Use of expanded constituents and manufacture of products therefrom

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and products made thereby, wherein a pre-expanded constituent, including an edible constituent, is thermally treated to melt it, preferably in a dynamic process environment, to produce products ranging from high to quite low densities and from very strong to soft to apparently dry textures. The wide range of textures enables the provision of food products such as low calorie, digestible and safe, long duration pet food chews. Non-food products suitable for use in manufacture may also be produced. Cooking is preferably carried in an extruder, preferably at low moisture or in the total absence of added water. The methods of dynamic cooking reduce cost in a number of ways including but not limited to decreased process steps, increased throughput, decreased capital expenses and decreased raw product cost.

1 . A product comprising a coherent bio-plastics mass that includes a melted constituent, the melted constituent having included expanded material.  
   
   
       2 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the melted constituent includes expanded material.  
   
   
       3 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is present in no more than a minor amount.  
   
   
       4 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is present in no more than a trace amount.  
   
   
       5 . The product of  claim 3  wherein the expanded material is present in at least a trace amount.  
   
   
       6 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is present in an amount of no more than 5% by mass.  
   
   
       7 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is a food ingredient.  
   
   
       8 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is edible.  
   
   
       9 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is a carbohydrate.  
   
   
       10 . The product of  claim 1  claims wherein the expanded material is starch based.  
   
   
       11 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is obtainable from a renewable resource.  
   
   
       12 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is at least partially fermented.  
   
   
       13 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material has been expanded by a physical process.  
   
   
       14 . The product of  claim 13  wherein the physical process comprises subjection of the constituent to rapid heating or to a pressure drop of sufficient magnitude and of sufficiently short duration to cause substantially all of the expansion in the material before it is melted.  
   
   
       15 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the expanded material is selected from the group consisting of expanded rice, expanded millet, expanded rice and expanded wheat.  
   
   
       16 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the constituent has been thermally treated under shear conditions to form the mass, the material having been expanded prior to the thermal treatment.  
   
   
       17 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the mass further contains a non-aqueous component that has formed hydrogen bonds in the mass.  
   
   
       18 . The product of  claim 17  wherein the component is a polyhydric solvent.  
   
   
       19 . The product of  claim 18  wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, glycerol, propylene glycol, sorbitol and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       20 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the bio-plastics mass comprises a polymeric matrix.  
   
   
       21 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the product is digestible.  
   
   
       22 . The product of  claim 21  wherein the product is a pet food.  
   
   
       23 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the mass is sufficiently penetration-resistant to resist penetration by the tooth of a dog exerting a normal bite force thereon.  
   
   
       24 . The product of  claim 1  produced by extrusion.  
   
   
       25 . The product of  claim 24  having a texture that has been produced by manipulating an energy input into an extruder that extruded it.  
   
   
       26 . The product of  claim 1  wherein the body is more resistant to penetration than if the body is made from a material that is in a non-expanded state.  
   
   
       27 . A process of manufacturing a product comprising a bio-plastics mass, the process comprising the steps of: 
 providing a constituent having included expanded material, and    thermally treating the constituent so as to melt the constituent and provide a coherent bio-plastics mass.    
   
   
       28 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the bio-plastics mass comprises a firm, polymeric matrix.  
   
   
       29 . The process of  claim 27  wherein substantially all the constituent is melted.  
   
   
       30 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the product comprises no more than a minor amount of the expanded material.  
   
   
       31 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the process is carried out in the absence of added water.  
   
   
       32 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the process is carried out in the absence of added liquid.  
   
   
       33 . The process of  claim 27  including introducing a hydrogen bond-forming component other than water to the constituent and maintaining contact between component and constituent until hydrogen bonds form in the mass.  
   
   
       34 . The process of  claim 33  wherein the component is a polyhydric solvent.  
   
   
       35 . The process of  claim 34  wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, glycerol, propylene glycol, sorbitol and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       36 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the expanded material is a food ingredient.  
   
   
       37 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the expanded material is edible.  
   
   
       38 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the expanded material is starch based.  
   
   
       39 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the expanded material is obtainable from a renewable resource.  
   
   
       40 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the expanded material has been expanded by a physical process.  
   
   
       41 . The process of  claim 40  wherein the physical process comprises subjecting an expanded precursor of the material to rapid heating or to a pressure drop of sufficient magnitude and of sufficiently short duration to cause substantially all of the expansion in the precursor prior to the expanded material being thermally treated.  
   
   
       42 . The process of  claim 41  wherein the expanded material is selected from the group consisting of expanded rice, expanded millet, expanded rice and expanded wheat.  
   
   
       43 . The process of  claim 27  including the step of forming particles from the expanded material before thermally treating it.  
   
   
       44 . The process of  claim 27  including the step of expanding a non-expanded precursor of the material to provide the expanded material.  
   
   
       45 . The process of  claim 27  wherein the step of thermally treating the constituent comprises imparting shear to it.  
   
   
       46 . The process of  claim 45 , wherein the shear is imparted by extruding the expanded material in an extruder.  
   
   
       47 . The process of  claim 46 , including the step of varying the texture of the bio-plastic mass by varying at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: varying the input energy of the extruder, varying the expanded material, adding at least one dry additive to the constituent and adding at least one liquid to the constituent.  
   
   
       48 . The process of  claim 46  including the step of varying at least one of an extruder screw speed and an extruder heater temperature.  
   
   
       49 . The process of  claim 46  including the step of controlling the density of the material as it is extruded.  
   
   
       50 . The process of  claim 46  including the step of controlling expansion of the material leaving the extruder.  
   
   
       51 . The process of  claim 27  including the step of controlling the temperature of the material during the thermal treatment step.  
   
   
       52 . The process of  claim 27  including the step of dividing the mass into pieces and placing the pieces into wet food and/or a liquid.  
   
   
       53 . A method of removing tartar from the teeth of a pet comprising the steps of providing to a pet a product comprising a coherent bio-plastics mass that includes a melted constituent, the melted constituent having included expanded material.  
   
   
       54 . A method of operating a food manufacturing plant comprising the steps of providing a cooking apparatus, forming a product comprising a bio-plastics mass by providing a constituent comprising pre-expanded material, operating the apparatus to melt the constituent and produce a coherent bio-plastics mass, controlling a moisture level and water activity level in forming the mass, such that the mass does not need to be dried after forming.  
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 54  wherein no water is added to the constituent.  
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 54  wherein no liquid is added to the constituent.  
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 54  including cooking the expanded material in the presence of a non-aqueous component that is capable of forming hydrogen bonds.  
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the component is a polyhydric solvent.  
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 54  including operating the apparatus to impart shear to the constituent.  
   
   
       60 . The method of  claim 59  wherein the apparatus comprises an extruder, a continuous mixer, or both.  
   
   
       61 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the expanded material has been expanded through subjection to a physical process.  
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 61  wherein the expanded material is selected from the group consisting of expanded rice, expanded millet and expanded what and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       63 . A method of controlling obesity in a pet comprising the steps of providing a product to a pet in need thereof, the product comprising a melted constituent including expanded material.  
   
   
       64 . A method of controlling obesity in a pet comprising the use of a product having lower density and lower caloric content than a product manufactured from an unexpanded form of the material of the constituent, the method including administering the product to a pet in need thereof, a product comprising a bio-plastics mass provided by a process comprising the steps of providing a constituent having included expanded material and thermally treating the constituent so as to melt the constituent and provide a coherent bio-plastics mass, wherein the step of thermally treating the constituent comprises imparting shear to it, wherein the shear is imparted by extruding the expanded material in an extruder, and controlling the density of the material as it is extruded.