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
1994-03-30
2001-04-10
Pratt, Helen (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.
C426S549000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06214403
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to preparation and use of breadcrumbs for coating food products intended to be oven-cooked their production.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,961 describes a process for the production of breadcrumbs in which a mixture containing at least 95% of flour, 2.5 to 3% of fats and yeast is prepared and mixed in an extruder, a gas such as carbon dioxide is injected into the extruder at several places to form an aerated mixture which is then heated and extruded at a temperature of the order of 30 to 100° C. and under a pressure of 14 to 42 bar (200 to 600 psig). The product thus obtained is then cut into small pieces and dried. The breadcrumbs thus obtained may be used to coat food products, such as pieces of meat or fish, which are subsequently regenerated by frying in hot oil.
During this final step of frying in oil, the breadcrumbs are grilled and roasted and give the appearance of a cooked product, a crispy texture and an agreeable taste to the fried product coated with them. However, the breadcrumbs also absorb a large quantity of fats (approximately half their weight), so that the fried coated product obtained is rich in fats.
Now, the modern trend among consumers is to avoid the consumption of high-fat products, more particularly products cooked by frying in oil.
One solution is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,438 which relates to a new type of breadcrumbs for coating products intended for regeneration in a conventional oven or in a microwave oven. Unfortunately, the regenerated products coated with these breadcrumbs are reminiscent in their taste and texture of products obtained by frying in oil. The coated product according to this document may be obtained in various ways, one of which comprises a sequence of particular steps in which the product to be breadcrumb-coated is coated with a binder and then with breadcrumbs obtained by extrusion of a dough containing approximately 20% of flour and 80% of water, the product thus breadcrumb-coated is then oven-cooked in air with a certain humidity level, oil is sprayed onto the cooked breadcrumb-coated product and the sprayed product is exposed to a high temperature of the order of 375 to 480° C. to give the product a brown and crispy surface.
Although it gives satisfactory results, this known process has the disadvantage that it is neither quick nor easy to carry out in view of the numerous steps which it involves. In addition, it involves repeated handling of the breadcrumbed product and the use of special installations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problem addressed by the present invention was to provide breadcrumbs with which it would be possible to obtain a breadcrumb-coated product similar in taste, texture and appearance to a breadcrumb-coated product regenerated by frying in oil, but would be regenerated by passage through a conventional oven with no need for any oil to be added.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to breadcrumbs for food products intended to be oven-cooked, characterized in that they consist of ground cereals, a sugar or sugars, and preferably a reducing sugar or sugars, and more than 7% by weight of fats.
The present invention also relates to a process for the production of the breadcrumbs comprising the steps of introducing into an extruder a mixture containing ground cereals, a sugar and fat in such a quantity that the end product has a fat content of at least 7% by weight, subjecting the mixture to extrusion cooking at a temperature of at least 150° C. and under a pressure of at lesat 45 bar and then grinding and drying the extruded product.
Finally, the present invention relates to a food product partly or completely coated with the breadcrumbs according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Throughout the remainder of the present specification, percentages are by weight.
One advantage of the invention is that it enables already existing installations to be used on an industrial scale without having to be adapted or modified, for example according to the composition of the breadcrumbs or the process used for applying the breadcrumbs (for example no additional prefrying step).
Another advantage of the invention is that it enables regenerated breadcrumb-coated products to be obtained which are low in fats but which are similar in taste and appearance to fried breadcrumb-coated products and retain their crispy texture.
The present invention is distinguished in particular by the fact that it enables breadcrumbs suitable for regeneration in a conventional oven to be obtained by a process combining an extrusion cooking step under particular conditions of high temperature and pressure and a starting mixture of particular composition in regard to its fats content.
In carrying out the process according to the invention, the ground cereals may be a semolina or flour of wheat, rice or oats, for example, either individually or in admixture with one another. The sugar or may be dextrose, lactose, glucose and fructose, either individually or in admixture with one another, and contains reducing sugars which enable an attractive colour to be given to the breadcrumbs by Maillard reaction after their regeneration.
The fat may be, for example, hydrogenated palm oil. In fact, any type of fat may be used although, if it is desired to keep the breadcrumbs for a certain time, it is necessary to use a fat which will not turn rancid, i.e. a fat mainly containing saturated fatty acids.
The fat is added to the mixture to be extruded in such a quantity that the final breadcrumbs contain at least 7% by weight and preferably 8 to 12% by weight of fats. Salts, spices, colourants and any permitted food additive, such as skimmed milk powder, may also be added to the mixture.
Water may also be added to obtain an extrudable mixture, i.e. a mixture having a dry matter content of at least 75% and generally of the order of 75 to 80%.
A single-screw or twin-screw cooker-extruder may be used. If a single-screw cooker-extruder is used, it is important initially to prepare a perfectly homogeneous mixture of the various starting materials and to adjust the dry matter content accordingly, for example to a value of 75 to 82%. In addition, in a single-screw cooker-extruder, the maximum reachable temperature may constitute a limit to the process according to the invention.
In this case, it is preferable to use a twin-screw cooker-extruder with which it is possible to reach much higher temperatures. Another advantage of the twin-screw cooker-extruder is that there is no need to prepare a mixture of the various starting materials for introduction into the extruder. On the contrary, it is possible independently to introduce each starting material one after the other and then to adjust the dry matter content. In this case, all the starting materials are mixed together in a first part of the extruder.
The extrusion process is preferably carried out at a temperature of 150 to 230° C. under a pressure of at least 45 bar and for a short time of at least 30 seconds and of the order of 30 to 80 seconds. Screws rotating at a high speed of the order of 200 to 250 revolutions per minute are preferably used. These extrusion conditions provide for expansion of the product as required.
A product in the form of pellets with a dry matter content of the order of 85 to 92% is obtained at the extruder exit.
The extruded product is then ground, for example in a conventional grinder or mill, to obtain irregularly shaped particles of the order of 0.5 to 2.0 mm in size.
The extruded and ground product is then dried in an apparatus suitable for drying a powder-form product, for example a fluidized-bed dryer. The product is thus dried to a dry matter content typical of products of this type, i.e. of the order of 92 to 95%, which provides the product with good keeping qualities. The breadcrumbs thus obtained may be stored for at least 12 to 18 months at ambient temperature in the absence of light in a dry place.
The product thus obtained may be used as breadcrumbs and may be regenerated in a conventional oven, be
Broberg Lars
Desjardins Jean-Jacques
Dupart Pierre
Nestec S.A.
Pratt Helen
Vogt & O'Donnell, LLP
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