Dietary fiber preparation from macauba fruit and its manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dietary fiber preparation and a method for its production, the dietary fiber preparation being produced from the pulp of the Macauba fruit and having a dietary fiber content of more than 25% by weight, preferably more than 30% by weight, a fat content of less than 20% by weight, preferably less than 10% by weight, a water content of less than 20% by weight, preferably less than 15% by weight, and a CIE-L * a * b * L determined by colorimetry * The dietary fiber preparation has a light color with a value of more than 84, preferably more than 90. The preparation is characterized in that the proportion of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in the dietary fiber preparation is less than 40% by weight of the preparation. The preparation exhibits excellent technical functional and organoleptic properties, is suitable for food, cosmetics, pet food and industrial applications, and can be produced inexpensively without chemical modification.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a functional dietary fiber preparation derived from Macauba fruit, in particular for food, cosmetic, pet food and industrial applications, and to a method for producing said preparation.

[0002] Background technology Dietary fiber is mainly composed of plant cell wall (PCW) polysaccharides and lignin. Pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose are the main components of plant cell walls and are present in different proportions in different plant species. These include various polysaccharide groups such as galacturonan, arabinan, xylan, mannan, xyloglucan and β-glucan [1-3]. The structural diversity, consisting of monosaccharide composition, bond type and pattern, chain morphology, degree of polymerization and substitution, determines the specific properties of cell wall polysaccharides.

[0003] Natural dietary fibers and thickeners are becoming increasingly important in human and pet nutrition and in industrial applications. The growing demand for nutritionally and physiologically effective dietary fibers, thickeners, industrial fibers, and raw materials for bio-based polymers and packaging materials has led to an increased need for dietary fiber preparations that are easily and cost-effectively provided, are not chemically modified, and do not cause high resource consumption during production. Except for some dietary fiber preparations derived from cereals and legumes, many natural dietary fibers do not have good functional properties for use in food and industrial applications.

[0004] Prior art functional dietary fiber preparations with thickening, emulsifying, foaming and gel-forming properties in aqueous solution or suspension can be obtained, for example, from wood, algae or microorganisms. Examples of such high-quality preparations are, inter alia, carboxymethylcellulose, carrageenan, alginate or xanthan. Depending on the raw material, concentration, pH value and temperature, they show specific rheological properties in mixture with water, form gels after heating or can be molded as films in the form of foils or as injection-molded parts, and can therefore be used, for example, in applications as replacements for petroleum-based plastics. However, these dietary fiber preparations require complex processing and / or modification, which results in increased production costs and increased resource consumption due to extensive processing steps.

[0005] Here, great potential is opened up for processing residues, which arise, for example, during the extraction of vegetable oils. To date, these fractions obtained from vegetable oils have been mainly used as fertilizers or animal feed. These fractions usually have low feed value due to the antinutritional associated substances. Besides dietary fibre, the residues after separation of oil from seeds such as rapeseed, sunflower or linseed also contain a proportion of skin and secondary plant matter. Due to the resulting dark colour, the unpleasant bitter, astringent or grassy taste and in part the high amount of antinutritional components, such as phenolic acids, cyanogenic glycosides, glucosinurates, oligosaccharides, etc., most of the residues resulting from the extraction of vegetable oils cannot be used in the food sector or in pet food and, due to their colour, cannot be used for many industrial applications either.

[0006] In this connection, the residues of oil extraction from macauba fruits (Acrocomia ssp.) can also be used as a possible source of dietary fiber preparations as described in the present invention.

[0007] Macauba is a palm species native to tropical and subtropical America. The fruit of the plant consists of an outer skin (exocarp), an oil- and fiber-rich flesh (pulp), an inner skin (endocarp), and a kernel. Oil from the pulp is obtained by mechanical pressing and solvent extraction [4,5] and is primarily used for biofuel production, leaving behind a fiber-rich deoiled pulp. This by-product, which represents about 25% of the total fruit weight, is currently used as livestock feed or disposed of [7].

[0008] This pulp has so far been little utilized, but potential applications in food have already been reported. Full-fat macauba pulp meal is used in food products such as biscuits, cupcakes, probiotic drinks, muesli bars, cakes and ice cream. However, the high oil content of the pulp meal impairs its use as a raw material for the food industry, mainly due to oxidation of the oil and the occurrence of oxidation products with unpleasant organoleptic properties. In contrast, the present invention aims at the development of dietary fiber preparations with high functionality and good organoleptic properties. It was not known until now whether this was possible.

[0009] Little is known in the prior art about the suitability of macauba pulp for industrial and biotechnological applications. Biodegradable films made with deoiled macauba pulp meal were produced by Da Silva et al. [6]. In this study, the defatted meal was dispersed in water, glycerin was added as a plasticizer, and cast into a Petri dish to produce a biofilm. The resulting biofilm was yellowish and opaque, which is of course an undesirable property for a foil.

[0010] The prior art also describes the use of squeezing and solvent extraction methods to process macauba pulp. The squeezing methods can be continuous squeezing or batch hydraulic squeezing, and can use various solvents such as hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, ethanol and isopropanol [4,5,6]. However, it is not clear from these documents how a particular treatment affects the composition and functional properties of the residue. For example, Trentini et al. [5] describe the treatment of macauba pulp with various solvents (ethyl acetate, n-hexane and isopropanol). According to the authors, neither the composition nor the functionality of the deoiled pulp is affected by the difference in the solvent used. Furthermore, the influence of such processes on the main components to improve the functional and organoleptic properties of the oil extraction residue is not described. Also, the post-treatment of the residue with the aim of obtaining high-functional components for food, animal feed, cosmetics and industrial applications is not known. Thus, it is not known according to the prior art to provide functional and organoleptically attractive preparations and raw materials from macauba pulp.

[0011] The patent literature also does not mention such functional and organoleptically beneficial preparations. For example, Brazilian Patent Application Publication No. 102012029493-1 describes the use of full-fat or partially defatted macauba pulp as livestock feed. It does not describe the use of macauba pulp as a functional dietary fiber preparation, nor its possible harvesting method. Brazilian Patent Application Publication No. 102014024972-9 describes the use of macauba pulp oil as an anion scavenger for the mining industry. Brazilian Patent Application Publication No. 102016002700-4 describes the use of macauba pulp press cake for xylitol production. This is achieved by first hydrolyzing the dietary fiber from macauba pulp. No reference is disclosed to the use of the pulp in organoleptically attractive functional dietary fiber preparations. Brazilian Patent Application Publication No. PI 0906455-9 describes the use of macauba pulp press cake for lipase production by solid-state fermentation. Brazilian Patent Application Publication No. 102015011035-9 describes the use of macauba pulp for the manufacture of fruit tablets. For this, macauba pulp is mixed with maltodextrin and water and the mixture is molded into rectangular shapes. After freeze-drying, the fruit tablets are obtained. Thus, none of these documents gives any indication as to whether organoleptically attractive, light-colored and functional dietary fiber preparations for food, pet food, animal feed, cosmetics and industrial applications can be obtained from macauba pulp.

[0012] Problems to be Solved by the Invention The object of the present invention was to provide a dietary fiber preparation having excellent technical functional properties and attractive organoleptic properties, such as a light color and a neutral taste, at low cost and without chemical modification, thereby avoiding the existing disadvantages of the prior art. The dietary fiber preparation should be particularly suitable for food and pet food production and industrial applications.

[0013] Description of the invention This problem is solved by the dietary fiber preparations and methods according to claims 1 and 14. Advantageous embodiments of the dietary fiber preparations and methods are the subject of the dependent claims or can be taken from the following description and examples.

[0014] In this patent application, the concept of dietary fiber is based on the broad definition by CODEX Alimentarius as a carbohydrate polymer that is not hydrolyzed by endogenous enzymes in the small intestine of humans. In particular, the term dietary fiber in this patent application refers mainly to polysaccharides (including cellulose, hemicellulose, gums and pectins) and lignin of plant cell walls, which are resistant to hydrolysis by digestive enzymes and precipitate in aqueous ethanol at a concentration of 78% (v / v) or higher. In this patent application, dietary fiber content is determined using the official method of the ASSOCIATION OF OFFICIAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTS (AOAC International) (reference method 991.43 of AOAC International) based on gravimetric measurement after digestion of the sample with digestive enzymes, in particular α-amylase, protease and amyloglucosidase.

[0015] In the present invention, it has been found that the residue obtained during the extraction of vegetable oil from the pulp derived from the macauba fruit has a sufficiently neutral taste after removal of part of the alcohol- and water-soluble substances so that this residue can be used directly without further functionalization as a high-quality dietary fiber preparation in food, pet food or industrial applications, having very good industrial functional and organoleptic properties, for example for all the applications indicated in the introduction to the description of the prior art, despite low raw material and processing costs.

[0016] The preparation according to the invention has an oil content of less than 20% by weight, preferably less than 10% by weight, better less than 5% by weight, particularly preferably less than 3% by weight, and even more preferably less than 2% by weight. In order to ensure the microbiological and organoleptic properties, the water content of the preparation is less than 20% by weight, preferably less than 15% by weight, particularly preferably less than 10% by weight, and even more preferably less than 7% by weight. After the water content is reduced to a low moisture content, it is fully guaranteed that the hydrolysis and oxidation of the oil contained in the preparation according to the invention proceeds slowly, thus avoiding the formation of odor and taste active compounds.

[0017] The preparation according to the invention is particularly advantageous if the proportion of alcohol-water soluble substances (AWS) is less than 40% by weight of the preparation. In the following, alcohol-water soluble substances are understood to be all compounds which are soluble at a temperature of 80° C. in a mixture of ethanol and water, the proportion of which by weight of ethanol is 80%. In addition to other soluble compounds, these are in particular sugars, including monosaccharides, disaccharides and oligosaccharides with up to 10 monomer units.

[0018] The products according to the invention are particularly light in colour and have even better functional properties if the proportion of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in the preparation is less than 35% by weight, advantageously less than 30% by weight, particularly advantageously less than 20% by weight, even better still less than 10% by weight, best less than 5% by weight. By separating the alcohol- and water-soluble substances as far as possible, the functionality and range of applications of the dietary fibre preparation can be increased.

[0019] Surprisingly, a reduction in the content of alcohol- and water-soluble substances, mostly sugars, leads to a significant improvement in the organoleptic properties. On the contrary, from the prior art it is known that sugars improve the organoleptic properties. In addition, the preparations have a more neutral taste with a lower content of alcohol- and water-soluble substances, and the less alcohol- and water-soluble substances the preparations according to the invention contain, the lighter their color is and the less browning they undergo when heated in an oven or extruder. This is particularly advantageous for applications requiring heating, such as heated foods or polymers that require shaping in an extruder.

[0020] Important characteristics of the dietary fiber preparation from the pulp of the macauba fruit according to the invention are the following (weight and percentage data are on a dry matter basis): a dietary fibre content of greater than 25% by weight, better still greater than 30% by weight, even better still greater than 40% by weight, advantageously greater than 50% by weight and particularly advantageously greater than 60% by weight; a fat content of less than 20% by weight, less than 10% by weight, advantageously less than 5% by weight and particularly advantageously less than 3% by weight; - CIE-L * a * b * L determined by colorimetry * a pale colour with a value of more than 84, advantageously more than 90 and particularly advantageously more than 95; - The proportion of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in the dietary fiber preparation is less than 40% by weight of the dietary fiber preparation.

[0021] The preparation also has at least one, and better several, functional properties, such as emulsifying and / or foaming and / or water and / or oil binding properties, which are described in more detail below.

[0022] The functional properties can be further improved if the particle size distribution of the dietary fiber preparation is adjusted to a defined range, for example by grinding. 90 is less than 1 mm (D 90Value: 90% of the particles by volume are less than 1 mm), preferably less than 500 μm, particularly preferably less than 250 μm, which are particularly well meterable and at the same time functional. 90 A preparation with this particle size distribution is advantageous since the functionality can be further increased at values ​​below 100 μm. Comparing dietary fiber preparations, it can be seen that the slightly higher fat content is easier to meter due to the lower dust content. 90 For values ​​below 250 μm, a fat content of less than 1% by weight is not as favorable for metering as a fat content of 2% to 5% by weight. It is therefore advantageous not to de-oil the dietary fiber preparation to less than 1% by weight. This can be achieved in particular by using less lipophilic solvents, such as ethanol or propanol, instead of hexane.

[0023] After the dietary fiber preparation has been treated with the solvent, the proportion of solvent must be reduced, using temperatures between 25 and 120° C., preferably above 80° C., advantageously above 100° C., and pressures below 1 bar, advantageously below 500 mbar, particularly advantageously below 200 mbar.

[0024] Surprisingly, dietary fiber preparations that still contain a small proportion of solvents such as hexane or alcohol show advantages in terms of solubility and other functional properties compared to solvent-free preparations. Thus, in an advantageous embodiment, the preparation comprises an organic solvent in the range of 1-8000 ppm, advantageously 10-100 ppm. When alcohol is used, advantages are shown in some cases when the ethanol or propanol content is between 1000 ppm and 8000 ppm.

[0025] In the following, a distinction is made between (comparative) meal and concentrate in dietary fiber preparations derived from the pulp of the macauba fruit. In the present patent application, meal refers to the product obtained immediately after de-oiling, i.e. still containing more than 40% by weight of alcohol- and water-soluble substances. Concentrate refers to one of the dietary fiber preparations according to the invention which contains less alcohol- and water-soluble substances, in particular less than 40% by weight, better still less than 35% by weight, better still less than 30% by weight, advantageously less than 20% by weight, particularly advantageously less than 10% by weight or even less than 5% by weight.

[0026] In an advantageous embodiment, the light color and neutral sensory properties of the macauba dietary fiber can be attributed to the use of processing aids. This includes, for example, the use of acids such as citric acid, acetic acid, maleic acid, and antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, cysteine, and sodium bisulfite for the reduction of alcohol- and water-soluble substances. In addition, the use of inert gases such as nitrogen directly in the product and / or in the atmosphere of the processing plant can reduce the oxygen content, thereby preventing the oxidation of lipids and secondary plant materials. Acids, antioxidants, and inert gases can be used separately or in combination in one process step, or better in several process steps.

[0027] The applicants have found that the species of the macauba plant also has a significant influence on the properties of the preparation. Dietary fibre preparations from the fruits of Acrocomia aculeata differ in part from Acrocomia totai and other species, for example in some functional properties and colour. Preparations from A. aculeata are particularly suitable, for example as emulsifiers, and often show a higher emulsifying activity index than A. totai. For example, dietary fibre meal from A. aculeata has a 30 ml 2The dietary fiber concentrate from A. aculeata has an emulsifying activity index of 35 ml / g dry preparation, an emulsion stability of more than 5 minutes, and an emulsifying capacity of 400 ml / g dry preparation. 2 / g dry preparation, better still 55m 2 / g of dry preparation, particularly preferably 70m 2 / g dry preparation and produces emulsions with emulsion stability of more than 30 minutes, preferably more than 60 minutes, particularly preferably more than 120 minutes. The dietary fiber concentrate from A. aculeata has an emulsifying capacity of more than 500 mL / g dry preparation, better still more than 600 mL / g dry preparation, in particular more than 700 mL / g dry preparation. The emulsifying properties of the dietary fiber preparation can be significantly improved by the addition of 10-90% by weight, preferably 20-80% by weight, particularly preferably 40-60% by weight of macauba protein meal or other vegetable protein preparations (the percentages being relative to the protein proportion in the mixture of dietary fiber preparation and protein obtained by the addition).

[0028] Dietary fiber preparations from the fruits of A. totai are also suitable as emulsifiers. Although the emulsifying activity index values ​​achieved by this dietary fiber preparation are lower, the emulsion stability is often higher than that of A. aculeata. For example, dietary fiber meal from A. totai has a 25 ml 2 / g dry preparation, with an emulsion stability of more than 30 minutes and an emulsifying capacity of more than 300mL / g dry preparation. 2 / g dry preparation, better still 35m 2 / g of dry preparation, particularly preferably 45m 2 / g dry preparation and produces emulsions with an emulsion stability of more than 30 minutes, preferably more than 60 minutes, particularly preferably more than 120 minutes and in individual cases more than 180 minutes. The dietary fiber concentrate from A. totai has an emulsifying capacity of more than 500 mL / g dry preparation, better still more than 600 mL / g dry preparation and in particular more than 700 mL / g dry preparation.

[0029] Dietary fiber preparations from the fruits of A. aculeata also exhibit foaming properties. For example, dietary fiber meals from A. aculeata have foaming activity of more than 100% by volume and achieve foaming stability of more than 5% by volume. Dietary fiber concentrates from A. aculeata exhibit significantly better foaming properties. They achieve foaming activity values ​​of more than 200% by volume, preferably more than 400% by volume, particularly preferably more than 600% by volume, and foaming stability of more than 25% by volume, preferably more than 50% by volume, particularly preferably more than 75% by volume, and even in individual cases more than 90% by volume.

[0030] Dietary fiber preparations from the fruits of A. totai already show particularly good foaming properties as meal, i.e. without prior separation of the alcohol- and water-soluble substances. For example, dietary fiber meal from A. totai has a foaming activity of more than 200% by volume and achieves a foaming stability of more than 25% by volume. In the case of dietary fiber concentrates from A. totai, the foaming properties are comparable, but the concentrates are even lighter in color. The concentrates achieve foaming activity values ​​of more than 200% by volume, better still more than 400% by volume, particularly advantageously more than 600% by volume and in some cases more than 700% by volume, and achieve a foaming stability of more than 25% by volume, advantageously more than 50% by volume, particularly advantageously more than 75% by volume and even more than 85% by volume in individual cases. These preparations are thus very close to egg white in terms of their properties and color, making it possible to use the preparations according to the invention for vegetable substitutes for egg white.

[0031] The oil and water binding values ​​of the preparations according to the invention are also very high compared to preparations from other raw materials. In these parameters too, the concentrates have usually been found to have better properties. The water binding capacity of the dietary fiber meal from A. aquelata is greater than 1 mL / g TS (based on g TS: 1 g dry matter). The water binding capacity of the dietary fiber concentrate from A. aquelata is greater than 1.5 mL / g TS, advantageously greater than 3 mL / g TS, particularly advantageously greater than 4 mL / g TS. The water binding capacity of the dietary fiber meal from A. totai is comparable. The meal shows a value greater than 1 mL / g TS. The concentrate from A. totai has a water binding capacity greater than 1.5 mL / g TS, advantageously greater than 3 mL / g TS, particularly advantageously greater than 4 mL / g TS.

[0032] The oil-binding capacity of the dietary fiber meal from A. aquelata is greater than 1 mL / g TS. The oil-binding capacity of the dietary fiber concentrate from A. aquelata is greater than 1.5 mL / g TS, preferably greater than 3.5 mL / g TS, and particularly preferably greater than 5 mL / g TS. The oil-binding capacity of the dietary fiber meal from A. totai is greater than 0.8 mL / g TS. The oil-binding capacity of the concentrate from A. totai is greater than 1.5 mL / g TS, preferably greater than 3.5 mL / g TS, and particularly preferably greater than 4.5 mL / g TS.

[0033] This shows that the dietary fiber preparation from macauba pulp according to the invention is very suitable for various applications in food, especially due to its light color, neutral organoleptic properties and good functionality. Thus, by de-oiling the pulp from macauba fruit and reducing the proportion of alcohol-water soluble substances, it is easy to provide a natural and functional thickener or dietary fiber for use in the manufacture of food, for example foams (cakes, fillings, baked goods) or emulsions (creams, mayonnaise, sauces, confectionery, deli foods) and many others. The concentrate according to the invention is also suitable for use in pet food. Unlike conventional livestock feed, in animal feed for dogs, cats or other pets with a very good sense of smell, it should be noted that the animal feed should have a particularly neutral odor and taste, especially with regard to the typical grassy, ​​grassy, ​​bean-like, bitter or astringent odor and taste tones of plants. These organoleptically neutral attributes are achieved by the preparation according to the invention.

[0034] Preparations derived from A. totai are particularly advantageous for foams and gels due to the achievable foam volume and light color. Thus, the selection of the species or even the cultivar of the macauba plant can also provide a particularly suitable profile in terms of functional and organoleptic properties.

[0035] Depending on the choice of the maturity of the fruit or the selected species of the macauba plant (e.g. A. aculeata or A. totai), after separation of the oil from the pulp and after reduction of the content of alcohol- and water-soluble substances, dietary fiber preparations are obtained that are pale yellow to almost white in colour, neutral in taste and have very good industrial functional properties. The preparations according to the invention are therefore very specifically selected and adapted for different applications, depending on the maturity, species, variety and growth conditions. Thus, very high quality preparations at very low cost are available in the various industrial sectors.

[0036] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the concentrate is separated into up to six further fractions, whereby particularly functional and high-value fractions are obtained as dietary fiber preparations. These are: (1) a water-soluble fraction (soluble in water at 5-100°C) and a water-insoluble residual fraction (2). Fraction (2) can be separated into a second soluble pectin fraction (3) and an insoluble fraction (4) using an alkaline, chelating extraction environment. For this, 0.05-0.1 mol / L NaOH or sodium carbonate is used to ensure weakly alkaline conditions and 0.5 mmol of EDTA or CDTA or 0.5% (m / v) ammonium oxalate is used to ensure chelating activity.

[0037] This fraction (4) can in turn be separated into a soluble hemicellulose fraction (5) and a cellulose-rich insoluble residue (6) using highly concentrated potassium hydroxide solutions (1-4 mol / L) and, optionally, the addition of 10-50 mmol of sodium borohydride. These fractions exhibit very different water- and oil-binding properties. For example, fraction (1) is particularly well soluble in water, transparently forms solid gels and is capable of forming flexible films that are tear-resistant after drying of the water, even without the addition of plasticizers or crosslinkers. The less alcohol- and water-soluble substances contained in fraction (1), the better the film properties. It is therefore desirable to reduce the proportion of alcohol- and water-soluble sugars in fraction (1) to values ​​below 40% by weight, advantageously below 30% by weight, better still below 20% by weight, particularly advantageously below 10% by weight and even better still below 5% by weight. It was found that films produced with fraction (1) with a lower alcohol- and water-solubles content were more transparent and stronger than films with a higher alcohol- and water-solubles content. This makes fraction (1) particularly suitable for use in food, cosmetic and pet food foams and gels, as well as industrial films, coatings and adhesives. With regard to the functional properties, fraction (1) is characterized by a very low to non-measurable water binding due to its excellent water solubility, and a barely perceptible oil binding, advantageously between 0.5 and 2 mL oil / g TS. This oil binding value also characterizes the properties of fractions (3) and (5). Fraction (6), on the other hand, shows particularly good oil binding, with values ​​of more than 5 mL oil / g TS and more than 8 mL oil / g TS.

[0038] The insoluble fractions produced in the fractionation step show particularly good properties in terms of water binding, where the water binding of macauba meal and macauba concentrate, with values ​​of more than 1 mL / g TS and more than 3 mL / g TS, increases to values ​​of more than 4 mL / g TS and more than 8 mL / g TS in fractions (2), (4), (5) and (6). Only fraction (3), with less than 2 mL / g TS, shows less pronounced water binding.

[0039] All the above fractions, like the concentrates, can be used in any application where functionality is required, especially in combination with water. This applies to any kind of food, cosmetics, pet food, or edible or non-edible coatings or films on food, for example to extend shelf life. In food applications, Macauba concentrates are similar to guar gum and locust bean gum, as their behavior in the areas of rheology, gel formation and thickening is often comparable.

[0040] The preparations according to the invention are also suitable for industrial auxiliaries. These can be emulsifiers for paints and varnishes, industrial foaming agents, industrial films, foils and coatings, adhesives, lubricants or drilling fluids in oil extraction. Especially in this field of fossil resource extraction, there is an increasing interest in environmentally friendly thickeners, which the Macauba preparations can meet very well.

[0041] The following describes a method for producing a dietary fiber preparation according to the present invention, which comprises at least the following steps: - providing a partially deoiled pulp from macauba fruit, advantageously Acrocomia acuelata and / or Acrocomia totai, having a fat content between 3% and 60% by weight on a dry matter basis, the fat content of which may vary depending on the plant species, harvest time and also depending on pre-treatment (e.g. pre-pressing, drying, flaking, mechanical pressing, other conventional methods for obtaining vegetable oils);

[0042] the oil content of the pulp is reduced by extraction processes to a value of less than 20% by weight (on a dry matter basis), advantageously less than 10% by weight, better still less than 5% by weight, particularly advantageously less than 3% by weight and even better still less than 2% by weight.

[0043] - by extractive fractionation, the content of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in the pulp is reduced to a value of less than 40% by weight (on a dry matter basis), better still less than 35% by weight, preferably less than 30% by weight, advantageously less than 20% by weight, particularly advantageously less than 10% by weight, even better still less than 5% by weight. A pulp concentrate is then obtained. Advantageously, solid-liquid extraction methods are used (for example in the embodiment as mixed reactor, percolation, countercurrent extraction, etc.). Dry fractionation techniques such as grinding, sieving and air sorting can also be used.

[0044] Optionally and advantageously: - Reducing the oil content using solvents, such as hexane, ethanol, propanol, supercritical CO2 or other sub- or supercritical solvents, and other organic solvents.

[0045] - Simultaneous separation of oil and soluble matter from the macauba pulp using a mixture of ethanol and water in a weight ratio (ethanol:water, respectively) of 94:6 to 90:10 at a temperature of 40-70°C, advantageously 50-65°C.

[0046] - by using water or a mixture of alcohol and water in a weight ratio (alcohol:water) of less than 90:10, better still less than 80:20, the oil content is further reduced and the content of alcohol-water soluble substances in the pulp is reduced to obtain a pulp concentrate, advantageously using propanol or ethanol as alcohol and using temperatures of 40-90°C, advantageously 65-85°C, particularly advantageously 80°C, in order to largely avoid dissolution of alcohol-insoluble carbohydrates.

[0047] - The content of alcohol-water soluble substances in the pulp is reduced using an acidified water-alcohol mixture with a pH value in the range of 2.0-6.0. This can be achieved by using acids, advantageously mild organic acids such as citric acid, acetic acid or maleic acid.

[0048] - Using antioxidant additives in the water-alcohol mixture to reduce the content of alcohol-water soluble substances in the pulp. This can be done, for example, with ascorbic acid, cysteine ​​or sodium bisulfite.

[0049] - Reducing the oxygen content in the extraction medium and in the atmosphere of the equipment to prevent oxidation of the oil and secondary plant material. This can be done with an inert gas such as nitrogen.

[0050] - Dry fractionation to further reduce alcohol and water soluble substances. The partially defatted macauba pulp is optionally ground or directly further processed. Grinding can be performed using cutting mills, ball mills, impact mills or jet mills. The degree of grinding can be D 90 The volumetric particle size can be set to less than 2 mm, preferably less than 500 μm, better still less than 250 μm, particularly preferably less than 100 μm. The material is then sieved using 1 to 10 sieves with sieve openings of 2 mm to 50 μm. Air sorting can be carried out using various air sorting methods, such as gravity countercurrent, gravity crosscurrent, centrifugal countercurrent and centrifugal crosscurrent.

[0051] - Separation of the alcohol-water soluble material and the soluble dietary fiber fraction is performed in the following steps: Extracting the pulp with a mixture of alcohol and water to separate the alcohol-water soluble substances from the soluble dietary fibre and separating the sugar-containing extract from the raffinate, optionally in multiple successive stages, and then extracting the raffinate with water, advantageously at a temperature above 30°C, advantageously above 40°C, to obtain a soluble dietary fibre fraction; and / or extracting all sugars and soluble dietary fibres with water, advantageously at a temperature above 30°C, advantageously above 40°C, and separating the extract from the raffinate; then separating the extract into a fraction which is readily soluble in an alcohol-water mixture and a fraction which is not readily soluble in an alcohol-water mixture by ultrafiltration or by alcohol precipitation of the alcohol-water insoluble carbohydrates, or - Separate the soluble dietary fiber by dry fractionation. The concentrate is optionally ground (cutting mill, ball mill, impact mill or jet mill) to obtain D 90 The material is either further processed without being ground to a volumetric particle size of less than 2 mm, preferably less than 500 μm, better still less than 250 μm, particularly preferably less than 100 μm. The material is then sieved using 1 to 10 sieves with mesh sizes between 2 mm and 50 μm. Air sorting can be carried out using various air sorting methods, such as gravity countercurrent, gravity crosscurrent, centrifugal countercurrent and centrifugal crosscurrent. Here, the water-soluble and water-insoluble fibers present in the dry state are separated into different fractions.

[0052] - fractionation of the dietary fibre, advantageously after de-oiling to less than 5% by weight and / or sufficient reduction of the alcohol-water soluble substances by aqueous extraction at 40°C, by: The aqueous extract is separated from the raffinate, advantageously the water-soluble fraction (1) is dried, the raffinate (fraction 2) is extracted with a NaOH-EDTA solution containing 0.05-0.1 mol / L NaOH or sodium carbonate and 0.5 mmol EDTA or CDTA or with a 0.5% (m / v) ammonium oxalate solution, the soluble fraction (3) is separated from the insoluble raffinate (fraction 4) and dried, and finally, extracted with a concentrated alkali (1-4 mol / L), for example a potassium hydroxide solution, the extract (fraction 5) is separated from the insoluble residue (fraction 6), neutralized and dried.

[0053] The functional properties of these six fractions can likewise be further improved after the drying step, if the particle size distribution of the dietary fiber preparation is adjusted to a defined range by grinding using cutting, beater, ball or impact mills in combination with the use of sieves and sieve inserts. 90 Preparations in which the particle size is less than 1 mm, advantageously less than 500 μm, particularly advantageously less than 250 μm and better still less than 100 μm, are particularly functional.

[0054] Furthermore, it has been found that advantageously, the properties of the preparation can be improved if a certain heating is carried out before drying, in which case the temperature should be in the range of 70-120° C., preferably 70-100° C., particularly preferably 70-80° C. The treatment time should be less than 60 minutes, preferably less than 30 minutes, particularly preferably less than 15 minutes.

[0055] In the following, a method for providing a fully or partially deoiled pulp is described. After the ripening of the macauba fruits, they are separated from the bunch, advantageously without the application of force, and this is best done at different times depending on the degree of ripeness. Both the oil and the pulp are of the best quality if the individual fruits are harvested separately from the bunch. It is also possible to cut the whole bunch from the palm tree. In this case, it is advantageous to gently catch the falling bunches, for example by using a soft film or other system for gradually slowing down the fall, to prevent damage to the rind.

[0056] Prior to further mechanical processing of the fruit, it is advantageous to heat treat the fruit surface for at least 1 minute (duration definition: from reaching the maximum temperature until the temperature falls below 65°C), advantageously for more than 10 minutes or 20 minutes, particularly advantageously for more than 30 minutes, so that the surface temperature is above 70°C, advantageously above 75°C, particularly advantageously above 80°C. It is then advantageously advantageous to reduce the water content of the skin to a value below 20% by weight, advantageously below 10% by weight, in order to make the peeling efficient and to reduce the proportion of pulp in the skin fraction. Here, any known form of drying can be used. Depending on the desired quality of the oil and the target drying rate, the skilled person can select the appropriate method from a variety of drying methods, ranging from drying in the open air or in the sun, drying in ventilated or non-ventilated rooms, or simple circulating air dryers, contact dryers, convection dryers to vacuum drying.

[0057] It has been found that reducing the water content of the whole fruit, as well as drying the skin, to values ​​below 20% by weight, advantageously below 15% by weight and particularly advantageously below 10% by weight, is particularly advantageous for a high oil quality, in particular after thorough drying to values ​​below 10% by weight, the fruit has a longer shelf life and the oil quality is improved.

[0058] After drying and, optionally, intermediate storage, the epicarp is peeled in a prior art peeling device, whereby the parameters should be selected such that the pulp remaining in the epicarp fraction is less than 20% by weight, preferably less than 10% by weight, particularly preferably less than 5% by weight, based on the weight of the skin fraction. If this cannot be achieved in one run, a subsequent separation step between the epicarp and the pulp should be provided.

[0059] As a result of the peeling, it should furthermore be taken care that after peeling, the pulp fraction contains no or only small amounts of skins. The peeling should therefore be carried out so that the separated pulp finally has a skin content of less than 10%, better still less than 5%, advantageously less than 2% by weight on a dry matter basis. A person skilled in the art of fractionation of plant material will be able to select the units and process parameters suitable for this separation operation.

[0060] In the next step, the pulp is separated from the endocarp, which is the hard inner skin of the stone fruit kernel. This can be done using a cutting mill or other units known to those skilled in the art. Advantageously, for organoleptic reasons, the process is designed so that the proportion of the part from the black endocarp in the pulp for the preparation according to the invention is less than 3% by weight, preferably less than 2% by weight, better still less than 1% by weight, particularly preferably less than 0.1% by weight. The pulp obtained in this way is fed to the method according to the invention. A further pretreatment can consist of partial de-oiling. In particular, due to the separation of the endocarp part from the pulp, the oil obtained subsequently, mechanically or by extraction, has a particularly low proportion of lignin or other phenolic components, which makes the oil taste more neutral.

[0061] After the water has been separated from the pulp by drying to a value of less than 30% by weight, better still less than 20% by weight, advantageously less than 15% by weight and particularly advantageously less than 10% by weight, mechanical deoiling is preferably carried out in a continuously operating press, such as a screw press, an extruder or other continuous or quasi-continuous pressing device, where the oil content is advantageously reduced to less than 30% by weight, particularly advantageously less than 20% by weight or less than 15% by weight. Particularly advantageous technical functional properties of the dietary fiber preparation according to the invention are obtained when the oil content after mechanical deoiling is between 15 and 25% by weight, since thermal damage due to excessive friction is avoided.

[0062] Below is a brief description of the assays used for the quantitative characterization of the dietary fiber preparations produced: - Dietary fiber content: Dietary fiber content is defined as the content obtained by gravimetric determination (AOAC method 991.43) after enzymatic digestion of the sample.[8]

[0063] - Protein content: Protein content is defined as the content calculated by measuring the nitrogen in the sample and multiplying the measured value by a factor of 6.25. In this patent application, protein content is expressed as a percentage on a dry matter (TS) basis. Reference methods for measuring protein content are the Dumas combustion method [9] and the Kjeldahl digestion method

[10] .

[0064] - color: Perceivable colors are CIE-L * a * b * It is defined by colorimetry (see DIN 6417), where L * The axis indicates the brightness, where black is value 0 and white is value 100. * The a axis represents the green or red component, and b * The axis represents the blue or yellow component. * The value is the D of the dietary fiber preparation. 90 This relates to measurements where the particle size is 250 μm.

[0065] - Emulsifying properties: The emulsifying activity index and emulsion stability are measured as in

[11] . The emulsifying capacity (emulsifying power) is measured as described in

[12] . Corn oil is added to a 1% by weight suspension of the dietary fiber preparation at pH 7 and a volume of 100 ml, the mixture is emulsified by stirring with an Ultraturrax, and more oil is added until phase inversion of the oil-in-water emulsion occurs. The emulsifying capacity is defined as the maximum oil absorption capacity of a suspension of water and dietary fiber preparation, which is determined by the spontaneous decrease in conductivity upon phase inversion. The emulsifying capacity is given in ml oil / g dietary fiber preparation, i.e. the number of milliliters of emulsified oil per gram of dietary fiber preparation.

[0066] - Fat content: The fat content is determined gravimetrically using the Soxhlet method

[13] (AOAC method 920.39).

[0067] - Foaming activity: Foaming activity is measured as the volume increase of a dietary fiber solution at pH 7 when whipped for 8 minutes at level 3 (591 rpm) in a Hobart 5ON standard food processor (5 litre steel bowl) equipped with a whisk (wire whisk) and is expressed in percentage.

[0068] - Foam stability: Foam stability is measured as the residual volume of 100 ml of foam within 1 hour after foaming as described under Foam Activity, expressed in percentage.

[0069] - Water content: The water content is determined gravimetrically at 105 °C to constant weight according to § 64 LFGB method

[14] .

[0070] - Alcohol and water soluble substances content: The content of alcohol-water soluble substances is determined gravimetrically as follows: The sample (macauba meal, dietary fiber preparation or fiber fraction) is dispersed in 80% (v / v) aqueous ethanol in a solid-liquid ratio of 1:10 (m / v). The dispersion is kept at boiling point (approximately 80 °C) for 60 min under gentle stirring. The mixture is then centrifuged (3300 g, 20 min, 20 °C), filtered and the supernatant (liquid phase) is saved. The solid pellet is extracted with 80% aqueous ethanol under the same conditions as above until a clear extract is obtained (at least 5 extraction cycles). After the end of the extraction cycles, the liquid extracts are combined, the ethanol is distilled and the water is evaporated at 105 °C overnight. The amount of solids remaining after drying is weighed and expressed as a % of the amount of sample submitted to extraction at the start of the analysis.

[0071] - Water binding capacity: Water binding capacity is measured by the American Society of Cereal Chemists method

[15] .

[0072] - Oil binding capacity: The oil binding capacity is measured at room temperature by dispersing the sample in an excess of oil and measuring the volume of oil that is not bound to the product after thorough mixing and centrifugation. A reference method is provided by

[16] . [Brief description of the drawings]

[0073] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 shows a variant of the production of the proposed dietary fiber preparation. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a variant of the production of the proposed dietary fiber preparation.

[0074] Working Example 1 and 2 illustrate two variants of the production of the proposed dietary fiber preparation, the step of providing a partially deoiled pulp being also shown in these examples.

[0075] Example 1 (for comparison only) Three patterns of macauba fruits, each consisting of 20 fruits from different harvesting regions and species, were manually stripped of their outer skin (exocarp). The pulp was then manually separated from the inner kernel (endocarp) and the resulting pulp was analyzed. The water content of the three samples ranged from 33 to 53% by weight, depending on the origin, species and storage period. After drying the pulp in an oven at 45°C for 12 hours, the following average compositional values ​​were obtained for the three samples of nearly anhydrous pulp (Table 1): [Table 1]

[0076] Example 2 Two samples of 500 g each of pulp from A. aculeata and A. totai, obtained as in Example 1, were fractionated into two preparations. One fraction (pulp meal) was obtained by squeezing the dry pulp to an oil content of 20% by weight, followed by deoiling in a Soxhlet apparatus with pure ethanol for 12 hours (meal). This deoiled sample was then divided, one analyzed directly, and the other was extracted several times according to the invention with a mixture of 20% water and 80% ethanol in a weight ratio at 80° C., at each stage the extract was separated from the raffinate and fresh solvent was added. Finally, the weight of the pulp concentrate on a TS basis corresponded to about 60% of the weight of the meal used. This resulted in the composition shown in Table 2, and the functional properties of the fractions shown in Table 3. Treatment with ethanol-water mixtures significantly increased the fiber content from 40.5% to over 80% by weight and reduced the carbohydrate content (determined by differential measurements) from over 50% to 10.6% by weight.

[0077] [Table 2]

[0078] [Table 3]

[0079] Example 3 A sample of 500 g of pulp concentrate from A. aculeata, obtained as in Example 2, was fractionated according to the invention. For this, 5000 ml of water were added to the concentrate at 40° C., the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes, and the insoluble fraction was then separated from the soluble fraction by filtration. This operation was repeated three times. The soluble fraction (1) obtained was dried and ground to an analytically fineness. The residue was extracted three times with a 0.05 mol / L NaOH solution with 0.5 mmol / L EDTA. As soluble fraction, a pectin-rich fraction (3) was obtained, which was dried and ground. In a third step, the residue (fraction 4) was extracted again three times with a 2 mol / L concentrated aqueous potassium hydroxide solution, and the soluble supernatant (fraction 5) was separated from the insoluble residue (fraction 6). All fractions were dried and ground. The water and oil binding properties (Table 4) and flow properties (Table 5) were measured from the obtained samples.

[0080] [Table 4]

[0081] With regard to water and oil binding, it can be seen that the functional properties can be tailored by fractionating the pulp concentrate. For example, the insoluble fraction (6) shows very good binding properties in terms of both water and oil binding, as do fractions (2) and (4) which are not shown in Table 4. On the other hand, the oil binding is noticeably very low at about 1.1 mL / g TS in fractions (1), (3) and (5), while the water binding is very high in fractions (5) and (6) as well.

[0082] [Table 5]

[0083] The rheological behavior of the water-soluble fraction (1) appears to be concentration dependent. A viscous liquid behavior (G ″>G ″) was found in dilute dispersions of the preparation up to 1 g per 100 g of solution. The rheological behavior changed to a weak gel and then to a gel with increasing loading from 1 g / 100 g to 2.5 g / 100 g to 10 g / 100 g. A similar profile was observed for the 1 g / 100 g locust bean gum solution, except that its elastic modulus (both G ″ and G ″) was between those of the 2.5 and 5 g / 100 g water-soluble fraction (1).

[0084] Gel-like behavior was also observed for fraction (3) at loadings of 5 and 10 g / 100 g. Dispersions of the insoluble fraction (6) showed gel-like behavior over the entire concentration range (ranging from 1 to 10 g / 100 g). Overall, all fractions tested formed weak gels, with tan(δ) values ​​higher than 0.1.

[0085] The effect of temperature on the rheological properties of dispersions of the fractions according to the invention in water was also evaluated. The water-soluble fraction (1) proved to be more sensitive to temperature, where a transition from gel to viscous solution was observed at 5 and 10 g / 100 g. Fraction (3) and the insoluble fraction (6) showed a decrease in both G'' and G'', but both maintained gel behavior in the temperature range tested (5-80°C).

[0086] Example 4 The film-forming properties of the water-soluble fraction (1), extracted with water from the dietary fiber preparation, were qualitatively evaluated to determine whether it could be used to produce edible coatings and confections such as gummy bears. For this purpose, 20 g of a 2.5% aqueous solution of the water-soluble fraction was poured into a Petri dish (diameter 9 cm). The solution was dried overnight at 25 °C in an air-circulating oven. The resulting film was brown in color, easily peeled off from the Petri dish, and moldable. The water-soluble film showed excellent properties as a base for edible coatings and confections, especially since it did not require the use of plasticizers to make it flexible and deformable.

[0087] Example 5 A pulp concentrate from the macauba pulp of A. totai was produced as described in Example 2. The resulting preparation was partially used as a whole egg substitute in muffins as described in Table 6.

[0088] [Table 6]

[0089] As an emulsifier, the macauba dietary fiber concentrate was very suitable as a partial replacement for whole eggs in muffins. The resulting muffins were very similar to the control in appearance, texture, color and taste.

[0090] Example 6 A pulp concentrate from the macauba pulp of A. totai was produced as described in Example 2. The resulting preparation was used to produce plant-based milks as shown in Table 7.

[0091] [Table 7]

[0092] The milk preparation consisted of suspending the macauba pulp concentrate in water at 50°C until a homogenous dispersion was obtained, followed by the addition of sugars. Rapeseed oil was then added and emulsified for 5 minutes at 21000 rpm. The mixture was filtered using a 125 μm sieve and homogenized at 250 bar in the first stage and 50 bar in the second stage. The homogenized milk was pasteurized at 80°C for 10 minutes and stored at 4°C. The resulting plant milk had a pleasant taste, a pleasant mouthfeel, and good stability. Thus, the macauba pulp concentrate is highly suitable for the production of plant milk.

[0093] Example 7 A pulp concentrate from the macauba pulp of A. totai was produced as described in Example 2. The resulting preparation was used to produce a second type of plant milk as shown in Table 8.

[0094] [Table 8]

[0095] The milk preparation consisted of suspending the macauba pulp concentrate in water at 50°C until the dispersion appeared homogenous, followed by the addition of sugars. An enzyme preparation consisting of hemicellulase and pectinase was then added and the mixture was incubated at 50°C for 1 hour. Rapeseed oil was then added and emulsified at 21000 rpm for 5 minutes. The mixture was filtered using a 125 μm sieve and homogenized at 250 bar in the first stage and 50 bar in the second stage. The homogenized milk was pasteurized at 80°C for 10 minutes and stored at 4°C. The resulting plant milk had a pleasant taste, a pleasant mouthfeel, and a pleasant stability. The plant milk had a more neutral taste and a lower viscosity than the plant milk of Example 6.

[0096] source: 1. Mudgil, D. and S. Barak, Composition, properties and health benefits of indigestible carbohydrate polymers as dietary fiber: a review. International journal of biological macromolecules, 2013. 61: p. 1-6. 2. Padayachee, A., et al., Complexity and health functionality of plant cell wall fibers from fruits and vegetables. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 2017. 57(1): p. 59-81. 3. Cui, S.W. and Q. Wang, Cell wall polysaccharides in cereals: chemical structures and functional properties. Structural Chemistry, 2009. 20(2): p. 291-297. 4. Lescano, C., et al., Nutrients content, characterization and oil extraction from Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. fruits. African Journal of Food Science, 2015. 9(3): p. 113-119. 5. Trentini CP, Oliveira DM, Zanette CM, Silva C. Low-pressure solvent extraction of oil from Macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) pulp: characterization of oil and defatted meal. Ciencia Rural, Santa Maria. 2016; 46(4): 725-731. 6. Silva AO, Cortez-Verga WR, Prentice C, Fonseca GG. Development and characterization of biopolymer films based on bocaiuva (Acrocomia aculeata) flour. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2020; 155: 1157-1168. 7. Colombo CA, Berton LHC, Diaz BG, Ferrari RA. Macauba: a promising tropical palm for the production of vegetable oil. OCL. 2018; 25(1): D108. 8. AOAC International. (2000). Method 991.43 Total dietary fiber. Enzymatic-gravimetric method. In Official methods of analysis of the association of official analytical chemists (edition 17th). Gaitherburg, MD, USA: Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 9. AOAC International. Method 968.06 Protein (crude) in animal feed. Dumas Method. In Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, edition 15th; Association of Official Analytical Chemists: Arlington, VA, USA, 1990. 10. AOAC International. Method 979.09 Protein in grains. Official methods of analysis, 16th ed. Washington DC, USA: Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 1995. 109 p. 11. Pearce, K.N., Kinsella, J.E. Emulsifying properties of proteins: evaluation of a turbudimetric technique. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, v. 26, p. 716-723, 1978. 12. Wasche, A., Muller, K., Knauf, U., “New processing of lupin protein isolates and functional properties”. Nahrung / Food, 2001, 45, 393-395 13. AOAC International. Method 920.39 Fat (crude) or Ether Extract. In Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, edition 15th; Association of Official Analytical Chemists: Arlington, VA, USA, 1990. 14. German Food Act. (1980). Methods L.01.00-60, L. 16.01-2, L. 17.00-1, L. 17.00-3, 1980. In BVL Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety. Berlin, Germany: Beuth Verlag GmbH. Official collection of testing methods according to A§ 64 LFGB, A§ 35 Provisional Tobacco Act, A§ 28b GenTG-I-Lebensmittel-Volume I (L) Procedures for sampling and testing foodstuffs. 15.AACC. Methods 56-30. Approved methods of the aacc. 10th ed.; American Association of Cereal Chemists: St. Paul, MN, USA, 2000. 16. Muranyi IS, Otto C, Pickardt C, Osen R, Koehler P, Schweiggert-Weisz U. Influence of isolation method on the technofunctional properties of protein isolates from Lupinus angustifolius L. Journal of Food Science. 2016; 81(11): C2656-C2663.

Claims

1. A dietary fiber preparation made from the pulp of the Macauba fruit, said dietary fiber preparation comprising: - having a dietary fiber content of more than 25% by weight, determined according to AOAC International reference method 991.43; - has a fat content of less than 20% by weight, - has a water content of less than 20% by weight, and - CIE-L ＊ a ＊ b ＊ L determined by colorimetry ＊ having a light color with a value of greater than 84; - a dietary fibre preparation, the proportion of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in said dietary fibre preparation being less than 40% by weight of said preparation.

2. 2. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1, wherein the proportion of alcohol-water soluble substances is less than 35% by weight.

3. 2. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1, wherein the proportion of alcohol-water soluble substances is less than 20% by weight.

4. 4. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1 , wherein the dietary fiber preparation has a fat content of less than 5% by weight.

5. 4. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1 , wherein the dietary fiber preparation has a water content of less than 10% by weight.

6. 4. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1 , wherein the dietary fiber preparation has a dietary fiber content of more than 40% by weight.

7. 4. A dietary fibre preparation according to claim 1, wherein the dietary fibre preparation has a skin content of less than 10% by weight on a dry matter basis.

8. The dietary fiber preparation is CIE-L ＊ a ＊ b ＊ L determined by colorimetry ＊ 4. A dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1, having a pale colour with a value of greater than 90.

9. The dietary fiber preparation comprises ９０ 4. A dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1, which is in the form of a meterable powder, granule or meal having a volumetric particle size of less than 1000 μm.

10. 4. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1, wherein the dietary fiber preparation has a weight percentage of organic solvent of 1 to 8000 ppm.

11. 4. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1, wherein the dietary fiber preparation has a weight percentage of ethanol or propanol of more than 1000 ppm and not more than 8000 ppm.

12. The dietary fiber preparation has the following characteristics: - 35m ２ / g dry preparation and / or emulsion stability of more than 30 minutes, - emulsification capacity of more than 400 mL / g of dry preparation; - a foaming activity of more than 200% by volume and a foaming stability of more than 25% by volume; - a water binding capacity of greater than 1.5 mL / g TS, and - Oil binding capacity greater than 1.5 mL / g TS 4. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more of the following:

13. The dietary fiber preparation has the following characteristics: - 25m ２ / g dry preparation and / or emulsion stability of more than 30 minutes, - emulsification capacity of more than 300 mL / g of dry preparation; - a foaming activity of more than 200% by volume and a foaming stability of more than 25% by volume; - a water binding capacity of greater than 1.5 mL / g TS, and - Oil binding capacity greater than 1.5 mL / g TS 4. The dietary fiber preparation according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more of the following:

14. 1. A method for producing a dietary fiber preparation from the pulp of Macauba fruit, comprising at least: - providing a partially deoiled pulp from a macauba fruit having a fat content between 3% and 60% by weight on a dry matter basis; - if the fat content of the partially deoiled pulp is relatively high, reducing the fat content of the partially deoiled pulp to a value below 20% by weight by one or more extraction methods; and - reducing the content of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in said pulp to a value below 40% by weight, on a dry matter basis, by one or more extraction methods or by precipitation or dry fractionation using fractions obtained from said pulp by aqueous extraction; The method comprising:

15. 15. The method of claim 14, providing said partially deoiled pulp having a peel content of less than 10% on a dry matter basis and an endocarp and stone content of less than 3% on a dry matter basis.

16. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the content of alcohol-water solubles in the pulp is reduced to a value below 30% by weight.

17. 17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the reduction of the content of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in the pulp is carried out by one or more solid-liquid extraction methods.

18. 17. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the fat content of the pulp is reduced to a value below 5% by weight.

19. 17. A process according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein a proportion of fat and alcohol-water soluble substances are simultaneously separated from the pulp using one or more mixtures of ethanol and water in a weight ratio of 94:6 to 90:10 at a temperature of 40 to 70°C.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the percentage of fat and alcohol-water soluble matter in the pulp is further reduced by utilizing water and / or one or more mixtures of alcohol and water in a weight ratio of less than 90:10 at a temperature of 40-90°C.

21. 21. The process according to claim 20, wherein as alcohol, propanol or ethanol is used.

22. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the temperature is set to a value between 65 and 85°C.

23. 17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the dietary fibre preparation is added with macauba protein meal or another vegetable protein preparation, said addition being carried out in such an amount that the dietary fibre preparation after said addition has a protein percentage of 10 to 90% by weight.

24. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein a concentrate is obtained from the pulp by one or more extraction methods to reduce the content of alcohol-water soluble substances, and the concentrate is subjected to aqueous extraction, followed by precipitation with alcohol and drying to obtain a water-soluble dietary fiber preparation.

25. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fraction obtained from the pulp by aqueous extraction and then subjected to precipitation is dried to obtain a water-soluble dietary fiber preparation.

26. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein a second fraction of water insoluble components remaining during said aqueous extraction is provided as a water insoluble dietary fiber preparation.

27. 25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the second fraction of water-insoluble components remaining during the aqueous extraction is separated into a soluble third fraction and an insoluble fourth fraction using a NaOH-EDTA solution containing 0.05-0.1 mol / L NaOH or sodium carbonate and 0.5 mmol EDTA or CDTA or a 0.5% (m / v) ammonium oxalate solution, and the third fraction is then subjected to drying or alcohol precipitation.

28. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising separating the fourth fraction with a concentrated alkaline solution into a fifth fraction soluble in the alkaline solution and a sixth fraction insoluble in the alkaline solution, and neutralizing the fifth fraction and drying or subjecting it to alcohol precipitation.

29. The dietary fiber preparation or one or more of the fractions are dried and then ground to obtain a dietary fiber preparation having a composition comprising: ９０ 17. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, comprising forming a meterable powder, granule or meal having a volumetric particle size of less than 1000 μm.

30. 30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the drying is preceded by a predetermined heating at a temperature in the range of 70 to 120° C., and the heating time is 60 minutes or less.

31. A water-soluble dietary fiber preparation made from the pulp of the Macauba fruit, said water-soluble dietary fiber preparation comprising: - having a dietary fiber content of more than 60% by weight, determined according to AOAC International reference method 991.43; and - has a fat content of less than 20% by weight, - Water-soluble dietary fibre preparations, in which the proportion of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in said dietary fibre preparation is less than 20% by weight of said preparation.

32. The water-soluble dietary fiber preparation has the following characteristics: - shear rate 100 s －１ , the viscosity of a 1% dispersion (m / v) in water at 25°C is greater than 50 cP; - shear rate 100 s －１ , the viscosity of a 5% dispersion (m / v) in water at 25°C is greater than 3000 cP; - Oil binding capacity is greater than 0.5 ml / g TS 32. The water-soluble dietary fiber preparation of claim 31 , having one or more of the following:

33. A water-insoluble dietary fiber preparation made from the pulp of the Macauba fruit, said water-insoluble dietary fiber preparation comprising: - having a dietary fiber content of more than 60% by weight, determined according to AOAC International reference method 991.43; and - has a fat content of less than 20% by weight, - water-insoluble dietary fibre preparations, in which the proportion of alcohol- and water-soluble substances in said dietary fibre preparation is less than 20% by weight of said preparation.

34. The water-insoluble dietary fiber preparation has the following characteristics: - a water binding capacity of more than 1.0 ml / g TS; - Oil binding capacity of more than 1.0 ml / g TS 34. The water-insoluble dietary fiber preparation of claim 33, having one or more of the following:

35. 37. Use of a dietary fibre preparation according to claim 1, 31 or 33, or a fraction obtained by the method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, as an ingredient in a food, cosmetic or pet food product.

36. 37. Use of a dietary fibre preparation according to claim 1, 31 or 33, or a fraction obtained by the process according to any one of claims 26 to 28, in industrial applications or as an industrial auxiliary.

Images