PEA ALBUMINS, METHOD FOR OBTAINING SAME AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pea albumin characterized in that its emulsifying activity is improved as it can emulsify more than 600 ml of corn oil per gram of albumin. The invention also relates to a method for obtaining the pea albumin according to the invention. It finally relates to the use of the pea albumin according to the invention in industrial, in particular food and pharmaceutical applications.

Claims

1. A pea albumin wherein said pea albumin has an emulsifying activity greater than 600 ml of corn oil per gram of albumin.

2. The pea albumin as claimed in claim 1, wherein said emulsifying activity is greater than 800 ml of corn oil per gram of albumin.

3. The pea albumin as claimed in claim 2, wherein said emulsifying activity is greater than 1000 ml of corn oil per gram of albumin.

4. A process for treating a pea soluble fraction for obtaining a pea albumin as claimed in claim 1 comprising the steps of: a. providing a pea soluble fraction; b. vacuum degassing of the pea soluble fraction leading to a degassed soluble fraction; c. microfiltering or centrifuging of the degassed soluble fraction leading to a microfiltration permeate or a centrifugation supernatant; d. ultrafiltering the microfiltration permeate or configuration supernatant, leading to an ultrafiltration retentate; e. optionally reverse osmosis of the ultrafiltration permeate, leading to a permeate and a retentate resulting from the reverse osmosis; f. neutralizing the pH of the retentates obtained during step d) or e); g. UHT heat treating of the neutralized retentate of step f) leading to a heat-treated retentate; and h. drying the heat-treated retentate of step g).

5. The process as claimed in claim 4, wherein the neutralization pH of step f) is between 6.5 and 7.5.

6. The process as claimed in claim 4, wherein step f) is carried out by adding a base selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and aqueous ammonia.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat treatment of step g) is carried out at a temperature of between 130° C and 150° C for a treatment time of between 5 and 15 seconds.

8 The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drying of step h) is carried out by a single-stage spray-drying.

9. A food formulation, comprising the pea albumin according to claim 1.

10. A coffee whitener comprising the pea albumin according to claim 1.

11. A ready to drink beverage, comprising the pea albumin according to claim 1.

12. A pharmaceutical formulation, comprising the pea albumin according to claim 1.

13. The process as claimed in claim 4, wherein said base is sodium hydroxide.

14. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat treatment of step g) is carried out at a temperature of 140° C.

15. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the treatment time is about 10 seconds.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0045] This example illustrates the production of a pea albumin according to the prior art WO 2014/118449, that will be called PA.

[0046] The first step is to obtain the pea soluble fraction. Pea flour is initially prepared by grinding shelled fodder peas on an Alpine hammer mill equipped with a 100 pm grid. 300 kg of flour with a dry matter content of 87% are then soaked in water at the final concentration of 25% on a dry basis, at a pH of 6.5. 1044 kg of flour suspension with a dry matter content of 25%, i.e. therefore 261 kg of dry flour, are then introduced with 500 kg of water into a 14-stage hydrocyclone battery. It is fed with the flour suspension at stage No. 5. This separation leads to the obtaining of a light phase which corresponds to the output of stage No. 1. It consists of the mixture of proteins, internal fibers and soluble matter.

[0047] This light phase at the outlet of the hydrocyclones contains as a mixture, 142 kg on a dry basis in total: the fibers, approximately 14.8% by weight, i.e. 21 kg on a dry basis; the proteins; approximately 42.8% by weight, i.e. 60.8 kg on a dry basis; and the soluble matter, approximately 42.4% by weight, i.e. 60.2 kg on a dry basis. This fraction has a dry matter content of 11.4%. The fibers are separated on centrifugal decanters of Westfalia type used in an industrial potato starch processing unit. The light phase at the outlet of the centrifugal decanter contains a mixture of proteins and soluble matter, while the heavy phase contains the pea fibers. The heavy phase contains 105 kg of fibers with a 20% dry matter content. It is noted that virtually all of the fibers are indeed found in this fraction.

[0048] As for the fraction of proteins and soluble matter, it contains 1142 kg of a solution mixture of soluble matter and proteins (fraction with a 6% dry matter content). The proteins are flocculated at their isoelectric point by adjusting the light phase at the outlet of the centrifugal decanter to a pH of 4.5 and heating at 50° C.

[0049] The proteins thus flocculated are left for 10 minutes in the maturation tank. After precipitation of the proteins, centrifugal decanting is carried out, which makes it possible to recover, after drying, sediment containing 56 kg of globulin-type proteins (86% of Nx6.25 on a dry basis) with a dry matter content of 93%, and a soluble fraction containing albumins, sugars and salts, containing 2.5 g per 100 g with respect to solids, of which 27% is proteins.

[0050] Then, this pea soluble fraction is pumped through a microfiltration unit equipped with ceramic membranes of Inside Ceram® type having a porosity of 0.14 μm (19 channels of 4.5 mm). Throughout the filtration, the temperature is regulated at 60° C. and the transmembrane pressure is maintained at a value between 0.4 and 0.6 bar. 707 liters of microfiltration permeate, containing 2.5 g/100 g of solids and 1768 liters of microfiltration retentate, containing 2.5 g/100 g of solids are thus recovered.

[0051] 550 liters of the microfiltration permeate are pumped through an ultrafiltration unit. The ultrafiltration unit is equipped with ceramic membranes of Kerasep® BX type sold by the company Novasep and having a cutoff threshold of 15 KDa (7 channels of 6 mm). Throughout the filtration, the temperature is regulated at 60° C. and the transmembrane pressure is maintained at a value between 1 and 3 bar.

[0052] 467 liters of ultrafiltration permeate, containing 2.2 g/100 g of solids, and 33 liters of retentate are thus recovered. The PA ultrafiltration retentate is spray-dried on a spray-drying tower of single-stage spray-dryer type. The inlet temperature setpoint is 190° C. and the outlet temperature is between 85 and 90° C.

[0053] The composition of the final albumin fraction (spray-dried PA ultrafiltration retentate) is given in the table below:

TABLE-US-00001 Dry matter content 93.9 % Protein content (N × 6.25) 97 g/100 g of dry matter content Ash content 0.1 g/100 g of dry matter content

Example 2

[0054] This example illustrates the production of a pea albumin according to the invention, which we will call PA_INV.

[0055] The process is similar until the obtaining of the pea soluble fraction according to the steps described in the first paragraph of example 1.

[0056] The pea soluble fraction thus obtained is first degassed by passing over an SPX Derox skid. The controlling parameters of said SPX Derox skid are as follows:

TABLE-US-00002 Supply pressure bar 0.88 Outlet pressure bar 2.73 T° C. supply ° C. 50.5 T° C. outlet ° C. 42.8 T° C. condenser ° C. 37 Vacuum setpoint bar 0.1 Tank level setpoint % 60 Flow rate of withdrawal L/H 750 to NA7 Inlet dissolved O.sub.2 mg/L 9 Outlet dissolved O.sub.2 mg/L 0.1

[0057] Correct degassing is verified by measuring the dissolved oxygen at the inlet and at the outlet.

[0058] Then, this degassed pea soluble fraction is pumped through a microfiltration unit equipped with ceramic membranes of Inside Ceram® type having a porosity of 0.14 μm (19 channels of 4.5 mm) . Throughout the filtration, the temperature is regulated at 60° C. and the transmembrane pressure is maintained at a value between 0.4 and 0.6 bar.

[0059] The permeate is pumped through an ultrafiltration unit. The ultrafiltration unit is equipped with ceramic membranes of Kerasep® BX type sold by the company Novasep and having a cutoff threshold of 15 KDa (7 channels of 6 mm) Throughout the filtration, the temperature is regulated at 60° C. and the transmembrane pressure is maintained at a value between 1 and 3 bar.

[0060] The succession of 3 diafiltrations is carried out, consisting of the repetition, 3 times, of an addition of a volume of potabilized decarbonated water to a volume of retentate followed by ultrafiltration until a dry matter content of the permeate of less than 0.5% is obtained.

[0061] The ultrafiltration retentate obtained is then corrected, with stirring, to pH 6.8 by adding concentrated sodium hydroxide at 50%.

[0062] A UHT heat treatment is then applied to the neutralized ultrafiltration retentate, consisting in passing over a Vomatec skid, at a temperature of 140° C. for a contact time of about ten seconds and then flashed under vacuum at approximately 90° C.

[0063] The solution obtained at the outlet of the UHT heat treatment is finally spray-dried on a spray-drying tower of single-stage spray-dryer type. The inlet temperature setpoint is 190° C. and the outlet temperature is between 85 and 90° C.

[0064] The pea albumin powder obtained is called PA_INV. The composition thereof is given in the table below:

TABLE-US-00003 Dry matter content 94.4 % Protein content (N × 6.25) 94 g/100 g of dry matter content Ash content 2.5 g/100 g of dry matter content

Example 3

[0065] This example aims to describe the protocol used to measure the emulsifying activity (EA) of the pea albumins obtained previously in examples 1 (according to the prior art) and 2 (according to the invention):

[0066] 1. 0.2 g of the product sample is dispersed in 20 ml of water.

[0067] 2. The solution is homogenized with an Ultraturax IKA T25 device for 30 sec at a speed of 9500 revolutions per minute (rpm).

[0068] 3. Addition of 20 ml of corn oil sold under the name Amphora by the company Cargill under homogenization under the same conditions as the previous step 2.

[0069] 4. Centrifugation for 5 minutes at 3100 g. [0070] a. If a good emulsion is obtained, that is to say without breaking or phase inversion of the emulsion, the test is started again from step 1 with the amounts of water and corn oil being increased by 50%. [0071] b. If a bad emulsion is obtained, for example phase separation, breaking or phase inversion of the emulsion, the test is started again from step 1 with the amounts of water and corn oil being decreased by 50%.

[0072] The maximum amount of oil (Qmax in ml) that can be emulsified is thus determined iteratively.

[0073] The emulsifying activity is therefore the maximum amount of corn oil that can be emulsified per gram of product.

Emulsifying activity=(Qmax/0.2)×100

Example 4

[0074] This example aims to present the comparison of the two pea albumins PA (example 1, according to the prior art) and PA_INV (example 2, according to the invention) and also several albumins, plant and dairy, and reference commercial globulins.

TABLE-US-00004 Emulsifying activity (ml of oil/g of product) Egg white powder Egg albumins 1225 WPC 392 whey protein concentrate 1301 Skimmed Milk skimmed milk powder 1185 Powder Sodium Caseinate Sodium caseinate 782 supplier 1 NUTRALYS S85F Pea globulins 786 NUTRALYS S85 Pea globulins 195 PLUS PA Pea albumins according 564 to the prior art PA_INV Pea albumins according 1314 to the invention

[0075] It is clearly seen that, with the albumins according to the invention, emulsifying activity values which are more than double those of the pea albumins of the prior art are successfully achieved. The new values make it possible to envision applications similar to those that are possible with animal proteins such as albumins derived from egg or milk.

Example 5: Use of the Albumins Obtained According to the Invention in Food Applications of the Coffee-Whitener Type.

[0076] This example illustrates the possibilities of food application offered by the pea albumin according to the invention by presenting results for production of “coffee-whitener” (milk substitutes for coffee) aimed at totally replacing the sodium caseinates conventionally used.

[0077] The compositions of the various mixtures are given in the table below, as percentage by crude weight of the final composition. In order to prepare them, the following procedure is followed:

[0078] Heating coconut oil to 80° C. with stirring and adding Dimodan HP to solubilize the monoglycerides. [0079] Heating 90% of the water to 50° C. and adding the proteins with stirring. [0080] Solubilizing the phosphate salts in the remaining 10% of water. [0081] Adding the solution of the phosphate salts and the glucose syrup to the container containing the aqueous solution of proteins. [0082] Pre-emulsifying the Dimodan HP/oil solution with a homogenizer for 5 min at 10000 rpm. [0083] Mixing the two solutions in a homogenizer at 160 bar at 75° C. until an emulsified solution is obtained. [0084] Pasteurizing for 5 s at 80° C.

[0085] In order to quantify the emulsion quality, the particle size is measured using a Particle Size Analyser 3000 from the company Malvern. Dmode represents the mean size of the emulsified particles.

TABLE-US-00005 Control Pea albumin Control 3 (Pea according to Control 1 2 (Pea albumin the invention (caseinate) globulin) PA) (PA_INV) Glucose syrup 3072 45.85 45.85 45.85 45.85 (Roquette) Hydrogenated coconut 23.36 23.36 23.36 23.36 oil Sodium caseinate EM7 1.75 — — — (DMV) Pea globulins (Nutralys — 1.75 — — S85F) Pea albumins PA — — 1.75 — Pea albumins PA INV — — — 1.75 Dipotassium hydrogen 1.46 1.46 1.46 1.46 phosphate E340 (Merck) Dimodan HP 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.58 Water 27 27 27 27 D10 (microns) 0.256 3.83 108 0.362 D50 (microns) 0.535 8.15 2.76 1.26 D90 (microns) 1.16 17.7 5.14 5.02 Dmode (microns) 0.526 8.15 2.78 0.586 D4,3 (microns) 0.964 11 0.586 2.1

[0086] It is clearly seen that only the pea albumin according to the invention PA_INV makes it possible to obtain emulsified particles with a mean size of less than one micron.

Example 6: Use of the Albumins Obtained According to the Invention in Food Applications of UHT Ready-to-Drink (or RTD) Beverage Type, for Dietetic Nutrition, Sports Nutrition or Clinical Nutrition

[0087] This example illustrates the food application possibilities offered by the pea albumin according to the invention by presenting results for production of UHT ready-to-drink beverages for mainstream nutrition, dietetic nutrition, sports nutrition or clinical nutrition aimed at partially (approximately 50%) replacing the sodium caseinates conventionally used. The example presents compositions containing approximately 10% by weight of proteins, but the pea albumin according to the invention is also suitable for compositions of which the protein content ranges between 5% and 15% by weight, or even 20% by weight. Likewise, higher oil contents are possible; it will be sufficient for a person skilled in the art to adjust the recipe with the pea albumin according to the invention. In the light of the emulsifying properties of the albumins according to the invention, a total replacement of milk proteins can also be envisioned.

[0088] The compositions of the various mixtures are given in the table below, as weight percentage of the final composition. In order to prepare them, the following procedure is followed: [0089] Dry mixing of the powdered products (proteins, maltodextrins and sucrose). [0090] Heating of the water to 50° C., addition of the previously prepared powder mix, dispersion with a Silverson high-shear mixer for 30 min, at 50° C., at 3500 rpm, addition of the vanilla flavor. [0091] Placing of the lecithin and the oil in a separate container; stirring and heating to 50° C. [0092] After 30 minutes of hydration, addition of this lecithin/oil solution to the first mixture (proteins, maltodextrins and sucrose) using a high-shear mixer for 5 minutes (10000 rpm). [0093] Homogenization at 200 bar and 75° C. in two steps (30% over the course of the second step). [0094] Performing of a UHT treatment at 142° C. for 5 s. [0095] Cooling and storing at 4° C.

[0096] In order to quantify the emulsion quality, the particle size is measured using a Particle Size Analyzer 3000 from the company Malvern. Dmode represents the mean size of the emulsified particles.

TABLE-US-00006 Pea albumin Control 3 according to Control 1 Control 2 (Pea albumin the invention (Caseinate) (Pea globulin) PA) (PA_INV) Ingredients Water 60 Maltodextrin Glucidex ® IT19 18.74 18.34 18.81 18.81 (ROQUETTE) Rapseed oil 3.78 Sucrose 3.4 Sunflower oil 5.52 Soy lecithin 0.4 Vanilla flavor 0.36 Milk casein MPI - Prodiet 85b 10.8 5.53 5.53 5.53 Pea globulin Nutralys ® S85F 0 5.67 0 0 Pea albumin PA 0 0 5.2 5.2 according to the prior art Pea albumin PA_INV 0 0 0 0 according to the invention Particle Dx 10 (micron) 0.186 0.565 3.31 0.203 size Dx 50 0.546 43.1 9.34 0.482 analysis Dx 90 1.66 105 103 6.2 Dmode 0.577 69.1 6.19 0.444 D 4, 3 3.48 47.9 35.1 3.08

[0097] It is clearly seen that only the pea albumin according to the invention PA_INV makes it possible to obtain a Dmode as good (less than 1 micron) as the reference obtained with caseins of dairy origin.

Example 7: Use of the Albumins Obtained According to the Invention in Food Applications of “Pea Milk” or “Vegetable Milk” Type, Intended for Daily Consumption

[0098] This example illustrates the food application possibilities offered by the pea albumin according to the invention by presenting results for production of beverages of “pea milk” or “vegetable milk” type intended for daily consumption.

[0099] The compositions of the various mixtures are given in the table below. In order to prepare them, the following procedure is followed: [0100] Mixing the water and the gellan gum in water at 90° C. until completely dissolved, while stirring if necessary. [0101] Cooling to 70° C. [0102] Adding the other constituents, with the exception of the oil, sunflower lecithin and vanilla flavor, until completely dissolved, while stirring if necessary. [0103] Heating the sunflower oil and adding the lecithin. [0104] Adding the oil/lecithin mixture and the vanilla flavor with stirring with a high-shear mixer. [0105] Homogenizing the solution at 75° C. using a high-pressure homogenizer at 270 bar (1st step) and 30 bar (2nd step). [0106] Sterilizing by UHT treatment at 142° C. for 5 sec. [0107] Packaging and storing at 4° C.

[0108] In order to quantify the emulsion quality, the particle size is measured using a Particle Size Analyzer 3000 from the company Malvern. Dmode represents the mean size of the emulsified particles.

TABLE-US-00007 Control 2 Pea albumin Control 1 (Pea according to (Pea albumin the invention globulin) PA) (PA_INV) Ingredients Water 87.77 87.1 87.84 Sucrose 6.3 6.3 6.3 Sunflower oil 1.6 1.6 1.6 Tricalcium phosphate 0.29 0.29 0.29 Geilan gum Kelgogel HS-B 0.1 0.1 0.1 geilan gum Sunflower lecithin Unilec SFL-IP 0.1 0.1 0.1 non GMO Dipotassium hydrogen 0.08 0.08 0.08 phosphate Cocktail of vitamins Barentz DB2812 0.02 0.02 0.02 Premix 9309 Pea globulin Nutrelys S85F 3.75 0 0 Pea albumin according PA 0 4.42 0 to the prior art Pea albumin according PA_INV 0 0 3.68 to the invention Particle D10 (in microns) 0.24 2.83 0.24 size D50 (in microns) 0.61 5.58 0.59 analysis D90 (in microns) 10.5 10.7 4.34 Dmode (in microns) 0.43 5.85 0.44 D4,3 (in microns) 3.37 6.23 2.11

[0109] It is clearly seen that only the pea albumin according to the invention PA_INV makes it possible to obtain a Dmode as good (less than 1 micron) as the reference obtained with pea globulin. The pea albumin of the prior art does not make it possible to obtain a Dmode of emulsified globules of less than 1 micron, and similar to the globulin reference: only the pea albumin according to the present invention makes it possible to do so.