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
1999-11-05
2001-06-19
Hendricks, Keith (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.
C426S560000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06248387
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to snack foods containing psyllium and methods for producing the snack products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Psyllium is a known mucilaginous material derived from seeds from the plants of the Plantago genus, which is grown in certain sub-tropical regions of the world. The seeds are dark brown, smooth, boat shaped and shiny. Psyllium is an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fibers and has a proven cholesterol-lowering effect. In addition to its cholesterol lowering effects, psyllium is well known for its bulk laxative effect. Psyllium seed is used in whole, ground or dehusked form to make a variety of psyllium containing products, including cookies, laxative drink mixes, and other foodstuffs.
Psyllium is mucilagenous in nature and acquires a slimy or adhesive texture and mouthfeel upon hydration. This slimy mouthfeel is unpalatable and, accordingly, various additives have been incorporated in psyllium-containing ingestible compositions to mask the undesirable texture and mouthfeel of psyllium. In addition, psyllium develops a distinctive, undesirable flavor and color in the presence of heat and moisture which further limits its use in food products.
The mucilagenous nature of psyllium husks and of soluble fibers in general presents grave processing difficulties and there have been numerous prior attempts to produce palatable food products. Difficulties notwithstanding, the desirable therapeutic effects provided by psyllium have led to many prior psyllium-containing formulations. For example, various psyllium containing foodstuffs have been proposed which purport to take advantage of the natural digestion regulation properties of psyllium, or the satiating effect of psyllium. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,574,634 and 4,348,379.
It has also been suggested, e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,114, that whole psyllium husks, such as the ground husks of the seed
Plantago psyllium
, lower blood cholesterol upon oral administration thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,222 discloses a medicament composition for reducing blood cholesterol levels in humans and lower animals which comprises a mixture of psyllium seed gum, or a source of psyllium seed gum, and a nonabsorbable, nondigestible polyol polyester.
Prior attempts have been made to overcome the problems of using psyllium in ready-to-eat cereal and bakery products such as cookies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,248, hereby incorporated by reference, describes preparation of an extruded psyllium nugget that is incorporated into cereal and baked products such as cinnamon cookies.
Prewetted psyllium and an extruded psyllium nugget have also been used to overcome processing difficulties associated with psyllium, as described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,384,136; 5,384,144; and 5,223,298.
Psyllium-containing snack foods are very desirable because snack foods provide consumers with a convenient, readily available food source that requires little or no preparation time. Various types of snack products are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,240 to Addesso et al. discloses a chip-like snack prepared by admixing wheat flour, a no or low gluten content starching material such as potato starch, pregelatinized waxy starch and water to form a dough having a tachifier value of 2500 to 4000 gas. The dough is sheeted and cut into pieces which are heated to reduce moisture content to obtain a blistered appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,093 to Fazzolore et al. discloses a starch based blistered chip-like product wherein a starch and water composition is steamed to form a dough-like consistency, wadering the composition forming snack pieces and looking to produce the chip like product.
Psyllium-containing snack foods would provide consumers with a very simple means to obtain the health benefits associated with psyllium and to provide consumers with alternatives to presently available psyllium-containing food products.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide psyllium-containing baked snack products and methods for preparing the snacks that have superior taste and mouthfeel, and are an excellent source of psyllium. A method for the production of the psyllium snack product is also provided herein.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide psyllium containing baked snacks which are palatable and useful for reducing serum cholesterol levels. Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and examples thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to psyllium-containing snack foods and methods for preparing the same. Preferably, the snacks will contain a sufficient quantity of psyllium in three to four servings daily to provide a cholesterol-reducing effect if ingested by humans and lower mammals (hereinafter referred to generically as mammals), which in humans has been shown to be 7 grams psyllium/day. The psyllium source is psyllium seed husk, preferably 40 mesh raw psyllium.
The snack also contains a starchy material, e.g. potato-based starch source such as potato flakes, corn starch, and the like. It is preferred that the starchy material include at least two different starch sources. A preferred starch for inclusion in the starchy material is pregelatinized waxy corn starch. When ingested, the snack foods effectively reduce the mammalian serum and/or liver cholesterol levels. Other therapeutic effects can also be achieved upon administration of the snack foods, e.g. laxative effects and lowered glycemic index.
Processes for producing the psyllium containing snack products are also provided herein. In a preferred embodiment, at least two starchy materials, e.g., potato starch and pregelatinized starch are dry blended and admixed with water, and, optionally, a suitable oil such as vegetable oil, to form a dough. Psyllium is added to the dough, which is again mixed to achieve a relatively uniform dispersion of the psyllium throughout the dough. Water is added as necessary to produce a suitable dough which is then sheeted, cut into snack-sized pieces, and baked or fried or otherwise heated to obtain a crispy, snack product.
The final products preferably contain a sufficient quantity of soluble fiber in a suitable serving or in several suitable serving amounts to produce desired in-vivo effects upon ingestion by a mammal, including a reduction in serum and liver cholesterol levels.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The psyllium-containing baked snack products of the present invention preferably contain from about 75 to about 99% by weight starchy material and from about 1 to about 25% by weight psyllium, and optionally other edible ingredients, e.g., colorants, flavorants, preservatives, leavening and processing aids.
The starchy material preferably includes at least two starch sources. It is preferred that at least one of the starches is a potato-based starch source such as potato flakes, dehydrated potatoes or other potato-derived starch sources. It is also preferred that at least one of the starches is pregelatinized such as pregelatinized corn starch. The final baked snacks of the present invention preferably include from about 50 to about 75% by weight of a potato-based starch source, preferably from about 55 to about 70% by weight, and most preferably from about 60 to about 78% by weight.
The pregelatinized starch, when included, typically accounts for about 1 to about 25% by weight of the final weight of the final product. In preferred embodiments, the pregelatinized starch is included in amounts of from 2 to about 15% by weight, and most preferably from about 5 to about 10% by weight of the final snack product. Any pregelatinized starch may be used in accordance with the present invention. A particularly preferred pregelatinized starch is pregelatinized corn starch commercially available from A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company, Decatur, Ill.
Other starch sources such as wheat flour, oat flour, barley flour, tapioca, corn grits, corn meal, potato granules and other starch products
Hendricks Keith
Howard & Howard
Kellogg Company
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