WO1996003885A1 - Additive for the preparation of microwaveable products - Google Patents

Additive for the preparation of microwaveable products Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1996003885A1
WO1996003885A1 PCT/US1995/009493 US9509493W WO9603885A1 WO 1996003885 A1 WO1996003885 A1 WO 1996003885A1 US 9509493 W US9509493 W US 9509493W WO 9603885 A1 WO9603885 A1 WO 9603885A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
weight
source
batter
gum
mixtures
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1995/009493
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Michel T. Bakhoum
Original Assignee
The Quaker Oats Company
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by The Quaker Oats Company filed Critical The Quaker Oats Company
Priority to AU31509/95A priority Critical patent/AU3150995A/en
Publication of WO1996003885A1 publication Critical patent/WO1996003885A1/en

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A21—BAKING; EDIBLE DOUGHS
    • A21D—TREATMENT, e.g. PRESERVATION, OF FLOUR OR DOUGH, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS; PRESERVATION THEREOF
    • A21D10/00—Batters, dough or mixtures before baking
    • A21D10/002—Dough mixes; Baking or bread improvers; Premixes
    • A21D10/005—Solid, dry or compact materials; Granules; Powders
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A21—BAKING; EDIBLE DOUGHS
    • A21D—TREATMENT, e.g. PRESERVATION, OF FLOUR OR DOUGH, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS; PRESERVATION THEREOF
    • A21D15/00—Preserving finished, partly finished or par-baked bakery products; Improving
    • A21D15/02—Preserving finished, partly finished or par-baked bakery products; Improving by cooling, e.g. refrigeration, freezing

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an additive mixture for use in the preparation of frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products.
  • the additive mixture is used to prepare a batter, which in turn is used to prepare such frozen food products.
  • the present invention further relates to a batter composition used to prepare frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products
  • the batter contains the additive mixture of the present invention
  • the present invention still further relates to a dry mixture which, when combined with water and other optional ingredients, is used to prepare frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products
  • the present invention still further relates to a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared by a batter containing the additive mixture of the present invention.
  • the present invention provides for such frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, and a process for their preparation.
  • the present invention also provides for an additive which can be used to prepare a batter which allows for the preparation of such frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products.
  • the present invention still further provides for a batter which can be used to prepare such frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products.
  • the present invention still further relates to a dry mixture which, when added with water, can be used to prepare such f ozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products.
  • the cake mix comprises: (a) from about 60% to about 85% sugar and flour, the ratio of sugar to flour being from 1.4 : 1 to about 2 : 1 ; (b) from about 1 % to about 5% of a leavening system comprising from about 1% to about 2.5% of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate or ammonium bicarbonate, or mixtures thereof, from 0% to about 1% sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.3% to about 2% monocalcium phosphate; (c) from 0% to about 16% shortening; (d) from about 2% to about 10% emulsifier, said emulsifier consisting essentially of a member selected from the group consisting of (1) mixtures of propylene glycol monoesters and lactylated mono- and diglycerides in a ratio of 0.4: 1 to about 1 : 1, (2) mixtures of propylene glycol monoesters and polyglycerol esters in a ratio of 1 : 1 to
  • U.S. Patent 4,504,510 issued March 12, 1985, to Aliberto et al., teaches a frozen refrigerator stable, freeze-thaw stable pancake batter.
  • the batter comprises flour, sugar, water soluble protein, a leavening agent, and an emulsified plastic shortening.
  • the emulsifiers of the emulsified plastic shortening comprise mono- and diglycerides and propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats and fatty acids.
  • the emulsified plastic shortening is alleged to provide stabilized air cells in the batter. This, in turn, is alleged to allow the pancake batter to be held in a refrigerator for more than 10 days without separation as occurs in a standard pancake batter using a non-emulsified plastic shortening.
  • the present invention relates to an additive mixture which can be used to prepare a batter composition useful for preparing a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product, said additive mixture comprising:
  • hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour; and (b) from about 0.25% to about 2% by weight of an emulsifier blend; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total additive mixture weight, on a dry basis.
  • the present invention further relates to a batter composition useful for preparing frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, said batter composition comprising:
  • hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
  • the present invention further relates to a dry mix composition which, when combined with water and other optional ingredients, provides a batter composition useful for preparing frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, said dry mix composition comprising: (a) from about 60% to about 90% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
  • the present invention still further relates to a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared from a batter mixture, said batter mixture comprising: (a) from about 20% to about 40% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
  • the present invention still further relates to a process for preparing a frozen food product, said process comprising:
  • hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
  • hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
  • hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
  • emulsifier blend from about 2% to about 8% by weight added protein;
  • iv from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight of a chemical leavening source;
  • the present invention claims an additive mixture which can be added to or used to prepare a batter.
  • the batter itself is useful in the preparation of frozen, microwaveable, pre ⁇ cooked food products.
  • pre-cooked means that the food products prepared from the batter are fully cooked prior to being frozen. The food products are then ready-to-eat when reheated in a microwave oven.
  • the additive mixture comprises from about 98% to about 99.75%, preferably from about 98.5% to about 99.5%, more preferably from about 98.75% to about 99.25% by weight hard wheat flour, and from about 0.25% to about 2%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 1.5%, more preferably from about 0.75% to about 1.25% by weight of an emulsifier blend. All weight percentages provided in the description of the additive mixture refer to a percentage of the total weight of the additive mixture, on a dry basis.
  • Either hard winter or hard spring wheat flour may be used in the present invention, with hard spring wheat flour being preferred
  • the hard wheat flour is preferably unmalted and unbleached, and may be obtained from any source known to those skilled in the art.
  • One such source is Dixie Portland, Inc., located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
  • the emulsifier blend of the present invention is sold under the tradename Texture-Lite, and is available from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee. The exact composition of this emulsifier blend is not known by the patentee at this time. However, it is believed that the emulsifier blend comprises propylene glycol monoester and diester, distilled mono- and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate and silicon dioxide.
  • the present invention encompasses as well any emulsifier blend having a composition that is the same as or the equivalent of the Texture-Lite emulsifier blend.
  • the present invention further encompasses the separate combination of the individual emulsifier components of the Texture-Lite emulsifier blend, provided that upon combination the individual components are present in the same concentration and relative ratios as provided for in the Texture-Lite emulsifier.
  • the hard wheat flour is combined separately with each of the components of the emulsifier blend in the same proportions as provided for in the Texture-Lite emulsifier blend, thereby providing an additive mixture the same as or equivalent to the additive mixture claimed in the present invention, this is encompassed by the present invention.
  • any method known to those skilled in the art may be used to combine the emulsifier blend and the hard wheat flour to form the additive mixture of the present invention.
  • the emulsifier blend and hard wheat flour are preferably mixed in such a manner to provide for a substantially uniform distribution of all the individual additive mixture components throughout the additive mixture. This is typically accomplished by combining the emulsifier blend together with the hard wheat flour in a container to form the additive mixture.
  • the additive mixture is then mixed by agitation equipment. Examples of useful agitation equipment include, but are not limited to, a blender and a ribbon mixer, with a ribbon mixer being preferred.
  • the additive mixture may be added to or used in the preparation of a batter composition, which in turn is used to prepare a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product. It is important that the batter be prepared by combining the additive mixture with other dry batter ingredients to form a dry mixture, separately combining the liquid ingredients to prepare a liquid mixture, and then combining the dry mixture and liquid mixture to form the batter composition.
  • the batter composition is then mixed using any known mixing device for a period of time sufficient to provide for a batter composition wherein the ingredients are substantially uniformly distributed throughout. Examples of mixing devices useful to form the batter composition include, but are not limited to, a blender, a mixer, and a vacuum transfer batter mixer, with the vacuum transfer batter mixer being preferred.
  • the batter composition comprises from about 20% to about 40%, preferably from about 25% to about 35%, more preferably from about 25% to about 30% by weight hard wheat flour, preferably hard spring wheat flour; and from about 0.05% to about 0.60%, preferably from about 0.20% to about 0.45%, more preferably from about 0.30% to about 0.35% by weight of the emulsifier blend of the present invention, wherein the weight percentage is a percentage of the batter composition.
  • the hard wheat flour and emulsifier blend are as already described herein for the additive mixture. All weight percentages provided in the description of the batter composition refer to a percentage of the total weight of the batter composition, on a wet basis.
  • the batter composition also comprises from about 2% to about 8%, preferably from about 3% to about 6%, more preferably from about 3.5% to about 4.5% by weight added protein. Protein will also be contributed to the batter by other ingredients, including the flour and eggs. However, in addition to the protein inherent in the other batter ingredients, added protein must also be included in the batter composition, as provided for herein.
  • the added protein is a soluble, heat-setting added protein that improves the texture of the final product by providing structural strength.
  • the added protein can be provided by any protein source known to those skilled in the art. Examples of protein sources useful as the added protein ingredient in the batter composition of the present invention include, but are not limited to, whey powder, egg albumen, soy protein, vital wheat gluten, peanut protein, and mixtures thereof, with whey powder being preferred The preferred whey powder is available from Express Diary, located in Fairfax, UT.
  • the batter composition also comprises from about 0.5% to about 3%, preferably from about 1% to about 2%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 1.75% by weight of a chemical leavening source.
  • the chemical leavening source can be any source known to those skilled in the art. Examples of chemical leavening sources useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and mixtures thereof, with a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate and monocalcium phosphate being more preferred.
  • the amount of the chemical leavening source used to prepare the batter composition of the present invention is that amount which, when combined with any other leavening sources contained in the batter, is sufficient to provide a final batter composition having the total leavening levels set forth herein.
  • the batter composition comprises from about 0.75% to about 0.85%, more preferably from about 0.775% to about 0.790%, still more preferably from about 0.780% to about 0.790% by weight sodium bicarbonate, from about
  • 0.70% to about 0.75% more preferably from about 0.705% to about 0.715%, still more preferably from about 0.708% to about 0.712% by weight sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.125% to about 0.150%, more preferably from about 0.130% to about 0.145%, still more preferably from about 0.1325% to about 0.1350% by weight monocalcium phosphate.
  • the batter composition also comprises from about 0.01% to about 0.1%, preferably from about 0.035% to about 0.085%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 0.075% by weight of a gum. It is believed that any type of gum known to those skilled in the art may be used in the present invention. However, xanthan gum, guar gum, and carboxymethylcellulose gum are preferred, with xanthan gum being most preferred. Xanthan gum is most preferred due to its freeze stability properties.
  • the preferred xanthan gum is a polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris
  • Xanthan gum consists of mannose, glucose and glucuronic acid as a mixed potassium, sodium and calcium salt.
  • the xanthan gum preferably exhibits a viscosity of from about 1200 to about 1600 cps when added to 1 wt. percent KC1 water solution at a 1% xanthan gum concentration level, as determined at 25°C on a Brookfield Model LVT Viscometer.
  • Xanthan gums are well known, and are commercially available.
  • Product No. K6B166 from Kelco Gums, San Diego, Ca., is a preferred xanthan gum for purposes of the present invention.
  • the batter composition also comprises from about 0.75% to about 6%, preferably from about 1% to about 5%, more preferably from about 1.125% to about 4.75% by weight of a whole egg source.
  • the whole egg source provides protein for structure, lecithin for emulsification, and fat. However, these contributions by the whole egg source are not included in the values for the added protein, emulsifiers and fat, as specified herein.
  • Examples of whole egg sources useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, liquid and dried whole eggs, with liquid whole eggs being preferred. The specific amount of whole egg source contained in the batter composition, while falling within the general parameters set forth above, will depend upon the particular type of egg source being utilized.
  • the batter composition comprises from about 3% to about 6%, preferably from about 4% to about 5%, more preferably from about 4.5% to about 4.75% by weight liquid whole eggs; if dried whole eggs are used as the egg source, the batter composition comprises from about 0.75% to about 1.5%, preferably from about 1% to about
  • the batter composition also comprises from about 1% to about 5%, preferably from about 2% to about 4%, more preferably from about 2.25% to about 2.75% by weight of a separately added fat source.
  • separately added fat sources useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, liquid shortening, solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening, vegetable tallow, beef tallow, and mixtures thereof, with liquid shortening, solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening, and mixtures thereof being preferred, and liquid shortening being most preferred. If solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening is utilized, it should be added to the dry ingredients first, and then the dry ingredients are added to separately prepared liquid ingredients to form the batter composition.
  • the balance of the batter composition is water. Any water source known to those skilled in the art may be used for the batter composition of the present invention, including tap water.
  • the batter composition can be used to prepare any food product known to those skilled in the art as being prepared from batter compositions.
  • the batter composition may optionally contain additional ingredients.
  • the type of optional, additional ingredients included in the batter composition will depend to a degree upon the food product being prepared from the batter composition.
  • Examples of food products that can be prepared from the batter composition of the present invention include, but are not limited to, pancakes, waffles, and muffins, with pancakes and waffles being preferred.
  • the batter composition typically further comprises from 0% to about 5%, preferably from about 3% to about 4.5%, more preferably from about 3.5% to about 4.5% by weight corn flour; from 0% to about 4%, preferably from about 1.5% to about 3%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 2.5% by weight rice flour; with the sum of the rice and corn flour comprising less than 5% of the batter composition; from about 0.1% to about 0.5%, preferably from about 0.15% to about 0.3%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 0.25% by weight salt; from about 2% to about 10%, preferably from about 4% to about 8%, more preferably from about 5% to about 7% by weight of a sweetener selected from the group consisting of high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, and mixtures thereof, with high fructose com syrup being preferred; from about 0.001% to about 0.003% by weight natural and artificial coloring agents; and from about 0.05%
  • a sweetener selected from the group consisting of high fructose
  • the present invention further relates to a dry mix composition which, when combined with water, provides the batter composition as already described herein.
  • the dry mix composition, or the batter composition prepared by the dry mix composition may also contain the optional ingredients as already set forth herein for the batter composition.
  • the batter composition prepared by the dry mix may be used for all the food products as already described herein.
  • the dry mix composition comprises from about 60% to about 90%, preferably from about 70% to about 80%, more preferably from about 73% to about 77% by weight hard wheat flour, preferably hard spring wheat flour; from about 0.5% to about 1.5%, preferably from about 0.7% to about 1.2%, more preferably from about 0.8% to about 0.9% by weight of the emulsifier blend of the present invention; from about 5% to about 15%, preferably from about 7% to about 13%, more preferably from about 10% to about 12% by weight added protein; from about 1% to about 6%, preferably from about 3% to about 5%, more preferably from about 4% to about 5% by weight of a chemical leavening source; from about 0.05% to about 0.15%, preferably from about 0.06% to about 0.12%, more preferably from about 0.07% to about 0.09% by weight of a gum; from about 1% to about 5%, preferably from about 2% to about 4%, more preferably from about 2.5% to about 3.5% by weight of a dry whole egg source; and from
  • All weight percentages provided in the description of the dry mix composition refer to a percentage of the total weight of the dry mix composition, on a dry basis.
  • the hard wheat flour and emulsifier blend are as already described herein for the additive mixture and batter composition.
  • the added protein source including the preferred added protein sources, chemical leavening source, including the preferred chemical leavening sources, dry whole egg source, and solid fat source are the same as the dry added protein, chemical leavening source, dry whole egg source, and solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening already described herein for the additive mixture and batter composition.
  • the dry mix composition comprises from about 1.5% to about 2.5%, more preferablv from about 1.8% to about 2.3%, still more preferably from about 2% to about 2.1% by weight sodium bicarbonate, from about 1.5% to about 2.5%, more preferably from about 1.7% to about 2.2%, still more preferably from about 1.8% to about 1.9% by weight sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.125% to about 0.6%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 0.5%, still more preferably from about 0.3% to about 0.4% by weight monocalcium phosphate.
  • the dry mix composition can be prepared by combining the additive mixture with the other dry mix ingredients in a mixing vessel.
  • the dry mix composition is then preferably mixed using any dry mixing device known to those skilled in the art for a period of time sufficient to provide a dry mix composition wherein the ingredients are substantially uniformly distributed throughout.
  • the dry mix composition may be prepared by combining hard wheat flour, the emulsifier blend, and the other dry mix composition components separately, instead of using the additive mixture claimed herein.
  • the dry mix may also comprise optional ingredients.
  • the type of optional ingredient included in the dry mix composition will depend upon the type of final product being prepared from the dry mix composition.
  • the dry mix composition typically further comprises from 0% to about 9.5%, preferably from about 6.5% to about 9%, more preferably from about 7.5% to about 9% by weight corn flour; from 0% to about 7.5%, preferably from about 3.25% to about 6%, more preferably from about 3.25% to about 5% by weight rice flour, with the sum of the rice and corn flour comprising less than 9.5% of the dry mix composition; from about 0.25% to about 1%, preferably from about 0.35% to about 0.6%, more preferably from about 0.4% to about 0.5% by weight salt; from about 2.75% to about 10%, preferably from about 4.5% to about 8.5%, more preferably from about 6% to about 7.75% by weight of a solid sweetening source selected from the group consisting of sucrose
  • the present invention also comprises the frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared from the batter described herein.
  • frozen food products of the present invention include, but are not limited to, waffles, pancakes, muffins, and mixtures thereof, with waffles and pancakes being preferred.
  • the food product will have the composition provided when the batter composition already described herein is cooked under normal conditions for preparing the desired final product, e.g., a pancake.
  • the frozen food product may also comprise optional ingredients.
  • the type of optional ingredients included in the frozen food product will depend upon the type of final frozen food product.
  • the final, cooked food product will have the composition provided when the batter composition already described herein contains such optional ingredients and is cooked under normal conditions for preparing the desired final product, e.g., a pancake.
  • the present invention further comprises a method for preparing a frozen food product from a batter.
  • the frozen food product may be reheated in a microwave oven without experiencing the toughness, chewiness, and dryness typically associated with frozen foods reheated in a microwave oven.
  • Frozen food products which may be prepared by the process of the present invention include any frozen food product produced from a batter Examples of frozen food products prepared by the process of the present invention include, but are not limited to, pancakes, waffles and muffins,
  • the process of the present invention comprises preparing a batter having the same composition, including ingredients and optional ingredients, and respective weight percentages, as the batter already described herein.
  • the batter may be prepared by the methods described herein.
  • the batter may additionally be prepared by combining the dry mix composition of the present invention with sufficient water to provide a batter composition as already described herein.
  • Once the batter is prepared, it is heated at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient period of time to allow the batter to form a cooked food product.
  • cooked means that the starch contained in the food product is substantially completely gelatinized and has any desired textural, flavor and appearance properties (e.g., pancakes grilled to a golden brown color). The specific time and temperature needed to cook a product will depend upon the desired food product.
  • the batter will be heated at temperature in the range of from about 165°C to about 195°C, preferably from about 170°C to about 185°C, more preferably from about 170°C to about 180°C, for a period of time in the range of from about 2 to about 20, preferably from about 5 to about 15, more preferably from about 8 to about 12 minutes.
  • temperature in the range of from about 165°C to about 195°C, preferably from about 170°C to about 185°C, more preferably from about 170°C to about 180°C, for a period of time in the range of from about 2 to about 20, preferably from about 5 to about 15, more preferably from about 8 to about 12 minutes.
  • the exact cooking conditions will depend upon the particular product being prepared.
  • the batter is heated at temperature in the range of from about 175°C to about 195°C, preferably from about 180°C to about 190°C, for a period of time in the range of from about 2.5 to about 3.5, preferably from about 2.75 to about 3.25, more preferably from about 2.75 to about 3 minutes.
  • the batter is heated at temperature in the range of from about 165°C to about 190°C, preferably from about 170°C to about 185°C, more preferably from about 170°C to about 180°C, for a period of time in the range of from about 13 to about 17, preferably from about 14 to about 16 minutes.
  • the food product is typically frozen by subjecting it to a temperature in the range of from about -40°C to about -10°C, preferably from about -35°C to about -15°C, more preferably from about - 30°C to about -20°C for a period of time in the range of from about 10 to about 20, preferably from about 13 to about 17 minutes.
  • hard wheat flour and the particular emulsifier blend of the present invention can be combined in a batter and used to prepare a frozen food product which, when reheated in a microwave oven, does not exhibit the chewiness, toughness, and dryness that is characteristic of frozen food that has been reheated in a microwave oven.
  • Example 1 An additive mixture is prepared by combining 765 grams of hard spring wheat flour with 10.2 grams of Texture-Lite emulsifier blend (available from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee). This 775.2 grams of additive mixture is combined with 102 grams of whey powder, 20.4 grams sodium bicarbonate, 20.4 grams sodium aluminum phosphate, 4.6 grams monocalcium phosphate, 1 gram xanthan gum, 25.4 grams dry whole eggs, and 51 grams of powdered shortening to form 1,000 grams of a dry mixture.
  • Texture-Lite emulsifier blend available from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee. This 775.2 grams of additive mixture is combined with 102 grams of whey powder, 20.4 grams sodium bicarbonate, 20.4 grams sodium aluminum phosphate, 4.6 grams monocalcium phosphate, 1 gram xanthan gum, 25.4 grams dry whole eggs, and 51 grams of powdered shortening to form 1,000 grams of a dry mixture.
  • the 1,000 grams of dry mixture is combined with 1,245 grams of cold tap water in a stainless steel mixing vessel to form a batter mixture
  • the batter mixture is blended gently until the point where the dry lumps just disappear, producing a smooth, homogenous batter.
  • These pancakes are then frozen by placing them in a freezer at -25°C for 15 minutes These frozen pancakes are then shipped to customer for sale to the consumer The frozen pancakes are then heated in a 2000 watt microwave oven for 50 seconds.
  • An additive mixture is prepared by combining 30 grams of hard spring wheat flour with 3 grams of Texture-Lite emulsifier blend (available from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee). This additive mixture is combined with 40 grams of whey powder, 40 grams of corn flour, 15 grams chemical leavening agent, 0.5 grams gum, and 2.5 grams salt to form a dry mixture.
  • a liquid mixture is separately prepared by combining in a mixing vessel 475 grams of water, 45 grams of liquid eggs, 25 grams of liquid shortening, and 60 grams of high fructose corn syrup. The liquid mixture is blended to form a homogenous mixture.
  • the dry mixture is then added to the blended liquid mixture in the mixing vessel to form a batter mixture.
  • the batter mixture is blended until the point where the dry lumps just disappear, producing a smooth, homogenous batter.
  • These frozen pancakes are then shipped to customer for sale to the consumer.
  • the frozen pancakes are then heated in a 2000 watt microwave oven for 50 seconds.

Abstract

The present invention relates to an additive mixture for use in the preparation of frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products. The additive mixture is used to prepare a batter composition, which in turn is used to prepare such frozen food products. The present invention further relates to a batter composition used to prepare frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products. The batter contains the additive mixture of the present invention. The present invention still further relates to a dry mixture which, when combined with water and other optional ingredients, is used to prepare frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products. The present invention still futher relates to a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared by a batter containing the additive mixture of the present invention.

Description

ADDITIVE FOR THE PREPARATION OF MICROWAVEABLE PRODUCTS
Michel T. Bakhoum FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to an additive mixture for use in the preparation of frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products. The additive mixture is used to prepare a batter, which in turn is used to prepare such frozen food products The present invention further relates to a batter composition used to prepare frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products The batter contains the additive mixture of the present invention The present invention still further relates to a dry mixture which, when combined with water and other optional ingredients, is used to prepare frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products The present invention still further relates to a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared by a batter containing the additive mixture of the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products that can be reheated in a microwave oven provide consumers with numerous benefits The most obvious benefit is their ease of preparation. There are, however, additional benefits as well For example, frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products are typically fairly uniform in their preparation, i e , appearance, taste, etc Therefore, when the consumer purchases the frozen food item, she or he has an idea of how the product will taste, look, etc Another benefit is that the consumer can accurately determine the portions of food to prepare, and need only prepare the amount of food to be consumed This is especially important if a consumer only wishes to consume a small amount of food For example, if a consumer wishes to consume three pancakes, she or he need only reheat three pancakes in a microwave In contrast, when pancakes are prepared from a flour mix, the directions typically specify how to prepare larger quantities This makes it difficult to prepare small portions
However, there are also several disadvantages with such frozen, microwaveable, pre¬ cooked food products One disadvantage is that after being reheated, many frozen food products have poor organoleptic properties. Specifically, the frozen, microwaveable, pre¬ cooked foods tend to be excessively tough, chewy, and dry. This is especially true of frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products prepared from a batter. These poor organoleptic properties make the product undesirable, and in many cases unacceptable, to a large number of consumers.
Therefore, it would be desirable to develop a way of preparing frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products which are not excessively tough, chewy and dry when reheated in a microwave oven. The present invention provides for such frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, and a process for their preparation. The present invention also provides for an additive which can be used to prepare a batter which allows for the preparation of such frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products. The present invention still further provides for a batter which can be used to prepare such frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products. The present invention still further relates to a dry mixture which, when added with water, can be used to prepare such f ozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked products. BACKGROUND ART
Batters for preparing food products are known in the art For example, U.S. Patent 4,353,932, issued October 12, 1982, to Bone, teaches a pancake batter capable of retaining microbiological stability at refrigerator temperatures for an extended period of time. The batter includes flour, water, oil, sugars comprising saccharides and polyhydric alcohols, a heat- setting protein, and other minor ingredients
There are also known in the art references that teach the use of an emulsifier system in a cake mix and/or batter. U.S. Patent 4,242,366, issued December 30, 1980, to Morgan et al., teaches a blend of commercial food grade emulsifiers suitable for use in a dry prepared mix. The blend comprises an admixture of three separate functional emulsifying components consisting essentially of propylene glycol monoester, alpha monoglyceride, and glycerol lacto ester. The emulsifier mixture can be used alone or in combination with shortening in dry culinary mixes such as prepared cake mixes. U.S. Patent 4,396,635, issued August 2, 1983, to Roudebush et al., teaches a microwave cake mix. The cake mix comprises: (a) from about 60% to about 85% sugar and flour, the ratio of sugar to flour being from 1.4 : 1 to about 2 : 1 ; (b) from about 1 % to about 5% of a leavening system comprising from about 1% to about 2.5% of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate or ammonium bicarbonate, or mixtures thereof, from 0% to about 1% sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.3% to about 2% monocalcium phosphate; (c) from 0% to about 16% shortening; (d) from about 2% to about 10% emulsifier, said emulsifier consisting essentially of a member selected from the group consisting of (1) mixtures of propylene glycol monoesters and lactylated mono- and diglycerides in a ratio of 0.4: 1 to about 1 : 1, (2) mixtures of propylene glycol monoesters and polyglycerol esters in a ratio of 1 : 1 to
2.2:1, (3) a mixture consisting of 4 to 12 parts polyglycerol esters, 10 to 30 parts propylene glycol monoesters, and 2 to 15 parts lactylated mono- and diglyceride; and (e) the balance being conventional cake additives.
U.S. Patent 4,419,377, issued December 6, 1983, to Seward et al., teaches a culinary mix which enables consumers to bake a cake using microwave radiation. The mix comprises
(a) from about 30% to about 54% sugar and 22% to about 43% flour, the ratio of sugar to flour being from 1 : 1 to about 1.7: 1; (b) leavening sufficient to produce from about 40 mm/lb. to about 195 mm/lb. of carbon dioxide; (c) from about 6% to about 17% shortening, said shortening comprising: (1) from 0% to about 10% oil or fat, and (2) 10% to about 100% of an emulsifier consisting essentially of 13% to 68% monoglycerides, 10% to 55% propylene glycol monoesters, 4% to 40 % polyglycerol esters, and 5% to 42% lactylated propylene glycol monoester or lactylated monoglycerides; and (d) the balance being conventional cake additives.
U.S. Patent 4,504,510, issued March 12, 1985, to Aliberto et al., teaches a frozen refrigerator stable, freeze-thaw stable pancake batter. The batter comprises flour, sugar, water soluble protein, a leavening agent, and an emulsified plastic shortening. The emulsifiers of the emulsified plastic shortening comprise mono- and diglycerides and propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats and fatty acids. The emulsified plastic shortening is alleged to provide stabilized air cells in the batter. This, in turn, is alleged to allow the pancake batter to be held in a refrigerator for more than 10 days without separation as occurs in a standard pancake batter using a non-emulsified plastic shortening.
However, none of these references teach the use of a combination of hard wheat flour and the emulsifier blend of the present invention to prepare a batter used for the preparation of frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, particularly where the emulsifiers are not contained in shortening. These references also fail to teach the use of the combination of hard wheat flour and the emulsifier blend of the present invention to prepare frozen, pre-cooked food products that can be reheated in a microwave oven. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product which, when reheated in a microwave oven, does not exhibit the undesirable toughness, chewiness and dryness typically associated with frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products. It is another object of the present invention to provide a process for preparing such a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a batter for use in the preparation of such a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an additive mixture for use in such batter which provides for the preparation of the frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product of the present invention. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a dry mixture which, when combined with water and other optional ingredients, provides a batter which can be used to prepare the frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product of the present invention.
These objects are accomplished by the invention described herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an additive mixture which can be used to prepare a batter composition useful for preparing a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product, said additive mixture comprising:
(a) from about 98% to about 99.75% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour; and (b) from about 0.25% to about 2% by weight of an emulsifier blend; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total additive mixture weight, on a dry basis.
The present invention further relates to a batter composition useful for preparing frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, said batter composition comprising:
(a) from about 20% to about 40% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
(b) from about 0.05% to about 0.60% by weight of an emulsifier blend;
(c) from about 2% to about 8% by weight added protein; (d) from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight of a chemical leavening source;
(e) from about 0.01% to about 0.1% by weight of a gum;
(f) from about 0.75% to about 6% by weight of a whole egg source;
(g) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a separately added fat source; and (h) the balance water; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total batter weight, on a wet basis.
The present invention further relates to a dry mix composition which, when combined with water and other optional ingredients, provides a batter composition useful for preparing frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, said dry mix composition comprising: (a) from about 60% to about 90% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
(b) from about 0.5% to about 1.5% by weight of an emulsifier blend;
(c) from about 5% to about 15% by weight added protein;
(d) from about 1% to about 6% by weight of a chemical leavening source; (e) from about 0.05% to about 0.15% by weight of a gum;
(f) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a dry whole egg source; and
(g) from about 1% to about 10% by weight of a separately added solid fat source; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total dry mixture composition weight, on a dry basis.
The present invention still further relates to a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared from a batter mixture, said batter mixture comprising: (a) from about 20% to about 40% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
(b) from about 0.05% to about 0.60% by weight of an emulsifier blend;
(c) from about 2% to about 8% by weight added protein;
(d) from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight of a chemical leavening source; (e) from about 0.01% to about 0.1% by weight of a gum;
(f) from about 0.75% to about 6% by weight of a whole egg source;
(g) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a separately added fat source; and (h) the balance water; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the batter mixture, on a wet basis.
The present invention still further relates to a process for preparing a frozen food product, said process comprising:
(a) preparing a batter mixture comprising:
(i) from about 20% to about 40% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour; (ii) from about 0.05% to about 0.60% by weight of an emulsifier blend; (iii) from about 2% to about 8% by weight added protein; (iv) from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight of a chemical leavening source;
(v) from about 0.01% to about 0.1% by weight of a gum;
(vi) from about 0.75% to about 6% by weight of a whole egg source; (vii) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a separately added fat source; and (viii) the balance water;
(b) heating said batter at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time for the batter to form a cooked product; and
(c) freezing said cooked product to form a frozen food product; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the batter mixture used to prepare the frozen food product, on a wet basis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention claims an additive mixture which can be added to or used to prepare a batter. The batter itself is useful in the preparation of frozen, microwaveable, pre¬ cooked food products. The term "pre-cooked," as used herein, means that the food products prepared from the batter are fully cooked prior to being frozen. The food products are then ready-to-eat when reheated in a microwave oven. The additive mixture comprises from about 98% to about 99.75%, preferably from about 98.5% to about 99.5%, more preferably from about 98.75% to about 99.25% by weight hard wheat flour, and from about 0.25% to about 2%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 1.5%, more preferably from about 0.75% to about 1.25% by weight of an emulsifier blend. All weight percentages provided in the description of the additive mixture refer to a percentage of the total weight of the additive mixture, on a dry basis.
Either hard winter or hard spring wheat flour may be used in the present invention, with hard spring wheat flour being preferred The hard wheat flour is preferably unmalted and unbleached, and may be obtained from any source known to those skilled in the art. One such source is Dixie Portland, Inc., located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The emulsifier blend of the present invention is sold under the tradename Texture-Lite, and is available from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee. The exact composition of this emulsifier blend is not known by the patentee at this time. However, it is believed that the emulsifier blend comprises propylene glycol monoester and diester, distilled mono- and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate and silicon dioxide. Whatever the composition of said emulsifier blend, the present invention encompasses as well any emulsifier blend having a composition that is the same as or the equivalent of the Texture-Lite emulsifier blend. The present invention further encompasses the separate combination of the individual emulsifier components of the Texture-Lite emulsifier blend, provided that upon combination the individual components are present in the same concentration and relative ratios as provided for in the Texture-Lite emulsifier. For example, if the hard wheat flour is combined separately with each of the components of the emulsifier blend in the same proportions as provided for in the Texture-Lite emulsifier blend, thereby providing an additive mixture the same as or equivalent to the additive mixture claimed in the present invention, this is encompassed by the present invention.
Any method known to those skilled in the art may be used to combine the emulsifier blend and the hard wheat flour to form the additive mixture of the present invention. After or while being combined, the emulsifier blend and hard wheat flour are preferably mixed in such a manner to provide for a substantially uniform distribution of all the individual additive mixture components throughout the additive mixture. This is typically accomplished by combining the emulsifier blend together with the hard wheat flour in a container to form the additive mixture. The additive mixture is then mixed by agitation equipment. Examples of useful agitation equipment include, but are not limited to, a blender and a ribbon mixer, with a ribbon mixer being preferred.
The additive mixture may be added to or used in the preparation of a batter composition, which in turn is used to prepare a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product. It is important that the batter be prepared by combining the additive mixture with other dry batter ingredients to form a dry mixture, separately combining the liquid ingredients to prepare a liquid mixture, and then combining the dry mixture and liquid mixture to form the batter composition. The batter composition is then mixed using any known mixing device for a period of time sufficient to provide for a batter composition wherein the ingredients are substantially uniformly distributed throughout. Examples of mixing devices useful to form the batter composition include, but are not limited to, a blender, a mixer, and a vacuum transfer batter mixer, with the vacuum transfer batter mixer being preferred.
The batter composition comprises from about 20% to about 40%, preferably from about 25% to about 35%, more preferably from about 25% to about 30% by weight hard wheat flour, preferably hard spring wheat flour; and from about 0.05% to about 0.60%, preferably from about 0.20% to about 0.45%, more preferably from about 0.30% to about 0.35% by weight of the emulsifier blend of the present invention, wherein the weight percentage is a percentage of the batter composition. The hard wheat flour and emulsifier blend are as already described herein for the additive mixture. All weight percentages provided in the description of the batter composition refer to a percentage of the total weight of the batter composition, on a wet basis.
The batter composition also comprises from about 2% to about 8%, preferably from about 3% to about 6%, more preferably from about 3.5% to about 4.5% by weight added protein. Protein will also be contributed to the batter by other ingredients, including the flour and eggs. However, in addition to the protein inherent in the other batter ingredients, added protein must also be included in the batter composition, as provided for herein.
The added protein is a soluble, heat-setting added protein that improves the texture of the final product by providing structural strength. The added protein can be provided by any protein source known to those skilled in the art. Examples of protein sources useful as the added protein ingredient in the batter composition of the present invention include, but are not limited to, whey powder, egg albumen, soy protein, vital wheat gluten, peanut protein, and mixtures thereof, with whey powder being preferred The preferred whey powder is available from Express Diary, located in Fairfax, UT.
The batter composition also comprises from about 0.5% to about 3%, preferably from about 1% to about 2%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 1.75% by weight of a chemical leavening source. The chemical leavening source can be any source known to those skilled in the art. Examples of chemical leavening sources useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and mixtures thereof, with a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate and monocalcium phosphate being more preferred.
The amount of the chemical leavening source used to prepare the batter composition of the present invention is that amount which, when combined with any other leavening sources contained in the batter, is sufficient to provide a final batter composition having the total leavening levels set forth herein. When the more preferred chemical leavening source is used in the batter composition of the present invention, the batter composition comprises from about 0.75% to about 0.85%, more preferably from about 0.775% to about 0.790%, still more preferably from about 0.780% to about 0.790% by weight sodium bicarbonate, from about
0.70% to about 0.75%, more preferably from about 0.705% to about 0.715%, still more preferably from about 0.708% to about 0.712% by weight sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.125% to about 0.150%, more preferably from about 0.130% to about 0.145%, still more preferably from about 0.1325% to about 0.1350% by weight monocalcium phosphate.
The batter composition also comprises from about 0.01% to about 0.1%, preferably from about 0.035% to about 0.085%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 0.075% by weight of a gum. It is believed that any type of gum known to those skilled in the art may be used in the present invention. However, xanthan gum, guar gum, and carboxymethylcellulose gum are preferred, with xanthan gum being most preferred. Xanthan gum is most preferred due to its freeze stability properties.
The preferred xanthan gum is a polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris Xanthan gum consists of mannose, glucose and glucuronic acid as a mixed potassium, sodium and calcium salt. The xanthan gum preferably exhibits a viscosity of from about 1200 to about 1600 cps when added to 1 wt. percent KC1 water solution at a 1% xanthan gum concentration level, as determined at 25°C on a Brookfield Model LVT Viscometer. Xanthan gums are well known, and are commercially available. Product No. K6B166, from Kelco Gums, San Diego, Ca., is a preferred xanthan gum for purposes of the present invention.
The batter composition also comprises from about 0.75% to about 6%, preferably from about 1% to about 5%, more preferably from about 1.125% to about 4.75% by weight of a whole egg source. The whole egg source provides protein for structure, lecithin for emulsification, and fat. However, these contributions by the whole egg source are not included in the values for the added protein, emulsifiers and fat, as specified herein. Examples of whole egg sources useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, liquid and dried whole eggs, with liquid whole eggs being preferred. The specific amount of whole egg source contained in the batter composition, while falling within the general parameters set forth above, will depend upon the particular type of egg source being utilized. If liquid whole eggs are used as the whole egg source, the batter composition comprises from about 3% to about 6%, preferably from about 4% to about 5%, more preferably from about 4.5% to about 4.75% by weight liquid whole eggs; if dried whole eggs are used as the egg source, the batter composition comprises from about 0.75% to about 1.5%, preferably from about 1% to about
1.25%, more preferably from about 1.125% to about 1.1875% by weight dried whole eggs.
The batter composition also comprises from about 1% to about 5%, preferably from about 2% to about 4%, more preferably from about 2.25% to about 2.75% by weight of a separately added fat source. Examples of separately added fat sources useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, liquid shortening, solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening, vegetable tallow, beef tallow, and mixtures thereof, with liquid shortening, solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening, and mixtures thereof being preferred, and liquid shortening being most preferred. If solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening is utilized, it should be added to the dry ingredients first, and then the dry ingredients are added to separately prepared liquid ingredients to form the batter composition. The balance of the batter composition is water. Any water source known to those skilled in the art may be used for the batter composition of the present invention, including tap water.
The batter composition can be used to prepare any food product known to those skilled in the art as being prepared from batter compositions. The batter composition may optionally contain additional ingredients. The type of optional, additional ingredients included in the batter composition will depend to a degree upon the food product being prepared from the batter composition. Examples of food products that can be prepared from the batter composition of the present invention include, but are not limited to, pancakes, waffles, and muffins, with pancakes and waffles being preferred.
When the preferred pancakes and waffles are prepared from the batter composition of the present invention, the batter composition typically further comprises from 0% to about 5%, preferably from about 3% to about 4.5%, more preferably from about 3.5% to about 4.5% by weight corn flour; from 0% to about 4%, preferably from about 1.5% to about 3%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 2.5% by weight rice flour; with the sum of the rice and corn flour comprising less than 5% of the batter composition; from about 0.1% to about 0.5%, preferably from about 0.15% to about 0.3%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 0.25% by weight salt; from about 2% to about 10%, preferably from about 4% to about 8%, more preferably from about 5% to about 7% by weight of a sweetener selected from the group consisting of high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, and mixtures thereof, with high fructose com syrup being preferred; from about 0.001% to about 0.003% by weight natural and artificial coloring agents; and from about 0.05% to about 0.10% by weight natural and artificial flavoring agents.
The present invention further relates to a dry mix composition which, when combined with water, provides the batter composition as already described herein. The dry mix composition, or the batter composition prepared by the dry mix composition, may also contain the optional ingredients as already set forth herein for the batter composition. The batter composition prepared by the dry mix may be used for all the food products as already described herein.
The dry mix composition comprises from about 60% to about 90%, preferably from about 70% to about 80%, more preferably from about 73% to about 77% by weight hard wheat flour, preferably hard spring wheat flour; from about 0.5% to about 1.5%, preferably from about 0.7% to about 1.2%, more preferably from about 0.8% to about 0.9% by weight of the emulsifier blend of the present invention; from about 5% to about 15%, preferably from about 7% to about 13%, more preferably from about 10% to about 12% by weight added protein; from about 1% to about 6%, preferably from about 3% to about 5%, more preferably from about 4% to about 5% by weight of a chemical leavening source; from about 0.05% to about 0.15%, preferably from about 0.06% to about 0.12%, more preferably from about 0.07% to about 0.09% by weight of a gum; from about 1% to about 5%, preferably from about 2% to about 4%, more preferably from about 2.5% to about 3.5% by weight of a dry whole egg source; and from about 1% to about 10%, preferably from about 3% to about 8%, more preferably from about 6% to about 7% by weight of a separately added solid fat source, wherein the solid fat source is selected from the group consisting of powder shortening, plastic shortening, and mixtures thereof. All weight percentages provided in the description of the dry mix composition refer to a percentage of the total weight of the dry mix composition, on a dry basis. The hard wheat flour and emulsifier blend are as already described herein for the additive mixture and batter composition. The added protein source, including the preferred added protein sources, chemical leavening source, including the preferred chemical leavening sources, dry whole egg source, and solid fat source are the same as the dry added protein, chemical leavening source, dry whole egg source, and solid shortening selected from powder and/or plastic shortening already described herein for the additive mixture and batter composition.
When the more preferred chemical leavening source is used in the dry mix composition of the present invention, the dry mix composition comprises from about 1.5% to about 2.5%, more preferablv from about 1.8% to about 2.3%, still more preferably from about 2% to about 2.1% by weight sodium bicarbonate, from about 1.5% to about 2.5%, more preferably from about 1.7% to about 2.2%, still more preferably from about 1.8% to about 1.9% by weight sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.125% to about 0.6%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 0.5%, still more preferably from about 0.3% to about 0.4% by weight monocalcium phosphate.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the dry mix composition can be prepared by combining the additive mixture with the other dry mix ingredients in a mixing vessel. The dry mix composition is then preferably mixed using any dry mixing device known to those skilled in the art for a period of time sufficient to provide a dry mix composition wherein the ingredients are substantially uniformly distributed throughout. In addition, the dry mix composition may be prepared by combining hard wheat flour, the emulsifier blend, and the other dry mix composition components separately, instead of using the additive mixture claimed herein.
The dry mix may also comprise optional ingredients. The type of optional ingredient included in the dry mix composition will depend upon the type of final product being prepared from the dry mix composition. When the dry mix composition is used to prepare a batter composition which is used to prepare the preferred pancakes and waffles of the present invention, the dry mix composition typically further comprises from 0% to about 9.5%, preferably from about 6.5% to about 9%, more preferably from about 7.5% to about 9% by weight corn flour; from 0% to about 7.5%, preferably from about 3.25% to about 6%, more preferably from about 3.25% to about 5% by weight rice flour, with the sum of the rice and corn flour comprising less than 9.5% of the dry mix composition; from about 0.25% to about 1%, preferably from about 0.35% to about 0.6%, more preferably from about 0.4% to about 0.5% by weight salt; from about 2.75% to about 10%, preferably from about 4.5% to about 8.5%, more preferably from about 6% to about 7.75% by weight of a solid sweetening source selected from the group consisting of sucrose, dextrose, and mixtures thereof, with sucrose being preferred; from about 0.1% to about 0.2% by weight dry artificial and natural flavoring agents; and from about 0.04% to about 0.06% by weight dry artificial and natural coloring agents.
The present invention also comprises the frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared from the batter described herein. Examples of frozen food products of the present invention include, but are not limited to, waffles, pancakes, muffins, and mixtures thereof, with waffles and pancakes being preferred. The food product will have the composition provided when the batter composition already described herein is cooked under normal conditions for preparing the desired final product, e.g., a pancake.
The frozen food product may also comprise optional ingredients. The type of optional ingredients included in the frozen food product will depend upon the type of final frozen food product. When the optional ingredients are included in the food product, the final, cooked food product will have the composition provided when the batter composition already described herein contains such optional ingredients and is cooked under normal conditions for preparing the desired final product, e.g., a pancake. The present invention further comprises a method for preparing a frozen food product from a batter. The frozen food product may be reheated in a microwave oven without experiencing the toughness, chewiness, and dryness typically associated with frozen foods reheated in a microwave oven. Frozen food products which may be prepared by the process of the present invention include any frozen food product produced from a batter Examples of frozen food products prepared by the process of the present invention include, but are not limited to, pancakes, waffles and muffins,
The process of the present invention comprises preparing a batter having the same composition, including ingredients and optional ingredients, and respective weight percentages, as the batter already described herein. The batter may be prepared by the methods described herein. The batter may additionally be prepared by combining the dry mix composition of the present invention with sufficient water to provide a batter composition as already described herein. Once the batter is prepared, it is heated at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient period of time to allow the batter to form a cooked food product. The termed "cooked," as used herein, means that the starch contained in the food product is substantially completely gelatinized and has any desired textural, flavor and appearance properties (e.g., pancakes grilled to a golden brown color). The specific time and temperature needed to cook a product will depend upon the desired food product. Generally, the batter will be heated at temperature in the range of from about 165°C to about 195°C, preferably from about 170°C to about 185°C, more preferably from about 170°C to about 180°C, for a period of time in the range of from about 2 to about 20, preferably from about 5 to about 15, more preferably from about 8 to about 12 minutes. Of course the exact cooking conditions will depend upon the particular product being prepared. When pancakes or waffles are the frozen food product prepared by the process of the present invention, the batter is heated at temperature in the range of from about 175°C to about 195°C, preferably from about 180°C to about 190°C, for a period of time in the range of from about 2.5 to about 3.5, preferably from about 2.75 to about 3.25, more preferably from about 2.75 to about 3 minutes. When muffins are the frozen food product prepared by the process of the present invention, the batter is heated at temperature in the range of from about 165°C to about 190°C, preferably from about 170°C to about 185°C, more preferably from about 170°C to about 180°C, for a period of time in the range of from about 13 to about 17, preferably from about 14 to about 16 minutes. After the food product is cooked, it is frozen to form a frozen food product The food product is typically frozen by subjecting it to a temperature in the range of from about -40°C to about -10°C, preferably from about -35°C to about -15°C, more preferably from about - 30°C to about -20°C for a period of time in the range of from about 10 to about 20, preferably from about 13 to about 17 minutes. While not intending to be bound by theory, it is surprising and unexpected that hard wheat flour and the particular emulsifier blend of the present invention can be combined in a batter and used to prepare a frozen food product which, when reheated in a microwave oven, does not exhibit the chewiness, toughness, and dryness that is characteristic of frozen food that has been reheated in a microwave oven.
The present invention is further illustrated, but not limited by, the following examples.
EXAMPLES
Example 1 An additive mixture is prepared by combining 765 grams of hard spring wheat flour with 10.2 grams of Texture-Lite emulsifier blend (available from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee). This 775.2 grams of additive mixture is combined with 102 grams of whey powder, 20.4 grams sodium bicarbonate, 20.4 grams sodium aluminum phosphate, 4.6 grams monocalcium phosphate, 1 gram xanthan gum, 25.4 grams dry whole eggs, and 51 grams of powdered shortening to form 1,000 grams of a dry mixture.
The 1,000 grams of dry mixture is combined with 1,245 grams of cold tap water in a stainless steel mixing vessel to form a batter mixture The batter mixture is blended gently until the point where the dry lumps just disappear, producing a smooth, homogenous batter.
Heat a griddle surface to 190°C Pour 55 grams of batter over the griddle to form a pancake, and bake the first side of the pancake for 75 seconds. After the 75 seconds, flip the pancake over and bake the other side for 65 seconds.
These pancakes are then frozen by placing them in a freezer at -25°C for 15 minutes These frozen pancakes are then shipped to customer for sale to the consumer The frozen pancakes are then heated in a 2000 watt microwave oven for 50 seconds.
Example 2
An additive mixture is prepared by combining 30 grams of hard spring wheat flour with 3 grams of Texture-Lite emulsifier blend (available from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., located in Kingsport, Tennessee). This additive mixture is combined with 40 grams of whey powder, 40 grams of corn flour, 15 grams chemical leavening agent, 0.5 grams gum, and 2.5 grams salt to form a dry mixture. A liquid mixture is separately prepared by combining in a mixing vessel 475 grams of water, 45 grams of liquid eggs, 25 grams of liquid shortening, and 60 grams of high fructose corn syrup. The liquid mixture is blended to form a homogenous mixture.
The dry mixture is then added to the blended liquid mixture in the mixing vessel to form a batter mixture. The batter mixture is blended until the point where the dry lumps just disappear, producing a smooth, homogenous batter.
Heat a griddle surface to 190°C. Pour 55 grams of batter over the griddle to form a pancake, and bake the first side of the pancake for 65 seconds. After the 65 seconds, flip the pancake over and bake the other side for 65 seconds. These pancakes are then frozen by placing them in a freezer at -25°C for 15 minutes.
These frozen pancakes are then shipped to customer for sale to the consumer. The frozen pancakes are then heated in a 2000 watt microwave oven for 50 seconds.

Claims

1. An additive mixture which can be used to prepare a batter composition useful for preparing a frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product, said additive mixture comprising:
(a) from about 98% to about 99.75% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour; and
(b) from about 0.25% to about 2% by weight of an emulsifier blend; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total additive mixture weight, on a dry basis.
2. An additive mixture according to claim 1 wherein the additive mixture comprises from about 98.75% to about 99.25% by weight hard spring wheat flour and from about 0.75% to about 1.25% by weight of the emulsifier blend.
3. A batter composition useful for preparing frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food products, said batter composition comprising:
(a) from about 20% to about 40% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour; (b) from about 0.05% to about 0.60% by weight of an emulsifier blend;
(c) from about 2% to about 8% by weight added protein;
(d) from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight of a chemical leavening source;
(e) from about 0.01% to about 0.1% by weight of a gum;
(f) from about 0.75% to about 6% by weight of a whole egg source; (g) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a separately added fat source; and
(h) the balance water; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total batter weight, on a wet basis.
4. A batter composition according to claim 3 wherein the batter composition comprises from about 25% to about 35% by weight hard spring wheat flour, from about 0.20% to about 0.45% by weight of the emulsifier blend, from about 3% to about 6% by weight added protein, from about 1% to about 2% by weight of a chemical leavening source, from about
0.035% to about 0.085% by weight of a gum, from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a whole egg source, and from about 2% to about 4% by weight of a separately added fat source.
5. A batter composition according to claim 4 wherein said added protein is selected from the group consisting of whey powder, egg albumen, soy protein, vital wheat gluten, peanut protein, and mixtures thereof, wherein said chemical leavening source is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and mixtures thereof, wherein said gum is selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, guar gum, carboxymethylcellulose gum, and mixtures thereof, wherein said whole egg source is selected from the group consisting of liquid whole eggs, dried whole eggs, and mixtures thereof, and wherein said fat source is selected from the group consisting of liquid shortening, solid shortening selected from powder shortening, plastic shortening, and mixtures thereof, vegetable tallow, beef tallow, and mixtures thereof.
6. A batter composition according to claim 5 wherein said batter composition comprises from about 25% to about 30% by weight hard spring wheat flour and from about 3.5% to about 4.5% by weight added protein, and wherein said added protein is whey powder.
7. A batter composition according to claim 6 wherein said batter composition comprises from about 1.5% to about 1.75% by weight of a chemical leavening source, and wherein said chemical leavening source is a mixture of from about 0.75% to about 0.85% by weight sodium bicarbonate, from about 0.70% to about 0.75% by weight sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.125% to about 0.150% by weight monocalcium phosphate.
8. A batter composition according to claim 7 wherein said batter composition comprises from about 4.5% to about 4.75% by weight of a whole egg source, and wherein said whole egg source is liquid whole eggs.
9. A batter composition according to claim 8 wherein said batter composition comprises from about 2.25% to about 2.75% by weight of a separately added fat source, and wherein said separately added fat source is liquid shortening.
10. A batter composition according to claim 9 wherein said batter composition comprises from about 0.05% to about 0.075% by weight of a gum, and wherein said gum is xanthan gum.
1 1 A batter composition according to claim 10 wherein said batter composition further comprises from 0% to about 5% by weight corn flour; from 0% to about 4% by weight rice flour, with the sum of the rice and corn flour comprising less than 5% of the batter composition; from about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight salt; from about 2% to about 10% by weight of a sweetener selected from the group consisting of high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, and mixtures thereof; from about 0.001% to about 0.003% by weight natural and artificial coloring agents; and from about 0.05% to about 0.10% by weight natural and artificial flavoring agents.
12. A dry mix composition which, when combined with water and other optional ingredients, provides a batter composition useful for preparing frozen, microwaveable, pre¬ cooked food products, said dry mix composition comprising:
(a) from about 60% to about 90% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
(b) from about 0.5% to about 1.5% by weight of an emulsifier blend,
(c) from about 5% to about 15% by weight added protein;
(d) from about 1% to about 6% by weight of a chemical leavening source;
(e) from about 0.05% to about 0.15% by weight of a gum; (f) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a dry whole egg source; and
(g) from about 1% to about 10% by weight of a separately added solid fat source; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total dry mixture composition weight, on a dry basis.
13. A dry mix composition according to claim 12 wherein the dry mix composition comprises from about 60% to about 90% by weight hard spring wheat flour, from about 0.7% to about 1.2% by weight of the emulsifier blend, from about 7% to about 13% by weight added protein, from about 3% to about 5% by weight of a chemical leavening source, from about 0.06% to about 0.12% by weight of a gum, from about 2% to about 4% by weight of a dry whole egg source, and from about 3% to about 8% by weight of a separately added solid fat source.
14. A dry mix composition according to claim 13 wherein said added protein is selected from the group consisting of whey powder, egg albumen, soy protein, vital wheat gluten, peanut protein, and mixtures thereof, wherein said chemical leavening source is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and mixtures thereof, and wherein said gum is selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, guar gum, carboxymethylcellulose gum, and mixtures thereof.
15. A dry mix composition according to claim 15 wherein said dry mix composition comprises from about 10% to about 12% by weight added protein, and wherein said added protein is provided by the protein source whey powder.
16 A dry mix composition according to claim 22 wherein said chemical leavening source is a mixture of from about 1.5% to about 2.5% by weight sodium bicarbonate, from about 1.5% to about 2.5% by weight sodium aluminum phosphate, and from about 0.125% to about
0.6% by weight monocalcium phosphate.
17. A dry mix composition according to claim 16 wherein said dry mix composition comprises from about 2.5% to about 3.5% by weight of a dry whole egg source
18. A dry mix composition according to claim 17 wherein said dry mix composition comprises from about 6% to about 7% by weight of a separately added solid fat source.
19. A dry mix composition according to claim 18 wherein said dry mix composition comprises from about 0.07% to about 0.09% by weight of a gum, and wherein said gum is xanthan gum
20. A dry mix composition according to claim 19 wherein said dry mix composition further comprises from 0% to about 9.5% by weight corn flour; from 0% to about 7.5% by weight rice flour, with the sum of the rice and corn flour comprising less than 9.5% of the dry mix composition; from about 0.25% to about 1% by weight salt; from about 2.75% to about 10%% by weight of a solid sweetening source selected from the group consisting of sucrose, dextrose, and mixtures thereof; from about 0.1% to about 0.2% by weight dry artificial and 2
natural flavoring agents; and from about 0.04% to about 0.06% by weight dry artificial and natural coloring agents.
21. A frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product prepared from a batter mixture, said batter mixture comprising:
(a) from about 20% to about 40% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour;
(b) from about 0.05% to about 0.60% by weight of an emulsifier blend;
(c) from about 2% to about 8% by weight added protein; (d) from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight of a chemical leavening source,
(e) from about 0.01% to about 0.1% by weight of a gum;
(f) from about 0.75% to about 6% by weight of a whole egg source;
(g) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a separately added fat source; and (h) the balance water; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the total batter weight, on a wet basis.
22. A frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product according to claim 21 wherein the batter composition comprises from about 25% to about 35% by weight hard spring wheat flour, from about 0.20% to about 0.45% by weight of the emulsifier blend, from about 3% to about 6% by weight added protein, from about 1% to about 2% by weight of a chemical leavening source, from about 0.035% to about 0.085% by weight of a gum, from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a whole egg source, and from about 2% to about 4% by weight of a separately added fat source.
23. A frozen, microwaveable, pre-cooked food product according to claim 22 wherein said added protein is selected from the group consisting of whey powder, egg albumen, soy protein, vital wheat gluten, peanut protein, and mixtures thereof, wherein said chemical leavening source is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and mixtures thereof, wherein said gum is selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, guar gum, carboxymethylcellulose gum, and mixtures thereof, wherein said whole egg source is selected from the group consisting of liquid whole eggs, dried whole eggs, and mixtures thereof, and wherein said fat source is selected from the group consisting of liquid shortening, solid shortening selected from powder shortening, plastic shortening, and mixtures thereof, vegetable tallow, beef tallow, and mixtures thereof.
24. A process for preparing a frozen food product, said process comprising:
(a) preparing a batter mixture comprising:
(i) from about 20% to about 40% by weight hard wheat flour selected from the group consisting of hard spring wheat flour and hard winter wheat flour; (ii) from about 0.05% to about 0.60% by weight of an emulsifier blend;
(iii) from about 2% to about 8% by weight added protein; (iv) from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight of a chemical leavening source; (v) from about 0.01% to about 0.1% by weight of a gum, (vi) from about 0.75% to about 6% by weight of a whole egg source,
(vii) from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a separately added fat source, and (viii) the balance water;
(b) heating said batter at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time for the batter to form a cooked product; and
(c) freezing said cooked product to form a frozen food product; wherein all weight percentages are expressed as a percent of the batter mixture used to prepare the frozen food product, on a wet basis.
25. A process according to claim 24 wherein the batter composition comprises from about 25% to about 35% by weight hard spring wheat flour, from about 0.20% to about 0.45% by weight of the emulsifier blend, from about 3% to about 6% by weight added protein, from about 1% to about 2% by weight of a chemical leavening source, from about 0.035% to about 0.085% by weight of a gum, from about 1% to about 5% by weight of a whole egg source, and from about 2% to about 4% by weight of a separately added fat source.
26. A process according to claim 25 wherein said added protein is selected from the group consisting of whey powder, egg albumen, soy protein, vital wheat gluten, peanut protein, and mixtures thereof, wherein said chemical leavening source is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and mixtures thereof, wherein said gum is selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, guar gum, carboxymethylcellulose gum, and mixtures thereof, wherein said whole egg source is selected from the group consisting of liquid whole eggs, dried whole eggs, and mixtures thereof, and wherein said fat source is selected from the group consisting of liquid shortening, solid shortening selected from powder shortening, plastic shortening and mixtures thereof, vegetable tallow, beef tallow, and mixtures thereof.
27. A process according to claim 26 wherein said frozen food product is thawed and heated in a microwave oven.
PCT/US1995/009493 1994-08-03 1995-08-02 Additive for the preparation of microwaveable products WO1996003885A1 (en)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU31509/95A AU3150995A (en) 1994-08-03 1995-08-02 Additive for the preparation of microwaveable products

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US28558394A 1994-08-03 1994-08-03
US08/285,583 1994-08-03

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2020146184A1 (en) * 2019-01-08 2020-07-16 Kellogg Company High protein frozen food product and method

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2018220A1 (en) * 1968-09-16 1970-05-29 Pillsbury Co Powdered, free flowing cake mixes
GB2118016A (en) * 1982-04-08 1983-10-26 Griffith Laboratories Production of oriental-style breading crumbs
JPH05328890A (en) * 1992-05-29 1993-12-14 Kao Corp Premix for hot cake and hot cake

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2018220A1 (en) * 1968-09-16 1970-05-29 Pillsbury Co Powdered, free flowing cake mixes
GB2118016A (en) * 1982-04-08 1983-10-26 Griffith Laboratories Production of oriental-style breading crumbs
JPH05328890A (en) * 1992-05-29 1993-12-14 Kao Corp Premix for hot cake and hot cake

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
DATABASE WPI Section Ch Week 9403, Derwent World Patents Index; Class D11, AN 94-021846 *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2020146184A1 (en) * 2019-01-08 2020-07-16 Kellogg Company High protein frozen food product and method

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