Provided is an instant food product comprising puffed dried rice eatable with a thick and rich sauce, such as curried rice or rice with hashed meat, wherein the instant food product can be cooked even in the outdoors or indoors without a microwave oven so as to be eatable.

The present invention provides an instant food product comprising puffed dried rice eatable by pouring hot water, wherein the puffed dried rice is directly stored in a container together with a solid seasoning. The puffed dried rice has a bulk specific gravity of 0.43 to 0.53 g/ml and a final moisture content of 5% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less.

Systems and methods for producing sprouted popcorn kernels are provided, which can be popped into sprouted popped popcorn having unique organoleptic qualities. In an embodiment, a system incorporates a germination unit having one or more sensors to track the germination progress of unsprouted popcorn kernels and to automatically transition sprouted popcorn kernels to a drying process to provide dried sprouted popcorn kernels suitable for popping as a ready to eat product or for packaging for consumer popping preparation. The system promotes the preparation of commercial scale sprouted popcorn kernels through tracking of moisture content of the popcorn kernels through one or more processes of sprouted popcorn kernel production.

Systems and methods for producing sprouted popcorn kernels are provided, which can be popped into sprouted popped popcorn having unique organoleptic qualities. In an embodiment, a system incorporates a germination unit having one or more sensors to track the germination progress of unsprouted popcorn kernels and to automatically transition sprouted popcorn kernels to a drying process to provide dried sprouted popcorn kernels suitable for popping as a ready to eat product or for packaging for consumer popping preparation. The system promotes the preparation of commercial scale sprouted popcorn kernels through tracking of moisture content of the popcorn kernels through one or more processes of sprouted popcorn kernel production.

An apparatus and method for creating a sheeted food product having a minimal thickness. The apparatus includes grooved feed rollers covered in a nonstick material which prevents the formation of obstructions, allowing a narrower gap for sheeting food product. The process includes mixing a binding agent and dry ingredients, confirming the binding agent has covered the majority of the dry ingredients, rapidly transferring the mixed binding agent and dry ingredients to an extruder, and extruding a sheeted food product having minimal thickness.

Compounds represented by the formula ##STR00001## and their edible salts, and edible compositions containing same wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl residue containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkene residue containing from 9 to 25 carbon atoms with 1 to 6 double bonds, such that R.sub.1 together with the carbonyl group to which it is attached is a residue of a carboxylic acid, and the amino acid residue connected to the carbonyl carbon atom is a residue of a 1-amino cycloalkane carboxylic acid (ACCA), and n is 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Compounds represented by the formula ##STR00001## and their edible salts, and edible compositions containing same wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl residue containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkene residue containing from 9 to 25 carbon atoms with 1 to 6 double bonds, such that R.sub.1 together with the carbonyl group to which it is attached is a residue of a carboxylic acid, and the amino acid residue connected to the carbonyl carbon atom is a residue of a 1-amino cycloalkane carboxylic acid (ACCA), and n is 1, 2, 3 or 4.

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 cooking system that utilizes vibration to improve the convenience of preparing food and the quality of the finished product. The system uses a vibrating device coupled to a cooking vessel with a pad and/or isolation blocks disposed between the vibrator and the vessel. The cooking system can be adapted to prepare specific foods in specific quantities, such as popcorn in pre-packaged containers.

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.