Patents by Inventor Mark A. Kooyman

Mark A. Kooyman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Stabilized annatto-caramel food colorant
    Patent number: 6444249
    Abstract: Disclosed are annatto-caramel food colorant blends having a pH of about 9.1 to 10 that exhibit improved stability against precipitation and provide a rich brown color. The colorant blends are particularly useful for use in RTE cereals. The blends are characterized by low ammonia contents (<0.05%). Also disclosed are methods for preparing low ammonia content caramel color solutions. The methods involve adding KOH to a caramel solution to a pH of >10, off gassing ammonia to reduce the ammonia content to <0.05%, and acidifying the caramel colorant to a pH of 6.5 to 7 to provide a treated low ammonia neutral aqueous caramel colorant. An aqueous annatto colorant having a pH of about 12.5 to 13.5 is admixed with the treated low ammonia neutral caramel solution in a solids weight ratio of about 1:1 to about 4:1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Malathy Nair, James W. Geoffrion, Mark A. Kooyman
  • Stabilized annatto-caramel food colorant for RTE cereal
    Patent number: 6391372
    Abstract: Annatto-caramel food colorant blends having a pH of about 9.1 to 10 that exhibit improved stability against precipitation and provide a rich brown color are particularly useful for use in RTE cereals. The blends are characterized by low ammonia contents (<0.05%). Methods for preparing low ammonia content caramel color solutions involve adding KOH to a caramel solution to a pH of >10, off gassing ammonia to reduce the ammonia content to <0.05%, and acidifying the caramel colorant to a pH of 6.5 to 7 to provide a treated low ammonia neutral aqueous caramel colorant. An aqueous annatto colorant having a pH of about 12.5 to 13.5 is admixed with the treated low ammonia neutral caramel solution in a solids weight ratio of about 1:1 to about 4:1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Malathy Nair, James W. Geoffrion, Mark A. Kooyman
  • Stabilized annatto-caramel food colorant
    Patent number: 6156360
    Abstract: Disclosed are annatto-caramel food colorant blends having a pH of about 9.1 to 10 that exhibit improved stability against precipitation and provide a rich brown color. The colorant blends are particularly useful for use in RTE cereals. The blends are characterized by low ammonia contents (<0.05%). Also disclosed are methods for preparing low ammonia content caramel color solutions. The methods involve adding KOH to a caramel solution to a pH of >10, off gassing ammonia to reduce the ammonia content to <0.05%, and acidifying the caramel colorant to a pH of 6.5 to 7 to provide a treated low ammonia neutral aqueous caramel colorant. An aqueous annatto colorant having a pH of about 12.5 to 13.5 is admixed with the treated low ammonia neutral caramel solution in a solids weight ratio of about 1:1 to about 4:1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Malathy Nair, James W. Geoffrion, Mark A. Kooyman