Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Dean Foods Company

Celso O Bejarano-Wallens

Donald Hodapp

Julie E Gage

Theo D Richards

Edward J Kelley, Jr

Susan Keegan

Food sauces containing crystallizable fat present processing problems because the low temperatures required for reasonable commercial packaging operations frequently cause fat to solidify on equipment. The use of an emulsifier, and desirably a hydrophilic colloid suspended in liquid vegetable oil, in small amounts enables cooling of fat-containing sauces to less than 55.degree. F. without experiencing problems of fat solidification, equipment fouling or undue viscosity increases. Preferably, lecithin is added to a fat phase of the sauce in an amount of from 0.1 to 0.3%, xanthan gum will be added at a level of 0.005 to 0.2%, and the liquid vegetable oil will be added at a level from 0.2 to 4.2%.

Method for processing fat-containing food sauce

A process for preparing a melting tolerant portion controlled sauce and seasoning particulate by combining a first mixture of a 5% gelatin solution and seasonings with a second mixture comprising non-solid ingredients such as cream, margarine, cheese, etc. and mixing the combination to form a sauce mixture, followed by heating the sauce mixture to temperatures effective to pasteurize the sauce mixture then depositing individual sauce particulates onto a freezer belt with a drop forming unit drops and freezing same to temperatures ranging from -5.degree. F. to -15.degree. F. following by removing the frozen discrete sauce particulates from the freezer belt for packaging with frozen melts and/or vegetables.

Melting tolerant sauce and seasoning particulate

Growing community of inventors

East Windsor, NJ, United States of America

Celso O Bejarano-Wallens