Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a new method for the preparation
of foodstuffs of the type generally called "snacks", and more
particularly to potato-based snacks/ to pre-mixes capable of
producing such snacks and to snacks when so prepared.
It is to be understood that the expression "snacks" as used
herein is not to be confused with the ordinary significance of the
product called "chips" i.e. rods or slices cut from unboiled
potatoes, which are baked in heated fat or oil, preferably in two
stages. The snacks according to the invention in one of its forms
may show similarity with the product normally called "potato
crisps", which is widely used as a snack with a drink. It may also
show some similarity with other snacks called "shoe strings" or
"potato puffs".
The preparation of crisps is well-known and according to
one method described in British Patent Specification 1261730 a
dough is prepared from starch-containing components, e.g. a
mixture of potato starch and potato flour, the dough is compressed
into flakes, the flakes are gelatinized by cooking them for between
1 to 10 minutes in steam at atmospheric pressure, and the moisture
content of the gelatinized flakes is then reduced by drying the
flakes in a hot-air drying chamber to obtain crisps in the form
of flakes. This method gives a product of a type consumed in
considerable quantities, but it is not easy for housewives to
prepare crisps in such a way.
It is known from, for example, British Patent Specification
1273999 to add yeast to potato flour for the purpose of lowering
the reducing sugar content in the potato flour before processing
a dough into potato snacks. It is also known from sritish Patent
Specification 1316148 to add yeast to flour and water for the
purpose of developing, in conjunction with an acidified whey, the
necessary acidity of a dough containing other ingredients, which
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dough is held for a period up to 7 hours before processing into
desired forms and then baked to give crackers, snack foods and
like partially-leavened bakery products.
It has now been found after research and experimentation
that a snack of light structure and pleasant taste can be obtained
from starch-containing material (e.g. potato flour and potato starch)
by adding to it yeast and a sugar fermentable by the yeast,
preparing a dough from such a mix, and thereafter processing the
dough into snacks of desired shapes and sizes.
Thus, the present invention is concerned with a new method
for the production of snacks which comprises the steps of adding
a combination of an active yeast, preferably baker's yeast, and a
sugar fermentable by said yeast to a starch-containing component,
forming a dough from such a mix using an adapted amount of water,
dividing the dough into pieces of desired si2e, fermenting the
pieces of dough for a sufficient period of time and temperature to
form a light structure and appropriate size for a snack, and frying
the pieces of fermented dough in heated edible oil or fat or
baking the pieces of fermented dough in an oven at ordinary baking
temperature.
This method is very suitable to be carried out on an
industrial scale, also by factories lacking part of the equipment
normally present in larger factories, and by housewives. It
requires limited and in general uncomplicated equipment. The
yeast component gives the snack product a special structure and a
very good taste due to the products formed by the yeast and
modified by the frying or baking process. Moreover, the snack does
not have any, or substantially any, oily taste. Due to the
fermentation of the divided dough pieces the snacks have a very
light structure, which is appreciated by the consumer. The snacks
may be hollow or porous.
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By the term "starch-containing component" as used in this
specification is meant any vegetable polymerised carbohydrate
product. Examples oE such carbohydrate products are potato flour
and potato starch, and corn, buckwheat, tapioca and rice flour,
and soya meals, and mixtures thereof. Preferred sources of starch
are dried potato flour and potato starch. A mixture of dried
potato flour and potato starch is preferably used in the ratio of
about 20 to about 80%, preferably about 40 to 60%, of dried
potato flour, and about 80 to about 20%, preferably about 60 to
about 40%, of potato starch, the said parts being by weight. This
mixture may partially be replaced by a starch product of another
origin.
It is to be understood that the substance called "dried
potato flour" should not be confused with the substance normally
called "potato starch". sy "dried potato flour" is meant dried
mashed potatoes (e.g. peeled potatoes that are gently crushed so
as not to break the cells, and dried on drying cylinders or spray-
dried. It is also possible to use a product obtained by boiling
potatoes, mixing the boiled potatoes, after removal of the water,
to a crumbly product and drying that product). Potato starch is
a product obtained by drying starch of potatoes at relatively low
temperatures so that gelatination of the starch does not occur.
It is advantageous to use the above indicated mixture of
potato starches in order to obtain a dough that can suitably be
handled or processed.
It is an advantage of the invention that starches other than
those derived from the potato may be used. In years when the
potato harvest is disappointing and potatoes become expensive, the
replacement of potato starch in the snacks by, for example, corn
starch may be considered.
The active yeast, preferably a baker's yeast, as used in
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the method according to the invention, is present in an amoun-t
of about 5 to about 20%, preferably about 8 to abou-t 12%, by
weight based on the amount of the starch containing components
in the mix. These percentages are indicated for so-called
compressed baker's yeast, a product normally containing about
70% of moisture. It is obvious that active dried baker's yeast
may also be used in such small amounts as will be indicated by
its activity ratio as compared to the compressed form of yeast.
For fermenting the dough a small amount of a sugar fermentable
by the active yeast is used. Examples of suitable fermentable
sugars are sucrose and glucose; sucrose is prePerred. An amount
of sugar of about 0.5 to about 5, preferably about 1 to about 4%,
by weight based on the starch content of the mix is sufficient to
obtain a suitable dough fermentation. Sugar that is not fermented
in the dough is important for the colour formation in the final
snack, and the amount of sugar and yeast present in the dough may
be adapted so that, after a predetermined fermentation time, the
baked snack has the desired combination of structure and colour.
However, if the fermentation time is exceeded (e.g. by a
production break) the colouration becomes too little for consumer
satisfaction. The colouration may vary from dark brown to a light
"potato chip like" colour according to the amount of sugar in the
divided pieces of dough before they are fried or baked, and/or
the frying or baking conditions.
According to an aspect of the present invention, proteinaceous
material is included in the mix from which the snacks are
produced, the proteinaceous material replacing a part of the starch-
containing component. The use of proteinaceous material is
advantageous in order to obtain a snack having a more balanced
ratio of carbohydrate and protein. Up -to about 45%, preferably up
to about 25%, by weight of the starch-containing component may
be replaced by proteinaceous material.
Examples of suitable proteinaceous materials are vegetable
proteinaceous materials such as gluten, soya protein isolate, soya
protein isolate sodium salt, and hydrolysed proteins. When using
corn starch or starch materials other than those derived from the
potato, it is preferable to use a certain amount of gluten. When
using soya meal, it is preferred to mix it with another starch-
containing component, such as corn meal. A mixture of up to about
40% of soya meal and 60% or more of corn meal is very suitable
when also using a certain amount of gluten.
Other substances may also be added to the starch, yeast and
sugar mix. Normally a small amount of salt enhances the taste of
the final snack, but also other substances may be added in small
amounts, such as spices, e.g. curry, paprica and/or meat spices.
A small amount of a non-fermentable sugar such as lactose may
also be added to give the final product a sweet taste, and a
suitable colour if desired. Furthermore, animal proteins may be
added in order to give the snack a special taste. Examples of
useful animal proteins are cheese,anchovy paste, yeast extract,
hashed meat and hydrolysed proteins.
According to a modification of the aforedescribed method
of the present invention for the production of snacks, instead of,
or in addition to, the incorporation of sugar with the starch-
containing material and active yeast there is used an enzyme cap-
able of acting on the starch-containing component to form there-
from a sufficient amount of a sugar from the starch components
fermentable by the active yeast, such as an amylase. An amount
of about 20 to 100 ppm, preferably about 30 to about 70 ppm, of
amylase (preferably ~-amylase), based on the content of the starch
component, may be used. The use of an amylase may be of advantage
for the colour fcrmation in the snacks. The addition of an enzyme
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to the mix instead of a sugar prolongs the fermentation time of
the pieces of dough and this may be of advantage if there is a
production break when the snacks are being produced.
Water is added in adapted amounts to obtain a satisfactory
dough, e.g. about 50 to about 150 parts by weight of water per
100 parts of starch-containing component and, if present, protein-
aceous material.
sefore fermenting the dough, it is divided up into pieces,
such as rods, flakes, small balls, cushions, wafers, stars or
strings. Suitably the dough is flattened to a sheet 0.5 mm to 2
mm thick and the desired shapes of the pieces are produced from
the sheet by conventional means. Extrusion, although applicable,
may in many cases advantageously be avoided, saving equipment.
Although fermentation of the pieces of dough may be carried
out at ambient temperatures, the pieces of dough are preferably
fermented at somewhat increased temperatures, e.g. from about 20
to about 40C, preferably from 25 to 35C. The fermentation
time depends on the temperature, but a fermentation period of
about 5 to about 45 minutes, preferably about 5 to about 30 min-
utes, will normally be sufficient. A preferred range of temper-
ature and time is 25 to 35C for 30 to 40 minutes.
After fermentation the dough is fried in heated edible oil
or fat or baked in an oven at ordinary baking temperatures. All
oils or fats which are normally used for frying purposes may be
used. Examples of suitable oils are arachidic oil, cocos oil and
lard. Preferably the pieces of fermented dough are fried.
The thus baked pieces of product, generally of the usual
size for snacks, are ready for consumption, but may, if desired,
be salted or covered with powdered sugar or small amounts of dip
sauces, etc. The product is a very fine-tasting snack which will
be appreciated by the consumer, generally with a drink.
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The fat content of the snack product produced when the
dough pieces are fried is preferably below about 25%, more pre-
ferably below 20%, by weight. When the pieces of dough are baked
the fat content can be nil.
According to another feature, the invention provides a
pre-mix for preparing the snacks according to the invention. This
pre-mix comprises a preponderant proportion of a starch-containing
component and optionally a proteinaceous material, active dried
yeast (preferably baker's yeast), and a sugar fermentable by said
active yeast and/or an en~yme capable of forming such a sugar.
The amounts of the components to be used are as indicated herein-
before. This pre-mix, which may be sold, for example in stores
etc., is very suitable to be used in the process according to -the
invention, when carried out by, for example, housewives. It is
sufficient to add some water, mix the dough, divide the dough into
pieces of desired shape and si~e, ferment the pieces of dough and
fry the pieces in a heated edible frying oil or fat. The house-
wives will have no trouble with weighing the necessary amounts of
the components for the resulting snack. Another advantage of the
pre-mix is that it can be stored for relatively long periods of
time, provided that the pre-mix is stored in the unopened package
(in a nitrogen atmosphere or in vacuo). Since the pre-mix will
normally be sold in packaged form, the invention includes an
air-tight package containing the pre-mix. Care should be taken
that the active yeast in the package, which is the most sensitive
component, will not be deactivated to a too great extent, which
may be achieved in several ways, e.g. by introducing a nitrogen
atmosphere or a vacuum, or in a way similar to that described in
British Patent Specification 1431047 by replacing the air in the
package by an adsorbing gas, e.g. carbon dioxide, which is part-
ially a~sorbed by the contents of the package, so that, when a
flexible package material is used, a vacuum-like appearance of
the package is obtained.
It will be obvious tha-t the pre-mix may also contain
additional components, e.g. those discussed hereinbefore. Those
additional components are added in dry form, which is necessary
for the stability of the yeast.
As indicated herebefore, the yeast to be used in the pre-
mix is an active dried baker's yeast, preferably one that is
easily distributed into a dough when mixed with the starch com-
ponent(s), and a suitable form of a useful active dried baker'syeast is that described in British Patent Specification 1230205
or 1321714.
The invention further relates to the snack products as
obtained according to the method of the invention.
The invention is illustrated by the following examples:
EXAMPLE 1
Ingredients:
dried pota-to flour50 parts
potato starch 50 parts
sucrose 2 parts
compressed baker's yeast 10 parts
salt 2 parts
water 120 parts
About three quarters of the amout of water is heated to
boiling point and added to 20 parts of the potato starch for
gelatinization. The remainder of the water is used to dissolve
the sugar, salt and compressed yeast. The gelatinized potato
starch, the sugar and salt solution as well as the yeast suspen-
sion are mixed with the dried potato flour and the remainder of the
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potato starch into a homogeneous mass at a temperature of about
30C. The dough is divided into the desired pieces by extrusion,
and fermented for 10 to 15 minutes at the same temperature. The
fermented pieces of dough are then baked in frying oil to a crispy
product.
The average fat content of several samples prepared according
to this Example is 18%, estimated by hexane extraction.
EXAMPLE 2
Ingredients:
dried potato flour 80 parts
potato starch 20 parts
sucrose 2 parts
compressed baker's yeast 10 parts
salt 2 parts
water 120 parts
The procedure of Example 1 is followed, except that 10 parts
of the potato starch are used for gelatinization.
EXAMPLE 3
Ingredients:
dried potato flour 20 parts
potato starch 80 parts
sucrose 4 parts
compressed baker's yeast 20 parts
salt 2 parts
water 120 parts
The procedure of Example 1 is followed, except that the
fermentation time after extrusion is 10 minutes.
EXAMPLE 4
Ingredients:
dried potato flour 25 parts
potato starch 50 parts
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pre-gelatinized starch 5 parts
gluten 20 parts
compressed baker's yeast 10 parts
~-amylase ( 50 000 SKB) 50 ppm (based on the
starch and protein content)
water 60 parts
The ingredients are mixed to a homogeneous mass at abou-t
30C. The dough is rolled into a sheet having a thickness of about
0.5 to about 2.0 mm. The sheet of dough is then divided into small
elongated pieces of the desired sizes and forms, and fermented for
20 to 30 minutes at the same temperature. After fermentation the
pieces of dough are fried in heated oil to a crispy product.
EXAMPLE 5
The same procedure is followed as described in Example 4
except that 2 parts of sucrose are added to the recipe. After
frying the pieces of fermented dough in heated oil a crispy product
is obtained.
EXAMPLE 6
Ingredients:
corn starch 80 parts
gluten 20 parts
sucrose 2 parts
compressed baker's yeast 10 parts
water 60 parts
The ingredients are mixed into a homogeneous dough at about
25C. The dough is rolled out into a sheet of a thickness of about
1 mm and then divided into pieces having a width of about 10 mm and
a length of about 50 mm. The dough pieces are fermented at the
same temperature for about 40 minutes and fried in heated oil to a
crispy product.
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:,.
EXAMPLE' 7
Ingredients:
buckwheat flour 85 parts
gluten 15 parts
sucrose 4 parts
compressed baker's yeast 15 parts
water 60 parts
The ingredients are mixed into a homogenous dough at 25C.
The dough is rolled into a sheet of 1 mm thickness and dough
pieces are cut out of the sheet with pastry cutters of several
shapes with either plain or fluted edges (diameter of cutters 20
to 50 mm). The pieces of dough are then fermented at the same
temperature for 25 to 30 minutes and then fried in heated oil to
a crispy product.
EXAMPLE 8
Ingredients:
rice flour 70 parts
gluten 30 parts
sucrose 2 parts
compressed baker's yeast 10 parts
water 60 parts
The ingredients are mixed into a homogeneous mass at 30C.
The dough is extruded through orifices of 3 to 5 mm diameter, and
the strings obtained are cut into pieces of about 50 mm in length.
The dough pieces are fermented at the same temperature for about
25 minutes and then fried in heated oil to obtain a crispy product.
EXAMPLE 9
Ingredients:
tapioca flour100 parts
sucrose 2 parts
compressed baker's yeast 10 parts
43
water 80 to 100 parts
The ingredients are mixed into a homogeneous mass at 30C
and then rolled into a sheet about lmm thick. The sheet is divided
into pieces of the desired sizes, and then fermented for 30 minutes
at the same temperature. The fermented pieces of dough are fried
in heated oil to obtain a crispy product.
In the Examples the parts referred to are by weight.
