NL2004006C2

NL2004006C2 - Method for energy- and cost-efficiently providing freshly baked bread at a retail location.

Info

Publication number: NL2004006C2
Application number: NL2004006A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Pieter Capelleveen
Original assignee: Conway Exploitatie En Beheer B V
Priority date: 2009-12-22
Filing date: 2009-12-22
Publication date: 2011-06-23

Description

Title: Method for energy- and cost-efficiently providing freshly baked bread at a retail location

Field of the invention 5 The present invention relates to the field of food preparation, and more in particular to the preparation of freshly baked bread products.

Background

Food retail locations that do not incorporate a full-fledged bakery, 10 e.g. a supermarket, may desire to offer their customers a wide assortment of fragrant, freshly baked bread products, including for example loaves of bread, bread rolls, petit pains and baguettes.

A first option for a such a retail location is to procure freshly baked bread products from a remote bakery. Because freshly baked bread products 15 may quickly stale past their prime, this option has some inherent limitations. The remote bakery, for example, may preferably be located not too far from the retail location as the quality/freshness of the freshly baked product might diminish during prolonged transport. In addition, the retail location may not be willing to obtain bread products that are not anticipated to be sold within 20 roughly 24 hours. Bread that is not sold during the day may have to be discarded after closing time, and represents an economical loss. Accordingly, the assortment a retailer is willing to offer to its customers may be limited. Another drawback is the fact that the retail location may have to periodically obtain relatively small batches of products from the bakery to ensure the 25 freshness of its stock. Depending on the storage capacity at the retail location and the often variable rate at which the products are sold, restocking may have to take place as often as two or three times a day. This obviously adds to the transport cost component in the price of bread products.

In a second option, the retailer procures so-called ‘parbaked’ bread 30 products. Parbaking is a cooking technique in which a bread or dough product 2 is partially baked, typically up to about 80% of its normal cooking time, and then rapidly frozen for storage. The partial cooking sets the internal (spongy) structure of the proteins and starches of the product, ensuring that is does not collapse later on. A parbaked product is essentially cooked inside, but not 5 so far as to have generated a crust or other externally desirable quantities that may be difficult to preserve. In its deep-frozen state, the parbaked bread is substantially ageless and no longer prone to staling. It may thus be transported over longer distances without wasting the product’s precious fresh life. Furthermore, as it may be kept in cold storage at the retail location 10 almost indefinitely, parbaked bread products may be supplied in bulk which reduces transport costs. The non-perishable character of the parbaked product also enables a retailer to stock a wide variety of bread products free of economical risk; the products may simply be prepared as the actual demand arises. When a final bread product is desired, the parbaked bread 15 product may be taken from cold storage and be finished off in a local oven. -An alternative to freezing the prebaked products is packaging them in a modified, preserving gas atmosphere. This method is notorious for the amount of waste it produces, and is better suited for consumer market than for retail packaging.

20 Although parbaking offers some advantages, there are also a number of disadvantages that must not be overlooked. The most prominent drawbacks result from the fact that the bread products are frozen to preserve them. Rapidly freezing the products, for example, requires specialized and expensive equipment such as spiral coolers. Keeping the products in frozen 25 condition, in particular during transport, is also relatively costly and wasteful of energy. Furthermore, upon preparation of the final bread product at the retail location, the parbaked bread product must first be thawed and then baked. This process entails a relatively long time in the local oven, which is not only wasteful of energy, but also prevents retailers from quickly 30 responding to customer demands. For example, the number of customers 3 having requests for not-yet-baked bread products that may be served within a certain period of time is limited by the required oven process time. By the same token, it is practically impossible to satisfy a request from a customer for a particular type of bread product ten minutes before closing time, simply 5 because it takes significantly longer to defrost and finish off the product.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or mitigate one or more of the above-mentioned problems associated with providing freshly baked bread products at a retail location.

10 Summary of the invention

One aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for energy- and cost-efficiently providing a freshly baked bread product at a retail location. The method includes, at a preparatory location, preparing a dough and forming a bread product there from, and cooking the bread 15 product by means of dielectric heating until it is gelatinized (at least at its core/crumb), substantially without browning an exterior surface of the product. The method further includes storing the cooked product at a temperature in the range 0-20 °C, and transporting the cooked product to the retail location while keeping it in storage at a temperature in said range. The 20 method also includes baking the product at the retail location so as to brown the exterior surface of the product.

The method according to the present invention enables a number of economic and energetic advantages relative to known methods for providing a retail location with freshly baked bread products. Firstly, it proposes 25 dielectric heating (instead of a relatively wasteful conventional heating method such as for example hot air convection), to efficiently and rapidly cook (Dutch: “garen”) the bread product at the preparatory location. The resulting dielectrically heated and gelatinized bread product has a shelf life of at least several days under moderate temperatures in the range of 0 - 20 °C, and 30 thus does not need to be frozen to preserve it. This obviates the need for 4 expensive rapid-freezing equipment at the preparatory location, and costly deep-frozen transport and storage. Thirdly, due to its relatively long shelf life (compared to fresh products), the bread product may be supplied to the retail location in bulk, which cuts down on transport costs. It also enables retailers 5 to stock bread products that are in lesser demand with little risk, so as to carry a broad assortment. And fifthly, at the retail location the bread product does not require a relatively long and wasteful thaw and baking treatment in a conventional oven. After all, upon preparation the bread product does not need to be thawed; a brief stay in the oven, merely aimed at browning the 10 already cooked product, suffices to finalize it for consumption. This allows retailers to quickly respond to a customer’s demands.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the invention, taken together with the accompanying 15 drawings, which are meant to illustrate and not to limit the invention.

Detailed description

The method according to the present invention will be described here in some detail with respect to the preparation of a bread product. It is 20 understood that the term ‘bread product’ includes a wide variety of dough products made from a dough that may typically be successively kneaded, proofed/raised and baked during preparation.

The dough may be prepared at a preparatory location, such as a bakery, according to a desired recipe. In case the recipe comprises yeast to 25 leaven the bread product, the product may be proofed under the influence of dielectric heating. Dielectric heating allows the temperature of the bread product to be accurately controlled, for example excluding so-called ‘hot spots’ within the dough, which in turn enables control over the fermentation process. Fermentation may preferably take place at a temperature below 50 30 °C, e.g. 30-40 °C. This is because at 50 °C the yeast cells may lose their 5 liveliness, which may slow down and eventually halt fermentation. Under the influence of dielectric heating the fermentation process may typically take less time than in the case of conventional warming through for example hot air. Still, in an alternative embodiment the dough may be allowed to rise in a 5 conventional proofer (Dutch: “rijskast”).

Once the dough has risen and/or been shaped into the desired form, it may be cooked by means of dielectric heating. In general, this heating technique is particularly useful for heating materials that are relatively poor electric conductors (i.e. dielectrics). Poor electric conductors are often poor 10 heat conductors as well, and indeed, the dough from which bread products are made may typically classify as a poor conductor in both respects. Consequently, using conventional heating techniques that transfer heat to a product’s outer surface only, e.g. exposure to hot air or infra red radiation, it may be difficult to heat the core or crumb of the product. This is because heat 15 can only reach the core via heat conduction within the product, which heat conduction is limited and merely allows for slow heat penetration of the product, from the heated outer surface of the product inwards towards its core. Heating of the product from the outside in leads to the formation of an outer skin on the product, which already forms during cooking. This skin 20 inhibits outgassing of materials, in particular carbon dioxide and moisture from within the heated core of the product, and thus restricts free cell formation therein. The typical result is a non-uniform, uneven cell structure within the crumb of the product. Accordingly, conventional heating and cooking of a dough product may take rather long and may not lead to the 25 desired overall quality.

The essential advantage of dielectric heating resides in the generation of heat within the material of the product to be heated. The core being cooked is thus allowed to outgas materials via the outer surface of the bread product, and to develop in an unconstrained manner. This promotes 30 the formation of an even and finer cell structure within the crumb of the 6 bread product, which in turn yields an improved distribution of moisture and, consequently, a product with an improved storage life. Dielectric heating also provides for a sterilizing effect, which further adds to the shelf life of the cooked product. Furthermore, compared to conventional heating methods, the 5 dielectric heating of a product may be realized in a fast and energy-efficient way.

Practically, dielectric heating of a bread product may be effected by subjecting the bread product to a rapidly alternating electromagnetic field at an operating frequency in the radio wave or microwave range, e.g. 2,450 MHz, 10 for example by means of a commercially available RF or microwave oven. The electromagnetic field may be applied continuously or intermittently (i.e. pulsed).

In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the radiation being applied to the bread product may be controlled with the aid of 15 a predetermined calibration curve, which curve represents a relation between surface temperatures and core or crumb temperatures of the product. During heating, the surface temperature of the bread product may be measured periodically, for example by means of a pyrometer, and be translated into a core temperature by means of the calibration curve. This allows the core 20 temperature to be monitored during the heating process. In case at any point of the heating process a determined core temperature differs from a desired core temperature by more than a specified amount, the characteristics of the applied radiation (e.g. intensity, frequency, pulse time(s), etc.) may be adjusted so as to ensure that the core temperature follows a desired, 25 predetermined temperature path. This (product-specific) temperature path may be chosen such that the heating process results in a product having an optimal, precisely defined fine cell structure and hence a desired storage life. Accordingly, accurate control may be exercised over the structure and quality of the product. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the calibration curve 30 may be product type specific, and also be directly related to the configuration 7 of the equipment and power path used to heat the product. - The technique of adjusting the applied radiation in dependence surface temperature measurements, a calibration curve and a desired temperature path is described in more detail in co-pending Dutch patent application NL 2002434 5 in the name of applicant, which application is hereby incorporated by reference.

Dielectrically cooking of an 850 gram bread product may typically require about 70-90 Watt-hours (Wh), which energy may be applied in the course of about 5-10 minutes. Heating of the bread product may continue 10 until the (entire) product is well-cooked or gelatinized (Dutch: “gaar of verstijfseld”) while the exterior surface of the product has not yet undergone any substantial browning. Browning of the exterior surface is normally attributed to a condensation reaction of reducing sugar and polypeptides, known as the Maillard reaction. High temperatures and low moisture levels 15 promote the Maillard reaction. Accordingly, the occurrence of the Maillard reaction may be effectively prevented or at least diminished by dielectrically heating the product until it attains a uniform temperature in the range of 95-98 °C. As the heating of the product progresses from the inside out and without exceeding the boiling point of water, there is no serious dehydration 20 of the exterior surface of the product. Also, the product never reaches an optimal temperature for the Maillard reaction, which typically lies well above 100 °C. Hence, there is practically no crust formation (characterized by dehydration and browning) during dielectrically cooking a product according to the present invention.

25 It has been found that a properly dielectrically cooked bread product, whose outer surface is still substantially dough-colored, may be kept fresh in conditioned storage, at a moderate temperature in the range of approximately 0-20 °C, for at least three to four days substantially without deterioration of quality. In many practical situations active cooling or 30 conditioning of the product, so as to prevent it from staling, may therefore not 8 be required. During its time in storage the product may be transported to the retail location, which may typically be spaced apart from the preparatory location by at least 1 kilometer. At the retail location its (conditioned) storage may be prolonged until the retailer decides to have the product prepared for 5 sale and/or consumption by finishing it off in an oven.

This latter oven treatment may be carried out in a conventional oven, such as a hot air oven, and primarily serves to give the outer surface of the bread product a nicely brown color and possibly a crusty crust. As the product has substantially no crust to begin with, the thickness of the crust of 10 the final product may be accurately determined solely by the conventional oven treatment. Since the product neither needs to be defrosted, nor to be fully baked, its treatment by the conventional hot air oven may be relatively brief, typically less than 10 minutes, e.g. 7-8 minutes, for a product of 850 grams. If desired, such a brief oven treatment of an already cooked products 15 may yield a crust that is extremely thin. Consequently, the bread product may cool off fast so as to be quickly ready for cutting and consumption.

It will be understood that the method according to the invention is well suited for handling or treating multiple bread products, e.g. ten or more, at substantially the same time.

20 Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended 25 claims. Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this 30 specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

9

Furthermore, it is noted that particular features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner to form new, not explicitly described embodiments.

Claims

A method for providing a freshly baked bread product at a retail location in an energy and cost efficient manner, comprising: 5. preparing a dough at a preparation location and forming a bread product therefrom; - cooking the bread product at said preparation location by means of dielectric heating until it has stiffened, essentially without browning the outside of the product; 10. storing the cooked product at a temperature in the range of 0-20 ° C; - transporting the cooked product to the retail location while it remains stored at a temperature in the said range; and - baking the product at the retail location to brown the outer surface of the product.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: - raising the bread product at said preparation location under the influence of heat generated with the aid of a microwave oven or a radio wave oven.

The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the bread product is cooked under the influence of heat generated using a microwave oven or a radio oven. 25

The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the bread product is cooked per 850 grams by mass for no longer than 10 minutes.

The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the yarn of the bread product requires about 70-90 watt hours per 850 grams of mass.

6. The method according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the bread product is cooked at a temperature in the range of 95-98 ° C.

The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the bread product is baked for no longer than 10 minutes.

The method according to any of claims 1-7, further comprising: - measuring a surface temperature of the bread product during the cooking of the bread product; - deriving a core temperature of the bread product from said measured surface temperature with the aid of a predetermined calibration curve, which curve describes a relationship between surface temperatures and core temperatures of the bread product; - comparing the derived core temperature of the bread product with a desired core temperature of the bread product; and - if a difference between the derived core temperature and the desired core temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, adjusting the dielectric heating characteristics to bring a core temperature of the bread product closer to the desired core temperature.

The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the cooked product is stored for a period of at least twenty-four hours. 30

The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the preparation location and the retail location are at least 1 kilometer apart.

The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein at least ten bread products are treated substantially simultaneously.