MX2008004593A - Methods of making snack food products and products made thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods of making low-fat or fat free snack food products, and products made according to the methods, in which food pieces are subjected to enzyme and/or cation treatment and/or specific cooking and/or drying techniques, to provide for snack food products having the texture, flavor, and other characteristics of conventional full-fat products.

Description

METHODS FOR ELABORATING FOOD PRODUCTS BOTANY PRODUCTS AND PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED THROUGH THEM Priority is claimed regarding the US provisional application No. 60 / 723,880, filed October 4, 2005, and US Provisional Application No. 60 / 820,743, filed July 28, 2006, both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to methods for making food products for low-fat, fat-free or full-fat snack foods, and products made according to the method, in which pieces of food are subjected to to treatment with enzymes and / or cations and / or specific cooking and / or drying techniques, to provide snack food products having the texture, flavor and other characteristics of conventional products with full fat content. Snack food products are commonly made by frying pieces of sliced vegetables in hot oil in such a way that the moisture content of the sliced food pieces is reduced to a very low level and the fat content rises exponentially. These products generally have a crunchy characteristic that significantly increases their organoleptic desirability. Fried potato or apple flakes prepared using conventional methods generally have a fat content of about 30 percent to about 40 percent by weight, a percentage of fat that is considered by some unhealthy if these types of products are widely substituted for low-fat foods and their consumption is significant over time. While these products are accepted in the market, the desire of consumers to reduce their consumption of fat limits this acceptance. Additionally, conventional methods generally used, require that these products are fired at high temperatures that can result in the production of potentially harmful byproducts. Reports of these by-products in recent years have led to general concerns about fried and baked foods, especially those that contain large amounts of fats and carbohydrates. Reports of acrylamide formation, generally in proportion to the degree of acquisition of brown tonality of high fat and carbohydrate foods, have raised significant concerns within the food industry about the potential for harmful effects of this particular process byproduct. . To address some of these concerns, efforts have been made to reduce the amount of fat in these snack food products, and more recently, to find ways to minimize the formation of harmful substances, such as acrylamide and the like. In recent years, "light" potato chips have been made using synthetic oils / fat that is substantially nondigestible and consequently non-absorbable by the human body, for example OLESTRA ™. These products have received limited acceptance due in part to perceived unpleasant flavors, for some reports of harmful gastrointestinal side effects and due to an FDA requirement of a warning label on these products, which provides information about which fat substitutes can produce gastrointestinal side effects such as loose stools and abdominal cramping and / or the absorption inhibition of some nutrients. While products such as potato flakes and apple flakes are commonly made using conventional frying methods, snack food products made with other vegetables and fruits with nutritional benefits, such as carrots, zucchini, parsnips, yuccas, pears, and have not entered the market successfully due to the lack of appropriate processing methods. There have been numerous efforts in the past to reduce the amount of fat in snack foods, such as potato chips. Roan (US Patent No. 4,058,631) discloses a method for making fried foods in which the raw food product is treated with an aqueous solution of an enzyme, for example alpha amylase, for a sufficient period of time for the enzyme to penetrate and cover the surface of the food, and after that the food product is deep fried. Roan indicates that when the surface of a raw starchy food product is coated with an aqueous solution of alpha amylase before frying it, the food absorbs less fat during frying, than it absorbs without the enzymatic treatment, and the flavor of the fried food improves . Dreher et al. (US Patent No. 4,756.91 6) describes a process for producing low-fat potato flakes, comprising washing the potato slices with an aqueous solution, and applying oil to the washed slices to coat the surfaces with oil. slices with oil. The oil-coated slices are placed as a single layer on an endless conveyor belt, bleached at a temperature between approximately 71 ° C (160 ° F) and 100 ° C (212 ° F), and then baked at high temperature at least about 1 98 ° C (390 ° F) but below the oil smoke point, to partially dry the slices by reducing the aqueous moisture content of the slices to about 10-20% by weight. The partially dried slices are then further baked at a lower temperature of about 143 ° C (290 ° F) - 1 60 ° C (320 ° F) to finish drying the slices by reducing the aqueous moisture content of the slices to about 2. % by weight or less, in order to produce a product having an oil content of about 10-25% by weight. Laufer (US Pat. No. 5,292, 540) describes a process for preparing potato chips comprising the steps of washing the potatoes to remove foreign matter from their skin, cutting the potato into thin slices, baking the slices for a period from about six to twelve minutes within a temperature range of approximately 121 ° C (250 ° F) to 260 ° C (500 ° F), and heat the slices in a microwave oven for approximately two to seven minutes. Yamashita (U.S. Patent No. 5,331,631) discloses a method for preventing cut pieces of an agricultural product from adhering to each other during the drying and cooking steps, including washing the pieces cut with, or immersing them in, a solution of an amylolytic enzyme, or an acidic or alkaline aqueous solution. The cut pieces are bleached before treatment with enzymes. Zussman (U.S. Patent No. 5,370,898) discloses a cooking process for flake food products that does not involve oil-based cooking. The food slices are washed with water to remove the extractable starch from the surface, placed in multiple layers, transported to an oven, and baked in a fluid bed of hot air or steam. The baking process is a multi-step process, whereby the slices of food are exposed to a higher pressure in a first zone for several minutes to ensure that the individual pieces of food are separated. The pressure is then ruined in a second zone during a second period of time. Similarly, in a third zone the pressure is reduced during a period of time previously determined to end the cooking of the food products. After that, the flakes are dried or finished in a dryer. Lewis et al. (US Pat. No. 5, 441, 758) describes the preparation of fat-free or low-fat potato chips or straws by a process comprising slicing potatoes to form slices or straws, blanching the sliced potato, and treat the slices during or after bleaching with a high temperature amylase enzyme to prevent the slices from adhering to each other during processing. The slices are then dehydrated to a moisture content of 1-2% to 30%, and then roasted to approximately 2% moisture at a temperature of from 1 40 ° C to 220 ° C. The use of a high temperature amylase is required so that the enzyme remains effective during processing, and is not inactivated by the bleaching step. Petelle et al. (US Patent No. 5,470,600) discloses a method for making fat-free potato chips by initially cooking slices of potato in a three-zone primary oven, first applying radiant heat to the slices and then subjecting the slices to two successive stages of heating with forced air to reduce the moisture content of the slices to near a final moisture content. Petelle et al. additionally describes independently controlling the duration in each of the three zones, simultaneously driving the air in the upper and lower surfaces of the slices in the primary oven until near a final moisture content of approximately 1 5% by weight, control independently the duration time of the slices in the dielectric heater to a final moisture content of approximately 7% by weight using wavelengths of approximately 20 m (65.8 ft) with a frequency of approximately 1 5 MHz, and letting the slices they are piled successively more and more in the last two stages of forced air and the dielectric heating stage. Benson et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,603,973) discloses a process for making potato flakes without the use of oil, wherein whole potatoes are cut into discrete sliced pieces which are washed to remove starch or detritus from the surfaces of the slices. The slices are placed in a single layer and the water is removed from the surfaces of the slices exposing them to explosions of air and suction. Alternatively, the slices can be washed in hot water at a temperature of approximately 54.4 ° C (1 30 ° F) to preheat them. The slices are transferred to a heated conveyor to enter an infrared zone to receive high intensity infrared energy for a short period of time, less than 25 seconds, effecting a whitening of the slices and extinguishing the action of harmful enzymes of natural origin. In a subsequent step, dry air is incised on the top and bottom slices to reduce the water content below 35% by weight. The slices are collected in a multilayer package and dried in moving air until a moisture content is obtained at a level in the order of 0.5% to 2%. Wiedersatz (U.S. Patent No. 5,858,431) discloses a method for preparing fried chips for fat-free snack, which comprises preparing slices of raw food product, which are subjected to an air knife arrangement to remove surface moisture, then exposed to a hot air fluid bed incident that includes multiple impact ovens with hot air bed with dual zone operating under different predetermined conditions. In the preferred embodiment, the slices are exposed to two blast furnaces with hot air bed with dual zone, the first furnace has a conveyor belt that transports the slices through the furnace at a speed from 76 cm (2.5 ft) to 91.4 cm (3.0 ft) per minute and operating at 260 ° C (500 ° F) to 274 ° C (525 ° F) (zone 1) and 232 ° C (450 ° F) to 260 ° C (500 ° F) (zone 2), and the second furnace has a conveyor belt that runs at a speed of 0.5 m (1.5 feet) up to 0.6 m (2.0 feet) per second and 177 ° C (350 ° F) up to 204.4 ° C (400 ° F) (zone 1) and 149 ° C (300 ° F) up to 1 77 ° C (350 ° F) (zone 2). The first impact oven of the preferred embodiment eliminates approximately 50 to 60 percent of the moisture in each slice, while the second impact oven of the preferred embodiment eliminates approximately 20 to 30 percent of the remaining moisture. The slices may have been applied oil and / or seasonings, and are passed through a combination of microwave and hot air dryer that removes moisture contained without burning the flakes. Xu et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2002/0004085) discloses methods for producing a consumable potato product, comprising: (a) treating a potato substance with an effective amount of one or more exogenous enzymes selected from the group consisting of an amyloglucosidase, glucose oxidase, laccase, lipase, maltogenic amylase, pectinase, pentosanase, protease, and transglutaminase, and (b) process the enzyme-treated potato substance to produce a potato product. In one embodiment, blanching of the substance of the potato can occur before treatment with enzymes. The processing step may include frying in oil or baking. Despite the many advances in the processing of snacks and chips, there is still a need for improvement of these products and the processes to make them, characterized by a sensation of crunchiness, mouthfeel and improved flavor properties, reduction of the content of fat and general improvement in the nutritional profile, including minimization of exposure to conditions that can result in the formation of potentially harmful byproducts, all resulting from processes that are feasible, efficient, manageable, and susceptible to increased scale of practical and economical way for its production in output levels necessary for the commercialization of the product in a production environment with efficient use of fuel. There also remains a need to eliminate conventional deep frying processes that have traditionally been used for the production of snack foods with full fat content and reduced fat content, and to control the amount of fat in these products to provide a predetermined amount . Additionally, there remains a need for snack food products made from certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and the like, or the healthier versions of numerous snack products currently available, not previously feasible and the methods for their production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A first embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of cut or shaped pieces of food.; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes to coat its surface; (c) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (d) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level of from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight. A second embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more cations to coat its surface; (c) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (d) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level of from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight. A third embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) blanching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight by exposing the pieces of food to a first method of reducing the moisture level that reduces the initial moisture level to a intermediate moisture level of about 10 to about 80% by weight, and thereafter exposing the pieces of food to a second method of reducing the moisture level, which reduces the intermediate moisture level to the final moisture level. The second method of reducing the moisture level, among other feasible processes, may include frying the pieces of food in an oil or oil substitute. A fourth embodiment of the present invention is directed to a snack food product, comprising cut or shaped pieces of food, wherein each of the pieces of food has a predetermined fat content from less than 1 to about 35% by weight , an average fracture force less than or equal to 12 N, and an average Young's modulus greater than or equal to approximately 3.5 N / mm. A fifth embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) blanching the plurality of pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight by drying the pieces of food in one step or multiple steps wherein at least one step is made in a rotary dryer, one fluid bed dryer, a fluid bed vibrating dryer and the like or combinations thereof while controlling the temperature, air flow and movement of the pieces of food to allow a uniform and constant exposure of the pieces of food to the hot. A sixth embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) bleaching the plurality of pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to an intermediate moisture level of from about 10 to about 80% by weight while controlling the temperature, air flow and movement of the pieces of food to allow uniform exposure and constant of the pieces of food to the heat, and after that exposing the pieces of food to a second procedure of reduction of the level of humidity that reduces the level of intermediate humidity to the level of final humidity. A seventh embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight according to any of the aforementioned embodiments described herein, either (i) without the application of a solution that contains enzymes or cations or (ii) by exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing at least one combination of one or more enzymes and one or more cations in any feasible manner to coat their surface. A frying step and / or a drying step using a vacuum dryer, a vacuum belt dryer, and the like can be inserted as a reduction step, preferably the final drying step, in any of the aforementioned modes. An eighth embodiment of the present invention is snack food products made from vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and other consumable ingredients, and any combination thereof, and the method for their production, wherein the commercial production of these snack foods, or the production of their healthier versions, were not previously feasible. Additional features of the invention can be understood with reference to the accompanying descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a snack food product processed in such a way as to provide a plurality of cut or shaped pieces of food having a taste, texture and / or appearance of conventionally produced products made by a process that includes a step in which the pieces of food are fried in oil (commonly at temperatures of more than about 149 ° C (300 ° F) .Preferably, a snack food product prepared according to the present invention has at least one, preferably at least three, preferably at least five, of the following attributes: a crunchy texture, a fat content of less than about 0.5% by weight, a moisture content of more than about 0.5% by weight, a proportion of percentage by weight of moisture with respect to the percentage by weight of fat of at least approximately 1 2, and the pieces of food will fracture unless or about 1 2 N and have an average Young's modulus greater than or equal to about 3.5 N / mm. In still another preferred embodiment the present invention provides a food product for snack and the method of its production and / or cooking, processed in such a way as to provide a plurality of pieces of food cut or shaped that (i) have a new and / or only taste, texture and / or appearance, or (ii) have less fat and / or are considered healthier versions of products currently available, or (iii) have been made from vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes or any other consumable ingredients and combinations of them where the production of these products was not previously feasible due to the lack of production and / or cooking methods. Surprisingly, it has been found that the present invention maintains the desired high quality, taste, texture, appearance and acceptability by the consumer of the high fat snacks, by some desirable treatment of the raw materials and the subsequent cooking under conditions that eliminate , optionally minimize and / or control the amount of contact with fats, such as oils or oil substitutes, and limit the potential to produce potentially harmful byproducts. Additionally, in contrast to conventional known frying methods, the pieces of food can be infused with a predetermined amount of fat in a "fully controlled environment" during the production process. In addition to being able to control the amount of desired fat that is being infused in the products of the present invention in an exact amount, the present invention completely eliminates the need to use tanks with oil or hot oil substitutes, and maintain, filter and At least in most cases, discard the related fats used in the production process. In addition, the present invention also eliminates the need to use degreasers in the production of snack food products where low fat content is relevant. The term "pieces of food" is intended to include substantially any food. Preferably, the pieces of food can be provided as cut or shaped pieces of food that can be formed or reformed directly from their raw state. These foods include potatoes, beets, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, apples, pears, bananas, berries, beans, nuts, seeds, rutabagas, plantains, taro, okra, onion, parsnips, yams. , sweet potato, yucca, papaya, mango, pineapple, and the like. These foods include fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, beans, seeds and the like in puree, sliced, chopped, ground, chopped, dusted or powdered, including products such as beans, rice, corn, wheat and the like. Alone or in combinations, the aforementioned products and ingredients can be manipulated to form sheets, slices or pieces of food composition by extruding or rolling a prepared dough or mixture and the like. The mass or mixture thus formed can then be extruded or cut into any desired shapes. There are many variations in this basic procedure for handling flour or dough in a form appropriate for the present process. For example, see U.S. Patent Nos. 3,600, 193 (mixture of corn flour with spices); 3,922,370 (mixture of water, rice and rice flour); and 3,348,950 (mixture of corn, sucrose, water, and corn grits), each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Generally, the process of the invention can be used with all foods that until now had been fried or with foods that can not tolerate the frying process. The format of the food may include, for example, sticks, strips, slices, flakes, shirred cut, wafers, flakes, and the like. The flake products can be made into bars or cereals themselves or used as ingredients for granola, granola bars, or yoghurt supplements, cereals, nut cocktails, snack mixes, and the like. For example, corn tortilla products or soy flakes can be prepared initially by forming a water and corn composition or soybean meal, or alternatively cooked corn or soybeans, and cooking them in conventional tortilla ovens. The tortilla or soybean strips or rounds can be processed and processed using the present invention to produce low-fat or low-fat snack products that have a crunchy texture and flavor of fried foods without frying in oil or oil substitutes. . Generally, the process of the present invention can be used with all snack foods that have traditionally been fried in oil to achieve a crunchy texture and a traditional fried flavor. In another embodiment, the laminate or spread dough or mixture described herein can be made from a mixture of potato or other starch material, alone or in combination with other ingredients, and then processed according to the teachings of the present invention to obtain a Finished product crispy without frying. Preferred pieces of food come from fruits and / or vegetables that generally have a solid internal matrix that is exposed when sliced, and demonstrates fracture capacity when a slice is folded. In a preferred embodiment, the pieces of food come from potatoes such as those which are generally used to produce potato flakes. In preferred embodiments, the pieces of food include a potato substrate. The potato substrate can be simply rustic potatoes (for example raw potatoes) of any variety. These varieties include, but are not limited to, Bintje, Russet Burbank, Yukon Gold, Kennebec, Norchip, Atlantic, Shepody, Sebago, Red Pontiac, Warba Red, Cobler I "BC", Norgold Russet "BC", Norland, Atlantic, White Rose, Superior, Centennial Russet, Keswick "NB 1", Green Mountain, The Soda, Red La Rouge, Red Nordland, Red Bliss, Yellow Finnish, Ruby Crescent, and Australian Crescent, Russian Blue, Peruvian Blue, Superior, Katahdin, and varieties of sweet potato such as Beauregard, Jewel, Nemagold, Centennial, Excel, Regal, Delicia del Sur (Hernandez), Vardaman-Travis, Delicia Blanca, Sumor, Nancy Hall, Picadita, Champion, Sweet potato Star Sheet, Japanese, Chinese, and Purple Okinawa and the like. In accordance with the first and / or second embodiments of the invention, there is provided a method for making a snack food product, comprising: (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes and / or one or more cations to coat its surface; (c) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (d) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.2 to about 10% by weight. According to additional embodiments, the final moisture level is preferably from about 0.5 to about 5.0% by weight. An intermediate moisture level of about 10 to about 80% by weight can be achieved, preferably from about 10 to about 50% by weight, more preferably from about 15 to about 35% by weight, with an amount of the embodiments of the present invention. After this, the pieces of food are exposed to a second method of reducing the humidity level which reduces the intermediate moisture level to the final moisture level. The intermediate and final drying steps can be further divided into sub steps, or alternatively combined in one step. The appropriate enzymes, the forms taken by the enzymes, the commercial availability, etc. , for use according to the present invention are chosen from one or more of the enzymes listed in U.S. Patent No. 4,058, 631; in U.S. Patent No. 5,31 2, 631; and in U.S. Patent No. 7,056, 544, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Preferably, the enzyme is distinct from a high temperature enzyme, such as the high temperature amylase described in U.S. Patent No. 5,441,758. However, under certain circumstances, this type of enzyme can be used according to the invention, and the use of a high temperature enzyme is not hereby waived. Preferred enzymes according to the present invention include amylase, cellulase, invertase, pectinase and amyloglucosidase, with amylase being most preferred. Preferably, the one or more enzymes is present in the solution in a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5% by weight. According to the invention, the enzymatic solution may additionally include one or more cations, or the cations may be provided in a solution without enzymes. The term "cation producing compound" is intended to include compounds in which cations are produced in solution by dissociation of the cation with an anion, either at room temperature or with the addition of heat. Suitable cation-producing compounds according to the present invention include, but are not limited to, alkali metal salts, such as lithium, sodium and / or potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts, such as magnesium and / or calcium salts; aluminum compounds; and metal compounds of the VA group, such as nitrogen, phosphorous and / or bismuth compounds (eg, ammonium). Most preferred of this set of compounds are calcium salts, magnesium salts, potassium salts, aluminum compounds and nitrogen compounds, with calcium salts being most preferred. Preferably, the one or more cations are present in the solution in a concentration of from about 0.1 to about 5% by weight, more preferably from about 0.2 to about 2.5% by weight. The exposure of the pieces of food to the enzyme solution, optionally includes cations as described above, or the cationic solution without enzymes, provides various improved properties to the snack food product. The term "improved property" is defined herein as any property of a snack food product that is altered by the action of the one or more enzymes and / or cations in relation to a snack food product in which the pieces of food do not are treated with this solution. The improved property may include, but is not limited to, improved crunchiness, reduced adhesion, increased firmness of the raw and / or bleached material, reduced darkening from enzymatic and / or Maillard reactions, increased color brilliance, increased color retention, increased color enhancement, reduced color fading, increased stiffness, increased rough or smooth appearance, improved flavor, and reduced fat content. Many of these terms are more fully defined in U.S. Patent No. 7,056,544, incorporated herein by reference. The other terms are defined according to their usual meaning as will be evident to those with ordinary skill in the art.

It will be noted that the sensation of crispness and / or stiffness can be increased in a measured way, so that, for example, if one wishes to achieve a certain crispness or certain rigidity, certain processing objectives or produce a certain food product for finished snack , the crispness or stiffness can be controlled by varying the amount of exposure to the one or more enzymes and / or cations. The improved property can be determined by comparing a snack food product prepared according to the methods of the present invention, against a snack food product prepared according to prior art methods. Techniques for determining these improved properties achieved by the use of the present methods are described herein. The organoleptic properties can be evaluated using well-established procedures in the food industry, and may include, for example, the use of a panel of trained sensory evaluators. Other methods could include texture analysis and comparisons such as those described hereinafter. Preferably, the pieces of food are exposed to the enzyme solution (with or without cations), or to the cationic solution, for a time from about 0.5 to about 45 minutes, more preferably from about 0.5 to about 15 minutes, much more preferably about 0.5 to approximately 5 minutes. In alternative modalities, you can add other nutrients including vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B 12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic acid, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Copper, Calcium, Zinc , Iron and the like to the products of the present invention either by infusing these vitamins and minerals into the food pieces in the enzymatic treatment, in the cationic treatment and / or in the bleaching process, or in an additional step or by spraying a compound which includes any desired vitamins and / or minerals on the pieces of food before or after cooking. This procedure produces a product that is nutritionally fortified and provides an opportunity to make food products for snacks that are healthier. In alternative embodiments, flavor enhancers and seasoning mixtures such as salt (NaCl), sugar, herbal extracts, fruit extracts, vegetable extracts and the like or a combination thereof in the marinating or soaking food product can be infused. the pieces of food cut with the respective salt, sugar, herbs, fruits, vegetables and the like, thus incorporating these flavoring components into the food pieces either in the bleaching water and / or having a separate passage after or before the passage of bleaching in which the flavors are fused in the cut pieces of food. Alternatively, cut pieces of food can be dipped into concentrated flavor extracts that are aqueous or not. In still another embodiment, the snack food products of the present invention can be coated with chocolate, caramel, syrups, and coatings made of fruits or vegetables or any other similar covering, thereby creating other novel gourmet snacks that are fat-free or alternatively, they have low content or high fat content. If preferred, any predetermined amount of digestible and / or synthetic fat, such as an oil or oil substitute, can be added and / or combined and mixed with the dough or mixture before cooking or alternatively applied in any process for example by sprinkling on the pieces of food, before, during or after the pre-cooking step. Preferably, the oil is a cooking oil that does not contain fatty acids such as rapeseed, sunflower or safflower oils, which can be applied to the vegetable pieces either by spraying the oil on the pieces of food or by rapidly submerging the pieces. of food in oil or by other feasible methods, such as applying them to the bleach water or spraying them on a conveyor belt or a tray before and / or after placing the pieces of food on this tray or tape. In alternative embodiments where oil is used, although any kind of oil or oil substitute can be used, the preferred oils will be unrefined oils and those with a low point of smoke production, preferably extra olive oil virgin, hemp oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, linseed oil, coconut oil, unrefined rapeseed oil, semi-refined rapeseed oil, unrefined peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, oil sunflower with high content of oleic acid, unrefined corn oil, soybean oil, unrefined soybean oil, unrefined sesame oil, flavored infused oils, emulsified shortening, and the like, synthetic oils such as OLESTRA ™ and Similar. Alternative oils, which offer health benefits, such as SMART BALANCE ™, ENOVA ™ and the like, can be used either alone or in combination with other natural or synthetic oils such as those described above. Preparation of pieces of food. The pieces of food are cut, formed or molded from a combination of food materials. For raw vegetables or raw plant materials, the pieces of food are preferably cleaned, optionally peeled, and cut. Preferred vegetables, such as potatoes, vegetables, fruit, or other food products are preferably cut into slices, sticks or strips of a desirable size and shape for flakes, sticks, laces, wavy-cut flakes, flakes with shirred cut, flakes with cutting into grids, flakes with straight cut and sticks and the like. After being cut, formed or molded, the prepared pieces of food are preferably contacted with an aqueous solution, for example water, to remove the free starch. Eliminate free starch is better to optimize the use and reduce the amount of enzyme, more free starch can leave a dusty appearance after drying the flake. Treatment with enzymes and / or cations: The prepared pieces of food can be exposed to an enzymatic solution or a cationic solution, more preferably an enzymatic and cationic solution. When enzymatic treatment is performed, the enzymes are preferably used in amounts that contribute to one or more of the improved properties as defined herein and / or provide at least one of the following advantages: increase crunchiness, reduce adhesion and improve The color of the finished products. Without being limited by theory, it is believed that optional cations increase the activity of the enzymes, reduce the time in the solution, and also make the cut pieces of food more firm or rigid in such a way that they are easier to process. Additionally, the cations can also decrease the enzymatic darkening as well as contribute to the nutritional profile of the snack food product. The appropriate exposure to a given enzyme or cation to improve a specific property or properties of a snack food product will depend on the enzyme or cation in question. The trained person can determine an appropriate exposure to the enzyme or cation based on methods known in the art. When carrying out enzymatic and cationic treatments, the treatments are preferably carried out simultaneously using a single solution, although the treatments can also be carried out separately using an enzymatic solution followed by a cationic solution, or a cationic solution followed by an enzymatic solution. Salts and / or flavoring ingredients can also be added to any of the solutions. The enzymes to be used in the methods of the present invention may be in any form suitable for the use in question, for example, in the form of a dry powder, agglomerated powder, or granulate, in particular a non-pulverulent granulate, a liquid, in particular a stabilized liquid, or a protected enzyme. Granules and agglomerated powders can be prepared by conventional methods, for example, by spraying the enzyme or enzymes onto a carrier in a fluid bed granulator. The carrier can be constituted by particle cores having an appropriate particle size. The carrier can be soluble or insoluble, for example, a salt (such as NaCl or sodium sulfate), a sugar (such as sucrose or lactose), a sugar alcohol (such as sorbitol), starch, rice, corn grits, or soy. The enzymes may be contained in slow release formulations. Methods for preparing slow release formulations are well known in the art. Liquid enzymatic preparations, for example, can be stabilized by adding nutritionally acceptable stabilizers such as a sugar, a sugar alcohol or other polyol, and / or lactic acid or other organic acid according to established methods. In preferred embodiments the treatment with enzymes and / or cations is applied before bleaching. In alternative embodiments, the treatment with enzymes and / or cations is applied concurrently during bleaching, or as an additional treatment after bleaching. In the case of some pieces of food formed such as rolled products that are made from a combination of food materials or a dough, the treatment with enzymes and / or cations can be applied after the pieces of food formed have gone through the step of initial baking that is customary in the production of these products. Bleach. Various embodiments of the present invention include a step whereby the pieces of food are bleached. Preferably, the pieces of food are bleached for a sufficient period of time to achieve any of the following: 1) inactivate any enzymes of natural origin on the surface of the pieces and / or inactivate any added enzymes during the enzymatic treatment step described previously; 2) gelatinize at least a part of the starches of natural origin; 3) eliminate the excess of free sugars in order to reduce the Maillard dimming and the potential for acrylamide formation; and 4) improve texture and flavor. Commonly, the pieces of food are preferably bleached by immersion in an aqueous solution, which preferably contains from about 0.5% to about 8% by weight, more preferably from about 2% to about 5% by weight, much more preferably about 3% by weight. weight of one or more cations, as defined in the foregoing. In preferred embodiments, the cations are selected from NaCl, KCl, MgCl 2 and CaCl 2. The bleaching can be carried out at a temperature preferably from about 60 ° C to about 1 20 ° C, more preferably from about 70 ° C to about 100 ° C. In alternative embodiments, the bleaching can be performed by exposure to steam (at ambient or higher pressure), preferably for about 15 seconds to about 10 minutes, more preferably for about 40 seconds to about 3 minutes, depending on the amount of bleaching. desired. Alternatively, any known method of bleaching such as microwave, ohmic heating, super hot steam, infrared heating and the like can be used according to the present invention. If necessary, the pieces of food are preferably dried or transported under an air curtain to remove excess water. In alternative embodiments, any known method for removing excess water from the surface can be employed. Salt can be added before, during or after bleaching. Any salts that are suitable for use in foods may be used, but NaCl, KCl, MgCl 2, CaCl 2 and the like are preferred. The bleaching step may not be applicable and / or necessary in cases of some pieces of food formed, such as rolled products that are made from a combination of food materials or a dough. Reduction of the moisture level The moisture in the food pieces is preferably reduced to a final moisture level of about 0.5 to about 10% by weight, preferably about 0.5 to about 5% by weight. This moisture reduction can be achieved in a number of different ways. In one embodiment of the invention, the step of reducing moisture includes cooking the pieces of food in one or more dryers or ovens selected independently of the group constituted by convection ovens with forced air, dryers / fluid bed ovens, dryers / ovens vibrating fluid bed, dryers / impact kilns, pulsed fluid bed dryers / furnaces (eg Aero Pulse dryers), rotary dryers / ovens, rotary drum dryers / ovens, rotary tabor dryers / ovens, tray ovens , stationary dryers / ovens, spiral roasters / dryers (such as, for example, Roto-Louvre FMC rotisseries / dryers), dryers / microwave ovens, infrared dryers / ovens, airless super heat dryers, vacuum dryers , vacuum tape dryers and ohmic dryers, or any similar device for drying or cooking.

In one embodiment, the pieces of food are cooked for about 0.5 to about 40 minutes at a temperature of about 71 ° C (1 60 ° F) to about 204.4 ° C (400 ° F), more preferably about 1 35 ° C. (275 ° F) to approximately 1 63 ° C (325 ° F). In another embodiment of the invention, moisture reduction includes bringing the pieces of food to a first temperature for a first period of time, and thereafter bringing the pieces of food to a second temperature for a second period of time. Preferably, bringing the pieces of food to the first temperature during the first period of time, for example, without being limited thereto, at a temperature from about 71 ° C (160 ° F) to about 204.4 ° C (400 ° F), preferably between about 1 35 ° C (275 ° F) to about 1 90.5 ° C (375 ° F) for a time from about 0.5 to about 40 minutes, it reduces the initial moisture level to an intermediate moisture level from about 1 0 up to about 80% by weight, and bringing the pieces of food to the second temperature during the second period of time, for example, without being limited thereto, at a temperature from about 71 ° C (1 60 ° F) to about 190.5 ° C (375 ° F), preferably between about 1 35 ° C (275 ° F) and about 1 77 ° C (350 ° F), and more preferably between about 149 ° C (300 ° F) to about 1 63 ° C C (325 ° F) last for a time from about 4 to about 35 minutes, preferably about 5 to about 1 2 minutes and more preferably about 6 to about 1 1 minutes, reduces the intermediate moisture level to the final moisture level of about 0.5 to about 10% . In preferred embodiments, the second temperature is less than the first temperature. In other preferred embodiments, the first step of the process includes drying the pieces of food in a rotary dryer, rotary drum dryer, rotary drum dryer with spiral, dryer / fluid bed oven or dryer / vibrating fluid bed oven to remove about 30% by weight, preferably up to about 50% by weight, and much more preferably up to about 90% by weight of the initial moisture, and thereafter the second stage reduces the moisture level to the final moisture level from about 0.5 up to approximately 10%. Preferably, the drying step is performed at a temperature from about 71 ° C (1 60 ° F) to about 204.4 ° C (400 ° F), more preferably from about 1 35 ° C (275 ° F) to about 1 77 ° C. C (350 ° F), and even more preferably from about 149 ° C (300 ° F) to about 1 63 ° C (325 ° F), for a time from about 2 to about 40 minutes, more preferably from about 5 to about about 25 minutes, and even more preferably from about 6 minutes to about 18 minutes. In still other preferred embodiments, the reduction of the moisture level to the final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% can only be achieved using a rotary dryer, rotary drum dryer, rotary drum tumble dryer, dryer / furnace fluid bed or dryer / vibrating fluid bed furnace, in one or more drying steps. No additional cooking procedure is used in this mode. Generally the same conditions of temperature and time indicated above can be used in this embodiment, in one or more stages. Another embodiment of the present invention is to dry / cook with the use of spiral roasters / dryers. The principles of drying and behavior of the product for this method are very similar to those of drying with rotary kilns and rotating drum, except that the internal spiral allows precise control of the drying time inside the tank. Commonly, in spiral grills / dryers, the drying air inlet in the product bed between the paths of the spiral is through the perforated plate or the screen wrapped around the paths. The precise control of the drying time inside the tank combined with the use of this method will produce higher product quality, effectiveness of the process and added efficiencies to the process and output levels not experienced or expected previously.

During any of the stages, the pieces of food may be exposed to the air at an air velocity from about 200 to about 4.6 km (1 5, 000 feet) per my nuto. According to further alternative embodiments of the present invention, lower aeration speeds may be used depending on the pieces of food being prepared and / or the equipment being used. The process is further controlled by selectively increasing and / or decreasing the speed of the air to control the product's exposure to temperature and air flow, thus optimizing the quality of the finished product. Sequential adjustments to temperature and air flow allow a controlled drying process that beneficially maintains the temperature of the product below temperatures that cause darkening and carmelization until the product reaches a desired moisture content. The manipulation of the different zones of temperature and speed of the air allow the optimization of the texture, color, and flavor, as well as the economic efficiency of the process. Other equipment may be used, for example, any rotary dryer or similar rotary drum dryer, "continuous dryers", airless or heated steam dryer, and the like such as, for example, those available from Applied Chemical Technologies, Carrier Vibrating, Inc., The Dupps Company and the like, instead of the dryers. Alternatively, a microwave oven, infrared oven, impact oven, impact oven, tray oven, convection oven, stationary oven, fluid bed or vibrating fluid bed dryer, vacuum dryer, vacuum belt dryer or similar in the process of partially or completely dehydrating cut pieces of food, each resulting in a different degree of efficiency and output level. The use of a steam bleacher, such as those available from Lyco Company, alone or in combination with any of the above equipment, provides numerous additional alternatives for a dehydration process, either partial or complete. Where applicable, any versions of the above equipment described herein may be employed in connection with the various embodiments of the present invention, such as, for example, equipment for batch processing or continuous processing, static or vibratory equipment designs and the like. Moisture-sensitive equipment, such as those available from Drying Technologies, Inc. (ie, DTI 500, DTI 5000) and the like within the rotary dryer or the like, can be installed to ensure proper drying conditions on an automatic basis. In preferred embodiments, the partially dried food pieces are then transferred to an impact oven, a fluid bed dryer / furnace, a vibrating fluid bed dryer / dryer, a vacuum belt dryer / dryer or any other similar equipment by means of a conveyor belt or any other transport devices or methods. After moisture reduction, the resulting snack food products can be cooled either at room temperature or at reduced temperature, and seasoned and / or optionally coated as desired and packaged for distribution and consumption. Optional seasoning blends can be applied to products preferably using adhesives such as gums, starches, proteins, which can be used to create a sticky surface in the adhesion products of seasoning mixtures as is generally known in the food industry. To obtain an effect with bubbles on the surface of the product similar to the typical appearance that is observed when the products are fried, the pieces of food are preferably cooked at a temperature of at least 1 29.4 ° C (265 ° F) after the half of the moisture removal route. Then, the pieces of food are cooked at a temperature of about 1 54.4 ° C (31 0 ° F) with a high velocity air flow (e.g., an air velocity from about 1 52 m (500 feet) to about 4.5 km (1 5,000 feet) per minute) until a final moisture content of about 2 to about 5% is achieved. Final drying when a vacuum dryer is used may take place at temperatures below those indicated above. The efficiency of the process can be further improved by passing the pieces of food, after the moisture reduction is complete, through a "balancer" system that takes the hot product, extracts the air from it, extracts the heat by cooling it from this shape, as moisture is removed. The invention also contemplates reducing the humidity level to the intermediate moisture level by any of the methods described herein, cooling and storing the moist product under ambient, cooling or freezing conditions, subsequently frying, drying or baking the product to achieve the final moisture level. Alternatively, the frying step can immediately follow the steps of reducing the moisture level to the intermediate moisture level. In addition, the invention contemplates instant frying or baking of the snfood products prepared according to the invention, whether in a retail store or retail store or in the home. The present invention also includes snfood products made by any of the methods described herein. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be understood with consideration of the following illustrative and comparative examples. Example 1: Potato chips: Approximately 2.333 grams of potatoes of the Yukon Gold variety were washed, then sliced with an average slice thickness of 1.90 mm, yielding approximately 2288 grams of potato slices. The potato slices were rinsed for 1 5 seconds in cold water (1 8 ° C / 65 ° F) and drained. Sliced potato slices were placed in a 0.5% amylase solution (American Labs, Inc. Fungal Amylase-1 00,000 SKB / grams Lot ALI0051 7-04) and 1% aqueous calcium chloride (aqueous calcium chloride solution to 32% of DSM Food Specialties) and they were kept for 3 minutes before being drained. After being drained, the treated potato slices were bleached at 93 ° C (200 ° F) containing 3% salt (NaCl) (Cargill's Top Flow Salt) for 1 minute. The blanched potato slices were immersed in cold water for about 1 5 seconds to stop cooking, then drained. The potato slices were then placed directly on an impact oven conveyor belt (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C (285 ° F) and a tape time of 1.25 minutes. After drying, the potato flakes were allowed to cool completely, then placed in moisture proof bags and sealed. The total production was 467 grams of potato flakes. The resulting leaflets were visually observed and determined to have a light golden color, a good potato flake flavor and a light crunchy texture. Samples were analyzed to determine the moisture content using the convection oven method; measuring the loss of weight as a result of heating a ground sample (4 grams, run in triplicate) in a convection oven under controlled conditions (100 ° C for 24 hours). The percentage of weight loss was reported as the percentage of moisture in the sample. In this example, the final moisture content was 4.42%. Samples were analyzed to determine their fat content using the chloroform extraction method of F.l. Shahii (see the reference supplied below) with minor variations: Before extraction, the sample is milled in a blender. 1. Prepare a 2: 1 solution of chloroform: methanol. 2. Measure 10g of ground sample into a flask; Add 50 mL of 2: 1 chloroform / methanol solution. 3. Shake covered for 1 hour. 4. Empty into a clean flask through filter paper. 5. Rinse the initial flask and remaining solids in the new flask with a small amount of the 2: 1 chloroform: methanol solution. 6. Add 30-35 mL of distilled water and mix. 7. Allow to stir at 4 ° C from one day to the next. 8. Remove the seated top layer containing water and methanol with a water aspirator and a glass pipette. 9. Weigh a new flask with a round bottom and record. 10. Empty the remaining solution in the new flask through a filter, pass the remaining layer of chloroform (and grease) over sodium sulfate to remove any remaining water. Remove all grease from the flask using more chloroform. eleven . Using a rotovap at 50 ° C / 80rpm, remove (by evaporation) the remaining chloroform. 12. Place the flask in the chemical smoke hood overnight until completely evaporating any chloroform. 13. Weigh the flask after the drying is complete, record and determine the amount of grease. The results indicated that the samples contained an average of approximately 0.30% fat. It was determined that the final average thickness of the sample flakes after drying was 1.38 mm by measuring thicknesses of 10 flakes using digital calibrators. The "chloroform method" is based on the method described by F. l. Shahii, "Extraction and Measurement of Total Lipids", Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, pp. D1 .1 .4. The "wet method" is based on the method described by R.P. Ruis, "Gravimetric Determination of Water Drying and Weighing: Measuring Moisture using a Convection Oven," Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, pp A1 .1 .1. The texture of the potato flakes was evaluated using a texture analyzer TA.XT2 using a 0.6 mm (0.25") diameter ball probe and a flake breaker The individual flakes were allowed to stand on the 18 mm opening of diameter in the cylindrical opening of the plate, and punctured with the ball probe.The ball probe was moved at 4.0 mm / s until a force of 10 was detected, then the ball probe was pushed through the flakes at a speed of 1.0 mm / second.The probe was removed at 10.0 mm / second.A sample of 25 flakes was used for each test.The analysis of the test flakes produced an average peak force of 379 grams, which is similar statistically to that of LAY'S® light chips (OLESTRA ™) 825.59 grams of strength and wing of the low-fat KETTLE KRISPS ™ with 416.06 grams of strength LAY'S® Classic was slightly less than 254.23 grams of strength. Comparison of flake attributes: Samples of the potato flakes of the present invention prepared by the process described in Example 1 were compared with the popular potato chips currently on the market. Table 1. Comparison of attributes of potato chips.

Fat analysis using the chloroform extraction method ** Nutrition label information Test 2: Measurement of potato flake density using multi-photonometer. The multiponometer (Quantachrome model MVP-D1 60-E) uses the fluid displacement technique to determine the volume. The fluid used in the instrument is helium. The volume of the potato flake was determined by measuring the pressure difference when a known amount of helium was allowed to flow from a known reference volume in the sample cell containing the flakes. The samples were weighed before measuring the volume. Each leaflet was broken into 2 to 4 pieces to allow them to fit into the measuring cell. The densities were calculated using the formula: W Vc - (VR [(P1 / P2) -1]) W = weight of potato chips (g) Vc = Volume of the cell (cm3) * VR = Reference volume (cm3) ) * P = reference pressure reading P2 = cell pressure reading * Vc and VR were set during the calibration of the instrument. Table 2: Density calculations with potato leafs pycnometer.

Example 2: Common fat-free potato sticks: Russet Burbank potatoes were peeled and cut julienne to achieve approximately a width and height of 2mm. After slicing 540 grams of these, the raw potato sticks were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed sticks were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 10 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of solution of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated potato sticks were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 3% Cargill Sea Salt (3000 g of cold water, plus 90 g of salt) for 1 minute 30 seconds before squeezing. The bleached potato sticks were placed directly on a perforated aluminum tray and placed in an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Head Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C. (285 ° F). The speed of the oven belt was set at 24 minutes. Every 5 minutes, the tray was shaken to remove the potato sticks to allow even drying. The process produced approximately 1 03 grams of fat-free potato sticks, which were cooled and then packed. The potato sticks were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 3: Sponge strips of larger size: Yukon Gold potatoes were peeled and slices about 2 mm thick were cut. These slices were then cut into strips approximately 6mm wide. Approximately 750 grams of these raw potato strips were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed strips were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No. ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of chloride of calcium (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated potato strips were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F with 3% Cargili Sea salt (3000 g of water, plus 90 g of salt) for 1 minute 30 seconds before squeezing . Blanched potato strips were placed directly on a perforated aluminum tray and placed in an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 135 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 27 minutes. Every 5 minutes, the tray was shaken to remove the potato strips to allow even drying. The process produced approximately 129 grams of fat-free potato strips, with a light texture, approximately 90% of the strips were fluffed into an almost indrusic strip, giving them the appearance of French fries toast. The fat-free potato strips were judged by trained sensory professionals as having a very live buttery taste, light crispy texture and appetizing appearance. Example 4: Carrot Flakes: Carrots were peeled and cut into slices approximately 2 mm thick. Approximately 500 grams of these carrot slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed sliced carrots were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 10 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated carrot slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea salt, 200 g water plus 40 g. salt) for 1 minute 1 5 seconds before draining. The bleached carrot slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 5 minutes. The process produced approximately 120 grams of non-fat carrot flakes, with a light texture, bright orange color and pleasant sweet-to-carrot flavor. Step 5: Fat-free Beet Flakes: Peeled and fresh red beets and cut into slices approximately 1.6 mm thick. Approximately 590 grams of these slices of beets were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed beet slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 1 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated beet slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute 1 5 seconds before squeezing. Bleached beet slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, EN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 5 minutes. The process produced approximately 1 30 grams of fat-free beet flakes, with a light, crunchy texture, with the dark red color of the beet and the pleasant taste of the beet. Example 6: Fat-free Parsnip Flakes: Fresh parsnips were peeled and cut into slices approximately 1.6 mm thick.

Approximately 500 grams of these parsnips were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed parsnips were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 11 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated parsnip slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute 1 5 seconds before squeezing. Blanched parsnip slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (I mpinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 3 minutes. The process produced approximately 1 20 grams of non-fat parsnips, with a light, crunchy texture, creamy golden color and pleasant parsnip flavor. Example 7: Cassava root flakes (cassava or cassava) Fresh cassava roots were peeled and cut into slices approximately 1.6 mm thick, approximately 1 000 grams of these sliced cassava roots were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds, then the rinsed cassava root slices were kept in a solution containing 750 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 10 ° F), 7.5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No. ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, I nc.), 7.5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes.The enzyme-treated sliced roots of cassava were drained, then dried. bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute 1 5 seconds before being drained The slices of bleached cassava root were placed in apple juice for 2 minutes, then drained and placed directly on the belt of an impact furnace (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt It was set at 14 minutes. The process produced approximately 200 grams of non-fat cassava root flakes, with a light, crunchy texture, very white in color and pleasantly slightly sweet in flavor. Example 8: Fat-free pineapple flakes: Fresh pineapple was removed from the heart, then the heartless part was cut into slices approximately 1.6 mm thick. Approximately 500 grams of these pineapple slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed heartless pineapple slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated pineapple slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute 1 5 seconds before squeezing. Blanched pineapple slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C (285 ° F) . The speed of the oven belt was set at 22 minutes. The process produced approximately 1 28 grams of pineapple flakes without fat, with a light texture, crunchy, bright yellow color and pleasant cooked pineapple flavor. Example 9: Fat-free apple flakes: Fresh Fuji apples were washed, then cut into slices approximately 2.0 mm thick. Approximately 900 grams of these apple slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds, then placed in a 1% citric acid solution to prevent enzymatic darkening. Then the apple slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 1 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The apple slices treated with enzyme were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt, 2% calcium chloride solution (2000 g water, plus 40 g salt and 40 g of calcium chloride solution) for 1 minute 1 5 seconds before draining. Blanched apple slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (I mpinger® I, Model No. 1 240 from Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C (285 ° F) ). The speed of the oven belt was set at 14 minutes. The process produced approximately 220 grams of fat-free apple flakes, with a light, crunchy texture, light golden color and a pleasant cooked apple flavor. Example 10: Fat-free pear flakes: Fresh Anjou pears were washed, then cut into slices approximately 2.0 mm thick.

Approximately 850 grams of these pear slices were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds, then placed in a 1% citric acid solution to avoid enzymatic browning. Then the pear slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 10 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated pear slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt, 2% calcium chloride solution (2000 g water, plus 40 g salt and 40 g of calcium chloride solution) for 1 minute 15 seconds before draining. The bleached pear slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C (285 ° F). The speed of the oven belt was set at 15 minutes. The process produced approximately 200 grams of nonfat pear flakes with a light, crunchy texture, light golden color and a pleasant cooked pear flavor. Example 11: Purple sweet potato flakes without fat: Purple sweet potatoes were peeled and cut into slices approximately 1.8 mm thick. After slicing, 1000 grams of these raw sweet potato slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 15 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were bleached at 87 ° C / 190 ° F water containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of cold water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute 30 seconds before draining. Bleached sweet potato slices were placed directly on the chain of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C (285 ° C) F). The speed of the oven belt was set at 14 minutes. The process produced approximately 225 grams of fat-free sweet potato flakes, which were cooled and packaged. These purple sweet potato slices were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and were noted to have a very pleasant sweet taste, a novel dark purple color, and a light crunchy texture.

Example 12: Fat-free radish flakes: Fresh red table radishes were cut into slices approximately 1.75 mm thick. Approximately 500 grams of these radish slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the radish slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of chloride of calcium (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated radish slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 45 seconds before draining. Blanched radish slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F . The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 1 .5 minutes. The process produced approximately 109 grams of fat-free radish flakes, with a light, crunchy texture, creamy golden color and astringent radish flavor. Example 13: Fat-free taro flakes Fresh malanga roots were peeled and cut into slices approximately 1.6 mm thick. Approximately 1000 grams of these taro slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds.

Then the rinsed taro slices were kept in a solution containing 750 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 10 ° F), 7.5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated taro slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute before squeezing . Blanched taro slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 12 minutes. The process produced approximately 255 grams of fat-free taro flakes, with a light, crunchy, creamy golden texture that maintained the pink / red specks inherent in the taro root. The taste was very mild, slightly sweet and pleasant. Example 14: Grease-free squash flakes: A fresh small squash (approximately 10 inches in diameter) was cut into quarters, the seeds were removed, then the flesh was cut into slices approximately 1.8 mm thick. Approximately 1000 grams of these raw pumpkin slices were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 15 seconds. Then the rinsed pumpkin slices were kept in a solution containing 750 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 7.5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No. ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated pumpkin slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 30 seconds before squeezing . The blanched pumpkin slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 1 minutes. The process produced approximately 246 grams of fat-free pumpkin flakes, with a light, crunchy texture, orange / gold color and a very mild and pleasant flavor. Example 15: Fatless kohlrabi flakes: fresh rutabagas were peeled and cut into slices approximately 1.6 mm thick. Approximately 500 grams of sliced kohlrabi were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed kohlrabi slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc., Omaha, NE ), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated kohlrabi slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute 10 seconds before to drain. Blanched kohlrabi slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F . The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 2.5 minutes. The process produced approximately 1 34 grams of non-fat kohlrabi flakes, with a light, crunchy texture, bright golden color and the typical taste of kohlrabi. Example 16: Fat-free zucchini flakes: Several small fresh zucchini (about 2.5 inches in diameter and 20 cm (8 inches) in length were peeled off, the core removed (diameter approximately 0.5 inches), then the zucchini prepared was cut into slices approximately 2.0 mm thick using a kitchen mandolin with a serrated blade Approximately 1 000 grams of these raw sliced zucchini was rinsed under running water at 65 ° F (18 ° C) for 15 seconds. rinses were kept in a solution containing 750 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 10 ° F), 1 5 grams of dry enzyme preparation (Lot NoSI9700, Multizyme II, Enzyme Development Corp. New York, NY), 1.0 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes . Enzyme-treated zucchini slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 45 seconds before being drained. The bleached zucchini slices were placed directly on the ribbon of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 8 minutes. The process produced approximately 96 grams of fat-free zucchini flakes, with a light, crispy texture, light golden yellow with a very mild and pleasant flavor. Example 17: Fat-free mushroom flakes: Several small fresh mushrooms (with a hat diameter of approximately 6-8 cm (2.5-3 inches)) were cut into slices approximately 2.4 mm thick using a kitchen mandolin. Approximately 500 grams of these slices of raw mushrooms were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 750 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 1 ° F), 15 grams of dry enzyme preparation (Lot NoSI9700, Multizyme II, Enzyme Development Corp. New York, NY ), 1 0 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Slices of enzyme treated fungi were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 45 seconds before squeezing . Bleached mushroom slices were placed on a mesh screen and placed in an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 135 ° C / 275 F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 22 minutes. The process produced approximately 64 grams of nonfat mushroom flakes, with a very light texture, a very soft golden color and an intense flavor pleasant to cooked mushroom. Example 18: Fat-free bean sticks: Fresh green beans (Blue Lake Variety) were rinsed, the ends were cut, then approximately 1000 grams of these green beans were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 15 seconds. Then, the rinsed pods were kept in a solution containing 750 grams of water (43 ° C / 110 ° F), 15 grams of dried enzyme preparation (Lot NoSI9700, Multizyme II, Enzyme Development Corp. New York, NY), 10 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The bean pods treated with enzyme were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of water, plus 40 g of salt) for 4 minutes before being drained. The blanched green bean pods were placed on a mesh screen in the ribbon of an impact kiln (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 135 ° C / 275 F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 28 minutes. The process produced approximately 172 grams of green beans for fat-free snack, with a light, crunchy, green and brown texture with a very mild and pleasant taste. Example 19: Fat-free common potato flakes, pre-processed slices kept under refrigerated conditions for 1 week, then dried / cooked: Atlantic variety potatoes were peeled and sliced using a Dito Dean vegetable slicer with a C2 blade, to achieve a slice thickness of approximately 1.60mm. After slicing, 1 000 grams of these raw potato slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 1000 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 10 ° F), 10 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No. ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.) and 10 grams of calcium chloride solution (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated potato slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (3000 g of cold water, plus 60 g of salt) for 1 minute before drain. Blanched potato slices were chilled in ice water, then drained and stored in plastic bags in a refrigerator at 3 ° C / 38 ° F for 7 days. Samples were taken from the refrigerator, placed on a metal mesh in a single layer and processed in an Air Forcé® industrial impact oven (Heat and Control Company, Hayward, CA 94545) set at 176 ° C (350 ° F) for 3.5 minutes. The partially dried potato slices were stacked together to create a bed with depth of 2.5 cm (1 inch), then processed by a second Air Forcé® impact oven (Heat and Control Company, Hayward, CA 94545) for another 3.5 minutes at 148 ° C (300 ° F). The process produced approximately 200 grams of leaflets, which were cooled and packaged. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. The seven day waiting time for the pre-processed slices did not affect the texture or flavor of the finished product. Example 20: Novelty Sweetpotato Cereal - Normal Sweetpotato Flakes: Sweet potatoes were peeled and cut lengthwise into strips approximately 2 - 2.5 cm (0.75-1 inch) thick, then the strips were sliced transversely into approximately 2-inch flakes. mm thick. After slicing, approximately 1000 grams of these raw sweet potato flakes were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed scales were bleached in water at 87 ° C (1 90 ° F) containing 1% Cargill Sea Salt and 0.5% calcium chloride solution (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) ( 5000 g of cold water, plus 50 g of salt, 25 grams of calcium chloride) for 1 minute before draining. The bleached sweet potato flakes were placed directly on an aluminum mesh, and placed in an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C (285 ° F). The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 7 minutes. Every 5 minutes, the screen was shaken to remove the potato flakes to allow even drying. The process produced approximately 284 grams of fat-free sweet potato flakes, which were cooled and packaged. The sweet potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and were noted to have a pleasant nutty, golden brown color, and light crunchy texture when eaten with milk in a bowl like a grain-based cereal. The product kept its crunchy texture in the bowl for 7-8 minutes. Example 21: Normal fat-free potato chips made by initial drying with infrared heater, then with final drying on impact: Atlantic variety potatoes were peeled and sliced using a Dito Dean vegetable slicer with a C2 blade, to achieve a slice thickness of approximately 1 .60 mm. After slicing, 1000 grams of the raw potato slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 1000 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 10 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.) and 10 grams of solution of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated potato slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C (1 90 ° F) containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (3000 g cold water, plus 60 g of salt) for 1 minute before draining. Blanched potato slices were placed on a conveyor and run under an infrared heating unit for 30 seconds. Then the partially dried slices were immediately placed in an Air Forcé® industrial impact oven (Heat and Control Company, Hayward, CA 94545) set at 1 76 ° C (350 ° F) for 3 minutes. The partially dried potato slices were stacked together to create a bed with depth of 2.5 cm (1 inch), then processed by a second Air Forcé® impact oven (Heat and Control Company, Hayward, CA 94545) for an additional 3 minutes at 148 ° C (300 ° F). The process produced approximately 200 grams of fat-free potato chips, which were cooled and packaged. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 22: Normal fat-free potato chips made by initial microwave drying. then with final drying in an impact oven: Potatoes of the Atlantic variety were peeled and sliced using a Dito Dean vegetable slicer with a C2 blade, to achieve a slice thickness of approximately 1.60mm. After slicing, 1000 grams of the raw potato slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 15 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 1000 grams of water (43 ° C / 110 ° F), 10 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.) and 10 grams of chloride solution of calcium (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated potato slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (3000 g of cold water, plus 60 g of salt) for 1 minute before squeezing . Blanched potato slices were placed on a plastic disk and placed in a microwave oven (Amana RadarRange, Model No. RS415T, 1500 Watt, manufactured by Amana Appliances, Amana, IA) for 1 minute at full power. After microwave drying the partially dried potato slices were then placed directly on the belt in an Air Forcé® industrial impact oven (Heat and Control Company, Hayward, CA 94545) set at 176 ° C (350 ° F) for 1.5 minutes The potato slices were stacked together to create a bed with depth of 2.5 cm (1 inch), then passed through one of a second Air Forcé® impact oven (Heat and Control Company, Hayward, CA 94545) for 1.5 more minutes , but at 148 ° C (300 ° F). The process produced approximately 200 grams of fat-free potato chips, which were cooled and packaged. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color and light crunchy texture. Example 23: Larger inflated potato strips, made with steam bleaching instead of immersion bleaching, finished by Lincoln impact: Yukon Gold potatoes were peeled and slices about 2 mm thick were cut. These slices were then cut into strips approximately 6 mm wide, 6 cm long. Approximately 750 grams of the raw potato strips were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed strips were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 1 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated potato strips were drained, then bleached using steam in a Dixie M-6 vegetable bleach / chiller (Dixie Canning Company, Athens Georgia, 30603) for 30 seconds. Potato strips bleached with hot steam were placed directly on a perforated aluminum tray and placed in an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 35 ° C / 275 ° F. The speed of the oven belt was set at 27 minutes. Every 5 minutes, the tray was shaken to remove the potato strips to allow even drying. The process produced approximately 1 29 grams of fat-free potato strips, with a light texture, about 90% of the strips were fluffed into an almost cylindrical strip, giving them the appearance of French fries toast. The fat-free potato strips were judged by trained sensory professionals as having a very live buttery taste, light crispy texture and appetizing appearance. Example 24: Impact oven for initial drying, then pulses in fluid bed dryer for a final product of normal fat-free potato chips: Atlantic variety potatoes were peeled and sliced using a Dito Dean vegetable slicer with a knife of C2, to achieve slice thicknesses of approximately 1.60mm. After slicing, 1 000 grams of the raw potato slices were rinsed under running water at 65 ° F (1 8 ° C) for 15 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 1000 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 1.0 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 1.0 grams of calcium chloride solution (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated potato slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (3000 g of cold water, plus 60 g of salt) for 1 minute before drain. Bleached potato slices were placed directly on the belt and the impact oven was set at 176 ° C (350 ° F), and dried for 1 minute to reduce the moisture content to 50%, then the flakes were placed in layers to a bed depth of 3 inches, then placed in an Aeropulse® air-powered fluid bed industrial processor (Aeroglide Corporation, Raleigh, NC 27626) set at 148 ° C (300 ° F) for 5 minutes. The process produced approximately 200 grams of fat-free potato chips, which were cooled and packaged. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 25: Corrugated or curly fat-free potato chips: Atlantic variety potatoes were peeled and sliced in a mandolin with corrugated sheet so that slices of approximately 2 mm in height were formed at the thickest point and 1.65 mm in the thinner point with appearance, shape and thickness very similar to the potato flakes currently marketed under the names of "wavy" or "curled" potato chips. After slicing, 500 grams of these raw potato slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 15 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 110 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of chloride solution of calcium (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for three minutes. The enzyme-treated potato slices were drained, then bleached using steam in a Dixie M-6 vegetable bleach / chiller (Dixie Canning Company, Athens Georgia, 30603) by exposing the slices directly to the steamer for 30 seconds under atmospheric conditions. The blanched potato slices were placed directly in an impact oven (I mpinger ® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C (285 ° F). The speed of the oven belt was set at 24 minutes. The process produced approximately 11.0 grams of fat-free potato chips, which were then cooled and packaged. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 26: Fluffy potato flakes: Yukon Gold potatoes were peeled and cut into slices approximately 2 mm thick. Approximately 750 grams of these raw potato strips were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 15 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 500 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 1 ° F), 5 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No. ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 5 grams of calcium chloride (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated potato slices were drained, then bleached in water at 87 ° C / 1 90 ° F containing 2.5% Cargill Sea Salt (3000 g water, plus 75 g salt) for 1 minute 30 seconds before drain. The blanched potato slices were placed directly on a wire tape and passed through an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1240 of Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 140 ° C ( 285 ° F). The speed of the oven belt was set at 9 minutes for the initial pass, then the potato slices were passed again for 6 minutes. The process produced approximately 1 35 grams of fat-free potato chips, with a light texture, approximately 90% of the leaflets were inflated into a thicker shape with a pillow-like appearance and hollow center. These flavored fat-free potato chips were judged by trained sensory professionals as having a very live buttery taste, light crunchy texture, and appetizing appearance. Example 27: Fat-Free Sweet Potato Flakes: Japanese organic pommes were peeled and cut into slices approximately 1.8 mm thick. After slicing, 1000 grams of these raw sweet potato slices were rinsed under running water at 1 8 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were bleached at 87 ° C / 190 ° F water containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt (2000 g of cold water, plus 40 g of salt) for 1 minute 30 seconds before draining. The bleached slices were placed directly on the chain tape of an impact oven (Impinger® I, Model No. 1 240 from Lincoln Food Service Products, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN) set at 1 40 ° C (285 ° F) ). The speed of the oven belt was set at 1 4 minutes. The process produced approximately 230 grams of fat-free sweet potato flakes, which were cooled and packaged. The sweet potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and were noted to have a very pleasant sweet taste, bright orange color, and light crunchy texture. Example 28: Use of rotary or rotary drum dryer as the first step of the cooking process: The potatoes were washed, peeled, sliced about 1.55 mm thick, and then washed and exposed to a solution containing bacterial amylase (Lot No AL105175-04, American Laboratories, I nc.), and calcium chloride solution (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties). Then the enzyme-treated potato slices were drained followed by blanching in water at 87 ° C / 190 ° F containing 2% Cargill Sea Salt before being drained again. Then the blanched potato slices were cooled and stored. Several samples of the potato slices were analyzed in an Omni Mark moisture analyzer available from Denver Equipment Company before and after the dehydration step. The analyzer indicated that raw potato slices treated with enzyme had a moisture level between 80% and 85% after bleaching and just before drying. The potato slices were then placed in bulk into a rotary drum dryer supplied by Spray Dynamics and partially dehydrated in a mass amount at a temperature of about 149 ° C (300 ° F) for about 10 minutes. The partially dehydrated slices were then taken out of the rotary dryer and their quality was visually evaluated, color, texture, breaking, smell and taste. Surprisingly, all the slices had excellent characteristics of texture, color, taste, smell, and, even more surprisingly, if they had it, minimal breakage, adhesion or any other detectable visual defect. The drying was uniform and all the slices had similar color and a consistent level of dehydration. The test was repeated several times at temperatures ranging from about 135 ° C (275 ° F) to about 177 ° C (350 ° F) and for periods as short as about 5 and as high as about 1 4 minutes. All the visual results were surprisingly good in the first test and consistent between tests. Humidity levels after dehydration processes of various lengths from about 5 to about 14 minutes produced slices of snack foods with a moisture content ranging from about 40% to about 70%. To further test the effectiveness of the teachings of the present invention, an additional test was performed using the rotary drum dryer available in Spray Dynamics. Potato slices without enzymatic treatment were placed in the drum dryer in the same way as explained above and partially dehydrated at 1 49 ° C (300 ° F) for periods as high as approximately 1 2 minutes. The process consistently produced less preferable results, since after the dehydration step, the slices had a commercially undesirable color, texture, quality, taste and odor. The drying was inconsistent. Some slices were dried until they had a hard consistency similar to that of dehydrated potatoes. Other slices, however, were totally or partially moist or even fully burned or around the edges. It is believed that food products that contain high levels of starch will greatly improve using an enzymatic treatment, since the treatment with enzymes possibly breaks down the sugars on the surface of the food slice. Then, dehydrated potato slices pretreated from processed potatoes according to the teachings of the present invention were used to produce potato chips having the same texture, crunchiness, color, taste and mouthfeel as the flakes. of potatoes deep fried conventionally. Slices of pretreated potatoes cooked at a temperature of about 1 49 ° C (300 ° F) for about 8 minutes, containing about 51% moisture (Dehydrated potato slices pretreated) were used in the following tests. Example 28A: Approximately 5,000 grams of the pre-treated dehydrated potato slices were emptied into the opening of the conveyor belt of a fluid bed dryer available from the Witte Company and were massively subjected to heat at a temperature of about 1 63 ° C (325 ° F) for about 6 minutes. The air velocity was between about 300 to about 350 cfm. The previously treated, cooked, dehydrated potato slices were allowed to cool to room temperature (80 ° F). The resulting potato chips included some air bags or blisters similar to those of conventional potato chips, and had excellent texture, mouthfeel, taste, color, and crunchy feel fully commensurable with, or better than, their flake counterpart. of French fries made by conventional methods of frying in depth. The test produced approximately 1,990 grams of fat-free potato chips. Example 28B: Approximately 1, 500 grams of the pre-treated dehydrated potato slices were placed in a multi-layered configuration on the conveyor belt of an Air Forcé® industrial impact oven (Heat and Control Company, Hayward, CA 94545) creating a bed depth of 2.54 cm (1 inch), then processed for 5.5 minutes at 148 ° C (300 ° F). The process produced approximately 660 grams of fat-free potato chips, which were cooled and packaged. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 28C: Approximately 2,000 grams of the pre-treated dehydrated potato slices were further processed in a multi-layer format using an Aeropulse® industrial airbed fluid-bed processor (Aeroglide Corporation, Raleigh, NC 27626) set at 148 ° C (300 ° F) for 5 minutes. The process produced approximately 830 grams of fat-free potato chips, which were cooled and packaged. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 28D: Approximately 1000 grams of the pre-treated dehydrated potato slices were further processed using a convection oven (Model No. 6203, Lincoln Steam'r Oven, Lincoln Food Service Products, Fort Wayne, IN). The potato slices were placed in perforated trays and cooked in the oven for 1 2 minutes at 148 ° C (300 ° F) until the products were completely dry. The test produced approximately 400 grams of finished fat-free potato chips. The potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 28E: Approximately 2000 grams of the pre-treated dehydrated potato slices were further processed in a stationary tray dryer (National Dryer Machinery Company, Philadelphia, PA), placing the potato slices in a layer of approximately 2 cm (3/4) inch) deep and dried for 1 6 minutes at a temperature of 1 48 ° C (300 ° F). The test produced approximately 810 grams of fat-free potato chips. These leaflets were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and were noted to have a bright golden color, excellent fried potato flavor and light crunchy texture. Example 29; Impact oven for initial drying, then vibrating fluid bed dryer for common fat-free potato chips: Snowden potatoes were washed and sliced using a Ditto Dean vegetable slicer with a C3 blade, to achieve slice thickness of approximately 1.60 mm. After the slicing, 1. 8 kg (3.95 Ib) of the raw potato slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were kept in a solution containing 3000 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 30 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, I nc.). 30 grams of calcium chloride solution (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. Enzyme-treated potato slices were drained, then bleached using steam in a Dixie M-6 vegetable bleach / chiller (Dixie Canning Company, Athens Georgia, 30603) for 40 seconds. Bleached potato slices were placed directly on the impact oven tape set at 1 76 ° C (350 ° F), and dried for 5 minutes to reduce the moisture content to 36%, then the flakes were placed in layers to a bed depth of 2 inches, then placed in a vibrating fluid bed processor, laboratory model (Carrier Vibrating Equipment, Inc., Louisville, KY 40213) with a perforated orifice plate and dried / cooked at 160 ° C (320 ° F) for 2 minutes. The process produced approximately one pound (1 pound) of fat-free potato chips, which were cooled and packaged. The potato chips were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked potato flavor, golden color, and light crunchy texture. Example 30: Steam bleaching, then vibratory fluid bed dryer during the complete drying step in fat-free sweet potato flakes: Common variety sweet potatoes were washed, peeled, and sliced using a Ditto Dean vegetable slicer with a knife C3, to achieve slice thicknesses of approximately 1.80 mm. After slicing, 1.3 kg (3.0 pounds) of the raw sweet potato slices were rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 1 5 seconds. Then the rinsed slices were drained and bleached using steam in a Dixie M-6 vegetable bleach / chiller (Dixie Canning Company, Athens Georgia, 30603) for 50 seconds. The bleached sweet potato slices were rinsed under cool water spray for 3 minutes, dried, then stored in plastic bags in a refrigerator overnight. The bleached sweet potato slices were layered to a bed depth of 2 inches in a laboratory vibratory fluid bed processor (Carrier Vibrating Equipment, Inc., Louisville, KY 4021 3) with a perforated orifice plate, and dried / cooked at 1 76 ° C (350 ° F) for 4 minutes. Then the processor temperature was reduced to 160 ° C (320 ° F) and the product was cooked for 2 more minutes before reducing the processor temperature to 148 ° C (300 ° F) for two more minutes of drying time / final cooked The sequential temperature reductions allowed a controlled drying process, keeping the temperature of the product below 148 ° C (300 ° F) in the final stages of drying when evaporative cooling did not take place to avoid darkening the product and control the caramelization of natural sugars present in the product. This controlled process produced approximately 0.75 fat-free sweet potato flakes, which were cooled and packaged. The sweet potato flakes were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a very pleasant sweet taste, bright orange color, and light crunchy texture. The above process was repeated a number of times with sweet potatoes that were additionally treated with calcium chloride, amylase enzyme and the combination of the two producing the desired products with great color, texture and flavor. Additionally, pears, apples, zucchini, and a variety of carrots including yellow, orange, white and purple carrots were processed with procedures similar to the previous ones, producing all excellent products with great flavor, color and texture. Example 31: Vapor bleaching, then vibrating fluid bed dryer for the complete drying step on fat-free potato sticks: Common Russet potatoes were washed, peeled and sliced using a Ditto Dean vegetable slicer with an AS-4 sheet , to achieve slices in julienne or stick shape with 2.0 mm square section, and average length of 8 cm. After slicing, 1.3 kg (2.80 lb) of the raw potato sticks were rinsed and rinsed under running water at 18 ° C (65 ° F) for 15 seconds. Then the rinsed potato sticks were drained, kept in a solution containing 3000 grams of water (43 ° C / 10 ° F), 30 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI05175-04, American Laboratories, Inc.), 30 grams of calcium chloride solution (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The enzyme-treated potato sticks were drained, and bleached using steam in a Dixie M-6 vegetable bleach / chiller (Dixie Canning Company, Athens Georgia, 30603) for 55 seconds. The blanched potato sticks were rinsed under cold water spray for 3 minutes, drained, then the potato sticks were marinated in a solution containing 1000 g of water, 75 grams of tomato juice, 10 grams of lemon juice, 10 g of carrot juice plus 10 grams of salt in a refrigerator overnight. The next day, the marinated potato sticks were drained and layered to a bed depth of 2 inches in a vibratory fluid bed model laboratory model (Carrier Vibrating Equipment, Inc., Louisville, KY 40213) with a plate of perforated orifice, and dried / cooked at 160 ° C (320 ° F) for 6 minutes. Then the processor temperature was reduced to 148 ° C (300 ° F) and the product was cooked for 2 more minutes before reducing the processor temperature to 140 ° C (285 ° F) for two more minutes of final drying time . The sequential temperature reductions allowed a controlled drying process, maintaining the temperature of the product below 148 ° C (300 ° F) in the final stages of drying when evaporative cooling did not take place to avoid darkening the product and control the caramelization of the natural sugars present in the product. This controlled process produced approximately 0.60 of fat-free potato sticks, which were cooled and packaged. The resulting product had a very bright golden color, with a pleasant buttery potato flavor slightly salty and with an excellent light crispy texture. Example 32: Fat-Free Tortilla Flakes Using Vibrating Fluid Bed Dryer for Final Cooking: 6-inch-diameter white corn tortillas were purchased at the local grocery store; each tortilla was cut into eight wedges or triangles. Approximately 500 grams of these tortilla pieces were kept in a solution containing 3000 grams of water (43 ° C / 1 1 ° F), 30 grams of bacterial amylase (Lot No ALI051 75-04, American Laboratories, Inc. ), 30 grams of calcium chloride solution (32% calcium chloride solution from DSM Food Specialties) for 3 minutes. The tortilla pieces treated with the omelet enzyme were drained, then placed in layers to a depth of 1 1/2 inch bed and placed in a vibrating fluid bed model laboratory model (Carrier Vibrating Equipment, I nc., Louisville, KY 4021 3) with a perforated orifice plate, and dried / cooked at 1 60 ° C (320 ° F) for 7 minutes. The process produced approximately 200 grams of tortilla chips, which were cooled and packaged. The tortilla chips were evaluated by trained sensory professionals and it was noted that they had a nice cooked tortilla flavor, a very light golden color, a smooth appearance, and a light crunchy texture. When compared with a sample processed in a similar manner but without the enzymatic treatment, the sample processed using the method of the present invention was noted to be much lighter in texture and exhibited lighter crispness and toasting. The sample processed without enzymatic treatment but instead kept only in water for 3 minutes was hard and less crispy than that produced using the process of the present invention. Example 33: Crunchy Sensation Tests. The vegetable flakes for snack are favored by its crunchy, golden sensation that is particularly characteristic of traditional potato chips. The vegetable flakes for snack are favored by its crunchy, toasted sensation when biting. The characteristic of crisp and roasted can be quantified with an instrument that registers the force required to break the leaflets, as well as its rigidity before breaking. The increased resistance index with respect to increased bending or deformation is the Young's Modulus (also called the elastic modulus). Vickers and Christensen (Vickers, Z. M and Christensen, CM, 1980. Relationship between sensory crispness and other sensory and instrumental parameters, Journal of Texture Studies 1 1: 291-307) found that, in instrumental measurements, the Young had the highest correlation with respect to the crunchy sensation in the food. These authors demonstrated that it is also useful to record the sound that occurs when the leaflet breaks, since they found that the crunchy sensation was very closely related to the sound intensity during the fracture. The importance of sound in snack foods is underscored by Vickers' observation (Vickers, Z.M. 1 983. Pleasantness of Food Sounds, Journal of Food Science 48: 783-786.) That the pleasing sounds of Food was highly correlated with the descriptors "crunchy" and "toasted". According to this, to be perceived as crunchy and toasted, food products for snack have to have adequate rigidity, (which is reflected in the Young's Module) and emit at least some level of sound when broken. At the same time, food products for snacks should not require a force large enough to produce pain or damage to the mouth. To assess the crunchy sensation, the samples were fractured on a texture analyzer TA.XT Mas Textura Analyzer (Stable Microsystems, Godalming, U.K.) Equipped with a TA-101 flake punch and a 5 kg load cell . The TA-1 01 drill is a 2 cm diameter by 2 cm high tube that holds the leaflet in a horizontal position. A 5 mm ball descends to 1 mm / sec until a resistance of 5 g is perceived, then continues for 30 mm and the strength of resistance is recorded as the leaflet fractures. A Stable Microsystems audio wrap detector was used to record the sound produced during the fracture.

To demonstrate the crunchy / roasting sensation of various snack products, representative samples were analyzed for the strength required and the acoustic levels resulting from fracturing the leaves. The methods of analysis consisted in testing samples of the flakes listed in Table 3 below, labeled from A to M, with samples A, B, C, D, L and M produced according to the present invention as described in Examples 28, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 5 respectively, with the detailed samples E, F, G, H, IJ, and K purchased at a local warehouse in Lincoln, Nebraska. Representative flakes of each sample were selected, handled and analyzed consistently to obtain the data presented in Tables 3, 4, 5 and 6. Of each sample of approximately 25 flakes, 9 flakes were selected for the test. The most uniform flakes were selected for measurement, because the flakes had thickness and variable bubble formation. The nine selected flakes were fractured and measurements were made of the force required to fracture each flake as the probe broke each flake while moving toward the flake at a uniform rate of 1 mm / second. The Exponent software was used to generate a force graph (Newton) versus distance (mm), and to determine (1) the initial slope, which is the Young's Modulus, as described above, (2) the maximum force required to fracture the leaflet and (3) maximum loudness when fracturing the leaflet. An Excel spreadsheet was used to calculate means, standard deviation and coefficient of variation. Prior to this objective test, it was found that samples A, B, C, D, L and M were all tested and found to have favorable characteristics of crunchy and roasting sensation and it was determined that samples E to K were within the storage period indicated in the original packaging. Force (N) versus distance (mm) graphs traversed by the probe were generated for each measurement of the probe. Each of these graphs illustrates a series of increases in resistance to applied force, as the leaflet bends under pressure from the probe just before fracturing. The probe moves towards the leaflet at a constant speed of 1 mm per second (1 mm / sec). In each case, the increase in resistance to the force applied is followed by a sudden drop in the strength of this force as the leaflet breaks. In most cases, the leaflets fracture and break into a series of fractures. The first fracture, however, is the focus to determine the maximum force required to fracture the leaflet. The peaks created in this way, characterize the texture of the leaflet, that is, how much the leaflet that is bending before breaking, how far it will bend before breaking and how far and strength it breaks, resists. These quantities are the fingerprint of the fracture properties and their crisp and roasting sensation. The loss of sudden resistance (after the force reaches a peak) is accompanied by a recorded sound event since the flake vibrates because of the sudden loss of strain and tension. As indicated above, typical graphics include 2 to 4 main force peaks and a corresponding amount of sound peaks. The slope before each peak estimates the aforementioned Young's Modulus, which is a good estimate of the crunchy sensation. Since the samples analyzed were all roasted, any of the flakes with an average Young's modulus greater than 3.5 N / mm is clearly crisp. In accordance with the present invention, it is preferable to produce a snack food product with a Young's modulus of about 3.5, more preferably about 4.0, still more preferably 4.5, and even more preferably about 5.0 N / mm. It is also preferable to have a snack food product that will fracture approximately 1 2, preferably about 10 and more preferably about 9 N of force applied to the leaflet, so that the food product is crunchy but does not require as much force as to hurt when the product is eaten. The results of the tests are given in the following tables 3-6. The resulting sound levels listed in Table 5 below do not have units because they are a relative number. Table 3. Average of the mean for the highest strength, solidity and initial Young's Module of the data presented in tables 4-6.

Sound Force Module of Maximum sample (N) maximum Young A- Thin potato flakes from 3.95 4097 13.7 present invention B- Corrugated potato flakes from 4.58 3744 8.5 present invention C- Flaked potato flakes from 6.65 5968 19.7 present invention D- Coarse potato flakes from 7.12 4139 15.7 present invention E- Lays® Classical 3.19 927 5.7 F- Lays® fat-free with Olestra ™ 2.59 1142 4.2 G- Cooked Kettle potato flakes 5.14 1616 10.8 Lays® H- Kettle ™ potato flakes (brand 7.45 1447 14.2 Kettle) I- Low-fat Kettle ™ potatoes 5.65 23229 9.9 J- Baked potatoes Kettle ™ brand 6.23 3886 10.2 K- Yukon Gold Terra® 9.06 10503 18.3 L- French fries sweets of the present 8.77 6943 18.9 invention M- Beet flakes of the present 3.62 3758 7.3 invention Table 4. Maximum strength (N) COEFFICIENT OF REP 1 REP 2 REP 3 REP 4 REP 5 REP 6 REP 7 REP 8 REP 9 AVERAGE VARIATION (%) A 1.20 3.77 1.62 2.84 7.39 3.45 5.41 5.29 4.53 3.95 50% B 4.05 5.65 3.64 5.09 2.19 2.68 5.89 4.64 7.38 4.58 36% C 7.47 6.78 2.99 8.60 8.55 4.63 5.51 8.04 7.30 6.65 29% D 8.14 8.05 7.11 7.76 4.86 6.38 10.37 7.63 3.79 7.12 27% E 2.29 5.03 2.54 2.35 3.92 5.96 1.52 2.51 2.60 3.19 46% F 2.77 1.74 2.19 2.54 1.97 2.80 4.32 2.31 2.71 2.59 29% G 4.65 4.30 4.88 3.56 6.44 4.21 4.51 5.84 7.89 5.14 26% H 9.65 7.43 8.67 9.85 5.87 8.16 4.41 6.64 6.37 7.45 24% I 5.56 3.73 6.55 4.19 4.50 8.97 8.72 3.56 5.03 5.65 36% J 2.06 7.56 6.94 11.94 6.39 2.95 8.12 4.00 6.16 6.23 48% K 11.68 9.37 10.75 10.88 7.20 5.97 11.10 8.75 5.87 9.06 25% L 8.88 8.88 11.22 7.25 10.10 6.35 7.59 6.53 12.1 3 8.77 23% M 2.73 2.02 3.15 4.81 3.64 3.93 5.74 3.30 3.28 3.62 31% Table 5. Loudness. COEFFICIENT OF REP 1 REP 2 REP 3 REP 4 REP 5 REP 6 REP 7 REP 8 REP 9 AVERAGE VARIATION (%) A 1587 4402 2229 2140 6902 4266 7714 4349 3287 4097 51% B 4427 3933 4247 4741 1728 3965 5592 2412 2656 3745 33% C 661 8 7134 5599 7986 8598 5215 2246 5510 4813 5969 32% D 521 1 4778 7179 4753 2436 4804 4158 2361 1577 4140 42% E 1293 915 634 583 1198 1432 875 633 782 927 34% F 389 661 634 1264 1299 1284 2544 1202 1008 1143 55% G 2269 1030 880 1462 2242 810 1355 1825 2674 1616 42% H 1549 1877 819 1132 1839 1571 1181 1041 2020 1448 29% l 5558 4560 8370 1698 5257 7193 4318 3479 4537 4997 39% J 1538 2237 4534 5610 1539 4445 6575 4060 4441 3887 45% K 506 1409 1 175 1626 1136 935 630 938 1107 1051 33% L 7600 6965 1 175 7909 5915 4004 8198 6015 4132 6944 34% M 2806 3791 2668 3527 3171 5403 6226 2593 3638 3758 33% Table 6. Younq module COEFFICIENT OF REP 1 REP 2 REP 3 REP 4 REP 5 REP 6 REP 7 REP 8 REP 9 AVERAGE VARIATION (%) A 11.3 18.0 22.2 5.8 6.5 16.0 11.8 15.6 16.5 13.7 39% B 11.3 8.5 9.6 4.5 5.0 10.6 6.9 8.0 12.4 8.5 32% C 19.1 18.4 8.9 28.1 18.6 21.7 17.7 27.2 16.5 19.7 30% D 14.3 16.0 1 8.3 16.6 18.1 7.1 22.0 14.0 14.8 15.7 26% E 4.9 16.4 5.0 4.1 6.3 5.5 1.1 3.6 4.1 5.7 75% F 4.8 2.1 5.5 3.1 3.7 6.2 1.0 6.9 4.5 4.2 46% G 11.3 13.9 9.0 6.8 21.2 3.1 6.5 8.3 17.0 10.8 53% H 25.4 19.8 1 5.8 12.8 13.5 11.9 8.7 13.6 6.6 14.2 40% I 8.2 2.2 15.0 3.8 21.0 14.4 15.9 3.4 5.8 9.9 68% J 3.8 11 .9 8.8 13.4 3.6 10.2 23.6 7.2 9.0 10.2 59% K 21.9 4.7 27.6 22.1 30.2 12.7 24.1 19.2 2.2 18.3 53% L 25.6 1 .0 22.0 9.8 26.7 23.9 17.4 16.6 26.8 18.9 46% M 7.0 6.0 5.6 11.2 5.2 7.8 10.2 6.6 6.4 7.3 28% While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it can be seen that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to include all of these alternatives, modifications and variations as set forth within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (70)

1. CLAIMING IS 1 . A method for making an alimony product for snack, comprising (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes to coat its surface; (c) after this blanching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to activate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (d) Reduce the initial moisture level to a final moisture level of from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight.
2. 2. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the solution further includes one or more cations.
3. 3. The method of claim 2, further characterized in that the one or more cations are produced from a member selected independently from the group consisting of alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts and metal compounds of the VA group.
4. 4. The method of claim 2, further characterized in that the one or more cations are produced from a member selected independently from the group consisting of calcium salts, magnesium salts, potassium salts, alumina compounds and nitrogen. The method of claim 2, further characterized in that the one or more cations are present in the solution in a concentration of from about 0.1 to about 5% by weight. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the step of providing (a), contacting the pieces of food with an aqueous solution to remove the free starch from its surface. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the one or more enzymes contains a member selected independently from the group consisting of amylase, cell ulase, nvertase, pectinase and amyloglucosidase. 8. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the one or more enzymes is present in the solution in a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5% by weight. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the pieces of food are exposed to the solution for a time from about 0.5 to about 30 minutes. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the step of reduction (d) includes cooking the pieces of food in one or more dryers or ovens selected independently of the group constituted by convection ovens with forced air, dryers / ovens. fluid bed, dryers / vibrating fluid bed furnaces, dryers / impact kilns, dryers / pulsed fluid bed furnaces, dryers / rotary kilns, rotary drum dryers / kilns, rotary tabor dryers / kilns, tray kilns, dryers / stationary ovens, spiral roasters / dryers, dryers / microwave ovens, infrared dryers / ovens, airless super heat dryers, vacuum dryers, vacuum tape dryers / ovens, and ohmic dryers. eleven . The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the reduction step (d) includes cooking the pieces of food at a temperature of about 71 ° C (1 60 ° F) to about 204.4 ° C (400 ° F) for a time from about 0.5 to about 40 minutes. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the reduction step (d) includes bringing the pieces of food to a first temperature for a first period of time, and thereafter bringing the pieces of food to a second temperature during a second period of time. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that bringing the pieces of food to the first temperature during the first period of time reduces the initial moisture level to an intermediate moisture level from about 10 to about 80% by weight . The method of claim 13, further characterized in that bringing the pieces of food to the second temperature during the second period of time reduces the intermediate moisture level to the final moisture level. 15. The method of claim 12, further characterized in that the second temperature is less than the first temperature. 16. The method of claim 12, further characterized in that bringing the pieces of food to the first temperature during the first period of time includes drying the pieces of food in a rotary dryer, rotary drum dryer, rotary drum dryer with spiral, dryer / Fluid bed furnace or dryer / vibrating fluid bed furnace to remove up to about 90% by weight of initial moisture. The method of claim 16, further characterized in that the pieces of food are dried at a temperature from about 71 ° C (160 ° F) to about 204.4 ° C (400 ° F) for a time from about 2 to about 40 minutes The method of claim 12, further characterized in that bringing the pieces of food to the first temperature during the first period of time includes cooking the pieces of food at a temperature from about 71 ° C (160 ° F) to about 204.4 °. C (400 ° F) for a time from about 0.5 to about 40 minutes. 9. The method of claim 12, further characterized in that bringing the pieces of food to the second temperature during the second period of time includes cooking the pieces of food at a temperature from about 71 ° C (160 ° F) to about 1. 90.5 ° C (375 ° F) for a time from about 4 to about 35 minutes. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the final moisture level is reduced to about 0.5 to about 5% by weight. twenty-one . The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the bleaching step (c) is carried out in the presence of one or more cations. 22. The method of claim 21, further characterized in that the one or more cations are produced from a member selected independently from the group consisting of alkali metal salts, toric alkali metal salts and metal compounds of the VA group. 23. The method of claim 21, further characterized in that the one or more cations are produced from a member selected independently from the group consisting of calcium salts, magnesium salts, potassium salts, aluminum compounds and nitrogen compounds. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of applying a predetermined amount of digestible and / or synthetic fat to the pieces of food. 25. The method of claim 1, further characterized in that the reduction step (d) includes exposing the pieces of food to air at an air velocity of about 200 to about 1 5,000 feet per minute. 26. A snack food product made by the method of claim 1. 27. A method for making a snack food product, comprising: (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) blanching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight by exposing the pieces of food to a first method of reducing the moisture level that reduces the initial moisture level to a level of intermediate moisture of about 10 to about 80% by weight, and thereafter exposing the pieces of food to a second method of reducing the humidity level which reduces the intermediate moisture level to the final moisture level. The method of claim 27, further characterized in that the first method of reducing moisture contains a step selected from the group consisting of (1) cooking the food pieces at a temperature of about 71 ° C (160 ° F) to about 204.4 ° C (400 ° F) for a time from about 0.5 to about 40 minutes, and (2) drying the pieces of food in a rotary dryer, rotary drum dryer, rotary drum dryer with spiral, dryer / fluid bed oven, dryer / vibrating fluid bed oven, dryer / vacuum oven or dryer / vacuum belt oven at a temperature of about 71 ° C (1 60 ° F) to about 204.4 ° C (400 ° F) for a time of about 2 to about 40 minutes. The method of claim 27, further characterized in that the second method of reducing the moisture level includes cooking the pieces of food at a temperature lower than the temperature used in the first method of reducing humidity in a range from about 71 °. C (1 60 ° F) to about 1 90.5 ° C (375 ° F) for a time from about 4 to about 35 minutes. The method of claim 27, further characterized in that at least one of the first moisture reduction method and the second method of reducing the humidity level uses one or more dryers or furnaces selected independently of the group constituted by air convection ovens. forced bed, dryers / fluid bed ovens, vibrating fluid bed dryers / ovens, dryers / impact kilns, pulsed fluid bed dryers / kilns, rotary dryers / ovens, rotary drum dryers / ovens, rotary tabor dryers / furnaces spiral, tray ovens, stationary dryers / ovens, spiral roasters / dryers, dryers / microwave ovens, infrared dryers / ovens, airless super heat dryers, vacuum dryers, vacuum tape dryers / ovens, and ohmic dryers. 31 A snack food product made by the method of claim 27. 32. A method for making a snack food product, comprising: (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or shaped; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more cations to coat its surface; (c) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (d) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight. The method of claim 32, further characterized in that the one or more cations are produced from a member selected independently from the group consisting of alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts and metal compounds of the VA group. 34. The method of claim 32, further characterized in that the one or more cations are produced from a member selected independently from the group consisting of calcium salts, magnesium salts, potassium salts, aluminum compounds and nitrogen compounds. . 35. The method of claim 32, further characterized in that the one or more cations are present in the solution in a concentration from about 0.1 to about 5% by weight. 36. A snack food product made by the method of claim 32. 37. A snack food product, comprising cut or shaped pieces of food, further characterized in that each of the pieces of food has a predetermined fat content from less than 1 to about 35% by weight, an average fracture force less than or equal to 12 N, and an average Young's modulus greater than or equal to about 3.
5. 5 N / mm. 38. A method for making a snack food product, comprising: (a) providing a plurality of cut or shaped pieces of food; (b) blanching the plurality of pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 1 0% by weight, drying the pieces of food in a step or in multiple steps, wherein at least one step is carried out in a rotary dryer, a fluid bed dryer, a fluid bed vibrating dryer or combinations of them at the same time that the temperature, the air flow and the movement of the pieces of food are controlled to allow a uniform and constant exposure of the pieces of food to the heat. 39. A method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) blanching the plurality of pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to an intermediate moisture level from about 10 to about 80% by weight while controlling the temperature, air fl ow and movement of the pieces of food to allow a uniform and constant exposure of the pieces of food to the heat, and after that expose the pieces of food to a second procedure of reduction of the humidity level using a vacuum dryer or vacuum tape dryer that reduces the intermediate humidity level until the final moisture level. 40. A method for making a snack food product, comprising: (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes to coat its surface; (c) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, further characterized in that the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (d) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight, further characterized in that the reduction step includes frying the pieces of food in an oil or an oil substitute. 41 A method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) blanching the plurality of pieces of food for a sufficient time to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (c) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight by exposing the pieces of food to a first method of reducing the level of moisture that leads to the initial moisture level to an intermediate moisture level of from about 10 to about 80% by weight, and thereafter exposing the pieces of food to a second method of reducing the level of moisture which brings the intermediate moisture level up to the final moisture level, further characterized in that the reduction step includes frying the pieces of food in an oil or an oil substitute. 42. A method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more cations to coat its surface; (c) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, further characterized in that the pieces of food have an initial level of humidity after the step of bleaching; and (d) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight, further characterized in that the reduction step includes frying the pieces of food in an oil or an oil substitute. 43. A method for making a snack food product, comprising, (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) blanching the plurality of pieces of food for a sufficient time to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, further characterized in that the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; (c) exposing the pieces of food to a first method of reducing the humidity level which reduces the initial moisture level to an intermediate moisture level from about 10 to about 80% by weight; (d) after this, cool and store the pieces of food under ambient, cooling or freezing conditions; and (e) thereafter exposing the pieces of food to a second method of reducing the moisture level which reduces the intermediate moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight. 44. A method for making a snack food product, comprising: (a) providing a plurality of slices of food cut or formed; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes and / or one or more cations to coat its surface; (c) thereafter bleaching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; (d) exposing the pieces of food to a first method of reducing the moisture level which reduces the initial moisture level to an intermediate moisture level from about 10 to about 80% by weight; (e) after this, cool and store the pieces of food under environmental, refrigeration or freezing conditions; and (f) thereafter exposing the pieces of food to a second method of reducing the moisture level which reduces the intermediate moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight. 45. A method for reducing the adhesion in a plurality of slices of the food cut or formed, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of pieces of food cut or formed; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes and / or one or more cations to coat its surface; (c) after this blanching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food show a reduced level of adhesion after the bleaching step; 46. The method of claim 45, further comprising the step of reducing the moisture present in said food pieces by showing reduced adhesion from an initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight. weight. 47. The method of claim 46, further characterized in that said moisture is reduced by cooking the pieces of food in one or more dryers or ovens selected independently of the group constituted by convection ovens by forced air, dryers / fluidized bed ovens, dryers / vibrating fluid bed furnaces, dryers / impact kilns, dryers / pulsed fluid bed furnaces, dryers / rotary kilns, rotary drum dryers / ovens, rotary tabor dryers / kilns, tray kilns, stationary dryers / ovens, Spiral grills / dryers, dryers / microwave ovens, dryers / infrared ovens, airless super heat dryers, vacuum dryers, vacuum belt dryers / ovens and ohmic dryers. 48. The method of claim 47, further characterized in that said pieces of food are cooked in bulk quantities. 49. A method for producing a snack food product having a reduced acrylamide content, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of cut or shaped pieces of food; (b) exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes and / or one or more cations to coat its surface; (c) thereafter blanching the plurality of pieces of food for a time sufficient to inactivate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food, wherein the pieces of food have an initial moisture level after the bleaching step; and (d) reducing the initial moisture level to a final moisture level from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight; further characterized in that the acrylamide content of said snack food product is reduced compared to snack food products not produced by the same method. 50. A snack food product showing reduced adherence during processing, further characterized in that said feed is made using the method of any of claims 1 to 25, 27 to 30, 32 to 35 and 37 to 44. 51. A snack food product showing reduced acrylamide content, further characterized in that said feed is made using the method of any of claims 1 to 25, 27 to 30, 32 to 35 and 37 to 44. 52. The method of any of claims 1 to 25, 27 to 30, 32 to 35 and 37 to 44, further characterized in that said step of reducing the moisture level is carried out by feeding bulk quantities of pieces of food into an apparatus for moisture reduction selected from the group consisting of forced air convection ovens, fluidized bed dryers / ovens, vibrating fluid bed dryers / ovens, impact dryers / ovens, pulsed fluid bed dryers / furnaces, dryers / rotary kilns, tumblers / rotary drum ovens, tumble dryers / rotary tabor ovens, tray ovens, stationary dryers / ovens, spiral roasters / dryers, dryers / microwave ovens, infrared dryers / ovens, super heatless dryers, dryers vacuum, vacuum tape dryers / ovens and ohmic dryers. 53. Food pieces formed from foods selected from the group consisting of vegetable roots, vegetables, fruits, grains, flours and nuts, characterized in that said pieces show reduced adherence, and also characterized because said pieces are adapted to be fed in food processing apparatus selected from the group consisting of forced air convection ovens, fluidized bed dryers / ovens, vibrating fluid bed dryers / ovens, impact dryers / ovens, pulsed fluid bed dryers / ovens, rotary dryers / ovens, dryers / ovens rotary drum, rotary tabor dryers / ovens, tray ovens, stationary dryers / ovens, spiral grills / dryers, microwave dryers / ovens, infrared dryers / ovens, airless super heat dryers, vacuum dryers, dryers / vacuum tape ovens and bulk and non-frozen resistive ohmic dryers. 54. A method for feeding pieces of food into a device selected from the group consisting of forced air convection ovens, fluidized bed dryers / ovens, vibrating fluid bed dryers / ovens, dryers / impact kilns, dryers / kilns pulsed fluid bed, rotary dryers / kilns, rotary drum dryers / kilns, spiral rotary tabor dryers / kilns, tray kilns, stationary dryers / ovens, spiral roasters / dryers, dryers / microwave ovens, infrared dryers / ovens , airless super heat dryers, vacuum dryers, vacuum tape dryers / furnaces and ohmic dryers, comprising the steps of: providing bulk quantities of pieces of non-frozen food having reduced adhesion, wherein said pieces of food they consist of foods selected from the group consisting of vegetable roots, vegetables, fruits, grains, flours and nuts; and feeding the bulk quantities of non-frozen pieces of food into said apparatus without forming a monolayer or multiple layers of food pieces. 55. The method of any of claims 1 to 25, 27 to 30, 32 to 35 and 37 to 44, further characterized in that the resulting snack food product exhibits characteristics similar to snack foods produced by frying the cut food pieces or formed in oil. 56. A snack food product produced by the method of any of claims 1 to 25, 27 to 30, 32 to 35 and 37 to 44, further characterized in that the snack food product exhibits characteristics similar to the food products produced by frying the pieces of food cut or formed in oil. 57. A method for making a snack food product comprising: (a) providing a plurality of pieces of food; (b) exposing the pieces of the enzyme to a solution containing one or more enzymes to coat its surface; (c) after that, whiten the plasticity of pieces of food for a sufficient time to activate any enzymes on the surface of the pieces of food; and (d) reducing the moisture content of the pieces of food to a moisture level of more than about 2.0% by weight, wherein the fat content of the pieces of food is between 0.5% and 15% by weight. 58. The method of claim 57, further comprising, after step of provision (a), exposing the pieces of food to a solution containing one or more enzymes to coat its surface prior to bleaching. 59. The method of claim 58, further characterized in that the solution further comprises one or more cations. 60. The method of claim 59, further characterized in that the one or more cations are produced from a member selected independently from the group consisting of NaCl, KCI, MgCl2 > and CaCl2. 61 The method of claim 57, further comprising, after the provision step (a), contacting the pieces of food with an aqueous solution to remove the free starch from its surface. 62. The method of claim 57, further characterized in that the step of reduction (d) comprises cooking the pieces of food in one or more dryers or kilns sealed independently of the group consisting of convection ovens with forced draft. , dryers / fl uid bed ovens and impact kilns. 63. The method of claim 57, further characterized in that the bleaching step (c) is carried out in the presence of one or more cations. 64. The method of claim 63, further characterized in that the one or more cations is produced by a member selected independently from the group consisting of NaCl, KCI, gCI2, and CaCl2. 65. The method of claim 57, further comprising a step of applying a predetermined amount of digestible and / or synthetic fat to the pieces of food. 66. The method of any of claims 57-65, further characterized in that the resulting snack food product exhibits characteristics similar to those of snack foods produced by frying the pieces of food in oil. 67. The method of any of claims 57-65, further characterized in that the resulting snack food product has a lower acrylamide content than the snack foods produced by frying the pieces of food in oil. 68. A snack food product produced by the method of any of claims 57-65. 69. A snack food product produced by the method of any of claims 57 to 65, further characterized in that the snack food product exhibits characteristics similar to those of snack foods produced by frying the pieces of food in oil. 70. A snack food product produced by the method of any of claims 57 to 65, further characterized in that the resulting snack food product has a lower acrylamide content than snack foods produced by frying the pieces of food in oil. SUMMARY Methods for preparing low-fat or fat-free snack foods, and products made according to the methods, in which food pieces are subjected to enzymatic and / or cationic treatment and / or specific cooking and / or drying techniques , to provide food products for snack that have the texture, flavor and other characteristics of conventional products with full fat content.