Konjac flour deodorization processing method, and deodorized konjac flour and application thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of konjac powder processing, and provides a method for processing deodorized konjac powder, the deodorized konjac powder and application thereof, the processing method comprising loading the konjac powder into a carbon dioxide supercritical extraction device and extracting with a mixed solution of water, ethanol and cumin aldehyde as a carrier agent. The method can significantly reduce the content of the fishy substance trimethylamine in the konjac powder, increase the apparent viscosity of the konjac powder and its performance, greatly reduce the use of ethanol, and does not contain difficultly volatile organic acids, thereby reducing the content of organic impurities in the processing process to the maximum extent. The prepared deodorized konjac powder has excellent performance and can be widely applied in the fields of food, packaging materials, medicines and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of konjac flour processing technology, specifically relating to a method for deodorizing konjac flour, deodorized konjac flour, and its applications. Background Technology

[0002] Konjac flour is made from dried konjac blocks or flakes through specialized crushing, grinding, and separation equipment. These physical processing methods result in a fishy smell in konjac flour, which is a significant limiting factor for consumers. Current methods for removing the fishy smell from konjac flour generally employ a wine washing process, which can significantly reduce it, but the fishy smell remains quite noticeable.

[0003] Chinese patent CN1040799A discloses a novel method for extracting glucomannan from konjac. This method involves adding a lower carboxylic acid (citric acid, malic acid, or acetic acid) to a dehydrated solvent of a lower alcohol (ethanol) and employing a multiple extraction process. This results in a product that is not only white and colorfast but also free of fishy and numbing odors, significantly improving product purity. However, this method uses a large amount of ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and acetic acid. The high ethanol usage increases production costs, and the presence of non-volatile organic acids leaves some residues in the product.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a deodorizing processing method for konjac flour that reduces the use of lower alcohols to lower costs and avoids the use of non-volatile organic acids to ensure product quality. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a simple, easy-to-operate, low-cost, short-process method for deodorizing konjac powder, which can simultaneously deodorize and effectively improve the viscosity of konjac.

[0006] The present invention also provides deodorized konjac powder prepared by the above processing method.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide the application of the above-mentioned deodorized konjac powder.

[0008] The present invention provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour, which includes loading konjac flour into a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction device and extracting it using a mixture of water, ethanol and cuminaldehyde as an entrainer.

[0009] Preferably, the volume ratio of water, ethanol, and cumin in the entrainer is (8-9):(2-1):(0.04-0.02), and the amount of the entrainer is 7-9% of the mass of the konjac flour.

[0010] More preferably, the volume ratio of water, ethanol, and cumin in the entrainer is 8.5:1.5:0.03, and the amount of the entrainer is 8% of the mass of the konjac flour.

[0011] Preferably, the extraction parameters are as follows: extraction time 50-70 min, extraction pressure 20-40 MPa, extraction temperature 35-45 °C, and carbon dioxide flow rate 15 L / h.

[0012] Preferably, the extraction parameters are as follows: extraction time 60 min, extraction pressure 30 MPa, extraction temperature 40 °C, and carbon dioxide flow rate 15 L / h.

[0013] The deodorized konjac powder of the present invention is prepared by the above processing method.

[0014] Preferably, the trimethylamine content in the konjac flour is below 125 mg / kg, and the apparent viscosity is 46000–47500 mp·s.

[0015] The present invention relates to the application of deodorized konjac powder in food as a thickener, stabilizer, or gelling agent.

[0016] This invention relates to the application of konjac powder as a film-forming raw material in packaging materials.

[0017] This invention relates to the application of deodorized konjac powder as a pharmaceutical excipient in pharmaceuticals.

[0018] To address the problems existing in the background technology, the inventors creatively adopted supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, using water, ethanol, and cuminaldehyde as entrainers to extract konjac flour. This method reduces the amount of ethanol used in the deodorization process, minimizes the volatility of the entrainer, and avoids the use of non-volatile organic acids, thus lowering production costs and ensuring product quality. Furthermore, through extensive screening, the inventors discovered that cuminaldehyde, a food-grade flavor aldehyde, not only effectively removes the odor-causing substance trimethylamine but also increases the viscosity of konjac gum without affecting its solubility. This suggests that due to the reactivity of its unique structure, the Mannich reaction and the aldehyde-aldol condensation reaction reach equilibrium in the system. Especially at specific entrainer ratios, it exhibits excellent simultaneous reduction of trimethylamine and increase in viscosity without affecting the swelling rate.

[0019] The processing method provided by this invention can significantly reduce the content of trimethylamine, a odor-causing substance, in konjac flour (as low as 58-125 mg / kg after treatment), while simultaneously increasing the apparent viscosity of the konjac flour (to 46,000-47,500 mp·s), thus enhancing its performance. Furthermore, the method of this invention greatly reduces the use of ethanol, lowering costs, and does not contain non-volatile organic acids, minimizing the content of organic impurities associated with the processing. It has the advantages of being simple, easy to operate, having low production costs, and a short process flow. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can more clearly understand the present invention.

[0021] Key experimental material sources and physicochemical parameters:

[0022] The konjac powder comes from Hubei Qiangsen Konjac Technology Co., Ltd.

[0023] To deodorize konjac flour and improve its apparent viscosity, the specific processing method of this invention is as follows: Konjac flour is placed in a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction vessel, and an entrainer of 7-9% by weight of the konjac flour is added for extraction. The entrainer is a mixture of water, ethanol, and cuminaldehyde in a volume ratio of (8-9):(2-1):(0.04-0.02). Specific extraction parameters are: extraction time 50-70 min, extraction pressure 20-40 MPa, extraction temperature 35-45℃, and carbon dioxide flow rate 15 L / h. Upon completion of extraction, konjac flour with deodorized odor and high apparent viscosity is obtained.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] This embodiment provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour, with the following specific steps: Konjac flour is placed in a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction vessel, and an entrainer of 8% (by weight of the konjac flour) is added for extraction. The entrainer consists of water, ethanol, and cuminaldehyde in a volume ratio of 8.5:1.5:0.03. Specific extraction parameters are: extraction time 60 min, extraction pressure 30 MPa, extraction temperature 40℃, and carbon dioxide flow rate 15 L / h. Upon completion of extraction, konjac flour with deodorized odor and high apparent viscosity is obtained.

[0026] Example 2

[0027] This embodiment provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as those in Example 1, except that the volume ratio of water, ethanol and calciferol in the entrainer is 8:2:0.04, while the rest remain unchanged.

[0028] Example 3

[0029] This embodiment provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as those in Example 1, except that the volume ratio of water, ethanol and calciferol in the entrainer is 8:2:0.02, and the rest remain unchanged.

[0030] Example 4

[0031] This embodiment provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as in Example 1, except that the amount of entrainer added is 7% of the mass of konjac flour, and the rest remain unchanged.

[0032] Example 5

[0033] This embodiment provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as those in Embodiment 1, except that the amount of entrainer added is 9% of the mass of konjac flour, while the rest remain unchanged.

[0034] Example 6

[0035] This embodiment provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as those in Example 1, except that the volume ratio of water, ethanol and calciferol in the entrainer is 9:1:0.03, and the rest remain unchanged.

[0036] Comparative Example 1

[0037] This comparative example provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as those in Example 1, except that no entrainer is added and extraction is carried out directly. Everything else remains the same.

[0038] Comparative Example 2

[0039] This comparative example provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as those in Example 1, except that the volume ratio of water, ethanol and calciferol in the entrainer is 1:1:0.03, and the rest remain unchanged.

[0040] Comparative Example 3

[0041] This comparative example provides a method for deodorizing konjac flour. The steps and raw materials are basically the same as those in Example 1, except that the volume ratio of water, ethanol and calciferol in the entrainer is 8.5:1.5:0, and the rest remain unchanged.

[0042] Furthermore, in order to understand the deodorization effect and apparent viscosity properties of the konjac flour obtained from the above embodiments and comparative examples, they were tested respectively, and the results are shown in Table 1.

[0043] Trimethylamine determination method: Refer to the trimethylamine determination method in the master's thesis of Hunan Agricultural University, "Research on Odor Removal Technology of Konjac Flour".

[0044] Apparent viscosity determination method: Refer to the viscosity determination method in NYT494-2010 "Konjac Flour".

[0045] Table 1 Comparison of Trimethylamine Content and Apparent Viscosity in Various Konjac Flours

[0046] Example 1 58 47500 Example 2 65 46000 Example 3 95 46800 Example 4 125 46500 Example 5 113 47000 Example 6 87 46600 Comparative Example 1 560 39500 Comparative Example 2 292 43600 Comparative Example 3 476 44500 Konjac flour raw materials 1650 33000

[0047] As shown in Table 1, the processing method provided by this invention can significantly reduce the content of trimethylamine, a odor-causing substance, in konjac flour, while also increasing the apparent viscosity of the konjac flour and improving its performance. Furthermore, the method of this invention greatly reduces the use of ethanol and does not contain non-volatile organic acids, thus minimizing the content of organic impurities generated during processing.

[0048] The method of this invention can reduce the trimethylamine content in konjac flour from 1650 mg / kg to 58-125 mg / kg, and increase the apparent viscosity from 33000 mp·s to 46000-47500 mp·s. Comparative Example 1, without the entrainer described in this application, although it also deodorizes and increases apparent viscosity, still has a high trimethylamine content of 560 mg / kg, and the viscosity only increases to 39500 mp·s, far less effective than this invention. In Comparative Example 2, the trimethylamine content was 292 mg / kg, and the viscosity increased to 43600 mp·s; in Comparative Example 3, the trimethylamine content was 476 mg / kg, and the viscosity increased to 44500 mp·s; both the trimethylamine removal and apparent viscosity improvement effects were inferior to those of this invention.

[0049] All other raw materials or structures not specifically described in this invention already exist in the prior art and can be purchased directly from the market.

[0050] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for deodorizing konjac flour, characterized in that, The method involves loading konjac flour into a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction device and using a mixture of water, ethanol, and cuminaldehyde as an entrainer for extraction. The volume ratio of water, ethanol, and cuminaldehyde in the entrainer is (8~9):(2~1):(0.04~0.02), and the amount of entrainer used is 7~9% of the mass of the konjac flour.

2. The method for deodorizing konjac flour according to claim 1, characterized in that, The volume ratio of water, ethanol, and cumin in the entrainer is 8.5:1.5:0.03, and the amount of entrainer used is 8% of the mass of konjac flour.

3. The method for deodorizing konjac flour according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The extraction parameters are as follows: extraction time 50~70min, extraction pressure 20~40MPa, extraction temperature 35~45℃, and carbon dioxide flow rate 15L / h.

4. The method for deodorizing konjac flour according to claim 3, characterized in that, The extraction parameters are as follows: extraction time 60 min, extraction pressure 30 MPa, extraction temperature 40 ℃, and carbon dioxide flow rate 15 L / h.

5. A deodorized konjac powder, characterized in that, It is prepared by the processing method described in any one of claims 1-4.

6. The deodorized konjac powder according to claim 5, characterized in that, The konjac flour contains less than 125 mg / kg of trimethylamine and has an apparent viscosity of 46,000 to 47,500 mp·s.

7. The use of the deodorized konjac powder according to claim 5 or 6 as a thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent in food.

8. The use of the deodorized konjac powder of claim 5 or 6 as a film-forming raw material in packaging materials.

9. The use of the deodorized konjac powder according to claim 5 or 6 as a pharmaceutical excipient in a pharmaceutical product.