Enhancing puffable food products and for production thereof

• US 6,645,541 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2001
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Morii Foods Company Limited, Wynn Starr Flavors, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Morii Foods Company Limited, Wynn Starr Flavors, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuramoto, Simpey, Morii, Kazuaki, Abate, Roland, Morii, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN LIEN, THUY
• Application Number:
  US10/021,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20020132033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 426/94, 426/559, 426/241, 426/242, 426/446, 426/450, 426/234, 426/237, 426/445, 126/808
• US Class Current: 426/559
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 19/19 from powdered or mashed potato products A23L19/135 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 29/212 Starch; Modified starch; Starch derivatives, e.g. esters or ethers containing starch hydrolysates, e.g. dextrin, A23L29/30
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/13 Snacks or the like obtained by oil frying of a formed cereal dough
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/135 Individual or non-extruded flakes, granules or shapes having similar size, e.g. breakfast cereals
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/157 Farinaceous granules for dressing meat, fish or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/165 Preparation of puffed cereals involving preparation of meal or dough as an intermediate step
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 426/808 Starch base snack product

Abstract

Methods for preparing a puffable food product suitable for cooking by microwaving, deep fat frying and hot air cooking are disclosed. The methods include mixing a starch with water at a temperature and for a time sufficient to at least partially gelatinize the starch, forming the mixture into a sheet and subjecting the sheet to a steam treatment to fully gelatinize the starch. The sheet is then cooled and cut into pellets of a desired shape and the pellets are dried. The inclusion of flavoring ingredients to improve the puffability is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a puffable food product comprising:

(a) mixing a gelatinizable starch with water at a temperature and for a time sufficient to at least partially gelatinize the starch;

(b) forming a mixture from step (a) into a sheet and subjecting the sheet to a steam treatment to completely gelatinize the starch;

(c) shaping the sheet from step (b) into pellets; and

(d) drying the pellets to a moisture content in the range of from about 7.5% to about 19% by weight of the pellets.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the moisture content of the pellets is from about 8% to about 16% by weight of the pellets.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the moisture content of the pellets is from about 10% to about 15% by weight of the pellets.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the moisture content of the pellets is from about 11% to about 14% by weight of the pellets.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the moisture content of the pellets is about 12%.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the starch contains less than 0.1% by weight protein.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the starch is obtained from a source selected from the group consisting of potatoes, mung beans, wheat, corn, soy beans, rice, rice powders, tapioca, bean starches, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the starch is 100% potato starch.

9. The method of claim 1 which further comprises adding a natural or artificial seasoning to the starch prior to step (a).

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the seasoning is selected from the group consisting of salt vinegar, barbecue seasoning, nacho seasoning, sons cream and onion seasoning, sweet and sour seasoning, sweet seasoning, hot seasoning, spicy seasoning, chicken flavor seasoning, savory flavor seasoning, fruit seasonings, citrus seasoning, vegetable seasonings, MSG, HVP, Yeast Autolysates, flavor reaction products and other including dairy, vegetable and fruit flavored seasonings.

11. A method for preparing an edible food comprising heating the pellets of claim 1 at a temperature and for a time sufficient to expand the pellets at least two fold.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the sheet is in the range from about 0.9 mm to 3.0 mm prior to the steam treatment.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the dried pellets are in the range from about 0.4 mm to 2.7 mm.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the steam treatment of the sheet carried out for about 1 to 7 minutes at a steam temperature of about 95 to 100°

C.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing a gelatinizable starch having less than 0.1% protein.