FR3153723A1 - PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A FOOD SOLID COMPRISING KONJAC AND OKARA GLUCOMMANNAN - Google Patents

Abstract

Process for developing a new blended product derived from a homogeneous combination of konjac powder and okara powder, which modifies its use and nutritional properties. The improvement achieved is due to the addition of high-quality organic fiber and complete proteins. All products obtained from the claimed blends can be used to make pasta or rice pearls.

Description

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A FOOD SOLID COMPRISING KONJAC AND OKARA GLUCOMMANNAN

The present invention provides a process for producing a mixed food solid from a homogeneous combination of konjac powder and Okara powder in an aqueous context, a combination which powerfully reinforces the dietary effectiveness of konjac and its nutritional action.

Description of the invention

Konjac is currently a product that is sufficiently well known and used throughout the world that it needs to be described in any other way than by the fact that it is an extract of the flour of the tuber of Amorphophallus konjac.

For several years now, it has been used in the West for its nutritional qualities and in particular its total absence of calories and carbohydrates, which make it a perfect substitute for pasta, rice and semolina for those seeking to control their weight.

Botanically and agriculturally, konjac is a large buried tuber similar to a large potato. From this tuber grow stems and then flowers that live on the reservoir of the tuber's energy reserves. When the tuber is empty, the surface plant withers and dies. In Asia, this empty tuber is harvested, washed, crushed, and ground to make a powder from which pasta, rice, and semolina are made.

Today, the interest in this product, which is very useful in the fight against overweight, obesity and diabetes, is limited by two areas of weakness:

Lack of fiber: Konjac has its own fibers known as Konjac Glucomannan, but in 100 grams of ready-to-eat pasta, there are only 3 grams of glucomannan and a total absence of protein, a combined absence that reduces its widespread use.

In addition, the interest in konjac is limited by a certain number of deceptive characteristics, odor, translucency which hinder its diffusion and its marketing.

These foods, produced in the Far East, are packaged, preserved in water and exported to Europe, taking months to travel in this aqueous bath.

When opening the pack, the consumer is bothered by the natural but unpleasant smell of the product in its transport liquid.

Additionally, konjac products have a translucent appearance and an elastic, contractile consistency reminiscent of a non-food plastic substance.

The present invention is primarily aimed at improving the nutritional qualities of konjac but, in doing so, it further enhances attempts to reduce its deceptive characteristics.

To date, konjac is most often prepared as a single ingredient. In recent years, new patents have been filed for its combination with oat fiber to improve its colorlessness and transparency and allow it to better absorb the flavors of culinary preparations. But these additions, while improving the visual presentation and consistency of konjac, do nothing to improve the nutritional characteristics of this very promising product.

What's missing from today's konjac is better quality fiber and, more importantly, complete protein with all 8 essential amino acids, without which the human body cannot synthesize its vital proteins. These 8 amino acids are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

To solve this problem and provide konjac with additional effectiveness in the fight against diseases of civilization based partly on excessive intake of carbohydrate calories, the proposed invention combines it with a new product, Okara.

Okara is what remains in the industrial press after grinding soybeans to extract soy milk. For a long time, this residue was discarded as waste. We have managed to extract this Okara in wet form and then atomize it to make a powder containing between 35 and 42% fiber and between 27 and 35% protein.

In summary, the invention proposed here is indeed a process for producing a mixed food solid from a homogeneous combination of konjac powder and Okara powder in an aqueous context, a combination which powerfully reinforces the dietary effectiveness of konjac and its nutritional action.

For Konjac, it all starts with washing the tuber and then putting it in an oven to sterilize it. The tuber is then dried and ground into powder.

Then comes the time to hydrate the konjac powder, which is first introduced into a mixture of between 20 and 35% of its volume of water.

The mixture is achieved by vigorous stirring, which results in a substantially homogeneous dispersion of the konjac flour.

When this homogeneity is obtained, the Okara powder is added so that its proportion in relation to that of the konjac is between 5% and 40%.

Once the Okara powder is added, osmosis is achieved by vigorous stirring again, which further interpenetrates the two flours, konjac and Okara. Hydration is completed by adding water until the resulting mixture reaches saturation.

It should be noted that the mixture must be carried out with the achievement of homogeneity of the components and fine protection of the integrity of the particles of the two components. These two requirements must be verified by granulometry.

Okara can be enhanced with any other food texture substrate providing quality protein and fiber such as oat bran or psyllium, pea or fruit fiber.

Okara can also be enhanced with any other food texture substrate providing quality protein and fiber such as guar, inulin, or pectin.

As for the proteins in okara, they can be replaced with soy proteins, the only complete plant proteins in the plant kingdom. And these complete protein replacements can be animal proteins such as milk or egg.

All these possible variations allow the new mixed product resulting from the homogeneous combination of konjac powder and Okara powder and any other strengthening agent to be used to bring its nutritional improvements by making all types of pasta, noodles, shirataki, vermicelli, spaghetti, fettuccine, all Italian or Asian models as well as rice pearls. This increases the nutritional potential of all these products.

The process according to the invention being a process for producing a mixed food solid from a homogeneous combination of konjac powder and Okara powder in an aqueous context, this process comprises the following steps:

- Washing the Konjac tuber;

- Sterilization of Konjac by placing it in an oven;

- Drying and transformation by grinding into powder;

- Hydration of the Konjac powder thus obtained by its introduction into a mixture of between 20% and 35% of its volume of water;

- Homogenization of the mixture by stirring;

- Addition of Okara powder to the said mixture, in a proportion between 5% and 40% compared to that of Konjac;

- Stirring the mixture as soon as the Okara powder is added to achieve additional interpenetration of the two Konjac and Okara flours;

- Hydration of said mixture by adding water until saturation; in which the mixture must be carried out with the achievement of perfect homogeneity of the components and fine protection of the integrity of the particles of the two components.

In the process according to the invention characterized, the contribution of Okara is reinforced by a food texture substrate providing quality proteins and fibers, such as oat bran or psyllium, pea or fruit fibers.

According to another aspect of the invention, the intake of Okara is reinforced by a food texture substrate providing quality proteins and fibers, such as guar or inulin or pectin.

Claims (3)

Process for the preparation of a mixed food solid from a homogeneous combination of konjac powder and Okara powder in an aqueous context, said process comprising the following steps:
- Washing the Konjac tuber;
- Sterilization of Konjac by placing it in an oven;
- Drying and transformation by grinding into powder;
- Hydration of the Konjac powder thus obtained by its introduction into a mixture of between 20% and 35% of its volume of water;
- Homogenization of the mixture by stirring;
- Addition of Okara powder to the said mixture, in a proportion between 5% and 40% compared to that of Konjac;
- Stirring the mixture as soon as the Okara powder is added to achieve additional interpenetration of the two Konjac and Okara flours;
- Hydration of said mixture by adding water until saturation; in which the mixture must be carried out with the obtaining of perfect homogeneity of the components and fine protection of the integrity of the particles of the two components. Method according to claim 1 characterized in that the contribution of Okara is reinforced by a food texture substrate providing quality proteins and fibers, such as oat bran or psyllium, pea or fruit fibers. Method according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the contribution of Okara is reinforced by a food texture substrate providing quality proteins and fibers, such as guar or inulin or pectin.