Thermally Inhibited Starch and Process for Making

Abstract

Improved thermally inhibited starch is disclosed and methods of making such starch are disclosed. In some embodiments a thermally inhibited starch has improved whiteness and flavor. In some embodiments a method for making a thermally inhibited starch includes providing adding a buffer and an acid to a starch to obtain a pH adjusted starch having an acidic pH and thermally inhibiting the pH adjusted starch. The technology further pertains to methods of making the thermally inhibited starch in batch, continuous, continuous-like process or combinations thereof.

1 - 93 . (canceled) 
     
     
         94 . A thermally inhibited starch being thermally inhibited and dehydrated in a dry process and having a Hunter L value of greater than about 92. 
     
     
         95 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  having a hot peak viscosity (slurry at 6% solids, and pH 6) in a range selected from the group consisting (a) of about 50 to about 500 cP, (b) of about 500 to about 1200 cP, (c) of about 1200 to about 2000 cP. 
     
     
         96 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  having a hot peak viscosity (slurry at 6% solids and pH 6) of about 50 to about 500 MVU and a Hunter L value of at least about 91, or from about 91 to about 94. 
     
     
         97 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  having a hot peak viscosity (slurry at 6% solids, and pH 6) of about 500 to about 1200 MVU and having a Hunter L value of about 93 to about 95. 
     
     
         98 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  further having a viscosity (slurry at 6% solids and pH 3) that varies less than about 200 MVU at from 95° C. to 95° C.+15 minutes. 
     
     
         99 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  having a hot peak viscosity (slurry at 6% solids, and pH 6) of about 1200 to about 2000 MVU and having a Hunter L value of about 94 to about 96. 
     
     
         100 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  being obtained by thermally inhibiting a milled plant material to obtain a thermally inhibited milled plant material, the thermally inhibited starch being present in the thermally inhibited milled plant material. 
     
     
         101 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  wherein prior to thermal inhibition the milled and fractionated plant material has a starch content greater than 95% (w/w). 
     
     
         102 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  being substantially free of alcohol. 
     
     
         103 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  wherein the thermally inhibited has a soluble starch content of less than about 5% or essentially 0%. 
     
     
         104 . The thermally inhibited starch of  claim 94  made by a process comprising: i) adding buffer and acid to a starch to obtain a pH adjusted starch having an acidic pH, wherein the starch has a pH from about 4.5 to about 5.5 and wherein the buffer is a citrate buffer; ii) dehydrating the pH adjusted in a dry process to obtain a dehydrated, pH adjusted starch; iii) and thermally inhibiting the dehydrated, pH adjusted starch in a dry process;
 wherein during step iii) the dehydrated, pH adjusted starch is substantially free of alcohol; and 
 wherein during step ii) the pH adjusted starch is substantially free of alcohol. 
 
     
     
         105 . An edible composition comprising: the thermally inhibited starch as recited in  claim 94  and a second edible ingredient. 
     
     
         106 . The edible composition of  105  being selected from the groups consisting of a sauce, a gravy, a dressing, a dairy product, a yogurt, a retort product, and a soup, wherein the starch is used in amount of about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
         107 . The edible composition of  claim 105  being a baked good wherein the baked good has a total starch content of about 25% to about 50% starch of the baked good, and wherein the thermally inhibited starch makes up between about 25% and about 100% of the total starch (by weight of the total starch).