HU231226B1

HU231226B1 - Process for the preparation of plant protein coagulum

Info

Publication number: HU231226B1
Application number: HU1800041A
Authority: HU
Inventors: Dr. Szabolcsy Éva Domokosné; Fári Miklós Gábor Dr.
Original assignee: Debreceni Egyetem
Priority date: 2018-01-31
Filing date: 2018-01-31
Publication date: 2022-03-28
Also published as: WO2019150144A1; HUP1800041A2

Description

PROCEDURE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF VEGETABLE PROTEIN COAGULATION

SCOPE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a plant protein coagulum, in which a green juice fraction produced from green plant biomass is heated by a heat transfer method other than microwave radiation and microwave heating to coagulate the proteins in the green juice fraction. The invention further relates to a plant protein coagulum obtainable by the method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The leaves of green plants contain large amounts of proteins from which protein concentrates can be prepared by various known methods for use as feed or food additives.

Károly Ereky was a pioneer in the production of leaf protein concentrate, who developed a process based on wet fractionation in the early 20th century under the name of Zöldmalom.

U.S. Pat. The invention described in U.S. Pat. The Vepex procedure and its various versions (US4250197) were used in England, Denmark and New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s. However, due to non-continuous operation and high energy demand, production was later discontinued. The disadvantage of this process is that the auxiliaries added for fractionation and coagulation are required.

DE102011077921A1 The present invention describes a leaf protein biorefinery. This protein coagulation system allows continuous protein extraction from pressed vegetable juices. The equipment is a special coagulation device with a continuous operation of four sub-operations, consisting of properly arranged latches, a heated receiving tank, a steam blower generator and a heat exchanger. According to the invention, the path of the green juice separated from the leaves and stems of the green plants allows the coagulation previously effected in two steps and the phase separation to be fused within a plant in the form of a high-quality protein concentrate for use in animal feed. For coagulation, an external water vapor or other hot gas injection is used to produce microbubbles that produce a green juice temperature of 40-85 ° C.

One of the advantages of this equipment is that the protein concentrate obtained by the process is more compact and easier to dehydrate than conventional coagulation. Another advantage is that the process does not use chemical pretreatment. A further feature is that if the influx of pressed green juice is continuous, the equipment ensures a coagulation process in a coordinated and continuous manner.

DE 102011077921A1. Despite the undoubted advantages of the patent application process, it does not provide a reassuring and fully effective solution to the following pre - existing problems.

- It solves the coagulation of proteins from the green juice by steam blowing, which is a significant cost-increasing and inefficient form of energy communication, as a result of which around 15-20% of the brown juice is boiled and excess water is used, the treatment of which is cost-increasing.

SZTNH-100300581

- The coagulum fraction itself is not uniform in structure but random in a wide range of sizes. This is why the names protein coagulation, precipitate and flocculant, which cover different product quality / chemical structure. Separation due to non-uniform structure! in the process, the lower, settled fraction and the floating fractions should be treated separately.

- According to the notification, the process does not provide a sufficient guarantee that the protein concentrate obtained, partly or completely independent of the species, is cohesive, has a constant shape and is easier to dehydrate. This is especially true of grasses and corn, etc. questionable. It is well known that only one precipitated protein fraction can be recovered from them, which has an incoherent dispersion system (Telek, L. (1983): Leaf protein extraction from tropical plants. Plants: the Potential for Extracting 10 Protein Medicines and Other Useful Chemicals, U.S. Congress, Washington, DC, pp. 78-125.).

Additional methods are known for controlled protein coagulation from green juice by adjusting heat and pH (U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,133 A; Hulst et al. EP 1149193 B1). In addition, other methods are known for performing directed protein coagulation in two containers (WO 1997003571 A1).

One of the common features of the methods described in the literature is that protein coagulation with heat is achieved by direct cooking of the green juice 15, by inserting heat exchangers, or by injecting hot steam. A major disadvantage of cooking, heat exchanger and steam blowing is the power supply of energy-intensive steam boilers. Furthermore, the problem with heat exchangers is the high sensitivity to clogging. The big disadvantage of steam injection is the excess water of about 15-20% that enters the system, which unnecessarily dilutes and increases the amount of bamale juice. Using the steam injection method, the coagulated proteins typically form an incoherent system of particles of various sizes, including air bubble inclusions. A fourth common drawback of these conventional coagulation methods is closely related to the physical structure of the coagulated proteins. This is because the leaf protein concentrate formed from the vegetables coagulated with the heat exchangers and steam blowers is an incoherent dispersion colloid, in which the dispersed protein coagulates often stick, so the equipment requires frequent cleaning, preventing its continuous operation. Although this problem can be partially solved by 25 special procedures, they have not been proven so far due to their complexity.

Another common feature of the known methods is that the supernatant protein fraction is separated by decantation centrifugation. This method of construction also has several significant disadvantages. One is that decantation usually results in the formation of a protein foam which cannot be completely isolated and further treated. Another disadvantage of this method is that it is a significant waste of time and additional cost to install special equipment for this purpose, to refill it intermittently per operation, to clean it, and so on.

Thus, there is still a need for an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly process that can provide a high-quality, compact and cohesive plant protein concentrate with a structure that is favorable for further processing in a continuous operation, regardless of the species.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The plant protein coagulum produced by the method of the present invention is a gel-like material having a macromolecularly dispersed structure with a coherent colloidal system, which is the same as the vegetable protein coagulum produced by other methods.

2104547

-3 Coagulant is a harder, more stable protein coagulate that provides easier handling during both production and processing.

A process for producing a plant protein coagulum, comprising the steps of:

- provision of green juice fraction from green plant biomass,

- heating the green juice fraction by a heat transfer process other than the use of microwave radiation to a temperature of not more than about 60 ° C,

- further heating the green juice fraction using microwave radiation to a core temperature of at least about 80 ° C, thereby coagulating the proteins in the green juice fraction and, if necessary, isolating the coagulum.

2. In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of:

- separation of the green juice fraction into a chloroplast fraction and a cytoplasmic fraction before heating,

- heating the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction by a heat transfer process other than the use of microwave radiation to a temperature of not more than about 60 ° C,

- further heating the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction using microwave radiation to a core temperature of at least about 80 ° C, thereby coagulating the proteins in the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction.

3. In a preferred embodiment, the green juice fraction, the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction are heated to a temperature of about 40-60 ° C by a heat treatment method other than the use of microwave radiation.

4. In a preferred embodiment, the green juice fraction, the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction are heated to a temperature of about 40-50 ° C by a heat transfer process other than the use of microwave radiation.

5. In a preferred embodiment, a heat transfer process other than the use of microwave radiation is performed in a heat exchanger.

5. In a preferred embodiment, the microwave radiation is provided by a microwave power field at a frequency of 2-3 GHz.

7. In a preferred embodiment, the green plant biomass is derived from a dicotyledonous and / or monocotyledonous plant. In a preferred embodiment, the dicotyledonous plant is alfalfa and the monocotyledonous plant is wheatgrass.

8. In a preferred embodiment, the plant protein coagulum is a material with a coherent colloidal system and a macromolecularly dispersed structure.

9. In a preferred embodiment, the plant protein coagulum has an area diameter of at least 30% smaller and / or the average height of the plant protein coagulum has an area of at least 30%, preferably at least 50%, than from a green juice fraction of the same composition, the area diameter of a plant protein coagulum produced by steam injection at the same final temperature, the area diameter and, if appropriate, the area height being measured by a method comprising the following steps:

a) we place graph paper on a horizontal surface set with a spirit level,

b) Place a 185 mm diameter, flat-bottomed container on the graph paper,

c) a spreading ring with a diameter of 65 mm and a height of 20 mm is placed in the middle of the container,

d) coagulate 100 g of green liquor and allow to stand at room temperature for 3 minutes,

e) the precipitated plant protein coagulum is poured into the area ring and allowed to stand at room temperature for a further 3 minutes,

f) removing the area ring and allowing the plant protein coagulum to stand for two minutes,

g) measuring the area diameter and, if appropriate, the mean area height of the plant protein coagulum.

10. In a preferred embodiment, the plant protein coagulum is produced under industrial conditions.

11. In a preferred embodiment, the plant protein coagulate is not substantially deposited on the wall of the devices during the process.

12. Figures 1-11. A plant protein coagulum obtainable by the process described in any of the preceding paragraphs, which is a material with a coherent colloidal system and a macromolecularly dispersed structure.

13. Figures 1-11. a plant protein coagulum obtainable by the process described in any of the numbered paragraphs, or a plant protein coagulum as described in paragraph 12, wherein the plant protein coagule has an area diameter of at least 30% and / or an area height of at least 30%, preferably at least 50% greater than the area of the plant protein coagulum obtained from the green juice fraction of the same composition at the same final temperature as the steam at the same final temperature and the area diameter and diameter of the plant protein coagulum obtained at the same final temperature the mean area height shall be measured by the procedure specified in paragraph 9.

14. Use of a vegetable protein coagulum as described in paragraph 12 or 13 for the manufacture of food, food additives, feed additives or feed additives.

15. In a preferred embodiment, the plant protein coagulum has an area diameter of at least 30%, preferably at least 50% less and / or the average area height of the plant protein coagulum is at least 30%, preferably at least 50% greater than the area diameter of a vegetable protein coagulum obtained by cooking at the same final temperature, starting from a green juice fraction of the same composition, where the area diameter and, where appropriate, the area area are measured by a method comprising the following steps:

a) we place graph paper on a horizontal surface set with a spirit level,

b) Place a 185 mm diameter, flat-bottomed container on the graph paper,

16. Figures 1-11. and a plant protein coagulum obtainable by the process described in any of paragraphs 1 and 15, or a plant protein coagulum as described in paragraphs 12 or 13, wherein the area of the plant protein coagulum is at least 30%, preferably at least 50% smaller and / or the plant protein coagulation area at least 30% higher, preferably at least 50% higher than that obtained from the green juice fraction of the same composition, cooked at the same final temperature

W lift

-5 is the area diameter of the plant protein coagulum, where the area diameter and, if appropriate, the area height are measured by the method described in paragraph 9.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 illustrates the biorefinery structure of a green spruce leaf protein operating by the method of the present invention, coagulation of green juice in a step with a microwave.

Figure 2 illustrates the biorefinery structure of green alfalfa leaf protein using the process of the present invention, coagulation of alfalfa green juice in several steps combined with centrifugation and heat transfer.

Figure 3 illustrates the biorefinery structure of a green grass leaf protein using the method of the present invention, coagulating the green juice of the grass in one step with a microwave.

Figure 4 illustrates the biorefinery structure of the green foliage protein of the present invention, the coagulation of grass green juice in several steps combined with centrifugation and heat transfer.

Figure 5. Macroscopic image of alfalfa LFK coagulated with different forms of heat transfer at 80 ° C.

Figure 6. Recordings of filtered leaf protein concentrates after precipitation of alfalfa green juices by different heat transfer methods. (A) Filtration of green LFK coagulated by cooking / steam blowing. (B) Filtration of green LFK coagulated by the method of the invention.

Figure 7. The results obtained by the cylindro-viscometric measurement method are illustrated in Figures 7A for alfalfa and wheatgrass. (A) Cylindro-viscometric area of alfalfa coagulated by cooking LFK. (B) 20 Cylindro-viscometric area of alfalfa coagulated by steam blowing. (C) Cylindro-viscometric area of alfalfa coagulated by the method of the present invention. (D) Cylindroviscosimetric area of LFK wheat coagulated by cooking. (E) Cylindro-viscometric area of wheat grass coagulated by steam blowing. (F) Cylindro-viscometric area of wheat grass coagulated by the process of the present invention.

Figure 8. Mass results of the fractions (green LFK, white LFK and yellow juice) obtained during the multi-stage coagulation of alfalfa green juice combined with centrifugation and heat transfer. (A) Alfalfa white LFK coagulated by direct cooking. (B) Steam-coagulated alfalfa white LFK. (C) Alfalfa coagulated by the process of the present invention is white LFK. (D) Alfalfa green LFK coagulated by direct cooking. (E) Steam-coagulated alfalfa green LFK. (F) Alfalfa green LFK coagulated by the process of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Explanation of terms in the description

Pressed fiber: the fraction of press residue obtained during the pressing of green biomass (leaf stalk), including fibers, intact or shredded tissue fragments and cells.

Green juice: the aqueous fraction obtained during the pressing of green biomass (leaf stem), including 35 intact cells, cell debris, organic molecules released during the extraction. From a chemical point of view, it is considered to be a coarse dispersion system in which the dispersed phase contains particles in the microscopic range in terms of size. The dispersion medium is on the one hand a real solution of macromolecular colloids of proteins and on the other hand a real solution of sugars and phytonutrients.

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Ml

T

-6Brown juice: a liquid, dispersed system obtained from a green juice by a one-step heat coagulation process (i.e., the green juice fraction is subjected to heat transfer without first separating the chloroplast fraction and the cytoplasmic fraction by centrifugation, for example).

Yellow juice (cytoplasmic fraction): the supernatant from the green juice separated in the first step by a 'multi-stage coagulation of green juice combined with centrifugation and heat transfer' method. Hereinafter, a liquid, dispersed system remained after coagulation with combined heat exchange (combined heat exchanger and microwave) heat transfer. The cytoplasmic fraction is the supernatant fraction separated from the green juice, free of chloroplasts, fiber and cell debris.

Green pellet (chloroplast fraction): the precipitated fraction obtained from green juice by centrifugation as orthokinetic coagulation using the 'multi-stage coagulation of green juice combined with centrifugation and heat transfer' method. The chloroplast fraction is the fraction separated from the green juice, which also contains chloroplasts, heavier fibers and cell debris.

“Multi-stage coagulation of green juice combined with centrifugation and heat transfer”: a multi-stage protein coagulation method in which two qualitatively and quantitatively different vegetable protein fractions are obtained. To do this, the green juice must first be separated by centrifugation / sedimentation. In the second step, both the supernatant (cytoplasmic fraction, yellow juice) and the pellet (as a green pellet) are coagulated by coagulation to obtain the green and white plant protein coagulates.

Green LFK: green vegetable protein coagulum (leaf protein concentrate) precipitated from green pellets by the 'multi-stage coagulation of green juice combined with centrifugation and heat transfer' process.

White LFK: a light-colored (distinguished white) plant protein coagulum (leaf protein concentrate) coagulated from the chlorophyll-free supernatant separated by centrifugation during separated precipitation.

Coherent colloidal systems: they are formed in such a way that the energy gain from the cohesion between the dispersed particles is greater than the thermal motion (Brownian motion) so that the particles combine to form a deformable system with a different framework

Incoherent colloidal systems: they are formed in such a way that the dispersed particles are independent of each other because the kinetic energy of the heat movement is sufficient to overcome the attractive forces. thus, the system is fluid in nature.

Cylindro-viscometry: a self-developed, generally used rheological method which, in connection with the present patent process, is used to quantify the physicochemical nature of the juice protein concentrates obtained by various heat treatment processes.

The method is described below:

• Laying graph paper on a horizontal surface with a spirit level • Place a 185 mm diameter petri dish with a 65 mm diameter and 20 mm high area ring in the middle.

• After coagulation of 100 g of green juice by different heat methods, incubation time of 3 minutes at room temperature

«Η • pouring the precipitated plant protein coagulum into the area ring and incubating for an additional 3 minutes at room temperature • removing the area ring and then incubating for 2 minutes at room temperature until the maximum LFK area is reached · measuring the area diameter and mean height of the plant protein coagulum

Hydrophilic (or lyophilic) colloid: characteristic of colloids where the dispersion medium is water. A strong interaction develops between the water molecules as well as the dispersed particles, thus creating a hydrate shell that stabilizes the particles. Native proteins are such hydrophilic colloids.

Discontinuous coagulation: is caused by the collision of particles, which can be caused by thermal movement (perikinetic) 10 or unidirectional (orthokinetic) external force (gravity, centrifugal, etc.). These can cause the system particles to stick together.

As used herein, the word "about" when used in connection with a temperature value means a temperature which differs from the given temperature by at most 5, preferably at most 2 ° C, particularly preferably at most 0.5 ° C.

As used herein, the term "substantially non-adherent" means that up to 10%, preferably up to 5%, particularly preferably up to 2% of the precipitated proteins in the process adhere to the devices, vessels or containers used in the process. , on the surface of pipes, particularly preferably the degree of adhesion does not exceed 0.5% (w / w).

As used herein, production under industrial conditions is defined as the production of more than normal household or laboratory amounts of plant protein coagulants. Industrial conditions are characterized by, for example, continuous operation, the use of a magnetron with a rated power of at least 2, preferably at least 5, particularly preferably at least 10 kW, or a microwave liquid handling (magnetron) with a power of more than 1 tonne / hour, or more than 5 kg, preferably more than A process for the preparation of 10 kg, preferably more than 25 kg of plant protein coagulates.

In the production of the plant protein coagulum, the freshly squeezed green matter from the already known freshly mowed green plants or the senate prepared and stored therefrom is separated from the fiber-containing fraction, preferably without the addition of chemicals and other substances.

In the process of the present invention, the green juice fraction obtained by pressing from green plants is subjected to a specific combination of successive different heat transfer methods to produce a compact, gel-like, coherent colloidal plant protein coagulum with a macromolecularly dispersed structure.

In the process (single-stage coagulation), the green juice fraction is preheated to a temperature of up to about 60 ° C, preferably about 40-60 ° C, more preferably about 40-50 ° C, by a heat transfer process other than microwave radiation, preferably in a heat exchanger. The preheated green juice fraction is then passed through a tube coil and / or spiral placed in a microwave field, preferably in continuous operation. In the microwave field, the core temperature of the green juice is reached by 8085 ° C by controlling and / or selecting the length and diameter of the tube snake and / or spiral, the flow rate of the green juice containing the incoming leaf protein chloroplast coagulate and the microwave energy. At this temperature, the green juice flowing in the microwave space. cytoplasmic protein fraction

-821045 47 is completely denatured and typically assumes a coherent, colloidal dispersed state. In the process of discontinuous coagulation, it becomes visibly contiguous and visible to the naked eye. Unexpectedly, our new discovery that this denatured protein matrix encapsulates and / or surrounds, partially envelops, colloidal, dispersed chloroplast leaf proteins coagulated at lower temperatures. These 5 chloroplast leaf protein foci continue to grow under the influence of the microwave field.

However, it is an unexpected new discovery that the resulting compact, macromolecularly dispersed plant protein coagule comprising the compact chloroplast + cytoplasmic fractions thus obtained does not adhere to the inner wall of the serpentine and / or coil as it exits the microwave field. On the contrary, during coagulation, the so-called in a brown juice, as in a dispersion medium, it became a shape-retaining, compact, and 10 continued to flow in this form with the liquid stream.

In another embodiment of the method (two-step coagulation), the green juice fraction is fractionated into a chloroplast fraction (green pellet) and a yellow juice fraction (supernatant = cytoplasmic fraction), for example by centrifugation / sedimentation. The chloroplast fraction (green pellet, microscopically dispersed fraction) is preheated by a heat transfer method other than microwave radiation, preferably in a heat exchanger, to a temperature of up to about 60 ° C, preferably about 40-60 ° C, particularly preferably about 40-50 ° C. The chloroplast fraction thus preheated is passed through a tube coil and / or spiral placed in a microwave field, preferably in continuous operation. Unexpectedly, it is a new discovery that the resulting leaf protein thus containing a green, coherently dispersed macromolecular colloid comprising a chloroplast fraction does not adhere to the inner wall of the serpentine and / or coil without browning. On the contrary, it remains afloat with the liquid stream, fully preserving the consistency below denaturation and the coagular structure formed. The cytoplasmic fraction (supernatant) is preheated by a heat transfer method other than microwave radiation, preferably in a heat exchanger, to a temperature of up to about 60 ° C, preferably about 4060 ° C, more preferably about 40-50 ° C. The cytoplasmic fraction thus preheated is passed through a tube coil and / or spiral placed in a microwave field, preferably in a continuous operation. Unexpectedly, a new discovery is that the resulting yellowish-white coagulations, including the cytoplasmic fraction of the leaf protein (white LFK), do not adhere to the inner wall of the serpentine and / or coil. On the contrary, it floats further in the yellow juice that separates in one step during denaturation, fully preserving its compact consistency and formed gel-like, coherently dispersed system than in a dispersion medium. This structure differs in all respects from the incoherent, dispersed nature of the vegetable protein coagulum produced by cooking or steam blowing.

The process according to the invention is particularly suitable for the production of plant protein coagulates on an industrial scale, since the structure resulting from a certain combination of different modes of communication allows the proteins to adhere to the surface of the devices, containers and tubes used in the process. cleaning costs can be significantly reduced. In the process 35 of the present invention, the heating by a heat treatment process other than microwave radiation is preferably performed in a heat exchanger.

In the process, the frequency of the microwave field generated by the magnetron is preferably 2.5 GHz. In this space, the microwave vibrates the dipolar molecules of water and other compounds in the vegetable juice,

-9or rotates. Such disordered vibrations of molecules are interpreted by statistical physics as temperature. The microwave treatment device can be formed from one space or by connecting several microwave fields in series and / or by connecting them in any way.

In the process according to the invention, the tube snake and / or spiral is a food grade tube with good heat resistance, preferably a silicone or Teflon tube.

The advantage of the process according to the invention is that, unlike other heat transfer processes, the coagulates are not subjected to significant mechanical action and consequent damage during their formation, which affects the resulting structure. Although the exact mechanism of structure formation remains to be elucidated, our experiments have shown that heating with microwave radiation in the higher temperature range (above 60 ° C, especially above about 80 ° C, especially at the temperatures required for the precipitation of Rubisco proteins) coagulate structure is different from that seen in these processes. The combined heating used in the process of the present invention is advantageous not only because the resulting coagulation is a material with a coherent colloidal system and macromolecularly dispersed structure, but also because the combined heat transfer can be used in industrial conditions to overcome many of the disadvantages of the prior art ( for example, the introduction of large amounts of water, the need for decantation, the addition of additives, the large-scale deposition of precipitated proteins on the surface of the devices, so that there is a risk of clogging and explosion during continuous operation, high energy consumption).

One of the advantages of the present invention is that it eliminates the steam coagulation-induced protein coagulation from green juice, while at the same time eliminating the increase in water content associated with steam blowing. As shown in Table 2 of Example 1 and Table 4 of Example 2, regardless of whether a one-step or multi-step precipitation method combined with centrifugation is used, a significant excess of water is always introduced into the system by steam injection. A further advantage of the present invention is that it allows cost-effective microwave-based internal energy transfer in the green juice fractions in continuous operation, partially or completely independent of species. A further advantage of the present invention is that it allows the maximum and controlled recovery of true native proteins (10000-50000 daltons) in the green juice in an incoherent system in a controlled manner by coagulation. The great advantage of the method is that the proteins coagulated by the combined heat transfer are converted into macromolecular colloids with a constant, coherent structure. In the conventional heat transfer methods known and used so far, the colloidal proteins in the green juice are denatured and coagulated to form dispersal colloids with an incoherent system. However, a further feature of the present invention is that it allows the resulting compact, gel-like coagulates to be efficiently dehydrated in a low energy manner by means of known, preferably compression-operated, continuous devices. A further advantage of the method is that the coagulating proteins are not deposited on the surface of the devices, thus allowing continuous operation.

The vegetable protein coagulum obtainable by the process according to the invention, discontinuous coagulation, is particularly suitable for the production of food, food additive, feed, feed additive, since its structure . By the method of the invention

- The vegetable protein coagulants that can be produced are therefore particularly suitable for the production of vegetable protein concentrate (leaf protein concentrate, LFK, LPC).

Unexpectedly, a new discovery is that 60-75% of the brown juice or yellow juice flows out by gravity when the hot gel-like coagulant material produced by the process of the present invention is applied to a sieve, filter or endless conveyor belt.

The dripped warm plant protein coagulum produced by the process of the present invention is preferably subjected to external pressure in this consistency on a densely woven web, under which conditions its moisture content is reduced to 3035% without loss of the elastic structure of the coagulum.

The vegetable protein concentrate prepared by the process according to the invention, dehydrated to a moisture content of 30-35%, can be dried in a known manner and / or mixed in any proportions with the carrier which best suits its purpose, both before and after final drying. The water content of the product obtained is preferably 10-12%. The concentrate can be stored in an enclosed space, in the dark and / or under a protective gauze in a manner and efficiency already known.

The dripped, squeezed brown juice obtained at about 80 ° C in the process of the present invention can be used to preheat the fresh green press by returning it to the heat exchanger.

The invention furthermore relates to a process in which the starting green juice is obtained from, but not limited to, alfalfa, red clover, partridge, lupine, soybean and other annual and perennial leguminous species, as well as maize, oats, wheat, millet, sorghum, Chinese reeds, bananas and other annual and perennial grasses, as well as sunflowers, Jerusalem artichokes, Syplhium sp. and leaves of annual and perennial plants and trees that provide large amounts of green biomass, such as acacia, poplar, willow, and emperor trees, and so on.

The vegetable leaf protein concentrates prepared by the process of the present invention can be used in the manufacture of food products, feed products, fermentation media or cosmetic products.

The vegetable leaf protein concentrates prepared by the process of the present invention can also be used as a carrier, as a base for a flavoring or flavoring agent, as a functional additive or as a fermentation nutrient.

Examples of food products include broth, muesli bars, confectionery, sports drinks, dietetic products, and enteral nutrition products. The feed products are preferably feeds for young animals, feeds for piglets, feeds for calves and feeds for pets (pets). The cosmetic products are preferably body lotions and shampoos. Plant biostimulant suspensions can also be prepared from the materials of the present invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Coagulation of alfalfa green juice in one step by the process of the invention ("combined", other than microwave heating (heat exchanger) and microwave heating), compared to direct cooking (heated by magnetic stirring) and steam blowing (high pressure steam generating)

- 11 Sampling: 27 June 2016

Starting quantity: 100 g of green juice

Number of repetitions: 4

Method:

green juice pH: 5.87 green juice BRIX value: 9.7 • direct precipitation of green juice, ie discontinuous coagulation by three different heat treatment methods (80 ° C) = perikinetic coagulation:

• evaluation of the differences between the obtained precipitated plant protein coagulum by visual and cylindrical viscometric measurements

Table 1. Duration of heating green juices of the same weight (100 g) to 80 ° C by different heat transfer methods

Heat communication Precipitation time (sec) Cooking 1810 Steam blowing 472 Combined 542

Result

A macroscopic image of the results of the coagulation of alfalfa green juice in one step is illustrated in Figure 5.

Table 2: Fresh weight data from multi-stage coagulation of alfalfa green juice combined with centrifugation (80 ° C).

LFK fresh weight (g) Bamale (g) LFK dry weight (g) Accumulated fresh weight loss (g) Combined 30.31 ± 1.64 57.29 ± 3.44 9.26 ± 0.23 -12.4 ± 2.38 Direct cooking 26.26 ± 2.95 56.60 ± 6.63 8.49 ± 0.33 -17.4 ± 3.68 Steam blowing 28.87 ± 2.204 83.74 ± 8.61 8.46 ± 0.51 no loss, due to the method there is an additional water intake of ± 12.61

After precipitation of alfalfa green juices by different heat transfer methods, plant protein coagulations were filtered. The visual experiences are shown in Figure 6. Following the precipitation of alfalfa green juices by different heat methods, a cylindro-viscometric method was developed and used to physically measure the different chemical structure of plant protein coagulates.

To verify that the structural differences in the plant protein coagulum obtained by different heat transfer methods were not only true for alfalfa, measurements were also performed on wheatgrass samples.

M'S

- 12Description of the cylindrical viscometric method:

• Laying graph paper on a horizontal surface • Place a 185 mm diameter petri dish with a 65 mm diameter and 20 mm high area ring in the center.

· After coagulating 100 g of green juice by different heat methods, 3 minutes incubation time at room temperature • pouring the precipitated plant protein coagulum into the area ring and an additional 3 minutes incubation at room temperature • removing the area ring and then 2 minutes incubation at room temperature until the maximum LFK area -coagulum area diameter and mean height measurement

Result

The results obtained by the cylindro-viscometric measurement method are summarized in Table 3 and illustrated in Figures 7A for alfalfa and wheatgrass.

Table 3: Quantified results of cylindro viscometric measurement

Alfalfa Wheatgrass area diameter (mm) area mean height (mm) area diameter (mm) area mean height (mm) cooking 150 8.0 cooking at 80 ° C 185 3.0 steam 116 11.0 steam 80 ° C 130 6.0 combined 65 20.0 combined 80 ° C 65 19.0

Example 2 wi / i

Η CM

Coagulation of alfalfa green juice in several stages combined with centrifugation and heat transfer. The heat transfer coagulation phase shows a comparison of the direct cooking and steam blowing methods of the present invention.

Sampling: June 27, 2016

Starting quantity: 50 g of green juice

Description of the method Green juice pH: 5.86 Green juice BR1X value: 8.7 · First step separation of green juice by centrifugation: 3,000 rpm, 15 minutes • Separation of supernatant and green pellet • Precipitation of green pellet by three different heat transfer methods (final temperature: 80 ° C) • the resulting coagulate is hereinafter referred to as green LFK • precipitation of the supernatant by three different heat transfer methods (final temperature: 80 ° C) · separation of the coagulate from the supernatant by centrifugation: 6000 rpm, 10 minutes

- 131% e ©

pH • fractions obtained after centrifugation: yellow juice as supernatant and pellet as white LFK

Result

The mass results of the fractions (green LFK, white LFK and yellow juice) obtained during the multi-stage coagulation of alfalfa green juice by centrifugation and heat transfer are summarized in Tables 4–5 and illustrated visually in the macroscopic image of Figure 8.

Table 4: Fresh weight data from multi-stage coagulation of alfalfa green juice combined with centrifugation (80 ° C)

Green LFK fresh weight (g) Yellow juice fresh weight (g) White LFK fresh weight (g) Accumulated loss of fresh weight (g) Cooking 9.468 ± 3.15 a 27.802 ± 2.57 a 2.61 ± 1.081 a -8.54 Steam blasting 15,302 ± 3,095 b 34.072 ± 2.21 b 2.15 ± 1.44 a no loss, due to the method there is an additional water intake of ± 3,104 Combined 13.926 ± 3.27 b 27.452 ± 2.78 a 1.94 ± 0.49 a -5.102

Table 5: Dry weight data from coagulation of alfalfa green juice in several steps combined with centrifugation.

Green LFK dry weight (g) White LFK dry weight (g) Cooking 2,166 ± 0.48 a 0.308 ± 0.088 a Steam blowing 2,088 ± 0.416 a 0.234 ± 0.101 a Combined 2.454 ± 0.498 a 0.252 ± 0.052 a

Claims

- 14CLAIMS

A process for producing a plant protein coagulum, comprising the steps of:

- provision of green juice fraction from green plant biomass,

5 - heating of the green juice fraction by a heat transfer process other than the use of microwave radiation up to

Up to a temperature of 60 ° C,

- further heating the green juice fraction using microwave radiation to a core temperature of at least 80 ° C, thus coagulating the proteins in the green juice fraction, and

- isolation of the coagulum, if appropriate.

10

The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

Separation of the green juice fraction into a chloroplast fraction and a cytoplasmic fraction before heating using microwave radiation 15 to a core temperature of at least 80 ° C, thereby coagulating the proteins in the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction.

The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the green juice fraction, the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction are heated to a temperature of 40 to 60 ° C by a heat treatment method other than the use of microwave radiation.

20

The process according to claim 3, wherein the green juice fraction, the chloroplast fraction and / or the cytoplasmic fraction are heated to a temperature of 40 to 50 ° C by a heat treatment method other than the use of microwave radiation.

A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heat transfer method other than the use of microwave radiation is performed in a heat exchanger.

25

The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the microwave radiation is provided by a microwave power field at a frequency of 2-3 GHz.

Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the green plant biomass is derived from a dicotyledonous and / or monocotyledonous plant.

The method of claim 7, wherein the dicotyledonous plant is alfalfa and the monocotyledonous plant is wheatgrass.

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9. A method of measuring the area diameter and, optionally, the area height of a plant protein coagulum, the area diameter and optionally the area height being measured by a method comprising the steps of:

a) we place millimeter paper on a horizontal surface set with a spirit level,

b) Place a 185 mm diameter, flat-bottomed container on the graph paper,

d) coagulate 100 g of green cake and allow to stand at room temperature for 3 minutes,

SZTNH-100315672

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10. Figures 1-8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plant protein coagulum is produced under industrial conditions.

5

11. Figures 1-8. A plant protein coagulum obtainable by the process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plant protein coagulum has an area diameter of at least 30% smaller than the plant protein coagulum produced from the green juice fraction of the same composition at the same final temperature by steam injection and / or has an area height of at least 30%. %, preferably at least 50% greater than the coagulation height of the plant protein 10 produced by steam blowing from the green juice fraction of the same composition at the same final temperature, the area diameter and / or the area area being measured by the method defined in claim 9.

Use of a plant protein coagulum according to claim 11 for the preparation of a food, food additive, feed or feed additive.

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