Methods of egg yolk fractionation
AssigneeMichael Foods, Inc.
InventorsNoel G. RUDIE, Alicia STUBE, Daniel VANCE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Liquid egg yolk can be fractionated into water soluble and precipitated lipophilic fractions without the need to freeze or add carbohydrate(s). A composition that includes egg yolk and an excess of water has its pH downwardly adjusted before being gravitationally separated into low and high density fractions, with the former including no more than 5% of the granules from the egg yolk.
Claims20
A method for fractionating egg yolk into a water soluble fraction and a precipitated lipophilic fraction, the method comprising:
- a) obtaining a pH-adjusted egg yolk composition having a pH of 4 to 6 by adding a food grade acid to a composition comprising egg yolk and water, wherein the composition comprising the egg yolk and the water comprises at least as much water as egg yolk by volume;
- and
- b) gravitationally separating the pH-adjusted egg yolk composition into the water soluble fraction and the precipitated lipophilic fraction.
A method for fractionating egg yolk into a water soluble fraction and a precipitated lipophilic fraction, the method comprising:
- a) obtaining a pH-adjusted egg yolk composition having a pH of 4 to 6 by introducing a food grade acid to a diluted composition comprising egg yolk and water, wherein a volume of the water in the diluted composition is from 1 to less than 5 times a volume of the egg yolk;
- and
- b) without freezing and independent of an added carbohydrate, gravitationally separating the pH-adjusted egg yolk composition into the water soluble fraction and the precipitated lipophilic fraction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.