Material for de-dusting granular enzyme preparations

Abstract

The invention relates to a granular de-dusting material comprising 30-60 wt. % cold-swelling potato starch, 5-40 wt. % vegetable oil, 5-35 wt. % flour,
all weight percentages based on dry weight of the granular de-dusting material. The invention further relates to a method for preparing a de-dusted enzyme product, comprising contacting a granular enzyme preparation, containing dust particles, with a granular dedusting material according to the invention, whereby the dust particles adhere to the granular de-dusting material, whereby the de-dusted enzyme product is obtained. The invention further relates to a de-dusted enzyme product.

Claims

1. A granular de-dusting material comprising a blend with: 30-60 wt. % cold-swelling potato starch, 15-40 wt. % vegetable oil, and 5-35 wt. % flour, wherein the total content of the potato starch, the vegetable oil, and the flour makes up 90-100 wt % of the granular de-dusting material, wherein all weight percentages are based on dry weight of the granular de-dusting material, and wherein the vegetable oil is essentially fluid at 25° C.

2. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, comprising: 30-45 wt. % cold-swelling potato starch, 30-35 wt. % vegetable oil, and 20-30 wt. % flour.

3. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, essentially consisting of vegetable ingredients.

4. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, wherein the cold-swelling potato starch is pre-gelatinised.

5. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable oil comprises at least one oil or at least one fraction of an oil selected from the group of soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and rice bran oil.

6. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 5, wherein the vegetable oil comprises sunflower oil.

7. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 5, wherein the vegetable oil is refined, oil.

8. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 5, wherein the vegetable oil comprises high oleic acid sunflower oil.

9. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable oil comprises at least one saturated fatty acid, at least one mono-unsaturated fatty acid and at least one poly-unsaturated fatty acid.

10. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 9, wherein the saturated fatty acid content is less than 20 wt. %, the monounsaturated fatty acid content is 70 wt. % or more, and the poly-unsaturated fat content is at least 1 wt. %, based on total fatty acids.

11. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 10, wherein the saturated fatty acid content is less than 20 wt. %, the monounsaturated fatty acid content is 70-90 wt. %, and the poly-unsaturated fat content is at least 1 wt. % and less than 20 wt. %, based on total fatty acids.

12. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 11, wherein the saturated fatty acid content is 5-10 wt. %, the monounsaturated fatty acid content is 80-90 wt. %, and the poly-unsaturated fat content is 5-10 wt. %, based on total fatty acids.

13. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, wherein the flour is cereal flour or Fabaceae flour.

14. The granular material according to claim 13, wherein the flour comprises cereal flour, based on total flour.

15. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 13, wherein the flour comprises wheat flour, based on total flour.

16. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 13, wherein the flour comprises granulated, heat-treated flour.

17. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, wherein the material is a free-flowing granular material.

18. A method for preparing a granular material according to claim 1, comprising blending the potato starch, the vegetable oil and the flour thereby obtaining the granular material.

19. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 6, wherein the vegetable oil comprises 50-100% sunflower oil.

20. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 19, wherein the vegetable oil comprises 75-99% sunflower oil.

21. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 20, wherein the vegetable oil comprises 80-95% sunflower oil.

22. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable oil is essentially water-free.

23. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 14, wherein the flour comprises 50-100 wt. % of cereal flour, based on total flour.

24. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 15, wherein the flour comprises 50-100 wt. % of wheat flour, based on total flour.

25. The granular de-dusting material according to claim 1, wherein the granular de-dusting material is free of granular enzyme preparation.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

Formulation Example

(1) Cold-swelling potato starch: about 43 wt. %

(2) Cereal flour (wheat, heat treated): about 22 wt. %

(3) Vegetable oil: about 35 wt. % of which: 6-10 wt. % in total of palmitic acid and/or stearic acid, 80-88 wt. % oleic acid and 6-10 wt. % polyunsaturated fatty acid (all based on total fatty acids)

(4) Moisture content: less than 6 wt. % (from ingredients, no added water)

(5) The de-dusting material was obtained by blending the ingredients at room temperature.

EXAMPLE 2

(6) 43 wt. % cold swelling potato starch (moisture content <6 wt. %), 35 wt. % high oleic acid sunflower oil (refined, essentially free of water) and 22 wt. % heat-treated wheat flour (moisture content <6 wt. %)) were blended at room temperature and granulated.

(7) The resultant granular de-dusting material was blended at room temperature with either a fungal amylase, with a bacterial amylase or a fungal lipase (at a wt. to wt. ratio of 3:97). Dust content was determined for the enzymes without the de-dusting material and after blending with the de-dusting materials. The Heubach test and a perception test by experienced operators were used. The results are shown in the following table.

(8) TABLE-US-00001 Dustiness as perceived by process operators experienced in Dust (mg/kg) Example Product working with enzymes Heubach test Ref. 2A Fungal Amylase Extremely dusty 1970 Ex. 2A Fungal amylase Not dusty 0 with 3% de- dusting material according to the invention Ref. 2B Bacterial Amylase Quite dusty 1060 Ex. 2B Bacterial Amylase Not dusty 0 1 with 4.8% de- dusting material according to the invention Ref 2C Fungal Lipase Quite dusty 1274 Ex. 2B Fungal Lipase Not dusty 58 with 3% de- dusting material according to the invention

EXAMPLE 3

(9) 43 wt. % cold swelling potato starch (moisture content <6 wt. %), 35 wt. % high oleic acid sunflower oil (refined, essentially free of water) and 22 wt. % heat-treated wheat flour (moisture content <6 wt. %)) were blended at room temperature and granulated to form a granular de-dusting material.

(10) Another granular de-dusting material was made in the same manner with the same ingredients, except that palm oil was used instead of the high oleic oil.

(11) Another granular de-dusting material was made in the same manner with the same ingredients, except that regular sunflower oil was used instead of the high oleic oil.

(12) The flowing properties of all three de-dusting materials were compared and it was found that the flowing properties of the material comprising high oleic sunflower oil were much better, thereby facilitating further handling and use in de-dusting applications. The flowing properties of the de-dusting material containing regular sunflower oil and of the material containing the palm oil were comparable

EXAMPLE 4

(13) 43 wt. % cold swelling potato starch (moisture content <6 wt. %), 35 wt. % high oleic sunflower oil (refined, essentially free of water) and 22 wt. % heat-treated wheat flour (moisture content <6 wt. %)) were blended at room temperature and granulated to form a granular de-dusting material.

(14) Another granular de-dusting material was made in the same manner with the same ingredients, except that regular (not heat treated) wheat flour was used instead of the heat treated wheat flour.

(15) It was found that a more homogeneous blend was obtained with the heat-treated flour and that the flowing properties of the de-dusting material comprising the heat-treated flour were much better, thereby facilitating further handling and use in de-dusting applications.

(16) Further, a material was made of 43 wt. % cold swelling potato starch (moisture content <6 wt. %), 35 wt. % high oleic sunflower oil (refined, essentially free of water) but with 22 wt. % heat-treated soy flour (moisture content <6 wt. %)). The flowing properties were much lower than for the material made with heat-treated wheat flower, and also significantly lower than for the de-dusting material made with wheat-flour that had not been subjected to heat treatment.