AND A MIXTURE OF SOLUBLE PREBIOTIC FIBRES AND

PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION THEREOF

The present invention refers to food compositions comprising flour, glucomannan and a mixture of soluble prebiotic fibres. Particularly the prebiotic fibres are partially gel-forming and partially totally soluble, resulting in optimal alimentary fibre contribution, reduced caloric content, good palatability and optimal digestion. The compositions of the invention can be processed, for example, in form of corn-flakes, biscuits, crackers, slices of toast-like bread and food bars.

Foods ingested by most populations of the developed countries are very fibre deficient because of refining processes most components of human feed base products are subjected to.

Among these processes there are flour sifting, rice and other cereal polishing and similar processes.

This fibre deficiency involves a marked decrease of faecal mass resulting in a slower transit thereof thus causing intestine to be lazier and greater food exploitation in addition to constipation induction. Further, the fibre deficiency makes more difficult the attainment of satiety f eeling with a consequent lasting of hunger stimuli also after the assumption of food amount largely sufficient from the point of view of caloric contribution, resulting in overfeeding and overweight.

The above represents one reason of two more diffused disturbances particularly affecting developed populations i.e. overweight possibly leading to obesity, and constipation associated to consequences thereof (diverticulites, hemorrhoides, rhagades, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc).

In the light of the difficulty to induce the consumers to use nutritive substances with sufficient fibre amount using foods normally containing the latter (legumes, fruits, vegetables etc), therefore it is present, at the state of the art, the need to provide for good tasting food products to be assumed easy and assuring the correct quantitative and qualitative fibre contribution.

Several fibre containing food compositions are known, however composition thereof is not suitable to obtain low caloric contribution, increase of satiety and fermentation activity at colon level in such way to activate the hormonal intestinal functions involved in satiety feeling.

Document WO2005/107499 describes food compositions containing flour, inulin or fructooligosaccharides, wherein water insoluble fibres occur from 1 to 10%. These compositions aim to obtain products inducing lower glycaemic peak. However, this type of composition is not suitable t o provide a s atiety feeling, stimulate hormonal intestinal functions and modify internal flora. The insoluble fibre presence does not reduce appreciably glycaemic peak.

US2006/0210673 concerns preparations of long term stable food dough after microwave baking and involves the use during kneading of a mixture containing fibres, hydrocolloids, methyl cellulose, surface active agents,. Type and concentration of used components are not suitable to provide low caloric content food products increasing the satiety feeling and at the same time stimulating intestinal functions. Indeed some of said products can even have a negative effect at intestinal level. The insoluble fibre presence provides a low decrease of energetic density and therefore does not influence hyper-glycaemic peak, hypercholesterolemia, appetite, satiety feeling as well as insulin response. It is to be pointed out that glucomannan and still more all the other fibres at 1% content are unable to carry out any metabolic activity.

WO0067592 refers to a method to lower the viscosity of glucomannan in food compositions, for example with addition of inulin. Also this type of composition is not suitable to solve above exposed problems. The lowering of glucomannan viscosity results in the disadvantage to introduce in the composition compound lower amounts, thus avoiding processing problems and therefore at concentrations about 1% in the end product it is not suitable t o carrying out activity against the hunger feeling.

WO2005036971 describes food compositions for diabetics aiming to reduce the carbohydrate digestion and absorption using fermentable material, protein polymers and rheological modifiers. The document involves the use of many types of soluble, insoluble, fermentable and not fermentable, thickening fibres. However, these products do not solve the problem of satiety feeling and, depending on the amount, the constipation problem is partially solved. On the other hand several fibres, indeed all those extracted from plants, can subtract minerals to the absorption, forming compounds removed together with faeces; several products have also an insufficient compliance.

Further patent US6248375 concerning products for diabetics at low oligosaccharide content and containing fructose, oligosaccharides and fibres to be used as foods, is known. However, also the products obtained according to this patent are not suitable to solve above said problems.

Further patent application FR673360 describes food compositions containing soluble and insoluble fibres aiming to regulate the carbohydrate metabolism of fat people and not contrasting the overweight; however said compositions are unable to solve above reported problems.

In the light of above it is therefore apparent the need to provide new food compositions suitable to overcome the disadvantages of known composition reported for overweight treatment. The inventor of the present invention has now prepared a flour based food composition containing specific soluble, gel-forming and not gel-forming fibres suitable to be used as an optimal meal fibre supplement and formulated as processed product. The specific fibre mixture exerts a synergic action and confers to processed product properties inducing a long lasting satiety feeling, low caloric contribution favouring intestinal functionality by acting on all the colon. The finished products containing the inventive mixture can be advantageously assumed also by persons suffering from altered lipid and/or glucidic metabolism together with constipation or other pathologies.

It is therefore a specific object of present comprising a flour based food composition comprising glucomannan and a mixture of soluble prebiotic fibres like fructooligosaccharides and inulin. It is important the gel-forming fibre (glucomannan) fructooligosaccharides association because the best action synergism against overweight and related problems is obtained. No other association will be able to provide similar results. This also because the fibre amounts to be assumed with such association are the lowest and therefore the compliance is more increased.

The composition does not contain insoluble fibres. The flour based products can be selected from the group consisting of maize, wheat, rice, oats and/or malt.

The term food fibre generally refers to various compounds as cellulose, emicellulose, oligosaccharides, not digestible carbohydrates, pectins, rubbers, mucillagines and lignin, occurring in various vegetal origin food products. While on one side all these products share the property not to be hydrolyzed by body digestive enzymes, the same are different as to their chemical-physical properties, and particularly water solubility or insolubility, gel-forming ability, viscosity and susceptibility to be differently fermented by intestinal bacteria generating short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in various amounts, proliferation of healthy bacteria and at last modulation of colic flora and immune system.

Particularly it has been found that "so-called soluble type fibres" mainly display metabolic type effects (regulating blood glycaemic levels and modulating lipid absorption) while insoluble type fibres display gastrointestinal effects, regulating above all transit speed by means of consistency and increase of faecal mass volume.

As to soluble fibres the same can be or not gel-forming by water imbibition, being completely soluble. Among the first type, one of most effective, if not the most valid, is glucomannan (occurring in various types) that therefore displays to be an important ingredient in the soluble fibre supplements.

Glucomannan (Amorphophallus Konjac) is obtained from tuber of a plant occurring in Indo-china, Japan, China, India and extensively cultivated and consumed in the Far East countries since centuries. This fibre, consisting of polysaccharide chains formed by β-(1→4)-linked D-mannose and D-glucose units, has the ability to absorb a remarkable water amount (up 100 times weight thereof) by swelling and resulting in a soft but compact and not digestible gel, whose viscosity increases over the time reaching a maximum after 4 - 5 hours.

The used glucomannan has been selected from several glucomannan types, to allow an optimal activity within the intestine; particularly it is a glucomannan having a viscosity higher than 60.000 centipoises (cps), which preferably is variable from 65.000 to 75.000 cps, preferably 70.000 cps. One gram is able to bind 100 ml of water or other liquid (imbibition power) and being largely fermented produces a large proliferation of bifid bacteria and lactobacilli, i.e. man healthiest microorganisms. The production of bifid bacteria and SCFA improves both the composition of colic flora and colon trophism. Moreover, the gel-forming fibre affects the insulin production and insulin amount at empty stomach. It is important in fact the selection of glucomannan type since only some carry out effectively all the activities. In fact the activities on dys-metabolisms, both glucidic and lipidic, are directly proportional to glucomannan viscosity. For the invention purpose in fact a particular glucomannan type with a determined viscosity, advantageously greater than 60.000 centipoises, has been selected.

Among completely soluble fibres oligosaccharides in various forms thereof and resistant starch occur. Among oligosaccharides fructooligosaccharides and inulin are the most studied and documented ones. It is known that glucomannan displays healthy effects as below reported:

Obesity: formation of a voluminous gelatinous mass enclosing the food and fills up firstly the stomach, with an early satiety feeling and gastric emptying slowing; therefore lower hunger feeling and reduced food introduction and diminished absorption of nutrients at intestinal level by hormonal action;

Dys-lipidemias: lowering of haematic cholesterol level both by reduction of cholesterol and exogenous alimentary biliary acid absorption and absorption and elimination of biliary acids at intestinal level in hyper-lipidemic subjects;

Diabetes: extension of food residence time within the stomach and slowing of intestinal absorption of gel enclosed carbohydrate at intestinal level thus avoiding the post-prandium hyperglycaemic peak resulting in decrease of insulin requirements and need. This decrease of insulin amount avoids also hyperinsulinemia therefore affecting positively hunger feeling; Constipation: ability to hydrate and increase the faecal mass, reduction of ^• intestinal transit time, positive effect on intestinal fermentative flora, consequent stimulation of intestinal peristalsis and facilitation of faecal evacuation. As above said, in addition to glucomannan and flour, the composition of the invention comprises a mixture of FOS and inulin (prebiotic oligosaccharides); it is to be pointed out that fructooligosaccharides represents a fully soluble dietetic fibre without gel formation, consisting of fructose chain complex up to 9 and from 9 up 60 fructose molecules for FOS and inulin, respectively; both are not digested by enzymes reaching unaltered the colon where are fermented by bacteria.

Through their and metabolite thereof action mechanisms, the fructooligosaccharides can exert several healthy actions, by means of improved intestinal trophism, as for example: anti-inflammatory activity, particularly together with to some bifids: longum, infantis); against hyperlipidemia; regulation of glucid and lipid metabolism and premature induction of satiety; effect on immune system; increase of calcium and magnesium absorption; improvement of intestinal mucin production; activity in colon-rectum cancer prevention; activity against salmonella; reduction of bacterial translocation in patients to be subjected to surgical operations; decrease of cancerogenic enzyme activity (Beta glucuronidase, nitro- and azo-reductase; generation of sulfomucins instead of sialomucins, with protection from the translocation and attack of bacterial glucosidases; increase of villas surface resulting in an improvement of digestive and absorptive function and caecum and mucosal walls weight; decrease of potentially pathogenic activity; decrease of bacterial translocation and intestinal permeability. By means of the present invention it has been found that the mixture of two specific soluble fibres represented by FOS and inulin exerts a synergic effect and action involving all the colon. In fact, FOSs act on ascending colon and inulin on transverse and descendant colon. Further foods containing specific gel-forming and prebiotic fibre association supply a lower caloric contribution than similar foods without gel-forming fibre and frucotoligosaccharide addition, decrease the hunger feeling, regulate the intestinal transit and positively affect both the lipid and glucidic metabolism.

The amount of glucomannan used in food composition according to the present invention is preferably from 1.5 to 15% of total composition weight (i.e. finished product) and preferably that reported in the description for every specific product.

The amount of the soluble prebiotic fibre mixture is preferably from 1.0 to 18% of total composition weight (i.e. finished product) and preferably that reported in the description for every specific product. The fructooligosaccharide to inulin ratio of the soluble prebiotic fibre mixture, is 50:50.

The food composition according to the present invention can be processed in form of corn-flakes, biscuits, crackers, slices of toast-like bread and food bars the properties of added fibres being unaltered.

A particular embodiment of the present invention is represented by corn flakes comprising or consisting of the following ingredients: maize grits from 70 to 88%, sugar from 5 to 12%, glucomannan from 3 to 10%, fructooligosaccharides from 5 to 12%, malt extracts from 2 to 6% and sodium chloride from 1 ,5 to 5%, said percentages being weight percentages of ingredient total weight.

The now formulated composition, according to the invention, involves, for preparation thereof in form of corn-flakes, particular expedients as below described. A method for the preparation of corn-flakes represents a further object of the present invention, said method comprising or consisting of the following steps: a) dry pre-mix glucomannan, fructooligosaccharides and maize grits; b) continuously knead with addition of sugar and salt, at above reported % concentrations, dissolved in water amount from 27% to 33% of the total dough weight.

More particularly glucomannan, fructooligosaccharides and maize grits are dry pre-mixed using dosing pumps at 630/1300 rpm, and after withdrawal at said proportions delivery into a mixer where are dry mixed for 12-15 minutes.

The premixed sample is delivered into a kneader wherein concurrently, using a pump at 6.7/7.0 mmHg pressure, a sugar and salt solution is delivered at reported concentrations, which are such to confer to finished product the desired percentage and a water amount to dough from 27% to 33%.

The kneading is carried out continuously, as well as the successive baking carried out with a slow (70 rpm) "G " mono-screw extruder in order to process cereal flour, resulting in a minimal grit damaging assuring anyway the necessary baking.

Particularly the temperature of extruder cylinders are as below: 1° cylinder 70 ⁰ C 2° cylinder 110 ⁰ C 3° cylinder 120°C 4° cylinder 120 ⁰ C

The pre-baked dough is transported using a cochlea at 55 rpm at 50/75 Kg/cm ² pressure on head draw-plate at temperature of 70- 80°C.

On the draw-plate face a rotating blade, at such speed to obtain the dough cuts in form of little spheres of 5-6 mm diameter, is operating. Then the flaking operation, consisting of passing the little spheres through rotating cylinders at a such distance to result in a flake thickness from 0.50 to 0.65 mm, is carried out

Successively the product can be subjected to toasting step and in order to improve the same the moisture content of flakes can be lowered by drying on ventilated oscillating plates with warm air. Subsequent toasting step is carried out in a rotating belt oven wherein the air temperature is from 220 to 240 ⁰ C and pressure is 3.2/3.5 bars.

At oven exit the belt transported product is cooled with counter-current cold air. At this step the finished product with 2 - 3% humidity, ready to be packaged, has been obtained.

The products of the invention, like corn-flakes, slices of toast- like bread, biscuits and food bars can be usefully consumed both at breakfast and as snack since they provide anti-hunger activity and limited caloric contribution thus affecting positively total caloric contribution and constitutes also optimal fibre integration for diets of patients suffering form constipation, overweight and/or lipidic and/or glucidic dys-metabolism. The fibres, particularly if added at appropriate proportions to a food product, are suitable to slow the gastric emptying resulting in early satiety feeling and normalize the intestinal transit thus allowing satiety feeling and normal (not increased) nutrient absorption. This aspect is particularly important for breakfast that, in addition to be balanced from energetic and nutritive point of view, must also satisfy the individual hunger feeling so as to avoid frequent snacks or an excessive food ingestion during successive meal. On the other hand recent epidemiological studies have pointed out that, particularly during infancy, a breakfast insufficient from the caloric and nutritional point of view or even breakfast missing, characterize obese subjects, confirming the importance of this meal and the fibre therein contained for the regulation of hunger and satiety feeling in the course of the day. The possibility to provide compositions like those above described, palatable and easy to be consumed, allows to assume a nutritionally and metabolically optimal breakfast, considering that, in the distribution of daily meals, the breakfast would have to supply approximately 20% of the total calories. Moreover 30 g of product, representing _. the amount to be used daily, supply approximately 4,4 g of fibres, with a caloric contribution regularly distributed in energetic and nutritive principles, thus avoiding absorption excesses or peaks which could result in dys-metabolic effects, particularly at level of lipidic and glucidic metabolism. The present invention now will be described by an illustrative, but not limitative, way according to preferred embodiments thereof.

Example 1 : Concentrations of various components to be used in order to obtain corn flakes, slices of toast-like bread, biscuits, crackers and food bars enriched with inventive fibre mixture (and related caloric contribution)

INGREDIENTS BISCUITS INGREDIENTS

100 gr 100

(not exclusive choice)

Flour 0 45.0-60.0 g Flour 0 55.0 g

Sugar 10.0-20.O g Vegetal oil 10.0 g

Vegetal oil 7.0-14.O g Fructooligosaccharides 6.0 g Fructooligosacchaπdes 6.0-18.Og Glucomannan 9.Og

Glucomannarr 6.0-15.Og Maize flour 6.Og

Maize flour 4.0-10.0g Solub carbohydrates. 13.Og

Honey 1.0-2.Og Bicarbonate 0.8 g

Bicarbonate 0.5-1.5 g NaCI 0.2 g

NaCI 0.1-0.4 g Kcal 333

INGREDIENTS SLICES OF INGREDIENTS

TOAST-LIKE 100

BREAD (not exclusive choice)

Flour 65.0-85.0 g Flour 72.Og

Vegetal oil 2.0-7.0 g Vegetal oil 5.Og

Dextrose 0.5-3.0 g Dextrose 2.Og

Malt flour 0.1-0.3 g Malt flour 0.2 g

Ascorbic acid 0.008-0.1Og

Salt 0.5-3.0 g Salt 1.0g

Baker's yeast 3.0-8.0 g Baker's yeast 5.8 g

Fructooligosaccharides 5.0-12.Og Fructooligosaccharides 8.Og

Glucomannan 2.0-12.Og Glucomannan 6.Og

Kcal 335

INGREDIENTS CRACKER INGREDIENTS

100

(not exclusive choice)

Flour 65.0-85.0 g Flour 71.Og

Vegetal oil 1.0-12.Og Vegetal oil 6.Og

Malt flour 0.2-3.0 g Malt extract 2.Og

Sodium chloride 0.5-3.0 g Sodium chloride 2.Og

Baker's yeast 3.0-8.0 g Baker's yeast 4.0g

Fructooligosaccharides 5.0-18.Og Fructooligosaccharides 8.Og

Glucomannan 5.0-15.Og Glucomannan 7.Og

Kcal 335 For the preparation of biscuits, slices of toast-like bread, crackers and food bars the traditional production processes can be used. However, it is important that flour baking times and temperatures are selected in order to have integral and palatable products.

Slices of toast-like bread: Baking time 8-10 minutes.

Biscuit: Baking time 12-15 minutes, temperature from 130 ⁰ C to 180 ⁰ C. Cracker: Baking time 2,5 - 4 minutes, temperature from 22O ⁰ C to 320°C.

Food bars: Baking time 15 - 18 minutes, temperature approximately 115°C (contents of glucomannan and fructooligosaccharides of finished product 6 % for each). Example 2: Process for preparation of corn flakes according to the invention

The applicant experienced substantial difficulty in the study for the preparation of corn-flakes composition according to the invention because, using the traditional way, the glucomannan did not maintain its peculiar characteristics and was unable to absorb water thus swelling inside of the digestion apparatus of the eater. Therefore the preparation thereof will have to involve particular expedients as those described below.

In order the composition to be correspondent to above reported in the invention, in addition to glucomannan and fructooligosaccharides other ingredients, according to weight ranges as below reported, are used:

Ingredients amount

Maize grits (extruded maize g 70,0 -88,0% flour)

Sugar (saccharose) g 5,0 -12,0%

Glucomannan g 3,0 -10,0%

Fructooligosaccharides g 5,0 -12,0%

Malt extracted g 2,0 -6,0%

Salt (sodium chloride) g 1 ,5 -5,0% More particularly the applicant has experimented that for an optimal diet it is preferable, but not in exclusive way, the formulation as below:

Ingredients amount

Maize grits g 75,5

Sugar (saccharose) g 7,5

Glucomannan g 6,0

Fructooligosaccharides g 6,o

Malt extract g 3,o

Salt (sodium chloride) g 2,o

The composition, according to the invention as reported, involves for preparation in form of corn-flakes particular expedients as below described.

More particularly glucomannan, fructooligosaccharides and maize grits are dry pre-mixed using dosing pumps at 630/1300 rpm, and after withdrawal at said proportions are delivered into a mixer where are dry mixed for 12-15 minutes.

The premixed sample is delivered into a kneader wherein concurrently, using a pump at 6.7/7.0 mmHg pressure, a sugar and salt solution is delivered at reported concentrations, which are such to confer to finished product the desired percentage and a water amount to dough from 27% to 33%.

The kneading is carried out continuously, as well as the successive baking carried out with a slow (70 rpm) "G " mono-screw extruder in order to process cereal flour, resulting in a minimal grit damaging assuring anyway the necessary baking.

Particularly the temperature of extruder cylinders are as below:

1° cylinder 70 ⁰ C 2° cylinder 110 ⁰ C 3° cylinder 120 ⁰ C 4° cylinder 120°C

The pre-baked dough is transported using a cochlea at 55 rpm at 50/75 Kg/cm ² pressure on head draw-plate at temperature of 70- 80°C. On the draw-plate face a rotating blad e at such speed to obtain the dough cuts in form of little spheres of 5-6 mm diameter is operated. Then the flaking operation, consisting of passing the little spheres through rotating cylinders at a such distance to result in a flake thickness from 0.50 to 0.65 mm, is carried out

Successively the product can be subjected to toasting step and in order to improve the same the moisture content of flakes can be lowered by drying on ventilated oscillating plates with warm air.

Subsequent toasting step is carried out in a rotating belt oven wherein the air temperature is from 220 to 240°C and pressure is

3.2/3.5 bars.

At oven exit the belt transported product is cooled with counter-current cold air. At this step the finished product with 2 - 3% humidity, ready to be packaged, has been obtained. The corn-flakes produced with such ingredients preferably, but not exclusively, have the following centesimal composition in nutritive substances:

Total alimentary fibre 14.7%

Complex carbohydrates (p.d.) 62.2% Saccharose 6.6%

Proteins 6.0%

Reducing sugars 3.2%

Fat (i.a.) 2.2%

Sodium chloride 1.4% Minerals 0.7%

Moisture 3.0%

Kcal 312

Moreover, the corn-flakes produced according to the invention maintain glucomannan FOS and inulin unaltered properties resulting in all advantageous previously reported effects and confer optimal palatability to the product.