Protein enrichment of defatted salicornia meal by air classification

Salicornia bigelovii Torr. is a leafless, annual salt-marsh plant. Previous investigators reported that the seed contained 26 to 33% oil, 30 to 33% protein, 5 to 7% fiber, and 5 to 7% ash. Hexane-defatted salicornia meal was ground in a pin mill and separated by air classification into various fractions by particle size. The fine fractions were enriched in protein. The degree of protein enrichment and yield of fine fractions depended on the intensity of grinding. More intense grinding resulted in a higher yield of fine fractions with a smaller increase in protein content compared with less intensive grinding. The amino acid composition and proximate composition of the air-classified fractions are compared with the starting material.     

Characteristics and utilization of dry roasted air-classified navy bean protein fraction

Navy beans,Phaseolus vulgaris, were dry roasted in a particle-to-particle heat exchanger, dehulled by air aspiration, pin-milled and air-classified to yield a high protein fraction. Proximate analyses, nitrogen solubility indices and oligosaccharide contents of this high protein fraction as influenced by processing parameters which affected final product temperature were determined. Farinograms of wheat/bean protein fraction composite flours were run. A high-protein bean flour fraction was selected from these dry and roasted treatments and used in product development. Quality characteristics and consumer acceptability of high-protein prototype products were evaluated. Results of this research indicate that the dry roasting process influences the characteristics of the air-classified protein fraction. Flour color, nitrogen solubility and dough mixing properties were most greatly influenced by roasting time and temperature. Increased roasting resulted in increased browning and decreased nitrogen solubility and dough mixing stability. Wheat flour bread products, substituted with low levels of high-protein bean flour, were of high quality. Presented at the 73rd AOCS annual meeting, Toronto, 1982.     

Production and functional characteristics of protein concentrates

Protein concentrates derived from common dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) may improve world protein resources, reduce on-site preparation time and expense and provide improved nutrition. Several different methods have been studied for the production of these concentrates, including alkali extraction and isoelectric precipitation, ultrafiltration, air-classification and salt extraction under high salt concentrations. Recent studies using solid-solid dry roasting, pin milling and air-classification resulted in the following percent mass fractions: hull/fiber (10%), coarse/starch (70%) and fine/protein (20%). Results indicated that the protein fractions were approximately 45–50% protein, low in raffinose and stachyose and hadtrypsin inhibitor activity reduced to about half of that of raw beans. Nitrogen Solubility Index (NSI) ranged from 33–70% and was associated with the thermal conditions applied during dry roasting. The flours had a bland flavor without the bitter off-flavors which have traditionally limited the use of dry beans in formulated foods. Most minerals and phytic acid tended to be associated with protein flour; however, although iron may have been bound to phytic acid, its absorption by anemic rats was not hindered by the presence of endogenous phytic acid. These flours produced acceptable products when incorporated into cookies, doughnust, quick breads and leavened doughs. Presented at the 78th American Oil Chemists' Society Annual Meeting, May 27–21, 1987, New Orleans, LA.     

Extraction, partial characterization and nutritional aspects of proteins from Carioca 80 bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Extraction, fractionation and characterization by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins from Carioca 80 beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were performed at three pH values (2.5, 8.0 and 9.0). Extraction at pH 7.0 proved to be more efficient and, after dialysis, produced a better separation of the albumin and globulin fractions. Relative mobility of the main protein in the globulin fractions occurred between 0.30 and 0.40, and dissociation was observed when the pH was increased. The two most representative bands gave molecular weights of 35,400 and 76,900, while in regard to the trypsin inhibitor, three bands gave 28,800, 22,500 and 18,300. Pepsin and pancreatin in vitro digestibility rendered values of 33.43% and 62.63% for whole flour and for protein precipitated at pH 4.5, respectively. The content of available methionine found, of 1.36 g/16 g N, appears to be high in relation to that of other bean varieties.     

Study of mechanisms of grain dust explosion as affected by particle size and composition.: Part 2. Characterization of particle size and composition of grain dust

Three types of grain dust (corn, wheat, and grain sorghum) and cornstarch (used as a reference) were each divided into varying size fractions (6 to 11) utilizing air and sieve classifications. The particle size distribution and the composition (content of moisture, ash, protein, and starch and fiber) of each size fraction were determined. Dust particles consisting almost entirely of ash material were found to concentrate in specific air-classified size fractions. The total external surface area, the total volume, and the coefficient of variability were calculated from the experimental particle size distribution for each size fraction by utilizing a piecewise log normal approximation. These values were compared with those calculated from the least-squares fitted log normal approximation of the actual distribution.     

Pea and lentil protein extraction and functionality

These studies have demonstrated that peas and lentils can be used as protein sources for flours, concentrates and isolates. Less research attention has been devoted to lentil protein extraction, probably because of the greater cost of lentils as compared to peas. Pin-milling and air classification is well adapted to extracting pea flours to produce pea protein concentrates. Apparently, air-classification can be applied successfully to starch rich legumes, but will not give satisfactory results with lipid rich legumes. Wet processes, including alkaline and salt and acid solubilization, together with isoelectric precipitation or ultrafiltration, have been developed. The pea and lentil protein extracts of these processes exhibit comparable and complementary functionality to homologous soybean products. Air-classified pea protein concentrates are different from soy protein concentrates because of residual starch which can be useful for particular functional applications. Pea isolates appear to exhibit better foaming properties and more solubility than soy isolates, but pea isolates have to be more concentrated than soy isolates to produce viscous dispersions. The economic feasibility of pea and lentil protein extracts is related directly to protein content of the flour, unique functionality of the extracts, marketability of the by-products of extraction and the cost of peas or lentils. Presented at the 78th American Oil Chemists' Society Annual Meeting, May 17–21, 1987, New Orleans, LA.     

Removal of cellulose from sunflower meal by fractionation

The dependence of sunflower meal fractionation on the following factors was investigated: quality of original meals, 37.5%, 40.0% and 42.5% crude protein; screen hole size, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm; and single-phase and two-phase fractionation. The following conclusions were drawn. The increased protein levels in original meals (from 37.5% to 42.5% crude protein) had considerably greater effects on the quality than on the yield of the protein fractions. Increased screen hole size (from 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm) increased the yield of the protein fractions by 16.4–22.3%, but reduced the protein level in these fractions by 2.3–2.8%. Two-phase fractionation of the original meals with 40.0% and 42.5% crude protein increased the protein yield in the resulting protein fractions by 15.5–22.8%. The most efficient fractionation procedures rendered high yields of attractive protein fractions that contained 44.0–47.5% crude protein. The protein fractions were analyzed for physico-functional constants and amino acid composition. The most efficient and applicable fractionation procedures, those that may be successfully used in oil refineries, were selected.     

Flour of hard bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in the preparation of bread]

In order to utilize hardened beans, we proposed to find the method most indicated for the preparation of bean flour to determine their nutritional value, and to make bread of high industrial, nutritional quality, and good sensory characteristics, using blends of bean and wheat flours. Two types of flour were prepared, testing four soaking temperatures (22, 30, 40 and 50 degrees C) and two methods to remove the testa (under moist and dry conditions). At laboratory level, the dry testa removal method gave the best flour yields (mean = 85.8%) and the highest protein content (mean = 23.7%). Comparison between soaking temperature at 30 and 50 degrees C was not significant (alpha = 0.05). At pilot plant level, with soaking at 50 degrees C the flour yields were 58.0% for moist testa removal (H1) and 74.0% for dry removal (H2), with a protein content of 22.6% for H1 and 23.0% for H2. The H1 and H2 flours were added to wheat flour at 5, 10 and 15% for bread making. The addition of 5.0% gave breads with similar protein content and sensory characteristics to those of the control, wheat. A diet based on bean-flour bread resulted in greater weight gains than that with casein for gold hamsters. The study also demonstrated the importance of heat-treating of the bean flours, because when flour without previous heat treatment was administered, the animals lost weight and died. This effect was overcome by the process of baking the flours at 140 degrees C for four hours.     

Functional properties of extruded-expelled soybean flours from value-enhanced soybeans

The functional properties (protein solubility, emulsification characteristics, foaming characteristics, water- and fatbinding capacities) of extruded-expelled (EE) soy flours originating from six varieties of value-enhanced soybeans (high-sucrose, high-cysteine, low-linolenic, low-saturated FA, high-oleic, and lipoxygenase-null) and two commodity soybeans were determined. The soy flours varied in protein disperisibility index (PDI) and residual oil (RO), with PDI values ranging from 32 to 50% and RO values ranging from 7.0 to 11.7%. Protein solubility was reduced at pH values near the isoelectric region and was higher at both low and high pH. There were no significant differences for water-holding capacity, fat-binding capacity, emulsification activity, or emulsification stability. Only the high-oleic soy flour had significantly lower emulsification capacity. In general, the PDI and RO values of EE soy flours originating from value-enhanced and commodity soybeans had the greatest influence on protein functionality. The genetic modifications largely did not affect functional properties.     

Effect of extrusion on the activity of anti-nutritional factors and in vitro digestibility of protein and starch in flours of Canavalia ensiformis

The effect of the extrusion (155 degrees C, 20% moisture, screw speed 75 rpm, feed speed 205 g min-1) on antinutritional factors of Canavalia ensiformis was studied. In vitro protein and starch digestibilities were assessed. The extrusion not affect protein content (23%) in the flours, but significantly (P < 0.01) decrease moisture content. The protein digestibility values were improved from 57.5 to 89.5%, these values were lower than casein (98.19%). The digestibility of starch values were improved from 37.7 to 53%. The protease inhibitors activities (trypsin and chymotrypsin) and alpha-amylase inhibitor activity were reduced by 95%. The haemagglutinating activity was eliminated as result of the high temperature employed during the extrusion process. The canavanine content in the flours were not affect by the treatment of extrusion.     

Handling properties of cereal materials in the presence of moisture and oil

A powder flow analyzer attached to a Texture Analyser (Stable Micro Systems, UK) was used to compare the flow behaviour of four cereals systems: maize and wheat (in both starch and flour forms), as functions of particle size and distribution, water content and the addition of different types of oil. It was expected that the smaller the particle size the higher the tendency to stick (because of less free volume between the particles), but that was not the case. The results showed that wheat starch used, with bigger particle size than maize starch, had higher cohesion properties and as water content increases the cohesion increases by the same magnitude. This was attributed to the differences in granular shape as well as protein quantity and quality. Caking strength for both starches was influenced by the water content; in particular at 30% water content (w/w), neither cohesion nor caking indices could be measured for wheat starch because of the high stickiness of the particles.Although the two flours had particles of very similar sizes, with differences in the distributions only, maize showed higher cohesion indices compared to wheat flour. These values decreased with increasing water content. The caking property for maize was not significantly affected by water content with values of approximately 100 ± 5. The caking strength increased for wheat flour from 8 to 500 as moisture increased from 12.5 to 30%. This was ascribed to the differences in hydration properties of the two flours. For wheat flour and as the water content increased, gluten started to form and would require more than 30% to form a homogenous, visco-elastic mass.Generally, cohesivity and cake forming ability were affected by water content as well as the physical state of the oil i.e. by the solid/liquid ratios. As water content increases, wheat starch showed the greatest packing and cohesive behaviour, with and without the oil, while maize flour exhibited the weakest packing and cohesive properties.     

The isolation and characterization of the polymers formed during the thermal oxidation of corn oil

Summary It has been shown that thermal oxidation of corn oil at 200°C. caused the formation of polymeric material. A combination of urea fractionation and molecular distillation was employed to concentrate the polymeric material. Further fractionation of the polymer concentrates was performed with the aid of solvent-extraction procedures. These procedures resulted in the isolation of several polymer fractions with molecular weights ranging from 692 to 1,600. Analyses of the fractions indicated that they were of high oxygen content and that they contained unsaturation, difficult to remove by hydrogenation. The oxygen present in the fractions was shown to be in the form of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. The polymeric materials could be linked together in a noncyclic structure. Supported by a grant-in-aid from Armour and Company and The American Dairy Association, Chicago, Ill. Portion of a thesis presented by E. G. Perkins as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Food Technology     

Air dispersion of starch-protein mixtures: A predictive tool for air classification performance

Milling and air classification is a well-known procedure to obtain protein and starch enriched fractions from cereals and grain legumes. Adhesion of small protein particles to larger starch granules adversely affects the separation efficiency during air classification. To gain insight into this phenomenon the dispersion of bimodal mixtures of starch granules and fine protein particles in an air stream was studied.Using a method to correct for the number of small starch particles in the protein fraction, the dispersability of protein/starch mixtures was determined. The type of protein and, particularly, of starch may affect dispersability. The effect of starch type is not only caused by differences in granule size; likely other properties such as roughness are also involved. Increasing protein content enhances dispersability but does not seem to have an effect on the adhesion between starch and protein particles itself. An increase in adhesion by relative humidity of 90% results in a decreased dispersability.The dispersability of the mixtures was related to their performance upon air classification. Both the separation efficiency and tau were strongly related to dispersability (R² = 0.86 and 0.88 respectively). Hence, the dispersability, which can easily be measured, is a powerful tool to predict the air classification performance for separation of starch and protein.     

Some factors affecting sieving performance and efficiency

Sieving or screening has been the oldest yet most important unit operation for industrial separation of solid particles or as a laboratory method in size analysis. A stack of sieves with decreasing mesh size is usually used. Alternatively, particles can be sifted in a fine to coarse order by multiple sieving steps with each step using a single sieve. The latter is referred to as reverse sieve method. This study compared the two methods for sieving performance and efficiency using flours made from soft white and hard white wheat, hulless barley and medium grain rice. Additional factors, including milling method (impact vs. abrasive), flour moisture (7% vs. 11%), duration of sieving (60 vs. 120 min), and tapping (percussion during sieving), were also investigated. Mass frequency and protein content of oversize fractions were measured. Results show that all the variables and their interactions had significant effects on sieving performance and efficiency. Among them, tapping was most important, followed by sieving duration, sieving method, milling method, flour type, and flour moisture. When other conditions were equal, the reverse sieve method always gave improved sieving efficiency over the stacked sieve method. The observation can be attributed to the beneficial effect of oversized particles on reducing sieve blinding by near or sub-sieve sized particles. Furthermore, the reverse sieve method also expanded the difference in protein content among sieved fractions. Because of its practical significance, this so far unreported effect would bear further confirmation of other sieving and screening conditions.     

Soybean unsaponifiables: Chromatographic separations and characterization

Unsaponifiables extracted from 10 different lots of refined soybean oil were subjected to liquidliquid chromatographic separations. Three major fractions were obtained. The least polar hydrocarbon fraction constituted 15 to 30% of the unsaponifiables; the most highly polar fraction contained the steroids constituting 35 to 45% of the unsaponifiables. The fraction of intermediate polarity varied in composition from lot to lot, but usually it contained more than 50% of the unsaponifiables. These basic fractions were analyzed by thin layer, gas-liquid chromatography, and by chemical tests for functional groups. To determine the effects of soybean unsaponifiables on the oxidative and organoleptic stability of edible fats, various concentrations of the extracted and fractionated materials were examined in cottonseed oil. Effects of extraction methods on yields, fractionation characteristics, and composition of the different lots of soybean unsaponifiables are discussed. Presented at the AOCS meeting in Chicago, 1961. Division, Agricultural Research Service, USDA.     

Preparation of bitumen from oil sand by ultracentrifugation

Ultracentrifugation was investigated as a means to obtain solvent-free bitumen from oil sand. The bitumen from three oil sands of varying grades was separated by placing the sands in specially designed tubes and centrifuging for 2 h at 198 000 at 20 °C. For all grades of oil sand, approximately 70% of the bitumen was recovered. The recovered bitumen was compared to the residual remaining on the sand, and to that extracted by the conventional Soxhlet technique. The ultracentrifuged bitumen contained some emulsified water and a small amount of fine solids. The solvent-extracted material was water-free, but contained a small amount of residual solvent and fine solids. The ultracentrifuge caused some fractionation of the bitumen, resulting in a product slightly enriched in asphaltene components compared to the solvent-extracted material. The residual bitumen remaining on the sand was correspondingly slightly depleted in asphaltenes. However, as evidenced by gas Chromatographic simulated distillation data, ultracentrifugation did retain the light (180–220 °C) components of the bitumen which were lost during the solvent removal step following solvent extraction. Other analyses such as density, viscosity and elemental composition verified that ultracentrifugation resulted in some fractionation of bitumen components.     

Bench-scale processing of amaranth seed for oil

Amaranth seed (Amaranthus hypochondriacus cv. K432) was processed to obtain oil, reported to be a promising source of squalene. The amaranth seed was ground using a stone mill, then separated into oil-rich embryonic tissue (or “bran”) and starchy perisperm. Amaranth bran was much more stable than rice bran when free fatty acid (FFA) content and peroxide value were monitored. Milling at a gap of 0.755 mm did not result in excessive damage to the starch in the perisperm fraction and yielded a bran fraction that contained more than three-fourths of the oil and a starchy fraction consisting of more than two-thirds of the seed weight. The bran particles were too fine for effective bench-scale extraction of the oil. Consequently the bran was extruded into collects prior to extraction. Two extrusion settings were evaluated regarding the rate of moisture injection, while the bran feed rates were constant. There was no significant difference in appearance or size between the two dried collets. Collets were extracted with hexane using an Armfield Extraction/Desolventizing Unit (Model FT 29, Armfield, Ltd., Hampshire, England). Oil recovery averaged 97.7 and 80.0%, respectively. Oil was extracted at high yield from the bran when the bran was extruded into collets. Oil can be obtained as a coproduct of amaranth starch by milling and separating the fractions of amaranth seed. Milling, extrusion, and extraction did not decrease significantly the squalene content in amaranth oil, but increased FFA content and peroxide value and changed tocopherol content of the oil.     

Food uses of sunflower proteins

Commerical use of sunflower meal as a food product is dependent on the development of low chlorogenic acid cultivars and efficient procedures for dehulling the high oil cultivars and hybrids. Laboratory defatted sunflower flours have high protein contents, bland flavors, white colors at acid pH levels, and contain no antinutritive factors. Functional test data show that sunflower flours and protein concentrates have high salt solubility, oil absorption and oil emulsification. In rat feeding trials, the low lysine level in sunflower proteins has resulted in low protein efficiency ratios for sunflower diets and blends with cereals including bakery products. High weight gains are obtained for sunflower blends with legume and animal proteins, suggesting applications in milk and meat extenders and in soybean-based infant, formulas. Heat treatments, mechanical agitation, and emulsifiers were effective in solubilizing 80% of sunflower proteins in extended milk formulations, and the product was given high ratings in taste panel evaluations. Sunflower flour slurries show excellent whippability and foam stability, comparable to that of soybean protein isolate, but lack the ability to form a firm gel. Wieners supplemented with sunflower products have low shrinkage and cooking losses, but rate poorly in organoleptic tests. Texturization of sunflower flour by extrusion cooking gave fibrous chunks which were greyish in appearance, but had a chewy texture, a meat-like flavor, and gave low cooking losses in beef pattie formulations. Spun sunflower protein/casein (1:1) blends are superior to other vegetable proteins in shear strength, swellability and firmness. Sunflower flours are particularly deleterious to bread loaf characteristics. This effect can be partially overcome by autoclaving the flour, concentration of the protein, or addition of gluten, but the protein nutritive value of the supplemented bread is only marginally improved.     

Isopropanol fractionation of butter oil and characteristics of fractions

Fractionation of butter oil from isopropanol and characterization of the chemical composition and the melting properties of the fractions obtained have been investigated. Butter oil was fractionated from isopropanol (1∶4 wt/vol) at 15 to 30°C. The yields of stearins and oleins were dependent on the temperature employed during fractionation. Thus, 24.8 to 48.9% of stearins and 51.5 to 75.2% of oleins could be obtained as the crystallization temperature varied from 15 to 30°C. The stearin fractions displayed a distinct variation in the fatty acid compositions. The palmitic acid content of the stearin fractions varied from 39.1 to 44.0%, and that of stearic from 15.1 to 16.8%, respectively. The olein fractions contained 43.2% stearic acid, and 2.4 to 2.8% palmitoleic acid (C16∶1). The solid fat content values of the stearin fractions obtained were 62–67, 39–50, and 21–25 at 10, 20, and 30°C, respectively. From the results, it is evident that anhydrous milk fat can be fractionated at relatively high temperatures from isopropanol to produce stearin and olein fractions of specific composition and properties.