Abstract:
A mustard flour of controlled pungency is obtained by mixing separately prepared mustard flours. A first mustard flour is prepared wherein the enzyme is deactivated but the glucoside is retained, whereas in a second mustard flour the enzyme is retained but the glucoside is substantially eliminated. Both mustard flours, alone, are mild in flavor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Mustard, any of several herbs of the genus Brasica, when ground, yields mustard flour. 
     The present mustard flour of commerce is produced by aging mustard seeds until they become firm, dehulling and then dry grinding the seeds. About 20 percent of the weight of the seeds is lost in the dehulling process. Dry grinding proceeds in much the same manner as is the case for the production of wheat flour. Accordingly, much classifying, screening and recycling is necessary. Several people on the production line are wholly occupied in the cleaning of sifters whose screen openings have become blinded by caking of the product thereon. Because the amount of screen cleaning that is needed is proportional to the output, an increase in production requires an increase in man-hours of work. Although the theoretical yield of dry ground mustard flour is near 80 percent, losses in processing often lower the actual yield to about 65 percent. 
     Presently, the mustard flour produced from yellow mustard seed sells for a higher price than the mustard flour produced from oriental mustard seed, because of the lower yield (and resulting higher cost per pound) of yellow mustard seed per acre. However, the flour produced from yellow mustard seed, when used as a mayonnaise or processed meat ingredient, is milder in flavor. When used in mayonnaise, a higher viscosity product is obtained. Accordingly, manufacturers of these products primarily use the higher priced flour made from yellow mustard seed. Brown mustard seed is also used to produce mustard flour and prepared mustard products. 
     When water is added to dry ground mustard flour, an enzyme, myrosin, catalyzes a glucoside, e.g., sinigrin to produce a volatile, pungent oil, principally allyl isothiocyanate. If the enzyme is destroyed before the flour is hydrated, a bland product is produced, which has found use in the food processing industry as a binder and emulsifier, for instance in frankfurters. 
     The following United States patents exemplify the state of the mustard flour art. 
     
         ______________________________________Patentee    Pat. No.      Issue Date______________________________________Klint       2,239,563     April 22, 1941Musher      2,246,528     June 24, 1941Schlenk et al       2,827,452     March , 1958Goering     2,987,399     June 6, 1961Ferguson, Jr.       3,007,799     November 7, 1961Ettlinger   3,146,227     August 25, 1964Rasmussen   3,151,988     October 6, 1964Dougherty, Jr.       3,574,640     April 13, 1971Peterson    3,652,297     March 28, 1972______________________________________ 
    
     The U.S. Pat. of Durst No. 3,788,861, issued Jan. 29, 1974, while not relating to mustard flour, contains an extensive bibliography on the art of wet grinding of seeds to produce flour. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Mustard seed, dehulled or not and fresh or aged, is mixed with water to produce a slurry which is wet milled and spray dried to produce mustard flour. When hot water is used to produce the slurry, an enzyme is deactivated, and the flour contains a characteristic glucoside. When cold water is used to produce the slurry, the enzyme splits the glucoside and produces a pungent volatile oil that is driven off in the spray drying step, but the enzyme survives in the mustard flour. Both mustard flours, alone, are mild in flavor. When the two are blended and mixed with water, the enzyme in one splits the glucoside in the other producing the pungent flavoring oil. Thus the degree of mildness versus pungency of a mustard product can be predetermined by blending the two flours. 
     Spray dried mustard flour is an excellent emulsifier for mayonnaise, and may be increased in proportion and egg yolk content reduced, with a wholly satisfactory emulsification, viscosity and flavor being obtained. Alternatively, the proportion of mustard flour may be reduced and egg yolk content maintained when spray dried mustard flour is used, again with wholly satisfactory emulsification, viscosity and flavor being obtained. 
     The flour products are not limited to use in mayonnaise, but may also be used in processed meats, in breading and in dough, for example. 
     The principles of the invention will be further discussed with reference to the drawing wherein a preferred embodiment is shown. The specifics illustrated in the drawing are intended to exemplify, rather than limit, aspects of the invention as defined in the claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The FIGURE is a schematic flow diagram of a process in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, raw mustard seed is withdrawn from storage 10 and blended at 12. The seed is dehulled at 14 and the dehulled seed and hulls are separated from one another at 16. The dehulled seed is stored at 18 until it is forwarded to mixing and blending tanks at 20 where water is added to create a slurry. The slurry is pumped to a wet mill 22 where wet grinding takes place. The slurry of wet ground seed is pumped to a homogenizer 24 and, following homogenization, to a spray dryer 26. The dried mustard flour is cooled and sifted at 28, then dry blended and packaged at 30, 32. 
     The items of equipment used in carrying out the process are all commercially available. Although the process may be run batch-wise, and the time required to process a particular quanta of seed is dependent on how continuously the steps are run and upon the capacity of the various vessels and tanks, a typical system, run continuously, can process a seed from storage at 10 into spray dried flour and to packaging at 32 in ten minutes. 
     The flow chart of the drawing depicts several instances where blending may occur. Not all of these need be used in any particular practice of the invention. For instance, the blending step at 12 is employed to blend fresh seed with aged seed, and/or to blend yellow, brown and/or oriental seed together in any desired ratio. If only one kind of mustard seed is being used, this step is not needed. If desired, different kinds of seed may be withdrawn from storage at 10 and dehulled one kind at a time, with blending of the dehulled seed occurring at 20. Similarly, although one processing line is shown extending from the slurry formation at 20 to the dry blending step at 30, the portion from 20 to 26 or 28 may be duplicated to provide separate lines for hot water slurry processing and cold water slurry processing. In one such variation, the output of the two wet grinders 22 and homogenizers 24 may feed the sprayers of the same spray drying tower. In such a case the blending step shown conducted at 30 is not needed, since blending is actually conducted at 26 as the particles intermix in the dryer. A similar result is achieved if the parallel slurry feed lines combine through a proportioning valve just before the spray dryer. 
     The dry blending step at 30 is primarily intended for intermixing mustard flour spray dried from a hot water slurry with mustard flour spray dried from a cold water slurry, in desired proportions. However, this blending step may also be used to intermix mustard flour produced from different kinds of mustard seed, or to mix any other ingredients with the product prior to packaging. Various &#34;custom&#34; blends may be achieved in this manner, to adjust the flavor, blandness pungency, color, degree of &#34;nose heat&#34; versus degree of &#34;throat heat&#34; of the product or to predetermine the viscosity or stability of prepared foods in which the product is to be incorporated, such as mayonnaise, salad dressing, frankfurters, breading batter, dough and the like. Blending may also be used to make the most of any available economic advantages, for instance to maximize or minimize the weight or bulk of the product needed to achieve a desired effect, such as flavoring, emulsification, thickening or binding, in dependence upon a customer&#39;s requirements or indifferences. For example, mayonnaise in the United States in thought of as a creamy, very light yellow product which would be avoided by many consumers were it seen to contain specks, e.g., of mustard flour from whole brown or oriental mustard seed, and/or of black pepper. In other countries, and perhaps in some regions of the United States, consumers relish the taste of a good mayonnaise without regard to the appearance specks or spice therein. 
     About twenty percent of the weight of the in-bound mustard seed is hulls; about 6-10 percent of the weight of the in-bound mustard seed is moisture. The mustard flour product typically is dried to about 2-6 percent moisture content, preferably, to about 4 percent. The present mustard flour of commerce is the dry ground product of dehulled mustard seed; typically much of the inbound product is lost in the classification and sieving steps of the dry grinding process. Whereas the theoretical yield in the presently used dry grinding process is about 80 percent, the actual yield is oftener between 65 and 70 percent, an actual yield of 78-92 percent may be achieved when using the process of the invention primarily depending on whether the seed is dehulled and the initial and final moisture contents since very little is lost in classifying. 
     At the slurry mixing step 20, the amount of the water added depends on seed variety, slurry pumpability, spraying tower design and fuel costs. The temperature of the water added depends on whether and to what extent the enzyme is to be deactivated or permitted to catalyze reaction of the glucoside to produce volatile pungent oil prior to the drying step. If the volatile oil is produced prior to drying, most of it (e.g., up to 95 percent) is driven off in the spray drying step so that the resulting product may be mild. The enzyme survives the cold water treatment and drying. The less water added at 20, the harder the slurry is to pump and to spray, but the greater is the capacity of the spray drier; using more water aids pumping and spraying, but calls for more fuel use in the drying step. Typically, the mustard seed slurry contains 2-28 percent solids. 
     For hot water slurry, to produce enzyme-deactivated spray dried mustard flour, water at 140° F (60° C) to 230° F (110° C) is preferably used. Hotter water could be used, but at the increasing result of denaturation of the protein. For cold water slurry to produce enzyme-active, spray dried mustard flour, water at 30°F (-1° C) to 130° F (54.4° C) is preferably used. In the case of cold water processing, chillers may be used between wet grinding and homogenizing and/or between homogenizing and spray drying to subtract the heat added as a result of the respective immediately preceding steps, so that more of the enzyme survives in the spray dried flour. 
     The wet milling step may be conducted by a conventional wet mill that is conventionally used for grinding other seeds, e.g., see the Durst patent mentioned above. In the grinding of other seeds, this apparatus is sometimes called a &#34;wet stone mill&#34; and the product called &#34;wet stone ground.&#34; 
     In theory, the homogenizing step could be omitted, but in practice, that would be at the expense of producing a slurry that was more difficult to spray dry and a product that was stickier and harder to hydrate. The homogenizer 24 is typically of the sort used for homogenizing whole milk and may be operated at 500-6000 p.s.i. This step physically reduces the fat globules and results in there being less surface fat on the spray dried product. In addition, the product spray dried from a homogenized slurry has more consistency of body, smoother texture and is more flowable and wettable. 
     The spray dryer 26 may be of the same sort as is commercially used to dry eggs, milk, instant coffee, detergent and the like. An inlet air temperature of 250° F - 700° F may be used, a temperature of about 500° F and a contact time of 10 seconds or less being preferred. The outlet temperature is preferably about 150° F - 220° F. Turbulence and interparticle collisions during drying serve to agglomerate the particles. The resulting spray dried mustard flour product is typically constituted by 50 micron spheres each including about 50 wet milled mustard flour particles. 
     Whereas in dry milling, classifying and sifting form a major part of the process with generally more recycling of overflow than passing of underflow and accompanied by much tending and cleaning of screens, in wet milling classifying is a minor step in which practically all of the product is found to be of acceptable size on a single pass. Classification tends to reduce larger agglomerates formed in the spray drying process. 
     It is estimated that the process of the invention may be run by 1 or 2 people, whether 100 pounds per hour or 2000 pounds per hour are being manufactured. The conventional mustard flour process requires about 5 people in low quantity production, with more people needed, in proportion, to expand output, largely due to classification and screening needs. 
     Accordingly, spray dried mustard flour may be made from each of the several varieties of mustard seed, e.g., yellow, brown and oriental, and blends thereof, whole or dehulled, and substantially fully or partially enzyme deactivated (hot water processed) or substantially fully or partially enzyme active, but with the pungent volatile oil that is generated in wet grinding mostly driven off in the spray drying step (cold water processed) and blends therebetween, each blend giving specific results in end product usage. 
     As previously mentioned, were there a desired or purpose, the product produced in accordance of the invention may be dry blended with other materials prior to packaging. These other materials could include ground spices, herbs, other flours, seasonings, even dry ground mustard flour, in any combinations and proportions. 
     Several examples are provided hereinbelow to illustrate some characteristics and uses found for the spray dried mustard flour of the invention. 
     EXAMPLE I 
     Three samples of spray dried mustard flour and one sample of conventionally dry ground mustard flour were manufactured and used at the same concentration (weight percent) in a standard mayonnaise recipe. Viscosity of the mayonnaise was tested with a Brookfied viscosimeter immediately following mixing, four weeks after the three months after mixing. Samples of the same mustard flours were also tested for volatile oil content. 
     The standard mayonnaise recipe is as follows: 
     
         ______________________________________Ingredient        Weight Percent______________________________________10 percent salt egg yolk             7.00Soy oil           80.50Sugar             2.00Salt              0.50Mustard flour     0.50Vinegar           3.30Water             6.20             100.00______________________________________ 
    
     (This is a typical standard recipe. There are others, e.g., which vary slightly in proportion or substitute equivalent ingredients. For instance, some recipes use other salad oils than soy, in some the water is already present as a diluent in the vinegar and in others some or all of the vinegar is replaced by lemon juice. Sugar can be replaced by other sweeteners. In any event, mayonnaise is one of those products for which the U.S. F.D.A. maintains a standard product definition, i.e., a published list and ranges of permissible ingredients. Thus, it is highly proper to refer to a &#34;conventional&#34; or &#34;standard&#34; mayonnaise recipe.) 
     The test results are tabulated as follows: 
     
         __________________________________________________________________________COMPARISON OF MAYONNAISE VISCOSITIES ASAFFECTED BY VARIOUS MUSTARD FLOURS                   Mayonnaise ViscosityMustard Seed       Volatile                   (expressed in 1000 cps)Blend  Process     Oil  IMMED.                        4 WKS.                             3 MOS.__________________________________________________________________________60% Oriental  85 water, 15 seed,              0.45%                   303  292  28540% Yellow  both heated to 200°(dehulled  F, wet-grind, homo-seeds) genized, spray-  dried.70% Oriental  80 water, 20 seed              0.67%                   284  230  19630% Yellow  Oriental heated,(whole seeds)  wet-grind, spray-  dried. Yellow was  processed cold.30% Oriental  80 water, 20 seed,              0.07%                   291  257  23870% Yellow  both heated to 200°(whole seeds)  F, wet ground, homo-  genized, spray-dried50% Oriental  Roller Ground Con-              0.49%                   237  148  13050% Yellow  trol. This is reg-    (5 wks)(dehulled  ular mustard flourseeds) of commerce.__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE II 
     To examine flours prepared from the same varieties of seed, a similar test was conducted pairing: &#34;A,&#34; a mustard flour prepared from 75% heated and 25% unheated, 50% yellow, 50% oriental, dehulled, undried, fresh crop mustard seed, wet stone milled, spray dried, ribbon blended and sieved through a b20 Tuftex screen, with &#34;B,&#34; a mustard flour conventionally prepared from dehulled 50% yellow, 50% oriental mustard seed, roller milled and sieved. The results are tabulated as follows: 
     
         ______________________________________          A         B______________________________________Color           Light Yellow YellowOdor            Cooked       NormalTaste           Grainy       NormalPuddling        Acceptable   AcceptableSpeck Test      Acceptable   AcceptableVolatile Oil    0.45         0.58Non-Volatile    34.26        41.02OilProtein         33.05        31.30Moisture        2.80         2.80Ash             3.43         3.79Granulation (U.S. sieve) +50            0.0          0.0 -50 + 70       5.0          5.0 -70 + 100      5.0          27.5-100 + 200      70.0         37.5-200 + 230      2.5          17.5-230            17.5         12.5______________________________________ 
    
     The two flours were made into mayonnaise, using the formula given in Example I (7.50% salt yolk, 0.5% mustard flour). The viscosities were tested and are tabulated as follows: 
     
         __________________________________________________________________________Viscosities (1000 cps)Sample       Immed.            24 hrs.                1 wk.                    2 wks.                        3 wks.                            4 wks.                                3 mos.__________________________________________________________________________Premixer SystemA            NA  182 167 173 164 175 145B            NA  178 170 160 146 145 113Continuous SystemA            233 190 187 186 176 168 138B            202 168 163 144 142 131  96__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     EXAMPLE III 
     To examine the possibilities of (1) reducing the amount of mustard flour without adversely affecting flavor, and (2) maintaining the standard recipe amount of mustard, but reducing the amount of egg yolk without adversely affecting the viscosity of the mayonnaise. In the following tabulation, the &#34;A&#34; samples of mayonnaise were prepared using spray dried mustard flours blended from 75% oriental whole seed, hot processed, with 25% yellow whole seed, cold processed. The &#34;B&#34; sample was prepared conventionally, as in Example II, as a control 
     
         __________________________________________________________________________              Viscosity (1000 cps)Variation from Standard Recipe              Immed.                  24 hrs.                       1 wk.                           3 wks.                               4 wks.__________________________________________________________________________A1 None            242 193  199 197 190B  None            217 193  188 174 170A2 -0.13% mustard, + 0.13%              235 173  185 184 188   WaterA3 -0.5% yolk, +0.5% water              204 162  152 155 147A4 +0.5% mustard, -0.79% yolk,              235 185  184 176 168   + 0.29% water__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     These samples were panel tested to the following effects. In the manufacture of mayonnaise, spray dried mustard flour is interchangeable with conventional dry ground mustard flour in virtually all respects. In addition, it is possible to reduce the mustard level in the standard recipe by 25 percent without adversely affecting either the flavor or the viscosity of the mayonnaise. Moreover, by maintaining the standard recipe level of 0.5% mustard, it is possible to reduce the egg yolk content by 7.5% without adversely affecting the viscosity of the mayonnaise. Thus, for the mayonnaise manufacturer, use of the spray dried mustard flour product of the invention can produce a savings in mustard cost, or a saving in egg yolk cost, and can permit some variation in the standard recipe to allow the manufacturer to take advantage of shifts in the relative pricing of these ingredients. 
     Because of the relative recentness and surprising nature of the invention and the commercial importance it bears to manufacture of mayonnaise, it has been primarily studied in relation to mayonnaise, so far. However, as related at the outset, the product is believed to have wider utility, e.g., in the manufacture of frankfurters, sausages and other processed meats, in batters such as breading and in bakery dough products, such as bread. Although these and other uses remain to be more fully explored, some surprising results have already been obtained. For instance, for reasons not completely understood by the present inventor, when conventional mustard flour is added to breading batter the period within which the batter must be used is shortened. This has limited the use of mustard flour as a breading batter ingredient and has cost food processors the value of the remainder of batches of batter which broke down before they could be used up. When spray dried mustard flour is substituted in the batter recipe, the batter does not break down and, generally can be completely used. 
     A number of &#34;imitation mayonnaise&#34; products are currently being marketed. The mustard flour products of the invention can be used as an ingredient thereof, as well as in salad dressing, horseradish cream and other salad creams constituted by a semi-solid or thick liquid salad oil emulsion. 
     When either the hot processed or cold processed, spray dried mustard flour is used alone as a prepared food ingredient, it may function as a relatively flavorless binder, emulsifier and/or extender. Accordingly, relatively bland versions of the flour may be used in shaped and formed meat choppetes, breaded cutlets, fish cakes, T.V.P., soybean meal and other meat-containing or meat-substitute blocks, patties and the like, as an ingredient of the core or as an ingredient of the breading or other coating. Furthermore, the flour of the invention may be used in bread, rolls, crusts, and in glazes therefor, and in stuffings and similar products. 
     Although the flour of the invention may be used in the production of &#34;prepared&#34; i.e., table mustard, and in similar products where the flavor and color of mustard are most important, conventional mustard flour is presently considered more highly flavored and brightly colored per unit quantity. Accordingly, the product of the invention is more likely to find widest use in prepared foods where the characteristics in which it excels are wanted. 
     Although it is contemplated the mustard flour product of the invention will be pre-blended by its manufacturer, before it is supplied to an industrial user, e.g., a mayonnaise manufacturer, it is apparent the mustard flour components may be separately packaged, to be blended by the user. The latter procedure would find use, for instance, in a new product development or testing program of the industrial user, in which the industrial user may wish to try several blends before settling upon one or more particular blends. 
     It should now be apparent that the mustard flour as described hereinabove possesses each of the attributes set forth in the specification under the heading &#34;Summary of the Invention&#34; hereinbefore. Because the mustard flour of the invention can be modified to some extent without departing from the principles of the invention as they have been outlined and explained in this specification, the present invention should be understood as encompassing all such modifications as are within the spirit and scope of the following claims.