Nutritional supplements from green leafy vegetables

Abstract

This invention discloses packaged nutritional supplements that have nutritional ingredients derived from green leafy vegetation that shall collectively or singly be useful to fulfill the daily need of supplementation from one or more of a nutrient from green leafy vegetation. One embodiment of this invention discloses a novel packaged composition that comprises at least one fraction of a green leafy vegetation and at least one more ingredient to improve its usability and is source of at least one nutritional ingredient selected from the group dietary fiber, beta carotene, iron, calcium, xanthophylls, folic acid and lysine plus methionine and cystine; wherein the fraction comprises a fibrous fraction, a water soluble deproteinized juice fraction and a water insoluble high protein low fiber fraction as fourth primary fraction. In one embodiment of invention, the contribution of at least one nutrient to the nutrient content of the composition from green leafy vegetation or its fraction is a least 15% of at least content of one nutrient of the composition. Also disclosed is a novel packaged composition comprising pulp of whole edible green leafy vegetation and at least one component of flax-seed in the form of a soup or a food bar. The component of flax seed may be one or more selected from the group of whole flax seed, flax seed cake or flax oil.

Claims

1. A composition that comprises at least one fraction of a green leafy vegetation and at least one more ingredient wherein, the fraction is selected from a group consisting of first four primary fractions as well as sub-fraction or a modified fraction of the four primary fractions of the green leafy vegetation; the primary fraction being obtained in a process of green crop fractionation, wherein the fractionation process comprises the steps of a. comminuting fresh green crop material, b. separating a moist fibrous fraction as first primary fraction from the juice as second primary fraction, and treating the juice fraction to separate a water soluble deproteinized juice that is high in water content as third primary fraction from a water insoluble high protein low fiber fraction as fourth primary fraction; and wherein, the at least one more ingredient comprises ingredient/s that would improve usability of the fraction by overcoming organoleptic property of the fraction that is unfavorable for its consumption; and further wherein, 100 gram of the composition on dry weight basis would comprise at least one nutritional ingredient being selected from the group (a) dietary fiber at least 3 gram, (c) beta carotene at least 500 microgram, (d) iron at least 3 mg, (e) calcium at least 150 MCI, (CI) xanthophylls at least 4 mg, (h) folic acid at least 35 microgram, and (i) lysine at least 900 mg and Methionine plus cystine at least about 550 mg, the composition comprising: a. the fraction of a green leafy vegetation comprises high protein low fiber fraction LPC) or its sub-fraction, b. flour of parched wheat grains, and: c. (i) flour of parched Grain Amaranth flour or a flour of puffed Grain Amaranth seeds, or (ii) an ingredient or a combination of additional ingredients to give flavor of all of them and also thickness required to keep the LPC particles afloat in compositions intended to be diluted under conditions of use, d. optionally containing garnishing of dry fruits, and e. optionally containing one or more flavourings selected from the group comprising nutmeg, strawberry, cardamom, Vanilla, chocolate and Cacao.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the green leafy vegetation used comprises a conventional green leafy vegetable or a forage crop or a by-product leaves of cole crops or leaves of legume crops or other non-toxic vegetation.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein it is a packaged composition.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition is shelf stable.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1

(1) Materials and Methods:

(2) Green leafy vegetation: Edible green leafy vegetables available in market were purchased for this work, washed clean under running water, root portion cut off and tender shoot portion with leaves (designated as vegetation) was taken for further work. Green leafy vegetables selected were Spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.), Fenugreek (Trigonella graecum L.), Lucenrne (Medicago sativa L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). Protocols for below mentioned recipes were followed/repeated in same manner of all these three plant species mentioned above.

(3) Parched flour of wheat or rice or Grain Amaranth: The respective grains were parched and then milled to get flour.

(4) Puffed Grain Amaranth: This was done by parching the grains of Amaranth by subjecting it to heat treatment in a utensil until it puffs suddenly.

(5) Puffed rice: Rice is also puffed in a similar way, but usually in a kiln as a commercial operation. The puffed rice is usually salted and was purchased from grocery shop.

(6) Pulses: Decorticoid pulse of Cajanus cajan L (Toor dahl in Marathi language) i.e. Pigeon Pea was purchased from grocery shop.

(7) Tomato powder, garlic powder, corn starch, salt, Spices and condiments and other ingredients of the recipes were purchased from market sources:

Example 2

(8) Raw vegetation pulping: The vegetation was cut into small pieces about one inch in length, the pieces were charged to the jar of a domestic mixer grinder driven by electricity. Water was added just enough to avoid bridging of the charge and pulping was done until fine pulp was obtained.

Example 3

(9) Fractionation of the vegetation: Moist fibrous fraction was separated as one primary fraction from the juice, the second fraction by pressing through a cloth. Juice is added to a pan holding boiling water at such a rate that the temperature did not fall below 80 C. at any time to get a coagulated juice. The coagulated juice was filtered through a cotton cloth to separate a water soluble deproteinized juice that is high in water content as third primary fraction from a water insoluble high protein low fiber fraction as fourth primary fraction in the form of a curd which was pressed through a cloth to remove residual deproteinized juice.

(10) The moist fibrous fraction was washed with hot water, excess water removed and then washed fibrous fraction was dried in draft oven at 80 C. and pulverized in a pulverizer to pass though a mesh having pore size of 1 mm to get a powder. The powder often had insoluble fiber content of 55% and soluble fiber content of 0.5%. By itself, this fraction as a dry powder was unpalatable when made from any plant species, it was insoluble, had coarse texture, could not be consumed either by chewing or by drinking with a fluid as it gave irritating fibrous feeling to throat.

(11) The fourth fraction water insoluble high protein low fiber fraction was, depending on plant species used, of light green or dark green color about 45 to 60% protein, 10-15% crude fat, about 5% ash (about 1% acid insoluble ash), less than 1% fiber and rest carbohydrates. This fraction was either dried and stored for further use or was extracted with flax oil by passing flax oil through a column of loosely packed moist curd, the oil separated from the curd by pressing through a cloth and then by adding water to the fraction so that loosely bound residual oil separated from the curd and was skimmed off; giving two sub fractions of the fourth fraction (a) sub-fraction 1 comprising oil enriched with oil soluble components of the curd comprising carotenes, xanthophylls, polyunsaturated and other fats, alpha tocopherol and other oil soluble constituents of the curd, and (b) oil extracted fraction of the fourth fraction which was dried and stored for further use or could be mixed with bulk ingredient of desired compositions, such as breakfast cereals so that its moisture content was brought down rapidly and both the components were dried together.

(12) This fourth primary fraction had, however, unfavorable organoleptic properties such as grassy flavor, poor dispersibility in beverages, dark green color and gritty texture when dried. It imparted unfavorable and often unacceptable taste or appearance or flavor to all conventional recipes in which it was incorporated.

(13) Making Fractions of vegetation on a large scale: 100 kg of Green leafy vegetable Fenugreek, Cowpea and Lucerne were taken for the purpose of fractionation. Roots were removed, the shoots, were washed thoroughly with water and pulped in a pulveriser. The pulp obtained was centrifuged to separate juice fraction from fiber fraction. The fiber fraction was then treated with hot boiling water for about half hour and then centrifuged to remove excess and residual water. The fiber fraction was kept in draft oven at 80 C. for drying. The juice fraction was added to a pan containing boiling water. The juice was added at such a rate that the temperature of the pan never fell below 80 C. to get coagulation of the juice and to get a curd which is called LPC precipitated out. The deproteinized juice (DPJ) is separated from the LPC by centrifugation. The DPJ is used as such in formulations or is concentrated to a syrup by application of heat and further dried in draft oven at 80 C. This is also a fraction rich in minerals and polyphenols which are useful as nutritional supplements.

Example 4

(14) Modification of Unfavorable Organoleptic Properties and Further Enhancement of Nutritive Value:

(15) Masking coarseness and grassy flavor of fibrous fraction: This was achieved by using thickeners that provided slimy body to the soup making fiber particles palatable in a thick soup. Thickeners used for soups were gums, which played duel role, i.e. gave thickening so that the soup gives a good mouth-feel, coarseness of fiber is masked, when the fiber is added to water and is boiled it remains in suspension until the soup is drunk; and they contained soluble fiber which improved the value of the soup as dietary fiber supplement. Gums also helped in limiting the caloric content of the soups. To some extent, cereal flours, particularly wheat flour, corn starch also are used for the purpose of thickening. Grassy flavor of fiber was masked by adding spices and condiments, tomato powder, garlic powder, citric acid etc.

(16) Masking Dark green color, gritty texture and grassy flavor of the fourth fractionwater insoluble high protein low fiber fraction LPC or its sub-fraction, and grassy taste of green leafy vegetables:

(17) It was found that parched wheat flour, parched grain amaranth, puffed grain amaranth and puffed rice had an agreeable aroma even when eaten dry without any further additives. These were selected as flavor modifiers for recipes prepared from the fourth primary fraction i.e. water insoluble high protein low fiber fraction and/or fibrous fraction.

(18) Combinations of 1 gram LPC to 1, 3, 6 and 10 gram each of parched wheat flour, parched grain amaranth, parched rice flour, puffed grain amaranth and puffed rice were made. These mixtures were added to 100 ml water each, mixed well, then heated to boil and poured in vertical glass containers of 125 ml capacity. Rate of sedimentation and segregation of the mixture in different layers was observed. It was found that rice flour and puffed rice failed to prevent sedimentation and segregation of the mixture in all the combinations. Combination of 1 g LPC:6 gram of parched wheat flour was seen to the first combination in the ascending series of wheat flour in proportion to LPC which was found to give a mixture which sedimented to a very small extent and all the constituents, including the powder of LPC, remained in stable suspension even up to four hours. Parched Grain Amaranth flour also supported stable suspension when mixed at 1 gram LPC: 10 gram Parched Grain Amaranth flour, with Puffed Amaranth flour being close to it by giving a stable suspension at 1 gram LPC:10 gram Puffed Amaranth flour. A stable Suspension no. 1 was obtained when suspension 1 gram LPC:6 gram Parched wheat flour was mixed with 1 gram LPC:6 gram puffed grain Amaranth. This result is useful in view of the fact that puffed Grain Amaranth flour has better taste and feel than just parched Grain Amaranth as puffed Grain Amaranth reduced the dusty feel or powdery feel of the composition; and 1 gram LPC:6 gram Puffed Grain Amaranth failed to give a stable suspension. At the same time, when a suspension 1 gram LPC:6 gram parched wheat flour was mixed 1:1 with and a suspension 1 gram LPC:6 gram Puffed rice failed to maintain stability in the resulting Suspension no. 2. However, Suspension nos. 1 and 2 when mixed together, surprisingly gave a Suspension no. 3 which remained stable for more than an hour. Further, a suspension of 1 gram LPC:10 gram of parched wheat flour when mixed 1:1 with a suspension of 1 gram LPC:10 gram Puffed Grain Amaranth flour gave a stable Suspension no. 4; and a suspension of 1 gram LPC:10 gram Parched wheat flour when mixed 1:1 with a suspension of 1 gram LPC:10 gram puffed rice gave a stable Suspension no. 5 although it had puffed rice in it which never gave stable suspension before. This stability of suspension in spite of presence of puffed rice was maintained when Suspension 4 was mixed 1:1 with suspension 5 to give rise to a stable Suspension 6. Still further, when Suspension no. 3 was mixed with Suspension no. 6 in 1:1 proportion, the resulting suspension no. 7 remained stable for a long time.

Example 5

(19) Making a Recipe with Whole Green Leafy Vegetable as an Ingredient

(20) Preparatory Cooking:

(21) Root portion of the vegetation was cut off, which removes about one third of the plant body, 100 k of was washed thoroughly with water followed by cooking in boiling water for 20 minutes or in an autoclave at 120 C. at 15 psi for 20 minutes. The vegetation was then pulped in a domestic kitchen grinder mixer to get a pulp.

(22) It was seen that in case of spinach, pulp of vegetation treated with boiling water gave a thick smooth pulp, but the pulp from autoclaved vegetation was smoother. In case of Fenugreek, vegetation treated with boiling water was coarse, and the pulp from vegetation that was autoclaved was smooth and thick.

(23) Hence, for further work, pulp from autoclaved vegetation was preferred for all plant species.

(24) Soup or food bar from the pulped vegetation: To a pulp from 100 gram fresh vegetation, was added an 8 gram mixture of a soup composition as given in Table 1 except the fiber component, the mixture was boiled for 2 to 3 minutes to convert it into a soup and was either deep frozen or packaged in a polymer film pouch that can withstand autoclaving and autoclaved. Alternatively, the boiled mixture was spread as thin sheet and heated further cautiously to achieve drying without charring. When moisture content was low enough, the mass was scraped off, made into a bar and the bar was dried further.

(25) It was seen that Fenugreek soup prepared from whole vegetation tasted bitter. Hence, in another experiment, after making pulp of autoclaved vegetation, the pulp was dewatered by pressing through a cloth. The water pressed out from the pulp of Fenugreek tasted extremely bitter and the fiber was free from bitter taste.

(26) Soup from Spinach tasted very good without removal of water.

(27) All soups had, on 100 gram dry matter basis, dietary fiber more than 6 gram.

Example 6

(28) Compositions from Fractions of Green Leafy Vegetation:

(29) Breakfast Cereals, Beverages and Snacks:

(30) a) A mix of Parched wheat flour, LPC and Parched Grain Amaranth or Puffed and powdered Grain Amaranth was prepared in various proportions with small quantity of puffed rice occasionally. Proportion of LPC as 10% in all combinations, 90% being contributed by other ingredients. This could be packaged and was microbiologically stable for more than one year. The attractive flavor of parched wheat flour combined with attractive flavor of parched Grain Amaranth flour or puffed Grain Amaranth flour largely masked the grassy flavor of LPC except some agreeable flavor of the original vegetable, which was agreeable since it was familiar to the people. The mixture could be eaten raw also with addition of desired sweetener, it could also be consumed as a beverage when water or milk or buttermilk was added in a proportion of 125 ml to each 10 gram mixture and brought to boiling, and sweetener or salt added to it as per individual taste. The resulting suspension was stable for a reasonably long time for a person to consume it and appeared brown with green particles stably floating throughout. Appearance of the recipe was white in dry condition also with light green particles dispersed throughout. The nutrient content of this formulation was, per 100 gram dry matter, fiber 8%, protein 18% of energy value of 100 gram composition, calories 375 kcal, calcium 495, iron 33 mg.

(31) b) Various breakfast items were prepared using LPC extracted from all crop plants illustrated in this work. The items prepared were 1) Indian rice-pulse mix (Khichadi in local language) where a mix of LPC and other cereal ingredient like whole wheat, rice, moong dahl (Vigna radiate L), oats, ground flax, amaranth, spices and condiments are added so that the beta carotene 700 microgram.

(32) c) Making high fiber soups: The compositions were made such that on one hand it became palatable, coarseness of the fiber was masked and the dietary fiber content was at least 9%. Several permutations and combinations were made with various ingredients, some of them are illustrated below. The soup compositions were tasted by a panel of 5 trained judges who recorded their assessment of whether the taste is acceptable or not by yes or no. The majority decisions are recorded below for the illustrative soup compositions. The soup compositions recorded as no were generally bitter when the fibrous fraction was from Fenugreek or were not agreeable in general taste when the fibrous fraction was from vegetables other then Fenugreek.

(33) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Various Compositions of soup with fibrous fraction dry powder as an ingredient Composition of 1000 g instant soup Property of the composition Weight in grams composition or Soup Soup Soup Soup Soup Soup Soup Soup Ingredients 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Acceptance by No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No taste panel: yes or no Fibrous fraction 300.0 100.0 150 150 50 300 300.0 200.0 from Green leafy vegetable Gum acacia 100.0 75 100 Whole flax seed 50.0 Tomato powder 83.3 40 300 100 300 170 195.0 Onion powder 33.3 60 80 60 60 53.3 100.0 Milk powder 30 60 80 60 60 50.0 90.0 Refined wheat 50 50 flour (Maida) Corn flour 50 100 50 50.0 Salt 100.0 100 100 90 80 100 100.0 100.0 Black pepper 10 10 10 Sugar 66.7 60 80 70 100 66.7 66.7 70.0 Monosodium 20 20 20 50 26.7 20.0 Glutamate Garlic powder 26.7 40 30 30 40 10 35.0 Chilli powder 10.0 10 10 10 10.0 sago powder 116.7 75 93.3 300.0 100.0 potato powder 80 60 90 70 60 66.7 20.0 Roasted cumin 20.0 20 20 30 10 20 20.0 10.0 Ginger powder 10.0 20 10 10 10.0 Citric acid 6.7 Toor Dahl, 233.3 280 Pigeon pea split seeds Turmeric 20 Wheat flour 20 modified starch 10 Total weight 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 grams

(34) Proportion if fibrous fraction that could be used depended on other constituents used as well as on the plant species.

(35) d) Fiber supplemented spices and condiments: Various ready-to-use mixtures of spices (Masala mixes, as called in local vernacular language Marathi in India) were made from fibrous fraction which are added as condiments during cooking to add flavor and taste of various salty recipes from vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian main ingredients such as pigeon pea dalhs, poultry, mutton, beef, pork, non-leafy vegetable etc. Mostly these condiments are meant for making these recipes tasty. These mixtures of spices, Masala mixes, would serve as excellent vehicles for adding fiber in palatable form in the recipes for improving consumption of dietary fiber. The fiber from all illustrative vegetable used in this study are mixed with mixture of ground and powdered spices mix.

(36) e) Milk products fortified with fractions of green leafy vegetables:

(37) (i) Fiber rich curd: Dry powder of from 2 to 6 gram of fibrous fraction was washed with water to remove residual solubles, was added to 100 milliliter of fresh milk, brought to boil, cooled to room temperature, starter culture of lactobacillus derived from small portion of traditionally prepared curd was added to it and allowed to form a curd in course of time at room temperature. When the mixture started thickening in initial phase of curd formation, it was mixed to ensure that the powder of fibrous fraction mixed uniformly throughout. At this stage, the powder of the fibrous fraction did not settle. This gave curd fortified with fibrous fraction. This fiber fortified curd was very much agreeable and tasty and could be eaten as such or with other recipes without getting any disagreeable flavor or disagreeable texture or a disagreeable taste of the fibrous fraction component. The fiber fortified curd done in this way contained at least 3 gram dietary fiber per 100 gram dry matter. Proportion of fiber per 100 ml can be increases even until it makes a thick paste into which the starter can be mixed, milk portion allowed to curdle so that after adding condiments to it, such a curdled paste can be used as a bread spread or as a spread in a sandwich. These compositions can be packaged and would keep for a long time at refrigeration temperature or when deep frozen.

(38) (ii) Fiber rich Paneer or cheese: Fiber rich milk prepared for above fiber rich curd was curdled by adding various ways such as adding a food acid or salt or lime juice or a proteolytic enzyme. The curdled portion was separated by pressing through cloth and converted to firm slab which was cut into convenient pieces. This gave pieces of Paneer fortified with fibrous fraction and contained at least 3 gram fiber per 100 gram dry matter. This tasted agreeable and could be very easily used to add to vegetables. It would also be possible to raise proportion of fiber in the recipe until it starts becoming unpalatable when the fiber fortified paneer is added to other recipe. When such a stage would be reached will vary with individual and also with the cultural background.

(39) (iii) Carotenoid rich milk, curd, paneer and cheese: Enriched Oil i.e. edible oil extract of the fourth fraction that is high protein low fiber fraction (LPC) rich in carotenoid and chlorophyll was added at various levels in milk until it was no longer able to emulsify and the milk could be consumed as such, or could be made into curd by adding starter culture of curd or made into paneer by adding a curdling agent. Milk could either be packaged in conventional way after pasteurization and consumed as such; or it could be converted into curd, paneer or cheese which could be packaged and kept at refrigeration temperature until consumed.

(40) f) Capsules, syrups or soft cola drinks from Deproteinized Juice (DPJ): Deproteinized juice was concentrated to a syrup which could be stored for a long time without adding preservative. This syrup could also be dried completely and powdered. At this stage deproteinized juice powder could be converted to gelatin capsule in the range of 100 mg to 1000 mg.

(41) The syrup could also be converted into concentrate of soft drink concentrate by mixing 200 mg dry powder of deproteinized juice to a commercially available soft drink concentrate that contained dry concentrate of orange juice, orange oil as flavoring agent, glucose, lactose, minerals, preservatives, emulsifiers and stabilizers. This could be diluted to get sweet tasty soft drink.

(42) Soft drink could also be prepared by adding 200 mg dry powder of deproteinized juice to a commercially available salty soft drink concentrate that contained black salt, dextrose, citric acid, ginger, cumin, mint and green chili. This could be diluted to get salty and tasty soft drink which could be consumed with food.

(43) Deproteinized juice 30 ml was added with above commercially available soft drink concentrates, boiled, cooled and they tasted very well and could be bottled.

(44) g) Oil can form as good nourishment for the skin and find application as a skin cream. The 2 ml of oil extract of LPC is mixed in 2 gram petroleum jelly to form a good skin nourishing cream.

(45) h) The oil extract obtained has been converted to make salad oil.

(46) i) The oil extract can be made to form gelatin capsules. The oil extract in each capsule can range from 200 mg to 1 g.

(47) What has been described above are preferred aspects of the present invention. It is of course not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, combinations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.