(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2003/0113432 A1
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Jun. 19, 2003
`Yoshitomi et al.
`
`US 20030113432A1
`
`(54) PROCESS FOR MAKING DRIED POWDERY
`AND GRANULAR KRILL
`
`(75) Inventors: Bunji Yoshitomi, Tokyo (JP); Yoshiaki
`Shigematsu, Tokyo (JP)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`ARMSTRONG,WESTERMAN & HATTORI,
`LLP
`1725 K STREET, NW
`SUITE 1000
`WASHINGTON, DC 20006 (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: NIPPON SUISAN KAISHA, LTD.,
`Tokyo (JP)
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`10/283,063
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Oct. 30, 2002
`
`Related US. Application Data
`
`(63) Continuation of application No. 09/807,953, ?led on
`Apr. 25, 2001.
`
`(30)
`
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`
`Nov. 2, 1998 (JP) ......................................... .. 10/311730
`
`Publication Classi?cation
`
`(51) Int. Cl? ................................................... ..A23L 1/325
`(52) Us. 01. ............................................................ ..426/643
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A dried poWdery and granular krill product containing all
`components of krill. The proteolytic enZymes originally
`contained in krill materials are perfectly disabled. The
`product is produced by a process including only heating as
`means for denaturing protein and disabling the proteolytic
`enZymes originally contained in krill materials. The product
`is produced by a process including no chemicals treatment
`to remove Water and disable or inactivate the proteolytic
`enZymes in any production steps, and generating no Waste
`Water. The production process comprises the steps of lightly
`dehydrating krill, coarsely crushing the krill, and drying the
`coarsely crushed krill under heating. Thus, Water is removed
`from the krill by only heating, and degradation of the lipid
`in the krill product is prevented Without using an anti
`oxidant. Application ?elds are enlarged and the preservation
`characteristic is improved. The so-called Zero-emission
`method and product, generating no Wastes, are realized.
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0001
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2003 Sheet 1 0f 2
`
`US 2003/0113432 A1
`
`FIG.1
`
`ACTIVITY OF PRUI'EOLY'I‘IC EI‘EYMES REMAINING IN RAW KRILL
`AND KRILL PRODUCT OF INVENTION
`
`. RAWKRILL
`
`0 KRILLPRODUCI‘
`omuvnmou
`
`1000
`
`800 -
`
`600 -
`
`a
`g
`:
`‘E’
`
`200 '
`
`n O n
`U
`V U
`
`O '
`
`-
`
`n
`v
`
`0 l
`O
`
`I
`20
`
`|
`4O
`
`I
`6O
`
`l
`l'
`I
`80 100 120 140
`
`mmcnou 'mm (MINUTE)
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0002
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jun. 19, 2003 Sheet 2 0f 2
`
`US 2003/0113432 A1
`
`FIG.2
`
`FLOW DIAGRAM (1' SK? LINE
`
`FISH TANK
`
`w‘- CHOPPER
`
`EXHAUSI‘
`
`H
`
`PRODUCT TANK
`
`AUTOMATIC l'l
`
`WEIGHING
`MACHINE
`
`ROTARY VALVE
`
`CRUSHER
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0003
`
`

`

`US 2003/0113432 A1
`
`Jun. 19, 2003
`
`PROCESS FOR MAKING DRIED POWDERY AND
`GRANULAR KRILL
`
`TABLE 1
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
`
`[0002] The present invention relates to a dried powdery
`and granular krill product Which contains all components of
`krill and in Which lipid degradation is suf?ciently prevented
`With no need of an anti-oxidant.
`
`[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
`
`[0004] Krill are animal plankton living primarily in the
`Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, and about 80 kinds of krill
`have been knoWn up to date. Of those many kinds of krill,
`Antarctic Krill (Euphasia superba) living in the Antarctic
`Ocean are found in abundance as one of natural resources.
`Therefore, survey of the resource and development of the
`method of catching the krill have been extensively con
`ducted in the period of 1970 to 1985, including studies for
`developing methods of processing the krill to be useful in
`practical applications.
`
`[0005] Krill are comparable to ?sh, ?esh and foWl in point
`of nutritive value, but there are several problems in process
`ing the krill for practical applications. One of the problems
`is that krill lose freshness in short time. If krill are left to
`stand after being caught, the heads and chests of the krill
`start changing into black color in 1-2 hours even at a loW
`atmospheric temperature of about 0° C. Further, shells of the
`heads and chests of krill are so vulnerable to external
`pressure that the krill are easily broken doWn upon impacts
`applied at the time of catching, Whereupon the enzymes
`present in the internal organs ?oW out and decompose
`muscles. Those phenomena occur under actions of the
`enzymes present in krill. It is thought that tyrosinase is
`responsible for the former color-changing phenomenon, and
`protease is responsible for the latter muscle-decomposing
`phenomenon.
`
`[0006] Accordingly, those enzymes require to be disabled
`or inactivated When processing krill. In other Words, it has
`been required immediately after catching krill to quickly
`freeze the krill doWn to beloW —40° C., thereby inactivating
`the enzymes, or to heat the krill up to above 80° C., thereby
`disabling the enzymes, folloWed by preserving the krill.
`
`[0007] KnoWn krill products include raW frozen and
`peeled krill products Which are subjected to quick freezing
`and then preserved in a frozen condition, boiled krill prod
`ucts Which are heated and then preserved in a frozen
`condition, and krill meal Which is heated and dried and then
`preserrved at the normal temperature. The folloWing Tables
`1 and 2 list classi?cations of those products depending on
`hoW krill are processed, and features and points to be
`improved of the products.
`
`[0008] The knoWn products are used in various applica
`tions. HoWever, because the products are transported from
`the Antarctic Ocean to Japan, the product price greatly
`depends on the transportation cost. There is hence a desire
`for extracting excellent characteristics of krill more effi
`ciently and realizing krill products having a higher value
`added.
`
`Processing
`
`Processing Object
`
`Product Examples
`
`Quick freezing,
`Preserve in frozen
`condition
`Heating, Preserve in
`frozen condition
`Heating & drying,
`Preserve at normal
`temperature
`
`Inactivate enzymes
`
`RaW frozen and
`stripped krill
`
`Disable enzymes
`
`Boiled krill
`
`Disable enzymes
`
`Krill meal
`
`[0009]
`
`Product
`Examples
`
`TABLE 2
`
`Features
`
`Points to be improved
`
`RaW frozen
`and stripped
`krill
`
`Products have ?avor,
`taste and feeling of
`raW krill.
`
`Boiled krill
`
`Krill meal
`
`Heating disables
`enzymes and makes
`protein stable to give
`meat-like feeling.
`Heating disables
`enzymes and makes
`protein stable. Meal
`can be stored at
`normal temp. because
`of lOW Water content.
`
`Remaining high Water content
`and activity of enzymes
`necessitate storage and
`distribution in frozen state.
`Enzymes are activated upon
`thawing and product quality
`degrades. Drips flow out.
`Flavor and taste components
`flow out during boiling. Cold
`chain is required because of
`high Water content.
`Digestibility loWers due to
`protein denaturation during
`heating. Water-soluble
`components floW out into
`stickWater.
`
`[0010] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
`57-11876 discloses a method of impeding activity of the
`proteolytic enzymes in krill and utilizing the krill as protein
`materials. With the disclosed method, a krill paste is degen
`erated With alcohol to effect ?xation (denaturation) of pro
`tein and degeneration of the enzymes at the same time. The
`processed krill paste is then Washed With Water to remove
`alcohol. The disclosed method hoWever has the folloWing
`problems.
`[0011] 1. Water-soluble protein and loW-molecular pro
`tein, Which are not yet denatured, are removed together
`With alcohol during Washing With Water.
`
`[0012] 2. Free amino acids and extract components,
`Which are taking in part of providing good taste, are
`also removed together With alcohol during Washing
`With Water.
`
`[0013] 3. Polar lipid is removed together With alcohol
`during Washing With Water. Most of the lipid in krill is
`phospholipid and is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids
`(PUFAs). Thus these PUFAs are removed.
`
`[0014] 4. Alcohol can be recovered and reused, but an
`alcohol recovery system pushes up the cost.
`
`[0015] For the above reasons, the above-disclosed method
`has difficulties in realizing practical use.
`[0016] Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication
`No. 8-298967 discloses a method of producing dried shrimp
`granules. With this disclosed method, raW shrimps are
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0004
`
`

`

`US 2003/0113432 A1
`
`Jun. 19, 2003
`
`crushed by a mincing apparatus (meat grinder) into the form
`of ground meat. The ground meat is then heated under
`agitation, followed by drying.
`[0017] More speci?cally, according to the embodiment
`disclosed in the above Publication, shrimp materials are ?rst
`crushed into the form of ground meat. The ground meat
`described in the embodiment includes not only the meat in
`the completely ground form, but also fragments of shrimps
`in the ?nely chopped form. Concretely, the above process is
`performed by a meat grinder Which is used for producing
`mince or the like. Also according to the description in the
`embodiment, a maximum grain siZe representing the
`coarsely ground state is about 2 mm square. The shrimp
`materials thus processed are dried under heating to thereby
`provide dried shrimp granules. Considering speci?c prop
`erties of krill, hoWever, it is inferred that even if krill are
`dried under heating after being processed in a similar
`manner as in the prior art, ground krill are very difficult to
`dry into a satisfactory condition.
`
`[0018] From intensive studies, the inventors found that
`When krill are processed in a similar manner as in the prior
`art, lipid, protein and Water contained in the krill are brought
`into an emulsi?ed state, and the processed krill are very
`dif?cult to dry even With a heating and drying machine. Such
`a difficulty is related to the fact that most of the lipid in krill
`is phospholipid, as described above, and therefore emulsi
`?cation is further increased. In other Words, Water in the krill
`is stabiliZed in structure With emulsi?cation and becomes
`still harder to evaporate under heating.
`
`[0019] In addition, When krill are crushed into the form of
`ground meat, the proteolytic enZymes present in the internal
`organs of the krill develop activity, and a temperature rise
`during the grinding process increases the activity of those
`enZymes. As a consequence, proteolysis in the krill is
`promoted and speci?c taste is deteriorated.
`
`[0020] Moreover, When ground materials are dried by a
`heating and drying machine, the materials come into contact
`With a heating surface of the machine, and a coating(a layer)
`groWs gradually. Then, there occurs ?nally such a phenom
`enon that the materials adhering to the heating surface are
`scorched. To prevent the occurrence of such a phenomenon,
`the heating surface of the machine must be scraped by a
`stirring vane or the like. Taking into account the structure
`and accuracy of the machine and an in?uence of thermal
`expansion of the machine under heating, hoWever, it is very
`dif?cult to alWays keep constant a gap betWeen the heating
`surface and the tip of the stirring vane. As a result, the
`materials cannot be avoided from being scorched, thus
`leading to a deterioration of ?avor and taste and a loWering
`of digestibility.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0021] An object of the present invention is therefore to
`effectively utiliZe krill as one of valuable aquatic resources,
`and to provide a dried poWdery and granular krill product
`and a method of producing the dried poWdery and granular
`krill product, Which contains all components of krill and has
`a good preservation ability While activity of the enZymes in
`the krill is totally disabled.
`
`[0022] The present invention resides in a dried poWdery
`and granular krill product that contains all components of
`
`krill. Because of containing all components of krill, the
`present product has a function capable of sufficiently pre
`venting degradation of the lipid in the krill product Without
`using an anti-oxidant. In the dried poWdery and granular
`krill product, the proteolytic enZymes originally contained in
`krill materials are perfectly disabled. Accordingly, the
`present invention also resides in a dried poWdery and
`granular krill product Which contains all components of krill
`and in Which the proteolytic enZymes originally contained in
`krill materials are perfectly disabled. The present product is
`produced by a process including only heating as means for
`denaturing protein and disabling the proteolytic enZymes
`originally contained in krill materials. Accordingly, the
`present invention further resides in a dried poWdery and
`granular krill product Which contains all components of
`krill, in Which the proteolytic enZymes originally contained
`in krill materials are perfectly disabled, and Which is pro
`duced by a process including only heating as means for
`denaturing protein and disabling the proteolytic enZymes
`originally contained in krill materials.
`[0023] The dried poWdery and granular krill product of the
`present invention is produced by a process including no
`chemicals treatment to remove Water and disable or inacti
`vate the proteolytic enZymes in any production steps, and
`generating no WasteWater. The production process com
`prises the steps of lightly dehydrating krill, coarsely crush
`ing the krill, and drying the coarsely crushed krill under
`heating.
`[0024] The dried poWdery and granular krill product of the
`present invention is subjected to no chemical treatment
`using chemicals, etc. in any production steps, and is pro
`cessed by only heating. Also, there is no step in the produc
`tion process in Which WasteWater is generated. Thus, Water
`is removed from the krill by only heating. Moreover, appli
`cation ?elds are enlarged and the preservation characteristic
`is improved. The so-called Zero-emission method and prod
`uct, generating no Wastes, are realiZed.
`[0025] The production method of the present invention
`comprises steps of removing seaWater from krill, coarsely
`crushing the krill, and drying the coarsely crushed krill
`under heating. In the conventional process of producing krill
`meal, krill are ?rst boiled in Water in the same amount as the
`krill, and are then subjected to separation into solid and
`liquid components. The solid component is heated and dried
`using a drier. The liquid component obtained from the
`solid/liquid separation is called stickWater and preserved
`separately. For this reason, the conventional krill meal
`contains less Water-soluble components than the krill prod
`uct of the present invention, and therefore has disadvantages
`in not providing satisfactory ?avor and taste in the extracted
`form, etc. and attractiveness of feed to ?sh under cultivation,
`etc. Further, the conventional production process is disad
`vantageous in that protein is excessively denatured by
`heating applied in both the boiling and heating/drying steps,
`and digestibility of the product is reduced.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[0026] FIG. 1 is a graph shoWing activity of the pro
`teolytic enZymes remaining in raW krill and the product of
`the present invention; and
`[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic vieW of a production line for
`the product of the present invention.
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0005
`
`

`

`US 2003/0113432 A1
`
`Jun. 19, 2003
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`
`[0028] There are 80 or more kinds of krill as described
`above, but the kind of krill used in the present invention is
`not restricted. In addition to krill, mysids are also usable.
`
`[0029] Krill primarily used in an embodiment are Antarc
`tic Krill (Euphasia superba) Which have been employed in
`industrial ?elds.
`
`[0030] A production process Will be described beloW.
`
`[0031] Krill used as materials are put into a ?sh tank at
`once after being caught. The krill are then put in a dehy
`drator to remove seaWater, etc. attaching to the krill surfaces.
`The type of the dehydrator is not particularly restricted, but
`outer shells of krill are so fragile that the shells are easily
`broken doWn under pressure of 40-140 g/cm2 and the inter
`nal components ?oW out. Therefore, the type of the dehy
`drator is preferably selected so that an excessive physical
`load Will not be applied to krill.
`
`[0032] The dehydrated krill are chopped to improve ther
`mal efficiency in the heating and drying process. The type of
`a machine used for chopping the krill is not particularly
`restricted. The grain siZe of the chopped krill is selected to
`a coarsely crushed state, i.e., about 1.5-2.5 cm square, at
`Which outer shells and muscular tissues of the krill materials
`remain. This process can be performed With, e.g., a knoWn
`mincing apparatus, Which is usually employed for grinding
`meat into mince, by properly selecting the opening siZe of a
`perforated plate.
`[0033] The chopped krill are dried under heating. The type
`of a machine for use in this process is also not particularly
`restricted. While a knoWn heating and drying machine such
`as a steam type disk dryer, for eXample, can be used, the
`machine is preferably adjustable in heating time, heating
`temperature, degree of agitation, and so forth. Because the
`internal components of krill as one of natural resources
`change depending on the season, it is desired to adjust the
`parameters of the machine in match With the change of the
`internal components of krill for obtaining products With
`constant quality.
`
`[0034] The heating time and the heating temperature are
`set to such an eXtent that the muscular protein of krill and the
`proteolytic enZymes in krill are denatured and degenerated
`under heating, and that the Water content is reduced doWn to
`beloW 10% from a point of ensuring good preservation. It is
`important that the heating and drying process is not per
`formed at overly high temperatures and for an overly long
`time, and is performed at the necessary loWer limit values to
`satisfy the above-described conditions. Excessive heating
`loWers digestibility due to eXtreme denaturation, reduces
`astaXanthin, natural dye, present in krill, reduces vitamins,
`and oXidiZes lipid. On the other hand, if heating is insuf?
`cient, activity of the proteolytic enZymes in krill remains,
`Which leads to a deterioration of product quality. If the Water
`content is over ten and several percents, the krill product
`gathers mold during preservation.
`
`[0035] The dried krill are very fragile, including the shells,
`and therefore can be easily crushed any desired grain siZe.
`
`[0036] The krill product of the present invention can be
`used as a main material of feed for cultured ?sh in place of
`
`?sh poWder, and in food applications it can be miXed as a
`shrimp taste seasoning in ?sh-paste products, etc.
`[0037] In vieW of that the problem described above in
`connection With the prior art is attributable to crushing of
`raW materials into the form of ground meat, krill materials
`are ?rst chopped into pieces having a siZe of 20-30% of the
`body length (about 1.5-2.5 cm square) and are then put into
`a heating and drying machine in the present invention. As a
`result, the krill materials are avoided from being emulsi?ed
`and the drying efficiency is enhanced. Further, strong activ
`ity of the proteolytic enZymes present in the internal organs
`of krill is suppressed and an adverse in?uence upon ?avor
`and taste of the krill product is reduced. In addition, the
`chopped krill do not adhere to the heating surface and can be
`heated appropriately, thus greatly contributing to improve
`ment of product quality.
`[0038] Moreover, since the dried krill product obtained in
`accordance With the method of the present invention has a
`large grain siZe and maintains a fair part of shapes of the krill
`materials, it is also possible to produce products utiliZing the
`shapes of the krill materials advantageously. Additionally,
`the dried krill can be simply crushed into a desired grain siZe
`as required.
`
`[0039] Thus, it can be said that the present invention
`provides a dried product that has a different quality and is
`produced through a different process from those obtained
`With and described in the prior art, i.e., Japanese Unexam
`ined Patent Publication No. 8-298967.
`[0040] FIG. 1 shoWs comparatively activity of the pro
`teolytic enZymes remaining in raW krill and the krill product
`of the present invention.
`[0041] In the graph of FIG. 1, the activity of the remaining
`proteolytic enZymes is plotted at each period of reaction
`time based on a measurement indeX, i.e., the absorptivity at
`440 nm, by using aZocasein as a substrate. As Will be seen
`from FIG. 1, the activity of the remaining proteolytic
`enZymes in the raW krill is increased With lapse of the
`reaction time, While the activity of the remaining proteolytic
`enZymes in the krill product of the present invention is
`hardly changed. This suggests that the proteolytic enZymes
`remain not alive in the krill product of the present invention
`and they are perfectly disabled in the production process,
`and that a possibility of quality deterioration of the krill
`product during the preservation is loW.
`[0042] Preservation characteristics of the krill product of
`the present invention Will be described With reference to
`Tables 3 and 4 beloW.
`
`[0043] For comparison, the results listed in Table 3 Were
`obtained by preparing tWo groups of the krill product of the
`present invention, in one of Which ethoXyquin that is most
`generally used as an anti-oxidant in meal, etc. Was added to
`the krill product and in the other of Which no ethoXyquin Was
`added, and then measuring a change of product quality by
`using a degradation of the lipid as an indeX for a period of
`tWo months during Which the tWo groups Were preserved at
`37° C. To make distinct a difference in change occurred
`during the preservation, 300 ppm of ethoXyquin, Which is
`double the amount added in usual cases, Was added to the
`group added With ethoXyquin.
`[0044] As Will be seen from Table 3, a signi?cant differ
`ence in change of the lipid Was not found until the end of one
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0006
`
`

`

`US 2003/0113432 A1
`
`Jun. 19, 2003
`
`month between the group added With no anti-oxidant and the
`group added With the anti-oxidant. Also, during the second
`month, oxidation proceeded slightly faster in the group
`added With no anti-oxidant than the group added With the
`anti-oxidant, but a signi?cant difference Was not found.
`
`[0045] There are several indexes indicating a degree of
`lipid degradation. About the lipid in krill, particularly, the
`krill lipid having been extracted and re?ned, it is knoWn that,
`during the preservation, a peroxide value hardly increases
`and only a carbonyl value increases. In other Words, it is
`pointed out that degradation of the krill lipid differs in
`creation of oxides and progress rate of the decomposing
`reaction from those in general ?sh oil, etc.
`
`After 6
`months
`at 30° C.
`After 12
`months
`at 30° C.
`
`TABLE 4-continued
`
`Peroxide value
`
`Carbonyl value
`
`product of
`invention
`
`Water-
`soluble
`components
`removed
`
`Water
`soluble
`components
`removed
`
`product of
`invention
`
`6.9
`
`10.5
`
`89.1
`
`142.3
`
`11.8
`
`20.7
`
`127.1
`
`202.6
`
`TABLE 3
`
`Acid value
`
`With
`
`Peroxide value
`
`Carbonyl value
`
`anti-
`no anti-
`oxidant oxidant
`"1
`*2
`
`no anti-
`oxidant
`
`With
`anti-
`oxidant
`
`no anti-
`oxidant
`
`With
`anti
`oxidant
`
`18.1
`
`192.
`
`1.8
`
`4.1
`
`67.6
`
`60.5
`
`21.9
`
`22.6
`
`6.0
`
`7.0
`
`75.6
`
`81.3
`
`21.3
`
`23.6
`
`10.7
`
`6.2
`
`93.5
`
`78.6
`
`Preserva-
`tion
`start
`After 1
`month
`at 37° C.
`After 2
`months
`at 37° C.
`
`*1: No ethoxyquin added
`*2: 300 ppm of ethoxyquin added
`
`[0046] Furthermore, as Will be seen from Table 4, a
`phenomenon of the lipid degrading at apparently different
`rates during the preservation Was found betWeen the krill
`product of the present invention and a control prepared by
`perfectly removing all the Water-soluble components origi
`nally present in krill from the krill product of the present
`invention. Although the material responsible for the above
`phenomenon is not yet knoWn, it is believed that the
`Water-soluble components originally present in krill have
`some anti-oxidiZing action. For this reason, in the krill
`product of the present invention Which contains all the
`components of krill in an enriched condition, lipid degra
`dation can be prevented satisfactorily Without using any
`anti-oxidant.
`
`TABLE 4
`
`Peroxide value
`
`Carbonyl value
`
`product of
`invention
`
`Water-
`soluble
`components
`removed
`
`Water
`soluble
`components
`removed
`
`product of
`invention
`
`0
`
`0
`
`0
`
`0
`
`0
`
`0
`
`69.5
`
`87.7
`
`53.9
`
`71.7
`
`63.0
`
`76.9
`
`Preserva-
`tion
`start
`After 1
`month
`at 30° C.
`After 3
`months
`at 30° C.
`
`EXAMPLE
`
`[0047] The present invention Will be described in more
`detail in connection With Example. It should be understood
`that the present invention is limited in no Way by the
`folloWing Example.
`
`Example 1
`
`[0048] 1. Process FloW Including Plant for Drying Krill
`
`[0049] An outline of the process How is as shoWn in FIG.
`2. Krill materials are ?rst conveyed by a krill supply
`apparatus from a ?sh tank to a material tank, and are then
`supplied to a dehydrator in a proper lot. The use of a
`dehydrator basically intends to remove seaWater contained
`in the krill materials. Since it is expected that the amount of
`Water contained in krill varies depending on the materials, a
`diaphragm is adjusted to provide a proper dehydration rate,
`taking into account the performance of the dehydrator. The
`dehydrated materials are coarsely crushed by a chopper and
`are then supplied to a drier. The materials are boiled in the
`drier under heating With vapor, folloWed by further drying.
`At the time When reaching a predetermined Water content,
`the drying is stopped and a resulting dried semi?nished
`product is ejected. The dried semi?nished product is con
`veyed to a product tank, and is then automatically packaged
`into bags in units of predetermined Weight after passing a
`rotary valve, a crusher and so on.
`
`[0050] The conventional production process for krill meal
`is represented by raW krill%boiling—>centrifugal separation
`or solid/liquid separation—>extraction of solidQdryingQ
`crushingQpackaging. The liquid component Was removed
`in the centrifugal separation step, and the useful components
`of krill contained in the liquid component Were discarded. It
`can be said from one aspect that the krill meal Was a product
`resulted from drying the sludge.
`[0051] By contrast, the process How for producing the krill
`product of the present invention is represented by raW
`krillQremoval of Water attached to krill%boiling—>dry
`ingQcrushingQpackaging. The centrifugal separation step
`is not included. In the boiling and drying steps, the enZymes
`in krill are disabled and the krill components are stabiliZed
`through thermal degeneration. Thus, the components origi
`nally contained in the krill are all kept in the product Without
`being discarded externally. An apparatus for implementing
`the above process is featured in omitting a step of squeeZing
`boiled krill using a decanter or a press. The krill drying
`apparatus used in the present invention differs from the
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0007
`
`

`

`US 2003/0113432 A1
`
`Jun. 19, 2003
`
`conventional meal producing apparatus in that a cooker and
`a drier are combined in an integral structure.
`
`[0052] 2. Component Analytical Values
`[0053] Table 5 lists component analytical values of the
`krill product of the present invention. For comparison, Table
`5 also lists component analytical values of the krill meal
`produced by the conventional process. In particular, the krill
`product of the present invention contains free amino acids as
`much as more than tWice the amount contained in the
`conventional krill meal. The free amino acids deeply take
`part in developing ?avor and taste of the product When
`eaten, attractant of feed to ?sh under cultivation, etc.
`[0054] Since the squeezing step subsequent to boiling of
`the krill materials is omitted, the components developing
`?avor and taste are not lost and the krill product of the
`present invention has good ?avor. Further, the production
`process of the present invention generates no appreciable
`WasteWater and provides a high yield.
`
`TABLE 5
`
`Krill meal
`
`Product of invention
`
`Water
`Coarse protein
`(Free amino acid)
`Coarse fat
`Coarse ash
`Coarse ?ber
`
`6.5
`64.0
`(2.9)
`7.0
`16.7
`3.2
`
`8.3
`65.1
`(7.54)
`7.0
`18.0
`2.1
`
`tant aquatic resources, in a perfect manner Without any loss
`due to ef?uX of krill components. The dried poWdery and
`granular krill product obtained by the present invention
`contains all the components originally contained in the krill,
`and strong activity of the enZymes speci?c to the krill is
`disabled. Therefore, the krill product of the present inven
`tion can be Widely applied to not only the feed industry, but
`also the food industry.
`
`What is claimed is:
`1. A dried poWdery and granular krill product containing
`all components of krill.
`2. A dried poWdery and granular krill product according
`to claim 1, Wherein the proteolytic enZymes originally
`contained in krill materials are perfectly disabled.
`3. A dried poWdery and granular krill product according
`to claim 1 or 2, Wherein said product is produced by a
`process including only heating as means for denaturing
`protein and disabling the proteolytic enZymes originally
`contained in krill materials.
`4. A dried poWdery and granular krill product according
`to claim 1, 2 or 3, Wherein said product is produced by a
`process including no chemicals treatment to remove Water
`and disable or inactivate the proteolytic enZymes in any
`production steps, and generating no WasteWater.
`5. A dried poWdery and granular krill product according
`to any one of claims 1 to 4, Wherein said product is produced
`by a process comprising the steps of lightly dehydrating
`krill, coarsely crushing the krill, and drying the coarsely
`crushed krill under heating.
`
`[0055] According to the present invention, a method is
`provided Which can effectively utiliZe krill, as one of impor
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`RIMFROST EXHIBIT 1033 page 0008
`
`