Method of making vital wheat gluten into fibers

A method of transforming the clumped untextured putty-like and high viscoelastic adhesion physical and chemical properties of hydrated vital wheat gluten into a loose layered minimally adhering permanently textured fiber strand structure by mixing the vital wheat gluten with flour and then shredding, and denaturing hot moisture, the fiber using enabling the creation of wheat gluten analogs for ground meat fiber products, such as hamburger and the like.

The present invention relates to wheat gluten extracts and products 
produced therefrom, being more particularly directed to a novel process 
for transforming or converting the normal inherent putty-like mass and 
relatively high viscoelastic adhesion properties of hydrated vital wheat 
gluten into novel aerated layered fiber strand structures of relatively 
low adhesion properties. 
BACKGROUND 
For many years, the value of vital wheat gluten extracted from wheat flour 
or berries has been recognized, primarily for its natural protein value 
for food products, and for its physical and chemical properties, when 
hydrated, of increasing the viscosity of, for example, flour batters and 
substantially improving batter adhesion; and, in meat and poultry products 
and the like, for adhesively binding, extending or filling, and, indeed, 
providing a chewy texture. 
Various processes have been developed for deriving the vital wheat gluten 
from wheat flour or berries, including the "dough" or "Martin" process in 
which hydrated and kneaded flour is formed into a cohesive elastic dough 
and is continuously washed to elute the starch granules, or to screen out 
the starch liquors. Illustrative examples of techniques are described in 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,790,553; 3,851,085; and 4,132,566. 
Until the discovery underlying the present invention, it is believed that 
uses of vital wheat gluten have had to be confined to applications that 
can tolerate its highly viscoelastic putty-like dough properties, namely, 
as in an additive in baking batters, and for meat, fish and poultry 
products where the addition of the gluten provides "valuable binding, 
adhesion, emulsification and water binding qualities" (Midwest Grain 
Products [Kansas] bulletin, "Challenging The Eighties", pages 32-35). 
The putty-like, highly cohesive and non-textured properties in the hydrated 
gluten solid or massive "dough" have relegated hydrated vital wheat gluten 
to uses just as a binder or "glue"-like additive where it is physically 
intermixed and visually lost in the main product or ingredients. The total 
lack of texture let alone lack of open fiber-like texture and appearance, 
have not heretofore made it even a serious candidate as the primary 
constituent for a close analog for ground meat; and the high sticky 
viscoelastic properties further distant it from the tender fiber-layer 
taste sensation and cutting characteristics of, for example, a meat 
hamburger. 
In accordance with basic discoveries made in achieving the present 
invention, however, a technique was surprisingly found radically and 
permanently to alter or transform both the physical and chemical 
properties of vital wheat gluten, particularly when hydrated, amazingly to 
change the physical characteristics from a clump of tough stretchable 
untextured "putty" to layered aerated loosely packed fiber strand textured 
structures, closely and substantially indistinguishably simulating the 
texture of ground beef or other meat; and chemically to denature the 
protein and otherwise suppress the activity of the originally high 
viscoelasticity of the gluten, just retaining enough to enable the strands 
to stay together in an analogous way to ground beef and the like--and with 
substantially identical physical appearance and mouthfeel, chew and taste 
sensation. 
To achieve this remarkable transformation of normal physical and chemical 
properties, long thought to be inherent in hydrated vital wheat gluten, 
moreover, it was necessary to go in a direction absolutely contraindicated 
in this art. The art had thought that "gluten can sustain its unique 
properties when subjected to heat, unlike other hydrated proteins which 
undergo substantial changes when heated to critical temperatures" 
("Challenging the Eighties", supra, page 34). Under the discovery of the 
present, quite to the contrary, it has now been found how to condition and 
subject the hydrated gluten to heat to achieve very substantial permanent 
changes in both chemical and physical characteristics that indeed give 
rise to the novel results of this invention. 
In view of this surprising transformation, moreover, for the first time, 
vital wheat gluten can be used as the principal ingredient itself in 
producing very close wheat analogs to ground meats, hamburgers, sausages, 
and the like. 
OBJECT OF INVENTION 
An object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide a new and 
improved method or process of transforming hydrated vital wheat gluten 
from its natural cohesive, putty-like adhesive and high viscoelastic 
physical and chemical characteristics, to novel layered aerated loosely 
packed fiber strands with minimal low viscoelasticity. 
A further object is to provide, through use of this novel process, a very 
close gluten analog to meat fiber products such as hamburger, meat loaf, 
sausages and the like. 
Other and further objects will be described hereinafter and are more 
particularly delineated in the appended claims. 
SUMMARY 
In summary, however, from one of its important viewpoints, the invention 
embraces a method of permanently transforming the clumped putty-like 
untextured mass and relatively high viscoelastic adhesion physical 
properties of hydrated vital wheat gluten into a loose layered minimally 
adhering aerated textured fiber strand structure, that comprises, 
intimately mixing flour with vital wheat gluten powder particles to 
interleave with and separate the gluten powder in the mixture; 
substantially room-temperature hydrating the mixture to enable the 
absorption of water by the mixture to expand the gluten into a less 
viscoelastic mass; shredding the mass into a plurality of separated 
streams of elongated continuous fibers; dropping the separate strands 
under the action of gravity as a loose aerated deposit upon a retaining 
surface; immediately subjecting the deposit to heated moisture contacting 
with the separate fibers throughout the deposit; continuing the 
application of heated moisture for a sufficient time for the protein of 
the separate fibers within the deposit to become substantially denatured, 
to remove the bulk of the viscoelastic adhesion properties of the gluten 
while retaining only slight adhering of the fibers; and permitting 
evaporation of excess moisture from the deposit to produce a loose layered 
aerated permanent fiber texture structure of relatively low retained 
viscoelasticity. 
Preferred and best mode conditions for operating the method and novel 
products produced thereby, particularly ground-meat wheat gluten analogs, 
are hereinafter described in detail.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
The first step in the transformation of the normal physical and chemical 
characteristics of hydrated wheat gluten from its usual clumped, 
untextured, putty-like mass state, with high viscoelasticity--rubbery and 
adherently binding and elastically resistant to stretching and fracture, 
as schematically shown at 1 in FIG. 1--resides in introducing, intimately 
and thoroughly mixed and interleaved throughout the initial vital wheat 
gluten powder, a substantial quantity of particulated filler such as 
ground grain flour, and preferably a small amount of admixed nutritional 
(not baker's) yeast, as shown in FIG. 2 and labelled as the first step I 
of the process flow chart of FIG. 7. Upon appropriate hydration, this has 
been found very substantially to reduce the viscoelasticity and high 
elastic tensile strength of the hydrated product, again as visually 
illustrated in FIG. 2 by the much narrower outer dotted stretch profile 
than in FIG. 1. While not desiring to be bound by theories, it strongly 
appears that the introduction of the flour particles in sufficient 
quantity between wheat gluten powder prevents the high degree of clumping 
and tight adhesive binding that occurs when all the gluten powder 
particles are contiguous. Whether this is or is not the totally correct 
theory, it is sufficient to describe the steps of the process of the 
invention as they actually have been found to occur in practice. 
Using, as an example, Midwest Grain Products, Inc. (Kansas) pulverized 
dehydrated vital wheat gluten powder in about a half pound sample (FIG. 
1), and hydrating and kneading with about a cup of water at room 
temperature, tensile strength measurements showed the high viscosity 
requirement of about 11 to 12 pounds of stretching force to fracture off a 
piece of the mass. With the same size sample of the dry wheat gluten 
powder thoroughly admixed with whole grain wheat flour in proportion about 
1 part gluten-to-half a part flour by weight, FIGS. 2 and 3, the similarly 
hydrated product (step II in FIG. 7) was found to have a greatly reduced 
tensile strength, requiring only about one to one and a half pounds to 
pull off a piece from the much more pliable mass--a considerable reduction 
in viscoelasticity and a much looser feel for the product. 
A further and preferred additive to the dry mix is a leavening agent of the 
nutritional yeast type, FIGS. 2 and 7, such as that of Universal Foods of 
Wisconsin, which, unlike baker's yeast, provides both flavor and, during 
hydration, a gentle generation of gaseous bubbles that cause further 
expansion and some aeration texturing, as at 1' in FIG. 2 and in the 
product of FIG. 4. 
In FIG. 5 and step III of the process flow chart of FIG. 7, the hydrated 
product 1' (preferably in the proportion of about 12 ounces of dry mixture 
to about 8 ounces of water) is fed into a particularizing shredder or 
grinder 2 to shred and comminute the mass and pressure-exude or squeeze 
and stretch into a plurality of adjacent but separated fiber strands 1". 
The strands fracture as they fall under the influence of gravity (step IV, 
FIG. 7) and deposit (preferably with about an 8-inch fall, more or less) 
as loose random layers of strands at 1"'. This stripping of thin strands 
from the mass and exuding as fiber streams further reduces the already 
lowered viscoelasticity and creates a true elongated fiber texture. 
If these are immediately subjected to heated moisture permeating within the 
total deposit, step V, FIG. 7, before the strand layers have time to 
coalesce, the hot moisture will permeate into and uniformly through the 
loose aerated multi-layer fiber strand deposits 1'", permit moisture 
absorption and thickness swelling of the deposit as the hot moisture fills 
the voids in between and amongst the fiber layers. With fiber strands of 
rather critical cross-dimension of about 0.3 inches as later more fully 
discussed, and a heated water solution in which they are immersed of the 
order of about 212.degree. F. it has been found that the continued 
application of the hot moisture contacting and enveloping the fibers for 
the order of about 25 minutes, step VI, FIG. 7, substantially completely 
chemically de-natures the protein, permanently eliminating the bulk of the 
gelatulous viscoelastic protein "glue", and physically assuming permanent 
fibrous texture characteristics. 
The process of the invention has thus transformed the untextured clump 
putty, unmanageable elastic adhesively binding mass characteristics of 
hydrated wheat gluten, tough and resistant to fracturing, into a totally 
manageable low viscoelastic open fiber-strand textured structure, pliable 
and readily chewable and separable. 
As before stated, this remarkable physical and chemical transformation now 
allows uses of wheat gluten previously impossible with its natural 
hydrated characteristics, and enables uses that are primarily the gluten 
itself, as distinguished from mere additive and binder uses in other 
materials. Among such new applications, as previously discussed, is the 
important simulation of meat fiber products. 
With the above fiber strand cross-dimensions, the fiber texture closely 
resembles the fibers of ground beef, fortuitously providing a ready wheat 
gluten analog of hamburger when the transformation method of the invention 
is applied to producing such a product. In this event, appropriate spices, 
flavorings and vegetable coloring may be introduced into the mixture 
closely to simulate the appearance and flavors of ground beef or other 
meat in the myriad of applications for different ethnic tastes, including, 
for example, Mexican, middle and far eastern and Italian flavors, among 
others. After cooling and some evaporation and shrinkage, step VIII in the 
process flow chart of FIG. 7, that analog product may be broiled, boiled, 
fried, grilled or otherwise prepared in the same manner as ground beef or 
the like, or refrigerated or flash-frozen for subsequent final cooking. 
A suitable apparatus for the hot moisture denaturing steps V and VI for the 
production of ground meat protein analogs is shown in FIG. 8, where the 
strands 1" are deposited upon a screen belt S and carried through a hot 
water bath or tank W, immersing the deposits 1'" in the heated water as 
they are carried through the tank. As before stated, nearly a half an hour 
of such immersion at about 212.degree. F. has been found to be sufficient 
to effect the substantial denaturation of the gluten protein and the 
permanent desired alteration or transformation of the physical and 
chemical properties as above described. The heated bath may also contain 
appropriate flavorings or colorings, if desired. The product may be 
totally "vegetarian", or, if desired, in the mixture hydration stage or in 
the hot moisture immersion stage or otherwise, meat bullion (beef, pork, 
poultry, etc.) or other flavorings may be used to produce a genuine meat 
flavor to the gluten meat analog product. 
It has further been found most desirable for preventing separation or 
friable effects during the heated moisture treatment, to restrain the 
deposit from movement, such as tumbling that can break up the deposit, or 
elongation. The use of a screen surface S admirably serves this function 
since, as the strands are deposited at 1'", they tend to stick or lock 
into the screen openings. After completion of the denaturing process at 
the far end of the tank W, the screen belt S may reverse direction, as 
shown, and transfer the product to a further belt S'. Clearly other 
well-known apparatus may also be adapted for these purposes, as well. 
Where shaped patties, loafs or other forms are desired, instead of chunks 
suitable, for example, for pizza toppings or pasta dishes or the like, a 
shaping form may be introduced before the prompt hot moisture treatment as 
at F in FIG. 9. FIGS. 10 and 11 show the actual substantially 
indistinguishable appearance and texture from meat hamburger patties; and 
the chew, mouthfeel and taste sensation are also indistinguishable--a 
totally grain protein realistic analog, and with the added advantage of no 
fat. 
With this fiberizing by comminuting or the grinding-shredding of the mass 
mixture and forcing or squeezing exuded stretched strands of appropriate 
cross dimension that are then denatured, the per unit volume adhesion or 
viscoelasticity is much further reduced to a very low value, totally 
comparable to ground meat, and just enough to hold the analog together. As 
previously stated, however, a certain criticality to cross-dimension of 
the exuded strands has been noted. With small cross-dimensions of the 
order of about 0.1 inch or less, minimal or no fiber texture results after 
protein denaturation, the product appearing solid, mushy and friable. With 
strands as large as about 0.6 inch or greater, the strands tend to clump 
and an uneven texture results. The before-mentioned cross-dimension range 
of the order of about 0.3 inch has experimentally been found consistently 
to produce uniform textured fiber layers throughout the product. 
The relative proportion of grain flour or other filler in the dry mix may 
be varied for different applications, generally ranging from about 1:0.5 
to about 1:0.15, by weight. The preferred grind of whole grain wheat flour 
has been found to be 3-265 milling grind, in order to be of appropriate 
grain size for its required function, before described. The proportion of 
nutritional yeast is preferably of the order of about eight percent by 
weight. The added water of hydration is preferably in the ratio of about 
12 ounces dry mix to about 8 ounces, as before mentioned. 
Further modifications, however, will occur to those skilled in this art and 
such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention 
as defined in the appended claims.