SK796A3 - Food product coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for manufacturing a food product having a thick and irregular coating comprising: (a) coating the food product with a batter; and (b) coating the food product with agglomerated powder; such that the ratio of batter to agglomerated powder is 2.5:1 to 1:1.5.

Description

Method of coating a food product

Technical field

The invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a food product having a rough and irregular package.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food products with coarse, irregular packaging have become popular among consumers.

At present, such products are produced in a number of ways:

One of these methods involves initially wrapping the food product with a thick layer of viscous whipped dough [with a flow time> 60 seconds through a flow cup # 6 BS3900 A6 (Stanhope Seta)], then applying a thin powder coating prior to pre-roasting so that a typical whipped dough of powder is 3 l.

This method has the disadvantage that it causes high contamination, the transfer conveyors and the oil used for the pre-roasting are quickly contaminated by the whipped road and powder, requiring frequent shutdown of the device for cleaning. In addition, this method is difficult to control and results in significant weight changes of the package.

Another method involves an initial coating of the food product with a thin layer of conventional whipped dough (low viscosity, ie, a flow time of approximately 10 seconds through a flow receptacle number 6 BS3900 A6), followed by powder coating, repeated one or more times before pre-roasting. .

This second method minimizes the problems of the first method and is more complex and therefore expensive. In addition, this method can lead to a product having a different packaging appearance.

The above-mentioned problems of the prior art methods have now been solved by agglomerating the powder coating before applying it to the article.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a novel method of coating a food product with a powder to produce a coarse, irregular package comprising:

(a) wrapping the food product in the batter; and (b) coating the food product with the agglomerated powder; such that the ratio of whipped dough: agglomerated powder is 2.5: 1 to 1: 1.5.

In addition, the present invention provides a coated food product made according to the novel process described.

The ratio of whipped dough to agglomerated powder is preferably 2: 1, most preferably 1: 1.

Once the food product has been wrapped, the wrapper is preferably pre-fixed, for example by pre-roasting, and the food product is then stored for consumption, typically by freezing.

Suitable food products can be selected from meat, poultry, vegetables and fish.

The powder composition may comprise any suitable additive readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the powder may comprise flour such as wheat flour, corn flour and mixtures thereof; starch; spray-dried fats, such as spray-dried hydrogenated vegetable fats; other fats and / or fat substitutes; proteins; flavoring agents such as salt, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder; spices; crackers; or flavor enhancers.

The whipped dough composition may comprise any suitable ingredient readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the batter may comprise flour such as wheat flour, corn flour and mixtures thereof; starch; spray-dried fats such as spray-dried hydrogenated vegetable fats; flavoring agents such as salt, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder; yeast; or means of conditioning.

Any viscosity may be used provided that the final ratio of whipped spice; crackers; The whipped dough past the powder dough is within specified limits, but for ease of processing, the whipped dough preferably has a viscosity such that the flow time through the flow receptacle 6 of the BS3900 A6 is from 10 to 60 seconds.

Optionally, the food product may be pre-dusted prior to application of the batter. The pre-dusting powder composition may include any additive readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the pre-dusting powder may comprise flour such as rice flour, spray-dried fats, such as spray-dried hydrogenated vegetable fats; flavoring agents; starch; crackers; or emulsifiers.

Method of agglomeration

Agglomeration is a well known method by which the ingredients bind to each other under the influence of material bridges or pressure in such a way that a stable granule is formed. There are several different suitable agglomeration methods. Two such examples are:

(i) a fluidized bed agglomerator. Water is sprayed onto the fluidized powder in a hot air environment to form particles. When all water has been sprayed, the excess moisture is removed by further fluidization in hot air.

(i i) pressure agglomeration, for example a roller compaction machine (Alexander machine). The powder is supplied between 2 rollers which exert a pressure of up to 100 bar. The mechanical work of the rollers generates heat which causes the hydrogenated vegetable fat content of the powder to melt, thereby allowing the powder to be agglomerated.

The agglomerates are then sieved to fractions of the desired size.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A comparative experiment was carried out between the traditional method and the method of the present invention, using a production line comprising a plate molding machine (Formax model 19) for shaping meat pies, each weighing 67 grams, a dipping machine (Stein mode] APB) for applying whipped cream. dough, wrapping machine (Stein model XLF) and continuous frying machine in oil, heated to 190 ° C.

In both experiments similar additives were used:

(a) Formulation of whipped dough dry matter:

Wheat flour 80% Hydrogenated vegetable fat 4,5% Modified starch 3% Yeast 0,5%

Seasonings & Spices%

(b) Powder formulation: Wheat flour 60 % Hydrogenated vegetable fat, spray dried 20 % Rusks 2 % Seasonings and condiments 10 % Taste enhancer 8 %

Normal way

In a conventional method, the whipped dough wetting device was filled with whipped dough made from dried whipped dough (a) mixed with water to achieve a viscosity measured by flow vessel of 75 seconds (vessel # 6, BS

3900 Α6, Stanhope Seta).

The coating device was filled with powder (b).

The meat pies were subjected to the sequential steps of the continuous wrapping and fixation process in an experiment lasting a total of 100 minutes. The results are described in the following table.

The method of the invention

In the method of the invention, the whipped dough wetting device was filled with whipped dough made from dried whipped dough (a) mixed with water to achieve a viscosity measured by flow vessel of 22 seconds (vessel No. 6, BS 3900 A6, Stanhope Seta).

The coating device was filled with powder (b) agglomerated on a roller compaction granulator (Alexanderwerke model VP50 / N75) at a pressure of 75 bar between the press rolls and granulated through a 3 mm sieve.

The meat pies were subjected to successive steps of a continuous wrapping and fixation process in an experiment lasting a total of 180 minutes. The results are described in the following table.

The results

Conventional processing The process of the invention Weight of meat pies 67 g 67 g Weight of the pasty wrapped in whipped cream 90,5 g 84 g Weight of fully coated uncooked product 101 ± 8.75 g SD = 4.9 99.75 ± 2.3 g SD = 1.9 Product surface characteristics Highly variable appearance from smooth to very uneven Regularly uneven surface Processing findings Intense line spots. Significant waste generated in the roasting oil. Process interrupted after 100 min. for cleaning. Weak line spots. Low waste in roasting oil i. Process voluntarily interrupted after 180 min.

The consumption characteristics of the products produced by any method were similar after roasting.

It can be clearly seen that the process of the present invention provides significant advantages of both the product and its processing over conventional processing.

Claims (5)

PATENT CLAIMS A method of coating a food product with a powder for the production of a coarse and irregular package, characterized in that it comprises: (a) wrapping the food product in the batter; and (b) coating the food product with the agglomerated powder; such that the ratio of whipped dough to agglomerated powder is 2.5: 1 to 1: 1.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ratio of whipped dough: agglomerated powder is 2: 1 to 1: 1. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ratio of whipped dough: agglomerated powder is 1: 1. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the food product is first pre-dusted before applying the batter. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the food product is selected from fish, vegetable, meat and poultry products.