Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Applying diverse edible particulate solid to coat or... – Embedding – rolling or tumbling of particulate solid in core
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-16
2002-03-05
Bhat, Nina (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Applying diverse edible particulate solid to coat or...
Embedding, rolling or tumbling of particulate solid in core
C426S296000, C426S303000, C426S305000, C426S448000, C426S499000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352732
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to low-fat and fat-free snacks having a glossy coating, a process for making the same, and the application of coatings to the snacks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In today's health conscious environment, there is a need for low-fat and fat-free snack products. The United States Food & Drug Administration regulations require snack products, in particular pretzels, to contain less than 3 grams digestible fat/28 gram serving size to be classified as low-fat and less than 0.5 grams digestible fat/28 gram serving size to be classified as fat-free. Therefore, substantial reformulation is necessary in order to produce snacks that will fall within the regulations and contain consumer-acceptable taste and texture qualities.
One problem to overcome in order to produce low-fat and fat-free snack products is the reduction of fat-contributing ingredients (e.g., emulsifiers, shortening, oil, flavoring, etc.) while maintaining an acceptable taste and texture. Fats play an important role in the way a dough behaves during processing and greatly affect the quality, flavor and texture of the ready-to-eat product. As the fat content in snack products is reduced or replaced with other ingredients (e.g., non-digestible fat, protein, fiber, gums), adverse organoleptical effects (e.g., mouthcoating, drying, lack of crispness and lack of flavor) are increased. The adverse organoleptic effects result in products having reduced palatability.
Another problem to overcome is the lack of flavor display and lubriciousness often exhibited by conventional low-fat and fat-free pretzels. Typically, low-fat and fat-free pretzels are hard, have decreased flavor display, and are not as lubricious as high-fat snacks such as potato chips, cheese curls, corn chips and the like.
One approach for improving the palatability, lubriciousness, and flavor display of low-fat and fat-free snacks has been to add flavors. The flavors are traditionally applied to the snack as topical coatings in the form of dry powders (with or without a binder) and/or as liquids (e.g., oil-based, water-based). Although snacks having topical coatings comprising flavors are appetizing to consumers, there are several problems associated with snack products having these topical coatings. Several problems include. (1) the products tend to be greasy and/or messy; (2) the coatings have a tendency to leave a residue on the hands of the consumers; (3) the appearance of the product can vary from batch to batch; (4) increased drying times are needed to reduce the moisture of the product; (5) the products have poor appearance (e.g., dull, powdery); and (6) the products are mouth-drying. In addition, especially in the case of pretzels, the desirable surface sheen and color is also lost.
Another approach has been to add flavor to the dough; however, these products have poor flavor display, primarily due to the interaction between the flavor and starches in the dough composition. It is believed that the starches bind the flavor components and the flavor intensity is greatly suppressed. To complicate matters further, the strong caustic-treated surface of the pretzels prevents balanced flavor display, whether additional flavors are added to the dough and/or topically to the pretzel.
Despite these various approaches which have been taken to improve consumer appeal and palatability of low-fat and fat-free pretzels, there is still an apparent need for improved low-fat and fat-free pretzels having coatings applied thereto with the visual appeal, flavor, and texture of full-fat pretzels. In addition, processes of improved efficiency, methods of producing the pretzels, and methods of coating pretzels are also needed.
An object of the present invention is to provide dough compositions suitable for making low-fat and fat-free pretzels.
Another object of the present invention is to provide coated low-fat and fat-free pretzels.
Still another object of the present invention is to incorporate flavor in a stable glossy coating which can be applied to snack foods, such as pretzels, corn chips, potato chips, puffed products, tortilla chips and the like.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a process for preparing coated pretzels having a glossy coating.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coating which is capable of suspending and carrying flavors for application onto the surface of snacks such as pretzels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a dough composition suitable for producing low-fat and fat-free pretzels is provided. The dough composition comprises: (1) from about 55% to about 75% flour; (2) from about 0.05% to about 2% leavening; (3) from about 0% to about 4% added gluten; (4) from about 0% to about 5% corn syrup; (5) from about 25% to about 35% added water; and (6) from about 0.01% to about 7% added fat. The dough retains its shape, and additionally results in pretzels which have substantially improved taste, texture and lubriciousness when compared to conventional low-fat and fat-free pretzels.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, a process for producing coated pretzels is provided. The process comprises the steps of: (1) preparing the dough pieces; (2) applying caustic solution to the dough pieces for a time sufficient to produce ready-to eat pretzels having a pH less than about 8; (3) baking the dough pieces in an oven at a temperature of from about 200° F. (93.3° C.) to about 600° F. (315.6° C.); and (4) coating the ready-to-eat pretzels with an edible composition comprising sugar, salt, corn syrup solids, water and optionally flavoring.
Still further in accordance with the present invention, coated pretzels having a larger surface area to inner volume ratio are provided. It has been found that pretzels having a larger ratio of surface area to inner volume have substantially improved organoleptical properties (e.g., crunchiness, lubriciousness, mouthmelt, dryness) and can be produced using relatively short drying times. Levels of caustic in solutions may also be reduced which results in pretzels with less caustic taste.
In a preferred embodiment, a pretzel is prepared from a low-fat or fat-free dough. The dough pieces are conveyed through a bath of caustic solution, baked a first time at a temperature in the range of from about 375° F. (190.6° C.) to about 550° F. (287.8° C.) for about 3 to about 5 minutes, and baked a second time at a temperature in the range of from about 220° F. (104.4° C.) to about 250° F. (121.1° C.) for a time sufficient to produce pretzels having a moisture content of about 1% to about 4%.
The preferred pretzels have a ratio of surface area to inner volume of about 22 inches
−1
(8.66 cm
−1
) to about 40 inches
−1
(15.75 cm
−1
), a pH of about 8 or less, a digestible fat content of less than 3 g/28 g serving, and a moisture content of from about 1% to about 4%.
In the production of shaped products having a small cross-sectional area, such as pretzels in the shape of a bird or other animal, the combination of gluten, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides (DATEM) and small amounts of shortening is preferably included in the dough composition to retain the shape of the dough during machining and baking. Also, in the production of pretzels comprising non-digestible fat, it has been found that it is important to use the combination of gluten, DATEM and shortening to: (a) improve gas retention/product expansion during baking; (b) increase the mouthmelt of the pretzel; and (c) reduce the density, hardness and dryness which may result when non-digestible fats are used in the production of snacks.
Still further in accordance with the present invention, a process for coating pretzels is provided, comprising the steps of: (1) applying a coating (comprising a carbohydrate selected from the group consisting of modified starch, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, maltodextrins, dextrins and mixtures thereof), water, and preferably, water-soluble flavoring, to ready-to-eat p
Anderson Barbara Ann
Heisey Jacqueline Conrad
Hsieh Yen-Ping Chin
Lanner David Arthur
Martinez-Serna Villagran Maria Dolores
Clark Karen F.
Jones Melody A.
The Procter & Gamble Co.
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