Process for purifying retrograded amylose

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PURIFYING RETROGRATED AMYLOSE WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF EFFECTING A FLUID SOLUTION OF RETROGRADED AMYLOSE IN A MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF WATER AND A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALCOHOLS HAVING 4 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS INCLUSIVE, AT A TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM ABOUT 250*F. TO TEMPERATURES AT WHICH AMYLOSE TENDS TO DEGRADE, THE TIME AT THE SAID TEMPERATURE BEING LIMITED TO AVOID SUBSTANTIAL DEGRADATION OF THE AMYLOSE, THE PROPORTIONS OF WATER AND ALCOHOL IN THE SAID MIXTURE BEING SUCH THAT A SEPARABLE WATER LAYER AND A SEPARABLE ALCOHOL LAYER CAN BE FORMED AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE ATMOSPHERIC BOILING POINT OF THE WATERALCOHOL MIXTURE AND ABOVE 120*F., THE AMOUNT OF IMPURE RETROGRADED AMYLOSE DRY SUBSTANCE BEING NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 15% BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE WATER IN THE WATER-ALCOHOL MIXTURE, COOLING THE SAID FLUID SOLUTION TO BELOW THE ATMOSPHERIC BOILING POINT OF THE WATER-ALCOHOL MIXTURE AND ABOUT 120*F., MAINTAINING THE SAID FLUID SOLUTION BETWEEN ABOUT 120*F. AND THE BOILING POINT OF THE SAID MIXTURE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO FORM AN UPPER SEPARABLE ALCOHOL LAYER AND A LOWER SEPARABLE WATER LAYER, SEPARATING THE SAID ALCOHOL LAYER FROM THE SAID WATER LAYER AND RECOVERING SUBSTANTIALLY FAT-FREE AMYLOSE FROM THE WATER LAYER.