HIGH PROTEIN FLOWABLE BATTER AND METHODS OF PROCESSING THEREOF

Abstract

A method of producing a high-protein batter by preparing a first mixture by combining protein, water, and an acidic leavening system. The method further includes mixing the first mixture for a first period of time. A second mixture is prepared by combining at least the first mixture, flour, sweetener, and an alkaline leavening agent. The second mixture is mixed for a second period of time, and then baked to form a high protein baked product such as a waffle.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a high-protein batter for maintaining flowability of the batter, the method comprising: blending a protein source, water, and an acidic leavening system and optionally a calcium salt to form an acidified high-protein protein slurry, the acidified high-protein protein slurry having a pH below the isoelectric point of the protein source, preferably a pH of about 4.5 or below; adding the acidified high-protein protein slurry to dry ingredients or hydrated dry ingredients to form a batter or adding the dry ingredients or hydrated dry ingredients to the acidified high-protein slurry to form the batter; adding a fat and optionally an emulsifier to the batter; and neutralizing the batter through addition of an alkaline leavening system to form a neutralized high-protein batter having about 8 to about 14 weight percent protein.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the protein source is selected from whey protein, soy protein, wheat gluten, peanut protein, pea protein, or mixtures thereof.

3. The method of any preceding claim 2, wherein the protein source is soy protein selected from soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of any preceding claim 1, wherein the acidic leavening system includes one or more ingredients selected from citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, acetic acid, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, monocalcium phosphate monohydrate, anhydrous monocalcium phosphate, anhydrous dicalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monoaluminum phosphate, dialuminum phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate, salts thereof or mixtures thereof.

5. The method of, claim 1, wherein the dry ingredients are selected from flour, starches, sweeteners, fortificants, spices, salt, colorants, other protein sources, gums, preservatives, flavors, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fat is selected from non-hydrogenated vegetable oil, non-hydrogenated shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated shortening, fully hydrogenated vegetable oil, fully hydrogenated shortening, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, olive oil, butterfat oil, cocoa butter oil, tallow, lard, corn oil, or mixtures thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the emulsifier is selected from mono-glycerides, di-glycerides, propylene glycol monoester, propylene glycol diester, sodium steroyl lactylate, lecithin, polysorbate, sorbitan monostearate, glyceryl lacto ester, or mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the alkaline leavening system includes one or more ingredients selected from ammonium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or mixtures thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pH of the neutralized high-protein batter is about 5.9 to about 6.5

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the neutralized high-protein batter has about 8 to about 12 percent protein.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the neutralized high-protein batter has a viscosity of about 5 to about 12 cm per about 10 seconds as measured by a Bostwick consitometer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a calcium salt is blended into the acidified high-protein slurry or with the dry ingredients.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the acidified high-protein slurry includes the calcium salt and wherein the acidified high-protein slurry includes about 40 to about 50 mM of calcium ions provided by the calcium source.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the calcium salt is calcium carbonate.

15. The method of claim 1, further including baking the neutralized high-protein batter.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the baking is performed in a waffle iron to form a high protein waffle.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the neutralized (final) high-protein batter includes about 8 to about 12 weight percent of the protein source, about 45 to about 48 weight percent water, about 0.5 to about 1.5 weight percent of the acidic leavening system, about 22 to about 26 weight percent of flour, about 5 to about 15 weight percent sweetener, about 5 to about 10 weight percent fat, about 0.1 to about 0.3 weight percent emulsifier, about 0.04 to about 0.8 weight percent of the alkaline leavening system (preferably about 0.04 to about 0.15 weight percent).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the high protein batter includes about 5 to about 15 weight percent dry sweetener and about 0 to about 5 weight percent liquid sweetener.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein acidified high-protein slurry includes about 25 to about 38 weight percent of the protein source, about 68 to about 70 weight percent water, about 1.5 to about 4.5 weight percent of the acidic leavening system.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the acidic leavening system incudes mono calcium phosphate (MCP) and sodium aluminum phosphate (SALP) in a leavening ratio of MCP to SALP of about 0.1 to about 0.4.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein about 40 to about 60 weight percent of the water is blended with the acidic leavening systems and the protein source to form the acidified protein slurry and the remaining portion of the water is blended with one or more of the dry ingredients to form a second slurry.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the acidified high-protein slurry is added to the second slurry of hydrated dry ingredients.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more dry ingredients of the second slurry include one or more flavorants.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein liquid sweeteners selected from molasses, malt syrup, corn extract, invert sugar, and combinations thereof are blended into the acidified high-protein slurry.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the alkaline leavening system includes an encapsulated alkaline leavening agent.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0035] The following examples are illustrative of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. In these examples as well as elsewhere in this application, all ratios, parts, and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated. It is intended that these examples are being presented for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention disclosed herein.

Comparative Example 1

[0036] Comparative high protein batters were prepared that formed batters having unacceptable viscosity and/or flowability. The batters of this Comparative Example utilized prior methods of blending dry components into a liquid mixture. This Example attempted to reduce the level of flour to address the high batter viscosity. These methods and compositions could not achieve an acceptable flowable viscosity with high levels of proteins.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 % % % % Ingredient Weight Weight Weight Weight Liquid Components Water 45.6 45.6 45.6 47.3 Liquid Sweetener 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 Liquid Malt 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 Liquid flavors 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 Dry Components Soy Protein Isolate 7.9 7.9 7.9 8.6 Additional Protein (Egg and 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 Whey) Flour 33.3 32.1 29.4 26.3 Sweetener 1.4 5.1 7.7 8.0 Sodium Bicarbonate 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 Calcium Carbonate 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.6 Sodium Aluminum Phosphate 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 Oil 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.3 Flavors and Fortificants 2.75 0.4 0.4 0.4 Monocalcium Phosphate 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

[0037] The batters of Table 4 were too thick (Bostwick consistometer viscosity at less than or about equal to 1 cm per 10 s) and had the consistency of a cake mix/dough that would not flow. Even with reductions in the levels of flour, the compositions of Table 4 could not form acceptable batters with high levels of protein.

Comparative Example 2

[0038] In this Comparative Example, the compositions of Example 1 were utilized in a two-step mixing procedure where the soy protein, sodium aluminum phosphate, and monocalcium phosphate were separately blended with the liquid ingredients. The composition is provided in Table 5 and also resulted in a thick batter and was not otherwise evaluated further.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 C-5 % Ingredient Weight Liquid Components Water 47.2 Liquid Sweetener 0.7 Liquid Malt 0.1 Liquid flavors 0.6 Sodium Aluminum Phosphate 1.1 Monocalcium Phosphate 0.3 Soy Protein Isolate 8.6 Dry Components Additional Protein (Egg and 0.5 Whey) Flour 25.9 Sweetener 7.9 Sodium Bicarbonate 0.8 Calcium Carbonate 0.6 Oil 5.3 Flavors and Fortificants 0.3

Comparative Example 3

[0039] In this Comparative Example, the compositions of Comparative Example 1 were utilized in a two-step mixing procedure where the soy protein and acidic leavening system were separately blended with the liquid ingredients. Additionally, oil was the added to the flours prior to blending with the remaining ingredients. The composition is provided in Table 6.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 C-6 % Ingredient Weight Liquid Components Water 47.2 Liquid Sweetener 0.7 Liquid Malt 0.1 Liquid Flavors 0.6 Sodium Aluminum Phosphate 1.1 Monocalcium Phosphate 0.3 Soy Protein Isolate 8.6 Dry Components 1 Flour 25.9 Oil 4.9 Dry Components 2 Additional Protein (Egg and 0.5 Whey) Sweetener 7.9 Sodium Bicarbonate 0.8 Calcium Carbonate 0.6 Oil 0.4 Flavors and Fortificants 0.3

[0040] The batters of Table 6 had an unacceptable thick viscosity and not otherwise evaluated further.

Example 1

[0041] Methods and compositions of this disclosure were evaluated for this Example utilizing the Inventive acidic leavening system and alkaline leavening agents and multi-step process to prepare high protein batters that maintained a flowable or pourable consistency. Example compositions and methods of Tables 7A and 7B having the properties of Tables 8A and 8B all provided a desirable viscosity, consistency, and organoleptic characteristics when baked as a waffle. The batters were baked by waffle iron at 300-400° F. for 90-180 s. Viscosity of the batter was measured by Bostwick consistometer, measuring distance traveled by the weight of batter in cm per 10 s.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7A 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 Ingredient % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt Liquid Components 1 Water 23.6 23.6 23.4 23.6 23.5 23.9 Liquid Sweetener 0.7 — — 0.7 0.7 0.7 Liquid Malt 0.1 — — 0.1 0.1 0.1 Liquid Flavors 0.6 — — — — — Sodium Aluminum 1.1 1.1 0.5 1.1 — — Phosphate Monocalcium Phosphate 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 1.8 0.8 Soy Protein Isolate 8.6 8.6 10.1 8.6 8.6 8.8 Liquid Components 2 Water 23.6 23.6 23.4 23.6 23.5 23.9 Liquid Malt — 0.1 0.1 — — — Sugar 7.7 7.7 7.6 — — — Liquid Sweetener — 0.7 0.7 — — — Liquid Flavors — 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 Dry Components 2 Flour 25.9 25.9 25.7 25.9 25.9 26.3 Additional Protein 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 (Egg and Whey) Sweetener 0.2 0.2 0.2 7.9 7.8 8.0 Calcium Carbonate 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 Oil 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 Flavors and Fortificants 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 Post Add 1 Oil 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.9 Lecithin — — — — — — Water — — — — — — Post Add 2 Sodium Bicarbonate 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.12 Water — — — — — —

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 7B I-7 I-8 I-9 Ingredient % wt % wt % wt Liquid Components 1 Water 24.0 23.3 23.2 Liquid Sweetener 0.7 0.7 0.7 Liquid Malt 0.1 0.1 0.1 Liquid Flavors — — — Sodium Aluminum Phosphate — — — Monocalcium Phosphate 0.5 0.5 0.6 Soy Protein Isolate 8.8 8.5 8.5 Calcium Carbonate — — 0.25 Liquid Components 2 Water 24.0 18.8 23.2 Liquid Malt — — — Sugar — — — Liquid Sweetener — — — Liquid Flavors 0.6 0.6 0.5 Dry Components 2 Flour 26.3 25.6 25.5 Additional Protein (Egg and 0.6 0.6 0.6 Whey) Sweetener 8.0 5.3 7.6 Calcium Carbonate 0.6 0.6 0.6 Oil 0.4 0.4 0.4 Flavors and Fortificants 0.3 0.3 0.3 Post Add 1 Oil 5.0 4.8 4.8 Lecithin — 0.3 0.3 Water — 7.6 — Post Add 2 Sodium Bicarbonate 0.04 0.1 0.1 Flavors — 2.5 2.5

[0042] The batters of Table 7A and 7B had the properties of Tables 8A and 8B below and all formed an acceptable viscosity and maintained a flowable consistency.

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 8A Property 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 Protein, 8.6 8.6 10.3 8.6 8.6 8.8 wt. Percent Viscosity Not Not Not Not <5 cm/ 6 cm/ mea- mea- mea- mea- 10 s 10 s sured sured sured sured pH Not Not Not Not 6.11 5.85 mea- mea- mea- mea- sured sured sured sured

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 8B Property I-7 I-8 I-9 Protein, wt. Percent 8.8 8.5 8.5 Viscosity 5 cm/10 s 5.5 cm/10 s 5 cm/10 s pH 5.92 5.91 5.9

[0043] In Table 7A, Recipes I-1 to 5 resulted in a batter that was thicker because the level of bicarbonate used was higher causing an increase in the pH above the isoelectric point of the protein.

[0044] I-6 and I-7 worked well because the level of added sodium bicarbonate was enough to slightly increase the pH of the batter to about 5.9, a pH that kept the batter flowable and the taste of the waffles acceptable (not sour).

[0045] The methods and formulas herein overcame the technical limitation of the traditional method by enabling the use of high levels of protein in the batter while keeping it flowable through process change (two-step process) and pH manipulation (around the isoelectric point of the protein) to precipitate protein and minimize protein interaction with water. However, a lower than usual sodium bicarbonate level is used (0.04% to 0.012% as opposed to 0.8%, which is about an 85% reduction) to maintain the batter flowable while achieving an acceptable taste in the cooked waffle (not sour) by targeting a pH 5.9. When added to the batter, sodium bicarbonate reacts fast with acid leaveners and other acid compounds including proteins (carboxyl groups) to release carbon dioxide in the batter. At the pH of the batter before the addition of sodium bicarbonate (5-5.8), most of the sodium bicarbonate is dissociated into the leavening gas CO2. Upon cooking the waffles at temperature (300-400° F.), the remaining sodium bicarbonate thermally decomposes into sodium carbonate, water and carbon dioxide resulting in the lighter waffle texture.

[0046] Example configurations are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0047] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0048] The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.

[0049] As referred to herein, all compositional percentages are by weight of the total composition, unless otherwise specified. Disclosures of ranges are, unless specified otherwise, inclusive of endpoints and include all distinct values and further divided ranges within the entire range. Thus, for example, a range of “from A to B” or “from about A to about B” is inclusive of A and of B. Disclosure of values and ranges of values for specific parameters (such as amounts, weight percentages, etc.) are not exclusive of other values and ranges of values useful herein. It is envisioned that two or more specific exemplified values for a given parameter may define endpoints for a range of values that may be claimed for the parameter. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have value A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned that Parameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z. Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges of values for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping or distinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value that might be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of 1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may have other ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, 3-9, and so on.

[0050] A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.