The Quaker Oats Company

General Foods Limited

The Quaker Company

Jacque L Malfait

Thomas E Abraham

Arnold J White

The present invention includes puffed food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance and methods for preparing them. In general terms, the products are snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. Quantities of other food starch materials may also be employed as a co-mixed constituent, or the primary source of bulk starch material, for example potato starch material. A quantity of the grain is puffed (expanded) in a manner which forms a snack product of considerable crispiness, lightness, and unique texture to both the mouth and eye.

Puffed starch snack product

The present invention includes a method of making a puffed-food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance. The products may be snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. According to one method, a puffing chamber is provided having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The bulk amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while permitting unconstrained expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension.

Puffed food starch product and method for making the same

The present invention provides a method of making a puffed food starch material product. A food starch material capable of volumetric expansion in three dimensions is placed into a puffing chamber. Expansion of the food starch material includes constraining expansion of the food starch material in at least a first dimension while permitting unconstrained expansion of the food starch material in a second dimension to produce a unitary, puffed food starch material product with at least one surface having a wavy contour. In a method of making a puffed food starch material product of the present invention, a puffing chamber is provided having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The bulk amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while permitting expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension.

Method for making a puffed food starch product

The present invention provides a method of puffing a food starch material capable of becoming amorphous into a food starch material product. The method includes forming food starch material pellets by extruding gelatinized food starch flour in an extruder. The pellets are then placed in a puffing chamber and heated under pressure until the pellets become amorphous. The amorphous food starch material product is then expanded to form a puffed, unitary product composed of all the pellets placed in the chamber.

The present invention includes a method of making a puffed food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance. The products may be snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. Quantities of other food starch materials may also be employed as a co-mixed constituent, or the primary source of bulk starch material, for example potato starch material. A quantity of the grain is puffed (expanded) in a manner which forms a snack product of considerable crispiness, lightness, and unique texture to both the mouth and eye.

Puffed food starch product

The present invention includes puffed-food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance and methods for preparing them. In general terms, the products are snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. According to a method of making the puffed food starch material product of the present invention, a puffing chamber is provided having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The bulk amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while permitting expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension.

The present invention includes a method of making a puffed food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance. The products may be snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. According to one method, a puffing chamber is provided having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. An amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while permitting unconstrained expansion of the amount in at least a second dimension.

The present invention includes puffed-food starch material snacks, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance and methods for preparing them. In general terms, the products are snack chips, cakes and crackers made from food starch material. A quantity of the grain is puffed (expanded) in a manner which forms a snack product of considerable crispiness, lightness, and unique texture. According to a method of making the puffed food starch material product of the present invention, a puffing chamber is provided having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The bulk amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension while permitting expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension.

The present invention includes a method of making a puffed food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance. The products may be snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. According to one method, a puffing chamber is provided having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The bulk amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while permitting unconstrained expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension.

A process is described to provide an improved instantized parboiled rice that maintains the texture, appearance and flavor characteristics of eating quality parboiled finished rice product.

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Cobourg, Canada

Jacque L Malfait