SK17893A3 - Workable the pastes product in microwave oven - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a microwavable short pasta product (short pasta) which comprises flour, water and liquid egg and which has a thickness of from about 0.0375 mm to about 1.75 mm. The microwavable pasta product has a moisture content of from about 3.0 to about 11 % by weight and from about 0.5% to about 7.0 % by weight egg solids. The flour is chosen from the group consisting of semolina, durum, konjac, farina, or corn flours or combinations thereof. The microw avable pasta product comprises about 2.0 % by weight egg solids.

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a dry pasta product, to be cooked in a microwave oven for less than 10 minutes. The cooked pasta product does not contain excess liquid to be removed and has an acceptable solid form.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional pasta products are made by extruding uncooked water flour to the desired shapes and then drying for an extended period of time to obtain a dry, homogeneous product without stress cracks or other defects. Such conventional pasta products require considerable cooking time, from about 10 to 20 minutes in boiling water, in order to hydrate and gelatinize the starch to obtain a cooked product. Prior to cooking, the protein and starch of the product remain substantially in their natural state and there is no protein denaturation or starch gelatinization unless the product is cooked.

Various designs have been made for the production of fast-cooking pasta products, some of which have been designed for use in the microwave. However, when conventional or hitherto known products for the rapid production of pasta are treated in a microwave, the resulting product has an unacceptable consistency. It is too gummy, too soft and has unacceptable levels of starch loss.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,487 discloses an improved rapid treatment of thin-walled dry uncooked macaroni using 0.5-5.0% dried egg whites in solid form. The solid ingredients in the form of dried egg whites must have a pH in the range of 6.75 to 7.25 and a solubility of greater than 90% and preferably have a normal ovomucine content.

A preferred method of treating this thin-walled product is to use a microwave oven.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,082 discloses a process for producing fast-cooking pasta products which is initially heated to a temperature above 113 ° C under specific conditions, cooled to 93 ° C, and then extruded. The extruded dough is quickly dried to obtain high quality pasta products without cracks, bulges or tears. The improved pasta products may be rehydrated in a microwave.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a microwave ovenable pasta product comprising flour, water and liquid eggs and having a wall thickness of from about 0.375 mm to about 1.75 mm.

The flour is preferably selected from the group consisting of semoline, durum, konjac, or other gluten-rich flours of wheat and other cereals, including corn flours or combinations thereof.

The term "durum" refers to the American species of gluten-rich wheat flour made from durum durum wheat. In a broader sense, the term means the common name of American flour from triticum durum, including semolina.

The term konjac here refers to flour produced from a non-herbaceous plant of the Aracea family (Amorphofallus rivieri), grown predominantly in Japan for its large tuber cormus, processed to produce pasta flour.

The liquid eggs are preferably selected from the group consisting of whole eggs, egg whites, egg white substitutes and combinations thereof.

The pasta product is preferably made as a short product.

The moisture content of the inventive dough product is preferably from about 3.0 to about 10 wt. % of the final product, preferably from about 7 to about 11 wt. % of final product. According to a preferred embodiment, the article of the invention comprises from about 0.5 wt. % to about 6.5 wt. % solid egg ingredients, preferably about 2.0 wt. % solid egg ingredients.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pasta product which is microwaveable in pasta for less than 10 minutes and exhibits an acceptable consistency similar to that obtained with conventional pasta cooked in boiling water.

It has been found that a unique combination of adding liquid eggs to a standard combination of flour and water for pasta production, combined with extruding dough to a wall thickness of less than

1.75 mm, has a consistency, resulting in an article when prepared in which it exhibits an acceptable microwave oven. The addition of a liquid egg protein gives the product a better consistency by binding the starch and therefore the starch does not separate into water than with conventional pasta products that do not contain additional proteins.

The flour component may be selected from any of the well-known types of flour used to make conventional pasta products, such as, but not limited to, wheat flour, semolina, durum, konjac, gluten-rich flour other cereals such as wheat, including maize flour or combinations thereof.

The liquid egg to be added to the pasta product is selected from the group consisting of whole eggs, egg whites, egg substitutes and combinations thereof, with the choice of whole eggs being preferred. The liquid egg is added to the dough in an amount such that the final pasta product contains from about 0.5 wt. % to about 7.0 wt. % and solid dried egg ingredients, with optimum results being obtained at a level of about 2 wt. % to about 5.5 wt. % dried solid egg ingredients.

In order for the consistency of the pasta product to rehydrate to an acceptable level and not to require water removal, it must have a moisture content of about 3 wt.

% to about 12 wt. % of final product. This is the moisture content that is measured after the final drying step in the manufacturing process. Optimum results are obtained when the final product has a moisture content of about 7.0 wt. % to about 11.0 wt.%.

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Optimal results for pasta products for microwave processing are obtained when the product is kept relatively thin, i. from about 0.375 mm to about 1.75 mm. The actual desired thickness of the final product varies from product to product where thinner walls are preferred for the short product, preferably in the range of 0.5 to 0.75 mm, compared to the standard wall thickness for the short product that is within from 0.8 to 1.0 mm. Long goods have optimal properties at thicknesses greater than that of the short product, more preferably from 1.25 mm to 1.375 mm, compared to the standard thickness of conventional long goods of 2 mm.

The following examples serve to illustrate certain embodiments of the invention without limiting the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

Thin-walled elbows (wall thickness 0.425 mm) were made with varying contents of added protein. The pasta dough was made from 5000 grams of semolina by adding sufficient water to the semolina to achieve a moisture content of 30% in the dough. Individual samples were then prepared by adding the following amount of liquid egg white to the dough.

_______________________ sample material. % of white liquid

Control sample0.0

12.0

24.0

36.0 g of each sample was added to 100 ml of water. They were then treated individually for 4 minutes at high mode in a 650 watt microwave oven. Each sample was stirred for 2 minutes.

sample

Control sample

Results cooked, consistency starchy and soft cooked, consistency acceptable and firm cooked, very firm consistency cooked, very firm and gummy consistency

EXAMPLE 2

Thin-walled pasta product (0.0425 mm) was made using different types and different contents of added proteins as shown below:

Vzorka____________________________Popis

1 control, no added protein 2 1% egg white 3 2% egg white 4 1% gluten 5 2% gluten 6 2% egg white + 2 % gluten 7 1% egg white + 2 % gluten 8 2% of whole eggs

Pasta was prepared by first combining the ingredients in a laboratory paddle stirrer. 5000 g of semolina were added to the mixer and then water was added to bring the final moisture content of the dough to 30%. The above amount of protein, i. egg white and / or gluten (gluten) was then added to make each individual sample. The dough was then transported to the mixing chamber of a DeMaco pasta extruder. The product was mixed for 5 minutes in an extruder mixing chamber and then extruded under vacuum onto thin-walled elbows, cut to size, collected on sieves and dried in a laboratory batch dryer for 7.5 hours at 47 ° C. to a final humidity of 10%.

sample

Results soft and starchy acceptable consistency stronger than sample 2 soft soft and gummy stronger but gummy softer than sample 6 same as sample 5

Claims (8)

PATENT CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A microwave-processable pasta product comprising flour, water and liquid eggs and having a wall thickness of from about 0.375 mm to about 1.75 mm. Pasta product according to claim 1, characterized in that the flour is selected from the group consisting of semolina, durum, konjac, gluten-rich flours from wheat and other cereals, including corn flours or combinations thereof. 3. The pasta product of claim 1, wherein the liquid egg is selected from the group consisting of whole eggs, egg whites, egg white substitutes and combinations thereof. 4. The pasta product of claim 1, wherein the product is a short product. 5. The pasta product of claim 1 wherein the moisture content is from about 3.0 to about 10% by weight. % of final product. The pasta product of claim 5, wherein the moisture content is from about 7 to about 11 wt. % of final product. 7. The pasta product of claim 1 comprising from about 0.5 wt. % to about 6.5 wt. % solid egg ingredients. 8. The pasta product of claim 7 comprising about 2.0 wt. % solid egg ingredients.