A method of cooking a snack food, the method comprising the steps of: a. providing a bed comprising a plurality of particles, wherein the particles are composed of, comprise or consist of a material which is magnetic and/or electroconductive; b. heating the particles in the bed to form a cooking medium in the form of a heated bed of particles, wherein in step b the particles are heated at least partially by electromagnetic induction; c. providing a plurality of snack food precursor elements in the cooking medium thereby to cook the elements to form a plurality of cooked snack food pieces, wherein the heated particles transfer heat into the elements by thermal conduction; and d. separating the plurality of snack food pieces and the cooking medium.

A dough-based food product, an apparatus and method for production of the dough-based food product. A food product matrix to be foamed includes a proportion by weight of a starch-containing raw material and a proportion by weight of water. Gas that has been dissolved or is to be dissolved is introduced into the food product matrix to be foamed. The gas is dissolved under pressure in the food product matrix to be foamed. Gas bubbles are formed by expansion and increasing the volume with a resulting reduction in density of the dough as a result of bubble growth for formation of a foamed food product matrix of the food product to be produced. The foam is then stabilized. Gas is introduced into and dissolved in the aqueous component of the food product matrix to be foamed in a subcritical state below the critical point and at a pressure of 10 barp<critical pressure of the gas.

A dough-based food product, an apparatus and method for production of the dough-based food product. A food product matrix to be foamed includes a proportion by weight of a starch-containing raw material and a proportion by weight of water. Gas that has been dissolved or is to be dissolved is introduced into the food product matrix to be foamed. The gas is dissolved under pressure in the food product matrix to be foamed. Gas bubbles are formed by expansion and increasing the volume with a resulting reduction in density of the dough as a result of bubble growth for formation of a foamed food product matrix of the food product to be produced. The foam is then stabilized. Gas is introduced into and dissolved in the aqueous component of the food product matrix to be foamed in a subcritical state below the critical point and at a pressure of 10 barp<critical pressure of the gas.

A method of manufacturing a textured food product comprising the steps of preparing a slurry comprising dry matter and water, wherein the dry matter comprises 1. at least 35% by weight legume protein, 2. 10% to 45% by weight oat bran, whole grain oat flour or a mixture thereof, and 3. 2% t 35% by weight of the dry matter of oat protein, of which 2. and 3. must always add up to no more than 65% by weight. The slurry further comprises water 20%-80% by weight of the weight of the dry matter. The method further includes cooking the slurry in an extruder cooker and extruding the cooked slurry to form the textured food product.

A method of manufacturing a textured food product comprising the steps of preparing a slurry comprising dry matter and water, wherein the dry matter comprises 1. at least 35% by weight legume protein, 2. 10% to 45% by weight oat bran, whole grain oat flour or a mixture thereof, and 3. 2% t 35% by weight of the dry matter of oat protein, of which 2. and 3. must always add up to no more than 65% by weight. The slurry further comprises water 20%-80% by weight of the weight of the dry matter. The method further includes cooking the slurry in an extruder cooker and extruding the cooked slurry to form the textured food product.

A crisp proteinaceous food product in which egg white proteins constitute the majority of total proteins present is described. The food product has a bulk density of from 120 to ?500 g/L and includes water, expanded starch, and denatured proteins. Ovalbumin constitutes at least 33% (w/w) of the proteins. Expanded starch can constitute at least 35% (w/w) of the food product.

Nutritious granular materials of fine particle sizes agglomerated within versatile micropellets are useful for inserting significant amounts of nutritious properties into snack foods. Expandable micropellet-containing formulations provide for introduction of fine particle ingredients such as proteins, minerals and other components or desirable nutrients into food processing lines not typically amenable to the fine particle sizes. Micropellet-containing formulations may consist entirely of micropellets, or may contain an expandable starch such as, for example, corn meal, sheeted doughs, and expanded collet products onto which the micropellets may be basted.

Nutritious granular materials of fine particle sizes agglomerated within versatile micropellets are useful for inserting significant amounts of nutritious properties into snack foods. Expandable micropellet-containing formulations provide for introduction of fine particle ingredients such as proteins, minerals and other components or desirable nutrients into food processing lines not typically amenable to the fine particle sizes. Micropellet-containing formulations may consist entirely of micropellets, or may contain an expandable starch such as, for example, corn meal, sheeted doughs, and expanded collet products onto which the micropellets may be basted.

A method for making an alcohol-containing food product comprises combining: (a) a first aqueous solution that includes a multivalent salt, one or more liquid alcohol additives and a thickening agent; with (b) a second aqueous solution that includes an alginate bath. The combination uses extrusion machinery to mass produce spherical beads, less than about 20 mm in typical diameter, with a liquid alcohol center encapsulated in a gelled outer shell. The resulting end product should be collected and stored in a third aqueous solution that maintains similar properties to the first aqueous solution and one or more liquid alcohol additives.

A snack food is prepared by a unique process comprising extruding an extrusion composition under heat and pressure to form an expanded, cooked, egg and added-protein snack food, wherein the extrusion composition comprises a) whole liquid egg present in an amount of from about 5 to about 25% by weight based on the total weight of the extrusion composition, b) an added protein concentrate or isolate selected from the group consisting of rice protein, soy protein, whey protein or mixtures thereof, in an amount so that the total protein present in the expanded, cooked, egg and added-protein snack food is from about 25 to about 40% by weight, and c) starch in an amount sufficient to provide an expanded, cooked, egg and added- protein snack food having a density no greater than about 300 grams per cubic inch.