Foam separation of gluten and starch

Claim 2

A PROCESS OF SEPARATING STARCH ANND GLUTEN COMPONENTS OF WHEAT ENDOSPERM OBTAINED BY A HYDROPROCESSING METHOD WHEREIN THE NORMAL CELLULAR STRUCTURE OF THE ENDOSPERM IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY DISRUPTED AND DURING WHICH THE ENDOSPERM IS DISPERSED IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM, THE STARCH GRANULES ARE MAINTAINED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY INTACT AND UNGELATINIZED FROM AND THE GLUTEN PROTEIN IS DISPERSED AND WHEREIN THE HUSKS ARE REMOVED FROM SAID PRODUCT; THE ENDOSPERM COMPRISING WHEAT STARCH GRANULES WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY INTACT, UNGELATINIZED AND UNOCCLUDED BY GLUTEN PROTEIN; HOMOGENEOUS, SMOOTHLY CONTOURED OF GLUTEN PROTEIN PARTICLES CONTAINING ONLY MINOR AMOUNTS OF OCCULDED BY STARCH, SAID GLUTEN PROTEIN BEING SUBSTANTIALLY UNDENATURED WITH RESPECT TO DOUGHING FUNCTION; SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. PROVIDING AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION COMPRISING SAID WHEAT STARCH GRANULES, SAID GLUTEN PROTEIN PARTICLES AND WHEAT SOLUBLES HAVING A PH BETWEEN 3.8 AND 6.5; B. INCORPORATING GAS INTO SAID AQUEOUS DISPERSION TO CREATE A GAS EMULSION WHEREIN THE GAS BUBBLES ARE SPHERICAL AND ARE PREDOMINANTLY LESS THAN 1,000 MICRONS IN DIAMETER; C. ALLOWING SAID GAS EMULSION TO CONSOLIDATE INTO A TOP A LAYER OF FOAM, COMPRISING PARTICLES OF GLUTEN PROTEIN AND SOME STARCH GRANULES ENTRAPPED IN THE INTERSTICS OF COMPACTED SPHERICAL BUBBLES, ANND A BOTTOM LAYER, COMPRISING STARCH GRANULES SUSPENDED IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF WHEAT SOLUBLES; AND, D. SEPARATING SAID FOAM LAYER CONTAINING GLUTEN PROTEIN FROM SAID DISPERSION OF STARCH AND SOLUBLES.

Claim 3

The process Of claim 1 wherein, prior to separating said consolidated foam layer from said bottom layer, said foam layer is washed while being gently agitated to effect selective elution of starch and solubles into said bottom layer.

Claim 4

The process of claim 2 wherein prior to washing said foam layer as described in claim 2, said foam layer is gently agitated to cause aggregation of particles of gluten protein.

Claim 5

The process of claim 3 wherein said aqueous dispersion contains from 4 to 26 percent by weight of wheat solids.

Claim 6

The process of claim 4 wherein at least 90 percent by weight of the gluten protein particles in said aqueous dispersion, step a, are more than 50 microns in randomly measured dimension.

Claim 7

The process of claim 5 wherein the pH of said aqueous dispersion is from 4.2 to 5.0.

Claim 8

The process of claim 6 wherein the solids content of said aqueous dispersion is between 8 and 18 percent.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7 wherein an oxidizing agent is added to said aqueous dispersion prior to incorporating gas therein, said oxidizing agent being selected from the group consisting of potassium bromate, potassium iodate, potassium persulfate, hydrogen peroxide, acetone peroxide, azodicarbonamide, dihydro-L-ascorbic acid, chlorine dioxide and oxygen.

Claim 10

The process of claim 5 wherein gas is incorporated into said aqueous dispersion by means sufficient to create gas bubbles predominantly less than 1,000 microns in diameter.

Claim 11

The process of claim 9 wherein the bubbles in said gas emulsion are predominantly less than 300 microns in diameter.

Claim 12

The process of claim 10 wherein the specific volume of said gas emulsion ranges from 1.3 to about 2.0 ml per gram of endosperm dispersion.

Claim 13

The process of claim 1 wherein said foam layer contains 30% to 40% protein on a dry basis.

Claim 14

The process of claim 9 wherein a thiolytic agent is added to said endosperm dispersion prior to incorporating gas therein to provide equivalent concentrations of reactive sulfhydryl group ranging from about 10 to about 75 microequivalents per 100 grams of endosperm solids, said thiolytic agent being selected from glutathione and the group of compounds containing two to six linearly linked carbon atoms, bearing at least one substituent sulfhydryl group and at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, carboxyl and amino.

Claim 15

The process of claim 13 wherein the thiolytic agent is selected from the group consisting of cysteine and the soluble salts of cysteine.

Claim 16

The process of claim 13 wherein the thiolytic agent is alpha monothioglycerol.

Claim 17

A process of separating starch and gluten components of wheat endosperm comprising the steps of: a. obtaining an aqueous dispersion comprising starch, gluten protein and wheat solubles by hydroprocess, said process comprising the steps of: i. steeping 1 part by weight of wheat in at least 1.5 parts by weight of an aqueous acid steeping medium at a temperature ranging from about 18* C. to about 45* C. until the wheat has sorbed steeping medium equivalent to about 56 to about 95 percent by weight of the wheat, said steeping medium containing acid in concentration and quantity sufficient to maintain the pH of said steeping medium external of the wheat between 0.8 and 2.5 and to reduce the internal pH of the hydrated wheat to between 2.5 and 4.0; ii. macerating the hydrated wheat to split the husk and expose the endosperm as a plastic mass while maintaining at least 90 percent by weight of the husk and the germ above a minimum dimension of 300 microns; iii. dispersing the macerated wheat in an aqueous dispersing medium to a solids concentration of from about 4 to about 26 percent and maintaining the pH of said dispersion between about 2.4 and about 3.4; the dispersing shEar being sufficient to disengage the endosperm from the husk and the germ tissues; iv. separating said dispersion into a particulate husk and germ fraction and an endosperm dispersion; v. while maintaining throughout the process substantially all of the starch granules in an intact, ungelatinized form and maintaining substantially all of the gluten protein in a dispersible and substantially undenatured state with respect to doughing function. vi. adjusting the pH to between 3.8 and 6.5 b. incorporating gas into said aqueous dispersion to create a gas emulsion wherein the gas bubbles are spherical and are predominantly less than 1000 microns in diameter; c. allowing said gas emulsion to consolidate into a top layer of foam, comprising particles of gluten protein and some starch granules entrapped in the interstices of compacted spherical bubbles, and a bottom layer, comprising starch granules suspended in an aqueous solution of wheat solubles; d. separating said foam layer containing gluten protein from said dispersion of starch and solubles.

Claim 18

A process of separating starch and gluten components of wheat endosperm comprising the steps of: a. obtaining an aqueous dispersion comprising starch, gluten protein and wheat solubles by hydroprocess, said process comprising the steps of: i. steeping 1 part by weight of wheat in at least 1.5 parts by weight of an aqueous acid steeping medium at a temperature ranging from about 18* C. to about 45* C. until the wheat has sorbed steeping medium equivalent to about 56 to about 95 percent by weight of the wheat, said steeping medium containing acid in concentration and quantity sufficient to maintain the pH of said steeping medium external of the wheat between 0.8 and 2.5 and to reduce the internal pH of the hydrated wheat to between 2.5 and 4.0; ii. macerating the hydrated wheat to split the husk and expose the endosperm as a plastic mass while maintaining at least 90 percent by weight of the husk and the germ above a minimum dimension of 300 microns; iii. dispersing the macerated wheat in an aqueous dispersing medium to a solids concentration of from about 4 to about 26 percent and maintaining the pH of said dispersion between about 2.4 and about 3.4; the dispersing shEar being sufficient to disengage the endosperm from the husk and the germ tissues; iv. separating said dispersion into a particulate husk and germ fraction and an endosperm dispersion; v. while maintaining throughout the process substantially all of the starch granules in an intact, ungelatinized form and maintaining substantially all of the gluten protein in a dispersible and substantially undenatured state with respect to doughing function. vi. adjusting the pH to between 3.8 and 6.5 b. incorporating gas into said aqueous dispersion to create a gas emulsion wherein the gas bubbles are spherical and are predominantly less than 1000 microns in diameter; c. allowing said gas emulsion to consolidate into a top layer of foam, comprising particles of gluten protein and some starch granules entrapped in the interstices of compacted spherical bubbles, and a bottom layer, comprising starch granules suspended in an aqueous solution of wheat solubles; d. separating said foam layer containing gluten protein from said dispersion of starch and solubles.

Claim 19

The process of claim 16 wherein, prior to separating said consolidated foam layer from said bottom layer, said foam layer is washed while being gently agitated to effect selective elution of starch and solubles into said bottom layer.

Claim 20

The process of claim 17 wherein prior to washing said foam layer, said foam layer is gently agitated to cause aggregation of particles of gluten protein.

Claim 21

The process of claim 18 wherein said aqueous dispersion contains from 4 to 26 percent by weight of wheat solids.

Claim 22

The process of claim 19 wherein at least 90 percent by weight of the gluten protein particles in the initial aqueous dispersion are more than 50 microns in randomly measured dimension.

Claim 23

The process of claim 20 wherein the bubbles in said gas emulsion are predominantly less than 300 microns in diameter.

Claim 24

The process of claim 21 wherein the specific volume of said gas emulsion ranges from 1.3 to about 2.0 ml per gram of endosperm dispersion.