Production of .beta.-glucan and .beta.-glucan product
AssigneeCentennial Foods, Inc.
InventorsLinji Wang, Ike E. Lynch, Kenneth Goering
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Cereal grains are ground, slurried in water below the starch gelatinization temperature. Bran, starch granules and protein are removed. .beta.-Glucan is precipitated and dehydrated with alcohol, screened and ground to become a white-colored product with a neutral flavor. The method recovers from 33 to 75 percent of the total natural occurring .beta.-glucan in cereal grains. The .beta.-glucan product is water soluble with purity ranging from 60-90 percent and exhibiting molecular weight of .beta.-glucan ranging from 4.times.10.sup.5 daltons to 2.times.10.sup.6 daltons.
Claims19
A process for obtaining a water extract of cereal grains comprising:
- a. mixing ground cereal grains, mixtures of grain or grain fractions in water to form a slurry;
- b. centrifuging the slurry to remove bran and starch granules;
- c. heating the resulting liquid phase to destroy .beta.-glucanase activity and to coagulate a protein/oil fraction;
- d. cooling the liquid phase in a heat exchanger;
- and
- e. centrifuging the liquid phase to remove the coagulated protein/oil fraction and to recover the water extract of cereal grains.
A process of recovering .beta.-glucan from a water extract of cereal grain comprising:
- a. providing a starting material of cereal grains, mixtures of grain or grain fractions which has been mixed with water to obtain a water extract;
- b. mixing the water extract with an alcohol to precipitate the .beta.-glucan;
- c. collecting the precipitated .beta.-glucan by centrifugation;
- d. dehydrating the .beta.-glucan by mixing with alcohol;
- and
- e. collecting the dehydrated .beta.-glucan by screening.
A .beta.-glucan white-colored powder product having a molecular weight ranging from 4.times.10.sup.5 daltons to 2.times.10.sup.6 daltons with a neutral flavor and a purity of 60-90 percent by weight of the product.
A .beta.-glucan white-colored product having a molecular weight ranging from 4.times.10.sup.6 daltons to 2.times.10.sup.6 daltons with a neutral flavor and a purity of 60 to about 90 percent by weight of the product.
A .beta.-glucan white-colored product having a molecular weight ranging from 4.times.10.sup.6 daltons to 2.times.10.sup.6 daltons with a neutral flavor and a purity greater than 60 percent by weight of the product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.