Process for obtaining extract from seeds subjected to dissolution treatment for food or beverage production

Abstract

A process for obtaining an extract from dissolved seeds for the production of food or beverages, said process being carried out continuously on a production line, comprising adding water to the seeds and carrying out initial heating; grinding the initially heated seeds on the production line to form a slurry; carrying out enzyme treatment on the slurry, wherein the slurry stays on the production line so as to dissolve the components; and a liquid extract is separated through continuous filtration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food preparation technology, and more particularly to a continuous industrial process for obtaining extracts from dissolved seeds for the production of beverages, especially for plant-based dairy alternatives. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, more and more people have adopted vegetarian or vegan diets. Among them, the consumption of plant-based dairy alternatives has seen particularly significant growth.

[0003] Plant-based beverages are increasingly becoming as important as traditional milk in coffee shops, supermarkets, and home kitchens. Similar to soy and almond drinks, modern oat, spelt, or rice products are popular among urban young people who typically prioritize personalized tastes, health, and fitness, and tend to choose lactose-free, environmentally friendly, and animal-free options. Plant-based beverages are sustainable products, with their production processes generally involving lower energy consumption, less agricultural land use, and reduced ocean acidification and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0004] In the industrialization process of producing plant-based beverages, it is important to note that raw materials generally fall into two categories: grains and grain powders. While using grains as raw materials requires higher investment and operating costs in milling equipment, the price of grains themselves is relatively low. In contrast, grain powders have higher raw material costs, but correspondingly lower equipment investment and operating costs, and offer greater flexibility.

[0005] Of all the plant-based ingredients used to prepare such beverages, oats stand out in terms of yield, and their processing requires specific technological advancements.

[0006] Traditional processes for preparing plant-based beverages typically include the following steps: - Mixing and Enzyme Treatment: The grain flour is mixed with hot water in a processing tank. The hot water gels the starch contained in the seeds, thereby increasing viscosity and optimizing the efficiency of the enzyme reaction. After adding enzymes and mixing under high shear, the subsequent enzymatic reaction breaks down the starch into dextrins or sugars, causing the viscosity to drop rapidly.

[0007] - Heating and Cooling: A second enzymatic reaction is carried out by setting up a circulation pipeline to regulate the temperature, breaking down the dextrin into different sugars according to the desired sweetness. At this point, the suspension needs to be cooled to a suitable reaction temperature; alternatively, the enzyme can be deactivated by heat treatment before extraction.

[0008] - Single-step or two-step extraction: The resulting slurry is fed into a sedimentation centrifuge to separate unwanted fibers while retaining the desired starch and β-glucan; a second dilution and extraction step can improve the content of the resulting solids and the extraction rate of protein; the solids obtained in the first step are washed with water, and the wash water is reused in the initial mixing stage.

[0009] - Final blending: The extracted oat base is blended with various ingredients, such as oils to improve texture, or salt or other flavoring agents. This is done using a system that performs quantitative feeding and mixing under high shear conditions.

[0010] - Ultra-high temperature processing and heat recovery: Oat beverages are typically sold as shelf-stable ready-to-drink products. To achieve this, the beverages undergo ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing and are packaged using aseptic equipment; direct heating involves direct contact between the product and high-temperature steam to achieve rapid heat transfer and maintain stable product flow; alternatively, a safe and economical indirect heating method can be used, where the product does not directly contact the heating medium; the choice of heating method depends on the product characteristics and production mode; both methods can be equipped with heat recovery devices to reduce energy consumption.

[0011] - Homogenization and Aseptic Storage: Homogenizers can evenly disperse particles and microbubbles in the product, and deoxygenators can be used to reduce the oxygen content in the beverage. Both methods can produce aseptic beverages, which can be stored under aseptic conditions before packaging.

[0012] If grains are used as raw materials, they need to be ground first. The traditional preparation process of plant-based beverages requires high energy consumption in several stages, including grinding seeds, separating solids by centrifugation sedimentation, and concentration treatment due to the addition of a large amount of water during the initial dilution (the ratio of water to grains by weight should be at least 4:1).

[0013] As mentioned earlier, existing processes require one or more enzyme treatments, which are completed in batch reactors, i.e., using a batch processing method. In other words, the product to be treated is added to the reactor, processed within the reactor, and then the processed product is transported to the subsequent process. To achieve continuous operation, multiple enzyme treatment tanks are configured, so that one enzyme treatment tank is used to receive the product to be treated, and another enzyme treatment tank is used to transport the processed product.

[0014] Because the process requires repeated loading and unloading of the reactor and multiple stages of enzyme treatment, it not only requires a large investment in industrial equipment and has a long processing time, but may also lead to a decline in product quality and make it difficult to ensure the consistency of processing conditions.

[0015] Therefore, a process for obtaining extracts from dissolved seeds is provided for the preparation of plant-derived dairy alternative beverages to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0016] This invention provides a process for obtaining extracts from dissolved seeds, which is a continuous process for producing food or beverages, unlike the batch processing methods in the prior art. The process can be operated continuously.

[0017] The process is applicable, but not limited to, situations where food or beverages are used as dairy substitutes, and is particularly suitable for the preparation of oat drinks.

[0018] A process for obtaining an extract from dissolved seeds includes the following steps performed sequentially: - Heat-treat the seeds using a lower water ratio; - The seeds, after initial heating, are ground on the production line to form a slurry; - An enzyme is added to the slurry, which is then held on the production line to dissolve the components; - Liquid extracts are separated through continuous filtration; and - The solids obtained from continuous filtration are continuously washed to obtain the maximum extraction rate, and the washing water is reused for the first stage of seed heat treatment.

[0019] Compared to existing treatment methods, this process is a continuous process carried out on the same production line. That is, from the initial stage, the seeds continuously move along the same production line without entering any reactor or reaction vessel for further processing. Furthermore, when the seeds are oats, multiple enzyme treatments can be completed in a single treatment stage.

[0020] The continuous process on the same production line employs a single enzyme treatment stage, which shortens processing time, simplifies production equipment, and reduces investment costs. Furthermore, the pretreatment steps involving water absorption and heating soften the seeds, significantly reducing energy consumption during the grinding stage. Simultaneously, using filtration instead of sedimentation for solid-liquid separation also reduces energy consumption.

[0021] The described process yields extracts with higher initial concentrations because it requires significantly less water than existing processes, thus achieving high-concentration extract production with significantly reduced energy consumption during the concentration stage. This high-concentration extract reduces packaging, storage, and transportation costs, and after dilution, can be used to prepare finished beverages for sale. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0023] The process for obtaining an extract from dissolved seeds, for use in food or beverages, is carried out continuously on a production line and includes the following steps: - Seeds are heated under humidified conditions. A screw conveyor continuously feeds seeds and water at a controlled flow rate into the top of a vertical mixing tank, while steam is introduced into the tank to control the temperature. The treated seed-water mixture is continuously discharged from the bottom of the tank to ensure consistent treatment time.

[0024] - On the production line, the seeds are ground into a slurry by a shear-type pulverizer located at the outlet of the heat treatment tank; - The slurry is subjected to enzymatic treatment; wherein, the enzyme is continuously injected into the slurry inlet pipe leading to the shear mill by a metering pump, and the slurry is held in a vertical holding tank to achieve component dissolution treatment; the vertical holding tank has sufficient volume so that the residence time of the product in the vertical holding tank is sufficient to complete the enzyme reaction; - Liquid extract is separated by continuous filtration; wherein the slurry is fed into the interior of a cylindrical screen with a wall scraping device to prevent the cylindrical screen from clogging, so that the liquid phase passes through the cylindrical screen and the solid phase moves toward the outlet of the cylindrical screen; The solid is washed inside a vertical column, flowing downwards in the opposite direction to the flow of the washing water. The washed solid is discharged at the bottom of the column, and the washing water is collected at the top for reuse in the initial treatment stage of the seeds. - The resulting extract is concentrated using a forced circulation evaporator to achieve the desired concentration; Heating the seeds before processing facilitates subsequent grinding. During enzyme treatment, a 2:1 water-to-seed ratio is used for dissolution. The slurry undergoes only a single enzyme dissolution treatment using a combination of multiple enzymes that act simultaneously and concurrently during the treatment; these enzymes include combinations of α-amylase, glucoamylase, protease, or cellulase.

Claims

1. A process for obtaining an extract from dissolved seeds for the production of food or beverages, characterized in that, The process is carried out continuously on a production line and includes the following steps: Add water to the seeds and begin initial heating; The seeds, after initial heating, are ground on the production line to form a slurry; The slurry is subjected to enzymatic treatment, and the slurry is held on the production line to allow the components to dissolve; Liquid extracts are separated through continuous filtration.

2. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes countercurrent washing of the solids obtained from continuous filtration and separation, and reusing the wash water for the initial heating operation of the seeds to improve the extraction rate.

3. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes concentrating the liquid extract to obtain a high-concentration product, which can be used as a raw material for preparing beverages or other foods.

4. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The slurry is subjected to a single enzyme treatment, wherein the enzyme treatment uses a combination of multiple enzymes, and the multiple enzymes act together and simultaneously during the enzyme treatment; the multiple enzymes include a combination of α-amylase, glucoamylase, protease or cellulase.

5. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, During the enzyme treatment stage, the ratio of water to seeds is 2:1 to achieve dissolution.

6. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The continuous filtration is performed using a self-cleaning screen.

7. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The process involves adding water to the seeds and initially heating them, then using a screw metering conveyor to continuously transport the seeds and water at a controlled flow rate to the top of a vertical mixing tank, and introducing steam into the vertical mixing tank to control the temperature.

8. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The seeds, after initial heating, are ground on the production line using a shear mill, which is located at the outlet of the heat treatment tank.

9. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The enzyme is injected into the inlet pipe of the shear mill, and the outlet pipe of the shear mill is connected to a vertical holding tank with sufficient volume to allow the product to remain in the tank for a sufficient time to dissolve the enzyme-treated components.