Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Isolated whole seed – bean or nut – or material derived therefrom
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-21
2002-01-01
Cano, Milton I. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Isolated whole seed, bean or nut, or material derived therefrom
C426S093000, C426S095000, C426S549000, C426S555000, C426S552000, C426S561000, C426S562000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06335041
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel batter system for application to a foodstuff for retail or food service type application.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Many foodstuffs, including meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, which are packaged in a frozen condition for retail sale or for use in a food service application, have a coating applied to a raw or partially-cooked food substrate. The foodstuff is heated and fully cooked for consumption by convection or microwave ovenizing or frying, depending on the foodstuff.
One such food coating is a tempura-like batter coating, which is a leavened batter. Such tempura batter coating generally comprises a primer layer consisting of an initial batter as a wetting and/or adhesive agent and/or a fine granular cereal crumb to precondition the surface to be coated. The tempura batter matrix generally contains flour, starches, proteins, leavening components, browning and flavouring agents.
A common problem with conventional tempura batters is that, while a crispy outer surface to the cooked batter can be obtained when reconstituting the food for consumption, an interface between the substrate and the crispy outer surface is formed which is wet, heavy and pasty, which detracts from the overall organoleptic quality or mouthfeel of the food product. This problem is particularly acute with food substrates which have a high moisture content, including fish, shellfish, fruit and vegetables. Often an even dispersion of the leavening gases is not achieved and gas cells coalesce to form pockets beneath the shell. In addition, the cooked shell of the coated substrate often has a rubbery texture, particularly when the foodstuff is oven cooked.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved tempura batter system which enables, upon cooking of a food substrate bearing the batter to an edible condition, the wet interface to be eliminated, the leavening gas to be evenly distributed and the coating to have a light and crisp eating quality, with a perception of a reduced layer of coating material.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an improved tempura batter system which enables significant improvements in the existing tempura batter systems to be achieved. The present invention involves improvements in both the primer layer or first pass system and the batter matrix layer.
When adhesion and/or improved coating coverage of the food substrate is desired, an underlying coating system is required. This system is optimized herein to maximize surface area while minimizing the contribution of mass to the overall coating, to optimize gelatinization and gelation and to manage water mobility in and through the layer. While the primer layer may comprise as much as about 20 to 30 wt % of the overall mass of a conventional tempura coating, it is contemplated herein to reduce this contribution to the overall mass to less than about 15 wt % of the overall coating mass. This may be achieved by providing a more dilute starch based batter and a finer granulation predust. The decrease in mass contribution and the choice of the first pass batter components and type of cereal predust, enables moisture release from the food substrate to and through the overlying tempura layer to be maximized and thereby contribute to decreased interface sogginess and vapour pressure build up.
A controlled gelling matrix is provided herein for the outer tempura coating in order to set the gas cell structure and permit effective penetration of heat during processing to thereby provide balancing of control of gelatinization, coagulation and gelation with cellular network expansion while managing water mobility and quantity in the batter system. As described in more detail below, a balancing of cereals, proteins, leavening system, fat and emulsifier is provided which produces effective gelatinization characteristics and a controlled formation of the outer shell.
A stabilized network of well-distributed, uniformly-sized gas cells throughout the matrix, which remain intact and do not coalesce or rupture within the batter matrix during continued mechanical agitation through mixing or application machinery and have controlled expansion during heating, permits a more effective heat transfer and affects positively the gelatinization, coagulation and water mobility characteristics of the batter system. As described in more detail below, these results may be achieved by employing an aerated and/or emulsified plastic fat or a semi-melted, emulsified plastic fat in addition to conventional leavening agents. Significant textural and/or visual benefits are derived by using such materials when compared to oils, fully melted plastic and powdered fats.
The coated food products provided in accordance with the present invention exhibit exceptional long-term freezer storage as compared to conventional tempura batter systems.
The batter composition provided herein may be employed in cohesion and/or adhesion style batter systems which act as an adhesive and/or cementing layer in which bread crumb material may be embedded.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
In providing a suitable tempura batter system, a balance between cereal (flour, starches, dextrins etc.) components, added protein, the leavening system, fat and emulsifier is sought in order to minimize or even eliminate shelling characteristics of the batter. In this regard, an important component is the flour. Conventionally, soft wheat flour is employed as a significant component of the dry mix from which the batter is formed, percentages as high as about 80 to about 90% not being uncommon. We have found that higher quantities of soft wheat flour lead to a greater tendency to shell.
In the present invention, the quantity of soft wheat flour is maintained below about 75 wt % of the dry mix, preferably about 45 to about 65 wt % of the dry mix. Higher gluten-containing flours, such as hard wheat flour, produce undesirable shelling properties.
Starches are used herein to make up the bulk of the dry mix not provided by the decreased quantity of soft wheat flour. A variety of unmodified starch materials can be used, particularly native wheat starch, although other starches, such as corn starch, tapioca starch and potato starch may be employed, along with film-forming starch materials, such as modified corn starch. The latter component restores crispiness and crunchiness lost by decreasing the wheat gluten component through the use of a limited quantity of soft wheat flour in order to avoid shell formation.
The total percentage of unmodified starches and modified starches which are employed in the batter mix vary with the amount of soft wheat flour. In general, the total percentage of such starches is from about 10 to about 35 wt %, preferably from about 15 to about 30 wt %. The relative proportions of the unmodified starches and modified starches in the batter dry mix generally may vary from 0 to about 30 wt % unmodified starches, preferably about 5 to about 25 wt %, and from 0 to about 30 wt % modified starches, preferably about 5 to about 15 wt %.
In addition to starch augmentation, in order to further compensate for a reduction in the soft wheat flour component, protein material may be added to provide improved properties to the batter. The proteins generally are a mix of such materials to provide a variety of improved properties. The presence of the protein material adds colour to cooked food product. Gelling proteins assist with the enrobing qualities of the batter, overall emulsification of materials and maintaining the gases dispersed in the batter. Non-gelling proteins provide an enhanced crispness. Some of the protein materials which may be employed include egg albumin, soya proteins and modified milk proteins, such as sodium caseinate.
Quantities of total additional proteins may vary and the upper level of such materials generally is determined by cost considerations and may generally be about 3.5 wt %. Generally, both gelling and non-gelling proteins are used, generally in approximately equal w
Baur Joachim N. C.
Darley Kenneth S.
Cano Milton I.
DuBois Philip
Griffith Laboratories Worldwide Inc.
Sim & McBurney
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