50% by weight. The food retains a desirable eating experience, similar to a stabilized nut butter spread despite being resistant to melting and deformation during shipping, handling, and storage.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A food, comprising:
a. nut butter in an amount of at least 50% by weight of the food;
b. at least 25% protein by weight of the food, the protein including a powdered protein ingredient contributing at least 12% protein by weight of the food, the powdered protein ingredient having a protein content of at least 70% by weight of the powdered protein ingredient;
c. a stabilizing fat in an amount of about 10% to about 20% by weight of the food, wherein the stabilizing fat comprises palm oil, palm kernel stearin, and palm oil stearin, and contributes lauric acid in an amount of about 3% to about 10% by weight of the food, wherein the stabilizing fat has a Mettler Dropping Point of from about 38° C. to about 45° C., and a 10° C. to 40° C. solid fat content (SFC10-40) profile, the SFC10-40 profile having a formula of y=mx+b, where
y is solid fat content,
x is temperature in Celsius,
m is slope having a value between about −2 and about −5, and
b is a y-intercept having a value between about 95 and about 140, and the stabilizing fat has a 26.7° C. to 40° C. solid fat content (SFC27-40) profile, the SFC27-40 profile having a formula of y=mx+b, where
y is solid fat content,
x is temperature in Celsius,
m is slope having a value between about −1.5 and about −5, and
b is a y-intercept having a value between about 70 and about 150, and the stabilizing fat has a 10° C. to 26.7° C. solid fat content (SFC10-27) profile, the SFC10-27 profile having a formula of y=mx+b, where
y is solid fat content,
x is temperature in Celsius,
m is slope having a value between about −1.5 and about −3, and
b is a y-intercept having a value between about 100 and about 130;
d. a powdered food ingredient in an amount of about 8% to about 25% by weight of the food, the powdered food ingredient having a protein content of less than 70% by weight of the powdered food ingredient;
e. a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) profile having a stabilizing fat endothermic peak between 30° C. and 35° C., wherein the DSC profile exhibits a curve that has less than 10% of its area between 35° C. and 70° C.;
f. a rheology inflection midpoint at 21° C. (RIM21) and a rheology inflection midpoint at 37° C. (RIM37), where the RIM37 is at least 1×101 Pa greater than the RIM21; and
g. a moisture content of less than 2.5% by weight of the food, wherein the moisture content does not solubilize the powdered protein ingredient and does not solubilize the powdered food ingredient.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing fat has a SFC10-40 profile with a formula of y=mx+b, where
y is solid fat content,
x is temperature in Celsius,
m is slope having a value between about −2 and about −3, and
b is a y-intercept having a value between about 95 and about 110.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing fat has a SFC27-40 profile with a formula of y=mx+b, where
y is solid fat content,
x is temperature in Celsius,
m is slope having a value between about −1.5 and about −2.5, and
b is a y-intercept having a value between about 70 and about 85.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing fat has a SFC10-27 profile with a formula of y=mx+b, where
y is solid fat content,
x is temperature in Celsius,
m is slope having a value between about −1.8 and about −2.5, and
b is a y-intercept having a value between about 105 and about 120.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the RIM37 is from about 1×102 to 1×104 Pa greater than the RIM21.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the food includes nut butter in an amount of from 50% to about 65% by weight of the food.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the nut butter comprises peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the powdered food ingredient comprises a sugar or a sugar alcohol in an amount of about 6% to about 20% by weight of the food.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the powdered protein ingredient comprises whey protein and soy protein, the whey protein and soy protein included at a ratio of from about 30:70 to about 70:30.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the powdered protein ingredient comprises whey protein isolate in an amount of from about 5% to about 15% by weight of the food and soy protein isolate in an amount of from about 5% to about 15% by weight of the food.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the food comprises a defatted nut flour in an amount of up to about 10% by weight of the food.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The food of claim 1, wherein the powdered protein ingredient and the powdered food ingredient each include particles, where at least 80% of the pass through a No. 325 mesh.