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
2000-12-07
2003-04-01
Tran, Lien (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.
C426S451000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06541059
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns processes for making pre-cooked instant pasta and noodles with superior eating quality made from freshly extruded pasta dough and products made by the process. The freshly extruded pasta dough is subjected to a process comprising steaming, soaking in water, removing excess moisture from the surface of the pasta dough, and toasting. The process conditions are dependent upon the shape and size of the pasta or noodle, and the desired texture.
2. Description of Related Art
Presently available instant or quick cooking pasta and noodles are conventionally made by extrusion cooking or cooking subsequent to extrusion by immersion in boiling water and/or steam cooking. Extrusion cooking, however, can result in deterioration of the pasta texture due to the impact of heat and high shear on the protein matrix prior to and during extrusion. When these products are rehydrated, the texture is mushy or soft, not “al dente”. The extrusion cooking process is costly, requiring sophisticated equipment and control systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,694 describes a pre-cooked macaroni wherein the dough is made in a conventional manner and the fresh pasta is said to be completely precooked and dried at 300-700° F. for about 3 to 9 minutes. The product, however, is not completely pre-cooked and is expensive because of high processing costs and is limited to pasta shapes that can be extruded with thin walls and still maintain their shape.
A pasta having a helix shape said to be quick cooking is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,418. The pastas are limited to those having a shape of a helix and the reported density of the pasta, between 0.2 g/cm
3
and 0.75 g/cm
3
, is the bulk density, which is a function of the cylindrical space occupied by the pasta, rather than density based on the volume displacement of the pasta or noodle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,677 concerns a pasta said to be rapid cooking made by an extrusion and drying process wherein corn flour is described as a critical binding ingredient which also masks the harsh bitter flavor of soy materials in the formulation. The product of U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,677 has poor structural integrity, a soft mushy structure and the harsh bitter flavor of soy material is not effectively masked.
A process for preparing instant-cooking alimentary pastes using repetitive vaporization treatments is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,119. U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,214 describes a process for making an unexpanded pasta, said to be rapidly rehydratable, involving subjecting the pasta to dry, superheated steam, in the absence of water at between 102° C. to 140° C. for 7 to 20 minutes such that the pasta comprises an inner core zone in which a substantial amount of the protein remains undenatured and a substantial amount of the starch remains ungelatinized. U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,435 discusses a dried pasta product which is said to be rapidly reconstituted for consumption in which the pasta is pre-cooked with steam while being intermittently sprayed with water at a temperature of 90° C. to 98° C. and a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. A pasta product that is said to be tolerant to exposure to non-boiling water and capable of microwave preparation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,072.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,044,165, 4,394,397 and 4,540,592 involve pasta products wherein combinations of heat and mechanical stress are used during extrusion processes to fully pre-cook the pasta products. The products of these patents suffer from poor textural qualities and lack of “al dente” texture, and are processed using extensive and expensive preparation means.
It was an object of the invention to obtain a process of making a fully pre-cooked pasta product by a method which does not involve extrusion cooking and reduces the time and expense associated with conventional processing methods.
It was a further object of the invention to develop a fully pre-cooked pasta product having faster preparation times and improved textural performance, particularly when prepared by microwave oven cooking or hot or boiling water pour-over.
These objects have been achieved by the process of preparing instant fully precooked pasta which comprises steaming the pasta dough, soaking the steamed pasta dough, removing excess moisture from the surface of the pasta dough and toasting.
All percentages and ratios set forth in this specification are by weight/weight unless designated otherwise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The pasta or noodle products of the invention have textural properties and density and porosity imparted by the process which enable the pasta to be prepared by simple hot or boiling water pour-over or microwave cooking, as well as conventional means of stove top cooking in boiling water. Reference to “pasta”, “pasta or noodle” and “pasta and noodle”, as used in this Specification, includes reference to both pasta and noodle. The process comprises the steps of steaming freshly extruded pasta dough, soaking the steamed pasta dough, removing excess moisture from the surface of the pasta dough and toasting. The degree of expansion and product density of the pasta product can be manipulated through the control of the moisture content of the extruded dough and toasting conditions. The precise processing conditions will vary depending upon the pasta shape, dimensions and desired texture. Any shape of pasta can be made by the process described herein, and the processing conditions can be manipulated to achieve desired quick cook characteristics.
The process provides a fully pre-cooked product, that is a pasta that has fully gelatinized starch, or nearly fully gelatinized starch, and denatured protein, that reduces the cooking time compared to conventionally processed pasta products and other instant pasta products and allows for more rapid rehydration of the pasta without subjecting the product to cooking in boiling water for long time periods. Thus, the pasta is a quick cooking or convenient pasta that can be prepared by any process capable of hydrating and cooking the pasta, including hot or boiling water pour-over and microwave preparation, as well as traditional stove top cooking. The process results in a pasta with unique textural attributes, porosity and density so that the quick cooking pasta of the invention will have the taste and organoleptic aspects of conventional pasta made in boiling water, when prepared by hot or boiling water pour-over or with microwave cooking.
The pasta products can be made from a wide variety of farinaceous materials which allows use of less expensive materials, and the pasta can be made from a wide variety of flours and starches, including wheat, rice, potato, corn and the like. Also, the process steps are relatively fast compared to processes used to make conventional pasta and other quick cook pastas. The process of the invention eliminates the long drying time, which can be up to 6 to 8 hours, associated with conventional pasta manufacture. Thus, a cost saving can be realized with the process, and pastas made by the process as a result of, among other things, the variety of raw materials that can be used and the time, energy and equipment savings associated with the process.
Additionally, the process can be manipulated to produce a pasta product that has a unique crunchy texture. Accordingly, the pasta can be used as or incorporated into a snack food product. A variety of flavors, herbs, spices or other flavoring ingredients can be blended with the pasta dough prior to processing or coated on the surface of the pasta to make a snack food product.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Pasta dough is made for the process of the invention with water, wheat flour and other ingredients using known extrusion techniques. Accordingly, the ingredients are combined and hydrated with sufficient water to attain the desired consistency and kneaded to make the dough. The dough can be formed into the desired shape by extrusion through a die plate and then cut into pieces of the desired size. In a preferred embodiment of the present i
Oh Nam H.
Sheen Shiowshuh
Bestfoods
Tran Lien
LandOfFree
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