Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CASE 19414
MET~OD OF AD~ERING ~OO~ T~PPINGS
The present invention related to foods having
particulate or powdered toppings and more particularly to a
method of adhering such toppings to the food with starch.
BacXground o~ Invention
Foods prepared having particulate or powdered
toppings such as seasonings, decorations or food particulates
often suffer when the topping ~ecomes separated from the bulk
portion of the food. Such separation may occur during
preparation of the product, during handling by factory workers
or equipment, during packaging, during shipment and during use
by the consumer.
This problem is particularly difficult during high
speed manufacturing of foods such as pizza or bakery products
where large particulate of expensive ingredients such as
cheese, ground, and sliced meats, nuts and the like are
involved. Conveying of such products through to packaging
causes some of the particulate topping to be lost reducing
product flavor, quality, appearance and resulting in loss of
valuable food ingredients. The consumer is often faced with
an undesirable looking danish with much of the topping lying
loosely in the packages. Pizza must often be overtopped to
compensate for loss of particulates during manufacturing.
The prior art has attempted to reduce separation of
toppings and coatings and to further protect them from loss of
flavor, oiling, moisture transfer and the like. Budd, et al ,
U.S. Patent No. 4,910,0~1 discloses a snack food wherein a
concentrated sugar solution and a sweetness suppressor are
used to bind or adhere one or more toppings to a base during
production, packaging and shipping. McKee, U.S. Patent No.
4,06~,796 uses two algin films on a pizza product, one on the
1 crust to prevent migration of moisture and one that holds the
food ingredients physically in place on the pizza crust while
it is subjected to processing. Kielsmeier, et al., U.S.
Patent No. 4,997,670 discloses a method of baking pizza
involving free-flowing cheese granules. Palmlin, et al., U.S.
Patent No. 4,919,953 discloses a process for coating food with
root vegetable particles using a heat-settable adhesive film,
such as a tempura batter, on which the particulate material is
placed. The food is then deep fried and frozen. Rispoli, et
al., U.S. Patent No. 4,260,637 discloses a self-sticking bread
crumb composition of bread crumbs mixed with 1-35%, preferably
5-15%, protein which may also contain starch and/or gum and
sprayed with oil to adhere the material to the crumbs. The
self-sticking crumbs will then adhere, without use of a
batter, to a food product during coo~ing. In example II,
Rispoli, et al., employ 10% egg white solids, 5~
pregelatinized modified waxy maize starch, seasoning and oil
on 63.1% bread crumbs.
"Purity Gum 59" a starch used in this invention, is
a low viscosity, cold water-soluble, modified food starch
derived from waxy maize supplied by National Starch and
Chemical Corporation. "Purity Gum 59" was developed for use
as a clear, film-forming agent to replace gum arabic in pan
coating confections and tablets and as a glaze for bakery
items or to serve as a replacement for egg wash on baked
goods. It also can be used as a coating for adhesion of
seasonings and seeds, to cxackers and nut meats.
The prior art has yet to find a method ~or adhering
large particulates to food stuffs in a simple and innocuous
manner. The above prior art either uses high levels of
material which contribute to flavor and appearance, employing
heavy films which are usually apparent or treats powdery small
materials.
~8~
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~umma~ of the Invention
We have found that particulate and/Dr powdery
toppings can be stabilized and adhered to the bulk portion of
a food by using a cold water~soluble starch which binds the
topping to the food without being noticeable or sticky. The
starch is introduced to the topping using a fine spray of an
aqueous solution of the starch or as a powder which is
thereafter moistened with a mist of water. The starch quicXly
drys to a clean, smooth, non-sticky, pliable film. Cold
water-soluble starch is particularly useful for adhering large
particulates of protein material, such as cheese and meat, to
carbohydrate-based foods such as pizza-flavored breads as well
as pizza itself. The starch incorporated into a conventional
egg wash is particularly useful for bindin~ nuts and other
large particulates to bakery products. Of course small
particles are egually bound to each other.
Detailed DescriPticn of the Invention
The application of the cold water-soluble starch of
this invention to adhere particulates or powders of meat,
vegetable, seasoning or nuts to a carbohydrate-based food
minimizes the loss of such food toppings in the manufacturing
process where high line speeds are required, ensures proper
topping weight on the food and eliminates the need to collect
dropped topping. The invention also affords higher line
speeds and improved productivity.
By carbohydrate-based products we mean typical
bakery items such as breads, buns and rolls, including pizza-
sauced products made from bread, buns or rolls, or pizza
crust, pies, cakes and pastries, particularly danish and snack
items of all kinds.
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By toppings we mean any powdered, particulate or
sliced ~opping normally added to the above carbohydrate-based
products but particularly large particles of protein-based
toppings such as cheese and meats. Toppings c~n include nuts
of all kinds, candy confections, coconut, fruit and simulated
fruit, powdered Elavoranls as well as the preferred cheeses
and meat toppings in any form which requires assistance in
adhering the topping to the carbohydrate base.
The invention is particularly useful for adhering
large particles to the carbohydrate base. By large particles
we mean shreds, pieces, slices of foods, especially cheese or
meat or nuts such that at least one dimension of ~he particle
is greater than 1/8 inch preferably greater than 0.25 inches.
The cold water-soluble starch is employed either in
- up to 40% starch solution in water, preferably 10-35%, or is
dry blended up to 3% with the topping and later acti~ated with
a fine mist of water before the product is packagcd and/or
frozen.
The cold water-soluble starch can be any
pregelatinized starch which will be tacky long enough to
adhere the particulate and/or powder to the food and/or to
itself but will rapidly dry during subsequent processing of
the food to a clear, smooth, non-sticky, pliable film.
Chemically or otherwise modified pregelatinized starches can
be employed such as a cold water-soluble modified waxy maize
starch like "Purity Gum 59" and the like.
We employ up to 3.0% of the topping of cold water
soluble modified starch preferably 0.5-2.5% and most
prefexably 1-2%. About 1.25% to about 1.5% starch has been
found sufficicnt to adhere cheese to prebaked, sauced pizza
and to adhere nuts to danish dough prior to baking. We employ
from 0.005 to 0.15 g of starch per square inch of topping
surface area preferably 0.0075 to 0.10 g/in2. Amounts of
other food materials may be made part of the cold water-
1soluble starch coating system. The coating system can include
emulsifiers effective to promote adhesion, acidulants,
flavoring materials, antioxidants, colors and the like.
Sugars and g~s and proteins can also be included.
5~or bakery items we have found it particularly useful to
prepare a mixture of conventional egg wash with the water
soluble starch and 'o apply the mixture for convenience and
efficiency, just as the egg wash is applied. Starch is used
from at a ievel of 15 to 50, preferably 25 to 30, parts of
10starch per 100 parts of the whole egg and starch is dissolved
in water to give a soluble mi~ture (usually 20-35~ solids~,
refrigerated and sprayed on the bakery dough just as with
conventional egg wash prior to adding the topping. The dough
is usually lightly flattened with a roller after adding the
15staxch, the nuts or other toppings are then added and the
- toppings lightly rolled onto the dough. The egg and starch
wash can be employed either before or after adding the topping
to the dough. The dough is then placed in pans and baked. We
have found the amount of topping that falls from the topped
20product during handling of the dough, baking, packaging and
distribution is reduced by at least ~0%, typically at least
50% due to use of the cold water-soluble starch in the egg
wash.
Except for use of egg when binding bakery coatings
25we usually prefer to employ the binder without additives. For
example, the cold water-soluble starch can be dry blended with
cheese and/or other particulates and the mixture deposited on
the surface of a raw dough or baked carbohydrate base. A
typical base would be a prebaked, sauced pizza crust or bread.
30 The substrate containing the applied starch-coated
particulates is then subjected to a moist environment followed
by drying, such as in an oven or by exposure to ambient air,
during processing to fix the topping to itself so as to retain
-the topping on the carbohydrate substrate. Typically, the
35 topped substrate would then be packaged and frozen. Another
2~8~
1 embodmear of the invention involves the application of a 10-
35% solution of the cold water-soluble starch to the already
topped carbohydrate substrate. This solution can be sprayed
over the applied topping and will quickly dry. Again, we have
found that at least 40% of the topping which is normally
shaken from the substrate during manufacturing and shipping is
retained as a result of using the starch to adhere the topping
to the carbohydrate substrate. It would, of course, be
possible to combine more of the various embodiments of this
invention in order to further minimi~e loss of topping
material.
Exam~le 1
Twenty-eight lbs. of "Purity Gum 59'` starch was
added, a little at a time, into 100 lbs of warm water (12~
degrees F), agitating in a kettle equipped with a Lightenin~M
mixer. The starch-water dispersion was agitated employing
high speed mixing for about lO minutes to complctely dissolve
the starch in water. The temperature of this solution was 86
degrees F. Then 100 lbs of blended whole cggs and 6 lbs. of
salt were added to the kettle and mlxed with medium speed
agitation for about two minutes to achieve a uniform egg wash-
starch blend. The kettle with its contents was rolled into a
chilling room to lower the temperature of the contents. Egg
wash-starch ~lend was used within two hours of preparatlon and
final temperature was 46 degrees F.
The starch was completely solubilized in water and
mixed very well with the egg wash and salt and was very
homogenous. This egg wash-starch blend was then sprayed onto
the surface of danish dough rings. These rings were formed
from strips of laminated, sweet dough containing a fruit and
nut-based filling. The strips are cut, rolled and formed into
a ring. A few seconds after spraying the ring passes under a
roller which flattens the top surface a little bit. The
nutmeats are then dispersed onto the coatcd, dough ring by a
2 & ~
1 cascade applicator and then lightly pressed by another roller.
The rings are then placed in oiled aluminum pans, proofed for
about two hours and baked at 380 to 400 degrees F for about 20
minutes.
Extended plant runs were made for a period of about
two hours. Subsequently, testing was done for one entire
shift of about seven hours which did not create any
operational problem. Based upon the test conducted in the
example it is seen that 1.5% pregelatinized starch based on
the weight of topplng, reduces by at least 40 the loss of
nutmeats from danish rings without any operational difficulty.
Sensory evaluations conducted in the laboratory
revealed no adverse effect on the quality of the danishes when
"Purity Gum 59" was incorporated into the egg wash at the
level tested above.
Example 2
296.25 lbs of mozzarella shredded cheese and 3.75
lbs of "Purity Gum S9" brand cold water-soluble starch were
preweighed and placed in a GlobusTM z-vane rotary tumbler and
mixed for four minutes. The mixture (1.25~ starch) was added
using a RaqueTM Cascade dispenser as a top layer onto
prebaked, pizza bread a bottom layer of cheese shreds and a
coating of pizza sauce. The topped bread was passed through
a mist chamber giving a total moisture addition of 0.1 to 0.3
grams for 20 grams of cheese topping. Adherence was excellent
and the amount of topping fell from the pizza bread during
packaging, freezing and handling was reduced by at least 50%
compared to pizza bread prepared in the same way without using
the starch binder.
Example 3
An aqueous solution of 35% by weight cold water-
soluble starch was prepared in a jacketed-kettle using a
LighteninTM mixer till homogenous. The solution was sprayed
on top of fully assembled pizza which resulted in an increase
0.~-0.5 gms solution per pizza. The starch solution (1.5%
2 ~ ~ 3 4 ?~ 4
1 starch based on topping) dried quickly at ambient conditions
to form a film on the topping which significantly improved the
adhesion of the ingredients so as not to fall off the bread
base.
