SUSTAINABLE FOOD SOURCE FROM PERENNIAL GRASS

Abstract

Perennial grasses can be a source of sustainable and renewable food supplies. Unlike efforts in selective genetics to produce grains with perennial phenotypes, this invention processes perennial grasses that can be efficiently and economically extracted to produce an easily stored food that does not require refrigeration. Grasses are cut, juice is extracted, centrifuged, treated with non-activated coconut charcoal, filtered , microscopically examined to assure minimal cellulose content, and dehydrated to produce a stable solid that can be rehydrated or incorporated into flours. Yields from fresh grass extraction exceeds those from rehydration of hay. Non-activated coconut charcoal is a renewable and inexpensive resource. Perennial pasture grasses grown with clover or other legumes require minimal yearly fertilization. This process can be sustainable in societies without electricity.

Claims

1. A method to process a perennial grass to be digested by a human comprised of: a. cutting the grass b. extracting a juice from said grass c. centrifugation of the juice d. addition of a charcoal to said juice e. separation of said juice and the charcoal to a palatable filtrate f. microscopic examination of the filtrate g. dehydration of said filtrate to produce a stable solid food.

2. A method to process a perennial grass to be digested by a human comprised of: a. cutting the grass b. extracting a juice from said grass c. centrifugation of the juice d. addition of a non-activated coconut charcoal to said juice e. separation of said juice and the charcoal to a palatable filtrate f. microscopic examination of the filtrate g. dehydration of said filtrate to produce a stable solid food.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Previously it was shown that perennial ryegrass could be processed by softening of the fibers with citrate that presumably chelates calcium and disrupts pectin stabilizing bonds which improves extraction of the juice from the grass.[4] While this decalcification may be required for some grasses depending upon the time of harvest and fiber content, it may not be universally essential for processing some dried grasses which are rehydrated prior to juicing. Furthermore, it was shown that centrifugation and filtration produced an extract of the grass with less microscopic cellulose than wheat grass extract, which is commonly consumed by humans.[5] The centrifugation needs to precede the filtration process to be efficient. The centrifugation speed was less than 3000 rpm, a speed that can be obtained with a manual centrifugation device. The extract is purified with non-activated coconut charcoal, a renewable resource, which makes the extract more palatable and then filtered. The adsorptive properties of non-activated coconut charcoal have not been extensively investigated, and its use is not obvious. Unlike activated charcoal, non-activated coconut charcoal is sustainable and renewable. Charcoal adsorption of the extract improves the taste. Prior work to improve the taste of extracted grass and leaf green crops has utilized organic solvents, cation exchange, or electrodialysis[8-10]

[0013] The entire process from harvesting of the grass to isolation of palatable powder is inexpensive, and it can be performed where electricity is not available. The addition of nitrogen fixing plants such as clover or other legumes has been shown to produce perennial pastures that are sustainable requiring minimal fertilization. This invention extends the processing of fresh perennial grass or dehydrated (hay) to a stable, soluble, palatable, and nutritional powder with a minimal number of purification steps.

Experimental Section

[0014] Perennial ryegrass was harvested, washed, juiced with an extraction device, centrifuged, treated with non-activated coconut charcoal, filtered, and microscopically examined for cellulose as previously described. After water evaporation a stable dry product formed that was comprised of reflective crystals. This method was also performed on spinach and wheatgrass and resulted in a dry stable solid with reflective crystals. Attempts to isolate a purified protein from the extract by salting out with sodium chloride or by adjusting pH were not successful. Although harvested grass could be dried and rehydrated prior to extraction, best yields were obtained with freshly cut grass. Once the extraction process is begun, it should proceed to completion in a timely fashion, especially the last dehydration process, to avoid a gummy final product. The dehydration process should immediately commence after filtration.

[0015] Various liquids were treated with non-activated coconut charcoal after which they were vacuum filtered with a control. These experiments were easily conducted and repeated. The results were unequivocal that non-activated coconut charcoal adsorbs methylene blue and iodine. Also, treatment of the grass extract with activated charcoal could produce a nearly a tasteless extract.

Benefits to Society

[0016] As the population on our planet continues to increase, the carrying capacity for food will eventually outstrip the supply. Thomas Robert Malthus predicted this hundreds of year ago, but technology has been able to expand food supplies, largely from the contributions of Haber and Borlaug and others in the field of agronomy. This invention demonstrates that food for human consumption can be extracted from perennial grasses, even in underdeveloped societies without electricity. The process that is described in this invention is renewable and sustainable.

REFERENCES

[0017] 1. DeHaan, L., et al., Roadmap for Accelerated Domestication of an Emerging Perennial Grain Crop. Trends Plant Sci, 2020. 25(6): p. 525-537.
2. Meister, M. Protein from green biomass without the taste of cowshed www.food.dtu.dk 2020.
3. Southey, F. Extracting protein from grass: ‘It should be cheap to buy, offer good funtionality in food, and it must be tasty’ www.foodnavigator.com. 2019.

4. Goldberg, J. S., DECALCIFICATION OF PASTURE GRASS FOR FOOD AND FUEL US 2016/0270425 A1 USPTO, 2016.

5. Goldberg, J. S., PROCESSING OF PERENNIAL RYE GRASS (LOLIUM PERENNE) FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION US 2019/0281864 A1 USPTO, 2019.

[0018] 6. Caradus, J. R., Woodfield, D. R., Stewart, A. V., Overview and vision for white clover. Agronomy Society of New Zealand Special Publication No. 11/Grassland Research and Practice Series No.6.
7. Hogh-Jensen, H., Schjoerring, J. K., Interactions between white clover and ryegrass under contrasting nitrogen availability: N.sub.2 Fixation, N fertilizer recovery, N transfer and water use efficiency. Plant and Soil, 1997. 197(2): p. 187-199.
8. Bickoff, E. M., PREPARATION OF SOLUBLE EDIBLE PROTEIN FROM LEAFY GREEN CROPS U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,078 USPTO, 1977.
9. Graham, J., W. R., Kohler, G. O., Frye, E. E., WATER SOLUBLE PRODUCTS RECOVERED FROM FORAGE CROPS U.S. Pat. No. 2,483,634A USPTO, 1949.
10. Hagiwara, Y., PLANT EXTRACT U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,573A USPTO, 2000.