Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Dry flake – dry granular – or dry particulate material
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-31
2004-04-06
Anthony, Joseph D. (Department: 1714)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Dry flake, dry granular, or dry particulate material
C426S098000, C426S100000, C426S139000, C426S133000, C426S291000, C426S289000, C426S302000, C252S194000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06716463
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a frozen food to be microwave-heated. More particularly, the present invention relates to a frozen fried food to be microwave-heated which is endurable for freeze-preservation.
Also, the present invention relates to a fried food which can remarkably suppress moisture absorption of coating and/or sheet not only immediately after production but also during freeze-preservation, and which can maintain crispness in eating even when the food has been heated again by a microwave oven after the preservation.
In the present invention, the term “freezing” means temperatures below 0° C.
BACKGROUND ART
Generally, it is important in fried foods that their coating and/or sheet (hereinafter called “coatings”) provide crispness when eaten. Such crispness in eating can be usually obtained in fried foods immediately after being externally heated by, e.g., frying or using a toaster oven. On the other hand, cooing utilizing internal heating with a microwave oven has a difficulty in providing the crispness in eating because the “coatings” absorb water vapor evaporated from the interior of a food during the cooking.
Recently, various techniques have been proposed as means for preventing “coatings” from absorbing moisture when frozen foods are cooked by a microwave oven. As a result, some techniques have succeeded in suppressing moisture absorption of “coatings” at a satisfactory level immediately after freezing or after freeze-preservation under a condition below −30° C. Even with application of those techniques, there still remains such a problem that, when frozen fried foods are preserved at temperatures higher than −30° C., “coatings” absorb moisture during freeze-preservation before the frozen foods are microwave-heated, and crispness is deteriorated.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In the case of producing frozen fried foods, each of which is to be microwave-heated and comprises a food substrate and “coatings” , there are two major problems. The first problem is that the “coatings” forming an outer surface of the food absorbs moisture evaporated from the interior of the food during microwave heating. The second problem is that the “coatings” absorbs moisture during freeze-preservation.
Those phenomena are disadvantageous in changing the texture of the food after being microwave-heated, particularly a texture of the “coatings”, into a gummy or loose texture without crispness, and hence providing a poor texture far from that of foods just after being fried.
Of the above two problems, the second problem of “moisture absorption of the “coatings” during freeze-preservation” is recognized as a major problem only after the first problem of “moisture absorption of the “coatings” during microwave heating” has been solved.
In other words, only those persons, who have techniques capable of reproducing a good texture when frozen foods are cooked by a microwave oven immediately after freezing, can recognize that the good texture is not reproduced when the frozen foods are cooked by a microwave oven after freeze-preservation at temperatures higher than −30° C. Accordingly, the above two problems must be solved for producing frozen fried foods to be microwave-heated at a level nearer to perfection.
There have been proposed various techniques for dealing with the first problem of “moisture absorption of the “coatings” during microwave heating” of the above two problems. One preferable technique is to employ a batter composition, which contains heat treatment flour, high-amylose starch, etc., for “coatings”. More preferably, the batter composition contains dextrin and an emulsifier in addition to the above components. It has been confirmed that, when foods are fried using the batter having such a composition, the formed coating have a porous structure. Because of the porous structure, moisture evaporated when the fried food is microwave-heated after freezing is allowed to escape to the outside of the food through the coating, and therefore moisture absorption of the coating during the microwave heating is suppressed. By employing the above technique, the frozen fried foods can provide crispness, when microwave-heated, comparable to that obtainable with externally heated foods. As a matter of course, the second problem of “moisture absorption of the “coatings” during freeze-preservation” cannot be recognized as an explicit problem without utilizing the above technique. This is because it is not clear that disappearing of the crispness is attributable to which one of moisture absorption during microwave heating or moisture absorption during freeze-preservation.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a frozen fried food which is substantially free from the occurrence of transfer of moisture from a food substrate to “coatings” such as, in particularly, a sheet and a coating not only immediately after the food has been frozen, but also when the food is freeze-preserved at a comparatively high temperature and after the food has been freeze-preserved for a long period of time, and which is capable of preventing a decrease in crispness of the “coatings” after the food has been cooked by a microwave oven. Another object of the present invention is to provide “coatings” suitable for microwave heating, a vapor pressure regulating technique, and a technique for preventing moisture absorption during freeze-preservation, which are necessary for producing the frozen fried food.
As a result of intensively conducting studies to achieve the above objects, the inventors have found that the crispness of the “coatings” can be maintained even when the frozen fried food is freeze-preserved at a comparatively high temperature, by employing the “coatings” suitable for microwave heating which does not easily absorb moisture evaporated during the microwave heating, treating the food substrate with a coating layer agent having a low vapor permeability, and placing a moisture absorbent in a food package during freeze-preservation. The present invention has been accomplished based on the above finding.
The present invention resides in a coating layer agent composition for frozen foods to be microwave-heated, each of the foods comprising a food substrate and a “coatings”, wherein the composition contains an emulsifier, preferably acetylated monoglycerides and/or protein, and/or oil and fat. The composition can be used in the form of powder mixed with and adhered to silicon dioxide. Accordingly, the present invention resides in a coating layer agent composition for frozen foods to be microwave-heated, each of the foods comprising a food substrate and a “coatings”, wherein the composition contains an emulsifier, and/or acetylated monoglycerides and/or protein, and/or oil and fat, the composition being preferably in the form of powder mixed with and adhered to silicon dioxide. The composition contains a coating layer agent preferably in the range of 100-250 weight % for silicon dioxide. Accordingly, the present invention resides in a coating layer agent composition for frozen foods to be microwave-heated, each of the foods comprising a food substrate and a “coatings”, wherein the composition contains an emulsifier, preferably acetylated monoglycerides and/or protein, and/or oil and fat, the composition being in the form of powder mixed with and adhered to silicon dioxide in the range of 100-250 weight % for silicon dioxide. The composition may further contain thermo-coagulating protein. Accordingly, the present invention resides in a coating layer agent composition for frozen foods to be microwave-heated, each of the foods comprising a food substrate and a “coatings”, wherein the composition contains an emulsifier, preferably acetylated monoglycerides and/or proteins, and/or oil and fat, as well as thermo-coagulating protein, the composition being in the form of powder mixed with and adhered to silicon dioxide preferably in the range of 100-250 weight % for silicon dioxide.
Also, the present invention resides in a frozen food to be microwave-heated, which compr
Koriyama Tsuyoshi
Nakamura Satoshi
Anthony Joseph D.
Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd
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