Composition suitable for forming into shaped articles, process for preparing the composition, process for preparing shaped articles using the composition, and shaped articles so-formed

• US 5,279,658 A
• Filed: 09/19/1991
• Issued: 01/18/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David Aung
• Original Assignee: David Aung
• Inventors: Aung, David
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUNSMAN, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US07/761,221
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 106/213, 106/153, 106/154.1, 106/157
• US Class Current: 106/126.1
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/16 Extruding machines
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/135 Individual or non-extruded flakes, granules or shapes having similar size, e.g. breakfast cereals
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 20/20 Making of laminated, multi-layered, stuffed or hollow foodstuffs, e.g. by wrapping in preformed edible dough sheets or in edible food containers
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 30/10 Moulding
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 30/34 by extrusion-expansion
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 65/463 Edible packaging materials
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 65/466 Bio- or photodegradable packaging materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 3/00 Compositions of starch, amylose or amylopectin or of their derivatives or degradation products
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/10 Bio-packaging, e.g. packing containers made from renewable resources or bio-plastics

Abstract

A composition suitable for forming into shaped articles comprising flour, starch, and water. The flour, starch and water are each present in an amount such that the composition is rigid and stable over a predetermined temperature range. The composition preferably contains 40 to 80% by weight flour, 20-60% starch and 15-25% water and the flour and starch are obtained from natural cereal sources, such as corn, rice, potato, tapioca and wheat. A process of preparing the composition and a shaped article, and a shaped article produced in accordance with the process are also described. The shaped article may be used for foodstuffs.

Claims

1. A composition suitable for forming into shaped articles without any additives, the composition being produced by a process comprising preparing a mixture of flour and starch wherein the flour and starch have a uniform particle size and wherein the composition contains 40 to 80% by weight flour, 20 to 60% by weight start, and 15 to 25% by weight water;

and heating and mixing the mixture under a sufficient pressure, temperature and moisture content and for a sufficient period of time such that when the pressure is decreased the mixture expands to form a composition which when cooled is rigid and stable over a set temperature range.

2. A pellet formed by:

preparing a mixture of flour and starch wherein the flour and starch have a uniform particle size, and wherein the mixture contains 40 to 80% by weight flour, 20 to 60% by weight starch, and 15 to 25% by weight water;

heating and mixing the mixture in an extrusion cooker under sufficient pressure, temperature and moisture content and for a sufficient period of time such that the resulting material does not expand when it is extruded from the extrusion cooker.

3. The pellet as claimed in claim 2, wherein the moisture content is 10-12%, the temperature is 240°

-280°

F. and the pressure is 50-100 psi.