GB2283656A - Vegetable oils having fried and savoury flavours - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for imparting savory and fried food flavor characteristics to non-fried foods comprising frying foods in vegetable oils and utilizing the used frying oils for additives in coated and breaded foodstuffs where it is desirable to have fried and savory flavors without the messiness and less healthy aspects of deep-frying.

Description

VEGETABLE OILS HAVING FRIED AND SAVORY FLAVORS AND METHODS OF USE FIELD OF INVENTION This invention pertains to flavored vegetable oils and, in particular, to flavored vegetable oils useful for imparting fried and savory flavor characteristics to foodstuffs having a breaded coating. The present invention is particularly useful in the preparation of foods where it is desirable to have fried food flavors while avoiding the messiness and less healthy aspects of deep fat frying, and is especially useful for imparting savory flavors to a breading coated product on to which the flavored oils are applied. The present invention also pertains to methods relating to the production and the use of these flavored oils.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the past, much attention has been devoted to improving the flavor of foodstuffs and particularly the flavors of meat and fish products. Flavor enhancers and/or additives useful for providing meat and meat-like flavors and fish and fish-like flavors, have been formed from a variety of materials, including; amino acids, ribonucleotides, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins; from the enzymatic, chemical and mechanical digests of meat and meat by-products and fish and fish by-products and; by the extraction of naturally occurring volatile meat flavors from animal fats under an inert gas stream. These flavorants and the methods relating to their production have numerous disadvantages.

Some of these disadvantages relate to the limited degree to which these flavorants actually provide the desired flavor, while other disadvantages concern the difficulty in the preparation of the starting materials and, ultimately, the flavorants themselves.

For example, U. S. Patents 3,394,071 and 3,519,437 to Giacino, pertain to synthetic meat-like flavorants obtained from the oxidation reaction products of polypeptides and/or amino acid mixtures and acids in the presence of sulphur containing compounds. The reactions occur at elevated temperatures. The meat-like flavoring compositions of the Giacino patents may be prepared in water, or in fat, and are particularly useful for providing meat-like flavor notes in gravies, soups, sauces, dressings, salads, aspics and purees where meat is used, or where it is desirable to provide a meat-like flavor without actually using meats. Similarly, U. S. Patent 3,660,114 to Thomas provides a method for preparing a synthetic chicken-flavored composition containing amino acids, sugars, vegetable protein hydrolysates, monosodium glutamate, edible fat and ribonucleotides.The fowl flavored compositions of Thomas are particularly useful for flavoring gravies and in bullions.

U. S. Patent 3,773,523 to Chhuy et al. teaches a process for preparing compositions useful for imparting seafood like flavors to foodstuffs. These compositions are formed from a slurry composed of digests of seafood, seafood extract, or seashell extracts, sulphur containing compounds, such as cysteine; thiazole alkanols, thiamine and amino acids and/or polypeptides. The slurry additives form flavorants as the components undergo reaction in the presence of applied heat.

U. S. Patent 3,989,847 to Kurihara et al. discloses a process for the preparation of seasonings derived from animal and fish meats and bones. The process comprises grinding raw edible animal or fish portions and/or remnants composed mainly of bones with meat remaining thereon, to form a mud-like slurry, acidifying and heating the slurry, neutralizing the acidified slurry with an alkaline solution, separating the insoluble and otherwise undissolved matter from the solution, and subsequently filtering and refining the resultant extract to obtain a naturally flavored liquid and/or powdered product which is useful as an flavorant for imparting a seafood-like flavor in foodstuffs.

Finally, U. S. Patent 4,865,868 to Kuss teaches a method for extracting natural meat flavors from meat fats by heating the fats and volatilizing the natural meat flavors under an inert gas flavorant stream. The inert gas flavorant stream is conducted through a vegetable oil fatty ester shortening composition which retains an intense natural meat flavor. The resultant product may be sprayed or misted onto prebaked products where it is desirable to impart natural meat flavors.

While the aforementioned products and processes provide limited degrees of savory flavor characteristics (i.e., meat-like or fish-like), they do not provide any flavor characteristics which would impart "fried" notes to the products with which they are intended to be used.

Traditionally, in order to provide desired fried-like flavors and textures in bread flavored foodstuffs, the coated foodstuffs are deep-fried in animal fats or vegetable oils or combinations of these fats and oils. It has been recognized that certain disadvantages result in cooking foods in this manner. In particular, in deep-fat frying, the fat or oil in which the food is fried remains at least partially on the food and may become incorporated in the food. The result can be a "greasy" feel or taste to the food which is not desirable. Furthermore, the fats and oils in which such products are fried have limited fry lives and they may pick up off flavors or become oxidized or rancid and must, therefore, be periodically changed or elaborately processed for reuse. Where it is not possible or it is impractical to treat the oils for reuse, the oils are typically discarded.One such method relating to the treatment of used fryer oils is disclosed in U. S. Patent 4,789,554 to Scavone et al.

While consumers often prefer the taste of fried foods, the actual frying process is often messy due to the spattering of the oils in which foods are fried, and may, therefore, be considered inconvenient. In commercially prepared fried food products which are intended to be reheated by the consumer, the messiness of preparing such products may be avoided by the consumer; however, the products are still fried and typically include substantial amounts of added fat in the form of oils which remain on the fried coating. The oil which remains adds significant calories to the bread coated fried product. There have been attempts to provide desired fried-like flavors in nonfried products which have met varying degrees of success. These products and processes may involve the addition of high fat coatings or considerable amounts of shortening and other fats which are incorporated into a batter mixture and which when cooked essentially "fries" the breaded coating in situ. These processes and the products have obvious disadvantages in that the total amount of fat present even after avoiding the frying step is only slightly less than if the products were actually deep-fat fried. Examples of such high fat coatings are disclosed in U.S.

Patents 4,755,392 and 4,675,197 to Banner et al.

Further still, there are certain health considerations due to the presence of such added fats and oils in terms of dietary considerations as well as physiological consequences of fats and oils being part of the food intake. In recognition of changing dietary preferences, recent attempts have been made to produce improved, lower fat foodstuffs which have the appearance, texture and taste of fried foods, but which have not been fried.

Typically, these foodstuffs are intended to be reheated in microwave or conventional ovens. These processes and the products they produce have limitations in that, while they may be more conveniently prepared than fried foods, they provide only a limited fried-like texture and, more significantly, they do not provide the fried flavors typically associated with deep-fat frying, nor do they provide any of the savory flavor elements such cooking imparts.

For example, U. S. Patent 4,943,438 to Rosenthal teaches the use of edible oils which may be sprayed or atomized onto the surface of a baked food product. The baked food product is exposed to high temperature heating for purposes of browning and crisping the bread crumb coating. The addition of the edible oil is for improving the ultimate mouth feel of the bread crumb coating by improving its texture. Although it includes less fat than a deep fried product, even Rosenthal involves the addition of considerable amounts of fats in the bread crumb batter which forms part of the bread crumb coating. Other examples of attempts to produce fried-like coatings are disclosed in the following patents: U. S. Patent 4,496,601 to Rispoli et al.; U. S. Patent 4,218,485 to Lee et al.; U. S. Patent 4,208,442 to Evans et al.; U. S. Patent 4,199,603 to Sortwell; U. S.Patent 3,586,512 to Nancuzzo; and U. S. Patent 4,330,566 to Meyer et al. These coatings and processes have varying degrees of success in producing a product which suggests the textural or mouth feel characteristics of a fried food. Significantly, many of these coatings provide only the "oily" feel in the mouth which is associated with fried foods but none provide the natural savory and fried flavor characteristics which complement the oily feel to give acceptable fried-like flavor impressions. Moreover, the limited fried-like impressions provided by these coatings are organoleptically inferior to the genuine fried flavors achieved by deep-frying.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide foodstuffs which have fried and savory flavor characteristics and which have the taste, texture and appearance of a fried food, but which have not been fried.

Furthermore, it would also be desirable to provide foodstuffs which have the taste, texture and appearance of a fried food which are low in total added fats and which may also be prepared without using synthetic or elaborately processed flavorants.

Finally, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide non-fried foodstuffs which are organoleptically equal or superior to fried foods.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a naturally flavored vegetable oil having both fried and savory flavored characteristics which is useful to be sprayed on to or otherwise be incorporated into the breaded coating of non-fried foods for the purpose of providing fried and savory flavor characteristics.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a naturally flavored vegetable oil having both fried and savory flavor characteristics which may be sprayed onto or otherwise be incorporated into bread crumbs which may be used in the bread coating of a non-fried food.

It is another object of this invention to provide a naturally flavored vegetable oil useful for foodstuffs in which fried meat or fried fish flavor attributes would be desirable and which does not involve the use of synthetic flavorants.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a naturally flavored vegetable oil useful in flavoring foodstuffs where it is desirable to minimize added fats.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of utilizing vegetable based fryer oils from other food production processes which would have to be elaborately processed for reuse or otherwise discarded.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention is concerned with flavored vegetable based oils for imparting fried and savory flavor characteristics to foodstuffs which have the taste, texture and appearance of a fried food but which have not, in fact, been fried. The flavored oils of the present invention are naturally flavored in that they are obtained from deep fat frying processes for the frying of chicken or the frying of fish. The frying processes from which these oils are obtained may be continuous fry or batch fry processes. For products in which fried chicken flavors are desirable, fryer oils from chicken frying processes are preferred. Similarly, for products in which fried fish flavors are desirable, fryer oils from fish frying processes are preferred, although, in certain instances, chicken fryer oils may also be utilized in part.

In commercial and industrial fry cooking processes, the oil in which fried foodstuffs are cooked may acquire many flavor components from the frying of these foods. While some of these components are desirable in that they enhance the taste of the foods which are fried, others are undesirable because they impart off-tastes. For example, after numerous fryings, the oils in which foods are fried have a tendency to undergo darkening, oxidation, polymerization, and hydrolysis and after a relatively short period of time (e.g. 12 to 24 hours in a continuous fry process), the oil breaks down and becomes unpalatable. Although in certain instances the used fryer oil may be cleaned and reused, the processes involved are often too elaborate to be economically justifiable and, thus, the oils are typically discarded.

The vegetable based fryer oils useful in the present invention are obtained from industrial or commercial frying processes before the oils become overly oxidized or otherwise unpalatable. Preferably, the acidity of the oils remains below 1.6 and is preferable in the range of .6 to .8. Preferably still, these oils are partially fined or filtered as they are used in the fryer and before they are used as disclosed in the present invention.

The present invention is also concerned with imparting a crisp, browned, fried and savory flavored surface to breadcoated foodstuffs which are predusted, battered, breaded and which may be further processed and, ultimately, cooked or reheated for consumption by the consumer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is bar chart comparing the fat levels of battered and deep-fried fish fillets with breaded fish fillets using the flavored oils of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the percent reduction of fats per serving of breaded fish fillets using the flavored oils of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the percent reduction of fats per serving of breaded fish sticks prepared from a frozen processed fish block using the flavored oils of the present invention.

DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Industrial processes for deep-frying foods are well known. Typically, a food is portioned, predusted, battered and deep fried in an edible oil until the food is sufficiently cooked for consumption. As the food becomes cooked, the outer surface typically becomes browned or caramelized which provides certain desirable textures and flavors to the fried food. The present invention discloses flavored vegetable oils derived from deep frying processes for fish and meats which deliver fried and savory flavor characteristics to nonfried foods on which the oils are applied.

The generation of savory and fried flavors in vegetable based frying oils during the frying process is believed to occur due to a combination of factors. These factors include, in part: 1) the leaching of fats, fatty acids, esters and other flavor constituents from the substrate into oil during frying; 2) the Mail lard Reaction of the batter components as the frying process occurs and 3) the caramelization of suspended solids such as batter, bread crumbs and particles of the foodstuffs being fried.

The oils which are useful for providing flavor characteristics in the process of the present invention typically have the following profile: they have significantly higher acidity levels than fresh oils which have not been used for frying; they possess a light golden to dark brown color, depending on the temperature of the fryer and the rate of oil removal; they have a suspended solid content of 2% to 6% depending on the coating system and the effectiveness of the filtration system; and they possess recognizable savory components characterized by the product that was fried in it. Advantageously, the flavored oils of the present invention have only minute amounts of saturated fats when compared to animal fat based frying oils and furthermore have no deleterious cholesterols or other unhealthy congeners which such animal fat based frying oils possess.

As used herein, the term "savory flavor" refers to the pleasant and recognizable naturally derived flavor notes typically associated with the taste and aroma of a particular food as a result of cooking (i.e. chicken flavors associated with chicken, fish flavors associated with fish), The term "fried flavor" as used herein refers to those flavor notes typically imparted by the frying of food.

The flavored oils of the present invention are incorporated into bread crumbs which form part of the coating of a non-fried food. Preferably, these are extruded bread crumbs which have been precooked and preferably still, toasted. The preferred bread crumbs have initial fat contents of less than 5%, preferably within the range of 2% to 3%, prior to the addition of any of the flavored oils. Preferably, the oils are mixed or sprayed directly onto the crumbs before the crumbs are used in a coating although the oils may also be sprayed onto the finished product after it is coated. Typically, the oil content of the crumbs will range from 1 to 22% by weight of the crumb, with the upper limit being determined by flow or mechanical difficulties with processing the crumb which occur when the oil content exceeds roughly 25% by weight of the crumb.Preferably, the bread crumb forms 25% or less of the total weight of the coated and breaded foodstuff.

The preferred oil for use in the present invention is one which is relatively bland or not strongly flavored and one which is able to withstand the temperatures typically utilized in frying foods. Suitable commercially available oils include vegetable fats and oils such as soybean, corn, sunflower, canola, cotton seed, safflower, olive, nasturtium seed, tiger seed, ricebran and wallflower and, nut fat oils such as palm, palm kernel, babassu, or peanut, as well as mixtures of these oils.

Other vegetable oils which are highly flavored, such as sesame and coconut, may also be used; however, it is preferred that such oils be stripped and deodorized as is known in the art, before they are used in the present invention.

FRIED FISH FLAVORED OILS In a specific embodiment of the present invention, portions of fish were removed from a processed frozen fish block.

After portioning, the fish portions were predusted and treated as is known in the art and were coated with a batter suitable for frying. Preferably, this batter is a wet or English-style batter.

The battered fish portions were then immersed in fresh, unused vegetable oil, consisting of a mixture of soybean and cottonseed oils, which was preheated to a frying temperature of approximately 3500 to 4500F, preferably, between 385 and 4100F.

The fish were fried in a continuous fryer apparatus together with numerous other portions of fish which were similarly prepared, but batch fryer apparatuses may also be used. The commercially available continuous fryer apparatus is preferable for frying because it periodically and automatically replenishes the oils which are absorbed by the frying foods. The apparatus also preferably includes a recycling and filtration system for fining and removing large particulate matter from the fryer oil. The battered fish portions were par-fried for subsequent reheating and completion of cooling; however, the fish may also be fully cooked.After the oil was in use in the continuous frying process for approximately 4 to 10 hours, or when the acidity of the oil was approximately between .6 and 1.2, roughly 30% to 50% of the oil was removed and maintained at a temperature of approximately 700 to 1250F to yield a "flavored oil" for use in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. An equivalent amount of fresh oil was then added to the continuous fryer apparatus to replace the oil that was removed and the process was repeated.

As the oils are heated and used for frying, the moisture from the foods and batters accelerates oxidation and hydrolysis of the oil which increases its acidity. When the acidity of the oil is greater than approximately 1.2, the oil develops pronounced off-tastes and bitter notes which mask or otherwise detract from the flavored oils' savory and fried flavor characteristics. Therefore, it is preferred that the acidity of the fryer oil be maintained below 1.2 and preferably still, in the range of .6 to .8. Furthermore, it is also preferred that the removed flavored oils have suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil, and preferably still, in the range of 2% to 6%.

The preferred form of fish for the frying process is a frozen, processed fish block; however, other forms of fish may be used in this as well as in other aspects of the invention, particularly, on the non-fried foodstuff on which the flavored oils are used. Suitable fish include fresh fish, previously frozen and thawed fish, shell fish, macerated fish and macerated shell fish, or combinations of these suitable fish. The preferred batter is a wet or English-style batter because such batters provide balanced and more satisfying savory and fried flavors and leave less particulate matter in the flavored oil than dry or bread crumb batters provide, although, dry or bread crumb batters may also be used for frying.

EXAMPLE 1 Twelve frozen fish fillets weighing approximately 4 oz.

each were cut from a fish block consisting of pressed and processed fish meat consisting of pollack and cod fish. The fillets were deglazed by dipping in a cold water bath, patted dry and dusted with a predust mixture comprising hard and soft wheat flours, corn flour, dextrose, baking powder, spices and a food grade adhesive such as carboxymethylcellulose. After predusting, the fillets were dipped in a prepared batter made from the predust formulation and approximately 85% water, although, acceptable batters may also be prepared with water in the range of 658 to 92% depending on the texture of the batter desired.The battered millets were then rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting of precooked, preferably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and fresh vegetable oil, which comprises approximately 10% by weight of the crumb, to yield a battered and breaded fillet. The fresh oil was incorporated into the bread crumb by mixing and spraying the oil onto the bread crumbs as is known in the art. The fillets were transferred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 00F for approximately 14 days.

The frozen coated fillets were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 3500 to 4250F for 15 to 20 minutes. The cooked fish fillet products were judged to have crispy exteriors and moist cooked interiors, but were generally considered somewhat oily, bland and less satisfying than similar foods which were fried. Significantly, these fillets possessed no fried food flavors.

EXAMPLE 2 Forty-eight frozen fish fillets weighing approximately 4 oz. each were cut from a fish block consisting of pressed and processed fish meat such as pollack or cod fish. The fillets were deglazed by dipping in a cold water bath, patted dry and dusted with a predust mixture comprising hard and soft wheat flours, corn flour, dextrose, baking powder, spices and a food grade adhesive such as carboxymethylcellulose. After predusting, the fillets were dipped in a prepared batter made from the predust formulation and approximately 85% water. The battered fillets were then rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting of precooked, preferably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and varying amounts of flavored oil obtained from the deep-frying of fish, to yield a battered and breaded fillet.The flavored oil had an acidity of approximately .7 and a suspended solid content of approximately 5% by weight of the oil. The flavored oil was incorporated in the bread crumb by mixing or spraying the flavored oils onto the crumbs in a range of approximately 5 to 20% by weight of the crumb.

In this Example, twelve fillets received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 5%, twelve fillets received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 10%, twelve fillets received bread crumb coatings having a oil content of approximately 15% and twelve fillets received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 20%. The given percentages are all by weight of the crumb. The fillets were transferred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 00F for approximately 14 days. The frozen coated fillets were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 3500 to 4250F for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.The cooked fish fillet products were judged to have a crispy exterior and moist cooked interior and were generally considered superior to the fillets of Example 1 and, in general, equally satisfying as similar foods which were fried. Significantly, the cooked fillets possessed genuine savory and fried food flavors.

In particular, in order of preference, the fillets receiving flavored oil in the range from 10% to 15% were judged to have mild fried flavors and were slightly buttery with definite savory fish flavors. The fillets having flavored oil contents of approximately 10% were considered to have slightly less pronounced fried and savory flavors than those having approximately 15% flavored oil. The fillets having a bread crumb with an oil content of approximately 5% also exhibited fried and savory flavors, but the flavor impact was less than the fillets which incorporated higher amounts of the flavored oil.

Significantly, the fillets which had a bread crumb with an oil content of approximately 20%, did not have noticeably better fried or savory flavors than those in the 10% to 15% oil content range. Instead, those fillets had a greater oily mouth feel and texture, and exhibited no appreciable increase in fried or savory characteristics.

EXAMPLE 3 Twelve frozen fish fillets of approximately 4 oz. each were prepared essentially as set forth in Example 2. The battered fillets were rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting of precooked, preferably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and a flavored oil obtained from the deep-frying of fish, to yield a battered and breaded fillet. The flavored oil had an acidity of approximately 1.2 and a suspended solid content of approximately 5% by weight of the oil. The flavored oil was incorporated in the bread crumb by mixing or spraying the flavored oils onto the crumbs in a range of approximately 108 by weight of the crumb. The fillets were transferred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 00F for approximately 14 days.The frozen coated fillets were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 3500 to 4250F for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The cooked fish fillet products were judged to have a crispy exterior and moist cooked interior but were generally considered inferior to similar foods which were fried and were also considered inferior to the fillets produced in Examples 1 and 2. In particular, the fillets exhibited slightly rancid, somewhat astringent and bitter fried and savory flavors which detracted from the overall taste of the cooked fillets.

FRIED CHICKEN FLAVORED OIL In another specific embodiment of the present invention, whole fresh or frozen, thawed chicken was cut-up, leaving the bone-in and the skin-on. After cutting, the chicken portions were injected with a solution containing phosphates, salts and spices, predusted with a flour based predust, and then batter coated. The batter coated chicken portions were then coated with a bread crumb mixture, although, a second dusting may also be applied. The batter coated chicken portions were then immersed in fresh, unused vegetable oil, comprising a mixture of soybean and cottonseed oils, which was preheated to a frying temperature of approximately 3000 to 4250F, preferably, between 3500 and 3900F.The batter coated chicken portions were fried in a continuous fryer apparatus together with numerous other portions of chicken which have been similarly prepared, although, as in the case of frying fish, a batch fryer may also be used.

The commercially available continuous fryer apparatus is again preferred because it periodically automatically replenishes the oils which have been absorbed by the frying foods. The apparatus also preferably includes a recycling and filtration system for fining and removing particulate matter from the oil. The chicken portions were par-fried, typically for 3 to 8 minutes, removed and were either frozen and subsequently reheated, or were directly transferred to a preheated oven to complete cooking.

After cooking, the chicken portions were cooled, frozen and packed.

As in the process for generating savory and fried fish flavors, when the acidity of the oil was between .6 and .8, or after the oil has been in use in the continuous frying process for approximately 4 to 10 hours, between 30% to 50% of the oil was removed and maintained at a temperature of approximately 700 to 1250F to yield a "flavored oil" for use in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. An equivalent amount of fresh oil was then added to the continuous fryer apparatus to replace the oil that was removed and the process was repeated.

As is set forth in the method for fried fish flavored oils, it is essential that the acidity of the fryer oils, and therefore, the flavored oils removed for flavor enhancement be maintained below 1.2. Preferably still, the acidity should be approximately .6 to .8. The suspended solids should also be approximately 1% to 10% by weight of the flavored oil, preferably, 2% to 6%.

The preferred form of chicken for the frying process is fresh or frozen, cut-up, unboned, unskinned chicken portions; however, other forms of chicken (i.e. boned, skinned, macerated) as well as other fowl, and other meats, may be used in this as well as other aspects of the invention, particularly, in the nonfried foodstuff on which the flavored oils are used. Suitable meats for treating in accordance with the present invention include turkey, turkey parts, and macerated or ground turkey; duck, duck parts and macerated or ground duck; beef, beef chunks, ground beef; pork, pork chunks, ground pork; lamb, lamb chunks, and ground lamb, and combinations thereof.The preferred coating of this aspect of the invention were flour or flour and bread crumb batters because such coatings provide balanced and cleaner savory and fried flavors in the used oil than either dry or wet coatings provide, although, dry and wet coatings also provide some desirable savory and fried flavors and may, therefore, be used in the frying step.

EXAMPLE 5 Twelve pieces of fresh, boned, skinned, cut-up chicken weighing approximately 4 to 7 oz. each were injected with a phosphate solution comprising, phosphates, salt, spices and water. The chicken pieces, consisting of legs, thighs and split breasts, were dried and dusted with a predust mixture comprising hard and soft wheat flours, corn flour, dextrose, baking powder, spices and a food grade adhesive, such as egg whites, xanthan gum, and modified or unmodified starches. After predusting, the chicken pieces were dipped in a prepared batter made from the predust formulation and approximately 85% water, although the batter may also be prepared with water in the range of 65% to 92%, depending on the texture of the batter desired.The battered chicken pieces were then rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting of precooked, preferably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and fresh vegetable oil which comprised approximately lot by weight of the crumb, to yield a battered and breaded fillet. The fresh oil was incorporated into the bread crumb by mixing and spraying the oil onto the bread crumbs as is known in the art. The chicken pieces were transferred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 00F for approximately 14 days. The frozen coated chicken pieces were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 3500 to 4250F for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.The cooked chicken products were judged to have a crispy exterior and moist cooked interior, generally similar to fried chicken. However, the taste of the cooked chicken was considered somewhat oily, bland and less satisfying than fried chicken.

EXAMPLE 6 Forty-eight chicken pieces from fresh, boned, skinned, cut-up chicken weighing approximately 4 to 7 oz. each were prepared essentially as in Example 5. After the chicken pieces were predusted and battered, the pieces were then rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting of precooked, preferably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and predetermined amounts of flavored oil obtained from the deep-frying of chicken, to yield battered and breaded chicken pieces.

The flavored oil, derived from the deep frying of chicken, had an acidity of approximately .7 and a suspended solid content of approximately 5% by weight of the oil. The flavored oil was incorporated in the bread crumb by mixing or spraying the flavored oils onto the crumbs in a range of approximately 5 to 20%.

In this Example, twelve chicken pieces received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 5%, twelve chicken pieces received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 10%, twelve chicken pieces received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 15% and twelve chicken pieces received bread crumb coatings having an oil content of approximately 20%. The chicken pieces were transferred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 00F for approximately 14 days. The frozen coated chicken pieces were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 350 to 4250F for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The cooked chicken pieces were judged to have a crispy exterior and moist cooked interior. The aromas were similar to those of fried chicken and were generally considered organoleptically superior to the chicken pieces of Example 5 and, in general, virtually indistinguishable from fried chicken. In particular, in order of preference, the chicken pieces receiving flavored oil in the range from 10% to 15% were judged to have pleasant fried flavors and were slightly buttery with definite pleasant chicken flavors. The chicken pieces having flavored oil contents of approximately 10% were considered to have less pronounced flavors than those having approximately 15% flavored oil. The chicken pieces having a bread crumb with an oil content of approximately 5% also exhibited fried and savory flavors, but, the flavor impact was less than the chicken pieces which incorporated higher amounts of the flavored oil.The chicken pieces which had a bread crumb with an oil content of approximately 20%, did have noticeably better fried and savory flavors than those in the 10% to 15% oil content range; however, those pieces also had an oily mouth feel and texture which was considered less preferable than those pieces having less oil.

EXAMPLE 7 Twelve chicken pieces of approximately 4 to 7 oz. each were prepared essentially as set forth in Example 5. The battered chicken pieces were rolled in a bread crumb mixture consisting of precooked, preferably, triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and a flavored oil obtained from the deep-frying of chicken, to yield battered and breaded chicken pieces. The flavored oil derived from the frying of chicken had an acidity of approximately 1.4 and a suspended solid content of approximately 5% by weight of the oil. The chicken pieces were transferred to a freezer where they were maintained at or below 00F for approximately 14 days. The frozen coated chicken pieces were then placed in a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 350 to 4250F for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.The cooked chicken pieces were judged to have crispy exteriors and moist cooked interiors. The aromas were considered to be predominantly fried and savory although, somewhat rancid, overcooked notes were present The taste of chicken pieces prepared in this manner were generally considered inferior to fried chicken and were also considered inferior to the chicken pieces produced in Examples 4 and 5.

EXAMPLE 8 In this Example, non-fried onion rings were prepared with bread crumbs containing 15% chicken flavored oils. Raw onion bulbs were fed into a docker/peeler apparatus where the top root and peel were removed. The peeled onion were then spray washed with a water spray. The onions were then sliced transversely to form slabs which exhibited concentric rings of onion scales. The concentric rings were separated and dusted with a predust mixture comprising hard and soft wheat flours, corn flour, dextrose, baking powder, spices and a food grade adhesive, such as egg whites, xanthan gum, and modified or unmodified starches. After predusting, the concentric rings were dipped in a prepared batter made from the predust formulation and approximately 85% water.The battered concentric rings were then coated with a bread crumb mixture consisting of triple toasted, extruded bread crumbs, spices and flavored oil which comprised approximately 15% by weight of the crumb to yield a battered and breaded onion ring. The flavored oil, derived from the deep frying of chicken, had an acidity of approximately .7 and a suspended solid content of approximately 5% by weight of the oil.

The onion rings were transferred to a preheated oven where they were cooked at a temperature of approximately 3500 to 4250F for 5 to 10 minutes. The cooked onion rings had crispy exteriors and aromas similar to fried onion rings. The appearance, taste and mouth feel or texture of the cooked onion rings was considered nearly identical to those of deep fried onion rings. Savory chicken flavors were only slightly apparent.

The flavored oils of the present invention, when used on breaded, non-fried foods provide organoleptically acceptable alternatives to fried foods, without sacrificing the savory and fried flavors that typically accompany such foods. Significantly, the breaded, non-fried foods which utilize the flavored oil of the present invention have far less oil than fried foods and than other similarly prepared non-fried foods as disclosed above.

For example, as is shown in FIG. 1., the total amount of fats present in fried fish fillets is significantly greater than that of breaded, non-fried foods prepared in accordance with the present invention. In that figure, a bar graph demonstrates the reduction of fat levels (in grams of fat per serving) of non fried fish fillets having varying amounts of flavored oils compared with the fat levels of fried fish fillets. Conversely, FIGS. 2 and 3 demonstrate the percentage fat reduction per serving with varying amounts of these flavored oils in bread crumbs (expressed as % liquid in the crumb) used in coatings for fish fillets and fish sticks, respectively, as compared with the percentage fat found in fried fish.As can be seen from all of the aforementioned figures, the total amount of fat present in a breaded non fried fish fillet, even at the highest level of flavored oil incorporation will be far less than similarly prepared foods which have been fried. Thus, the breaded, nonfried foods of the present invention are nutritionally preferable to fried foods and to those non fried foods which contain greater amounts of fats and oils.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the flavored oils of the present invention have utility not only in delivering fried and savory flavors to fish and chicken, but are'also useful for imparting such flavor characteristics to virtually any foodstuff in which it is desirable to have fried flavors while avoiding the messiness and inconvenience of deep frying. In particular, these flavored oils have utility in the preparation of commercially prepared foodstuffs, where after the foodstuffs are battered, breaded and cooked, the foodstuff is subsequently frozen for further processing and ultimately, heating and consumption by the consumer.Other foodstuffs which could benefit from these flavored oils include, bread crumbs useful in frying or baking, breaded vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and mushrooms, breaded tofu and cheeses, as well as baked foodstuffs such as baked potatoes, potato skins, breads and doughs.

STATEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL UTILITY The present invention is useful for producing flavored vegetable oils which provide savory and fried flavors and which may be used on non-fried foodstuffs for the purpose of imparting fried and savory flavors. The present invention is also useful for producing breaded foodstuffs which have the taste, texture and appearance of a fried food, but which have not been fried.

While the present invention has been particularly described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that adaptations and modifications will become apparent from the present disclosure and are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (40)

What is claimed is:

1. A non-fried food product comprised of a bread crumb mixture formed from bread crumbs and a flavored vegetable based fryer oil, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry foodstuffs.

2. A non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprised of a foodstuff substrate coated with a batter and a bread crumb mixture formed from bread crumbs and a flavored vegetable based fryer oil, wherein the acidity of said fryer oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

3. The food product of Claim 2 wherein the weight of said fryer oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

4. The food product of Claim 2 wherein said fryer oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

5. The food product of Claim 2 wherein said fryer oil is selected prior to its use in frying from the group consisting of soybean, corn, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, safflower, babassu and peanut oils.

6. A non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprised of a foodstuff substrate coated with a batter and a bread crumb mixture formed from extruded, toasted bread crumbs and 5% to 20% flavored vegetable based fryer oil by weight of the crumb, wherein the acidity of the fryer oil is in the range of .6 to .8 and contains suspended solids in the amount of 4% to 6%.

7. A frozen food product which, upon heating, has the taste of a fried food but which has never been fried comprised of a bread crumb mixture formed from bread crumbs and a vegetable based fryer oil, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry foodstuffs.

8. The food product of Claim 7 wherein the acidity of said oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

9. The food product of Claim 7 wherein the weight of said oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

10. The food product of Claim 7 wherein said oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

11. The food product of Claim 7 wherein said oil was selected prior to its use in frying from the group consisting of soybeans, corn, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, safflower, babassu and peanut oil.

12. A process for making a non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of: a.) forming a flavored bread crumb mixture comprised of bread crumbs and a flavored vegetable based fryer oil; b.) portioning a foodstuff substrate; c.) predusting said foodstuff; d.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; and e.) applying said flavored bread crumb mixture to said battered foodstuff to form a battered and breaded foodstuff.

13. The process of Claim 12 further including the step of: f.) cooking the battered ad breaded foodstuff.

14. The process of Claim 12 further including the step of: f.) freezing the battered and breaded foodstuff.

15. The process of Claim 13 further including the step of: g.) freezing the cooked, battered and breaded foodstuff.

16. The process of Claim 15 wherein said foodstuff is chicken.

17. The process of Claim 14 wherein said foodstuff is fish.

18. The process of Claim 12 wherein the acidity of said fryer oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

19. The process of Claim 12 wherein the weight of said fryer oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

20. The process of Claim 12 wherein said fryer oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

21. A process for making a non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of: a.) forming a flavored bread crumb mixture comprised of extruded, toasted bread crumbs and 5% to 20% flavored vegetable based fryer oil by weight of the crumb, wherein the oil has a acidity of .6 to .8 and has suspended solids in the amount of 2% to 6% by weight of the oil; b.) portioning a foodstuff substrate; c.) predusting said foodstuff; d.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; and e.) applying said flavored bread crumb mixture to said battered foodstuff to form a battered and breaded foodstuff.

22. The process of Claim 21 wherein the foodstuff is selected from the group consisting of chicken and fish, and further including the steps of: f.) cooking the battered and breaded foodstuff in an oven at a temperature of 35 , to 4250F for 12 to 20 minutes; and g.) freezing the cooked foodstuff.

23. A process for making a non-fried food product having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of: a.) portioning a foodstuff substrate; b.) predusting said foodstuff; c.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; d.) applying extruded, toasted bread crumbs to said battered foodstuff; and e.) spraying a flavored vegetable based fryer oil onto the outer surface of said breaded foodstuff.

24. A process for making a frozen food product which, upon heating, has the taste of a fried food but which has never been fried comprising the steps of: a.) predusting a first foodstuff; b.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; and c.) applying a bread crumb mixture to said battered foodstuff; wherein said bread crumb mixture is formed from bread crumbs and a vegetable based fryer oil, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry a second foodstuff.

25. The process of Claim 24 wherein said first foodstuff is frozen alter applying said bread crumb mixture.

26. The process of Claim 25 wherein said first foodstuff is a fish fillet.

27. The process of Claim 25 wherein said first foodstuff is chicken.

28. The process of Claim 25 wherein the acidity of said oil is between 0.6 and 1.2.

29. The process of Claim 25 wherein the weight of said oil is less than 25% of the weight of said crumbs.

30. The process of Claim 25 wherein said oil contains suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of the oil.

31. The process of Claim 25 further including the step (d) of spraying said fryer oil onto the outer surface of said breaded foodstuff.

32. A process for making a frozen food product which, upon heating, has the taste of a fried food but which has never been fried comprising the steps of: a.) predusting a first foodstuff; b.) coating said predusted foodstuff with a batter; c.) applying bread crumbs to said battered foodstuff; and d.) spraying a vegetable based fryer oil onto the outer surface of said breaded foodstuff, said fryer oil having previously been used to fry a second foodstuff.

33. The process of Claim 25 or Claim 32 wherein said second foodstuff is selected from the group consisting of fish, poultry and beef.

34. A process for making a flavored oil having savory and fried flavors comprising the steps of: a.) frying batter coated foodstuffs in unused, fresh vegetable oil having an acidity less than 1.2; b.) monitoring the acidity of said oil until said acidity is between 0.6 and 1.2; and c.) removing approximately 30% to 50% of said oil derived from step (b).

35. The process of Claim 34 further including the steps of: d) replenishing said removed oil with an equal amount of unused, fresh vegetable oil; and e) repeating steps (a)-(d).

36. The process of Claim 34 wherein step (a) further includes the step of filtering said oil during said frying process and wherein said removed oil has suspended solids in the amount of 2% to 6% by weight of said oil.

37. The process of Claim 34 further including the step of maintaining the oil removed in step (c) at a temperature between 70 - 1250F.

38. The process of Claim 34 wherein the oil used in step (a) is preheated to a temperature between 3500 - 4500F before frying.

39. A flavored oil having savory and fried flavors comprising a vegetable based fryer oil which has been used to fry foodstuffs, said oil having an acidity between 0.6 and 1.2 and a suspended solids in the amount of 1% to 10% by weight of said oil.

40. A flavored oil comprising a vegetable based fryer oil selected from the group consisting of soybean, corn, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, safflower, babassu and peanut oil, which has been used to fry batter coated foodstuffs, said oil having an acidity between 0.6 ad 0.8 and suspended solids in the amount of 2% to 8% by weight of said oil.