US 6,015,913 AGranted

Method for producing fat and/or solids from cocoa beans

AssigneeMars, Incorporated

InventorsKirk S. Kealey, Rodney M. Snyder, Leo J. Romanczyk, Jr., John F. Hammerstone, Jr., Margaret M. Buck, Giovanni G. Cipolla

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Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method of processing a fat-containing bean, e.g., cocoa beans, for producing solids comprising active polyphenols and/or fat-containing products, comprising extracting the fat to produce solids and fat-containing products. Additionally, the inventive method also provides cocoa compositions comprising at least one active polyphenol, wherein the concentration of the polyphenol(s) with respect to the nonfat solids is conserved with respect to the concentration of the active polyphenol(s) in the bean from which the compositions are derived.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of processing cocoa beans to cocoa butter and partially defatted cocoa solids, whrerein said cocoa beans consist essentially of a shell surrounding nib, which method comprises the steps of:

(a) heating said cocoa beans for a time and at an internal bean temperature sufficient to loosen said cocoa shell without roasting said nib;
(b) winnowing said cocoa nibs from said cocoa shells;
(c) screw pressing said cocoa nibs to produce cocoa butter and partially defatted cocoa solids;
and
(d) recovering said cocoa butter and said partially defatted cocoa solids, which cocoa solids contain cocoa polyphenols including cocoa procyanidins from said unroasted cocoa nibs.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.