AU632868B2 - Process for soybean flavour control - Google Patents

Description

632868 S F Ref: 147475 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int Class o 4,0 0 e0 4, 4, 4, 4, ro 0 4 Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: Name and Address of Applicant: 4,a 4 4,0 4,4,4, 4, 04 4,4 4, 00*44, 0 4, 00 0 0 4 4 4, 4, dc~04,44 4, Jerry Saub 131 North Main Street Gordon Nebraska 69343 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Address for Service: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: Process for Soybean Flavour Control pi The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 018376 21190 5845/4 i i-, L_ 1 1 l PROCESS FOR SOYBEAN FLAVOR CONTROL 4 o*; o 4 I a 10 4 pi a 0 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The natural beany flavor of soybeans, which is generally considered unpleasant and hence detrimental to the success of soybeans as a versatile foodstuff and source of nutrition, is removed by boiling the dehulled soybeans in an aqueous solution of the juice of guava, papaya, pineapple, apple, orange, or a combination of these. Once the beany flavor is removed, the soybeans may be packaged and sold for consumption or processed 0 into soybean-based food products such as soymilk or soy-based tofu. A non-soybean flavor may be imparted to the soybeans or to food products derived therefrom by the use of flavoring agents at any srage subsequent to the soybean flavor removal.

This includes soaking the soybeans in a marinade of the desired 15 flavor, or adding the flavoring directly to the soymilk or to a coagulant solution in the preparation of tofu. The strong beany flavor characteristic of the soybean may thus be replaced with delicate flavors and essentially any flavor.

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7 .I -i PROCESS FOR SOYBEAN FLAVOR CONTROL o Po 0r 0* This invention lies in the field of soybean processing, and relates in particular to methods of modifying such characteristics as flavor, fragrance, and texture, and the implication this has, not only for uncrushed soybeans, but also for crushed soybean products, such as soymilk and tofu.

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rr BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION uc. Soybeans are well known as an exceptionally fine source of protein with an abundance of all essential amino acids, the essential nutritional ingredients of good health.

Unfortunately, soybeans in their natural form have an offensive taste and smell, a "beany" flavor, which have prevented soybeans from widespread use in human consumption.

Attempts to make soybeans more palatable have been limited to "deodorizing" and "debittering" this most desirable food. An historical review is presented in Hawley, et al., U.S.Patent No. 3,594,184, July 20, 1971. Hawley, et al.

achieved a reduction in processing time by first heating the soybeans in hot dry air sufficiently to split the hull before hydration. This circumvented the previously required 8-16 hours of pre-soaking. Unfortunately this also created a new and distinctive flavor which interferes with flavor control.

Saub, U.S. Patent No. 4,601,910, July 22, 1986, discloses a dehulling, softening and flavor modification process which involves the use of fruit juices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method has now been discovered by which the beany flavor is completely removed, leaving the soybeans highly receptive to assuming any flavor by absorption of an :1 2 appropriate flavoring agent, rather than merely the flavor of the solution used to remove the beany flavor. Removal of the beany flavor is achieved in a first stage, which involves boiling the dehulled soybeans in a fruit juice solution of guava, papaya, pineapple, apple or orange, or a mixture of these, then drained. With the beany flavor thus removed, the soybeans may be used in any of a wide variety of recipes and processing procedures, including processing to form soybeanbased food products or intermediates from which further food products can be prepared. Examples of products which can be prepared from such processing once the beany flavor has been removed are soymilk and soybean-based tofu. Furthermore, at S any stage subsequent to the initial soybean flavor removal, a o. non-soybean flavor may be imparted to the soybeans or to any 0 15 product having been prepared therefrom. This is readily achieved by soaking the soybeans or the product prepared from the soybeans in a marinade appropriately selected for the ;i i 'i i .i a desired flavor, or in the case of liquid soybean products such as soymilk, simply combining the selected flavoring with the .444 '0°20 product. For whole soybeans which are to be freeze-dried, one I4r4 may control the texture of the final soybean after reconstitution by a controlled soaking of the treated whole 000400 soybeans in fresh water prior to the freeze-drying.

Soybeans and soybean-based food products such as soymilk and soy-based tofu may be produced with an essentially .unlimited variety of flavors in accordance with the present invention. All such products will be totally devoid of the offensive beany flavor of the soybean, and can assume any of a wide range of flavors and textures suitable for a wide range o: foods including dry cereals, candies, snacks, and other nutritional foods and beverages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Elimination of the beany taste and smell of the dehulled soybeans is achieved by cooking the soybeans in a fruit juice solution. The juice is from one or more of the fruits guava, papaya, pineapple, apple and orange, of which

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guava, papaya and pineapple are preferred, guava and pineapple most preferred. The cooking is generally done under boiling conditions, and the cooking time is not critical but may be any amount of time sufficient to remove the beany flavor. At atmospheric (sea level) pressure, the cooking time will in most cases be at least about ten minutes, preferably from about ten minutes to about one hour, more preferably from about ten minutes to about thirty minutes. At elevated pressures, such as 10psig or above, preferably from about 10psig to about 20psig, shorter cooking times will suffice, notably from about thirty seconds to about five minutes, preferably from about one minute to about three minutes.

Ooo 0 Although the juice concentration in the boiling solution is not critical, best results are most often achieved 0 a015 with solutions prepared by combining the full strength juice 0 00 u°oo with water at concentrations ranging from about 1% to about by volume, preferably from about 1% to about 30% by volume, most preferably from about 1% to abcut 20% by volume.

Soybeans have traditionally been regarded as "fullycooked" when they become soft and easily mashed between the oo thumb and index finger. Not intending to be bound by any theory, it is postulated that the "fully-cooked" stage achieved o r: in accordance with the present invention occurs at the point at o which the trypsin inhibitors in the soybeans become inactivated. This leaves the soybeans with a firm texture not o: unlike fine nuts. The end user can then soften the soybeans as desired by further cooking. It should be noted that immature soybeans, still in the pod, are green in color and cook more quickly than mature soybeans.

Once the soybeans have been rid of the beany flavor, they are bland in taste and can take on any absorbable flavor by absorption from a flavoring solution or marinade. The flavoring solution will generally be an aqueous solution of a flavoring agent, natural or artificial, and may be any of the wide variety of such substances available from commercial sources in the food processing industry. One example of such a source is Flavor Technology Corporation of Matawan, New Jersey.

Another is H.T.K. Hawaii of Honolulu, Hawaii. The flavors may

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include fruit flavors, nut flavors, and other conventional and popular flavors such as vanilla, chocolate and coffee.

The new flavor may be imparted to the whole soybeans or to any product prepared from the soybeans at any of various stages in the preparation, depending on the particular product. The new flavor may thus be added to crushed soybeans, a crushed soybean slurry, or to soymilk.

For those embodiments of the invention in which new flavor is imparted to whole soybeans, the flavor is imparted by absorption from a flavoring solution as indicated above. This may be done under refrigerated, room temperature (ambient), or elevated temperature conditions. The time required will vary with the temperature, and will generally be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, or readily determinable by routine experimentation. For example, overnight soaking may be done when the beans and marinade are refrigerated, soaking on the order of from one to 10 hours and usually in the order of three hours when the beans and marinade are at room temperature, and soaking from between 20 minutes to about two hours at temperatures from about 2000F to about 1000F respectively and usually in the order of about minutes when the beans and marinade are at a temperature such as 1400 F.

Once the flavor soaking is complete, the beans are drained for consumption or subsequent processing. In some cases, it 11 be desirable to freeze dry the soybeans after the beany flavor has been removed and the new flavor absorbed. Freeze drying may be done by conventional means. The texture of the freeze-dried product, however, may be controlled over a range extending from soft textures to varying degrees of crunchiness, by a fresh water soak. The longer the soak, the softer the beans upon freeze drying.

For embodiments which include the step of crushing the soybeans as part of the preparation of the ultimate product, the flavoring is preferably added subsequent to the crushing step.

To prepare soymilk, for example, the delfavored soybeans are first crushed with water to form a slurry. This may be done in a conventional blender, food processor or similar equipment. The slurry is then boiled until it begins to rise due to foaming. The foaming slurry is then removed from the heat, and the solids are strained out. The 4725a/jj 4725a/jj #6 9 0Gs 4 *0*

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i.: 664 *000 Vt resulting liquid is soymilk. This is a conventional process for preparing soymilk, the added feature of the present invention being the use of deflavored whole soybeans as the starting material. Soymilk prepared in this manner may be flavored and/or sweetened by the addition of a flavoring solution similar or identical to those described above. Here as well, any conventional flavoring, of which a wide variety are commercially available, may be used.

Soy-based tofu may be prepared by adding a coagulant to the soymilk, permitting the soymilk to curdle, then straining and pressing the curds, all in accordance with S procedures known in the art of tofu preparation, the added feature of the present invention here as well being the use of S deflavored whole soybeans as the starting material used to prepare the soymilk. Any of the wide variety of coagulants S well known in the art of making tofu from soybeans may be used.

Prominent examples are alkali earth metal salts, notably calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate.

Methods of coagulation other than by the addition of chemical 210 coagulants are also known and capable of use herein, but the use of chemical coagulants is preferred. The flavoring may be imparted by addition of a flavoring solution to the soymilk prior to curdling, or by incorporation of a flavoring agent S into the coagulant solution. Appropriate and optimum 25 quantities will be readily apparent to those skilled in the S art, and will vary with individual taste.

The following examples are offered for purposes of illustration, and are intended neither to define nor limit the invention in any manner.

30 EXAMPLE 1 Dry, dehulled soybeans (100mL) were boiled in a mixture of 500mL water, 20mL guava nectar and 20mL pineapple juice for twenty minutes at sea level pressure. The guava nectar for this and succeeding examples was Kerns' Guava Nectar, a product of Kerns of California, division of Nestle Foods, City of Industry, CA 91746. The pineapple juice for *6 this and succeeding examples was Dole Pineapple Juice, a product of Dole Packaged Foods Co., Honolulu, HI 96801. The beans were then removed from the mixture and drained. Both the drained beans and the drain liquid were tasted. The beans contained no beany flavor, whereas the drain liquid had a noticeable beany flavor.

o 94, 9,o 9 9 4, 4 94,99 9 99r EXAMPLE 2 Dry, dehulled soybeans (100mL) were boiled in a mixture of 500mL water and 20mL guava nectar for twenty minutes at sea level pressure. The beans were then removed from the mixture and drained. Both the drained beans and the drain liquid were tasted. The beans contained no beany flavor, whereas the drain liquid had a noticeable beany flavor.

I I EXAMPLE 3 Dry, dehulled soybeans (100mL) were boiled in a mixture of 500mL water and 20mL guava nectar for ten minutes at sea level pressure. Then 20mL of pineapple juice was added, S and boiling was continued for eleven minutes more. The beans were then removed from the mixture and drained. Both the drained beans and the drain liquid were tasted. The drain liquid had a noticeable beany flavor. The soybeans were of the t' c finest gourmet quality.

t EXAMPLE 4 Dry, dehulled soybeans (100mL) were boiled in a mixture of 500mL water, 15mL guava nectar and 15mL pineapple juice for one minute thirty seconds in a pressure cooker at The beans were then removed from the pressure cooker and drained. Both the drained beans and the drain liquid were tasted. The beans contained no beany flavor, whereas the drain liquid had a noticeable beany flavor.

EXAMPLE Dry, dehulled soybeans (3/4 cup) were boiled in a mixture of 4 cups water and 2 ounces guava nectar for thirty seconds in a pressure cooker at 15psig (240°F). Two ounces of Lii _i pineapple juice were then added to the mixture, and cooking at was continued for an additional 45 seconds. The beans were then removed from the pressure cooker, rapidly cooled and drained. Both the drained beans and the drain liquid were tasted. The beans contained no beany flavor, whereas the drain liquid had a noticeable beany flavor.

oo A a a -t 20 0 0 1 00 t 0 0 a 0*0 a 0 06 0 0 t 0 0 0 EXAMPLE 6 Dry, dehulled soybeans (250mL) were placed in a plastic container and covered with 1500mL boiling water and 120mL guava nectar, and permitted to soak for fifteen minutes.

The entire mixture was then placed in a cooking pot and boiled for twenty minutes. Pineapple juice (50mL) was then added, and boiling was continued for an additional ten minutes. The beans were then drained, following by rinsing with cool water. The resulting beans contained no beany flavor and were suitable for the addition of flavoring or for use in the preparation of tofu or soymilk.

EXAMPLE 7 Dry dehulled soybeans (100mL) were boiled in a mixture of 500mL water and 25mL V-8 juice Cocktail Vegetable Juice," a product of Campbell Soup Co., Camden, New Jersey) for fifteen minutes. Then, 20mL of Minute Maid Orange Juice (a product of Coca Cola Company, Houston, Texas) was added and boiling continued for another ten minutes. The soybeans were then drained and tasted. The taste indicated that the beany flavor had been removed from the soybeans, but was noticeable in the drain liquid.

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EXAMPLE 7 Dry dehulled soybeans (100mL) were boiled in a mixture of 500mL water and 25mL Libby's Apricot Nectar for fifteen minutes. Then, 20mL of Campbell's Tomato Juice was added and boiling was continued for another ten minutes. The soybeans were then drained and tasted. The taste test indicated that the beany flavor was present in the drain liquid only.

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I r .ii |-Jil m T.-in iiiii.- ln r i. r u ii" 8 EXAMPLE 8 Dry dehulled soybeans (100mL) were boiled in a mixture of 500mL water, 20mL orange juice and 20mL apricot juice for 22 minutes. The soybean.s were then drained, rinsed and tasted. No beany flavor was detected in the soybeans.

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0 0 EXAMPLE This example illustrates the addition of non-soybean flavors to the soybeans from which the beany flavor has bepn removed in accordance with the Example 3.

A series of flavorings intended for shave ice (commonly known as "snow cones") was obtained from H.T.K.

Hawaii, 1270-A North King St., Honolulu, Hawaii 96817. Syrups were prepared from each flavoring by dissolving five pounds of granulated sugar in one gallon of water, followed by adding the .flavoring at one ounce per quart.

To one pint of each syrup was added one cup of soybeans which had been treated to remove the beany flavor in accordance with one of Example 3. The soaking soybeans were left in the syrup overnight while refrigerated, after which time observations were made as to taste and general appeal.

These observations are listed in Table I below.

L:i 00 0 0 0 0: 0.40 0 0 Q ji I- I 9 TABLE I Flavor Variations Flavor Banana Vanilla Coconut Strawberry Color Yellow Taste Quality Excellent Blue None Red Good Excellent Excellent Comments Pleasing Odd color Very fine Bright color Odd -hade of urown Bad color Good Mediocre Good flavor Chocolate 44 *e o 44 4I 4 44 4 4 4 4 4*44 4c 4 4 4 4* Grape Orange Lime Coffee Brown Purple Orange Green Spotty Mild Chocolate Fair Good Fair Good 1 I *i

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EXAMPLE 11 This is a further illustration of imparting non-soybean 4 4 S flavors to soybeans from which the beany flavor had been removed in accordance with Example 3.

Five flavoring agents manufactured by Flavor Technology Corporation of Matawan, New Jersey, and purchased through Chemical Sales Service, Inc., P.O. Box 17893, Honolulu, S Hawaii 96817, were combined with the sugar syrups, each sugar I syrup prepared by dissolving five pounds of granulated sugar in one gallon of water. The various flavors and the amounts of each added to separated volumes of the sugar syrup are listed in Table II.

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i ia -r 1 ii i i 114 is _II C-Pi TABLE II Flavoring Syrups Manufacturer's Product Designation 17A-8906.488 18A-8903.228 Flavor Walnut Praline Grape Pineapple Quantity (Volume 0.1 0.15 18A-8904.302 18A-8906.478 18A-8904.321 0.2 0.15 10 S $r SP S t* 5 Lemon 0.2 The flavors in each case were successfully imparted to the soybeans.

L~.J1 EXAMPLE 12 This example demorstrates the texture control of freeze dried soybeans by a fresh water rinse prior to freezing.

The soybeans used were dehulled soybeans from which the beany flavor had been removed in accordance with the invention and which were flavored with each flavor of Example 11 but not rinsed. One cup of each flavor of these soybeans were placed :0 in individual plastic ZIPLOC bags (Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan) with two cups of fresh water, and the bags were kneaded for varying periods of time. After kneading, the S soybeans were removed from the bags and freeze-dried. The observed textures corresponding to each knead time are listed in Table III.

TABLE III Texture vs. Knead Time Knead Time seconds seconds seconds Texture of Freeze-Dried Soybeans Very crunchy Crunchy Somewhat softer i Y I EXAMPLE 13 I This example illustrates the application of the present invention to the preparation of soymilk.

Two batches of soybeans were treated, the first in accordance with the procedure of Example 3, and the second using the same procedure except that the volume of pineapple juice was reduced to 10mL. Once treated, soybeans from each batch were crushed by combining 400mL of the soybeans in a blender with 500mL of water for three minutes of high speed blending. The slurry resulting in each case was added to one liter of boiling water. Once the mixture began to foam rapidly, it was removed from the heat. It was then strained S through a cheesecloth, and the residue was discarded, leaving the remaining liquid as a fine soymilk.

One-cup portions of the soymilk were then placed in ZIPLOC bags. To each bag was then added a mixture consisting of 15mL of a heavy syrup (half water and half sugar) combined Swith 0.6mL of the following flavors (from Flavor Technology Corporation), one per bag: TABLE IV Flavoring Syrups SManufacturer's Product Flavor Designation Strawberry 18A-8401.100 Vanilla 17A-8308.023 Chocolate 17A-8406.158 Lemon 18A-8904.321 The result in each case was that the flavors were successfully imparted to the soymilk, with no retention of soybean taste.

EXAMPLE 14 This example illustrates the application of the present i invention to the preparation of tofu.

Soymilk was prepared using the procedure of Example 9.

ir L- 1 7; i i 12 A coagulant was then prepared by combining one-half cup water with one teaspoon Epsom salts (hydrated magnesium sulfate).

This coagulant was then blended with one-half cup of heavy syrup (half water and half sugar) and 4mL of one of the four flavors of Table IV. One coagulant mixture for each flavor was prepared, and each mixture was then added to the soymilk in three steps to produce curds. The curds were then slowly transfered to a press box lined with damp cheesecloth for straining and pressing the curds.

The result in each case was a tofu product which bore a, the taste of the added flavoring and had no trace of soybean 44 4,

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The foregoing is offered primarily for purposes of illustration. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that variations, modifications and further substitutions may be made in the materials and procedures described above, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

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Claims (7)

13. The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. A method for soybean flavor control by removing the natural beany flavor from dehulled soybeans, said method comprising: boiling said dehulled soybeans in a solution of a fruit juice comprising at least one fruit selected from the group consisting of guava, papaya, pineapple, apple and orange, for a period of time sufficient to remove said beany flavor; and removing and draining said boiled whereby the beany flavor is removed from the 2. A method in accordance with claim member selected from the group consisting of 3. A method in accordance with claim member selected from the group consisting of 4. A method in accordance with claim 15 member selected from the group consisting of guava and pineapple. soybeans from said solution dehulled soybeans. 1 in which said fruit is a guava, papaya and pineapple. 1 in which said fruit is a guava and pineapple. 1 in which said fruit is a guava and a combination of nD a ao oo a o a o N 000o a A o BO a oo a o rloot, o a a a «I 5. said boilin pressure fo 20 6. said boilin pressure fc 7. said boilin 25 pressure fc 8. said boilir A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4 in which ig of step is performed at approximately atmospheric )r at least about ten minutes. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4:in which ig of step is performed at approximately atmospheric ,r from about ten minutes to about one hour. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4 in which ig of step is performed at approximately atmospheric )r from about ten minutes to about thirty minutes. i i 1 f, F i ij i' lil i A ng method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4 of step is performed at a pressure of at least in which about l0psig for about thirty seconds to about five minutes. 9. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4 in which said boiling of step is performed at a pressure of from about for about one minute to about three minutes. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 9 in which said solution of step is prepared by diluting said juice at full strength in water at a dilution of from about 1% to about 50% by volume. 35 11. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 9 in which 4725a/jj

14. said solution of step is prepared by diluting said juice at full strength in water at a dilution of from about 1% to about 30% by volume. 12. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 9 in which said solution of step is prepared by diluting said juice at full strength in water at a dilution of from about 1% to about 20% by volume. 13. Soybeans prepared by the method of any one of claims 1 to 12. 14. A method for soybean flavor control by removing the natural beany flavor from dehulled soybeans and imparting a selected non-soybean flavor thereto, said method comprising: boiling said dehulled soybeans in a first solution of a fruit juice wherein the fruit juice is selected from the group consisting of guava, papaya, pineapple, apple and orange, for at least about ten minutes; 0 0 removing and draining said boiled soybeans from said solution i 4 15 whereby the beany flavor is removed from the dehulled soybeans; soaking said drained soybenas in a flavoring solution of said selected flavor to cause said drained soybeans to absorb said flavor; and o recovering said soybeans from said flavoring solution, A method in accordance with claim 14 in which said fruit is a S 20 member selected from the group consisting of guava and pineapple. I 16. A method in accordance with claim 14 or 15 in which said boiling of step is performed for from about ten minutes to about one i hour, and said soaking of step is performed for from about one hour to about ten hours at ambient temperature. 25 17. A method in accordance with claim 14 or 15 in which said boiling of step is performed for from about ten minutes to about one hour, and said soaking of step is performed for from about twenty minutes to about two hours at a temperature of from about 100 0 F to about 200 F.

18. A method for soybean flavor control by removing the natural beany flavor from dehulled soybeans which consists of: boiling said dehulled soybeans in a fruit juice solution for a period of time sufficient to remove said beany flavor, said boiling being conducted at a pressure of from about 10 psig to about 20 psig for about one minute to about three minutes, said fruit juice being selected from j 0 4725a/jj volume; and separating the boiled dehulled soybeans from said solution, whereby the beany flavor is removed from the dehulled soybeans.

19. Soybeans bearing a non-soybean flavor, prepared by the method of any one of claims 14 to 18. A method for soybean flavor control by removing the natural beany flavor from dehulled soybeans substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the Examples 1 to 9.

21. A method for soybean flavor control by removing the beany flavor from dehulled soybeans and imparting a selected non-soybean flavor thereto substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Examples 10 or 11.

22. A method for preparing a soymilk substantially as herein 0described with reference to Example 13 or from soybeans prepared .according to claims 13 or 18.

23. A method for preparing tofu substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Example 14 or from soybeans prepared according to claims 13 or 18. :a 4 DATED this FOURTH day of NOVEMBER 1992 e o Jerry Saub Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON 4725a/jj