A E Staley Manufacturing Company

Genencor, Inc.

Carl W Niekamp

Martin Seidman

Carl E Pickens

Dorothy C White

James D Wideman

Bruce L Dwiggins

Methods of preparing and using sweetener syrups comprised of crystalline saccharides are provided. A crystalline saccharide composition comprised of crystalline fructose is dissolved in a potable liquid to form a concentrated syrup. Anhydrous crystalline fructose and/or crystalline fructose dihydrate are used to prepare the syrups. At least about 42% by weight of the crystalline saccharide composition is fructose, the remainder preferably being crystalline dextrose. The use of crystalline saccharides yield color stable syrups especially useful in clear and/or colorless beverages.

Fructose syrups and sweetened beverages

A process for manufacturing an enriched fructose syrup, which is characterized in that dextrose is crystallized from a syrup containing fructose and dextrose and then an alcohol is added to enhance separation of the dextrose crystals from the mother liquor. Process can be adjusted to yield dextrose monohydrate, anhydrous alpha dextrose or a 40 percent fructose crystalline product in addition to an enriched fructose syrup.

Enrichment of fructose syrups

A process for manufacturing an enriched fructose syrup, which is characterized in that dextrose is crystallized from a relatively high solids feed syrup containing fructose and dextrose and then another relatively dilute (or lower solids) fructose containing diluent syrup is added to enhance separation of the dextrose crystals from the mother liquor. Process can be adjusted to yield dextrose monohydrate or anhydrous alpha dextrose crystalline product in addition to an enriched fructose syrup.

A multi-step process is provided for solubilizing and saccharifying granular starch slurries of between 20 and 60% d.s. starch. In a first step, an enzyme mixture exhibiting raw starch hydrolyzing activity is added to the slurry and maintained in contact therewith until at least a substantial portion but less than all of the starch is solubilized. The resulting syrup is separated from the remaining insoluble fraction. In a second step, the insoluble fraction is used to prepare a second slurry containing less than about 20% d.s. starch, and this second slurry is solubilized with a raw starch hydrolyzing enzyme preparation until substantially all (e.g., at least about 95% or more) of the starch is solubilized. The pooled syrup from the two steps is over about 20 weight percent saccharides, at least about 95% of which is glucose.

Raw starch saccharification

There is disclosed a process for enzymatically hydrolyzing a non-gelationized granular starch material directly to glucose. In another embodiment, granular starch remaining non-hydrolyzed following a direct, granular starch hydrolysis process and having liberated fat and/or protein residues coated, adsorbed or otherwise accumulated thereon is pasted, thinned separated from said fat and/or protein residues and recycled to said granular starch hydrolysis process for further hydrolysis to glucose therein.

Process for the enzymatic hydrolysis of non-gelatinized granular starch

Diacetone fructose solutions may be effectively hydrolyzed to fructose by acid exchange resins. Hydrolysis of diacetone fructose with acid exchange resins substantially reduces the formation of objectionable flavoring, coloring and other hydrolyzate by-products. The immobilized acid catalysis provides a fructose product substantially free from ash residues and significantly reduces the carbon, cation and anion exchange requirements for the manufacture of enriched, food-grade fructose syrups. Perfluorinated acid exchange resins have been found to be particularly effective for hydrolyzing aqueous diacetone fructose solutions into fructose.

Diacetone fructose hydrolysis with water-insoluble catalysts

Aqueous fructose and aldehydes, ketones and/or acetals may be effectively catalyzed into alkylidene fructose derivatives with immobilized acid catalysts. The reaction provides a means for enriching the fructose content of conventional high fructose corn syrups. Perfluorinated acid resins are especially effective catalysts for converting aqueous fructose and acetone solutions into diacetone fructose. Catalysis with the perfluorinated acid resins may be conducted at significantly lower conversion temperatures with superior reactant and reaction product exchange rates. Enrichment of high fructose corn syrups may be generally accomplished by catalyzing the fructose and acetone into a diacetone fructose solution with the perfluorinated acid resin, allowing the dextrose to precipitate from the diacetone solution, hydrolyzing the diacetone fructose to fructose and recovery of the enriched fructose product therefrom. The water-insoluble catalysts afford a reusable catalyst system which can be easily separated from the processed products. The perfluorinated acid resins produce a high quality, food-grade syrup products essentially free of ash, organoleptic bodies (e.g. flavoring, coloring, etc.) and other objectionable by-product contaminants.

Growing community of inventors

Forsyth, IL, United States of America

Carl W Niekamp