Kraft Foods North America, Inc.

New World Pasta Company

Edward Albert Matuszak

Amar Debbouz

A shelf-stable filled pasta and a method of making same, the method comprising providing an acid-treated or acid-containing fillable pasta piece having a pH of about 4.6 or less; inserting filling into the fillable pasta piece; exposing the filling in the filled pasta piece to microwave or radio frequency radiation to reduce the water activity in the filling to about 0.85 or less; sealing the filled pasta piece in a package; and pasteurizing the filled pasta piece at any point in the process after the filling has been inserted into the fillable pasta piece. The shelf-stable filled pasta is a pasta made by the foregoing method.

Shelf-stable filled pasta and methods of making

A method and apparatus are provided to produce non-sticky pasta with improved properties, including better surface smoothness and color (yellowness and brightness), with minimal loss of solids during cooking. Improved organoleptic properties, e.g., mouth feel, are also achieved by a process and apparatus which imparts low shear to an alimentary paste processed by an extruder. Components of the extruder, including screens and/or breaker plates, are coated with a low friction material such as polytetrafluoroethylene. One hundred percent of the orifice in the die body are provided with a low friction coating such as polytetrafluoroethylene in the form of an insert and tube which extends from the rear surface of the die to the orifice exit. The rear surface of the die may also be coated with a low friction material such as polytetrafluoroethylene.

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Columbus, OH, United States of America

Edward Albert Matuszak