New generation of cream and fat substitutes available for licensing.

USDA/ARS scientists at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR, 1815 N. University St., Peoria, IL 61604 ) want to license a new generation of cream and fat replacers, nutrifiers and texturizers that will increase the health benefits and quality of foods. Back in August, they filed a U.S. patent application covering Nu-Trimx. Nu stands for Nutrient, and Trim is an acronym for technical research involving metabolism.

Nu-Trimx is a new family of hydrocolloids consisting of solubilized beta-glucan from oat or barley endosperm and has few cellulosic components. It has unusually high viscosity at 5% to 15% solids. At ambient temperatures, the material has a texture that makes it useful for improving the quality of functional foods.

Nu-Trimx should find a variety of dairy and baking applications. Potential applications include frozen desserts, breakfast foods, beverages, meats, nondairy creamers, canned soups, and bakery items. Nu-Trimx improves the texture of a calcium-fortified smoothie beverage and imparts 0.75 g of glucan from oat flour per serving. Food starches can be coprocessed with the oat or barley flours to create products with unique functional advantages. A reaffirmation of GRAS is needed before Nu-Trimx can be marketed as a new ingredient.

Nu-Trimx imparts moistness, softness and cohesiveness in baked foods. Many new foods can be made using the ingredient as a texturizer or a binder of other oat ingredients to give 0.75 g soluble beta-glucan per serving portion. Nu-Trimx also reduces fat, especially saturated fat, in oat and convenience foods.

A 5% solids dispersion of Nu-Trimx (oat bran) has the consistency of cream. It can serve as a substitute for dairy cream, as well as coconut milk and cream, in replacement values as high as 100% for many foods. Coconut cream was successfully replaced at 60% to 80% levels in eight desserts.

Nu-Trimx has more viscosity than Oatrim and Z-Trim, which were previously developed at the lab. Nu-Trimx has high viscosity at ambient temperatures and is prepared by a thermo-mechanical shearing of oat or barley endosperm. Oatrim is an amylase-hydrolyzed oat flour with much lower viscosities and different properties and taste characteristics. Z-Trim is an insoluble fiber gel consisting mainly of modified cell walls with the major cellulose component. It is prepared from high-fiber cellulosic agricultural residues by chemical-thermo-mechanical degradation. Z-Trim can be rehydrated after drying using shear to give a true physical fiber gel.

The process for making Nu-Trimx is simple and inexpensive. The ingredient can be made from oat bran, oat flour, or barley flour by the thermo-mechanical disruption of oat or barley endosperm tissues. The cellulosic fibers are removed by filtration or gravity techniques. Nu-Trimx is dried to give high yields of product. Nu-Trim products could sell in the range of $0.50/lb to $1.50/lb, depending on manufacturing processes, the cost of oat or barley material, and equipment costs.

Further information. George Inglett; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].