SHELF STABLE POTATO PRODUCT
20220000129 · 2022-01-06
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
A23L3/0155
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A23B7/148
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A23L5/17
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A23L3/3418
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A23V2002/00
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
A23B7/148
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A23L19/10
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A23L5/10
HUMAN NECESSITIES
Abstract
A shelf stable potato/sweet potato french fry product packaged in a hermetically sealed flexible bag/pouch without the need for a surrounding acidic solution has been disclosed. Such product has a lower pH, preferably below 4.6, with enhanced taste and texture profile features, such as: (a) 0% -2% fat content, (b) a hardness of the exterior layer between 350 gram to 2500 gram after frying, that allows for little to no need for battering of such products, and (c) a moisture content above 55%. These benefits are typically obtained by processing the pre-cut potato via a single-step processing technique which may or may not require pre-processing steps.
Claims
1. A product comprising: a flexible packaging, and a cut potato product disposed within the flexible packaging, the potato product comprising: a pH below about 4.6 throughout the cut potato product, wherein the pH varies less than about 0.15 throughout the cut potato product; a moisture content of about 65 wt % to about 85 wt %; and a fat content of about 0 wt % to about 2 wt %.
2. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product having a width dimension of about 3/16 inch to about ½ inch and a thickness dimension of about 3/16 inch to about ½ inch.
3. The product of claim 1, wherein the cut potato product has a moisture content of about 70 wt % to about 85 wt %.
4. The product of claim 1, wherein the cut potato product has a solids content of about 15 wt % to about 30 wt %.
5. The product of claim 1, wherein the cut potato product has a pH below 4.5 throughout the cut potato product.
6. The product of claim 1, wherein the flexible packaging lacks an acidic solution suspension.
7. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product forming a cooked potato product after being fried in canola oil for about 3-4 minutes at about 350° F., the cooked potato product having a moisture content of about 45 wt % to about 55 wt %, and a fat content of about 6 wt % to about 12 wt %.
8. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product forming a cooked potato product after being fried in canola oil for about 3-4 minutes at about 350° F., the cooked potato product having a surface hardness measure of about 350 grams to about 2500 grams when measured by a puncture test using a 3mm probe at a test speed of 2mm/sec within 120 seconds of completing frying.
9. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product forming a cooked potato product after being fried in canola oil for about 3-4 minutes at about 350° F., the cooked potato product having a moisture content of about 53 wt % to about 65 wt %.
10. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product forming a cooked potato product after being fried in canola oil for about 3-4 minutes at about 350° F., the cooked potato product having a solids content of about 28 wt % to about 40 wt %.
11. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product forming a cooked potato product after being fried in canola oil for about 3-4 minutes at about 350° F., the cooked potato product having a fat content of about 6 wt % to about 10 wt %.
12. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product having a width of about ⅜ inch and a thickness of about 3/8 inch, the cut potato product forming a cooked potato product after being fried in canola oil for about 3-4 minutes at about 350° F., the cooked potato product having a surface hardness measure of about 300 grams to about 500 grams when measured by a puncture test using a 3mm probe at a test speed of 2mm/sec within about 120 seconds of completing frying.
13. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product having a width of about 3/16 inch and a thickness of about 3/16 inch, the cut potato product forming a cooked potato product after being fried in canola oil for about 90 seconds at about 350° F., the cooked potato product having a surface hardness measure of about 2000 grams to about 4000 grams when measured by a puncture test using a 3mm probe at a test speed of 2mm/sec within about 120 seconds of completing frying.
14. The product of claim 1, wherein an interior volume of the flexible packaging is at a partial vacuum pressure.
15. The product of claim 1, wherein the flexible packaging comprises a first section having a first permeability that is greater than a permeability of a remainder of the flexible packaging, and wherein an internal volume of the remainder of the flexible packaging accommodates receipt of the entirety of the cut potato product.
16. The product of claim 15, wherein the interior volume of the remainder of the flexible packaging is at a partial vacuum pressure.
17. The product of claim 1, further comprising a second flexible packaging, wherein the flexible packaging is sealed within the second flexible packaging, and wherein at least part of the flexible packaging has a permeability that is greater than a permeability of the second flexible packaging.
18. The product of claim 17, wherein an interior volume of the second flexible packaging is at a partial vacuum pressure.
19. The product of claim 1, wherein the flexible packaging is disposable in first and second configurations, the first configuration comprising a first section of the flexible packaging being on an exterior of the flexible packaging, the first section having a first permeability that is greater than a permeability of the remainder of the flexible packaging, and the second configuration comprising the first section being enclosed within an interior of the flexible packaging.
20. The product of claim 19, wherein the first section comprises a gusset of the flexible packaging.
21. The product of claim 19, wherein an interior volume of the flexible packaging is at a partial vacuum pressure.
22. The product of claim 1, wherein the flexible packaging comprises first and second internal spaces, with a first partition between the first and second internal spaces, the first partition having a first permeability that is greater than a permeability of the remainder of the flexible packaging, and wherein the cut potato product is in the first internal space.
23. The product of claim 22, wherein the first internal space of the flexible packaging is at a partial vacuum pressure.
24. The product of claim 1, the cut potato product further comprising a batter.
25. The product of claim 24, wherein the batter comprises one or more of a native starch, a modified starch, salt, sugar, glucose, dextrose, a flavoring agent, or a spice.
26. The product of claim 1, wherein the cut potato product is substantially free from artificial preservatives.
27-67. (canceled)
Description
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0113] A shelf stable potato french fry product free from artificial preservatives provides the food service industry with an alternative to frozen french fries. Currently, no suitable alternative is widely available, which puts significant strains on the industry in terms of energy usage for cold storage and also in restrictions in markets where cold storage infrastructure is unavailable. The foodservice industry is a large consumer of processed potato products, which include items such as potato french fries, breakfast hash brown potato, tater tots, mashed potatoes and other such types of products derived from either potatoes or such root vegetables. Products described herein not only have the ability to eliminate the frozen and refrigerated storage space but have the ability to still provide the same or better convenience to the consumer such as: (a) similar or better cooking time at same or lower temperatures compared to conventional frozen products, and (b) zero preparation of the product before frying. With no cold chain systems, these products also offer great cost savings to the distributors and reduce the carbon footprint in the environment.
[0114] Prior processes that seek to create control points for shelf stability have generally been utilized to create a chip product consumed for snacking which are fried to lower the water activity of the end product below 0.6 to inhibit the growth of any micro-organism. Such prior processes have also been utilized to create products which require cooking prior to consumption. Such products also have water activity as a control point to inhibit the growth of micro-organisms but could have higher moisture content to replicate the texture and taste profile of an end product derived from cooking a raw potato. These products would have various types of humectants such as sugar and salt combinations; vegetable glycerin; propylene glycol and products like such in their recipes to control for a lower water activity while having a higher moisture content.
[0115] Embodiments described herein avoid the need to create a mashed product which are liquid or semi-solid/slurry products, in which acidulants are added and then heat is applied to the bag after packaging. Embodiments described herein also avoid the need to package potatoes in a rigid can and add an acidic solution to top off the can, thereby providing an acidic solution suspension. Such products are created by sealing the can and thermally treating the can to achieve commercial sterility by achieving the required internal temperature throughout the entire potato due to the heat applied on the outside of the can during the process. The heat applied to the outside of the can is conducted from the periphery of the can gradually to the inside until the entire potato, including the cross-sectional center of the potato, has reached the required internal temperature. Such end products are best classified as canned potatoes within an acidic solution.
[0116] Aspects of this disclosure pertain to a shelf stable potato product in a unique flexible package/packaging without the need of an acidic solution suspension present inside the bag and a process that utilizes this unique style of packaging to achieve the various advantageous end product attributes including: equilibrium pH below 4.6, shelf stability, color profile, fat to moisture ratio, texture profile, cooking profile, and flavor profile.
[0117] Referring to
[0118] According to process 100, tubers are first sorted and washed (step 105) and optionally peeled (step 110). If a finished product with peel remaining intact is desired, the peeling is omitted. The whole tubers are then optionally pre heated ranging between 1 minute to 60 minutes to get to an internal temperature of 120 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit (step 115). The tubers are then cut, either mechanically or using hydro-jet cutters or with other similar devices (step 115).
[0119] After cutting the tubers, they are blanched (step 120). The blanching step allows for the increase in the cell permeability. The step of blanching may include addition of certain ingredients such as chelating agents or other flavoring compounds. The chelating agents could include citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate, calcium chloride, sodium bisulfate and other ingredients like such. In some embodiments, the dosage is 0.1%, weight basis, and above of the water solution (unless otherwise specified, percentage values herein are expressed in weight basis (wt %)). The flavoring compounds could include various spice combinations and other extracts and oleoresins. The temperature of blanching could range from 50° C. to 120° C. for a time period between 30 seconds to 60 minutes. After exposing the cut tubers to the elevated temperature for the desired time period, the tubers are rapidly cooled (e.g., by immersion in chilled water or an ice bath.)
[0120] Following the blanching step is an optional battering step (step 125). Inclusion of battering is dependent on the desired attributes of end product. The battering step could include dry batters which could be a combination of either native starches consisting of corn starch, all-purpose flour, rice flour, tapioca starch, pea starch, potato starch and other like these or modified starches. The batter can be formed by mixing the desired quantities of the above mentioned ingredients and adding measured quantity of water to it to form a slurry that would allow for a batter pickup by the product between 0.01% to 20% weight basis. Apart from the starches, the batter mixture could also include some quantities of salt and sugar/dextrose or other flavoring agents and spice combinations. Each ingredient could range between 0.1% to 100% of total weight of the batter.
[0121] After battering, the product is set for an intermediate, optional processing step termed as “Moisture Removal” (step 130). This step generally includes a first portion of moisture removal via methods that include but are not limited to air dried/oven cooked/par fried in oil, which serves not only to remove moisture but also to set any optional batter that was added to the product. In case of air drying/oven cooking the processing time could vary between 15 seconds to 30 minutes at temperatures between 100° F. to 450° F. In case of par frying the processing time could vary between 15 seconds to 5 minutes at a temperature between 200° F. to 450° F.
[0122] After the moisture removal step, the product is packaged in a hermetically sealed bag (step 135), described in more detail below, wherein a defined quantity of a processing aid solution is added to the bag (step 140). In some embodiments, the total quantity of the processing aid solution added is 5% and above of the total weight of the product being placed within the bag. The processing aids could include, without limitation the following: nisin, distilled water vinegar, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon juice concentrate, apple juice, apple juice concentrate, cumin seed, ginger, garlic, lactic acid, gluconic acid, malic acid, peroxyacetic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid and its derivatives, sodium bisulfate, gluconodeltalactone (GDL), citric acid, buffers of such acids, oleoresins, vegetable oil (e.g., canola oil), truffle oil, onion extract, clove and clove extracts, paprika extracts, cumin and cumin extracts and the like. The processing aid solution might also require the addition of DI water or distilled water for dilution ranging from 0% to 80% weight basis of the total solution. After the addition of the processing aid ingredients along with the product, the bag is then closed and is optionally agitated (e.g. flipped a few times) to allow for the processing aid to get coated on product uniformly. As set forth in more detail below, closing the bags seals the product and any introduced processing aid in the bag while maintaining a carbon dioxide permeable barrier (a “breathable” portion).
[0123] The sealed bags are then put inside the high pressure chamber 760 of system 700 shown in
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Process
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[0125] The chamber (760) can have one or more openings to which the carbon dioxide is supplied. The same or additional openings may be used to remove the carbon dioxide. The system 700 also has a co-solvent supply unit (740) attached with a co-solvent pump (750), which, in some embodiments, is a high-performance liquid chromatography pump that can pump liquid co-solvents at a set flow rate against high pressures. The co-solvent pump (750) introduces co-solvent into the pressure chamber during the process cycle at a set flow rate. A pressure probe (770) provides pressure monitoring of the chamber (760) during the process cycle. Similarly, a temperature probe (780) provides temperature monitoring of the interior of the chamber (760) during the process cycle. Chamber (760) is connected to an outlet valve (790) for controlling the removal of the carbon dioxide from the chamber (760). In some embodiments, outlet valve (790) is a back pressure regulator valve that is opened when the system (700) is to be depressurized. The outlet valve (790) controls the swift and slow depressurization cycles by opening and closing as needed to maintain the desired depressurization rate, as described herein.
[0126] In one embodiment of the supercritical carbon dioxide process 145, the chamber (760) is flushed with carbon dioxide to purge air from the chamber 760. Next, the carbon dioxide is equilibrated within the chamber 760 to the carbon dioxide inlet pressure 705. After which outlet valve 790 is closed. Next carbon dioxide is fed into the chamber 760 at a temperature between about 88° F. and 250° F. The pump 720 is utilized to further pressurize the chamber 760. During the supercritical carbon dioxide process, the feed flow of carbon dioxide may be continuous (herein “continuous feed”) or may be stopped (herein “no feed”). Thus, the term “continuous” herein describes the dynamic flow of the carbon dioxide into the chamber (760) through-out the time period of the supercritical cycle run time. Flow meter 730 is utilized to measure and maintain the flow rate of the carbon dioxide in case of the continuous feed. Whereas the term “no feed” herein describes a condition in which no further carbon dioxide is fed into the chamber through-out the time period of the supercritical cycle run time. For the sake of clarity, whether the supercritical process is run under continuous feed or no feed conditions, the carbon dioxide is prevented from flowing out of the system (more specifically out of the chamber (760)) beyond the depressurization valve (790) until the cycle is complete.
[0127] The carbon dioxide feed into the system continues until a target system pressure is reached. The target system pressure can vary between 1070 psi and 7000 psi and depends on the final product and processing aids used in the process. In some embodiments of the invention, the appropriate target system pressure is selected by determining the minimum pressure at which the processing aids to be used in the supercritical carbon dioxide treatment are soluble in the supercritical carbon dioxide. For example, certain processing aids mentioned in this disclosure will be soluble in the supercritical carbon dioxide at higher pressures relative to other processing aids. This is so because the carbon dioxide has a relatively higher density at relatively higher operating pressures. This higher density enhances the carbon dioxide's solubilizing ability. Therefore, with the change in the processing aid being utilized in the process, the operating pressure may also change. The duration of the cycle during which the system pressure and temperature are maintained at the desired values can also vary depending on the processing aids, type of potato product, and thickness and width of cut of the cut potato product. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 60 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 50 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 40 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 30 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 20 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 10 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 5 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 4 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 3 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 2 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 30 seconds to about 1 minute. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 1 minute to about 5 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 5 minutes to about 10 minutes. In some implementations, the supercritical carbon dioxide process cycle temperature and pressure are maintained for about 8 minutes to about 12 minutes.
[0128] Once the cycle is complete, the system is depressurized by throttling outlet valve 790. In other embodiments, other valves may be included in the system design for accomplishing the depressurization. The depressurization cycle is performed in two steps. The first depressurization step is termed “swift cycle” and the second depressurization step is termed “slow cycle”. The term “swift cycle” herein refers to a quick depressurization action performed to change the state of the carbon dioxide from supercritical phase to gas phase to allow for no/minimal loss of the processing aid from the bag. This step of swift depressurization allows the state of the fluid to change which results in the separation of the processing aid from the fluid as the processing aid cannot remain solubilized in the gas phase of the fluid. Therefore, this step results in the deposition of the processing aid within the cellular structure of the potato product. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 80 psi/sec-90 psi/sec. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 90 psi/sec-100 psi/sec. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 100 psi/sec-110 psi/sec. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 110 psi/sec-120 psi/sec. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 120 psi/sec-130 psi/sec. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 130 psi/sec-140 psi/sec. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 140 psi/sec-150 psi/sec. In some implementations, the swift cycle depressurization rate is at 150 psi/sec-300 psi/sec.
[0129] The time period of the swift cycle depressurization step is dependent upon the operating pressure of the process and the volume of the operating system. In some implementations, the swift cycle is conducted within 1 second to 1 minute. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 1-5 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 5-10 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 10-15 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 15-20 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 20-25 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 25-30 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 35-40 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 40-45 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 45-50 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 50-55 seconds. In other embodiments, the total swift cycle depressurization time is 55-60 seconds.
[0130] The term “slow cycle” herein refers to a slow depressurization action performed to get the pressure of the vessel (760) equal to atmospheric pressure which does not impair the integrity of the bag or the potato product inside. In one embodiment, the depressurization rate for the slow cycle is less than 80 psi/sec and is preferably about 2.5 psi/sec and conducted over 5 minutes. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 70 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 60 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 50 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 40 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 30 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 20 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 10 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 5 psi/sec. In other embodiments, the slow cycle depressurization rate is less than or equal to about 2.5 psi/sec.
[0131] The time period of the slow cycle depressurization step is dependent, in part, upon the pressure achieved by the swift cycle depressurization. In some implementations, the slow cycle is conducted within about 1 minute. In other embodiments, the total slow cycle depressurization time is 1-2 minutes. In other embodiments, the total slow cycle depressurization time is 2-3 minutes. In other embodiments, the total slow cycle depressurization time is 3-4 minutes. In other embodiments, the total slow cycle depressurization time is 4-5 minutes. In other embodiments, the total slow cycle depressurization time is 5-6 minutes. In other embodiments, the total slow cycle depressurization time is 6-7 minutes. In some embodiments, the depressurization rates for both the swift cycle and slow cycle are maintained at about a constant rate. In other embodiments, the depressurization rates describe the total pressure drop during a measured time period, and the rate of change of pressure during the depressurization step need not be constant during the depressurization cycles.
[0132] This processing technique of treating the product within the high pressure environment of supercritical carbon dioxide increases its ability to solubilize various processing aids. Hence the fluid acts as a transportation medium for such processing aids/ingredients as it moves into the bag. In addition, the carbon dioxide can be heated to a desired temperature to achieve the correct/appropriate diffusivity within a range of operating pressure. This aspect of the process allows one to attain a desired internal temperature of the product to achieve the commercial sterility within the pre-packaged product very swiftly, which in turn results in minimum damage to the textural and organoleptic properties of the product. Referring to
Product Bags and Sealing Steps
[0133] As described herein, products are sealed into bags before being exposed to a supercritical carbon dioxide process. Portions of these bags that hold the product for supercritical carbon dioxide processing and/or for holding the product post-processing are described as “breathable” while other portions are said to be “non-breathable.” Breathable portions are permeable to the supercritical fluid under the supercritical process conditions and may, optionally, be permeable to air and water vapor under standard conditions (e.g., ambient temperature and pressure) but not to microorganisms. Meanwhile, the non-breathable portions remain impermeable to fluids under the supercritical process conditions and under standard conditions. Examples of breathable materials include, without limitation, TYVEK® 1073B, TYVEK® 1059B, and TYVEK® 40L. Meanwhile, examples of non-breathable materials include linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).
[0134] TYVEK® 1073B, with a thickness of 7 mils, and 1059B, with a thickness of 6.1 mils, have a typical Gurley Hill Porosity of 22 sec/100 cc, with a range of 8-36 sec/100 cc as measured using the TAPPI T460 test method. TYVEK® 40L, with a thickness of 5 mils, has a typical Gurley Hill Porosity of 6 sec/100 cc as measured using the TAPPI T460 test method and a nominal Bendtsen Air Permeability of 2350 mL/min, with a range of 700-4000 mL/min, as measured using the ISO 5636-3 test method.
[0135] One specific example of a non-breathable LLDPE material is SteriFlex 903 (by SteriPax of Huntington Beach, Calif.). SteriFlex 903, with a thickness of 3 mils, has an oxygen transmission rate and water vapor transmission rate of about zero as measured by the ASTM D-1434 and ASTM F-1249 test methods, respectively. Other non-limiting examples of materials for the non-breathable material include low-density polyethylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, ethylene-vinyl acetate, nylon, and multi-layer combinations of such materials. Suitable thicknesses of the material can be thicker or thinner than 3 mils and include, without limitation, thickness ranging from 2-3.5 mils.
[0136] One embodiment of such a bag 600 (hereafter also referred to as “bag 1”) is shown in
[0137] Another embodiment (“bag 2”) 630 is shown in
[0138] Another embodiment (“bag 3”) 660 is shown in
[0139] The bottom panel 665 is at least generally in the configuration shown in
[0140] After removal from the supercritical system, bag 3 is sealed by joining the ends of the polymer material to enclose the breathable material within bag 3. In this regard, the breathable material of the bottom panel 665 of the bag can be pushed inside in an “A” shape to create a flat bag from the original stand-up pouch (e.g., by folding the bottom panel 665 along the noted fold line 665a). The bag may have extra polymer extensions 675, measuring about 0.1 mm to 5 mm, around the joint between the breathable and non-breathable portions of the bag. The polymer extensions 675 can be utilized for making new seals between the polymers of both sides of the non-breathable portions of the bag (e.g., by sealing the panels 670a, 670b together to define a sealed end 690b for bag 3-
[0141] The first configuration of bag 3 results in a desirable orientation of the bags within the processing chamber as they can stand up within the chamber. This orientation prevents the breathable material of adjacent bags from interfering with each other as the bags are placed beside each other in the chamber. Also, having the breathable material within the bottom panel 665 of bag 3 results in a smaller bag dimension relative to, e.g., bag 1 of the same capacity (
EXAMPLES
[0142] The following examples are intended to illustrate particular embodiments of the present disclosure, but are by no means intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Example 1
[0143] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch width and thickness using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch. The sample size of washed and cut potato ready for further processing was 500 gram. The variety of the potato being used for this example was Lamoka which has a dry matter of about 21-22%.
[0144] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0145] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0146] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0147] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0148] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the further pressure within the chamber is built up by supplying CO.sub.2 to a pump/compressor that pressurizes the carbon dioxide within the chamber. For this example a no feed process was used. Therefore the chamber was pressurized to a value of 2500 psi in 8 minutes and then the feed flow was stopped. In other embodiments, the operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. As shown in
[0149] After the complete depressurization of the chamber the bag was taken out and the probe was inserted into a random sample inside the bag to check for the internal temperature and the temperature was recorded at 92° C. The net weight of the product within the packaging was measured to be 500 gram. The net weight was calculated by subtracting the weight of the empty bag from the gross weight after processing.
[0150] The bag was oriented so that the product was in the bag away from the breathable strip and the seal was made underneath the breathable strip of the bag using a heat sealer to melt the polymer material, as shown in
[0151] After the bag was cooled, it was opened and random samples were taken. These random samples were 2-3 pieces of potato french fry that were about 0.5-1.0% weight basis of the total sample within the bag. These samples were the standard 3/8 inch width and thickness french fry samples from the processed bag which were mashed and were made into a slurry. The equilibrium pH of the slurry was 4.22 compared to the raw unprocessed potato, which was 6.3. Similarly, another random sample from the bag was taken. These random samples were 2-3 pieces of potato french fry that were about 0.5-1.0% weight basis of the total sample within the bag. These samples were the standard ⅜ inch width and thickness french fry samples from the processed bag. The cross-sectional center of the sample was cut out and was made into a slurry. The cross section of the sample was determined by removing the sides of the cuboid structure to form a cross sectional center of 3/16 inch width and thickness, which was mashed into a slurry. The equilibrium pH of the slurry was 4.23.
[0152] In addition, various potato samples were prepared as set forth above and were individually placed in hermetically sealed bags with each bag having 27 ml of processing aid along with around 500 grams of product. These samples were processed according to supercritical carbon dioxide step of the process above for different time intervals ranging from 1 minute to 20 minutes. As shown in
[0153] Other bags treated according to the process above were left sealed and stored at room temperature for a 10 days, after which random samples were taken from the bag. These random samples were 2-3 pieces of potato french fry that were about 0.5-1.0% weight basis of the total sample within the bag. These samples were the standard 3/8 inch width and thickness french fry samples from the processed bag, which were fried in canola oil at a temperature of 350° F. for 3 minutes. Frozen french fry samples were also fried in canola oil at the same temperature and for the same amount of time. In other embodiments, the samples would be fried in canola oil for about 4 minutes. The product samples and the frozen french fry samples were analyzed for moisture and fat content analysis. The methodology referenced for the determining the fat content was AOAC 933.05 and the methodology referenced for the determining the moisture content was AOAC 984.25. The results of moisture and fat content testing are shown in
[0154] Similarly, a puncture test was performed on four random samples of the french fry product produced by the embodiment of the invention described above along with controls of frozen french fries of ⅜ inch width and thickness. The puncture test measured the surface hardness of the test samples. These samples were analyzed 2 minutes after frying according to the temperature and time above. The puncture test determined the peak force required to puncture the outer skin of the fried product with a 3 mm probe at test speed of 2 mm/sec. Four punctures were performed at four different locations on each sample.
[0155] Similarly, a puncture test was performed on four random samples of the inventive french fry product along with controls of frozen french fries according to the protocol above. These samples were analyzed 20 minutes after the frying using the puncture test described above and the average value of the 16 readings was plotted in
[0156] Samples were tested for Microbial growth, both mold and bacteria. The procedure followed for conducting the shelf life studies is described below:
Media Preparation:
[0157] PDA: 15 grams of potato dextrose agar was mixed in 1 liter of deionized water. It was mixed well, then autoclaved at 121° C. cycle. The media was then poured into the petri plates and stored in the refrigerator at 4-7° C. until used.
[0158] PCA: 15 grams of agar media was mixed in 1 liter of deionized water. It was mixed well, then autoclaved at 121° C. cycle. The media was then poured into the petri plates and stored in the refrigerator at 4-7° C. until used.
[0159] Peptone Water: 15 grams of peptone was mixed in 1 liter of deionized water. It was mixed well, then it was poured into 10 ml test tubes and 25 ml screw caped test tubes. These were autoclaved at 121° C. cycle. In each 10 ml test tube 9 ml of peptone water was poured for the serial dilution. And in the 25 ml ones, 20 ml was poured which were used for the stomaching the samples before plating.
[0160] For molds, the procedure/methodology described in Bacteriological Analytical Manual, Tournas, Stack, Mislivec, & Bandler. (8.sup.th Ed. 1998) for yeasts, molds and mycotoxins was referenced.
Microbial Activity Determination:
[0161] Samples stored for a certain number of days were opened up and placed into the stomacher bag and the 20 ml of peptone water was added to it. Then these samples were placed in the stomacher for 3 min at 250 rpm. Then 1 ml of the peptone solution was pipetted out from the bag and was added to the 9 ml test tube of peptone water. Serial dilutions were done up to 10.sup.−6 maximum. Then 1 ml of the solution was pipetted out of the serial diluted tube 10.sup.−6 which were emptied into three petri plates of the PDA and PCA respectively. It was spread uniformly around the whole plate and was stored at the 30° C. for 48 hours to calculate the total plate count using the below formula:
Initial dilution*subsequent dilution*amount plated=dilution factor
Reciprocal of dilution factor*colonies formed=cfu/gm
[0162] As shown in the
Example 2
[0163] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch. The sample size of washed and cut potato ready for further processing was 900 gram. The variety of the potato being used for this example was Kennebec which has a dry matter of about 20%.
[0164] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0165] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0166] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0167] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0168] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the pressurization cycle was started. For this example a continuous cycle was operated. Therefore chamber was pressurized quickly to the supercritical state of a pressure of 2300 psi then for the remainder time, the carbon dioxide was added slowly at a flow rate of 20-25 grams/min introduced into the chamber with the same compressor by manually controlling the rate of compression. The chamber was initially pressurized to 2300 psi in one minute. The operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. By the end of the cycle the pressure achieved within the chamber was around 2700 psi. As shown in
[0169] The bag was oriented so that the product was in the bag away from the breathable strip and the seal was made underneath the breathable strip of the bag using a heat sealer similar to that shown in
Example 3
[0170] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch.
[0171] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0172] After the step of blanching the product was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0173] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the further pressure within the chamber is built up by supplying CO.sub.2 to a pump/compressor that pressurizes the carbon dioxide within the chamber. For this example a no feed process was used. Therefore the chamber was pressurized to a value of 2500 psi in 8 minutes and then the feed flow was stopped. In other embodiments, the operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. As shown in
[0174] After the complete depressurization of the chamber the bag was taken out and the probe was inserted into a random sample inside the bag to check for the internal temperature and the temperature was recorded at 92° C.
[0175] The bag was oriented so that the product was in the bag away from the breathable strip and the seal was made underneath the breathable strip of the bag with a heat sealer. A temperature drop of 80-120° F. was achieved via immersion in chilled water, which results in minimizing the headspace as a result of partial vacuum formation within the bag due to the differential pressure between the inside and outside of the bag.
Example 4
[0176] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch.
[0177] After the step of cutting and washing the product was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0178] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the further pressure within the chamber is built up by supplying CO.sub.2 to a pump/compressor that pressurizes the carbon dioxide within the chamber. For this example a no feed process was used. Therefore the chamber was pressurized to a value of about 3500 psi in 9 minutes and then the feed flow was stopped. In other embodiments, the operating range for use with these processing aids is between 3000 psi to 3800 psi. As shown in
[0179] After complete depressurization the bag was oriented so that the product was in the bag away from the breathable strip, and the seal was made underneath the breathable strip of the bag. The bag was cooled by immersion in chilled water.
Example 5
[0180] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of 3/16 inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch.
[0181] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0182] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0183] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0184] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0185] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the pressurization cycle was started. For this example a continuous cycle was operated. Therefore chamber was pressurized quickly to the supercritical state of a pressure of 2300 psi then for the remainder time, the carbon dioxide was added slowly at a flow rate of 20-25 gram/min introduced into the chamber with the same compressor by manually controlling the rate of compression. The chamber was initially pressurized to 2300 psi in one minute. The operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. By the end of the cycle the pressure achieved within the chamber was around 2700 psi. As shown in
[0186] The bag was oriented so that the product was in the bag away from the breathable strip and the seal was made underneath the breathable strip of the bag with a heat sealer. A temperature drop of 80-120° F. was achieved via immersion in chilled water, which results in minimizing the headspace as a result of partial vacuum formation within the bag due to the differential pressure between the inside and outside of the bag.
Example 6
[0187] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of 3/16 inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch.
[0188] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0189] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0190] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0191] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0192] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the pressurization cycle was started. For this example a continuous cycle was operated. Therefore chamber was pressurized quickly to the supercritical state of a pressure of 2300 psi, then for the remainder time, the carbon dioxide was added slowly at a flow rate of 20-25 gram/min introduced into the chamber with the same compressor by manually controlling the rate of compression. The chamber was initially pressurized to 2300 psi in one minute. The operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. By the end of the cycle the pressure achieved within the chamber was around 2700 psi. As shown in
[0193] The bags after removal from the supercritical system were placed in another bag made entirely of non-breathable material followed by making a seal on the non-breathable bag with the breathable bag enclosed inside (e.g.,
Example 7
[0194] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of 3/16 inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch.
[0195] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0196] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0197] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0198] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0199] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the pressurization cycle was started. For this example a continuous cycle was operated. Therefore chamber was pressurized quickly to the supercritical state of a pressure of 2300 psi, then for the remainder time, the carbon dioxide was added slowly at a flow rate of 20-25 gram/min introduced into the chamber with the same compressor by manually controlling the rate of compression. The chamber was initially pressurized to 2300 psi in one minute. The operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. By the end of the cycle the pressure achieved within the chamber was around 2700 psi. As shown in
[0200] The bags after removal from the supercritical system were sealed by joining the ends of the polymer material to enclose the breathable strip within (e.g.,
[0201] Similar to the ⅜ inch french fry as described in example 1, a puncture test was performed on four random samples of the inventive french fry product along with controls of frozen french fries according to the protocol above. These samples were analyzed 20 minutes after the frying using the puncture test described above and the average value of the 16 readings was plotted in
Example 8
[0202] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch. The sample size of washed and cut potato ready for further processing was 300 gram. The variety of the potato being used for this example was Wonita which has a dry matter of about 17-19%.
[0203] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0204] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0205] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0206] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0207] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the pressurization cycle was started. For this example a continuous cycle was operated. Therefore chamber was pressurized quickly to the supercritical state of a pressure of 2300 psi, then for the remainder time, the carbon dioxide was added slowly at a flow rate of 20-25 gram/min introduced into the chamber with the same compressor by manually controlling the rate of compression. The chamber was initially pressurized to 2300 psi in one minute. The operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. By the end of the cycle the pressure achieved within the chamber was around 2700 psi. As shown in
[0208] The bags after removal from the supercritical system were sealed by joining the ends of the polymer material to enclose the breathable strip within (e.g.,
Example 9
[0209] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch. The sample size of washed and cut potato ready for further processing was 300 gram. The variety of the potato being used for this example was Wonita which has a dry matter of about 17-19%.
[0210] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0211] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 8-10% weight basis.
[0212] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 10 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 20-30%.
[0213] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0214] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the pressurization cycle was started. For this example a continuous cycle was operated. Therefore chamber was pressurized quickly to the supercritical state of a pressure of 2300 psi, then for the remainder time, the carbon dioxide was added slowly at a flow rate of 20-25 gram/min introduced into the chamber with the same compressor by manually controlling the rate of compression. The chamber was initially pressurized to 2300 psi in one minute. The operating range for use with these processing aids is between 2300 psi to 3000 psi. By the end of the cycle the pressure achieved within the chamber was around 2700 psi. As shown in
[0215] The bags after removal from the supercritical system were sealed by joining the ends of the polymer material to enclose the breathable strip within (e.g.,
[0216] Similar to example 1, a few random samples (5-6 pieces of potato french fry) were about 0.5-1.0% weight basis of the total sample within the bag. These samples were the standard ⅜ inch width and thickness french fry samples from the processed bag, which were fried in canola oil at a temperature of 350° F. for 3 minutes. Frozen french fry samples were also fried in canola oil at the same temperature and for the same amount of time. In other embodiments, the samples would be fried in canola oil for about 4 minutes. The product samples and the frozen french fry samples were analyzed for moisture and fat content analysis. The methodology referenced for the determining the fat content was AOAC 933.05 and the methodology referenced for the determining the moisture content was AOAC 984.25. The results of moisture and fat content testing are shown in
[0217] Similar to the ⅜ inch french fry as described in example 1, a puncture test was performed on four random samples of the inventive french fry product along with controls of frozen french fries according to the protocol above. These samples were analyzed 20 minutes after the frying using the puncture test described above and the average value of the 16 readings was plotted in
Example 10
[0218] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch. The sample size of washed and cut potato ready for further processing was 300 gram. The variety of the potato being used for this example was Kennebec which has a dry matter of about 20%.
[0219] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0220] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0221] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0222] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0223] The high pressure chamber (5 liter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the further pressure within the chamber is built up by supplying CO.sub.2 to a pump/compressor that pressurizes the carbon dioxide within the chamber. For this example a no feed process was used. Therefore the chamber was pressurized to a value of 1075 psi in 2 minutes and then the feed flow was stopped. In other embodiments, the operating range for use with these processing aids is between 1070 psi to 3000 psi. As shown in
[0224] The net weight of the product within the packaging was measured to be 300 gram. The net weight was calculated by subtracting the weight of the empty bag from the gross weight after processing. And final pH of the product was recorded at 4.33. It is expected that when starting with potato varieties with solids lower than 17 wt %, certain embodiments of the final product would achieve a final product with moisture content of about 85 wt % within the final product.
[0225] The bag was oriented so that the product was in the bag away from the breathable strip and the seal was made underneath the breathable strip of the bag using a heat sealer similar to that shown in
Example 11
[0226] The following illustrative example of the processes described herein produced a potato product. Whole potatoes were sized to the desired raw material of 65 mm in length. The sized potatoes were washed and cut into size of ⅜ inch using a hand french fry cutter. The cut product was washed again in cold water to remove the excess starch. The sample size of washed and cut potato ready for further processing was 30 grams. The variety of the potato being used for this example was Lamoka which has a dry matter of about 21-22%.
[0227] The cut product was then blanched in hot water bath solution. The blanching solution consisted of GDL—gluconodeltalactone and citric acid at about 0.3% weight and 0.15% weight, respectively, of the total solution. The temperature of the blanching solution was about 180° F. The potatoes were blanched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
[0228] After blanching the potatoes were put into a batter solution which was maintained at a chilled temperature of about 42° F. The thin batter solution consisted about 58% moisture and 42% of the following ingredients: corn starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt and glucose. The ratio of the ingredients was about 2:1:1:0.2:0.5 weight basis. The product was dipped into the batter solution for about 45 seconds. The weight of the batter solution was taken before the dipping exercise was performed and the weight after the dipping of the product was taken. The difference in the weight allowed for the calculation of the batter pick up by the product. It was calculated that at this viscosity the batter pick up was around 7-9% weight basis.
[0229] After the battering step the product was put through an oven cooking step wherein the temperature of cooking was at 350° F. The residence time for the product was about 3 minutes. The amount of moisture removal that occurred during the step was about 7-9%.
[0230] After the product was taken out from the oven it was directly placed within the hermetically sealed bags as shown in
[0231] The high pressure chamber (500 milliliter) was sealed and the process of flowing the CO.sub.2 into the chamber was started. The temperature of the CO.sub.2 at the inlet is above 195° F. The CO.sub.2 was first equilibrated to the CO.sub.2 storage pressure of 750 psi after which the further pressure within the chamber is built up by supplying CO.sub.2 to a pump/compressor that pressurizes the carbon dioxide within the chamber. For this example a no feed process was used. Therefore the chamber was pressurized to a value of 7000 psi in 5 minutes and then the feed flow was stopped. In other embodiments, the operating range for use with these processing aids is between 1070 psi to 7000 psi. As shown in
[0232] The net weight of the product within the packaging was measured to be 30 gram. The net weight was calculated by subtracting the weight of the empty bag from the gross weight after processing. And final pH of the product was recorded at 4.33.
[0233] The bag was oriented so that the product was in the bag away from the breathable strip and the seal was made underneath the breathable strip of the bag using a heat sealer similar to that shown in
[0234] As set forth above, embodiments of the supercritical carbon dioxide process impart an equilibrium pH below 4.6 that is roughly uniform throughout the treated product. For clarity, while the pH may vary slightly throughout the product, it is understood that localized departures of pH from the average pH of the product will still be below 4.6. Further pH test data of products created by embodiments of the supercritical carbon dioxide process are presented in Table 1. The products of Table 1 were produced by the blanching step and supercritical carbon dioxide process step of Example 1 using only distilled white vinegar of 5% acidity as the processing aid solution and with a residence time at peak pressure of 1 minute. The quantity of processing aid solution added, as a percentage of the total product before adding the solution, is provided in Table 1. In Table 1, the thickness and width of the cross-sectional center portion of the cut potato product was half that of the thickness and width of the cut potato product. Thus, the thickness and width of the cross-sectional center for the ½ inch sample was ¼ inch; for the ⅜ inch sample, it was 3/16 inch; for the 3/16 inch sample, it was 3/32 inch. Table 1 shows that the pH of the potato product produced by these processes vary less than about 0.15 throughout the product.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 pH measurements of potato products Cut Potato Amount of Thickness and Processing Aid pH of Cross Width (inches) (wt %) pH of Cut Potato Sectional Center 3/16 5% 4.22-4.25 4.23-4.26 ⅜ 5% 4.31-4.32 4.32-4.34 ½ 8% 4.17-4.19 4.32-4.34
[0235] Illustrative embodiments of the processes, methods, and products of the present disclosure are described herein. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of the specific embodiments is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention by the appended claims. Thus, although the present invention has been described for the purpose of illustration, it is understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined by the following claims.