General Mills has filed a patent for methods of reducing bacterial load on grains used in testing methods. The patent also includes methods of tempering grains at an elevated temperature and reduced time, as well as using elevated temperature and organic acid to reduce bacterial load. The patent claims a method for producing flour by heating grain, adding a tempering solution, incubating, and milling the tempered grain. GlobalData’s report on General Mills gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on General Mills, filled confectionary manufacturing was a key innovation area identified from patents. General Mills's grant share as of June 2023 was 1%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Method for reducing bacterial load on grain during flour production
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230180777A1) describes a method for producing flour. The method involves several steps, including heating grain to a temperature of at least 115°F, adding a tempering solution to the heated grain to achieve a moisture content of 12% to 20%, incubating the mixture at a temperature of at least 115°F for a specific amount of time, and finally milling the tempered grain to produce flour.
The heating and incubating steps are performed within a temperature range of 115°F to 170°F. Additionally, the patent claims that the temperature of the tempering solution should be adjusted to be within 5°F of the heated grain. The tempering solution used in the method includes an organic acid, such as lactic acid, peracetic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, or salicylic acid. The organic acid is included in the tempering solution in an amount sufficient to provide an organic acid content of at least about 2×10-5 moles per gram of grain. The concentration of organic acid in the tempering solution can range from 1.5% to 15%.
The method also specifies the time required for incubating the tempering mixture, which should be less than 6 hours, and can be less than 2 hours or even less than 30 minutes. The grain used in the method is specifically mentioned as wheat. Furthermore, the patent claims that incubating the tempering mixture can result in at least a 2 log reduction in bacterial load, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), on the grain.
In summary, the patent describes a method for producing flour that involves heating grain, adding a tempering solution, incubating the mixture, and milling the tempered grain. The method specifies temperature ranges, the use of an organic acid in the tempering solution, and the desired reduction in bacterial load. The patent also mentions the specific grain used in the method as wheat.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
