any cereal grain with a soluble fiber component therein may be used as a starting material in the present invention . cereal grains , including wheat , rice , rye , corn , sorghum and millet , have a relatively low concentration of β - glucan . oats and barley are preferred because of their higher levels of naturally - occurring soluble fiber component . oat grain has about 4 % soluble fiber , β - glucan , on a dry weight basis ( dwb ), while the β - glucan content of barley grain can vary from about 5 to 15 %, dwb . any processed grain product may likewise be utilized as a starting material in the present invention including cereal flour , cereal flakes , cereal bran , defatted grain , and mixtures of grains including grain flour or grain fractions . methods for grinding oat groat to separate the bran layers from the endosperm giving whole oat flour and oat bran flour are commonly known in the art . oat bran flour , for example , may contain up to 12 % β - glucan , dwb . as shown in fig1 , the extraction process of the present invention begins by forming a first aqueous slurry of grain material at a concentration of about 5 to 30 % by weight . a critical element of the process of the invention is in providing adequate physical disruptive forces to the cereal - based substrate in order to break down the cellular structures of the substrate . accordingly , the cereal - based substrate slurry is subjected to shear forces in an initial treatment sufficient to yield a flowable liquid slurry ( second slurry ) capable of being separated into a liquid fraction and a fiber ( bran )- containing solid fraction . it is desirable to conduct the initial shear treatment at temperatures in the range of about 20 - 60 ° c ., and preferably in the range of about 30 - 50 ° c ., more preferably at a temperature of approximately 50 ° c . the requisite time period of treatment will , of course , vary with the starting substrate , the nature of the shear apparatus , and other conditions of treatment ; but the period will typically be on the order of about 1 - 120 minutes , and more typically 30 - 120 minutes . it is preferred to have an initial viscosity of the first slurry of less than 20 poise ( p ) at temperatures in the range of 20 - 60 ° c . in order to pump the liquid continuously through shear devices necessary for cellular disruptions throughout the treatment and recovery process . typically , the ph of the slurry is between 6 and 7 , and does not require adjustment . the forces for mechanically shearing the cereal - based substrate in the initial treatment are provided by a variety of shearing devices , such as dispersator , colloid mill , waring ™ blender , extruder , homogenizer , shear pump or the like . exemplary of these is a bostonshear three stage pump . the insoluble fiber solids are separated in a first liquid - solid separation step by any means as known in the art , such as on rapidly vibrating sieves or centrifugal sieves with openings between 80 to 500 mesh sieve ( 210 - 25 microns ; 0 . 21 - 0 . 025 mm ), with an opening size of 100 mesh being preferred . suitable for use herein is a kek - gardner centrifugal sifter . both the fiber - containing solids fraction and the liquid fraction are recovered from the first separation step . the collected fiber solids are reserved for recombining with the liquid fraction obtained from the second liquid - solid separation step , as described , below . the liquid fraction from the first liquid - solid separation step is enriched in starch as compared to the sheared slurry . this liquid is then subjected to a second liquid - solid separation , such as centrifugation or decantation , to remove any remaining solids . these solids are predominantly starch . if a centrifuge is used , the most suitable centrifugation forces ( rcf ) are between about 50 and 15 , 000 × g . the starch - depleted liquid fraction from the second liquid - solid separation step is then recombined with the saved fiber solids obtained from the first liquid - solid separation to yield a third slurry . the third slurry is then subjected to heat and shear in a cooking step . a preliminary stage of this step may consist of circulating the slurry through a shear pump at elevated temperatures , such as 38 - 93 ° c . ( 100 - 200 ° f .). the substantive shear - cook stage is optimally provided by a continuous steam jet cooker , particularly excess steam jet - cooker [ see r . e . klem and d . a . brogley , pulp & amp ; paper , vol . 55 , pages 98 - 103 ( may 1981 )] over a period of 5 to 30 min . as previously mentioned , the viscosity of the resultant cooked cereal slurry should be maintained at less than 20 poises in order to have the requisite flowability through the cooker and for subsequent processing . although jet cooking conditions may be varied by one skilled in the art according to the particular cereal substrate being processed , preferred cooking conditions for these compositions are in the range of about 120 - 150 ° c . with a steam pressure of at least 1 . 4 bar ( 20 psig ) within the cooker and a pumping rate of about 0 . 75 - 2 . 0 l / min . typical conditions are 130 - 140 ° c . with a steam pressure of at least 5 . 2 bar ( 75 psig ) and a pumping rate of 1 . 1 l / min . line pressure steam entering the cooker to achieve such conditions would be 5 . 5 - 6 . 9 bar ( 80 - 100 psig ). thus the excess steam flowing through the cooker , over and above that needed to maintain the desired cook temperature , should be at least about 1 bar ( 15 psig ), and preferably in the range of 1 . 7 bar ( 25 - 30 psig ). under these conditions , sufficient turbulence is provided in the cooker to substantially disrupt the remaining solids and to release the β - glucan into the slurry . the high steam pressure used during the cooking process is suddenly released as the cooked dispersion exits the jet cooker . this instantaneous pressure release further promotes the physical disruption and / or molecular degradation of the fibrous material . at the time of the pressure release , the temperature of the cooked slurry ( fourth slurry ) rapidly drops to 100 ° c . ( 212 ° f .) or lower . after heating and shearing , β - glucan - containing products of the invention are recovered from the cooked slurry ( fourth slurry ). for example , the cooked slurry may be subjected to a third liquid - solid separation , such as by centrifugation filtration or on vibrating sieves having openings in the range of 210 - 25 microns . the crude fiber particle solids removed by this separation step are characterized by a β - glucan content of approximately 6 - 8 %, dwb , and for purposes of the invention are considered to be a by - product . the flowable liquid fraction from the third separation step is subjected to further recovery steps to yield the hydrocolloidal product of the invention . for example , the liquid fraction may be dried by conventional methods , including drum drying , spray drying , freeze drying , hot - air , and the like . in a commercial operation , drum drying would be considered a preferred embodiment . alternatively , the liquid from the third separation may be passed through a centrifuge to remove suspended solids . the remaining liquid fraction is then either dried directly as described above , or is subjected to further processing , such as alcohol precipitation and a final centrifugation prior to drying . drum - drying the liquid obtained directly from the third separation step will yield a product having at least about 20 % β - glucan , dwb . drum - drying the liquid obtained directly from centrifugation of liquid from the third separation step will yield a product having at least about 30 % β - glucan , dwb . a dried product obtained from alcohol precipitation of the centrifugation liquid will have a β - glucan content of at least about 40 - 50 %, dwb . alcohol precipitation of the liquid from the third separation without centrifugation will yield a product having a β - glucan content of 35 - 40 %, dwb . the products of the invention are readily dispersible in water to give a high viscosity creamy fluid . the products of the invention are hydrocolloids that have “ thermo - shear - thinning ” properties . these properties are evident in aqueous dispersions of the hydrocolloids , which are characterized , for example , by viscosities that are substantially higher than those manifest by the products taught by inglett et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 060 , 519 . as shown in fig2 , the hydrocolloids of the invention display pasting properties that are considerably distinct as compared to those for the product ( nutrim ob ) described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 060 , 519 , supra , and as compared to the oat bran starting material . the rapid visco - analyzer ( rva ) curves of fig2 show viscosities for the hydrocolloids of the invention that are significantly higher than for nutrim ob and the oat bran starting material , particularly in the 200 - to 450 - second region and also in the 1200 - to 1800 - second region . the 200 - to 450 - second region is within the initial rva heating cycle , that is , during that part of the heating cycle before which the maximum heating temperature is attained and the subsequent cooling ( or gelling ) cycle begins . in a standard rva analysis , the hydrocolloid is made up as an 8 % w / w aqueous suspension and is then heated at a uniform rate from an initial equilibrated temperature ( e . g . 30 ° c .) to a preselected maximum temperature , usually exceeding 90 ° c . after holding the paste for a period of time at the maximum temperature , the temperature is gradually decreased at a uniform rate to some predetermined plateau ( e . g . 50 ° c .). this cooling period is referred to as the gelling cycle . the hydrocolloids of the invention having at least about 20 % β - glucan , dwb , are characterized by a viscosity greater than 1000 centipoises when initially heated to 40 ° c ., and perhaps greater than , 1500 , 2000 , or even 2500 centipoises . generally , the higher the β - glucan content , the higher the viscosity . hydrocolloids having 50 % β - glucan , dwb , are characterized by viscosities of approximately 4000 centipoises at 40 ° c . when initially heated . the aforementioned viscosity values correspond to approximately 4 minutes in the initial heating cycle in the rva program shown in fig2 . the hydrocolloids of the invention are also unique in terms of having a ratio of digestible starch to β - glucan soluble fiber of 2 . 0 or less , and typically in the range of 0 . 1 - 2 . 0 . for instance , table 1 lists the ratios of digestible starch to β - glucan of the subject hydrocolloids in comparison with the starch to β - glucan ratios of oat bran starting material and the nutrim - ob product described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 060 , 519 . the digestible carbohydrate content for the values given in the table was measured by standard methods for total starch analysis ( aacc method 76 - 13 ). the β - glucan contents were measured by a standard procedure ( aacc method 32 - 23 ). the smooth textured hydrocolloids of the invention are suitable as ingredients in preparing low carbohydrate and low fat foods without imparting undesirable cotton - like or dry mouthfeel , or a sandy , bulky , chalky , or gritty texture characteristic of most dietary fiber materials . the hydrocolloids of the invention can be used as ingredients in a variety of food products , particularly in baked goods and desserts . they are especially suitable in baked goods as replacements of a portion of the fat and / or replacement of a portion of the flour . such replacements result in an elevation in the food of the soluble fiber , β - glucan , with acceptable textural qualities , including moistness . the hydrocolloids of the invention are also useful as nutritional supplements in nutrition bars , weight loss bars , beverages , smoothies , soups , pancake mixes and the like . the level of incorporation of the hydrocolloid into a food composition may be within the range of 0 . 1 - 99 %, by weight . it is further envisioned that the products of the invention can be prepared in essentially pure form as recovered from any of the aforementioned processes for administration as a oral supplement , such as in capsular form , or as a powder or granule for sprinkling over a food product at the time of consumption . the following examples are presented only to further illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims . all references disclosed herein or relied upon in whole or in part in the description of the invention are incorporated by reference . oat bran ( obc ), 100 lb ( 45 kg ; quaker oats company , chicago , ill ., lot no . 26629 ; mar . 13 , 2003 ) was mixed with 1900 lb ( 862 kg ) of water [ 8 . 345 lb / gal or 228 gallons ] and heated to 105 ° f . ( 41 ° c .) in a mixing tank and circulated with a bostonshear pump with a three stage head for 1 hour . the solids were removed using a kek - gardner centrifugal sifter with a 200 mesh sieve . after collecting 100 gals ( 379 l ) of liquid , another 75 gals ( 284 l ) were added to the mixing tank and the circulation continued passing the slurry through the 200 mesh sieve until 150 gal ( 568 l ) of sieve liquid was obtained . the liquid from the sieve ( dd2 - sl - 1 ) was centrifuged to separate the solid carbohydrate particles . the centrifuge liquid ( dd2 - sl - cl1 ) was mixed with the separated wet sieve solids ( dd2 - ss - 1 ) from the kek - gardner centrifugal sifter separation procedure . the slurry was heated to 180 ° f . ( 82 ° c .) and circulated with a bostonshear pump for 30 min before the slurry was jet cooked at 270 ° f . ( 132 ° c .) and 5 . 4 bar ( 78 psig ). the jet cooked slurry was circulated through a kek - gardner centrifugal sifter with a 100 mesh sieve to remove the insoluble solids . the liquid from the kek - gardner was drum dried to give a cream - colored solid invention product ( dd2 - pp1 - jc - sl - dd ) having a β - glucan content of 20 % dwb , a digestible carbohydrate content of 29 % dwb , and a starch : β - glucan ratio of 1 . 40 . oat bran ( obc ), 100 lb ( 45 kg ; quaker oats company , chicago , ill ., lot no . 26629 ; jun . 26 , 2003 ) was mixed with 1900 lb ( 862 kg ) of water [ 8 . 345 lb / gal or 228 gallons ] and heated to 108 ° f . ( 42 ° c .) in a mixing tank and circulated with a bostonshear pump with a three stage head for 1 hour . the solids were separated using a kek - gardner centrifugal sifter with a 200 mesh sieve over the course of about an hour . the resultant wet sieve solids ( dd3 - ss - 1 ) were saved for the step , below . the liquid ( dd3 - sl - 1 ) from the kek - gardner centrifugal sifter was centrifuged with a westfalia clarifier to separate out the solid particles that had passed through the sieve ( dd3 - sl - 1 - cs - 1 ), and the solid particles were discarded . the centrifuge liquid ( dd3 - sl - cl1 ) was mixed with the wet solids ( dd3 - ss - 1 ) from the kek - gardner centrifugal sifter separation . the slurry was heated to approximately 200 ° f . ( 93 ° c .) while being circulated through a bostonshear pump for 60 min . the cooked slurry was jet - cooked at a steam pressure of 5 . 4 bar ( 78 psig ) to maintain a temperature of 270 ° f . ( 132 ° c .). the hot liquid from the jet cooker was circulated through a kek - gardner centrifugal sifter with a 100 mesh sieve ( to remove the insoluble materials , dd3 - pp3 - jc - ss ) to give a milky liquid ( dd3 - pp3 - jc - sl ). a portion of this liquid was drum dried to give invention product ( dd3 - pp3 - jc - sl - dd ) having a β - glucan content of 25 %, a digestible carbohydrate content of 21 % dwb , and a starch to β - glucan ratio of 0 . 84 . the remainder of the milky liquid was returned to a mixing tank and was cooled to less than 40 ° ( 104 ° f .) by storing overnight . this sample was designated dd3 - pp4 - jc - sl2 . the spent oat bran solids that were separated from the sieve were drum dried to yield a by - product ( dd3 - pp3 - jc - ss - dd , natural cooked oat fiber ) comprising about 6 - 8 %, dwb , β - glucan . the stored milky liquid dd3 - pp4 - jc - sl2 from example 2 was blended with ethyl alcohol in the ratio of two parts dd3 - pp4 - jc - sl2 to one part ethyl alcohol . the mixture was circulated at low shear for one hour , and centrifuged to remove the precipitated product . a first portion of the precipitate was drum dried and was designated invention product dd3 - pp4 - jc - sl2 - etoh - cs - ds - dd having 37 % dwb β - glucan , 9 % dwb digestible starch , and a starch : β - glucan ratio of 0 . 24 . a second portion of the precipitate obtained in example 3a was freeze dried and was designated invention product dd3 - pp4 - jc - sl2 - etoh - cs - ds - fd having 40 %, dwb , β - glucan , 10 % dwb digestible starch , and a starch : β - glucan ratio of 0 . 25 . oat bran ( obc ), 100 lb ( 45 kg ; quaker oats company , chicago , ill .) was ground until all particles passed through a − 20 / 840μ screen . the ground obc was mixed with 1900 lb ( 862 kg ) water ( 8 . 345 lb / gal or 228 gallons ), heated to 108 ° f . ( 42 ° c .) in a mixing tank , and circulated for maximum shear using a three stage shear pump ( bostonshear pump ) for 1 hour . the solids were separated using a kek - gardner centrifugal sifter with a 200 mesh screen bag recycled continuously for 2 hours . the separated wet sieve solids ( dd6 - pp6 - ss1 ) were saved in the retaining tank for a later step . sieved liquid ( dd6 - pp6 - sl1 ) was centrifuged with a westfalia clarifier to separate out the particles that passed through the sieve . the separated solids ( dd6 - pp6 - cs - 1 ) were discarded . centrifuge liquid ( dd6 - pp6 - cl1 ) was mixed with the wet solids ( dd6 - pp6 - ss1 ) from the initial sieve separation procedure . the slurry was heated to approximately 200 ° f . ( 93 ° c .) while being circulated through the bostonshear three shear stage pump with maximum shear for 1 hr . the hot slurry was jet - cooked at a steam pressure of 78 psi to maintain a temperature of 270 ° f . ( 132 ° c . ), and hot liquid from the jet - cook was circulated through a kek centrifugal sifter with a 100 mesh sieve ( to remove the insoluble materials . a portion of the liquid was drum dried to give invention product dd6 - pp6 - jc - sl - dd having 21 . 3 % dwb β - glucan , 21 . 6 % dwb digestible starch , and a starch : β - glucan ratio of 1 . 01 . the remaining sieved liquid from example 4a ( dd6 - pp6 - jc - sl2 ) was centrifuged through a westphalia clarifier and the centrifuge liquid ( dd6 - pp6 - jc - sl2 - cl ) was cooled to 60 - 100 ° f . ( 15 - 37 ° c .). a first portion of the cooled liquid was drum dried to give invention product dd6 - pp6 - jc - sl3 - cl - dd having 31 . 7 % dwb β - glucan , 26 . 0 % dwb digestible starch , and a starch : β - glucan ratio of 0 . 77 . a second portion of the cooled liquid from example 4b ( dd6 - pp6 - jc - sl2 - cl ) was blended with 200 proof ethanol ( 30 % volume / 70 % volume of cooled dd6 - pp6 - jc - sl2 - cl ) with continuous moderate stirring for 30 min and then allowed to stand for 2 hours . the resultant slurry was continuously passed thru the westfalia clarifier to separate out an emulsion that was allowed to settle into a liquid fraction and an insoluble fraction that was freeze - dried to give invention product ( dd6 - pp6 - jc - sl2 - cl - etoh - cs1 - ds - fd2 ) having 47 . 0 % dwb β - glucan , 20 . 6 % dwb digestible starch , and a starch : β - glucan ratio of 0 . 44 . visco - elastic pasting properties of the hydrocolloidal β - glucan compositions described in examples 4a , 4b and 4c were determined using a rapid visco - analyzer ( rva - 4 , foss north america , eden prairie , minn .) based on a procedure applied to starch compositions . the oat β - glucan hydrocolloids were suspended in water at an 8 % w / w level in duplicate for each replicate . these suspensions were prepared by weighing the hydrocolloidal materials ( 2 . 24 g on a dry basis ) into a rva canister and making up the total weight to 28 grams with deionized water . the hydrocolloidal suspensions were equilibrated at 30 ° c . for 1 min , heated at a uniform rate so as to attain 40 ° c . in 4 min for a first comparison point to display the unique pasting properties of the hydrocolloid compositions of the invention . the complete spectrum of pasting was then continued by heating to 95 ° c ., maintaining that temperature for 5 . 5 min , and then cooling at a uniform rate to return the temperature to 50 ° c . constant paddle rotating speed ( 160 rpm ) was used throughout entire analysis except for a speed of 960 rpm for the first 10 seconds to disperse the hydrocolloid compositions .
a novel low - carbohydrate digestible hydrocolloidal composition is separated from a cereal - based substrate by means of a specific sequence of steps for treating an aqueous slurry of the substrate . these all - natural compositions are low in digestible carbohydrates , principally starches , and rich in soluble fiber , principally β - glucan , as well as proteins . the hydrocolloidal products are recovered in high yields , are smooth in texture , have unexpected thickening properties , have a bland flavor , and are useful for texturizing food , especially bakery products . these hydrocolloidal products can also be used as food ingredients for increasing the nutritional level of foods and supplements .