GB2192527A - Batter coatings - Google Patents

Abstract

A foodstuff, such as fish pieces, is provided with a bakeable batter coating by making an oil-in-water emulsion, mixing the emulsion with solid batter-forming ingredients including flour, coating the foodstuff with the mixture, and partially cooking the mixture for example by pre-frying so that it forms a firm coating layer.

Description

SPECIFICATION Batter coatings This invention relates to a method of applying a batter coating to a foodstuff.

It is well known to supply foodstuffs, particularly fish, with a pre-applied batter coating which forms a crisp, crunchy layer when the foodstuff is cooked. Conventionally, cooking has been effected by deep fat frying but there is now a demand for coatings which are suitable for cooking by baking.

Known coatings of the kind intended to be deep fried are applied to the foodstuff as a mixture containing flour, water and other ingredients and this is pre-fried to give a firm coating layer.

This mixture is not suitable for baking because the limited quantity of shortening in the system and the low rate of heat transfer in baking compared with deep frying tends to give a tough chewy batter due to absorption and retention of moisture in flour, protein and starch of the batter mixture. Also, a soft, mushy layer of swollen starch granules tends to form next to the food stuff.

With the aim of overcoming these problems it is known to add fat to the batter mixture. A powdered solid fat is used which is pre-mixed with the flour and other solid ingredients, with or without emulsifier; and water is added prior to use. However, this is not wholly satisfactory because, in use, the fat is difficult to disperse and tends to remain as discrete fat particles.

Also, the fat is not really absorbed by the flour whereby some is wastefully lost on pre-frying, and during baking the batter on the top of the foodstuff loses fat while the bottom of the foodstuff sits in a pool of excess fat.

It is also known to use cellulose, films, and starches, such as rice starch, which have a higher gelatinisation temperature than the wheat starch used in deep-fry coatings, with the aim of preventing moisture from the foodstuff being absorbed by the batter, but the results are not wholly satisfactory.

It is further known to use a triple coat system of batter-crumb-batter and good results can be obtained by appropriate formulation of the crumb layer. However this sytem is of a more complicated and expensive nature than the single coating batter systems.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive method of applying a batter coating to a foodstuff with which a crisp crunchy batter layer can be formed by baking.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a method of applying a bakeable batter coating to a foodstuff comprising the steps of forming an oil-in-water emulsion, mixing the emulsion with solid batter-forming ingredients including flour, coating the foodstuff with the mixture, and partially cooking the mixture so that it forms a firm coating layer.

With this procedure, the dispersed oil droplets in the emulsion are readily absorbed by the flour particles and this can minimise or eliminate any tendency for the oil to separate out and also acts to limit hydration of the flour particles. A crisp, crunchy batter layer can therefore be readily formed by baking.

The solid batter-forming ingredients may comprise, in addition to the flour, one or more flavouring additives such as salt and mustard, and if desired baking powder. The flour may be wholly or largely heat treated flour possibly with a small proportion of yellow maize flour.

However, it may be necessary or desirable to incorporate a proportion of soft English flour to keep- the viscosity at about 30,000 cp, whilst maintaining a suitably high solids content, when the solid ingredients are mixed with the emulsion. A viscosity of around 30,000 cp is desirable to enable the foodstuff to be conveniently coated and, with the process of the invention, this can be achieved with a lower solids content, due to the increased viscosity derived from the oilin-water emulsion compared with conventional water based deep-fry systems. Too great reduction in solids content may be undesirable and preferably should be offset as mentioned above by use of soft English flour, but some reduction is tolerable and may be advantageous e.g. for cost reasons.Thus, for example, it may be possible to use say 150 to 200 parts emulsion per 100 parts by weight dry mixture with the process of the present invention, compared with 100 to 120 parts water per 100 parts by weight dry mixture with a conventional deep-fry mixture.

The actual preferred proportion of oil-in-water emulsion to solid ingredients will depend on various factors such as the nature of the dry ingredients, the characteristics of the emulsion, and the ratio of the oil to water in the emulsion.

The oil content of the emulsion may be in the range 1 to 15%, preferably 1 to 7%. In practice an oil content of 5 to 7% may be used although a lower figure say in the range 1 to 5% would be desirable. The oil may be any suitable foodstuff oil such as sunflower oil, soya bean oil or the like.

Most preferably an emulsifying agent is incorporated in the emulsion, e.g. at a level in the range 0.2 to 1% to prevent separation of the oil. This may comprise distilled monoglyceride with 2% soap. This may be added to the required quantity of water and heated to a suitable temperature, e.g. 65"C, which is not too high to cause the emulsifier to go into a different crystalline state from its most effective hydrated crystalline form. If the distilled monoglyceride is used without added soap adjustment to a neutral pH may be required. The required quantity of oil can then be added and mixed with the water and emulsifier.

Alternatively, a proprietary aqueous gel emulsifier as used in sponge making may be used.

This can work well in the cold. Citric acid esters monoglycerides may also be possibilities.

Mixing of the oil and water components to form the emulsion is preferably carried out with a high shear mixer. If finer dispersion is required this may be followed by treatment with a homogeniser.

The process of the invention may be applied to fish pieces or any other suitable foodstuff.

The foodstuff after coating with the mixture may be partially cooked in conventional manner by pre-frying. In order to limit fat absorption during this pre-frying operation, it is possible to incorporate a thermogeliing agent such as methyl cellulose in the batter mixture say in the range 0-1%, although this may not be necessary.

To give an attractive golden colour for the batter layer in the final baked foodstuff, a sugar or source of reducing sugars may be added to the batter mixture.

The invention will now be described further in the following Example: Example The following dry ingredients were mixed: Heat treated flour 60 parts by weight Soft English flour 25 parts by weight Yellow maize flour 6 parts by weight Mustard 1.4 parts by weight Salt 4.2 parts by weight Baking powder 3.4 parts by weight An oil-in-water emulsion was made from the following ingredients Water 100 parts by weight Sunflower oil 5 parts by weight Distilled monoglyceride 1 part by weight (with 2% soap) The distilled monoglyceride was added to the water and heated to 65"C. The oil was added and the ingredients mixed on a high shear mixer.

The stable oil-in-water emulsion was mixed with the dry ingredients in the ratio of 160 parts emulsion to 100 parts by weight dry ingredients using a conventional mixer. The resulting batter was used to coat foodstuff pieces and these were then pre-fried, using a conventional Tempura system. The resulting coated foodstuff pieces could then be frozen and packaged.

The coated pieces were suitable for final cooking by baking and when so cooked gave a crisp crunchy batter layer.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above Example which are by way of illustration only.

Claims (17)

1. A method of applying a bakeable batter coating to a foodstuff comprising the steps of forming an oil-in-water emulsion, mixing the emulsion with solid batter-forming ingredients including flour, coating the foodstuff with the mixture, and partially cooking the mixture so that it forms a firm coating layer.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the solid batter-forming ingredients include one or more flavouring additives.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the solid batter-forming ingredients include baking powder.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flour is wholly or largely heat-treated flour.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the heat-treated flour is mixed with a small proportion of yellow maize flour.

6. A- method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the heat-treated flour is mixed with a proportion of soft English flour.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein there is 150 to 200 parts emulsion per 100 parts by weight dry mixture.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the oil content of the emulsion is in the range 1 to 15%.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the oil content is in the range 1 to 7%.

10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the oil is sunflower oil or soya bean oil.

11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the emulsion incorporates an emulsifying agent.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the emulsifying agent is present in the range of 0.2 to 1%.

13. A method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the emulsifying agent comprises distilled monoglyceride.

14. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the foodstuff comprises fish pieces.

15. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the foodstuff after coating with the mixture is partially cooked by pre-frying.

16. A method substantially as hereinbefore described in the Example.

17. A foodstuff having a bakeable batter coating applied in accordance with the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.