US3941890A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of making soy milk
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1974-10-23
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Granted: 1976-03-02
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Expires: 1994-10-23
Abstract
Abstract A method of making soy milk from dehulled soy beans in which the beans are first cooked in a microwave oven for a long enough period of time to destroy the trypsin inhibitor present in such beans, but not long enough to roast the beans, and then mashing the microwave-cooked beans in a colloid mill with water at about 50°C to form a slurry. Suitable enzymes are incorporated in the slurry in sufficient quantities to either dissolve or substantially reduce in size particles of certain carbohydrate, proteinaceous and cellulose constituents of the slurry which would otherwise form sediment in the final product. The resulting slurry mixture is allowed to stand for half an hour, and then corn oil, sugar, flavoring agents, lecithin, sodium alginate and salt are added, in suitable amounts, to the slurry, which is then further processed in the colloid mill until it is converted into a relatively stable liquid suspension of emulsified oil and colloidal soy bean particles. This liquid suspension is then diluted with boiling water to the consistency of homogenized natural milk, and brought to a brisk boil. The boiled mixture is homogenized to produce a product having the appearance, taste and mouthfeel of homogenized cow's milk.
Inventors
- 👤 Frederick G. Drachenberg
- 👤 Paul E. Allred
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 19:36
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23C; A23C11/00; A23C11/02; A23C11/10; A23C11/103; A23L; A23L11/00; A23L11/30; A23L11/33; A23L11/60; A23L11/65
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
319 words
A method of making soy milk comprising the steps of: cooking soy bean material with microwaves for a sufficient length of time to substantially destroy the trypsin inhibitor known to be present therein without causing any appreciable roasting of said material; dispersing the microwave-cooked material in relatively finely divided form in a sufficient quantity of warm water at a temperature less than 70°C to form a slurry and incorporating in the slurry, in any suitable manner, a sufficient quantity of suitable enzymic material, its equivalent or a mixture thereof to act upon any proteinaceous, carbohydrate and cellulosic constituents of the microwave-cooked material which would otherwise form a sediment in the final soy milk product in such fashion as to substantially prevent those constituents from forming said sediment; providing sufficient time to permit said enzymic material, its equivalent or a mixture thereof to act upon said proteinaceous, carbohydrate and cellulosic constituents to convert them to such form as to obviate ultimate sedimentation thereof in said final soy milk product without causing any substantially deleterious effect on other constituents of the microwave-cooked material; treating said slurry to substantially reduce the size range of its particles to colloidal size range; diluting the treated slurry with hot water and subjecting the diluted mixture to boiling action to put an end to any further action of the enzymic material, its equivalent, or mixture thereof on the constituents of the diluted slurry; and appropriately incorporating in the body of material undergoing processing treatment in accordance with the foregoing steps edible vegetable oil material, sugar, flavoring material and suspending agent material in quantities adequate to impart qualities of taste and mouth feel similar to those of natural milk to the final product, the proportions of soy bean material, water, and vegetable oil material employed being such as to insure a product having substantially the consistency of natural milk in its homogenized, or other commercially altered, form.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
319 words
A method of making soy milk comprising the steps of: cooking soy bean material with microwaves for a sufficient length of time to substantially destroy the trypsin inhibitor known to be present therein without causing any appreciable roasting of said material; dispersing the microwave-cooked material in relatively finely divided form in a sufficient quantity of warm water at a temperature less than 70°C to form a slurry and incorporating in the slurry, in any suitable manner, a sufficient quantity of suitable enzymic material, its equivalent or a mixture thereof to act upon any proteinaceous, carbohydrate and cellulosic constituents of the microwave-cooked material which would otherwise form a sediment in the final soy milk product in such fashion as to substantially prevent those constituents from forming said sediment; providing sufficient time to permit said enzymic material, its equivalent or a mixture thereof to act upon said proteinaceous, carbohydrate and cellulosic constituents to convert them to such form as to obviate ultimate sedimentation thereof in said final soy milk product without causing any substantially deleterious effect on other constituents of the microwave-cooked material; treating said slurry to substantially reduce the size range of its particles to colloidal size range; diluting the treated slurry with hot water and subjecting the diluted mixture to boiling action to put an end to any further action of the enzymic material, its equivalent, or mixture thereof on the constituents of the diluted slurry; and appropriately incorporating in the body of material undergoing processing treatment in accordance with the foregoing steps edible vegetable oil material, sugar, flavoring material and suspending agent material in quantities adequate to impart qualities of taste and mouth feel similar to those of natural milk to the final product, the proportions of soy bean material, water, and vegetable oil material employed being such as to insure a product having substantially the consistency of natural milk in its homogenized, or other commercially altered, form.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 in which the temperature of said warm water is in excess of 40°C; said enzymic material, its equivalent or a mixture thereof comprises suitable enzymes; said edible vegetable oil material is edible vegetable oil; said flavoring material includes milk flavor; and said suspending agent material comprises at least one suitable emulsifier.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
82 words
A method in accordance with claim 2 in which sufficient time is provided to permit the enzymes to act upon said proteinaceous, carbohydrate and cellulosic constituents by allowing the slurry containing said enzymes to stand for from 15 minutes to 2 hours prior to treatment of the slurry to substantially reduce the size range of its particles to colloidal size range; said flavoring material includes vanilla extract in addition to milk flavor; and said hot water is water at substantialy boiling temperature.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
A method in accordance with claim 3 in which said warm water is at a temperature of from about 45°C to about 55°C; the edible vegetable oil, sugar, flavoring material and suspending agent material additives are incorporated in said slurry just prior to its treatment to substantially reduce the size range of its particles to colloidal size range; and the boiled mixture is subsequently homogenized.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method in accordance with claim 4 in which is incorporated as a flavor balancing additive, a minor quantity of salt.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method in accordance with claim 5 in which said enzymes are proteolase, amylase and cellulase; said edible vegetable oil is corn oil; and said suspending agent material comprises lecithin and a material selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, polyethylene sorbitan monostearate and a mixture thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method in accordance with claim 6 in which the material selected from the group sonsisting of sodium alginate, polyethylene sorbitan monostearate and a mixture thereof is sodium alginate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method in accordance with claim 7 in which a minor amount of dicalcium phosphate is incorporated in the mateerial undergoing processing treatment at a suitable stage of processing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
126 words
A method in accordance with claim 7 in which the soy bean material comprises dehulled soy beans; the cooking time of the dehulled soy beans with microwaves is within the range from about 3 to about 5 minutes; the relative proportions of dehulled soy beans and warm water employed in said method is equivalent to about 150 grams of the beans to 300 milliliters of the water; the microwave-cooked beans are dispersed in the warm water to form said slurry by means of a colloid mill; and the nature and relative quantity of each substance employed in said method in addition to said dehulled soy beans and said warm water are such as to yield a soy milk product similar in essential qualities to cow's milk.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-03-02 | 1979-09-01 | 1980-03-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-03-02 | 1983-09-01 | 1984-03-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-03-02 | 1987-09-01 | 1988-03-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |