PROCESSING OF A PRESS CAKE AND / OR POWDER OF OIL-CONTAINING SEEDS

Abstract

A method of processing an oil cake and/or extraction meal and/or a powder (P.1) from portions of seeds (S.1) containing oil such as mustard, crambe, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, hemp, linen, or rape is configured such that the material of the oil cake or powder (P.1) is subjected to a heating and to a texturing for forming a food (P.5) that contains fiber.

Claims

1. A method of processing an oil cake and/or extraction meal and/or a powder from portions of seeds, the portions of seeds containing oil, comprising the steps of: providing seed material comprising oil cake and/or extraction meal and/or powder from portions of seeds, the portions of seeds containing oil, the extraction meal being obtained after a further oil extraction to lower a remaining oil content in the oil cake or powder; heating the seed material; and texturing the seed material; thereby forming a food that contains fiber; wherein the method does not include protein concentration, protein isolation, chemical splitting of an already existing oil cake or powder or later compounding.

2. The method of processing according to claim 1, wherein the portions of seeds containing oil comprise portions of mustard seed, crambe seed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, or rapeseeds.

3. The method of processing according to claim 1, wherein the portions of seeds containing oil comprise portions of rapeseed.

4. The method of processing according to claim 3, wherein the portions of seeds containing oil comprise portions of rapeseed dehulled prior to a pressing.

5. The method of processing according to claim 1, further comprising introducing the seed material into at least one extruder.

6. The method of processing according to claim 5, wherein the heating step is a cooking step and the texturing step comprises texturing the seed material in the extruder.

7. The method of processing according to claim 6, wherein the extruder comprises a discharge nozzle that forms a cooling channel for the texturing.

8. The method of processing according to claim 7, wherein the discharge nozzle predefines the end height and the end width of an output pre-end product.

9. The method of processing according to claim 1, further comprising cross-linking the seed material with a further material containing protein during the heating step.

10. The method of processing according to claim 9, wherein the cross-linked seed material and further material comprises a mixture having a protein content of at least 45%.

11. The method of processing according to claim 9, wherein the cross-linked seed material and further material comprises a mixture having a protein content of at least 50%.

12. The method of processing according to claim 9, wherein the further material comprises pea protein.

13. The method of processing according to claim 1, wherein the method is carried out without a protein isolation or protein concentration.

14. The method of processing according to claim 1, wherein the seed material comprises oil cake and the oil cake is supplied directly to an extruder while mixing with water.

15. The method of processing according to claim 1, wherein a pre-end product of the method is a strand that contains fiber, that is stable in shape, and that can be divided into pieces by cutting.

16. The method of processing according to claim 15, further comprising: dividing the pre-end product into portions by cutting or stamping; completing the pre-end product an addition of aromas, spices, and other flavor-influencing substances to form an end product serving as a meat substitute.

17. The method of processing according to claim 1, wherein the method is operated continuously or quasi-continuously.

18. A foodstuff composed of a solid body that contains protein, that contains fiber, and of which at least 90% of its volume is formed from rapeseed, wherein the foodstuff is made according to the method of claim 1.

19. The foodstuff in accordance with claim 18, wherein 5% to 10% of the volume of the foodstuff is formed from at least one further protein.

20. The foodstuff in accordance with claim 19, wherein the at least one further protein comprises a vegetable protein.

21. The foodstuff in accordance with claim 18, wherein the foodstuff serves as a meat substitute comprising only rapeseed or a combination of rapeseed and other vegetable protein.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Further advantages and features of the invention result from embodiments of the subject matter of the invention shown in the drawing and described in the following.

[0023] There are shown in the drawing:

[0024] FIG. 1 a rough schematic flowchart of a method in accordance with the invention;

[0025] FIG. 2 a schematic view of an oil cake that can serve as a starting material;

[0026] FIG. 3 a schematic view of a textured end product that contains fiber; and

[0027] FIG. 4 a schematic, perspective view of an extruder end having a cooling channel through which the formed pre-end product is outwardly conveyed as a strand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] In accordance with the flowchart shown in FIG. 1, a method is shown at whose end a foodstuff is obtained as a product P.5 that is divided into pieces and can, for example, be used as a meat substitute or as a meat analogue. This product P.5 also has a high protein content without any protein concentration or protein isolation and is therefore very valuable for the diet.

[0029] Seeds S.1 containing oil such as mustard, crambe, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, hemp, linen, or in particular rape serve as the starting product for the process and are, for example, first conditioned in an oil seed processing process V in a step 1-1, are then subjected to dehulling in a step 1-2 before the kernels are pressed without any hull fractions where possible—once or multiple times in step 1-3 or the hulls are subsequently removed by a suitable process. The total processing process V is here in particular carried out at a low temperature (so-called cold pressing) to prevent a denaturation of the proteins. This means that the seeds are supplied to the press at room temperature or at environmental temperature without any previous hydrothermal conditioning. The seed moisture is typically approximately 6 to 8 percent water content and the resulting press temperature in a cold pressing is approximately 40 to 60 degrees Celsius.

[0030] An oil extraction (nota bene: not a protein extraction) can follow as step 1-4 that lowers the residual content in the remaining oil cake or powder P.1 to, for example, approximately 1%—from a previous approximately 8% that remains after pressing. The powder or the oil cake P.1 can then be obtained for the further process from step 1-3 or 1-4.

[0031] In this further process for preparing an oil cake or powder P.1 from portions of seeds containing oil, the material of the oil cake or powder P.1 is subjected to a heating and to a texturing to form a food A.5 that contains fiber—here by way of example in an extruder E.

[0032] In the present example here, the oil cake or the powder (that can also be formed differently than described above) is formed from rapeseed S.1. In rape types typical today, it contains approximately 38% protein, approximately 12% fat, and approximately 50% carbohydrates in volume. However, rape types are already being tested that have a higher protein content.

[0033] If the material P.1 is an oil cake composed of contiguous pieces of different sizes, such as shown in FIG. 2, for instance, it can still be ground in a grinder M to a meal or powder P.2. A particle size of a maximum of 5.0 millimeters in extent results therefrom. The grinding can also be dispensed with depending on the starting material P.1.

[0034] Depending on the protein content the starting material P.1 has, it may additionally be necessary to raise the protein content by adding a further protein A.1. If such an admixture is necessary, it can in particular be added to a mixing unit ME that uniformly blends the added protein with the starting compound of oil cake or powder P.1, optionally after a further grinding as meal P.2.

[0035] Different vegetable proteins or also animal proteins can be considered as a further protein, for example pea protein. Other vegetable proteins, for instance from lupine, sunflower, or similar, are also possible. Additionally or alternatively, protein from animal sources can also be added if a purely vegan product is not to be produced, for example egg, whey powder, albumen, fish meal powder . . . . The addition can take place in liquid or solid form, in particular in powder form, depending on the embodiment.

[0036] Independently of the source of the added protein, the protein content in the compound P.3 mixed in this manner can be increased by the addition to approximately 45%, in particular to more than 50%, which benefits the uniform appearance and mechanical stability of the finally formed product P.5.

[0037] Furthermore, aromas A.2 and/or preservatives .3 can also be added to the mixing unit ME—likewise in liquid or solid form—so that the mixed compound P.3 obtained can have already reached its final composition in a homogeneous distribution.

[0038] It is additionally or alternatively also possible that liquid additions of protein A.1, of aromas A.2 and/or of preservatives A.3 are mixed in advance with water (H.sub.2O) in a further mixing unit) and are then directly introduced as an aqueous phase A.4 into an extruder E and are only blended with the compound P.3 there.

[0039] In both cases, the oil cake meal P.3 from the material of the oil cake or the powder P1 is here introduced into at least one extruder E. The extruder E can be a screw extruder or a ram extruder that can additionally be heated. The starting compound P.3 is intimately mixed and heated in the extruder E, that is preferably a twin screw extruder, as is indicated in FIG. 4, and that can introduce a large amount of energy into the material. The supply and mixing of water or of the above-described aqueous phase A.4 with additives (for example, protein, aromas and/or preservatives) result in a conversion process of in particular the protein fraction as a component of the rape oil cake meal P.3 at the high temperature and pressure. In this process step that is also known as “high moisture extrusion cooking” a cooking of the material takes place with a simultaneous fiber formation (texturing). The proteins swell up and cross-link. The texturate P.4 thus formed can be pressed out through a slotted nozzle SD having a suitable height and width that can already determine the final height and final width of the product. The height of the slotted nozzle is typically approximately 1 to 4 cm, the width, in contrast, is approximately 5 to 15 centimeters.

[0040] A cooling unit K in which the texturate P.4 is subjected to a fast cooling C is connected downstream of the extruder E in the conveying direction. A strand that contains fiber, that is stable in shape per se, and that can be divided into pieces by cutting is thereby produced as the pre-starting product of the method. It is an oil cake texturate P.4 having an aligned fibrous, elastic structure.

[0041] This cooling unit K in particular forms a cooling channel KK that can be a plurality of ten centimeters up to approximately two meters in length and is, for example, double walled or is surrounded by coiling coils. Cooling water that is introduced at a water inlet WI and that can be led out at a water outlet WO can then run within the double wall. A discharge temperature of approximately 60 to 70° C. of the pre-end product P.4 is thus possible at the slotted nozzle SD. The inlet temperature in the cooling channel was in contrast considerably above 100° C., for example 150° to 170° C. A very fast cooling of the outer regions of the extrudate takes place by the water inlet WI located there while the core still remains warmer. This promotes the formation of long fibers.

[0042] This initially strand-like texturate P.4 can, as can be recognized at the bottom in FIG. 1, be able to be divided into portions by cutting or stamping by one or more cutting units SE and can then be conducted on a conveyor F. An automated packaging VP of the foodstuff P.5 divided into final portions and stable in shape is likewise possible here. Further ingredients and/or additives A.5 such as aromas, spices, and other flavor-influencing substances such as a sauce or an herb crust can be supplied to the product P.5 beforehand. The product present in manageable pieces can thus be able to be produced as an end product serving as a meat substitute. Both the shape and haptics and the flavor can be designed, for example, in the manner of a schnitzel. Nor does the shape have to be approximately rectangular, as shown schematically here, but a freely shaped stamping is also possible as desired.

[0043] The manufacturing process can also be carried out completely without protein isolation or protein concentration on a change of details. No waste water is also produced, but the water H.sub.2O supplied directly or indirectly is completely installed in the product P.5.

[0044] The method can be operated continuously or quasi-continuously for a high efficiency.

[0045] The end product P.5 that can also be manufactured by different method steps thus forms a previously unknown foodstuff from a solid body that contains proteins, that contains fiber, and of which at least 90% of its volume is formed from rape here. An organic quality can also be simply achieved here.

[0046] Where necessary, only approximately 5% to 10% of its volume are here formed from a further protein, in particular from a vegetable protein.

[0047] The foodstuff is nevertheless usable as a meat substitute due to the flavor-forming substances.

[0048] The rape cake P.1 that contains protein is therefore as a rule not first fragmented and chemically modified, but it is at the most mixed with a further protein A.1 so that the protein content is increased and is then converted directly and only using physical processes into a foodstuff P.5 that contains fiber. A protein extraction or protein isolation can be fully dispensed with and does not take place in the entire process.