10 cry 20 25 30 85 40 4a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. HOWARD R. SCOTT AND LILLIAN B. ScoTT, OF SAN JOSE, CALIYORNIA. PROCESS OF TREATING NUY KERNELS T0 PRODUCE FOOD INGREDIENTS. L $16,128, NoDrewing. “Application Poll whomit may concern: ‘he it known that we, Howano R. and Larix E. Scorn, citizens of the Staies, and residents of San Jose, in, the county of Santa Clara and State of Califor: fia, have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements in x Process of Treating Nut Kernels to Produce Food Ingredients, of which the following is a specification. ‘Our invention relates to a process of treat Ingat eernels to produce a food ingredient, ‘anv hag reference to the treatment of prune, peach and apricot kernels and deriving Therefrom a food or an ingredient of foods, Which, for convenience, we will call a mealy Snbstance that is best suited for use in con Fectionery foods, especially in making @ 50- called macaroons confection. ‘Tt ian known fact that prune, peach and apricot Kernels eontain amygdalin, which in the presence of water and the ferment emul- sin breaks up into hydrocganic acid. ben- dehyde and glucose. The hydrocyani acid thus liberated renders the Yernel un- Gesirable for human consumption. Tt is, therefore, the primary object of our present invention to remove the bulk of the hydro- eyanic acid formed during the decomposition $ render. the product suitable for human fonsumption and to reduce the, content of fenzaldehyde to a point where it will only Jmpart to the meal its characteristic flavor. Tn carrying ont the process we prefer to proceed: by first blanching the kernels by Fnmersion in boiling water for a de Score ‘United etl period, for instance;—two minutes—drait- Ing the substance, and immersing the sume in cold water, separating the skins and ker- nels and then roughly drying the kernels. ‘After the kernels have ben. dried to the desired desree, they are ground, or ent, into particles or left whole, and if desired, the Raed oil contained therein may he extracted hy pressure. ‘The extraction of this fixed! caLinay, ov may not. be carvied out, depend- fng upon the desired composition of the fin- jehed product. After these steps, the ker- Specification of Letters Patent, Patented May 16, 1922. fied July 1, 1920. Serial No, 998,581. nels, (or reground pross cake) ave then ex- tracied with water. A desirable product, free from hydroeyanic acid and having # desivable flavor derived from benzaldehyde {s obtained by treating the kernels, or re- ground press cake, with water at a tempera: Eire preferably between about, 80° F. and hbout 104° F. and subsequently washing ‘vith water at a temperature ‘preferably. Jower than 80° F. Tt js of course under- stood that the time of treatment is deter- mnined by the size of the kernels or the par ticles thereof, ‘From the washings thus obtel ed the ben- galdehyde and hydrocyanic wcid constiti- ents may be recovered by separate distilla- tion. The extracted meal should be pressed without undue loss of time 2s free, a5 pos: Bible from water, and dried at a Tow tem perature, ‘The resultant dried product may be in- eorporated or mixer with water and with sufficient oil and sugar to form the so-called Snacaroon peste or may’ be used as an in- gredient of, or basis, of other foods and confections. ‘The partially dried product may be ine corporated or mixed with oil and sugar, Gesized, to form macaroon paste. ‘We claim: ‘The herein described process for treating prune. peach and apricot kernels to. realize & food ingredient, which consists i Subjecting the Kernels te the presence of water to effect the decomposition of the Imyagdalin content by the action of the ex jeing formont emulsin, removing by, Filtra fon the benzaldehyde and hydzocyanic acid products wl ich ave present in the water Milution, distilling the filtrate separately to SCeover ‘the benzaldehyde and bydrocyanie hod products and washing the residue of ‘ret kernel] meal to remove the soluble prod- ‘ets remaining from the first treatment. HOWARD R. SCOTT. LILLIAN E. SCOTT. 50 85 60 65, 1 80 85 90