BE1003511A3 - PROCESS FOR OBTAINING AN EDIBLE PLATE OF POTATO PASTE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Process for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, in which one starts with pre-cooked and dehydrated potato flour, modified potato starch, plain potato starch and the case if necessary other equivalent kinds of wheat starch, corn starch, etc., process in which these raw materials are subjected to a dry mixing phase, then to a water addition phase in order to obtain a degree of humidity of the dough between 25 and 40%, then an extrusion phase, then a plate phase, at the same time or then a cutting phase and, at the end, in successive phases of drying, packaging and storage, and the process is completed by a final phase which is independent in time from the previous phases and which consists of a thermal action at temperatures between 170 degrees C and 210 degrees C.

Description

Process for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough

Object of the invention The invention relates to a process by which an edible plate of potato dough is obtained which is presented in the form of discs or in other forms and which always keeps the same dimensions up to during the final cooking operation in boiling oil or any other means of heat transmission.

Another object of the invention is to supply the manufacturers of snacks with plates of ready-to-fry potato dough, which allow them to store for more than two years between the reception of the product and the final operation before Packaging.

Another object of the invention is the homogenization of the quality of the product, which consists in offering the consumer always the same appearance, the same dimensions and the same taste of the product, whatever the variations in the quality of the apples. earth at different times of the year, and to completely eliminate the defects caused by biological alterations and by the attack of micro-organisms and insects.

A fourth object of the invention is to provide the sector with a means of regulating its commercial campaign, which does not depend on the variations presented by the agrarian production of potatoes during the year.

Invention background

Fried potatoes or potato chips as they are known on the market are subject to a washing, peeling and cutting process for frying, which is carried out continuously, that is to say that ultimately, it consists in industrializing the domestic process commonly used.

Thus, this process departs completely from the initial definition of the object of the invention, in which one starts from a potato dough which is treated in order to obtain a stable dough in a plate.

Obtaining products from a dough is not in itself a novelty ï there exist on the market products obtained by extrusion from a dough, which are then fried continuously; as an example of products of this kind, we can cite the classic "churros" (fried dough donuts), but however, these products must be fried immediately after the dough has been prepared.

There are other products which are not to be consumed with an aperitif and which are prepared from a flour dough: these are doughs obtained by extrusion, such as vermicelli, spaghetti, macaroni, etc. ., or layers of dough like cannelloni ·, lasagna, etc.

In this case too, the process differs from the process of the invention, on the one hand because there is no frying operation at the end and, on the other hand, because the flours used are raw , because in this case, as we will see later, the raw materials were cooked in advance.

Description of the invention

In summary, the invention resides in a process by which, from a food dough based on treated potato flour, which is incorporated starches from the potato and additives such as salt, is obtained. , a plate that can be cut into elliptical or oval shaped portions - when it comes to imitating the shape of the potato - or into fancy shapes in other cases, and these portions can be stored for more than two years without losing their nutritional qualities, taste or appearance, before being finally heat treated in oil whose temperature varies from 170 ° C to 230eC. Justification of the invention

The main difficulty in producing conventionally fried potatoes is the supply of raw materials of adequate quality.

Not all varieties of potatoes are suitable for frying, nor all the terrains or climates where potatoes are grown can give the right quality to frying, since this mainly requires low content of reducing sugars and high content of dry matter.

On the other hand, in the Iberian Peninsula, there is no harvest from October to April and the manufacturer of fried potatoes must have recourse to stored potatoes.

The storage of potatoes intended for frying requires special conditions for the quality of the finished product and these conditions have not always been completely fulfilled.

To avoid spoilage of the potatoes due to attack by bacteria and fungi, bactericidal and fungicidal treatments are used and at a low storage temperature. This is normally sufficient for the potato for consumption to remain in good condition until the arrival of the new harvest, but the low temperature causes, in the potatoes, a concentration of reducing sugars which makes them unusable for frying due to the browning that these sugars produce.

To avoid the formation of reducing sugars, the only known system is conditioning at a higher temperature (18 ° C to 20 ° C) but, in this case, the possibilities of microbiological attacks increase and germination is accelerated.

Faced with this dilemma, we normally adopt a compromise solution that does not completely avoid any harm and everyone knows that in winter and spring, conventionally fried potatoes are always more or less affected by a darkening of color, by spots and hollows due to the attack of micro-organisms.

Another disadvantage of the method of direct use of the potato tuber is the difference in size which requires prior classification, leaving aside the marginal fractions, in order to avoid the difficulties which arise at the time of automatic packaging: differences in weight, apparent unevenness in volume and loss of packaging material due to trapped parts in hermetic seals.

Advantages of the invention

All the wrongs and prejudices described above are eliminated by the present invention, thanks to which the frying manufacturer is provided with a plate of potato dough having homogeneous dimensions, a constant organoleptic quality, which is not subjected to the fluctuations of the seasons and which can be kept for a guaranteed minimum of two years before the final frying operation takes place.

Another added benefit is that there is less oil absorption during frying.

Conventional fried potatoes (crisps) have an oil content which varies from 35 to 45% t whereas the product which is the subject of the present invention contains, after frying, from 20 to 30% oil, this which represents a dietary advantage.

Description of the process

We start with fresh potatoes that have just been harvested and we choose the most suitable varieties for frying. These potatoes are subjected to the operations of washing, peeling, removing impurities, cutting into pieces, cooking with water, gathering, dehydration of the liquid base, or the like, and sieving. final.

Potatoes treated in this way, whose humidity varies between 5 and 10% when hydrated again, turn into a paste which retains the organoleptic properties of freshly cooked potatoes.

These cooked and dehydrated potatoes are mixed, as will be seen below, with potato starch which has been subjected to a phosphate treatment, to cooking and to dehydration.

Thanks to the balance between natural and treated starch, the porosity and texture of the finished product are controlled.

With these basic raw materials, the ideal formulation would be: 60% of pre-cooked and dehydrated potato flour (40% - 80%), 15% of modified potato starch (5% -25 96 ), 25% plain potato starch (15% -40%).

This formulation is not limiting and it is possible to replace, for example, part of the potato flour with cereal flours cooked in advance and replace part of the potato starch, both natural and modified. , by the equivalent kinds of wheat, corn and other starches.

Another formulation example would be: 40% dehydrated pre-cooked potato flour, 20% pre-cooked wheat flour, 15% modified potato starch, 15% plain potato, 15% plain cornstarch.

We will add to these basic ingredients an appropriate amount of salt (1.5% - 4%) and, as desired, products that potentiate the taste, seasonings, condiments, aromas and vitamin concentrates, according to preferential requirements. of the market.

In accordance with what has been explained, the process consists of the following operations: - Dry mixing of the ingredients - Addition of water to obtain a degree of humidity of the dough from 25 to 40% - Extrusion operation.

- Plate formation operation - Drying - Packaging - Storage - Final thermal operation.

The mixing operation is carried out with a mixer with two propellers in a hopper at the end of which is a safety screen which serves to retain foreign bodies, and a transport device to the water adding device. .

The water is supplied by spraying the flour against the current in a blade or hammer threshing machine.

The extrusion device is formed by an element which continuously pushes the wet dough towards a variable-pitch die, the pitch of which depends on the compression which the dough requires to become homogeneously compact.

The heat produced by compression must be dissipated by an appropriate refrigeration system which allows the dough to be stored at a temperature between 30 ° C and 60 ° C in order to avoid excess gelatinization and the corresponding increase in viscosity dough, which in turn would produce more heat by friction.

The dough comes out of the extrusion device in the form of a plate 1 to 3 mm thick and it is led to a rolling mill train which reduces its thickness to 0.5 to 1 mm.

On the same train, the plate is cut into pieces of oval or other shape and the dough which remains from the cut is introduced again into the extrusion device, so that there is no loss of raw material.

Drying is carried out using air, the temperature and humidity of which are controlled until a final humidity level of between 10 and 15% is obtained.

We collect the product in packages that protect it from atmospheric changes in humidity, store it and distribute it for final processing.

The characteristic final transformation is frying, which will take place in boiling oil at 170 ° C - 210 ° C until a moisture content of less than 3 1 remains.

During frying, the product undergoes an increase in volume of the order of 10 to 20% and a golden-colored plate with a crispy texture is obtained which has the characteristic taste of fried potatoes.

It is considered that it is not necessary to develop this description further for any expert in the subject to understand the scope of the invention and the advantages which flow therefrom.

The materials, the shape, the dimensions and the arrangement of the elements may vary, provided that this does not imply a modification of the intrinsic nature of the invention.

The terms in which this thesis was written must always be taken in a broad and non-limiting sense.

Claims (11)

1. Process for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, in which fresh potatoes which have just been harvested, which have been duly washed, from which the impurities have been removed, which have been cut into pieces, are started. chunks, boiled, amassed, dehydrated and mixed with plain potato starch and potato starch subjected to a phosphating treatment, during cooking and dehydration, where the '' can also be incorporated wheat starch, cornstarch and other products and to which the adequate proportion of salt is added, as well as products which potentiate the taste, condiments, aromas and vitamin concentrates , among others, the method being essentially characterized in that it comprises the following operating phases: a first phase of mixing the ingredients dry, after which an addition of water is carried out in order to obtain u n degree of humidity of the dough between 25 and 40%, an extrusion operation is carried out, then a plate operation and then a cutting operation, and the process is completed by drying phases, packaging, storage and a final phase of thermal action on the product. 2. Method for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, according to claim 1, characterized in that the mixing is carried out with a mixer with two propellers in a hopper at the end of which is a sieve of safety to retain foreign bodies, and a transport device to the water addition device. 3. Method used to obtain a suitable plate of potato dough, according to claim 1, characterized in that the water supply phase is carried out by spraying the flour against the current in a machine beat with blades or hammers. 4. Method for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, according to claim 1, characterized in that the extrusion phase is carried out continuously, in an extrusion device which pushes the wet dough towards a variable pitch die, the pitch of which depends on the compression required by the dough to become homogeneously compact. 5. Method used to obtain an edible plate of potato dough, according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that the dough is stored at a temperature between 30 ° C and 60 ° C to avoid excess gelatinization and the corresponding increase in the viscosity of the dough, adequate refrigeration means being installed for this purpose to allow the heat produced by compression to be dissipated. 6. Method for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that the dough leaves the extrusion device in the form of a plate 1 to 3 mm thick and is conducted towards a rolling mill train which reduces the thickness to values between 0.5 and 1 mm. 7. Method for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, according to claim 6, characterized in that, parallel to the operation of placing in the plate and on the same rolling mill train, the plate of dough is cut into in the form of ovals or in other forms and in that the paste which remains from the cup is introduced again into the extrusion device in order to be able to use it completely. 8. A method for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, according to claim 1, characterized in that the drying phase is carried out by means of air, the temperature and humidity of which are controlled until that a final humidity level of between 10 and 15% is obtained. 9. A method for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, according to claim 1, characterized in that the final operating phase with thermal action consists of frying at a temperature between 170 ° C and 210 ° C in oil, until a moisture content of less than 3% remains, the dough, in turn, undergoing at the same time an increase in volume of between 10 and 20%. 10. A process used to obtain an edible plate of potato dough, according to the preceding claims, characterized in that 40 to 80% t, preferably 60%, of potato flour cooked at l is used as raw material. 'advance and dehydrated; 5 to 25%, preferably 15%, of modified potato starch; and 15 to 40%, preferably 25%, of plain potato starch. 11. A method for obtaining an edible plate of potato dough, according to claims 1 to St, characterized in that 40% of pre-cooked and dehydrated potato flour, 20%, is used as raw material. pre-cooked wheat flour, 15% modified potato starch, 15% plain potato starch and 15% plain cornstarch.