Claims for Patent: 7,037,540

Summary for Patent: 7,037,540

Title:	Method for reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods
Abstract:	A process and apparatus for a method for reducing the amount of acrylamide in thermally processed foods. This invention permits the production of foods having significantly reduced levels of acrylamide. The method relies on interfering with an acrylamide formation pathway that begins with the amino acid asparagine.
Inventor(s):	Elder; Vincent Allen (Carrollton, TX), Fulcher; John Gregory (Dallas, TX), Leung; Henry Kin-Hang (Plano, TX)
Assignee:	Frito-Lay North America, Inc. (Plano, TX)
Application Number:	10/247,504
Patent Claims:	1. A method for the reduction of acrylamide in thermally processed foods comprising the steps of: (a) providing a food ingredient that contains free asparagine; (b) adding an asparaginase solution to the food ingredient, thereby inactivating asparagine in the asparagine-containing food ingredient; (c) using said food ingredient as a component in a food mixture; and (d) heating said food mixture to form a thermally processed food. 2. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 1 wherein the food ingredient comprises primarily a carbohydrate. 3. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 1 wherein the food ingredient is selected from the group comprising rice, wheat, corn, barley, soy, potato and oats. 4. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 1 wherein the food ingredient comprises potato. 5. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 1 wherein the asparagine-containing food ingredient further comprises at least one other amino acid. 6. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 5 wherein the at least one other amino acid is lysine. 7. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 1 wherein the inactivating step (b) comprises adding an asparaginase solution to the asparagine-containing food ingredient in the presence of a simple sugar. 8. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 7 wherein the simple sugar comprises glucose. 9. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 1 wherein the food mixture is heated at step (d) to a temperature of at least 80.degree. C. 10. The method of reducing acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods of claim 1 wherein the thermal processing of the food mixture of step (d) occurs at temperatures between 100.degree. C. and 205.degree. C. 11. A food produced by the method of claim 1. 12. The food of claim 11 wherein said food comprises potato. 13. The food of claim 12 wherein said food comprises potato chips.

Details for Patent 7,037,540

Applicant	Tradename	Biologic Ingredient	Dosage Form	BLA	Approval Date	Patent No.	Expiredate
Recordati Rare Diseases, Inc.	ELSPAR	asparaginase	For Injection	101063	01/10/1978		2039-03-29