An Improved Process for the Solution of Organic Albumenous Substances and for the production of Soluble Preparations of Albumen.
Year: 1897

page_text: An Improved Process for the Solution of Organic Albumenous
Substances and for the production of Soluble Preparations of
Albumen.
I, Dr. HERMANN BREMER, of 4/II, Kapuzinerplatz, Munich, in the Empire of
Germany, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It has not been possible hitherto to dissolve perfectly meat and other organised
albumenous substances in a technically utilisable manner without a considerable
decomposition and change of the natural albumen combinations. Diluted acids
and diluted fixed alcalis dissolve only a small part of these albumen substances,
concentrated acids and alcalis dissolve them only with a considerable change.
Liebig indicated as the ideal of a meat preparation, one which would contain all
the albumen substances of the meat, it was therefore certainly of interest to find a
means, which transforms the meat completely into a soluble form, as well as also
other natural albumen substances of animal or vegetable origin without such
considerable change and dissolution of the albumen combinations. The complete
solution of meat and other albumenous substances is effected by treating them
with diluted ammonia solutions or solutions of easily dissociating ammonia
combinations under pressure (for instance 3 atm.) at a high temperature (for
instance 130° C.). As solvent means can be used water or water steam also
mixture of water & alcohol and similar liquids, but for this mixture it is necessary,
that the albumen combinations produced are completely soluble therein at least in
the heat.
The albumen solutions produced by this treatment can be evaporated directly in
a vacuum to an extract like consistence or for drying, after the ingredients, which
are not of an albumenous nature and which remained undissolved, have been separated
by means of decantation and filtration. The albumen preparations so produced
are suitable for use as easily digestible food rich in albumen either directly or
in the preparation of for instance, pastry, flour, butter etc.
According to the duration of the operation and to the height of the pressure and
of the temperature the albumenous substances are more or less peptonised by the
treatment with ammonia solution. When the treatment does not endure longer
than is necessary for the complete solution of the albumenous substances for
instance of meat, a part of the albumenous substances remain coagulatable after
the separation of the ammonia from the solution. This part of the albumenous
substances can be then separated by stronger heating by means of salt or alcohol,
as well as especially also by a prudent addition of muriatic acid and can be used
either after pressing as easily digestible albumen substance directly or after a

page_text: repeated treatment with ammonia or other fixed alcali (soda lye, potassium lye,
lime) in which the fresh precipitate is now soluble.
Only so much of alcali is taken as will serve for a neutral solution, or only two-
thirds of this quantity ascertained by previous experiments.
Also the alcali can be added in these quantities like the ammonia albumen
solution so that from the still coagulatable albumenous substances there are formed
the corresponding albumen combinations, which are easily soluble and less easily
coagulatable.
An Improved Process for the Solution of Organic Albumenous
Substances and for the Production of Soluble Preparations of
Albumen.
I, Dr. HERMANN BREMER, of 4/II Kapuzinerplatz, Munich, in the Empire of
Germany, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
It has not been possible hitherto to dissolve albumenous substances of animal or
vegetable matter, which are also called organised albumenous substances, in a
perfect manner so as to be of technical utility without considerable decomposition
and change of the natural albumenous compounds. Diluted acids and diluted fixed
alkalis dissolve only a small part of these albumenous substances, concentrated
acids and alkalis dissolve them only with a considerable change. Only caseine
which is not an organized albumenous substance in this sense, is capable of being
dissolved completely in diluted alkalis; caseine in contradistinction to most
albumenous substances of animal or vegetable matter, which consists of albumens,
globulin, proteides and albuminoids is a strong bi-basic acid which in consequence
of its strong acid character enters easily into combination with the alkalis and
alcaline earths and forms with them salts which are at least partly soluble in water.
Whilst it is possible to combine caseine in a damp and even dry state with bases of
the more or less soluble salts, this is not possible under general conditions with
organized albumenous substances, for instance meat, vegetable or nuclar and
glutenous substances.
A process, which dissolves these organized albumenous substances of animal or
vegetable matter completely and without loss of their quality as real albumenous
substance and keeps it also after the drying in a soluble form, so that the product
can serve for nourishing purposes as albumen soluble in water and therefore easily
digestible, has not been known hitherto; the hitherto used methods are limited to
the production of soluble albumen combinations from unorganized albumenous
substances for instance, from caseine and easily soluble vegetable albumens. The
hitherto indicated processes have also partly not the desired effect; for instance,
the experiments of Professor Dr. Stutzer of Bonn (Zeitschrift für angew Chemic)
have shown, that the albumenous substance of cacao is not made essentially more
soluble by the hitherto used methods of solution.
The present process is intended for bringing all organized albumenous substances

page_text: into soluble albumen combinations. For this purpose these substances brought
into as fine as possible a state of subdivision are treated, at a pressure of over 2
atmospheres and at a higher temperature until complete solution of the albumenons
substance, with ammonia solutions or with solutions of easily dissociating ammonia
combinations, for instance ammonia carbonate which contain ammonia in excess or
also with such ammonia solutions, which contain besides a just sufficient quantity
of alkali or alkali carbonate for converting the albumen into albumin ite; the thus
produced solutions are evaporated until dry preferably at the beginning in the
water bath but finally at a low temperature in vacuo. Whilst for dissolving the
organized albumenous substances, a higher pressure and higher temperature are
unconditionally required, any warmth surpassing the coagulation temperature of
the albumen combination must be carefully avoided during drying, that is to say,
when the ammonia is no longer in excess, as otherwise the albumen combination
becomes insoluble. It is a consequence of not heeding the latter condition and of
using water vapour for driving the ammonia off, that for instance with solution of
the cacao by means of ammonia or ammonia carbonate and also alkalis, after the
solution is finished, there is, as Professor Dr. Stutzer has proved, as much albumenous
substance insoluble in water, as before the treatment.
The present process differs from those solution processes, which have been
recommended by Dr. Zipperer for cacao maufacture by the pressure and the
temperature being brought as high, as is required for the complete solution of all
albumenous substance, but when evaporating and drying the solution using a low
temperature at least after having driven off the larger surplus of ammonia under
the coagulation temperature of the albumen combination, whereby alone it is
possible, to obtain the albumen in a soluble form. The pressure and the
temperature may differ, generally however a temperature is about 120° C. and the
pressure 2 atmospheres. The higher the pressure the higher is the temperature
used and the shorter is the time required for complete solution of the albumenous
substance. On increasing the pressure considerably, for instance, to 10 atmospheres,
a lower temperature, for instance, 100° C. will also be sufficient for dissolving the
albumenous substance in ammonia solution.
Special advantages are offered by the use of a combination of an excess of
ammonia or ammonia salt with an exactly sufficient quantity of alkali or alkali
carbonates; for every 100 parts of dry albumen insoluble in water there are used
5 to 6 parts of sodium hydrate or the corresponding quantity of hydrate of
potassium or alkali carbonate. For cacao with usually 8-10 % of insoluble
albumenous substances 0.5 per cent. of hydrate of sodium is sufficient with an excess
of ammonia solution. When using this combination of liquid ammonia and alkali
there is obtained a complete solution of the albumenous substance by means of the
excess of ammonia and there remains finally the albuminate combination of the
fixed alkali, which has different advantages over the ammonia combination, amongst
others the advantage, that it becomes less easily dissociated and insoluble than the
ammonia combination. When using a quantity of fixed alkali alone just sufficient
for the albumen combination organized albumenous substances are not completely
dissolved; the residue makes the products useless as nourishment, for which
reason also in this respect the use of a mixture of the just sufficient quantity of
alkali and an excess of ammonia is recommended.
Of course the sufficient quantity of alkali can also be added after the solution with
excess of ammonia solution in order to produce the alkali combination of the
albumenous substance and finally one can also avoid such addition, if the ammonia
combination is to be obtained; this however on account of its easy dissociation must
be dried at a very low temperature under 35° C. The strength of the ammonia solution
may vary, even ammonia gas can operate in the presence of a little water under a
higher pressure on fine pulverized substance, a sufficiently high pressure and
sufficiently high temperature giving the complete solution of the albumenous
substance is obtained. The ammonia must be used only in excess in proportion to

page_text: the quantity of albumen to 100 parts (dry) insoluble albumenous substance at
least 5 parts N.H.3.
The
The operation of the process will be more evident from the following examples
1. 10 kilogrammes of bones and of meat (beef) freed from fat are cut very fine
by means of meat cutting machines, and then steeped in water for removing the
meat extract ingredients and with warm alcohol for separating the fat.
remaining insoluble meat substance is then mixed with 10 kgr. water and 1 litre of
10% ammonia solution and kept in an enamelled digester with stirring device for
1 and a half hours at 133° C. at a pressure of 3 atmospheres. After cooling under
100° C. the solution is separated eventually from impurities by decanting or filtering
and evaporated in a vacuum apparatus after addition of 75 grammes of hydrate of
sodium; and placed on plates and dried completely under 35° C. Instead of drying
the albumenous solution on plates the albumenous matter can also be precipitated with
alcohol and ether, and pressed and the powder like substance thus obtained easily
soluble in water can be dried under 35° C. and so freed from alcohol and ether.
The product of soluble meat albumen, which is thus obtained, amounts to about
100 per cent. of the albumenous substance of the meat insoluble in water.
2. 10 kgr. of pulverised cacao from which the oil has been extracted are mixed
with 2 litres of a watery solution of 40 to 50 grammes of hydrate of sodium (or the
corresponding quantities of alkali carbonates) and about 50 grammes of ammonia
gas (about 500 parts of ammonia solution of 10 %) and this mixture is stirred in an
enamelled digester for 1 and a half hours under a pressure of 3 atmospheres and
warmed to about 133° C. After cooling down to below 50° C. the mass is dried
under 35° C. In this manner about 100 % of the albumenous substance of the
cacao insoluble in water are brought into a form soluble in water.
3. Aleuronate an artificial manure as sold in the German market, which contains
12 per cent. of nitrogen insoluble in water, corresponding to about 75% of
vegetable albumen insoluble in water, is mixed with the half of its weight of
10% ammonia solution and warmed in an enamelled digester, while stirring, under
a pressure of 3 atmospheres for 1 and a half hours to about 133° C. After cooling
the solution is evaporated under 35° C. until dry. Thus about 100 per cent. of the
insoluble vegetable albumen are transformed into albumen soluble in water.
Instead of evaporating directly when large quantities of liquid as in meat
solution are present, the dissolved albumenous substances can be separated by
means of salt, by saturating the solution with common salt, ammonia sulphate,
sodium sulphate, etc. or by adding alcohol in excessive quantity or finally by
neutralisation with acid for instance muriatic acid. The thus separated albumenous
substances are again brought into solution after the liquid is pressed off with as
little water as possible and a just sufficient quantity of alkali and ammonia, and
then they are evaporated under the coagulation temperature generally under 35° C.
until dry. In this manner the evaporating of large quantities of water can be
dispensed with and besides there can be thus obtained soluble albumen preparations
quite free from peptone.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
An improved process for the solution of natural albumenous substances of animal
and vegetable cells and for producing soluble albumen preparations wherein the
albumenous substances especially meat, meatflour, cacao, cereals and other
albumenous vegetable products are treated with ammonia solutions in liquid or in
vaporous state or with solutions of easily dissociating ammonia combinations under
pressure, and at a high temperature and wherein (a) the thus produced albumen
solutions are evaporated under the coagulation temperature in the vacuum directly
or after addition of a sufficient quantity of soda-lye, potassium lye, lime milk, or
alkali carbonates, or (6) the dissolved albumenous substances are again separated

page_text: by supersaturating with acids, or by means of salt, or by separating with alcohol
and after separation of the liquid are combined with the sufficient quantity of
alkali carbonate or acid and evaporated at a low temperature.
Dated thin 10th dow of Fahrn 1898
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.