METHOD FOR OBTAINING A FOOD PRODUCT WITH A HIGH FIBRE CONTENT AND FOOD PRODUCT OBTAINABLE WITH THIS METHOD

Abstract

A method for obtaining a food product from a wet mass of waste materials arising from production processes for producing products like beer, whisky, vodka, gin, tequila, liqueurs or citrus-fruit based distillates, cider, sake, soy sauce is provided. An enzyme is added to the waste materials that is suitable for breaking down possible gluten residues in the materials and making the enzyme act for a period between 15 and 30 minutes. The waste materials are boiled for at least 20 minutes. The waste materials are cooled and centrifuged to eliminate most of the water present in the waste materials. The materials are dried at a temperature between 70° C. and 100° C. for a time between 60 and 120 minutes, by a radio frequency dryer so as to obtain, at the end of drying, a product with relative humidity between 14 and 2%. A food product is provided that includes a percentage by weight between 1% and 60% of at least one flour obtainable from waste materials arising from the production processes for producing products like beer, whisky, vodka, gin, tequila, liqueurs or citrus-fruit based distillates, cider, sake, soy sauce, and at least one cereal flour, or vegetable flour, or animal flour, in a percentage by weight between 40% and 99%.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining a food product from a wet mass of waste materials arising from the production processes for producing products like beer, whisky, vodka, gin, tequila, liqueurs or citrus-fruit based distillates, cider, sake, soy sauce, characterized in that it includes the following steps: adding to said waste materials an enzyme that is suitable for breaking down possible gluten residues in said materials and making said enzyme act for a period comprised between 15 and 30 minutes; boiling said waste materials for a time of at least 20 minutes; cooling and centrifuging said waste materials to eliminate most of the water present therein; drying said materials at a temperature comprised between 70° C. and 100° C. for a time comprised between 60 and 120 minutes, by radio frequency dryer so as to obtain, at the end of said drying, a product with relative humidity comprised between 14 and 2%.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said drying occurs by radiating said materials with electromagnetic waves at a frequency comprised between 15 MHz and 100 MHz.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein after said drying grinding said product is provided until a product with a particle size variable between 1 and 0.2 mm is obtained.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein after said grinding, said product is micronized until the particle size thereof is taken to a value comprised between 100 microns and 400 microns.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, before said adding, said waste materials are stored in a thermally insulated container, for a period not exceeding 48 hours.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, before said adding, said waste materials are stored in a cooled container, for a period not exceeding 48 hours.

7. A food product obtainable with the method of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it consists of beer flour obtained by mixing barley malt flour with a percentage in weight comprised between 90% and 99% and hop flour with a percentage in weight comprised between 1% and 10%.

8. A food product characterized in that it includes a percentage by weight comprised between 1% and 60% of at least one flour obtainable with the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, from waste materials arising from the production processes for producing products like beer, whisky, vodka, gin, tequila, liqueurs or citrus-fruit based distillates, cider, sake, soy sauce, and at least one cereal flour, or a vegetable flour, or an animal flour, in a percentage by weight comprised between 40% and 99%.

9. The food product according to claim 8, wherein said at least one cereal flour is chosen from a group comprising durum wheat flour, soft wheat flour, wheat flour, maize flour, rice flour, oat flour, barley flour, spelt flour, teff flour, buckwheat flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, rye flour, bulgur wheat flour, fonio flour, millet flour, Khorasan wheat flour.

10. The food product according to claim 8, wherein said at least one vegetable flour is chosen from a group comprising carob flour, linseed flour, almond flour, coconut flour, cashew flour, legume flour, sesame flour, potato flour, yam flour, green banana flour, tapioca flour, chestnut flour, alga flour.

11. The food product according to claim 8, wherein said at least one animal flour is chosen from a group comprising cricket flour, locust flour, silkworm flour, honey larvae flour, scorpion flour, mealworm flour, snail flour.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0118] The method according to the invention is based on the recovery of a wet mass of waste materials, such as, for example, brewers' grains or skins, arising from the production processes for producing products like beer, whisky, vodka, gin, tequila, liqueurs or citrus-fruit based distillates, cider, sake, soy sauce and which develops in the following steps: [0119] 1. adding an enzyme to said waste materials that is suitable for breaking down possible gluten residues so as to make the end product completely devoid of gluten, said enzyme acting for a period comprised between 15 and 30 minutes; [0120] 2. boiling said waste materials for at least 20 minutes to reduce to zero the bacterial content and deactivate said enzyme and other possible enzymes present in said waste materials; [0121] 3. cooling and centrifuging said waste materials to eliminate most of the water present, centrifugation being preferred to pressing because it is a process that stresses said materials less and maintains the materials completely whole, not modifying the organoleptic properties of the end product; [0122] 4. drying at a temperature comprised between and 70 and 100° C. for a time comprised between 60 and 120 minutes, by a radio frequency dryer that enables said materials to be dried without affecting the organoleptic properties thereof; a product being obtained at the end of said drying that has a relative humidity comprised between 14 and the 2%; [0123] 5. milling said product, for example by a hammer mill, until a product is obtained with a particle size that is variable between 1 and 0.2 mm; [0124] 6. micronization of said product in a micronizing device, until the particle size of the product has been taken to a dimension comprised between 100 and 400 micron, making the product a flour that can be used for any food preparation.

[0125] Before starting the processing of said waste materials, said materials can be stored for a period not exceeding 48 hours, in suitable thermal containers, i.e. thermally isolated containers, so as to diminish the fermentation process by maintaining the “heat chain” to counteract the formation of possible moulds if said materials are the results of the production of a whisky, beer, vodka and gin, liqueurs or citrus-fruit based distillates, tequila, sake and have been previously processed by the heat cycle.

[0126] If on the other hand said waste materials result from the production of liqueurs or citrus-fruit based distillates, cider, soy sauce, beer (from the recovery of hops after the “dry hopping” step) and were previously processed with the cold cycle, storage can be provided for a period not exceeding 48 hours, in suitable cooled containers, so as to slow the fermentation process and the formation of possible moulds.

[0127] With regard to the step of drying in a radio frequency dryer, it is pointed out that when a dielectric material (in our case the brewers' grains or the peel) is subjected to the action of an outer electromagnetic field, the molecules of which it consists undergo a phenomenon that is called polarization: the electric dipoles are arranged according to the direction of the electric field applied. Using an oscillating field induces a vibrational-rotational effect of the molecules (in particular dipolar molecules like water) or of the spatial charges: if the polarity of the outer field is periodically reversed, the dipoles are forced to undertake an oscillating movement (with the same frequency) to be realigned with the field. At high frequencies, typically in the field of radio frequency comprised between 15 and 100 MHz, where the field polarity is reversed several million times per second, the rapid oscillation and the resulting intermolecular friction cause a dissipation of energy in the form of heat because part of the energy conferred by the outer magnetic field is absorbed by the molecules that start to vibrate and transform the energy into thermal energy. These phenomena, which generate great dissipation of kinetic and magnetic energy in the form of heat, give rise to homogeneous heating action regardless of the dimensions, the weight, density and thermal conductivity of the product subjected to drying. Further, it is possible to avoid the problem of localized overtemperatures because the radio frequencies act throughout the mass of the product, but only where the dielectric is present (in our case the water). A radio frequency drying plant mainly consists of a tunnel with one or more levels (depending on the productive capacity of the plant) within which the product to be dried advances by chains or belts. The electromagnetic waves are generated by a generator of radio frequencies, connected between two electrodes in the middle of which the product to be dried advances. During the drying process, the water present in the product is heated uniformly and instantaneously throughout the mass of the product, whatever the form thereof. This activates instantaneously the evaporation processes of the water and the transmigration of the water from the inner part to the surface of the product, to then evaporate by meeting the air inside the dryer that has a relative humidity that is much lower so that it is very receptive to the water. There is thus linear drying from the inside to the outside without meeting obstacles due to the various humidity gradients that are encountered in the case of drying by hot air. This enables faster drying times to be obtained, with lower drying temperatures that do not compromise the chemical and biological properties of the product, and energy saving, because only energy to evaporate the water is supplied and heat dispersal does not occur to heat the entire environment and the surrounding structures. The maximum 35% efficiency of a hot air thermal system is increased to 70% with this system.

Features of the Products Obtained after the Drying and Grinding Process

Beer and Whisky

[0128] In this case, the end product is comparable, because the production process and the raw materials used are completely identical until the brewers' grains are removed from the process. In the case of beer, the hops will then be added (which according to our invention will also be recovered and subsequently dried and added in a percentage that is variable from 1 to 10% to the brewers' grains flour to create the beer flour (or used singly for other preparations) and the yeasts that will give rise to the second fermentation, whilst in the case of the whisky, distillation will occur.

[0129] The flour obtained will have a particle size comprised between 100 and 300 microns, with a fibre content that is variable between 35% and 50% by weight, and relative humidity comprised between 2% and 10% by weight. A beta glucans content comprised between 1% and 2% by weight, low carbohydrate content.

Cider

[0130] The flour obtained will have a particle size comprised between 100 and 300 microns, with a fibre content that is variable between 30% and 40% by weight, and relative humidity comprised between 2% and 10% by weight. It contains vitamins of the groups A, B1, B2, C and has a high iron, potassium and calcium content.

Vodka and Gin

[0131] The flour obtained will have a particle size comprised between 100 and 300 microns, with a fibre content that is variable between 25% and 45% by weight, and relative humidity comprised between 2% and 10% by weight. It contains vitamins of the groups A, B1, B2, C and a high iron potassium and calcium content. The properties of the flour in this case may vary according to the basic product used (potatoes, wheat or another cereal).

Liqueurs or Citrus-Fruit Based Distillates, Both Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic

[0132] The flour obtained will have a particle size comprised between 100 and 300 microns, with a fibre content that is variable between 40% and 50% by weight, and relative humidity comprised between 2% and 10% by weight. The flour contains vitamins of the C group and a large amount of calcium.

Sake

[0133] The flour obtained will have a particle size comprised between 100 and 300 microns, with a fibre content that is variable between 40% and 50% by weight, and relative humidity comprised between 2% and 10% by weight. This flour is an important source of high quality proteins and fats, it is rich in vitamins of groups B and E and has antioxidant properties.

Tequila

[0134] The flour obtained will have a particle size comprised between 100 and 300 microns, with a fibre content that is variable between 20% and 30% by weight, and relative humidity comprised between 2% and 10% by weight. It contains large amounts of vitamins of the C group and folates.

Use of the Products Obtained by the Process According to the Invention.

[0135] The obtained products can be used according to the following modes: [0136] 1. pure [0137] 2. mixed, in a percentage comprised between 1% and 60%, with other types of flour resulting from: [0138] a. cereals such as durum wheat, soft wheat, maize, rice, oats, barley, spelt, teff, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, rye, bulgur wheat, fonio, millet, Khorasan wheat (kamut); [0139] b. vegetables such as carob, linseed, almonds, cocoa, cashew nuts, pulses (chickpeas, peas, broad beans, soy, beans, lentils) sesame, potatoes, yam, plantains, tapioca, chestnuts, algae; [0140] c. animals such as cricket flour, locust flour, silkworm flour, honey larvae flour, scorpion flour, Tenebrio molitor flour, snail flour.