Reduced carbohydrate dairy products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12382972-B2
Application number	US-202217670735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2022
Priority date	Oct 19, 2018
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

The invention relates to methods for making strained acidic, for example fermented, dairy products having reduced carbohydrates, compositions comprising strained acidic, for example fermented, dairy products having reduced carbohydrates, and methods for using such compositions, as well as products generated using strained acidic, for example fermented, dairy products having reduced carbohydrates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for making a dairy food product comprising the steps of:
step 1) preparing a liquid acidic carbohydrate-diluted dairy product having a total weight, a carbohydrate concentration of at most 3.00% by weight of the total weight of the liquid acidic carbohydrate-diluted dairy product, a ratio by weight of protein to carbohydrate of from 0.50 to 1.50 and a pH of at most 5.00, the step 1) comprising:
step a) providing an initial dairy material comprising proteins and at least one carbohydrate, wherein the at least one carbohydrate comprises at least one of lactose, galactose, glucose, galacto-oligosaccharides, or mixtures thereof,
step b) diluting the at least one carbohydrate by adding an aqueous liquid, and
step c) acidifying by fermenting with lactic acid bacteria, fermenting with enzymes, or adding an acidic compound,

step 2) separating the liquid acidic carbohydrate-diluted dairy product to produce products comprising:
A) a strained acidic dairy product, having a reduced carbohydrate concentration relative to the initial dairy material, and
B) an acid whey by-product, and

step 3) recovering the strained acidic dairy product.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the step 1) comprises the step a), then the step b), then the step c).

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the step 1) comprises the step a), then the step b) and the step c), wherein the step b) and the step c) are concomitant.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the step 1) comprises the step a), then the step c), then the step b).

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the initial dairy material is a liquid initial dairy material having an initial carbohydrate concentration of more than 3.70 wt. %, and wherein the diluting reduces the carbohydrate concentration by at least 20 wt. % relative to that of the initial carbohydrate concentration.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the liquid initial dairy material has a protein concentration of from at least 1.50% by weight.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid acidic carbohydrate-diluted dairy product has a carbohydrate concentration of at most 2.50% by weight.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid acidic carbohydrate-diluted dairy product has a carbohydrate concentration of at least 0.50% by weight.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid acidic carbohydrate-diluted dairy product has a protein concentration of at least 1.50% by weight.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein:
the initial dairy material is in a liquid form, and
the step b) is performed between the step a) and the step c) and comprises mixing 1 part by volume of the initial dairy material with at least 0.25 part by volume of the aqueous carbohydrate dilution liquid.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein:
the initial dairy material is in a liquid form,
the step c) is performed after the step a) to produce an initial acidified dairy material, and
the step b) is performed after the step a) and the step c) and comprises mixing 1 part by volume of the initial acidified dairy material with at least 0.25 part by volume of the aqueous carbohydrate dilution liquid.

12. The process according to claim 10 , where mixing is performed with at most 4 parts by volume of the aqueous carbohydrate dilution liquid.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid acidic carbohydrate-diluted dairy product has a pH of at most 4.80.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diluting of the step b) is performed batch-wise.

15. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diluting of the step b) is performed continuously throughout step 1).

16. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the diluting of the step b) further comprises mixing the at least one carbohydrate and aqueous carbohydrate dilution liquid.

17. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the separating of the step 2) is centrifugation or ultrafiltration.

18. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the initial dairy material comprises at least one of milk, half skimmed milk, skimmed milk, milk powder, skimmed milk powder, milk concentrate, condensed milk, skim milk concentrate, condensed skim milk, evaporated milk, evaporated skim milk, ultrafiltered milk retentate, ultrafiltered skim milk retentate, microfiltered milk, microfiltered skim milk, milk proteins, milk protein concentrate (MPC), whey protein, whey protein concentrate (WPC), whey protein isolate (WPI), casein or caseinate, cream, buttermilk, or mixtures thereof.

19. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the strained acidic dairy product having a reduced carbohydrate concentration has a calcium/protein weight ratio of higher than 0.03.

20. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the strained acidic dairy product has a protein content of at least 6.00% by weight.

21. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the strained acidic dairy product has an amount by weight of protein and an amount by weight of carbohydrate and a ratio between the amount by weight of protein and the amount by weight of carbohydrate of at least 3.00.

22. The process according to claim 21 , wherein the ratio between the amount by weight of protein and the amount by weight of carbohydrate in the strained acidic dairy product is of at least 5.00.

23. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the aqueous liquid is substantially free of carbohydrate, and optionally substantially free of protein.

24. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the aqueous liquid is water.

25. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is free of a lactose addition step.

26. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising optionally processing the strained acidic dairy product to a further food form in order to obtain the dairy food product.

27. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising mixing the strained acidic dairy product with further food ingredients in order to obtain the dairy food product.

Assignees

• Gervais Danone Sa

Inventors

• Mccormick Casey
• Saint-Denis Thierry
• Mccarthy Melissa
• Flabbi Paola
• Carles Piqueras Jose Maria

Classifications

• A23C9/1565

  Acidified milk products, e.g. milk flavoured with fruit juices (A23C9/1542 takes precedence; fermentation A23C9/12) · CPC title

• A23C9/14

  in which the chemical composition of the milk is modified by non-chemical treatment · CPC title

• A23C9/13

  using additives · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A23C2260/05

  Concentrated yoghurt products, e.g. labneh, yoghurt cheese, non-dried non-frozen solid or semi-solid yoghurt products other than spreads; Strained yoghurt; Removal of whey from yoghurt · CPC title