Processing and cooking of food with a low glycemic impact for the nutrition of diabetics, obese and for weight reducing diets

Abstract

In order to reduce the glycemic load in the daily nutrition of diabetics, obese and for weight-reducing diets, this invention claims cooking or baking processes and other procedures for food—rich in carbohydrates—in which, the structure of the raw complex carbohydrates (amylose, amylopectin, etc.) is mostly preserved and/or short saccharides are encapsulated. This objective is attained by reducing the magnitude of the complex carbohydrate fractioning by the undesired effect of adiabatic heating during grain grinding, or during conventional cooking and also through the encapsulation of already processed monosaccharide's, disaccharides or broken carbohydrate chains in capsules within denaturalized protein matrixes, in order to make their digestion deeper and longer. These processes and procedures allow the ingestion of less restricted portions of food, very similar to the conventional ones (bread, rice, potato, pastas) while due to their prolonged digestion, it naturally limits the immediate production of glucose. This type of food is defined as: “Deep Diet” or “Deep Nutrition” (Dieta Profunda in Spanish). These processes and procedures allow preparing food recipes and flavors very similar to those of a conventional nature (bread, rice, potatoes, pasta) while because of their prolonged digestion are able to reduce the immediate production of glucose (Glycemic Index), thus generating healthier conditions for diabetics and obese, appetite satisfaction and reduction of food anxiety.

1 . A process for the purpose of producing low glycemic impact food for diabetics and/or weight and reducing diets, by preserving those complex carbohydrates naturally found in raw cereal grains, such as wheat, rye, oats, etc., or pseudo-cereal grains such as quina, amaranth, sunflower-seed or sesame, or grains and legumes such as soy or chickpea, etc. where said process comprises one or more of the following: a) mechanical milling cereals and grains in stone mills (or equivalent) at unusually low speeds, to prevent the adiabatic degradation of their complex carbohydrates. b) retaining CO 2  for leavening in alternative bubbles of animal or vegetable protein (i.e. albumin or gluten) c) swift cooking and rapid quenching of foodstuffs like potatoes or rice, to partially preserve the structure of their complex carbohydrates. d) encapsulating short saccharides in denaturalized protein matrixes to prolong their digestion time, thus reducing their glycemic impact. 
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the milling of said cereals, pseudo-cereals and grains is to be performed in grain-mills, with a flat, cylindrical or conical shape grindstones (metal and especially stone), both with smooth or grooved milling stones or with metal grating or grooved teeth, operating at a non conventionally low shear speeds, equal or less than 0.3 meters per second (preferably 10 cm. per second), nonexistent in the industrial supply. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the milling of said cereals is to be performed with loads and milling speeds (preferably in subsequent stages) capable of avoiding adiabatic heating of the grain above 60° C. and preferably with micro-internal grain temperatures (during the milling operation) of approximately 30° C. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1  wherein that protein found in the germs of said cereals and grains, such as ‘wheat germ’, has to be protected and made available though a grinding processes characterized by: milling to 30 microns or less, in slow mechanical stone mills (flat, conical or cylindrical) and in multiple stages, avoiding their instant adiabatic warming above 45° C. and micro-temperatures in the grain germ during the grinding operation the order 30° C. are preferred. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the structure of said protein and said complex carbohydrates naturally found in the germs of said cereals and grains have to be preserved when pressed or roll-flattened, and crushing grain-rolls should operate at low speed (less of 0.2 m/sec.) to avoid adiabatic heating above 60° C., preferably temperatures during the compression operation of the order of 30° C. 
     
     
         6 . A process for the purpose of producing special low glycemic impact breads and bakery preparations for diabetics and/or weight and triglyceride reducing diets, comprising one or more of the following; the introduction of external bubbling ingredients into the dough, incorporation of soluble protein, protein powder (such as wheat germ powder), egg albumin or even mucilage (dextrin, etc.) into said complex carbohydrates dough, in proportions of 1% to 20% by weight. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 6  further comprising the step of the addition of emulsifiers like lecithin in order to facilitate the formation of bubbling membranes during the leavening process and initial baking of said products. 
     
     
         8 . A process for further preserving of said complex carbohydrate molecular structures for the purpose of reducing glycemic impact on bread and other products, comprising rapid cooking-baking at or above atmospheric pressure, followed by a sudden chilling to reducing total baking time (and heat exposure) in order to protect the fragile molecular structure of said complex carbohydrates in low glycemic impact breads and bakery preparations for diabetics and/or weight and reducing diets. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 8  further comprising the use of specially designed shapes of breads, cakes and other bakery products processed for the purpose of  claim 8 . to enhance rapid heating/cooling processes, wherein the shapes are characterized by flat profiles, perforated or serrated, in which, the transfer of heat is maximized in order to shorten the total baking time and therefore reduce the degradation time of said complex starches. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 8  further comprising, accelerated heat transfer processes, specially adapted to fast-channel heat into the complex carbohydrates dough for rapid baking wherein said accelerated heat transfer processes are characterized by fins, heat-pins or blades with high thermal conductivity, and high conductivity materials in the mold, such as aluminum, which may penetrate the dough and are exposed to the oven's radiation and convection. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 8  further comprising, fast baking processes which maximize heat transfer to said complex carbohydrates dough wherein these processes are characterized by the use of hot air moving inside the oven (forced convection) to shorten the heating time and thereby reduce the degradation of said complex starches. Although convection ovens are currently used for many conventional purposes, its specific use for the purpose described in  claim 8  is claimed. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 8  further comprising the steps of pre-baking or fully baking by the action of microwave ovens, breads, cakes and other bakery products produced with said complex carbohydrate dough in order to avoid long warm-up times, to minimize cooking time in order to protect the polymerized structures of said complex carbohydrates. 
     
     
         13 . A process for producing special low glycemic impact food for diabetics and/or weight reducing diets, and protecting the complex molecular structure (Amylase and Amylopectin) in vegetables (i.e. pumpkin) and starchy roots or tubers (i.e. potatoes) by reducing their cooking heat transfer time (both heating and cooling), and further comprising the use of special geometries and sizes of the products to be processed by the fractioning of said tubers and other products, by cutting them into small pieces or slices or even grated, before their quick-cooking, in order to accelerate the processes of controlled heating and cooling thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 13 , further comprising the use of a microwave oven to swiftly preheat the inner part of the fractioned product to enhance pre-raise of the temperature of the products to be cooked in other processes thereby, avoiding long warm-up times that tend to degrade the polymeric structure of said complex carbohydrates during cooking. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 13 , further comprising the violent, short-term carefully controlled cooking and cooling of said starchy products with minimization of heating/or cooling times (under 14 minutes), when compatible with the texture and digestibility of each type of food wherein said claimed cooking time minimization is performed through various ways, such as: hot or cold water immersion baths of the small chunks, grated or sliced pieces of said starchy products, swiftly downloaded into boiling or cooling pots and pans. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 13  further comprising a rapid quenching of the fast cooked products, a process characterized by an immersion or spray with cold water or cold blown air or expanding gases (i.e. “flash freezing”) of those products cooked according to the techniques presented on  claims 13 ,  14  and  15 , in order to stop the structural degradation processes of said complex carbohydrates after said controlled fast cooking processes. 
     
     
         17 . A process for producing special low glycermic impact food for diabetics and/or weight and triglyceride reducing diets comprising the encapsulation of carbohydrates inside longer to digest protein matrixes wherein highly processed (or refined) carbohydrates (monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides and short chains) are to be encapsulated for this purpose in order to hinder or prolong their digestibility (i.e. in pasta) by the addition or creation of matrixes, capsules or spongy structures of denaturalized proteins (solidified and insoluble), in order to slower their digestion, requiring therefore, a deeper digestive processes demanding the action of proteolytic enzymes in the intestinal tract. 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17  wherein, in order to delay the absorption of those readily digestible refined carbohydrates into glucose, said refined carbohydrates can be mixed with protein, fat or fiber, for further encapsulation during cooking or baking to delay glucose production and absorption and sometimes even to behave as insoluble fibers. 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 17  comprising a further step whereby the further dry baking of conventional pasta is ‘passivated’ by further baking of already dried pasta (specially prepared with a high content of soluble protein) for three minutes or more, in an oven (preferably during 60 to 100 minutes) at temperatures between 43° C. and 110° C. (preferably about 70° C.) in a process in which, those proteins from eggs and semolina are denaturalized and wherein those proteins normally present as a soft matrix within the structure of a conventional ‘al uovo’ pasta, are to be transformed (by said baking process.) into a polymer of minimum digestibility, increasing thereby the digestive time of otherwise shorter carbohydrates from highly processed flour or semolina. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 17  comprising a further step of the controlled addition of protein capable of being thermally denaturalized, in relevant quantities ranging from 3% to 20% by weight of egg whites, or equivalent in the pasta dough, and wherein egg whites, gluten or other proteins are to be mixed in bread dough or cakes, to encapsulate specific short carbohydrate fractions (monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, etc., recognized as ‘refined carbohydrates’) during the baking process. 
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 17  further comprising a step wherein pasta with said relevant content of egg protein in its original dough, further specified on  claim 22 ., can be fried in oil in order to be also ‘passivated’ as presented on  claim 19  and wherein this process denaturalizes egg and semolina proteins as a direct effect of the high frying temperature of the dry or slightly humid pasta, thus generating a matrix that encapsulates, in a hard to digest matrix, those short saccharides of flour for sufficient time, in order to reduce their Glycemic Index. 
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 17  further comprising longer than normal boiling times for said already passivated pasta as needed and wherein said polymerized protein matrix structures can increase the need for conventional boiling of pasta for “al dente” consumption by 20% to 40% to reach an equivalent conventional texture. 
     
     
         23 . The process of  claim 17  further comprising the pre-baking of semi-moist dough, rich in protein content, in conventional food recipes such as pizza before adding other ingredients, for reducing said Glycemic Index in the final product wherein said prebaking falls within the following parameters: protein content of the dough, between 3% and 20%; baking time at full temperature, 5 minutes or more (preferably 30 minutes);
 temperatures: 43° C. to 150° C. (preferably about 60° C.), temperatures at which, proteins from egg and semolina are denaturalized. Pizza forms can be remoisten after said prebake. Already prebaked and passivated pizza forms high in protein, can be further used as normal pizza base ingredient with a low Glycemic Index.