CROSS-REFERNCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of European Application No. 22175001. 1, filed

May 24, 2022, and European Application No. 22196243.4, filed September 16, 2022, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Meringue is a dessert or candy made mainly from whipped egg whites (albumen) and sugar. As there has been a growing trend in replacing foods produced from animals with plantbased analogues, there is a demand for an egg-free version of meringue in the market.

SUMMARY

[0003] The present disclosure provides an egg-free meringue composition that comprises a hydrolyzed pea protein, a carrageenan, at least one sweetening agent (preferably sucrose), water, and optionally a starch. The hydrolyzed pea protein and the carrageenan are present in a ratio of 1 :0.5 to 1:2 in the composition.

[0004] The present disclosure also provides a meringue-containing food product that comprises an egg-free meringue composition of the present disclosure.

[0005] The present disclosure also provides a use of a blend of a hydrolyzed pea protein a carrageenan as an albumen replacement to prepare an egg-free meringue composition.

[0006] The present disclosure also provides a method of manufacturing an egg-free meringue. The method comprises the steps of providing a blend of a hydrolyzed pea protein and a carrageenan; optionally pre-mixing the blend with a sweetening agent (preferably sucrose), and/or a starch; mixing the blend with water at a pre-determined temperature to obtain a mixture; adding a sweetening agent (preferably sucrose) to the mixture and mixing the sweetening agent with the mixture to obtain an egg-free meringue composition; optionally depositing the egg-free meringue composition; and drying the egg-free meringue composition to obtain the egg-free meringue.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] Reference will now be made in detail to certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter, examples of which are illustrated in part in the accompanying drawings. While the disclosed subject matter will be described in conjunction with the enumerated claims, it will be understood that the exemplified subject matter is not intended to limit the claims to the disclosed subject matter.

[0008] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. As used herein, each of the following terms has the meaning associated with it as defined below. [0009] Throughout this document, values expressed in a range format should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. For example, a range of “about 0.1% to about 5%” or “about 0.1% to 5%” should be interpreted to include not just about 0.1% to about 5%, but also the individual values (e.g., 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., 0.1% to 0.5%, 1.1% to 2.2%, 3.3% to 4.4%) within the indicated range. The statement “about X to Y” has the same meaning as “about X to about Y,” unless indicated otherwise. Likewise, the statement “about X, Y, or about Z” has the same meaning as “about X, about Y, or about Z,” unless indicated otherwise.

[0010] Unless expressly stated, ppm (parts per million), percentage, and ratios are on a by weight basis. Percentage on a by weight basis is also referred to as wt% below.

[0011] All parameter ranges disclosed include the endpoints and all values in between, unless otherwise specified.

[0012] When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprise" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps, or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps, or components.

[0013] In this document, the terms “a,” “an,” or “the” are used to include one or more than one unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive “or” unless otherwise indicated. All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. Tn the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference should be considered supplementary to that of this document: for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

[0014] The term “or” as used herein refers to a nonexclusive “or” unless otherwise indicated. The statement “at least one of A and B” has the same meaning as “A, B, or A and B.” L0015 J The term "for example," "for instance," "such as," or "including" as used herein is meant to introduce examples that further clarify more general subject matter. Unless otherwise specified, these examples are provided only as an aid for understanding the applications illustrated in the present disclosure and are not meant to be limiting in any fashion.

[0016] In the methods described herein, the acts can be carried out in any order without departing from the principles of the disclosure, except when a temporal or operational sequence is explicitly recited. Furthermore, specified acts can be carried out concurrently unless explicit claim language recites that they be carried out separately. For example, a claimed act of doing X and a claimed act of doing Y can be conducted simultaneously within a single operation, and the resulting process will fall within the literal scope of the claimed process.

[0017] The present disclosure provides an egg-free meringue composition that can be obtained by replacing albumen in traditional egg-white meringue with the use of a blend of a hydrolyzed pea protein and a carrageenan.

[0018] As used herein, “egg-free”, “free of egg”, or “free of egg protein” refer to a meringue composition that is substantially free of avian egg or avian egg protein(s), i.e., containing no detectable amounts of avian egg protein.

[0019] As used herein, “room temperature” or “RT” refer to a temperature between 20°C to 25°C.

Pea protein

[0020] Pea protein in the present egg-free meringue composition can have a protein content of at least about 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 88 wt%, 90 wt%, 92 wt%, 95 wt%, or 97 wt%. For example, the protein content of the pea protein can be about 80 - 97%, 85 - 95%, or 88 - 92%. The remaining components of the pea protein include, but are not limited to, lipids and/or carbohydrates. In one aspect, the pea protein can have a peptide profile as shown in Table 1.

Table 1.

[0021] The pea protein in the present egg-free meringue composition has been hydrolyzed at least to some degree. In one aspect, the pea protein is partially or preferably, fully hydrolyzed. The extent to which the pea protein is hydrolyzed can be described by “degree of hydrolysis” or “DH”. Technically, DH is defined as the proportion of cleaved peptide bonds in a protein hydrolysate relative to the total amount of peptide bonds in the protein before hydrolysis occurred. [0022] In one aspect, a fully hydrolyzed pea protein has a DH of at least 20%, preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least 28%, and most preferably a DH of at least 30% or of about 30%. The DH can be from 20% to 40%, preferably 25% to 35%, and more preferably 28% to 32%. In one aspect, the DH of a partially hydrolyzed pea protein is at most 10%, alternatively at most 5%, at most 2%, or at most 1.5%. The measurement method for measuring the DH is provided in the example section below.

Carrageenan

[0023] Carrageenan in the present egg-free meringue composition can include different types of carrageenan, namely kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, and lambda carrageenan, that vary in sulfation. In one aspect, the carrageenan can have a kappa carrageenan and an iota carrageenan in a ratio of about 1:0.1, 1:0.2, 1:0.3, 1:0.4, 1 :0.5, 1 :0.6, 1 :0.7, 1:0.8, 1:0.9, 1:1, 1:2, 1 :3, 1 :4, 1 :5, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1 :9, or 1: 10. For example, a ratio of kappa carrageenan and iota carrageenan can be in a range of about 1 :0.1 to 1 :10, 1 :0.2 to 1 :9, 1:0.3 to 1:8, 1:0.4 to 1:7, 1:0.8 to 1 :7, 1 : 1 to 1 :7, 1:4 to 1:7, 1:7 to 1: 10, 1:4 to 1 : 10, 1:5 to 1:9, or 1:6 to 1 :8.

[0024] In one aspect, the carrageenan can have more than one blend, preferably two blends, of carrageenan in the egg-free meringue composition. For example, a ratio of a first blend of carrageenan and a second blend of carrageenan can be about 1: 1, 1: 1.5, 1: 1.7, 1 :2, 1 :2.2, 1:2.5, 1 :2.8, 1:3, 1 :3.5, 1 :4, 1 :4.5, 1:5, or l :6. The ratio of a first blend of carrageenan and a second blend of carrageenan can also be in a range of 1: 1 to 1:6, 1:1 to 1:5, 1: 1 to 1 :4, 1: 1 to 1 :3, 1:1 to 1:2.5, 1 : 1 to 1:2.2, 1: 1 to 1 :2, 1: 1 to 1 : 1.7, or 1: 1 to 1 : 1.5.

[0025] In one aspect, the content of a first blend of carrageenan in the present egg-free meringue composition can be about 0.1 wt%, 0.125 wt%, 0.25 wt%, 0.45 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 0.75 wt%, 1 wt%, 1.25 wt%, or 1.5 wt%. For example, the content of a first blend of carrageenan in the egg-free meringue composition can be in arrange of about 0.1 - 1.5 wt%, 0.125 - 1.25 wt%, 0.125 - 1 wt%, 0.25 - 1 wt%, 0.45 - 1 wt%.

[0026] In one aspect, the content of a second blend of carrageenan in the present egg-free meringue composition can be about 0. 1 wt%, 0.2 wt%, 0.375 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 0.55 wt%, 0.75 wt%, or 1 wt%. For example, the content of a second blend of carrageenan in the egg-free meringue composition can be in a range of about 0.1 - 1 wt%, 0.1 - 0.75 wt%, 0.1 - 0.5 wt%, or 0.375 - 0.55 wt%.

[0027] Carrageenan in the present egg-free meringue composition can include one or more than one blend of carrageenan. In one aspect, different blends of carrageenan can have the same or different concentrations (e.g., wt%) in the egg-free meringue composition. Each blend of carrageenan can have the same or different profiles of kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, and lambda carrageenan. Different blends of carrageenan can have the same or different profiles of kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, and lambda carrageenan.

[0028] In another aspect, there is only one blend of carrageenan present in the egg-free meringue composition and provides same or similar functions and/or properties as those of an egg-free meringue composition having more than one blend of carrageenan.

[0029] In one aspect, a ratio of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan present in the present egg-free meringue composition can be about 1:0.4, 1:0.5, 1:0.6, 1:0.7, 1:0.8, 1 :0.9, 1: 1, 1 : 1.1, 1: 1.2, 1: 1.3, 1 : 1.4, 1 :1.5, 1: 1.6, 1: 1.7, 1: 1.8, 1 :1.9, 1 :2, 1:2.2, or 1:2.5. For example, the ratio of the hydrolyzed pea protein and the carrageenan present in the composition can be in a range of about 1:0.4 to 1 :2.5, 1 :0.5 to 1:2.5, 1:0.5 to 1 :2, 1 :0.5 to 1: 1.8, 1:0.5 to 1:1.5, 1:0.5 to 1: 1.2, 1:0.5 to 1: 1, 1 :0.5 to 1:0.7, 1:0.6 to 1 :2, 1 :0.6 to 1: 1.5, 1:0.6 to 1 :1, 1 :0.7 to 1:2, 1:0.7 to 1 :1.7, 1:0.7 to 1 : 1.5, 1:0.7 to 1 : 1, 1: 1 to 1:2, 1: 1 to 1:1.8, 1 : 1 to 1: 1.5, or 1 : 1 to 1: 1.2.

Compositions

[0030] The egg-free meringue composition of the present disclosure also comprises at least one sweetening agent. Sweetening agent may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: sugars (e g., trehalose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, palatinose, isomaltulose, cane sugar, beet sugar, rice syrup, invert sugar, honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, high fructose com syrup, combinations thereof, and the like), and/or sugar alternatives such as high intensity sweeteners (e.g., steviol glycosides, mogrosides, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K), aspartame, saccharin or brazzein, combinations thereof, and the like) combined with bulking agents (e.g., resistant dextrin, inulin, or fructooligosaccharides (FOS)), combinations thereof, and the like), and/or polyols/low or nocalorie sweeteners (e.g., isomalt, tagatose, erythritol, maltitol, lactitol, sorbitol, mannitol, allulose, xylitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, combinations thereof, and the like). Preferably the sweetening agent is or comprises sucrose (also referred to herein as “sugar” in the singular and also known as table sugar). More preferably the sweetening agent is sucrose.

[0031] In one aspect, the content of the sweetening agent in the egg-free meringue composition is at least about 60 wt%, 65 wt%, 67 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, or 80 wt%. For example, the egg-free meringue composition can include about 60 - 80 wt%, 65 - 80 wt%, 67 - 80 wt%, or 67 - 75 wt% sweetening agent.

[0032] In one aspect, the egg-free meringue composition of the present disclosure comprises water in a concentration of about 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 31 wt%, 35 wt%, or 40 wt%. For example, the egg-free meringue composition can include about 20 - 40 wt%, 25 - 35 wt%, 20 - 31 wt%, or 31 - 40 wt% water.

[0033] In one aspect, the egg-free meringue composition of the present disclosure can also comprise a starch in a concentration of about 0 wt%, 0.5wt%, 1 wt%, 1.5 wt%, 2 wt%, 2.5 wt%, 3 wt%, 3.5 wt%, or 4 wt%. For example, the egg-free meringue composition can include about 0 - 4 wt%, 0.5 - 3.5 wt%, 1 - 3 wt%, 1.5 - 2.5 wt%, 0 - 2 wt%, or 2 - 4 wt% starch.

[0034] In one aspect, the egg-free meringue composition of the present disclosure comprises: a hydrolyzed pea protein, a carrageenan, at least one sweetening agent (preferably sucrose), water, and optionally a starch. Table 2 provides a preferred composition of such an egg- free meringue composition.

Table 2.

[0035] In one aspect, density of the egg-free meringue composition is at least about 0.4 g/L, 0.45 g/L, 0.5 g/L, 0.55 g/L, 0.6 g/L, 0.65 g/L, or 0.7 g/L. For example, the egg-free meringue composition can have a density of about 0.4 - 0.7 g/L, 0.4 - 0.65 g/L, 0.4 - 0.6 g/L, 0.5 - 0.7 g/L, 0.5 - 0.65 g/L, 0.5 - 0.6 g/L, or 0.6 - 0.7 g/L.

[0036] In all of the aspects disclosed above, preferably the sweetening agent is or comprises sucrose. More preferably the sweetening agent is sucrose.

Albumen replacement

[0037] A blend of a hydrolyzed pea protein and a carrageenan, in one aspect, can be used to develop an albumen replacement. The blend of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan can then be used to prepare an egg-free meringue composition. For example, a blend of a hydrolyzed pea protein and a carrageenan can be combined with water and a sweetening agent, preferably sucrose, to prepare an egg-free meringue composition.

[0038] In one aspect, a ratio of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan in the blend is about 1:0.4, 1:0.5, 1:0.6, 1:0.7, 1:0.8, 1:0.9, 1 : 1, 1 :1.1, 1 :1.2, 1: 1.3, 1: 1.4, 1: 1.5, 1: 1.6, 1 : 1.7, 1: 1.8, 1 : 1.9, 1:2, 1 :2.2, or 1:2.5. For example, the ratio of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan in the blend can be about 1:0.4 to 1:2.5, 1 :0.5 to 1:2.5, 1 :0.5 to 1:2, 1:0.5 to 1 : 1.8, 1:0.5 to 1: 1.5, 1:0.5 to 1: 1.2, 1 :0.5 to 1: 1, 1:0.5 to 1 :0.7, 1:0.6 to 1:2, 1:0.6 to 1 :1.5, 1 :0.6 to 1: 1, 1:0.7 to 1 :2, 1:0.7 to 1 : 1.7, 1:0.7 to 1: 1.5, 1:0.7 to 1: 1, 1: 1 to 1:2, 1: 1 to 1: 1.8, 1: 1 to 1:1.5, or 1: 1 to 1:1.2.

Method of manufacturing an egg-free meringue

[0039] In accordance with the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing an egg-free meringue comprises steps of: (a) providing a blend of a hydrolyzed pea protein and a carrageenan;

(b) optionally pre-mixing the blend with a sweetening agent, preferably sucrose, and/or a starch;

(c) mixing the blend with water at a pre-determined temperature to obtain a mixture; (d) adding a sweetening agent, preferably sucrose, to the mixture and mixing the sweetening agent with the mixture to obtain an egg-free meringue composition; (e) optionally depositing the egg-free meringue composition; and (f dr ing the egg-free meringue composition to obtain the egg-free meringue. The method, in one aspect, can have a step of mixing a hydrolyzed pea protein and a carrageenan prior the providing step (step (a)).

[0040] The drying step (step (e)) of the method can include drying the egg-free meringue composition in a conventional dryer (e.g., an oven or a drying cabinet,) preferably, at 60°C for 3 hours, and more preferably at 60°C for 6 hours. In one aspect, the composition can be dried in an oven at a temperature of about 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, or 65°C, and for a period of about 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, or 8 hours. For example, the composition can be dried in an oven at a temperature in a range of about 40°C to 65°C, 40°C to 60°C, 50°C to 65°C, or 50°C to 60°C, for a period of time in a range of about 3 to 8 hours, 3 to 7 hours, 4 to 8 hours, 4 to 7 hours, 5 to 8 hours, 5 to 7 hours, or 6 to 8 hours.

[0041] In one aspect, the blend of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan can have a ratio as described above.

[0042] In one aspect, the carrageenan in the blend can include different types of carrageenan, namely kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, and lambda carrageenan. The carrageenan can have a kappa carrageenan and an iota carrageenan in a ratio as described above.

[0043] In one aspect, the carrageenan can include one or more than one blend of carrageenan. Different blends of carrageenan can have the same or different concentrations (e.g., wt%) in the blend of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan. Each blend of carrageenan can have the same or different profiles of kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, and lambda carrageenan. Different blends of carrageenan can have the same or different profiles of kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, and lambda carrageenan.

[0044] In one aspect, the pre-determined temperature of the water added to mix with the blend of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan is about 3°C, 5°C, 8°C, 10°C, 15°C, 18°C, 20°C, 22°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, or 50°C. For example, the pre-determined temperature can be about 3°C - 50°C, 5°C - 50°C, 10°C - 50°C, 5°C - 30°C, 5°C - 20°C, 5°C - 18°C, 5°C - 15°C, 5°C - 10°C, 15°C - 50°C, 20°C - 50°C, 20°C - 45°C, 20°C - 40°C, 20°C - 35°C, 22°C - 50°C, 22°C - 45°C, 22°C - 40°C, 22°C - 35°C, 25°C - 50°C, 25°C - 45°C, 25°C - 40°C, 25°C - 35°C, or 30°C - 50°C. In one aspect, the pre-determined temperature can be room temperature.

EXAMPLES

[0045] The invention is further described in detail by reference to the following experimental examples. These examples are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified. Thus, the invention should in no way be construed as being limited to the following examples, but rather should be construed to encompass any and all variations which become evident as a result of the teaching provided herein.

Materials and Method

[0046] Trials were carried out to study different combinations of ingredients for making egg-free meringue. Tables 3 to 5 show the ingredients and corresponding concentrations used in the trials. Table 3.

Table 4.

Table 5. [0047 J First, blends of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan were prepared. In Trials 1 to 8, Lygomme PM300, a blend of 50:50 mix of a fully hydrolyzed pea protein (with a degree of hydrolysis (DH) of about 30%) and a carrageenan (made up of 87.5% of iota carrageenan and 12.5% of kappa carrageenan) was used. In two of these trials, Trials 6 and 8, the blends of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan were pre-mixed with sugar. In Trial 7, the blend of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan was pre-mixed with sugar and starch (C*Tex Instant 12612). In the last two trials, Trials 9 and 10, carrageenan (Satiagel PG402 and Satiagel PG302) were mixed with hydrolyzed pea protein (Puris 870H and Radipure E) according to Table 5 to form the blends of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan. Both Puris 870H and Radipure E are partially hydrolyzed and have DH of less than 10%.

[0048] Water at the corresponding temperature (or pre-determined temperature) was then mixed with the blend of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan in a container until no powder was found to stick to the bottom of the container. Sugar was slowly added to a mixture of water and the blend of hydrolyzed pea protein and carrageenan for a maximum of 1.5 minutes to obtain an egg-free meringue composition. The egg-free meringue compositions in all trials were further mixed for another 2 minutes and deposited.

[0049] The egg-free meringue compositions were dried according to drying conditions in Table 6 below to obtain the egg-free meringues.

Table 6. L0050J The egg-free meringues were evaluated by a sensory panel and densities thereof were measured. For this specific example, the target density was set at 0.4 g/L.

Results and Discussion

[0051] Results of the density measurement and sensory evaluation were shown in Table 7 The results showed that the DH of the pea protein played an important role in the attributes (e.g., appearance, color, texture, density, etc.) of the final egg-free meringue composition.

Table 7.

Measurement of Degree of Hydrolysis (DH)

[0052] The DH of a material can be determined by the well-known method, o-phthalic- dialdehyde (OP A) method. The OPA method detects the primary amino groups in the native and modified proteins (e.g., hydrolyzed protein). [0053] An OPA reagent was prepared by first dissolving 40 mg OPA in 1 mL methanol, followed by adding 25 mL of 0. 1 M Borax solution. 200 mg of dimethylacetamide (DMAC) and 5 mL of 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution were then added, and the resulting mixture was mixed and adjusted to 50 mL with Milli-Q water to obtain the OPA reagent.

[0054] A solution of 1% dry substance of the intact protein product (i.e., non-hydrolyzed solution, Ao) and a solution of 1 % dry substance of the modified protein sample (i.e., hydrolyzed test solution, A) were prepared with Milli-Q water. An array of spectrophotometer cells was prepared as shown in Table 8.

Table 8.

[0055] Cells 2, 3, and 4 were prepared in double for obtaining average results. Each cell was covered with a Parafilm and mixed by reversing the cells for three times. After the absorbance readout was stabilized, absorbances of all the cells at a wavelength of 340 nm were measured.

[0056] DH of the hydrolyzed protein sample was calculated according to Equation 1 :

M * [(A - A _b ) - (A _o - A _d )] * 100

Equation 1: DH(%) =

8 * P

[0057] In the above Equation 1, Ab is the absorbance of Cell 2, Ao is the absorbance of Cell 3, and A is the absorbance of Cell 4. M is the average molecular weight of amino acids present in pea protein, 8 is the specific absorption (6,000 1/mol/cm), and P is the sample concentration in the cell. L0058J Table 9 shows the results of the DH measurement for the pea proteins used in the trials.

Table 9.