Patents Represented by Attorney John D. Endo
  • Patent number: 7960574
    Abstract: Methods of separating oil from oil-containing seeds, involving aerating an aqueous dispersion of germ particles of oil-containing seeds (e.g., corn) to produce bubbles therein, whereby the oil in the aqueous dispersion adheres preferentially to the surfaces of the bubbles and are carried by the bubbles to the upper surface of the aqueous dispersion where a foam of the bubbles is formed; separating the foam from the aqueous dispersion; and recovering the oil from the foam. The aqueous dispersion of germ particles of oil-containing seeds may be produced by mixing corn germ separated from corn kernels with an aqueous acetate buffer followed by heating, grinding, cooling, and optionally agitation; generally cellulase is added after the grinding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
    Inventors: Leland C. Dickey, Michael F. Dallmer