PATENT ABSTRACTS 305

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P R O D U C T I O N O F P A L A T A B I L I T Y E N H A N C E R S F R O M T H E

A U T O L Y S I S O F F I L A M E N T O U S F U N G I

William C Hogan, Dennis Gierhart, Gary D Hayen assigned to Ralston Purina Company

The present invention relates to a process for the production of unique palatability enhancing materials, particularly suited for pet foods, from filamentous fungi biomasses. The palatability enhancing materials are produced by forming a slurry of a filamentous fungal biomass, and pre- ferably an added proteinaceous material, such as meat, which is then autolyzed, in the absence of an added autolysis initiator, at a pH sufficient to form a palatability enhancing autolysate pre- ferably at a pH of between about 2.5 and 10, most preferably of about 3.0 to 7.5. Autolysis is preferably performed at two distinct tempera- ture stages during which endogenous protease and nuclease activity is initiated during the first stage and endogenous nuclease activity is in- creased during the second temperature stage, fol- lowed by substantial deactivation of endogenous protease activity. This unique procedure pro- vides rapid digestion of the fungal biomass and results in the production of an autolysate that enhances the palatability of animal foods.

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librium melting point of the granules and less than or equal to 98 degrees C., optionally fol- lowed by monoaxial stretching or biaxial stretching of the unstretched film obtained. The stretched or unstretched film may be heat- treated to improve its properties. The polyvinyl alcohol film can be used to prepare with thermo- plastic films composite films or sheets having a high gas impermeability. The invention also pro- vides composite, biaxially oriented, impermeable barrier layer coated, thermoplastic hollow shaped articles useful as packaging material, e.g., as packages and bottles for flavored foods and carbonated beverages. The hollow shaped articles are produced by ex- ternally barrier covering a thermoplastic tubular blank, parison or preform with a relativley thick barrier layer consisting essentially of water- resistant and highly crystalline polyvinyl alcohol, said barrier layer having been prepared by shaping a melt of homogeneously shear fluxed and molten flakes of pure polyvinyl alcohol having a water content of 25 to 35% by weight thereof, with said shear fluxing and mel- ting of said polyvinyl alcohol flakes being at a temperature above the equilibrium melting point of the polyvinyl alcohol/water admixture essen- tially constituting said flakes, and said shaping being at a temperature of at least said equi- librium melting point but less then that at which the vapor pressure of the component water would effect the surface expansion and bubbling of the desired barrier layer, and then biaxially orienting and blow molding into final configura- tion said barrier covered blank, parison or pre- form.

W A T E R - R E S I S T A N T P O L Y V 1 N Y L A L C O H O L F I L M A N D I T S

A P P L I C A T I O N T O T H E P R E P A R A T I O N O F G A S -

I M P E R M E A B L E C O M P O S I T E A R T I C L E S

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E T H A N O L P R O D U C T I O N BY H I G H P E R F O R M A N C E

B A C T E R I A L F E R M E N T A T I O N

Claude Bonnebat, Louis Macabrey, Gilbert Roullet, Pontault Combault, France assigned to Rhone-Poulenc S A

Polyvinyl alcohol films are provided which are gelled, non-tacky, bubble-free and resistant to water at ambient temperatures. The polyvinyl alcohol film is obtained by plasticizing (fluxing) and melting granules of pure polyvinyl alcohol containing from 25 to 35% by weight of water at a temperature at least 100 degrees C. above the equilibrium melting point of the granules and less than or equal to 220 degrees C., and ex- truding the melted granules through a die at a temperature at least 5 degrees C, above the equi-

Hugh G Lawford, Mississauga, Canada as- signed to George Weston Ltd

The present invention is directed to the prepara- tion of ethanol by bacterial fermentation. It makes use of a microorganism capable of pro- ducing ethanol and the process is carried out in two stages. In the first stage a bacterial cell suspension is produced together with ethanol in an ethanol concentration range that does not substantially inhibit production of the bacterial cells in a medium containing a source of nitrogen and a source of carbon. Ethanol is then produced in the absence of substantial bacterial cell pro- duction by the addition of fermentable sugar to