Enzyme based methods of separating protein from protein-rich material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10696993-B2
Application number	US-201615133777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 20, 2015
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

Improved enzyme based methods of separating protein from protein-rich material are provided. A method can include utilizing a modeling equation to more effectively hydrolyze the various types of carbohydrates present in a protein-rich material. A method can include a fed-batch method of incrementally adding a protein-rich material, an enzyme broth, or both a protein-rich material and an enzyme broth. A method can also include partially or completely recycling the hydrolysate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of hydrolyzing carbohydrates in a protein-rich material comprising the steps of:
providing, in a first vessel, a supply of a protein-rich material having carbohydrates therein, wherein the entirety of the protein-rich material to be hydrolyzed is provided during the step of providing, such that the method is devoid of a step of adding further protein-rich material;
adding, after the entirety of the protein-rich material is in the first vessel, a first supply of enzyme broth having an enzyme therein to the first vessel to thereby form a mixture in the first vessel,
allowing the enzyme to hydrolyze the carbohydrates to thereby enact a hydrolysis process and form a hydrolyzed mixture;
transferring the hydrolyzed mixture from the first vessel to a second vessel,
adding a further supply of additional enzyme broth to the hydrolyzed mixture following the step of transferring, wherein the composition of the further supply of additional enzyme broth is substantially similar to the first supply of enzyme broth; and
after said step of adding, allowing an additional hydrolysis process to occur.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of allowing the enzyme to hydrolyze the carbohydrates and allowing an additional hydrolysis process to occur convert the carbohydrates to soluble carbohydrates, the method further comprising the step of repeating said steps of adding a further supply and allowing an additional hydrolysis process to occur until the conversion of carbohydrates to soluble carbohydrates remains constant.

3. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising the step of repeating said steps of adding a further supply and allowing an additional hydrolysis process to occur until the conversion of the carbohydrates in the protein-rich material to soluble carbohydrates is 65% or higher.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme broth further includes a liquid solvent, wherein the liquid solvent is selected from the group consisting of water, sodium citrate buffer, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, citric acid, ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), ethanol, methanol, and combinations thereof, wherein the enzyme is selected from the group consisting of cellulase, xylanase, β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, endoglucanase, polygalacturonase, pectinase, pectin lyase, sucrase, α-galactosidase, and combinations thereof.

5. A method of hydrolyzing carbohydrates in a protein-rich material comprising steps of
fermenting one or more fungus in a fermentation composition,
wherein the step of fermenting includes
gradually decreasing the pH of the fermentation composition from 7 to 6 over a first predetermined length of time, wherein the first predetermined length of time is from 1 day to 3 days,
maintaining, after the first predetermined length of time, the pH of the fermentation composition at a pH of about 6 for a second predetermined length of time, wherein the second predetermined length of time is from 1 day to 2 days, and
gradually decreasing, after the second predetermined length of time, the pH of the fermentation composition from 6 to 5 over a third predetermined length of time, wherein the third predetermined length of time is from 1 day to 3 days,
to thereby produce a first supply of enzyme broth having an enzyme therein, wherein the enzyme is selected from the group consisting of cellulase, xylanase, β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, endoglucanase, polygalacturonase, pectinase, pectin lyase, sucrase, α-galactosidase, and combinations thereof, wherein the enzyme broth further includes a liquid solvent, wherein the liquid solvent is selected from the group consisting of water, sodium citrate buffer, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, citric acid, ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), ethanol, methanol, and combinations thereof,

mixing the first supply of enzyme broth having the enzyme therein and a supply of a soy-based protein-rich material having carbohydrates therein, wherein the entirety of the soy-based protein-rich material to be hydrolyzed is provided during the step of mixing, such that the method is devoid of a step of adding further soy-based protein-rich material;
allowing the enzyme to hydrolyze the carbohydrates to thereby enact a hydrolysis process and form a hydrolyzed mixture;
adding a further supply of additional enzyme broth to the hydrolyzed mixture following the step of allowing the enzyme to hydrolyze the carbohydrates, wherein the composition of the further supply of additional enzyme broth is substantially similar to the first supply of enzyme broth.

6. A method of hydrolyzing carbohydrates in a protein-rich material comprising the steps of:
providing a mixture of an enzyme broth and a protein-rich material having carbohydrates therein, the enzyme broth including a mixture of enzyme components including a to-be-accumulated enzyme component selected from the group consisting of α-galactosidase, sucrase, β-glucosidase, and combinations thereof;
allowing the mixture of enzyme components to hydrolyze the carbohydrates to thereby produce a product stream;
separating the product stream into a protein concentrated stream and a liquid hydrolysate stream;
separating the liquid hydrolysate stream into a collected hydrolysate stream and a to-be-recycled enzyme stream consisting essentially of the to-be-accumulated enzyme component;
collecting the collected hydrolysate stream;
collecting the protein concentrated stream; and
recycling the to-be-recycled enzyme stream by combining the to-be-recycled enzyme stream with additional protein-rich material and additional enzyme broth to form a recycled enzyme mixture, thereby preferentially accumulating the to-be-accumulated enzyme component in the recycled enzyme mixture to thereby avoid the undesirable production of oligomers from the additional protein-rich material.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said step of combining includes steps of continuously adding the enzyme broth and continuously adding the protein-rich material, the method further comprising the step of continuously removing the product stream.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the protein-rich material is a soy based material selected from the group consisting of soy flour, soybean meal, soy protein concentrate, soybean hulls, soy flake, white flake, spent soy flake, soybean cake, soybean oil cake, soy molasses, okara, soy pulp, soy bran, soy isolate fiber, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the mixture of enzyme components is selected from combinations of the group consisting of cellulase, xylanase, β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, endoglucanase, polygalacturonase, pectinase, pectin lyase, sucrose, α-galactosidase.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of dry heating or dry toasting the supply of the protein-rich material prior to said step of providing, where said step of dry heating or dry toasting occurs at a temperature of from 150° C. to 200° C.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protein-rich material is present at a concentration of from 100 g/L to 350 g/L.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising steps of
prior to said step of providing the mixture, providing, at room temperature, the supply of the protein-rich material which supply of the protein-rich material has been heat processed, and
after said step of providing the supply of the protein-rich material, dry heating or dry toasting the supply of the protein-rich material prior to said step of providing the mixture, where said step of dry heating or dry toasting occurs at a temperature of from 100° C. to 250° C.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the me

Assignees

• Ju Lu Kwang
• Islam S M Mahfuzul
• Li Qian
• Loman Abdullah Al
• Univ Akron

Inventors

• Ju Lu-Kwang
• Islam S M Mahfuzul
• Li Qian
• Loman Abdullah Al

Classifications

• Y02P20/582

  Recycling of unreacted starting or intermediate materials · CPC title

• C12P19/02

  Monosaccharides (2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60) · CPC title

• C12P19/14 Primary

  produced by the action of a carbohydrase {(EC 3.2.x)}, e.g. by alpha-amylase {, e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase} · CPC title