EP2237678A1

EP2237678A1 - Snack product on the basis of lentils or legumes and method for the production thereof

Info

Publication number: EP2237678A1
Application number: EP08859443A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Siegfried Krauss; Michael Fuhrmann
Original assignee: Kuendig Nahrungsmittel & Co KG Deutschland GmbH
Current assignee: Kuendig Nahrungsmittel & Co KG Deutschland GmbH
Priority date: 2007-12-11
Filing date: 2008-11-12
Publication date: 2010-10-13
Also published as: DE112008003715A5; WO2009074126A1; DE202007017373U1

Abstract

The invention relates to a snack product comprising a portion of 25 to 65 weight % instant crunchy lentils or other legumes, 9 to 25 weight % extrudate, 5 to 15 weight % binding agent, and 15 to 55 weight % flavoring components, wherein the lentils or the legumes are present in the snack product whole or only coarsely comminuted in particle sizes ranging between 2 mm and 7 mm and the flavoring components in grain sizes ranging between 0.2 mm and 5 mm, and the snack product as a result of the binding agent is shaped into portionable and dimensionally stable units without changing the texture of the ingredients of the snack product, and to a method for producing the snack product.

Description

Snack product based on lentils or legumes and process for its preparation

The invention relates to a nutritionally high-quality snack product with an increased proportion of vegetable proteins and fiber based on specially treated lenses.

Snack products on the basis of instantized legumes are known in various designs in the prior art.

US Pat. No. 6,274,189 B1 discloses a snack product based on legumes and at least one cereal component whose swelling effect was reduced in a special process by the removal of oligosaccharides.

Furthermore, US Pat. No. 4,124,727 A discloses a snack product based on legumes, wherein the legumes are comminuted after cooking and processed to a dough with further components containing methionine and then fried in portions as pieces.

In US 4,705,693 A a recipe for pies from cooked peas, lentils and beans is disclosed, which are processed together with another filling material, such as potato flakes or cornstarch and spices, into a dough, which is then formed after homogeneous mixing and cooked as a substitute for a meat or fish pate can be used.

From US 1, 018,462 A a food formulation with a proportion of beans, peas and lentils is known, which are first soaked together with vegetables, nuts and fruits and then cooked for six hours. This is followed by steaming of the mass and removal of coarse fibers before the mixture is further processed. A food product with fortified fiber and based on legumes is disclosed in document WO 2007/044943 A1. The legumes are dehydrated and crushed extruded, whereby the food product is crisped in the style of potato chips. It is further disclosed that other ingredients such as wheat, rice, sunflower or potatoes, as well as sugar, spices, vitamins, oil or fat, starch and dairy products may be added to the mixture to be extruded.

Common to the products of the prior art is that the legumes are usually converted to a dough-like state in a complex manner and then extruded together with other constituents. The natural appearance of the starting materials is completely lost, and for technological reasons, the additional use of fat for processing the products is often required. Furthermore, legume-based products are said to cause unwanted bloating in the human digestive tract. It is also disadvantageous that the texture of the basic products is completely destroyed by the extruding of the legumes and possibly even nutritionally valuable ingredients are damaged or destroyed.

Some of these disadvantages are overcome by a snack of various legumes according to WO 94/02032. The outer shape of the snack products corresponds to the legumes used as starting material, such as beans, lentils and peas. The crunchy snack may be flavored with salt, herbs, spices, etc., wherein the flavor is contained or sprayed in a casing of the legume flour applied to the legume. Especially with small legumes, such as lentils, however, the consumption is cumbersome and the appearance of the products unattractive.

The object of the invention is to provide a nutritionally valuable and protein-rich snack product based on pulses with a minimum fat content, in which the legumes in their natural form are largely preserved. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for producing a snack product in which the nutritionally valuable properties of the basic component of the snack product are largely preserved.

The object is achieved by a snack product having a proportion of 25 to 65% by mass (mass%) of instantized crunchy lentils or other legumes. Furthermore, 9 to 25 mass% extrudate to increase the volume of the snack product are provided at low mass. The individual components are formed by 5 to 15% by weight of binder to formable and dimensionally stable units without changing the texture of the lenses formable. Furthermore, 15 to 55% by weight flavoring components including sugar and salt are provided, which allow a high flavor variability of the final product. An essential feature of the snack product according to the invention is that the lenses are completely or only roughly crushed contained in the snack product and thus the naturalness of the ingredients can be perceived by the consumer and visually.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a proportion of 45 to 55% by mass of instantized, crispy lentils, 15 to 25% by mass of extrudate, 10 to 15% by mass of binder and 15 to 25% by mass of flavoring components are provided, as flavoring components substantially dried vegetables , Herbs and spices as well as natural flavors, thus for example onion, paprika, chili and spices are contained. This formulation variant is nutritionally particularly valuable due to the high proportion of lenses and the associated valuable ingredients.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a proportion of 35 to 45% by mass of instantized, crispy lenses, 15 to 20% by mass of extrudate, 9 to 15% by mass of binder and 25 to 40% by mass of flavoring components are provided, being substantially dried as flavoring components Fruits, herbs and spices are included. Particularly advantageous for these This recipe variant is that with the fruits of their nutritionally physiological constituents, such as vitamins, trace elements and fiber, in the integrated. Snackprodukt.sind.

A snack product in which a proportion of 25 to 35% by weight pre-cooked, crunchy lentils, 10 to 20% by weight extrudate, 5 to 10% by weight binder and 40 to 55% by weight flavoring components are provided, with as flavoring components chocolate, nuts , Fish, milk or meat products, herbs and spices are included, is another recipe variation according to the conception of the invention.

The lentils or other legumes are included in the snack product in a particle size range of 2 mm to 7 mm. Snack products with lenses of size 3 mm to 4 mm in the maximum extent or in diameter are particularly preferred.

The other flavoring components are contained in the snack product with grain sizes of 0.2 mm to 5 mm. The extrudate particles have sizes between 1 mm and 4 mm.

The particle sizes of the individual components are not only visually perceptible to the consumer but also haptically and lead to a desired inhomogeneity, which differs markedly from extruded snack products in appearance only.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the lenses are enriched with lactobacteria or bifidobacteria for reducing the swelling effect. It has surprisingly been found that the intumescent action of the legume ingredients can be further reduced by the additional enrichment with microorganisms and their probiotic mode of action, wherein the enrichment can take place to a share of up to 2%. The use of enzymes can additionally or alternatively further reduce the swelling effect. Of very particular benefit is the use of enzymes. men who break down stachyose and raffinose. Particularly advantageous is the use of alpha-D-galactosidase and invertase.

According to the concept of the invention, the individual components of the snack product are held together by a binder system, wherein the respective particles of the individual constituents are connected to one another like a matrix. As a result, the particles are linked to one another only at their outer boundaries via the binder system, and the texture of the particles themselves remains in naturally preserved. This results in possibilities to make the products particularly crispy with gentle mixing and portioning. The binder used is preferably maltodextrin. Alternatively or additionally, binder systems based on starch are also applicable.

The extrudate serves to increase the volume of the snack product with relatively low weight and pleasant crispy texture. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a rice-based extrudate is used, also called rice crisps or rice crispies, in order to obtain a gluten-free snack product. The Reiscrispies are nutritionally valuable and can also serve as a carrier of flavoring ingredients or other ingredients. As an alternative to the use of extrudates based on rice, extrudates of various extrudable raw materials can be used. In particular, vegetable-based extrudates are advantageously usable, and extrudates based on legumes are also included.

The flavoring components used are lumpy to powdery dried vegetables, herbs, spices, fruits, chocolate in grain sizes from 0.2 mm to 5 mm, sugar, salt and natural or nature-identical flavors.

Furthermore, the snack product can advantageously be enriched by enrichment with coenzyme Q10 and by the addition of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other valuable and functional components. The object of the invention is further achieved by a method for producing a snack product, which comprises the following method steps:

a) instantizing the lenses by

- soaking the lentils in cold water for 4 h to 24 h,

Cooking the lenses at 100 ^° C. to 150 ^° C. for 4 minutes to 30 minutes,

- drying the lenses with hot air at 50 ⁰ C to 90 ⁰ C b) mixing the components c) molding / portioning d) drying the snack products between 60 ⁰ C to 100 ⁰ C over a period of 15 min to 30 min e) cooling to Further processing / packaging within 8 min to 20 min at room temperature f) Packing and storage of snack products.

The drying of the snack products in process step d) is preferably carried out at 80 ⁰ C in a rotary or batch process.

Of particular value of the snack product according to the invention is the process step of instantizing the lenses, in which the bloating effects which are inherent in the legumes and in particular the lenses are reduced.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, in particular of method step a), the addition of stachyose and raffinose-degrading enzymes during the phase of soaking the lenses or legumes is provided.

The pretreatment, the so-called instantizing of the lenses, furthermore leads to the fact that they are largely freed of their own taste and thus the taste of the snack product is essentially determined by the taste. flavor-forming components takes place. This results in flavorfulness that would not be possible with traditional use of legumes in general and lenses in particular.

Surprisingly, it has furthermore been found that the swelling effect of the lenses in a snack product according to the invention can be further reduced by applying lactobacteria or bifidobacteria to the surface of the lenses or snack products. The application of the lactobacteria and bifidobacteria is preferably carried out by spraying lyophilized bacteria, whereby the probiotic effect of the snack product is achieved. Alternatively to this design of applying the probiotic bacteria, the snack products or the individual components of the snack product can be enriched by dipping the solid components of the snack product in a suspension of lactobacteria and bifidobacteria.

Similarly, the lactobacteria and bifidobacteria could be incorporated as particulates with the immobilized bacteria into the mixture of the components in solid, powdered form, it being understood that efficacy of the bacterial cultures may be compromised by too much thermal treatment.

The advantages of the snack product according to the invention are that the lenses remain in their original external shape through the gentle mechanical treatment. Another positive aspect of the gentle preparation of the snack product according to the invention is that the heat treatment of the snack product must be made only for drying and thus only relatively low and the ingredients of the products gentle temperatures must be applied.

Another advantage of the formulation according to the invention is that the snack products obtained are completely gluten-free and manage without additional technologically-related fats. The snack product is free of any traces of allergens. A further advantage is that the natural raw materials used as flavoring components are inherently colored and these determine the color effect of the snack products, whereby no additional coloring components are required. By choosing the type of flavor-forming components, the particle sizes used and, if appropriate, their pretreatment, the color appearance of the snack products can be determined and varied in various nuances.

The extrudate used increases the volume, loosens the snack products and thus improves the haptic impression with consistently high crispiness of the products. Another advantage is that the extrudate can serve well as a carrier for other nutritionally valuable ingredients. A further advantageous embodiment is that the extrudates in the case of low-coloring components are very receptive to natural, coloring components and thus indirectly determines the color of the snack product in this way.

Equally advantageous is the very good portionability and dimensional stability of the snack products according to the invention, so that the end product, for example in spherical, hemispherical or pyramidal shape as well as in a traditional rod or strand shape in variable size is portioned. Particularly preferred is the formation of the snack product in bite size.

The surface structure of snack product portions is desirably inhomogeneous due to the detectability of the individual components, such as lenses, extrudate and flavoring ingredients. As a result, the diversity of the ingredients is directly visible to the consumer due to the interesting optical appearance, and an attractive design additionally increases the attractiveness of the snack product. The snack product consists of 100% natural raw materials, whereby also raw materials from biologically controlled cultivation can be used and thus a particularly high-quality snack product can be produced.

The specially instantized and crunchy lentils are a nutritious and protein-rich building block and make the product a source of protein for daily healthy nutrition. In this case, with a proportion of more than 12% protein in the lenses also a high fiber content of more than 6% realized, which explains the nutritional specificity of this product. The inventive concept also includes snack products based on lens-like legumes, such as beans or peas.

The snack product is dried after mixing and shaping only product and content gently, there is no technological fat used. The snack product is therefore low in fat as it contains less than 3% fat. Due to the absence of cereal products, the product is completely gluten-free and largely free of allergens.

The probiotic effect of the snack product enriched with lactobacteria and bifidobacteria has the consequence that, in addition to the reduced swelling effect, the special pretreatment of the lenses almost completely eliminates the swelling effect.

Thus, the snack product is a nutritionally valuable alternative to other snacks, especially potato chips or peanut flips.

Furthermore, a large range of products of the snack product according to the invention can be achieved, since both sweet and savory variants of the snack product according to the choice of taste-forming components according to the same technological scheme can be generated. For example, flavor notes such as cheese, yogurt, fish, meat, herbs, fruits, vegetables or chocolate can be realized.

Claims

claims

1. Snäckprödukf in a proportion of, 25 to 65% by weight of dissected crispy lentils or other legumes, 9 to 25% by mass of extrudate, 5 to 15% by mass of binder and 15 to 55% by mass of connoisseur components, the lentils or legumes Wholly or only roughly crushed with particle sizes between 2 mm and 7 mm and the flavoring components are contained in grain sizes of 0.2 mm to 5 mm in the snack product and that the snack product by the binder into portionable and dimensionally stable units without changing the texture of the components of the Snack product is formable.

2. Snack product according to claim 1, characterized in that a proportion of 45 to 55% by mass of instantized crispy lenses, 15 to 25% by mass of extrudate, 10 to 15% by mass of binder and 15 to 25% by mass of flavoring components are provided, wherein flavoring components include dried vegetables, herbs and spices and the lenses have a size of 3 mm to 4 mm.

3. Snack product according to claim 1, characterized in that a proportion of 35 to 45% by mass of instantized crispy lenses, 15 to 20% by mass of extrudate, 9 to 15% by mass of binder and 25 to 40% by mass of flavoring components are provided, wherein flavoring components are dried fruits, herbs and spices and the lenses have a size of 3 mm to 4 mm.

4. snack product according to claim 1, characterized in that a proportion of 25 to 35 mass% instantized, crispy lenses, 10 to 20 mass% extrudate, 5 to 10 mass% binder and 40 to 55 mass% flavoring components are provided, wherein as flavoring components chocolate, nuts, cheese, fish or meat products, herbs and spices are included and. the lenses have a size of 3 mm to 4 mm.

5: Snack product according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the lenses are enriched with up to 2% lacto- / bifidobacteria to reduce the blowing effect.

6. Snack product according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the snack product is enriched with the coenzyme Q10.

7. Snack product according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that maltodextrin is used as binder.

8. Snack product according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that an extrudate is used on rice or legume base as extrudate.

9. A method for producing a snack product, comprising the following method steps: a) instantizing the lenses by

- soaking the lentils in cold water for 4 h to 24 h,

Cooking the lenses at 100 ^° C. to 150 ^° C. for 4 minutes to 30 minutes,

- drying the lenses with hot air at 50 ⁰ C to 90 ⁰ C, b) mixing the components c) molding / portioning d) drying the snack products between 60 ⁰ C and 100 ⁰ C e) cooling for further processing / packaging f) storage of snack products

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the drying in step d) takes place at 80 ⁰ C.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that when instantizing the lenses in step a) when soaking the lenses lactobacteria and / or bifidobacteria and / or stachyose and raffinose degrading enzymes are used.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that after process step d) lactobacteria and / or bifidobacteria are sprayed onto the surface of the snack products.