ONION AND GARLIC BIOHYDROLYSATES AND THEIR USE AS NATURAL FLAVOURINGS

Abstract: An onion and/or garlic biohydrolysate-based flavouring base obtained by: i) preparing a mixture containing at least 2 to 15 % of onion or garlic or a mix of onion and garlic in a ratio of 1:6 to 6:1, and up to about 94 % of water, ii) hydrolysing the mixture with cellulolytic and/or proteolytic technical enzymes, and iii) thermally treating the hydrolysate at a temperature of about 75-125 DEG C during about 3 to 90 minutes so as to obtain the flavouring base, and its use as a source of unique onion or garlic notes and generation of thiol components.

Description: ONION AND GARLIC BIOHYDROLYSATES AND THEIR USE AS NATURAL FLAVOURINGS Field of the invention This invention relates to a flavouring base obtained by biohydrolysis of an onion / garlic mixture or of individual onion or garlic powders and its use in flavour blends, in fermented mixtures, in process flavours and in several culinary applications. Background of the invention 0 In the patent JP 59034869, fruits or vegetables are subjected to degradation and liquefaction with pectin transeliminase, which is derived from a culture solution of filamentous fungus such as Aspergillus niger. This process provides a flavoured sauce. 5 JP 56018563 describes a process comprising crushing of onions and /or garlic, adding pectinases and/or cellulase and disintegrating it and then spray drying it. JP 63214166 discloses a toasted and seasoned laver, which contains 0 enzyme decomposed foods. In making the laver, foods such as ginger, garlic, orange, mushroom, onion, etc. are decomposed with a food-decomposing enzyme to obtain a paste, to which an edible high molecular compound (e.g. starch, gelatin) is added and coated or sprayed over a sheet of laver. 5 The patents mentioned above describe the possibility to develop flavoured sauces by processing fruits or vegetables, fresh onion and/or garlic by using mainly the endogenous enzymes. Summary of the invention 0 This invention provides an onion and garlic biohydrolysate-based flavouring base with a unique flavour profile, said flavouring base being obtained by a controlled hydrolysis of onion or garlic or mixtures of both ingredients by the addition of technical enzymes. A well-equilibrated ratio of onion and garlic is 5 elaborated to provide optimal medium design for further bio-hydrolysis. The flavouring base according to the invention is obtained by: i) preparing a mixture containing at least 2 to 15 % of onion or garlic or of a mix of onion and garlic in a ratio of 1 :6 to 6: 1, and up to about 94% of water, ii) hydrolysing the mixture with cellulolytic and/or proteolytic technical enzymes; and iii) thermally treating the hydrolysate at a temperature of about 75- 125°C during about 3 to 90 minutes so as to obtain the flavouring base. The flavouring base may be filtered, dried, evaporated or directly stored at +4°C or -25°C. In another aspect, the invention also relates to the use of an onion and garlic biohydrolysate-based flavouring base as a source of meaty and roasty, unique onion and/or garlic notes in flavour blends or in other process for the preparation of flavourings used in culinary product development, for the development of liquid seasonings, for bouillon development, for petfood products, in sauces, in spread or snack applications. The biohydrolysed materials can also be utilised in several culinary applications to improve the onion and/or garlic note or to intensify the meaty notes of the products, such as fermented plant material. The products obtained thereof have a rounder flavouring with typical and clean onion and garlic notes. Detailed description of the invention In the specification, all percentages are given on the basis of weight except where specifically stated otherwise. Also the term flavour comprises odour, aroma or taste. In order to obtain the flavouring base according to the present invention, a mixture containing at least 2 to 15% of onion, garlic or a mix of onion and garlic in a ratio of 1 :6 to 6: 1 , is prepared. Onion and garlic can be used directly as raw material or preferably in their powdery form. The mixture can also be heat treated from about 10 to 30 min at a temperature of about 70 to 125°C, then cooled to a temperature between 30 to 70°C (mainly 50°C) before adding the technical enzymes in order to have a low microbial count when starting the bio-hydrolysis. This mixture is then subjected to a hydrolytic treatment with individual proteolytic or cellulolytic technical enzymes or preferably with a mix of these technical enzymes. Cellulolytic technical enzymes such as Viscozyme can be used to perform the hydrolysis. A mix of hemicellulase, carbohydrases, including arabanase, cellulase, beta-glucanase, xylase and pectinase and other side-activities are preferably added to the mixture at a rate of about 0.1 to 2.0 % (or up to 4.0 to 6.0% in a cascade hydrolysis). The hydrolysis may be performed in a batch, continuous or fed-batch (feeding strategy) modus (cascade biohydrolysis). The hydrolysis is preferably performed at an acidic pH 4.0 to 7.0, during about 1 to 30 hours at a temperature of about 40 to 70°C. The mixture can be stirred during the hydrolysis, for example up to 1000 rpm and preferably 170 to 190 rpm for bio-hydrolysis in a 2 L glass reactor. The media for biohydrolysate can be used either without a thermal processing step or by applying a sterilisation step and cooled to 50°C before the technical enzymes are added. The obtained biohydrolysate is further subjected to thermal treatment The thermal treatment is performed at about 75 to 125°C during about 15 to 90 minutes, for example, in order to obtain the flavouring base. It is preferably performed at about 90°C, for about 60 minutes. The flavouring base may then be stored at +4°C or -25°C, eventually filtered, concentrated by evaporation or dried, for example. The base is preferably dried by adding maltodextrin and / or salt and /or palm fat, then heated at 65 °C for 6 to 7 hours under vacuum (10 mbar), for example. The base may also be spray- dried. The water content of the flavouring base in its powdery form may be of about 4-6%, and the dry matter content of the mixture may be of about 94-96 %. The flavouring base can also be filtered after the thermal treatment. The unique flavouring is present in the filtered liquid fraction, which may be submitted to further downstream processing and then used in culinary applications. The sediment obtained during the filtration processing may be used in bouillon applications in order to lower the costs and to find possibilities to up-grade the obtained press-cake during the filtration step. In another embodiment, the flavouring base according to the present invention is utilised in flavour blends, in fermented mixtures, in process flavours and in several culinary applications to enhance or impart typical, unique, specific and authentic flavour. In a preferred embodiment, the flavouring base can be added to fermented mixtures (fermentation broth) so as to obtain a meaty flavoured product or included in bouillons after filtration processed flavours, sauces or paste preparation processes. Thus, a process for production of meaty flavour comprises the steps of : - providing a mix of crop protein source and carbohydrate source (having a dry matter of at most 45 %), - inoculate this mix with at least one meat fermenting micro-organism, - proceed to fermentation till steady state, - add the flavouring base according to the invention to the fermentation medium by means of fed-batch mode, - and pasteurize the obtained mixture. The mix of crop protein source and carbohydrate source may preferably have a dry matter content of at most about 45 % in order to effect the fermentation as a liquid-state. For the fermentation step, several meat fermenting micro-organisms such as Pediococcus pentosaceus, Staphylococcus xylosus, Lactobacillus sake, Microccus varians, Debaryomyces hansenii or Saccharomyces cerevisiae may be used as individuals strains or as mixtures, for example. The fermentation may be carried out for a period of time of about 10 to 90 hours at a temperature of about 15 to 50 °C under agitation from 150 to 1500 rpm, for example ; until reaching of steady state. The addition of the flavouring base according to the invention may be achieved at the end of the fermentation as fed-batch mode, that is to say a progressive addition of the flavouring base to the fermentation medium. Thus the medium can be pasteurized by conventionnal means such as 20 to 60 minutes at about 80 to 125 °C, for example. The meaty flavoured product may be concentrated and/or dried afterwards, for example. It can be used directly in its liquid or dried form. The amount of the liquid form is preferably about 60 gr per kg of fermented product or 10 to 100 g for culinary product or petfood product and depending on the requisite degree of aroma. The dried form of the flavouring base may be used in an amount of 4 to 10 gr per kg, for example. The ratio of 15 to 85% of garlic to onion resulted in more rounded and typical garlic flavouring, which is equilibrated due to the addition of a small part of garlic. Depending on the ratio used the type of the flavouring can be influenced, depending on if a pure onion or pure garlic flavouring is desired. The mixtures have a synergistic effect and some meaty and/or roasted notes could be generated during the bio-hydrolysis and in combination with the thermal processing. It can be assumed that sulphur precursors, intermediates or thiol components are liberated or synthesied during processing. These thiols might be important also for the generation of meaty notes, especially in combination with fermented products. The invention also relates to the use of the flavouring base in various flavour blends, and process flavour and in combination with fermented meaty products, where the onion garlic biohydrolysate can be added as a feed during the fermentation process. Thus, it can add meaty notes and roasty notes to these fermented bases. The flavouring base may be also used for process flavour development, for the development of liquid seasonings, for bouillon development after filtration of processed flavours, for petfood products, in sauces, in spread or snack applications. The following examples are given by way of illustration only and in no way should be construed as limiting the subject matter of the present application. Examples Example 1 86.6 % of water is added to a mixture containing 6.7% of onion and 6.7% of garlic in their powdery from. The mixture thus obtained is hydrolysed by addition of about 0.2 % of Viscozyme (NOVO NORDISK FERMENT Ltd.) at pH 5 for about 20 hours and at a temperature of about 50°C. The biohydrolysate is then heat treated at 90 °C for 60 minutes in order to obtain the flavouring base which is stored at -25°C. It is further utilized in the preparation of paste, process flavours, sauces, spread, bouillons, fermented bases. Example 2 93.3 % of water is added to a mixture containing 6.7% of onion in their powdery from. The mixture thus obtained is hydrolysed by addition of about 0.2 % of Viscozyme (NOVO NORDISK FERMENT Ltd.) at pH 5 for about 20 hours and at a temperature of about 50°C. The biohydrolysate is then heat treated at 90 °C for 60 minutes in order to obtain the flavouring base which is stored at -25°C. It is further utilized in the preparation of paste, process flavours, sauces, spread, bouillons, fermented bases. Example 3 93.3 % of water is added to a mixture containing 6.7% of garlic in its powdery from. The mixture thus obtained is hydrolysed by addition of about 0.2 % of Viscozyme (NOVO NORDISK FERMENT Ltd.) at pH 5 for about 20 hours and at a temperature of about 50°C. The biohydrolysate is then heat treated at 90 °C for 60 minutes in order to obtain the flavouring base which is stored at -25°C. It is further utilized in the preparation of pastes, process flavours, sauces, spreads, bouillons, fermented bases. Example 4 13 % of onion powder and 13% of garlic powder is added to 74% of water. The mixture is sterilised during 15 minutes at 121°C. A mix of about 0.4% w/w of Viscozyme (NOVO NORDISK FERMENT Ltd.) is added to the treated mixture, and stirred for about 20 hours at pH 5.0 at bout 50°C. The mixture is then subjected to a thermal treatment during 30 minutes at about 90°C and the filtered liquid fraction is then evaporated, dried either by spraydrying, vacuum drying, or used as such. Example 5: Taste testings In order to make taste testings, ingredients and bases are weighed in a 250 ml cup. The base used is a seasoning pork base, which contains enhancers, salt, spices, fats and extracts. The ingredients to be tested are onion powder, onion biohydrolysate, Roasted onion powder, Garlic-powder, Garlic Bio-hydrolysate, Garlic-Onion biohydrolysate Boiled water is added to the cup, and left until the temperature has reached about 65°C and then the product is taste tested. The results are given table 1. Quality of onion or garlic taste and smell; 5 best score, 1 bad score Example 6 A fermentation process is developed in combination with the addition of the bio-hydrolysed onion /garlic mixture at the end of the fermentation. The fermented meaty flavourings may be prepared according to the following steps: (a) Prehydrolysis of a onion and garlic mixture, (b) Fermentation, wherein : - Medium design comprises Glucose (2%), prehydrolysed plant proteins (10%); sunflower oil (1.5%), white pepper (0.3%) and water (86%) - Sterilisation (30 min, 90°C), - Inoculation of the bioreactor. Several meat fermenting micro-organisms such as Pediococcus pentosaceus, Staphylococcus xylosus, Lactobacillus sake, Micrococcus varians, Debaryomyces hansenii or Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be used as individual strains or as mixtures. The fermentation conditions are preferably 20 to 72 hours, at a temperature of about 20 to 45 °C, at a pH either controlled by pH-state or non-controlled; aeration (0 - 2.0 Vv : L air per working volume per H), agitation: 500 - 1300 rpm (800 rpm). - Inactivation during 20 to 60 min at about 80 °C to 125 °C, and preferably for 30 min at 90°C. - Downstream processing: • evaporation and then vacuum drying (10 mbar, 6 - 7 H, 65 °C) • or spray drying of the pasteurised fermented broth The dried base can be utilized in process flavours or in culinary products. Example 7 A composition containing 5 g/1 of the flavouring base as prepared in example 1, 13.6 g/1 of a seasoning base and 0.6g/l of salt, is used in flavour blends. It has a rounder flavouring, typical and clean onion and garlic notes are present. Example 8 A Seasoning for spread type garlic applications is prepared by mixing the following ingredients given in table 2: Table 2 ingredients for a seasoning for spread type garlic The mixture is sieved and 12.5% is then mixed into margarine. 0.3% of salt is added to the aromatised margarine. The seasoning base has a garlic taste and is used for appetisers, bread, sandwiches or canape, for example. Example 9 A Seasoning for spread type pesto applications is prepared by mixing the ingredients as given in table 3: Table 3 ingredients for a seasoning for spread type pesto The mixture is sieved and 12.5% is mixed into margarine. It has a pesto and garlic taste and is used for appetisers, bread, sandwiches, canapέ, for example. Example 10 A Seasoning for a traditional soup is prepared having the composition given in table 4: Table 4. ingredients for a traditional soup 60 to 80 g of this powder is mixed in 1000 ml of water so as to obtain a traditional soup with an onion / garlic / barley taste.

Claims: Claims 1. An onion and / or garlic biohydrolysate-based flavouring base obtained by: i) preparing a mixture containing at least 2 to 15 % of onion or garlic or a mix of onion and garlic in a ratio of 1:6 to 6:1, and up to about 94% of water, ii) hydrolysing the mixture with cellulolytic and/or proteolytic technical enzymes, and iii) thermally treating the hydrolysate at a temperature of about 75- 125°C during about 3 to 90 minutes so as to obtain the flavouring base. 2. A flavouring base according to claim 1, wherein onions and/or garlic are entire or in a powdery form. 3. A flavouring base according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hydrolysis is performed at an acidic pH during about 1 to 25 hours at a temperature of about 40-70°C. 4. A flavouring base according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hydrolysis is performed by adding 0.1 to 2.0 % by weight of individual or combinations of technical enzymes. 5. A flavouring base according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mixture is heated 3 to 60 min at a temperature of about 70 to 125°C before adding the technical enzymes. 6. A flavouring base according to any of claims 1 to 5 which is used as such for flavouring, filtered and/or dried. 7. Use of an onion and garlic biohydrolysate-based flavouring base according to one of claims 1 to 6, as a source of unique onion or garlic notes and generation of thiol components. 8. Use of a flavouring base according to claim 7, in combination with fermented flavours for the development of typical meaty notes generated during thermal processing of fermented mixtures in the preparation of food and culinary products. 9. Use of a flavouring base according to claim 7, as part of natural sulphur precursors and for the generation of meaty flavour components. 10. Process for production of meaty flavour comprising the steps of : - providing a mix of crop protein source and carbohydrate source , - inoculate this mix with at least one meat fermenting micro-organism, - proceed to fermentation till steady state, - add the flavouring base according claims 1 to 6 to the fermentation medium by means of fed-batch mode, - and pasteurize the obtained mixture.

Inventors: ZURBRIGGEN BEAT DENIS, ZURBRIGGEN, BEAT, DENIS
Applicants: NESTLE SA, ZURBRIGGEN BEAT DENIS, SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A., ZURBRIGGEN, BEAT, DENIS
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A23L1
IPC codes: A23L1