US 5,965,176 A · Method of manufacturing a protein gel

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a protein gel. In the first step, a protein-containing solution is heated for sterilization. In the second step, the protein-containing solution is cooled, and an enzyme is added to the protein-containing solution. In the subsequent third step, the protein-containing solution and the enzyme are mixed while maintaining the temperature in the second step so as to obtain a mixture. In the fourth step, the mixture is aseptically filled in a food container. In the fifth step, the aseptically filled mixture is allowed to stand at ambient temperature, during which the enzyme denatures the protein in the protein-containing solution. Since the mixture is not required to be heated for denaturing the protein in the protein-containing solution, the energy consumed in the manufacturing process is reduced, thereby lowering the manufacturing costs.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a tofu protein gel comprising:

(a) heating a soy protein-containing solution for sterilization;
(b) cooling said sterilized soy protein-containing solution to a temperature within a range sufficiently low to prevent curdling of the soy protein upon addition of transglutaminase thereto;
(c) mixing said sterilized soy protein-containing solution and the transglutaminase to obtain a mixture while maintaining the temperature of said sterilized protein-containing solution within said range;
(d) aseptically filling said mixture in a food container while maintaining the temperature of said sterilized protein-containing solution within said range;
and
(e) reacting the transglutaminase with the soy protein-containing solution at ambient temperature to curdle the soy protein and form the tofu by allowing said aseptically filled mixture to stand in said container at ambient temperature.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of manufacturing a protein gel

Life of this patent

Method of manufacturing a protein gel

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13