WO2022185168A1

WO2022185168A1 - Method for the production of an hydrolate by distillation of a plant material

Info

Publication number: WO2022185168A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/051666
Authority: WO
Inventors: Piercarlo BERTANI; Tony Baden Christensen
Original assignee: Aroma Riserva Srl
Current assignee: Aroma Riserva Srl
Priority date: 2021-03-02
Filing date: 2022-02-25
Publication date: 2022-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 2023-09-02
Also published as: IT202100004868A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for distilling a vegetal material (30). In particular, the method comprises the following steps: Inserting water (40) and a vegetal material (30) into a boiler (50). The vegetal material (30) comprises gluten-containing grasses, for example wheat, barley, rye, farro, spelt, triticale or a combination thereof. Exposing the boiler (50) to a heat source (60) with a heating temperature between 55°C and 95°C. Maintaining the boiler (50) at the heating temperature for a heating time between 0.5 and 7 hours, so as to obtain a distillate (90) comprising condensed water vapor enriched with a mixture of organic compounds extracted from the vegetal material (30). Collecting the distillate (90) in a container (70). The invention also relates to the corresponding hydrolate and to a dough product comprising it.

Description

METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN HYDROLATE BY DISTILLATION OF A PLANT MATERIAL

DESCRIPTION

[0001]The present invention relates to the field of food products for celiac subjects, i.e. gluten-free, and it 5 relates in particular to a method for distilling a vegetal material, to a hydrolate obtained from such method and to a gluten-free dough.

[0002]As is known, celiac disease is a chronic inflammation of the small intestine caused by the 10 ingestion of gluten. In particular, celiac disease derives from a reaction to gliadin, a prolamine that is present in some grasses, such as wheat, barley, rye, farro, spelt, triticale.

[0003]In this case, flour-based products, in which the 15 flour is obtained by grinding wheat, barley, rye, farro, spelt, triticale or a combination thereof, cause an inflammatory reaction in the celiac subject.

[0004]Exposure to gliadin, following the ingestion of gluten-containing products, causes, in a celiac 20 individual, a progressive flattening of the villi that line the small intestine. The reduction of the villi interferes with the absorption of nutrients.

[0005]The only solution to celiac disease is to lead a gluten-free diet.

25 [0006]In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to introduce products without gluten, commercially referred to as "gluten-free," to the market.

[0007]A plurality of food technologies have been developed aimed at introducing gluten-free products capable of offering taste and olfactory sensations similar to gluten-based products.

[0008]Although gluten-free products actually represent a substitute for gluten-based products, the development of new gluten-free food solutions has improved the diet of celiac subjects.

[0009]In particular, considering the requests of an increasingly numerous and increasingly demanding celiac audience, gluten-free products were introduced based on rice flour, or corn, buckwheat, amaranth, cassava, millet, quinoa, sorghum, teff, coconut, chestnuts, peas, potatoes, lentils, soy or a combination thereof.

[0010]Disadvantageously, although modern food technologies have made it possible to obtain a similar gluten-free product for each gluten-based product, the difference between a product with and without gluten is still evident.

[0011]In particular, the difference is not so much manifested on a visual level, but above all on an olfactory and gustatory level. [0012]For some time, nutrition has no longer been considered as exclusively linked to the sphere of taste, but the role played by the sense of smell in the perception of tastes is now proven. In this regard, Gordon Shepherd, professor of neuroscience at Yale University, coined the term "neurogastronomy" to indicate the complex of sensory mechanisms that then allow the brain to create flavors. Among the numerous Shepherd publications we mention:

[0013]- Shepherd, Gordon M. Smell images and the flavor system in the human brain. Nature 444.7117 (2006): 316.

[0014]- Shepherd, Gordon M. Neurogastronomy: how the brain creates flavor and why it matters. Columbia University Press, 2011.

[0015]Disadvantageously, the olfactory perceptions aroused by the chewing of gluten-free products according to the prior art is different from the scent of gluten-based products.

[0016]People who late discover that they are celiac complain of a different olfactory quality, and consequently gustatory quality, of gluten-free products compared to similar gluten-based products. This different quality hinders the adaptation of the celiac subject to a new type of diet, in which all glutinous foods, i.e. containing gluten, are excluded. [0017]It often happens to meet celiac subjects who confess that they do not strictly respect the gluten-free diet, occasionally indulging in products such as pasta, pizza or bread to recall the sensory perceptions deriving from the chewing of gluten-based products. [0018]The object of the present invention is to improve the diet of celiac subjects, so as to obviate the drawbacks mentioned above.

[0019]A further object is to propose a dough obtained from gluten-free flours, capable of producing, upon chewing, an olfactory and gustatory sensory perception more similar to that generated by chewing products based on gluten-containing flours.

[0020]Said objects are achieved with a method for distilling a vegetal material according to claim 1, a hydrolate according to claim 13, and a dough according to claim 15. The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention.

[0021]The features and the advantages of the distillation method, of the hydrolate and of the gluten-free dough according to the invention will be made readily apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, provided purely by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: [0022]- Figure 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus suitable for implementing the distillation method according to the invention;

[0023]- Figure 2 is a table illustrating the laboratory analysis carried out on a hydrolate obtained from the distillation of wheat, referred to as "wheat water," and relating to the presence of gliadin in said hydrolate. [0024]According to Figure 1, reference numeral 10 indicates a hydrolate according to the invention as a whole. [0025]The hydrolate 10 is a secondary product obtained from the distillation, in particular from the steam distillation, of a vegetal material 30.

[0026]The term "vegetal material" refers to plants or portions thereof, for example flowers, leaves, roots, barks, fruits, fruit peels, inflorescences or a combination thereof.

[0027]In addition to the hydrolate 10, a primary product is also obtained from the distillation of the vegetal material 30, i.e. an essential oil 20. [0028]Distillation is a technique used to separate two or more substances present in a mixture by exploiting the different volatility of these substances. By "volatility" it is meant the tendency of a substance to evaporate, or more generally to change to the gaseous state. [0029]In particular, steam distillation is a variant of distillation and is used in the case of thermolabile substances, i.e. substances that degrade or alter due to the increase in temperature.

[0030]Figure 1 illustrates a steam distillation apparatus. Such apparatus comprises a boiler 50, a steam condenser 80 and a container 70. Said apparatus is for example an a1embic.

[0031]The boiler 50 extends vertically along a vertical boiler axis Y and the steam condenser 80 exits vertically from a boiler end portion 54 and then deviates, bending by about 120° clockwise with respect to said vertical boiler axis Y.

[0032]The steam condenser 80 is a heat exchanger in which the condensation of a substance which changes from the gaseous state to the liquid state takes place.

[0033]The method for distilling the vegetal material 30 may comprise the following steps.

[0034]Water 40 and the vegetal material 30 are placed inside the boiler 50. The vegetal material 30 may comprise gluten-containing grasses, for example wheat, barley, rye, farro, spelt, triticale or a combination thereof.

[0035]The boiler 50 is exposed to a heat source 60 with a heating temperature between 55°C and 95°C. [0036]Optionally, the heating temperature may be between 60°C and 80°C.

[0037]Optionally, the heating temperature may be between 60°C and 70°C.

[0038]The boiler 50 is subjected to a heating time, for example between 0.5 and 7 hours, so as to obtain a distillate 90 comprising condensed water vapor enriched with a mixture of organic compounds extracted from the vegetal material 30. In other words, the boiler 50 is kept at the heating temperature for an interval of time equal to the heating time.

[0039]Optionally, the heating time may be between 2 and 5 hours.

[0040]Optionally, the heating time may be between 3 and 4.5 hours. [0041]By exposing the boiler 50 to the heat source 60, the water 40 evaporates and, going up along the boiler 50, extracts a mixture of different organic compounds from the vegetal material 30. The organic compounds entrained by the rising of the water vapor form an aeriform mixture 45.

[0042]The aeriform mixture 45 is channeled into the steam condenser 80 which comprises a coil or a tube. The steam condenser 80 may be air-cooled or water-cooled.

[0043]As a result of the cooling along the steam condenser 80, the temperature is reduced and the aeriform mixture 45 condenses, changing to the liquid state and forming the distillate 90.

[0044]Finally, the distillate 90 is collected in the container 70. In other words, the aeriform mixture 45 is condensed into distillate 90 by the steam condenser 80 and the steam condenser 80 conveys the distillate 90 into the container 70.

[0045]After the distillate 90 collection step, the distillation method may further comprise a separation step, in which the essential oil 20 and the hydrolate 10 are obtained from the distillate 90.

[0046]The hydrolate is an aqueous solution. The essential oil, on the other hand, is an oily mixture of at least one organic compound, for example hydrocarbons and/or oxygenated compounds.

[0047]The density of the hydrolate is greater than the density of the essential oil; therefore a separation may be observed in the container 70 between the hydrolate, which collects at the base of the container, and the essential oil which floats on the hydrolate.

[0048]The step of separating the hydrolate 10 from the essential oil 20 may be carried out by centrifugation. By virtue of the centrifugation, the separation of the hydrolate from the essential oil is promoted. [0049]Optionally, the boiler 50 may be provided with an autoclave closure.

[0050]The method may further comprise a pressurization step of the boiler 50, in which the boiler 50 is pressurized with a pressure of between 1 and 4 bar. [0051]Optionally, the pressure may be between 1 and 3 bar. [0052]Optionally, the pressure may be between 1 and 2 bar. [0053]The vegetal material 30 may be inserted into the boiler 50 within 96 hours of harvesting. Optionally, the vegetal material 30 may be inserted into the boiler 50 within 72 hours of harvesting. Optionally, the vegetal material 30 may be inserted into the boiler 50 within 48 hours of harvesting. In other words, the vegetal material 30 to be inserted into the boiler 50 may be "fresh." The term "fresh" means the use of vegetal material immediately after harvesting, without having undergone any type of conditioning.

[0054]During the step of inserting the water 40 and the vegetal material 30 into the boiler 50, alcohol may also be added. Alcohol is an organic compound including at least one hydroxyl group.

[0055]Optionally, the vegetal material 30 is at least partially immersed in the water 40.

[0056]Optionally, the vegetal material 30 is not in contact with the water 40. In other words, the vegetal material 30 may remain suspended above the water 40. [0057]For example, the vegetal material 30 may rest on a plate 52. The plate 52 may be of the bell-shaped, valve or perforated type.

[0058]The hydrolate 10 that may be obtained through the distillation of the vegetal material 30 comprises gluten- containing grasses, such as wheat, barley, rye, farro, spelt, triticale or a combination thereof.

[0059]Optionally, the hydrolate 10 is obtained by the method for distilling the vegetal material 30 as described above. In particular, the distillation method is steam distillation.

[0060]With the hydrolate 10, obtained from the distillation of water 40 and vegetal material 30 comprising gluten-containing grasses, it is possible to obtain a gluten-free dough suitable for the preparation of a gluten-free food for bakeries.

[0061]In particular, the gluten-free dough may comprise gluten-free flour, mixing water, the hydrolate 10, brewer's yeast, salt and optionally an edible fat, for example oil.

[0062]In the gluten-free dough, the weight ratio between the mixing water and the hydrolate is between 1.5:1 and

6:1.

[0063]Optionally, the weight ratio between the mixing water and the hydrolate is between 2:1 and 4:1. [0064]Optionally, the weight ratio between the mixing water and the hydrolate is 3:1.

[0065]According to Figure 2, below are the results of the analysis carried out on the hydrolate to quantify the gliadin content contained therein.

[0066]The "<" sign in the "Uncertainty result" column indicates that the gliadin content is not quantifiable, as it is lower than the Limit Of Quantification (LOQ). In fact, the LOQ value defines a concentration value above which an analyte may be quantified.

[0067]Therefore, the hydrolate 10 does not contain the gluten allergen, i.e. gliadin. [0068]Innovatively, the method for distilling vegetal material, the hydrolate obtained from the distillation of gluten-containing grasses and the gluten-free dough are suitable for solving the intended purpose.

[0069]Advantageously, the distillation method allows to obtain a hydrolate to be added to the mixing water in order to obtain a gluten-free dough. [0070]Advantageously, the use of hydrolate, so far relegated to the technical sector of cosmetics, has been extended to food.

[0071]Advantageously, the hydrolate obtained from gluten- containing grasses has a very intense aroma which recalls olfactory sensory perceptions similar to those produced by gluten-based foods.

[0072]Advantageously, the gluten-free dough, by virtue of the presence of the hydrolate, allows gluten-free products to be obtained which, when chewed, reproduce olfactory and gustatory sensations similar to those generated by chewing products based on gluten-containing flours.

[0073]Those skilled in the art may make several changes, adaptations and replacements of elements with other functionally equivalent ones to the embodiments of the distillation method, of the hydrolate and of the gluten- free dough according to the invention in order to meet incidental needs, without departing from the scope of the following claims. Each of the features described as belonging to a possible embodiment may be obtained independently of the other described embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for distilling a vegetal material (30), comprising the steps of:

- inserting water (40) and the vegetal material (30) into a boiler (50), the vegetal material (30) comprising gluten-containing grasses, such as wheat, barley, rye, farro, spelt, triticale or a combination thereof;

- exposing the boiler (50) to a heat source (60) with a heating temperature between 55°C and 95°C; - subjecting the boiler (50) to a heating time between

0.5 and 7 hours, so as to obtain a distillate (90) comprising condensed water vapor enriched with a mixture of organic compounds extracted from the vegetal material (30); - collecting the distillate (90) in a container (70).

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising, after the step of collecting the distillate (90), a separation step in which an essential oil (20) and a hydrolate (10) are obtained from the distillate (90).

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of separating the hydrolate (10) from the essential oil (20) is carried out by centrifugation.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heating temperature is preferably between 60°C and 80°C, even more preferably between 60°C and 70°C.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heating time is preferably between 2 and 5 hours, even more preferably between 3 and 4.5 hours.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the boiler (50) is provided with an autoclave closure, the method further comprising a step of pressurizing the boiler (50) in which the boiler (50) is pressurized with a pressure between 1 and 4 bar.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the pressure is preferably between 1 and 3 bar, even more preferably between 1 and 2 bar.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vegetal material (30) is inserted into the boiler (50) within 96 hours of harvesting, preferably within 72 hours, even more preferably within 48 hours.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein alcohol is further added during the step of inserting water (40) and the vegetal material (30).

10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vegetal material (30) is at least partially immersed in water (40).

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vegetal material (30) is not in contact with water (40).

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the vegetal material (30) rests on a plate (52), such as a bell- shaped, valve, or perforated plate.

13. A hydrolate (10) characterized in that it is obtained through the distillation of a vegetal material (30) comprising gluten-containing grasses, such as wheat, barley, rye, farro, spelt, triticale or a combination thereof.

14. A hydrolate according to claim 13, obtained by a method for distilling the vegetal material (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A dough suitable to prepare a gluten-free food for bakeries, comprising gluten-free flour, mixing water, a hydrolate (10) according to claim 13 or 14, brewer's yeast, salt, and optionally a dietary fat.

16. A dough according to claim 15, wherein the weight ratio of mixing water to hydrolate is between 1.5:1 and 6:1, preferably between 2:1 and 4:1, even more preferably of 3:1.