Dehydrated food product

Start of patent period: 1978 05 15

Longest possible duration:

Issued on: 1979 01 10

Inventor: RISLER PIERRE

MONTMORENCY

GIREAU JEAN

MONTROUGE,

ROSE PIERRE

ENNERY

FRANCE

FRANCE

FRANCE

BISSON JEAN-PIERRE OOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT FRANCE © Dependence:

© Pamphlets considered to delineate the prior art:

AT 347,762

AT PS276045

U.S. Patent No. 3,337,397, U.S. Patent No. 3,121,635

- 2 No. 347762

The invention relates to a process for the production of dehydrated food products, in particular bouillons, flavoring agents, seasonings and sauces, products based on

Meat extracts, protein hydrolysates, vegetables, fruits and spices, flavorings, etc.

Dehydrated food products, especially dehydrated bouillons, generally have the significant disadvantage that they are difficult to dissolve even in hot water, requiring special precautions to avoid the formation of crumbs in the product made therefrom.

The invention now relates to the recovery of a new industrial dehydrated food product having a grain shape. The new product is particularly noteworthy in that it has the form of grains which are instantaneously soluble in water and which have a porous and continuous structure, a surface without roughness and a mass per volume (density) of 30 to 600 g / l ,

The process of the present invention for producing such dehydrated food products is characterized by extruding a thermoplastic raw material in powder or paste form at a temperature of 60 to 125 ° C into a space in which a subatmospheric pressure of 0.01 to 0.3 bar prevails and that the extruded product is cut into fragments.

The dehydrated food products according to the invention are preferably bouillons, soups, soup bases, etc., flavoring agents, seasonings and sauces, dehydrated products based on meat, vegetable, fruit and spice extracts and aroma carrier products, etc.

Although US Pat. No. 3,637,397 discloses a process according to which soluble coffee in the form of expanded beads is to be obtained. For this purpose, a dough is prepared from moistened soluble coffee, cooled to form hardened plates, ground into individual kitchens and blown under the influence of heat and vacuum and finally granulated. Apart from the fact that this US patent is directed exclusively to the preparation of instant coffee, the process disclosed therein has no relation whatsoever to the invention-specific direct extrusion of a present in powder or paste thermoplastic starting material in a space in which a subatmospheric pressure prevails.

The drawings illustrate an example of an embodiment of a product obtainable according to the invention. FIG. 1 shows a 12,8-fold enlarged schematic view of a cut 6 mm diameter grain made according to the invention. 2 shows a representation of grains produced according to the invention.

The present invention produced grains have the property that they dissolve in water almost instantaneously. So they are instantly soluble in hot water. If no impregnating or enveloping fats are present, they are surprisingly soluble in cold water almost instantaneously.

The grains have a porous and vesical internal structure -1-, as shown in the drawings (Fig.l). This structure is relatively regular and can be compared to the structure of a sponge. The average dimensions of the bubbles -2- can vary between wide limits depending on the production conditions. They are usually between a few 1/100 and 1 mm. Because of their overall homogeneous structure and lack of greater discontinuities, with the exception of occasional discontinuities, the grains obtainable according to the invention are fundamentally different from grains obtained by agglomeration of finer particles.

The external appearance of the grains differs from their internal appearance. They have a surface -3- which is relatively smooth and has no roughness. The holeiness, which has its cause in the outward opening bubbles, is largely mitigated. In other words, the grains have a fine porous skin of very small thickness. The appearance of these grains is thus remarkably reminiscent of pumice stone.

The mass per volume of the grains is between 30 and 600 g / 1; it is a direct consequence of the porous and vesicular structure and can be determined by appropriate selection of the manufacturing conditions.

The dimensions and shapes of the grains can also be determined by appropriate selection of the manufacturing conditions. In practice, the minimum dimensions which can be realized without great difficulty are of the order of magnitude of 1 to 1.5 mm, that is to say the grains of

- 3 No. 347762 with a sieve of 1 mm mesh. Preferably, grains with dimensions of 2.5 to 15 mm are produced.

The grains produced using a single nozzle (or multiple identical nozzles or a multiple nozzle with identical orifices) and by periodically cutting the extrudate ⁵ all have almost the same shapes and dimensions, with neither an oversize nor an undersize. Some forms are shown by way of illustration in FIG. On the other hand, if several different nozzles are used at the same time or if an irregular cutting sequence is used, then it is easy to make a final product consisting of grains of various shapes and dimensions. This result can also be achieved by adding the product of a¹⁰ Mix production with the product of another production.

In general, the grains are relatively hard and resist very well to crushing.

For example, a whole bead of 6 mm diameter instant ball in the form of a ball has compressive strength of the order of 2.5 to 20 Newtons.

The food grains obtainable according to the invention, whose water content is up to 10% of their ¹⁵ Weight of dry solids can go, have a very high absorption capacity. For example, lean grains, ie those containing only a small amount of fat, can hold up to 25% of their weight in fats, flavorings, colorants, etc. Nevertheless, these grains are less hygroscopic because they can be stored for several days in the atmospheric moisture without becoming sticky.

In the process according to the invention for the preparation of these grains, a thermoplastic is used ²⁰ Starting material in powder or paste form extruded into a container in which there is a subatmospheric pressure.

By the term thermoplastic starting material is meant a powdery or pasty material which is inherently thermoplastic or contains sufficient thermoplastic constituents that it softens under the influence of heat and possibly pressure and re-solidifies upon cooling. The term thermoplasticity is readily understood in the context of a paste. In the case of a powder, this term means that the particles making up the powder merge under the influence of heat and possibly pressure to form a more or less malleable soft mass.

This source material can be used under a wide range of foods, individually or in ^3U Mixture, to be selected. These starting materials can be divided into two main groups, namely starting materials based on polysaccharides and the like. Substances and raw materials based on proteins. Examples of starting materials of these two main groups are fruit, vegetable and cereal extracts, starches, in particular modified starches and dextrins, gums, alginates, meat and fish extracts, microbiological proteins, in particular extracts and autolysates of ³⁵ Yeast, protein hydrolysates, gelatins, etc. The starting material may also contain other ingredients, such as spices, flavorings, colorants, fats, sugars, salts, etc., as long as the whole remains thermoplastic.

The starting materials used are generally those with little or no fat content, such as fruit and vegetable extracts, dextrins, gums, lean InstantbouiUons in powder form or in ⁴⁰ granular form or mixtures leading to such lean bouiUons. Such mixtures contain not only vegetable extracts but also yeast extracts, meat extracts, protein hydrolysates, flavorings,

Spices, sugar, salt, glutamate, etc.

The water content of the starting material which has the form of a powder or a paste is an important factor but by no means critical since it is varied within a wide range ⁴⁵ can, practically up to 20 wt .-%, based on dry solids. It has a direct influence on the properties of the finished product, and one can modify the water content of the starting material accordingly to achieve a specific finished product.

The temperature of the starting material in the extruder is of course an important factor of the process according to the invention since it reduces the plasticity of the starting material and thus the extrudability⁵⁰ speed determined by the extrusion nozzles. They are sufficient to achieve this plasticity (about 60 ° C), but so they do not cause deterioration of the treated material. It can be said that 125 ° C is the upper limit, which is better not exceeded. It should be noted, however, that the temperature in the vicinity of the nozzles are above this limit

- 4 No. 347762 can, because the residence time of the starting material is very short there. Moreover, unless special precautions are taken, this temperature is substantially higher than that prevailing inside the extruder. The compressive forces that rest on this material when passing through the small ones

Openings of the nozzle passes, have an increase in temperature result. In front of the nozzles³ These pressure forces are usually between 1 and 15 bar during normal operation. However, it is still preferred to avoid substantial overheating in the vicinity of the nozzles.

The diameter of these small openings, which determine the value of the pressure in the extruder, can be chosen quite freely with regard to the dimensions which the finished product should have. Extrusion, however, is difficult to perform in practice when the openings¹⁰ Dimensions below 0.25 mm. Nozzle diameters of the order of 0.5 to 5 mm are the optimum values ​​for the production of dehydrated food in granular form from powdery starting materials with a water content of 1.5 to 10%. The nozzle shape is without much influence. The use of short or long nozzles, conical nozzles or two-part nozzles (one part narrow, one part further) does not give much better results than when the¹⁵ usual cylindrical nozzles are used. To give the finished product a particular shape, one can use nozzles with a non-circular cross section, for example, with a square, oval or dreilappigen cross section. In order to influence the surface condition of the extruded product and thus the grains obtained, it is also possible to use chill nozzles or slightly heated nozzles or nozzles whose outer part is cooled or slightly heated²⁰ use.

By contrast, the subatmospheric pressure or the vacuum in the container following the nozzles is a very important element. If there is no vacuum, then the product obtained by extrusion of a starting material maintained at the moderate temperatures usual for operations of this type will not take on the desired expanded texture. In contrast, the²⁵ The presence of a vacuum at the exit of the nozzle partly results in an at least partially rapid removal of the water in the form of vapor and the gases initially contained in the extract and at the same time a sharp lowering of the temperature, giving the extruded product the desired texture and hardness. In practice, the subatmospheric pressure is in the order of 0.01 to 0.3 bar, u.zw. mainly due to considerations³⁰ in terms of technology and costs.

In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, the starting material in powder or paste form is introduced by suitable feeding under atmospheric pressure, under pressure or under vacuum and if necessary under an inert gas in an extruder whose body has a temperature between 60 and 100 ° C. , This material is then with³³ Help of a corresponding device, such as with a piston (batch process) or a single or double screw (continuous process) with fixed or variable pitch and optionally with a heating device, moves to or to the extrusion die (s), where it gradually under softens the influence of heat and pressure. The hot material then passes through the extrusion dies and reaches the container where vacuum prevails. This container ⁴⁰ can also be called an expansion chamber. Under the influence of the sharp pressure reduction, a part of the water (up to 50%) and the gases contained in the starting material are sucked out, during which the temperature of the extract falls by a few 10 ° C. In this case, an expanded product is obtained in the form of a relatively hard and porous strand.

According to a first variant, first this strand is allowed to expand and then ⁴⁵ for example, cut evenly using a rotating knife. The resulting grains, which have uniform dimensions, reminiscent of chopsticks or slices.

According to a second and preferred variant, the strand is cut before expansion, ie very close to the extrusion dies and under vacuum. The resulting sticks are then inflated, whereby the grains are obtained in the form of spheres or ovoids of similar dimensions.⁵⁰ According to a third embodiment, the rods obtained by cutting the strand shortly after the exit of the nozzles are caught in individual forms, in which they take the form of this form as they expand.

- 5 No. 347762

As mentioned above, the use of vacuum allows the raw material to be textured without having to raise it to a high temperature. Therefore, the sensitive substances in this material, in particular the flavor substances, largely protected. For this reason, the grains obtained have remarkable taste and smell qualities. In addition, due to their porous structure, they are able to absorb larger amounts of various substances, such as fats, flavoring agents, etc. It is therefore possible, if desired, to spray on these grains fats and flavor substances which may be diluted with a suitable carrier. It is also possible to post-treat them, for example after-drying.

According to a preferred embodiment of the process according to the invention, a lean starting material in paste or powder form of any desired particle size and having a water content between 1.5 and 10% is used. The extruder used is a heated screw extruder maintained at 80 to 100 ° C and equipped with nozzles of 0.5 to 5 mm diameter. The vacuum in the expansion chamber is 0.05 to 0.15 bar. The expanded strand is cut in vacuum immediately after exiting the extrusion die. The resulting grains then fall to a floor and can be transported after completion of expansion by means of a lock from the expansion chamber. These grains generally have a mass per volume of between 50 and 500 g / l and can be consumed as they are. They represent, for example, instant fruit and instant vegetable extracts, lean instant soups, etc. They can also be treated with different fabrics. In particular, they may be impregnated or encased with fats, preferably 8 to 18% by weight fats. They then represent fat instant bouillons in grain form whose dissolution in hot water requires no special precautions. The grains prepared from dextrins can be mixed with flavorings, especially vegetable flavorings (flowers, spices, coffee, black tea, other teas, etc.), coloring and alcohol. For example, with or without alcohol, they provide the basis for instant aperitifs that are instantaneously soluble in cold water.

Examples:

Used devices:

Feeders with a capacity of 10 1.

Extruder with a theoretical throughput of 20 kg / h, a steam heated body, a constant pitch screw 42 mm in diameter and 21 cm in length and with a pressure of 1.

Expansion chamber with a capacity of 80 liters, equipped with a liquid ring pump.

Cooler.

Rotary knife.

coolable vibrating bottom.

Outlet lock.

The following examples have been developed with the aid of these devices.

Example 1: With the aid of the above-described apparatus, wherein the extruder is equipped with four cylindrical extrusion nozzles of 3.5 mm diameter, 380 kg of a powdery starting material having a water content of 4% and having the following composition are extruded:

<td>Dried yeast extract</td><td>60</td><td>kg</td>

<td>dried protein hydrolyzate</td><td>60</td><td>kg</td>

<td>sugar</td><td>20</td><td>kg</td>

<td>salt</td><td>160</td><td>kg</td>

<td>garlic powder</td><td>0.8</td><td>kg</td>

<td>celery salt</td><td>0.4</td><td>kg</td>

<td>cloves</td><td>0.1</td><td>kg</td>

<td>laurel</td><td>0.1</td><td>kg</td>

<td>pepper</td><td>0.5</td><td>kg</td>

<td>thyme</td><td>0.1</td><td>kg</td>

<td>glutamate</td><td>68</td><td>kg</td>

<td>dried onion concentrate</td><td>10</td><td>kg</td>

380 kg

- 6 No. 347762

The working parameters are as follows:

Temperature of the body of the extruder: 100 ° C

Extrusion screw speed: 45 rpm

Rotary blade speed: 840 revs / min

Pressure in the expansion chamber: 80 mbar

The grains are collected on a vibrating tray, which is cooled with liquid nitrogen before being put into operation.

In this way, about 375 kg of instant bouillon grains are obtained which are reminiscent of chickpeas and have a mass per volume of 310 g / l. These grains are instantly soluble in cold water. By dissolving these grains in hot water in an amount of 20 g / l, a lean bouillon is obtained, the quality of which advantageously cuts off when compared with corresponding commercial bouillons.

The Instantbouillonkömer coming out of the expansion chamber with a temperature between 65 and 80 ° C, can also be transferred to a coating machine. There is sprinkled on the grains of beef fat at a temperature of about 60 ° C, so that an impregnation of 17% is achieved.

By dissolving these grains with 17% fat content in hot water in an amount of 20 g / l, a fat bouillon is obtained, the quality of which compares favorably with comparable commercial bouillons.

Example 2: By means of the above-described apparatuses, wherein the extruder is equipped with a nozzle having four cylindrical openings of 3.5 mm, 380 kg of a powdery starting material having a water content of about 4.5% and the following composition are extruded :

<td>Dried yeast extract</td><td>60</td><td>kg</td>

<td>Malto-dextrins</td><td>60</td><td>kg</td>

<td>sugar</td><td>20</td><td>kg</td>

<td>salt</td><td>160</td><td>kg</td>

<td>celery salt</td><td colspan="2">0.5 kg</td>

<td>pepper</td><td colspan="2">0.5 kg</td>

<td>glutamate</td><td>68</td><td>kg</td>

<td>concentrated poultry extract</td><td>11</td><td>kg</td>

<td></td><td>380</td><td>kg</td>

The working parameters are as follows:

Temperature of the body of the extruder: 120 ° C

Extrusion screw speed: 30 rpm

Rotary blade speed: 370 rpm

Pressure in the expansion chamber: 50 mbar

The grains are collected on a room temperature vibration tray.

In this way, about 375 kg grains of instant poultry bouillon are obtained which are reminiscent of chick peas and have a mass per volume of about 100 g / l. By dissolving these grains in hot water in an amount of 25 g / l, a poultry broth is obtained.

As stated in Example 1, the grains exiting the expansion chamber can be transferred to a coating machine. In it, 15% poultry fat is incorporated into the grains of the instant poultry bouillon. In this way, fat laden grains are obtained which, when dissolved in hot water at a level of 25 g / l, give a fat poultry bouillon.

Example 3: With the aid of the above-described devices, wherein the extruder has a nozzle with four cylindrical openings of 3 mm diameter, 10 kg of malto-dextrins with a water content of 4.5% are extruded.

The working parameters are as follows:

Extruder body temperature: Extrusion screw speed: Rotating knife speed: Expansion chamber pressure:

120 ° C

Rev / min

370 Rev / min mbar

- 7 No. 347762

The grains are collected on a room temperature vibration tray.

In this way, approximately 9.8 kg of malto-dextrin grains are obtained, which are in cold

Dissolve water instantly and have the size of small peas and a mass by volume of approximately g / 1.

⁵ On these grains, a pepper oil resin in an amount of 10% is sprayed on. In this way, flavored grains are obtained, which are a malto-dextrin-applied flavoring agent with better shelf life than is the case with a corresponding flavoring agent on salt or on glucose. This flavoring agent in grain form on malto-dextrin can be used as a component for bouillons.

¹⁰ In addition, you can spray on the same dry grains a variety of essences, such as ginger, bitter orange, etc., whereby basics for instant aperitifs are obtained.

Example 4: 80 kg of strawberry juice are produced by squeezing out 100 kg of strawberries. Then the aroma substances are removed from the juice by means of steam. The water vapor¹⁵ is caught and concentrated. The flavor-released juice is concentrated to a dry solids content of about 50% and then dried by atomization to a residual water content of 5%. In this way, 14 kg of a powder of red color are obtained, which is introduced into a device consisting of the elements described above, the extruder being equipped with a nozzle with five cylindrical openings of 3 mm diameter.

The working parameters are as follows:

Temperature of the body of the extruder: 120 ° C

Extrusion screw speed: 30 rpm

Rotary blade speed: 370 rpm

Pressure in the expansion chamber: 50 mbar.

²⁵ The grains are collected on a room temperature vibration tray.

In this way, about 13.7 kg of grains are obtained, which are flavored by spraying the concentrated flavorings obtained by treatment with steam at the beginning of the process. In this way, grains are obtained from an instant strawberry juice which, when dissolved in water in an amount of 100 g / l, yields a strawberry refreshment drink.

³⁰ Example 5: Example 3 is repeated, using as starting material a mixture of 14 kg of strawberry powder and 3.5 kg of malto-dextrin. By extrusion 17.1 kg of grains are obtained, which are flavored as already described. In this way, grains of an instant strawberry juice are obtained, which when dissolved in cold carbonated water in an amount of g / 1 provide a strawberry lemonade.