AN EXTRUDED FOOD PRODUCT AND A METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

Abstract

An extruded food product comprising at least one partially defatted oil seed and an antioxidant.

Claims

1. A textured crisp comprising at least one partially defatted oil seed, a gluten-free, high-starch flour, and an antioxidant.

2. The textured crisp of claim 1, wherein the at least one partially defatted oil seed is selected from flaxseed, hemp seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, chia seed or a combination thereof.

3. The textured crisp of claim 1, wherein the at least one partially defatted oil seed is in powder form.

4. The textured crisp of claim 1, wherein the flour is selected from rice flour, lentil flour, potato flour, cornflour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, oat flour or a combination thereof.

5. The textured crisp of claim 1, wherein the antioxidant is selected from mixed tocopherols, cherry extract, vitamin C, acerola (Malpighia emarginata) extract, green tea extract, sage extract, ascorbyl palmitate, 3,5,4-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, Mentha spicate extract, turmeric extract and combinations thereof.

6. The textured crisp of claim 1, further comprising flavouring, starches, honey, date syrup, raw cane syrup, brown rice syrup. agave syrup, natural sugar replacers, inulin, steviol glycosides, monk fruit, vitamins, minerals, chlorella, spirulina, wheatgrass, barley grass, alfalfa, maca, cocoa, turmeric, herbs and spices and their extracts, natural colouring, botanicals, a freeze-dried component, dried fruit, vegetables, or a combination thereof.

7. The textured crisp as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a vitamin, in which the vitamins are selected from vitamins A, B, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E, or K, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Folic acid, Biotin, or combinations thereof.

8. The textured crisp as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a mineral, in which the mineral is selected from Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Zinc, Manganese, Potassium, Selenium, Chromium, Molybdenum, Phosphorus, or combinations thereof.

9. The textured crisp according to claim 1 further comprising a freeze-dried component, in which the freeze-dried component is a fruit or a material derived from a fruit such as strawberry, apple, orange, apricot, grape, peach, pear, berries, mango, melon, banana, citrus fruits, or a combination thereof; or a vegetable or product made from a vegetable including asparagus, pea pods, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, mixed vegetables, yellow red or green peppers, lotus fruit, celery, garlic, onion, lettuce, carrot, potato, corn, or a combination thereof.

10. (canceled)

11. The textured crisp of claim 1 wherein the at least one partially defatted oil seed is at a concentration of 5-65 wt % (dry weight).

12. The textured crisp of claim 1 wherein the at least one antioxidant is at a concentration of at least 0.01-0.1 wt % (dry weight).

13. The textured crisp of claim 1 having 5-40 wt % protein, 10-30 wt % fibre and 1-10 wt % alpha-linolenic acid.

14. A textured crisp according to claim 1, comprising rice flour, partially defatted flaxseed and rosemary extract.

15. A textured crisp of claim 1 comprising 39.95 wt % starch, 60 wt % partially defatted flaxseed, and 0.05 wt % rosemary extract.

16. The textured crisp according to claim 1, further coated with honey, malt syrup or date syrup.

17. A textured crisp of claim 1 comprising 30 wt % starch, 50 wt % partially defatted flaxseed, 19.45% pea protein isolate 85%, 0.5 wt % salt, and 0.05 wt % rosemary extract.

18. (canceled)

19. A textured crisp of claim 1 comprising 49.45 wt % starch, 10 wt % partially defatted flaxseed, 10 wt % hemp protein power, 30% oat flour, 0.50 wt % salt and 0.05 wt % rosemary extract.

20-21. (canceled)

22. The textured crisp as claimed in claim 1 having 1-10 wt % alpha-linoleic acid.

23. (canceled)

24. A method of producing a textured crisp comprising at least one partially defatted oil seed, a gluten-free, high-starch flour, and an antioxidant, the method comprising the steps of: premixing and dry blending ingredients being used; adding the premixed ingredients to a water stream being fed into an extruder; extruding the textured crisp at a temperature of between 100-170 C.; passing the extruded textured crisp between a pair of rollers to shape the textured crisp; and drying the shaped textured crisp in an oven at a temperature of between 100-120 C.

25. A method of claim 24, in which the extruded, dried and shaped textured crisp is further coated with a syrup or honey following cooling.

26-29. (canceled)

30. The textured crisp of claim 2, wherein the at least one partially defatted oil seed is in powder form.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0065] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating the manufacturing process used to make the product described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] The invention broadly relates to an extruded food product comprising flaxseed (linseed) and/or hempseed raw materials.

Material and Methods:

[0067] Typical ingredients that may be used in the extruded product are, but not limited to, the following:

Rice Flour (30-60 wt %)

[0068] Rice starch (30-60 wt %)
Tapioca starch (30-70 wt %)

Potato Starch (30-70 wt %)

[0069] Partially defatted Flaxseed flour (5-70 wt %)
Partially defatted Hemp seed flour (5-50 wt %)
Pea protein concentrate (10-40 wt %)
Rice protein concentrate: (5-50 wt %)
Pea protein isolate (5-30 wt %)
Oat flour (15-35 wt %)
Lentil flour (10-60 wt %)

Honey (5-15 wt %)

[0070] Malt syrup (5-15 wt %)
Date syrup (5-10 wt %)
Maple syrup (5-15 wt %)

Salt (0.2-1 wt %)

[0071] Steviol Glycosides (20-3300 ppm)

Sensory Testing

[0072] Sensory testing of the products was carried out at 12 months. The results have shown that the products produced were found to be organoleptically acceptable. The 9-point hedonic scale was used to determine acceptability over shelf life for the key attributes: appearance, texture, aroma and flavour and overall liking. Sensory evaluation was undertaken by a trained panel over a number of timepoints throughout a 12-month testing period. Panelist were asked to rate according to their like and dislike using the scale with a score of 9 being Like Extremely to a score of 1 being Dislike Extremely. A product that scored 5 or greater was considered organoleptically acceptable. Product that scored 4 or under was rejected as unacceptable.

Storage of Product for Testing

[0073] The crisp product produced was stored at ambient temperatures for two years and the product was tested at the end of those two years. For example, the crisp product was tested to determine whether Omega 3 in the product was degraded.

Compositions

[0074] Please note that the units used for the ingredient composition are g/100 g or wt %. Please note that the units used for the product composition are g/100 g or wt %. Please note that the sum of all the parts of the composition make up 100 g or 100 wt % of the composition.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 A typical Extruded Oilseed Crisp recipe contains a combination of the base three ingredients of a gluten free/high-starch flour, a partially defatted oil seed and an antioxidant plus one or more of the other listed ingredients: Ingredient wt % (dry weight) Gluten Free/High-starch Flour 20-60 Partially Defatted oil seed 5-65 Protein Source 5-40 Cereal Flour 10-40 (Sea) Salt 0.05-1.5 Antioxidant 0.01-0.1 Sweetener 0.1-20

[0075] Typically, starch or high starch gluten-free flours (such as rice flour), defatted flaxseed and an antioxidant, such as extract of rosemary, green tea extract, sage extract, mixed tocopherols, ascorbyl palmitate, 3,5,4-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, Mentha spicate extract, and the like, would form the base ingredients of the recipes described herein.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 An example of a Flaxseed Crisp Recipe Ingredient Amount (wt %) Rice Flour 39.95 Partially Defatted Flaxseed 60.00 Extract of Rosemary 00.05

[0076] Analysis of the composition in Table 2 revealed a product having 22.8% protein, 20.2% fibre and 8.4% fat content. In accordance with the EC REGULATION No. 1924/2006 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT on nutrition and health claims made on foods, the Flaxseed Crisp of Table 2 qualifies for the following claims: High in Fibre, High in Protein, Low in Sugar and High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 An example of a Flaxseed and Pea Protein Crisp Recipe Ingredient Amount (wt %) Rice Flour 30.00 Partially Defatted Flaxseed 50.00 Pea Protein Isolate 85% 19.45 Sea Salt 00.50 Extract of Rosemary 00.05

[0077] Analysis of the composition in Table 3 revealed a product having 33.3% protein, 16.9% fibre and 8.1% fat content. In accordance with the EC REGULATION No. 1924/2006 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT on nutrition and health claims made on foods, the Flaxseed Crisp of Table 3 qualifies for the following claims: High in Fibre, High in Protein, Low in Sugar and High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 An example of a Hemp and Flaxseed Crisp with Oats Recipe Ingredient Amount (wt %) Rice Flour 49.45 Partially Defatted Flaxseed 10.00 Hemp Protein Powder 10.00 Oat Flour 30.00 Sea Salt 00.50 Extract of Rosemary 00.05

[0078] Analysis of the composition in Table 4 revealed a product having 15.3% protein, 9.8% fibre and 5.1% fat content. In accordance with the EC REGULATION No. 1924/2006 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT on nutrition and health claims made on foods, the Flaxseed Crisp of Table 3 qualifies for the following claims: High in Fibre, a Source of Protein, Low in Sugar and a Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Analysis of the Flaxseed Crisp in Table 2 that has been stored for 2 years Analyte Amount Unit Omega-3 2.29 g/100 g Free Fatty Acid 0.3 % Peroxide Value 144* mEq/kg fat Peroxide Value 7.06** mEq/kg product *72 millimoles/kg of fat; **3.53 millimoles/kg product

[0079] The PV mEq/kg fat and PV mEq/kg product presented in Table 5 are the results for the flaxseed crisps of Table 2. The PV mEq/kg fat reflects the PV per kg of the fat in the flaxseed crisp, whereas the PV mEq/kg product reflects the PV per kg of the entire product. As per Table 5, the Omega-3 Fatty Acids are still present after storage for 2 years, thus indicating a product with a superior shelf life period. As flaxseed oil is generally unstable over shelf life due to the nature of the high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the chemical analysis verifies the compositional stability of the product.

[0080] Table 2 shows the ingredient and chemical composition of a crisp made with 60% partially defatted flaxseed. This has the highest fibre content of the compositions presented above and it also qualifies as being high in protein and high in omega-3. As an inclusion in a ready-to-eat cereal, this product would enhance the nutritional profile by contributing significant amounts of protein, fibre and omega-3.

[0081] The analysis of Table 3 shows the effect of adding pea protein isolate (85%) to the formulation at a level of 19.45 wt %. The addition of pea protein isolate elevates the protein content In Finished Product (IFP) to 35%, which means this product could be used as an inclusion ingredient to increase the protein level in a ready-to-eat cereal, as well as contributing significant amounts of fibre and omega-3. The product outlined in Table 3 has retained its crisp-like texture, without having any graininess or a gritty mouthfeel with this amount of protein in the crisp.

[0082] Table 4 outlines a product that includes oats along with flaxseed and hempseed. The crisp of Table 4 can be used as a superior, textured cereal which can be eaten on its own and contributes not only protein, fibre and omega 3 but also beta-glucans from the oats. The benefit of beta-glucans is that they have been shown to decrease levels of saturated fat in the blood, have an effect on blood glucose regulation (reducing the risk of heart disease) and may also have some immunomodulatory properties.

[0083] Turning now to FIG. 1, the extruded textured food product is made, but not limited to this process and equipment type, by using a twin-screw extruder via the following steps: [0084] Ingredients are kept in a cool, dark place prior to use. In a premixing step the respective amounts of ingredients are dry blended prior to entering the extruder to ensure homogeneous mixture of ingredients. [0085] The preblended dry ingredients, along with ambient water, are fed into the extruder at a set speed. [0086] Extrusion takes place at a temperature of between 100-170 C., for a dwell time in an extrusion barrel of between 20 and 40 seconds. [0087] The warm extruded pieces are passed between 2 rollers to achieve a flake-type or oval shape, having a length of between 4-5 mm and a diameter of about 3 mm (flaking). The shaped pieces are then dried to a final moisture content of 2-5% in a static fan-assisted oven, at a temperature range of 100-120 C. [0088] An additional step, which is optional, is where the extruded crisp product is coated with either malt syrup, date syrup or honey, or a combination thereof, following cooling.

[0089] There is also an option to create a product that is a mixture of the extruded crisp with other particular ingredients such as seeds, nuts, dried fruits or vegetables etc. (secondary proportioning). The additional ingredients can be added either to the first step of the process where the core ingredients of the product are dry-blended together or after the product is dried following shaping.

[0090] The finished extruded crisp product is packaged for storage. The packaging can be in consumer units or bulk quantities bag-in-box. The packaging material for consumer units is preferably a metalized polyester material, which is hermetically sealed using a modified atmosphere. Various modified atmospheres can be used, such as, for example, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and combinations thereof.

[0091] Using the recipes and methods described herein, textured, plant-based, extruded food products can be produced, which can be used either as cereals in their own right or as ingredients in conventional boxed cereal formulations. These extruded food products are wheat-free, low in sugars, provide a source of protein and are high in fibre and in omega-3 fatty acids. They have a much higher nutritive value than conventional extruded cereal products. The product of the invention is provided to meet the demand for more nutritious breakfast and snack offerings, while still maintaining the crunchy texture that consumers like. The food product is non-genetically modified (non-GM), allergen free, plant based (a more sustainable protein source), and incorporates other highly nutritious ingredients with nutraceutical effects such as turmeric, wheatgrass, chlorella, spirulina, etc., and has no added sugar. Defatted flaxseed has excellent demulcent properties due to its very high soluble and insoluble fibre content, which makes defatted flaxseed much gentler on the digestive system than wheat fibre.

[0092] Extruded, direct expanded food products, such as those of the prior art documents discussed above, are typically high starch, crispy, crunchy or puffy and light foods that come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the die to be used spheres, sticks, pillows, animals, cartoon characters stars, rings, curls, chips, etc. They are generally textured and often coated with sugars or syrups or savoury coatings to add flavour and further texture to make them palatable. They are eaten at all times of the day and can be sweet or savoury. They are normally very high in starch and of low nutritional value and are produced via extrusion systems. The product of the claimed invention, though it is direct expanded, is not high in starch but is high in protein, fibre and omega 3 fatty acids, thus providing a far superior nutritional end product.

[0093] In the specification, the terms comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising or any variation thereof and the terms include, includes, included and including or any variation thereof are considered to be totally interchangeable and they should all be afforded the widest possible interpretation and vice versa.

[0094] The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail.