Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Basic ingredient is starch based batter – dough product – etc.
Reexamination Certificate
1993-11-01
2001-07-03
Sherrer, Curtis E. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Basic ingredient is starch based batter, dough product, etc.
C426S560000, C426S466000, C426S516000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254917
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to snack chips and processes for making the same. More particularly, this invention provides a process for producing pretzel chips of a novel configuration by extruding and thinly slicing a pretzel dough. This invention also provides a novel extrusion die for extruding pretzel or other doughs into the desired configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pretzels have long been a popular snack food, and have been produced in various shapes and designs. In addition to being prepared in the conventional pretzel knot, rod and stick shapes, pretzels have been produced in the shape of novelty designs, such as butterflies, the letter “B” and corporate logos. Pretzels also have been produced in the shape of chips.
A commercial pretzel chip product, sold as the Mr. Phipps-brand pretzel chip, has a flat, sheeted appearance much like a cracker with docking holes. The chip also has the typical brown color of a pretzel, and a crisp texture.
The basic parameters of pretzel making are well known. Various extrusion and/or molding techniques have been used to produce pretzels of a desired shape. The color and texture of pretzels typically are produced by partially cooking the pretzel dough shapes in a caustic hot water bath, following which the product is salted with the desired amount of salt and baked.
Other food products in the shape of a chip, and extrusion processes for preparing such food products, also are known. See, U.S. Design Pat. No. 323,232 to Duffy; U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,555 to Judd; U.S. Pat. No. 3,551,165 to Reesman, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,620 to Allen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,089 to Ikoma, et al.; British Patent published application 2,183,439; and Japanese Kokai published application 61-61822. The chips disclosed in these references are of varied design, with the processes disclosed therein designed especially for preparing the particular products disclosed. As evidenced by the variety of products disclosed in the above references, the art is always seeking new designs to differentiate a new product from existing products.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is a process for producing a pretzel chip having a distinctive design. It also is an object to produce a design which is not only appealing to consumers, but also strong enough to maintain its integrity through the production, packaging and distribution processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are realized via a process for preparing a pretzel chip, comprising the steps of extruding a pretzel dough to form a dough extrudate comprised of a plurality of interconnected and partially fused concentric dough rings, slicing the dough extrudate to provide a plurality of dough slices and cooking the dough slices.
In a preferred process, the extrudate is prepared by extruding the dough through a die having a dough entry port having a plurality of metering passages disposed in concentric circles. The interior of the die includes a plurality of arcuate divider walls, disposed in a generally concentric circular arrangement, which extend from the distal ends of the metering channels to a dough exit port. Concentric rings of pretzel dough form and partially fuse in the interior of the die around the arcuate divider walls, and the provision of gaps between the arcuate divider wall sections results in the formation of connecting dough webs which connect adjacent dough rings to one another.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to the extrusion die per se, which is comprised of a dough inlet comprising a plurality of metering passages arranged in concentric circles, a die interior comprised of a dough passageway containing a plurality of arcuate divider walls arranged in concentric circles, each of said arcuate divider walls comprised of a base portion affixed to said dough inlet and a tip portion that is recessed from a dough exit port.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 323232 (1992-01-01), Duffy
patent: 2419654 (1947-04-01), Moore
patent: 2613620 (1952-10-01), Allen
patent: 3241503 (1966-03-01), Schafer
patent: 3551165 (1970-12-01), Reesman et al.
patent: 3799724 (1974-03-01), Grady
patent: 4343604 (1982-08-01), Minjolle
patent: 4743191 (1988-05-01), Chao
patent: 4759939 (1988-07-01), Keller et al.
patent: 4789555 (1988-12-01), Judd
patent: 4839120 (1989-06-01), Baba et al.
patent: 4937089 (1990-06-01), Ikoma et al.
patent: 4979889 (1990-12-01), Frost
patent: 5238693 (1993-08-01), Walsh
patent: 338239 (1989-10-01), None
patent: 2183439 (1986-10-01), None
patent: 2199228 (1988-07-01), None
patent: 61-61822 (1986-03-01), None
Juranovic Lillian Regina
Tuzzio Paul V.
Recot Inc.
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
Sherrer Curtis E.
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