Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DELIVERY OF FLAVORS IN MICROWAVE POPCORN BAGS
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application
61/249,555
filed on October 7, 2009, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety
for all purposes.
FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to packaged food products and to their
methods
of preparation. In particular, the present invention relates to microwave
popcorn product
articles for flavored popcorn and to methods for filling such articles.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Popcorn is a highly popular snack food item. In the past, the at-home
preparation of popcorn by the consumer involved adding kernel popcorn plus a
cooking oil to
a covered pot and heating until the popcorn kernels popped to make popcorn. As
used herein,
"kernel popcorn" refers to unpopped popcorn. The noun "popcorn" or
synonymously
"popped popcorn" refers herein to popped kernel popcorn. The adjective
"popcorn" can refer
to either. Once prepared, common, relatively coarse, table salt is a
frequently added flavoring
or condiment. The resultant salted popped popcorn is a familiar snack food.
[0004] More recently, microwave popcorn products have become extremely
popular.
At present, in the U.S., over 70 different brands of microwave popcorn
products are
available. In general, the more popular microwave popcorn products comprise an
expandable
paper bag containing a charge of kernel popcorn, and optionally fat and/or
salt. The
microwave popcorn article is adapted to be heated in a microwave oven for
three to five
minutes to produce the popped popcorn. More recently, improved microwave
popcorn
articles have been fabricated employing a metallized susceptor which
facilitates the heating
of the kernel popcorn-fat charge and which, in turn, leads desirably to
increases in popcorn
volume and decreases in unpopped kernels. Microwave popcorn articles of this
type are
described in detail in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,180 (issued May 22,
1984 to J. D.
Watkins and incorporated herein by reference).
[0005] The fat component is generally flavored with artificial butter flavor
although
microwave popcorn with real butter products are known and commercially
available (see US
5,919,505 "Shelf-Stable Butter Containing Microwave Popcorn Article and Method
of
Preparation" issued Jul. 6, 1999 to Monsalve et al.).
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[0006] Sweet popcorn products or "kettle corn" popcorn are well known. Among
these, caramel popcorn has long been a popular food item. Such products
generally comprise
a sweet coating, typically from sucrose and/or small amounts of brown sugar
and/or sugar
based syrups such as molasses or black strap sugar syrup to provide a caramel
flavor and that
can also contain butter and/or other fat(s). Bulk amounts of popcorn are
prepared (sometimes
admixed with nuts) and the sugar-based coating is applied thereto by
manufacturers to make
the caramel popcorn. Quantities are provided in suitable consumer packaging
such as bags
whether or not in cartons or other suitable containers, e.g., plastic tubs.
Various amounts of
salt are added to provide a merely sweet to a sweet-and-salty flavor. With
lesser amounts of
coating, the coated popcorn can be free flowing. With more coating,
agglomerated pieces or
even popcorn balls are made.
[0007] Microwave products for preparing sweetened puffed products are known
(see
for example US 4,409,250 to Van Hulle et al.). However, sweet microwave puffed
products
comprising sugars can exhibit scorching or even runaway heating due to the
high microwave
absorption by sugars and salt and the low browning or burning temperatures of
sugar. (For a
description of such problems, see, for example US 5,443,858 "Composition For
Sweetening
Microwave Popcorn; Method And Product" issued August 22, 1995 to Jensen, et
al.). In
extreme cases, the microwave bag can actually ignite due to the burning
sugars. Sugar
scorching problems are aggravated by salt, making provision of "sweet and
salty" products
(i.e., products having a more pronounced salt flavor due to higher levels of
salt) especially
difficult. The excessive heat can also scorch the popcorn.
[0008] One approach for providing a microwave popcorn product having a sweet
or
cheese coating that does not scorch or burn during microwave popcorn popping
is to
separately package the coating from the microwave popcorn for post popping
addition thereto
(see for example, US 4,904,488 "Uniformly-Colored, Flavored, Microwaveable
Popcorn"
issued Feb. 27, 1990 to LaBaw et al.).
[0009] Another approach is described in US 5,443,858 "Composition for
Sweetening
Microwave Popcorn; Method and Product (issued Aug 22, 1995 to Jensen et al.).
The `858
teaches a microwave popcorn article including a food charge formulated to
include in
addition to popcorn ingredients for forming a coating to the popped popcorn.
The coating
feature ingredients are selected to include a low moisture coarser granulation
sugars in
combination with selection of a low melting point oil and salt and moisture
level control to
provide a microwave sweet popcorn product.
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[0010] Another technique for providing a sweet microwave popcorn product is to
employ in substitution for low temperature burning temperature sugars a
sweetening agent
that exhibits greater tolerance to higher temperatures such as acetylsulfame K
and/or
Sucralose. Sucralose was not approved for use in microwave popcorn products in
the United
States until August 1999 when sucralose was approved for use for all food
categories. Soon
thereafter, several microwave popcorn manufacturers began marketing sweet or
"kettle corn"
microwave popcorn products (see for example, published US patent application
US
2002/0127306 "Sweet and Salty Microwave Popcorn Compositions; Arrangements and
Methods"). Such products generally employ low levels of the intensely sweet
sucralose
typically dispersed or diluted in small amounts of a heat tolerant powdered
carrier or diluent
such as a maltodextrin and avoid inclusion of temperature sensitive sugar
ingredients. While
useful, the sweetened microwave popcorn prepared from such microwave popcorn
products
lack the quantity of coating or glaze typical of bagged popped caramel popcorn
and thus the
eating qualities of such heavily coated sweet products. Also, sucralose is a
high value, high
cost ingredient.
[0011] The discussion above focuses on sweetened popcorn, but similar issues
arise
with other flavorings. As mentioned briefly above, cheese flavorings are
difficult to achieve
in microwave popcorn because of scorching. Many other flavorings change
dramatically
when subjected to high temperatures for long periods; even if actual scorching
does not
occur, off-notes and other disfavored flavor qualities can result through heat
abuse, and in
some cases the intensity of flavors is reduced through overheating.
[0012] Thus, there is a continuing need for new and useful microwave popcorn
products that can be used to provide flavored popcorn while minimizing
undesirable
scorching and heat abuse effects.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0013] In its article aspect, the present microwave popcorn articles
essentially
comprise a microwave popcorn bag and food charge dispersed therein. The food
charge
comprises kernel popcorn in a slurry that includes at least one edible oil or
fat, and optionally
certain heat-tolerant flavorings and colorings. In addition, the food charge
also includes at
least one flavoring that is not in the slurry, but instead is in separate
packaging that is also
within the food bag. Unlike the slurry, which is conventionally located in
close proximity to
a susceptor portion of the bag at which microwave heating energy is
concentrated, the
flavoring container is further away from the susceptor and therefore its
contents absorb less
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heat than they would if included in the slurry. The flavoring container
intentionally fails
during the popping process, thereby delivering its contents to the popping
corn.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an unsealed partially folded
microwave
popcorn bag ready for filling.
[0015] FIGURE 2 is a cutaway view of a microwave bag with a food charge as
described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The discussion herein relates to consumer packaged food items for the
microwave preparation of flavored popcorn and to their methods of preparation
and use.
Each of the product components as well as product use and attributes and
methods of their
preparation are described in detail below.
[0017] Throughout this document, percentages are by weight and temperatures in
degrees Centigrade unless otherwise indicated. Each of the US patents and US
patent
applications referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0018] The improvement described herein relates to microwave popcorn articles
with
a flavoring ingredient to provide the finished popcorn with a flavored coating
and to their
methods of preparation. The present microwave popcorn articles essentially
comprise a
microwave popcorn container such as a bag and a food charge disposed within
the bag, said
food charge comprising a quantity of 1) kernel popcorn; 2) a slurry including
at least one
edible oil or fat, and optionally flavoring ingredients that are relatively
insensitive to heat;
and 3) a flavoring container containing heat-sensitive flavoring ingredients.
Each of these
article components as well as methods of filling, product use and attributes
are described in
detail below.
Microwave Container
[0019] The present microwave popcorn articles essentially comprise a
conventional
microwave popcorn popping container. Useful microwave containers herein can
include any
container for microwave popcorn products presently known in the art or
developed in the
future. Cardboard tubs have also been recently developed for microwave popcorn
articles
and can be used as the microwave container. Particularly useful herein for the
microwave
popping container are a wide variety of commercially available microwave bags
for
microwave popcorn.
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[0020] For example, a suitable bag widely used commercially and preferred for
use
herein is described in U.S. 4,450,180 patent. A generally similar bag is
described in U.S.
4,548,826 or in 4,973,810 "Microwave method of popping popcorn and package
therefor"
issued November 27, 1990 to Arne Brauner. Also useful are structures described
in US
4,735, 513 and 4,878,765. Generally, the bag therein described comprises and
is fabricated
from a flexible sheet material having two collateral tubular sections. The
sections are parallel
longitudinally extending that communicate with each other at the center of the
package.
[0021] Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown an embodiment of a microwave
popcorn article 10 composed of a microwave bag 12 formed from flexible sheet
material such
as paper and being of collateral tubular configuration, that is to say, being
composed of a pair
of parallel longitudinally extending tubes 14 and 16 which communicate with
one another
along a central longitudinal opening. The two parallel tubes 14 and 16 are
separated by
longitudinally extending side indentations 20 and 22. When the package
comprises a paper
bag, the bag can be composed of first and second face panels 24 and 26
respectively and the
indentations 20 and 22 comprises gussets. When in a vertically aligned
orientation, the bag
has a bottom seal 28 and initially an open top or orifice 30 but a sealable
seal area 31 that
transversely extends the open sealable top. The sealable area can include a
heat activated
adhesive or a "cold seal" adhesive, as is convenient. After being filled, the
top 30 is also
sealed conventionally by means of heat or other suitable adhesive to provide a
top seal in the
top seal area 31.
[0022] The bag material is generally fabricated with multiple plies including
an outer
ply 33 which is generally paper, a grease-proof or resistant inner ply 34 and
microwave
susceptor film member or ply intermediate these inner and outer paper layers.
However, in
preferred embodiments the microwave susceptor is present only on one major
face panel.
The microwave susceptor provides supplemental heating for heating the food
charge to cause
popping of the popcorn.
[0023] While tubes (or chambers, or channels) 14 and 16 can be of equal size,
conventionally the susceptor channel 16 is generally slightly smaller. In such
a
configuration, the gussets include major left gusset face 36, minor left
gusset face 37, major
right gusset face 38 and minor right gusset face 39. The bag 12 can be
provided with a lower
transverse fold 40 to define an intermediate portion or pocket 41.
[0024] Although in the present description, a particular description is given
to this
preferred microwave bag, the present improvement is also useful in connection
with, for
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example, flat bottomed bags, bags with or without a bottom fold, with a
straight bottom seal
or other more complex bottom seal designs. Also, the present methods can be
employed
using new and improved microwave popcorn bag designs.
[0025] Since introduction, microwave popcorn bags have undergone continued
development generally directed towards cost reduction, especially of the
expensive
microwave susceptor component. Also, improvements continue to be made (see for
example
USSN 09/943,637 "EASILY EXPANDABLE, NONTRAPPING, FLEXIBLE PAPER,
MICROWAVE PACKAGE" filed 08/31/2001by Monforton) to improve popping
performance or to facilitate commercial manufacturing at lower cost or at
higher packaging
line speeds.
[0026] While particular attention is given to microwave bags herein as the
preferred
microwave container, the skilled artisan will appreciate that the present
article is broadly
useful when used with a variety of packaging and disposable microwave
containers.
Popcorn
[0027] Referring now also to Figure 2, the present article 10 further includes
a food
charge 80 disposed within the bag 12. The food charge essentially includes a
quantity of
kernel popcorn either mixed in with or adjacent to a slurry 81 including an
edible oil or fat,
and optionally other ingredients such as flavorings; and a separate flavoring
container 82
containing a relatively heat sensitive flavoring ingredient. The food charge
80 can comprise
from about 30 to 150g in a microwave bag for example. For single serve
products, the food
charge 80 can be smaller and can comprise about 30 to 100g. For regular sized
products, the
food charge 80 can comprise about 50 to 150 g, preferably about 100 to 130g.
[0028] Conventionally, microwave popcorn food charge formulations are
expressed
based upon the weight of the entire kernel popcorn and food charge. This
convention is
followed herein. Broadly, the popcorn can range from about 30 to 90% of the
popcorn
charge. Typically, about 15 to I OOg of kernel popcorn is added to the bag,
preferably about
50 to 70g/bag for regular sized products and about 25 to 40g/bag for "single
portion" sized
products. In general practice, the amount of kernel popcorn is set and the
other ingredients
are varied to provide variations such as full fat, reduced or low fat, and/or
salted or low salt
embodiments.
[0029] Generally, microwave popcorn is dried to moisture contents ranging from
about 10% to 18%, preferably about 12% to 16% and for best results about 14%
to insure
sufficient moisture for popping of a high fraction of kernels while minimizing
moisture that
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might cause or promote bacterial growth during the long term distribution and
storage
characteristic of shelf stable packaged products. It should be noted that some
flavorings are
intolerant to moisture, whether during storage or popping, so containing them
separately from
the other ingredients of the popcorn bag as described herein can help retain
quality and
intensity of such flavors.
[0030] Conventional kernel popcorn varieties can be used and are preferred for
use
herein. Also useful herein are relatively larger kernel popcorn varieties for
providing "Jumbo
Pop" products as well as "mushroom" sized popcorn which is commonly used for
ready-to-
eat popcorn snack products. Useful are those larger varieties having a kernel
count up to 60
kernels per 10g, preferably less than 55, which are commercially available.
[0031] In certain variations, the popcorn can be infused with materials, e.g.,
flavor or
colors, intended to provide popcorn products of enhanced visual or flavor
appeal. In other
variations, the popcorn can be bred to provide natural color and/or flavor
variations.
[0032] Additionally, all or a portion of the microwave popcorn can be
substituted
with expandable or microwave puffable pellets such as are descried in the `250
patent to Van
Hulle. Also useful herein are those products described in US 5,102,679 "Half
products for
microwave puffing of expanded food product" issued April 7, 1992 to Whelan.
See also US
6,083,552 "Microwaveable Popcorn Product And Method" issued July 4, 2000 to
Kershman
et al. In certain variations comprising a blend of kernel popcorn and puffable
pellets, weight
ratio of the kernel popcorn to puffable pellets can range from about 10:1 to
about 1:10,
preferably aboutl :4 to about 4:1 and for best results about 1:3 to about 3:1.
Heat Sensitive Flavorings
[0033] The microwave food charge 80 additionally comprises a heat sensitive
flavoring in flavoring container 82. In practice it has been found that,
conventionally, sugar,
salt, cheese and other common flavorings used in combination with microwave
popcorn can
in certain combinations result in significant problems with burning. Certain
flavoring oils
react with other food ingredients, as well as oxygen, over time and lose their
intensity,
develop off-notes, or otherwise deteriorate. As shown for example in FIGURE 2,
flavoring
container 82 is disposed in a manner such that much of the flavoring within
the container is
relatively distant from the face panel 24 including the susceptor of bag 12,
thus resulting in
less heat being transferred to the flavorings within container 82 than if they
were mixed in
with slurry 8l . As illustrated in Figure 2, the flavoring container 82 is
attached to face panel
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26. In this embodiment, the microwave susceptor is preferably present on the
opposite face
panel 24.
[0034] In one embodiment, flavor container 82 is implemented as a gelatin-
based
capsule such as used in pharmaceuticals. The addition of heat, the resulting
expansion of the
contents of container 82, and the mechanical impact of the popping process all
serve to
weaken container 82, eventually causing it to fail and deliver the flavoring
to the popping
corn. In one specific embodiment, a portion of the container 82 is fastened to
bag 12 so that
upon failing the capsule is maintained captive and not mixed in with the
popped popcorn. In
a still more specific embodiment, container 82 is a gelatin-based capsule
formed in the shape
of a flat patch on an inside portion of bag 12 that during popping increases
in distance from
susceptor channel 16.
[0035] In some embodiments, microwave shielding, such as described in U.S.
patents
6,231,903 and 6,259,079 is placed around flavoring container 82 to further
limit heating of
the flavorings therein.
[0036] As mentioned above, isolating sensitive flavors in container 82 reduces
the
exposure of such flavors to heat and moisture, thereby allowing greater
consistency, quality,
and balance of flavors regardless of storage time, popping conditions, and the
like. With
certain flavorings, such isolation also allows flavors to be more intense, as
over-heating can
dull some flavor types. Therefore, smaller quantities of flavorings are
required to yield the
same consumer experience, resulting in lower cost, reduced popping time, lower
product
shipping weights, and reduced waste. This formulation is found not to result
in microwave
burning problems. Increasing amounts of such slurry formulations likewise do
not exhibit
burning.
[0037] A second embodiment uses other containers, such as a miniature version
of
bag 12, as container 82. Such containers are configured to release contents
through any
combination of heat, internal pressure or mechanical agitation, as may be
appropriate. For
example, a powdered or granulated cheese or garlic flavor may be beneficially
stored in a
paper laminate container attached on one side to bag 12 that becomes stretched
and opens
when bag 12 expands during popping, thereby releasing its contents onto the
popping corn.
Method of Preparation
[0038] Broadly, the present methods of preparation include the steps of adding
the
food charge to an at least partially open microwave popping container to form
a filled
container and sealing the filled container to provide a microwave popcorn
article product.
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[0039] The flavoring container 82 may be filled and attached to the bag 12
prior to
the food charge being added. Alternatively, the flavoring container is filled
and attached to
the bag 12 after the food charge is added and before sealing the filled
container. In yet
another embodiment, the container 82 is attached to the bag 12 prior to the
flavoring being
added.
[0040] In one variation, the food charge is formed in a single composite mass
such as
a toroid or ring and the composite mass charged to an open microwave popcorn
bag or other
container prior to final sealing. (See for example U.S. 4,450,180, issued May
22, 1984).
[0041] In another variation one or more ingredients are added separately to
the open
microwave bag. For example, microwave bags having an unsealed open end and a
folded
lower portion are advanced to a first kernel popcorn filling station. While
being maintained
in an open position, the loose kernel popcorn is charged to the desired
channel in desired
amounts to form partially filled bags containing kernel popcorn. The kernel
popcorn is added
first to facilitate more even distribution of the balance of ingredients over
the popcorn to
thereby provide a finished popcorn having a more even distribution of the
coating
ingredients. In those variation that include puffable pellets other than or in
admixture with
kernel popcorn, the puffable pellets or popcorn-and-pellet mixtures are
likewise first added
to the microwave popcorn bag.
[0042] Thereafter, the partially filled bags are advanced to a second filling
station at
which a slurry is added to the bag. Typically, the slurry is added in the form
of a vertically
dispensed pencil jet (i.e., a confined stream) of the slurry. (See, for
example, U.S. 4,604,854
entitled "Machine For Forming, Filling and Sealing Bags," issued August 12,
1986 to D. W.
Andreas). The slurry contains the fat ingredient(s), is typically heated to
melt a solid fat to
liquid or fluid form, and optionally includes flavors, colors, etc. For those
embodiments
comprising salt in flour form, the slurry can include all or a portion of the
flour salt.
[0043] Single station filling methods are also known that involve applying the
fat/salt
slurry as a spray onto the kernel popcorn as the kernel popcorn falls into the
bag. (See, for
example WO 95/01105 entitled "Reduced Fat Microwave Popcorn and Method of
Preparation" published January 12, 1995, or, equivalently, U.S. 5,690,979
issued November
25, 1997; or U.S. 5,171,950 "Flexible Pouch and Paper Bag Combination For Use
In The
Microwave Popping of Popcorn" issued December 5, 1992 to Brauner et al.) which
is
incorporated herein by reference. Such single station filling techniques are
especially useful
for the preparation of low fat microwave popcorn products. In this variation,
optional isomalt
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in powder form can be added to the popcorn filling funnel along with the
popcorn, e.g., after
the popcorn has been charged to the bag. In such an embodiment, heat-sensitive
flavorings
are in a separate container that is already present in the bag or is added
after this station but
before sealing.
[0044] The bags now containing both kernel popcorn and slurry and other
ingredients
are then advanced to a sealing station where the bags are provided with a top
seal to complete
the closure of the bag. The sealed popcorn bags are advanced to subsequent
finish packaging
operations that complete the folding of the bags, providing the bags with an
overwrap, and
inserting appropriate numbers of the bags into cartons, etc.
[0045] The term slurry is used herein as is common in the microwave popcorn
art to
refer to any coating applied to the kernel popcorn. The term "slurry" as used
generally herein
thus includes fat alone; fat and a lesser portion of salt in flour form; fat,
flour salt, flavors
and/or color or sweetener(s); fat, a portion of the flour salt and a portion
of the calcium
ingredient; and fat and substantially all of the calcium ingredient as well as
any other
variation or combination of ingredients used as an addition to the kernel
popcorn herein.
[0046] The slurry can additionally optionally comprise minor amounts of other
materials employed to make the microwave popcorn more aesthetically or
nutritionally or
organoleptically appealing. Such adjuvant ingredients can include, for
example, limited
amounts of sugar(s), micro fortification levels of minerals, vitamins,
colorants, preservatives
and flavors. If present, each of these constituents can comprise from about
0.01 to about 2%
by weight of the fat slurry.
[0047] Especially popular for use herein is a butter flavor. The flavors can
be either
in liquid, fat soluble forms and/or in dry powder forms such as a liquid oil
absorbed onto a
particulate carrier, e.g., gum arabic, starch, silicon dioxide, or dehydrated
cheese solids or in
the form of an oil suspension.
[0048] The fat slurry is prepared simply by admixing the fat (in a fluid or
melted
state) together with any optional ingredients with salt and blending the
mixture to form a
stable dispersion or slurry. The fat or slurry, while still fluid (70 to 130
F; 21 to 55 C), is
then sprayed into the microwave popcorn bag as described in detail below.
[0049] The slurry application step can be practiced by employing an applicator
for
spraying the fat slurry (e.g., commercially available from Hibar Systems
Limited, Ontario,
Canada) that is supplied by a slurry supply means. The slurry supply means can
conveniently
include a conventional positive displacement reciprocating metering pump
having a piston
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and a pressurized slurry inlet. The pump precisely pumps metered amounts of
the fat slurry
to the applicator at closely controllable time intervals.
[0050] If the slurry viscosity is too high, the slurry becomes unpumpable. The
concentrations of salt and calcium ingredients are selected such that the
slurry has a viscosity
of less than 10,000 cps, preferably less than about 1,000 cps, and, for best
results, less than
300 cps.
[0051] The slurry can be added at temperatures ranging from about 15.5 to
65.5 C
(60 to 150 F), preferably about 38 to 54.4 C (100 to 130 F).
[0052] While a pencil jet spray is preferred for use herein, equivalents
thereof in
terms of dispensing the slurry can also be used. For example, a multiplicity
of very fine jet
streams, (e.g., 3-12), or a sparge can be used to achieve the desired
dispersion hereunder.
Also, other spray types, (e.g., a cone spray, a mist spray, or a fan spray)
are useful herein.
However, great care must be taken in selecting such useful alternatives so as
to avoid getting
slurry in the bag seal area. In other embodiments, the spray can be gas
assisted, e.g., air,
steam, or inert gas.
[0053] In preferred embodiments, the bag 12 has a microwave chamber (i.e.,
wherein
one major face panel has an intermediate microwave susceptor layer between the
inner and
outer bag layers) and, for cost considerations, a microwave susceptor-free
chamber. In the
preferred practice, the kernel popcorn, fat slurry and particulate(s) are
charged to the
microwave channel. Conventionally, the microwave channel is the lesser channel
(i.e., being
formed by the smaller major face 24) and the greater channel is the microwave
free channel.
Such a configuration minimizes the amount of relatively expensive microwave
susceptor
material required while nonetheless providing the needed expansion volume upon
microwave
popping. Further more, such a configuration allows for the heat-sensitive
flavorings in the
flavor container 82 to be affixed to the microwave free channel formed by face
26. Being
relatively distant from the microwave channel protects the heat-sensitive
flavorings from
excessive heat which would reduce the quality of the flavorings.
[0054] In the preferred form, the popcorn charging and slurry addition are
practiced at
separate stations and as separate steps. However, in other embodiments, the
kernel popcorn
and slurry addition can be practiced in a single station concurrently.
Apparatus and
techniques for such concurrent filling of the popcorn and slurry are described
in commonly
assigned U.S. 5,690,979 (issued Nov. 25, 1997) entitled "Method Of Preparing
Reduced Fat
Microwave Popcorn."
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[0055] If high levels of salt and calcium ingredients are desired in the
finished
products, addition of the total quantity of each of these materials to the
slurry will cause the
slurry viscosity to be excessively high. That is, while the slurry may be able
to carry all of
the salt or all of the calcium ingredient, or half of each, the slurry cannot
carry all of both.
Thus, either all of the salt or all of the calcium ingredient or a portion of
each (e.g., 50:50 or
70:30) must be added as dry particulates in a third filling station. Useful
herein for practicing
this step are particulate metered feeding equipment that are commercially
available such as
are used for filling salt or sugar packets.
[0056] The present methods further essentially include a conventional finish
step of
sealing the open end of the microwave popcorn bag after the bag has been
filled with the
quantity of popcorn kernels, the fat slurry and the quantity of particulates.
Product Use
[0057] The microwave popcorn products prepared as described can be used in a
conventional manner for the at-home preparation of a popcorn flavored with
heat-sensitive
flavorings by microwave heating. Upon microwave heating of the sealed
microwave popcorn
article in a conventional home microwave oven, the resultant popped popcorn in
the form of
free flowing of individual substantially unagglomerated popped popcorn kernels
exhibits
excellent organoleptic attributes notwithstanding the flavoring and with
minimal scorching or
browning.
12
