The Procter Gamble Company

Mid-america Commercialization Corporation

Joseph J Elsen

Jeffrey John Kester

Thomas Joseph Wehmeier

Robert Lawrence Prosise

Robert Joseph Sarama

Raymond Louis Niehoff

Christopher Randall Beharry

Ralph Lawrence Helmers, Jr

Susana Rosa Waimin Siu

Vince York-Leung Wong

Patrick Joseph Corrigan

James C Letton

David John Weisgerber

Richard Nicholas Reinhart, Jr

Timothy B Guffey

David Thomas Biedermann

Kathleen Hack Noble

Li-Hsin Tsai

Brenda Kay Murphy

Tamara Jocelyn Kearney

Alyce Johnson Papa

Herbert Thomas Young

John R Baginski

Kyle McLennan Taylor

Belle Cromwell Walsh

Deborah Jean Back

Jerry Douglas Young

Mary M Fox

Michael Robert Sevenants

Christian A Bernhardt

James B Hirshorn

Vince Y Wong

Charles Henry Taylor

James A Letton

Jeffrey K Kester

The present invention relates to tasty, ready-to-eat, nutritional foods that offer an alternative to appealing but unhealthy foods. More particularly, tasty, ready-to-eat, nutritional foods that provide a balanced mix of amino acids, fat, and carbohydrates are disclosed. Processes for making, and methods of using said tasty, ready-to-eat, nutritional foods are also disclosed. The nutritious foods of the present invention are formulated and processed such that they resolve the dilemma that consumers have always been faced with&#x2014;healthy eating or enjoying what they eat.

Tasty, ready-to-eat, nutritionally balanced food compositions

Appealing traditional nutritious snacks and mixes from which consumers can prepare appealing traditional nutritious snacks are disclosed. These snacks and mixes offer an alternative to appealing but unhealthy snacks. The nutritious snacks of the present invention are traditional in form, provide a balanced mix of an amino acid source, fat, and carbohydrates and typically have an appeal similar to that of unhealthy snacks of similar form. Thus, the snacks and snack mixes of the present invention resolve the dilemma that consumers are currently faced with&#x2014;healthy eating or enjoying what you eat. Processes for making and methods of using appealing traditional nutritious snacks and mixes from which consumers can prepare appealing traditional nutritious snacks are also disclosed.

Traditional snacks having balanced nutritional profiles

The present invention relates to tasty, ready-to-eat, nutritional foods that offer an alternative to appealing but unhealthy foods. More particularly, tasty, ready-to-eat, nutritional foods that provide a balanced mix of amino acids, fat, and carbohydrates are disclosed. Processes for making, and methods of using said tasty, ready-to-eat, nutritional foods are also disclosed. The nutritious foods of the present invention are formulated and processed such that they resolve the dilemma that consumers have always been faced with&mdash;healthy eating or enjoying what they eat.

Tasty, convenient, nutritionally balanced food compositions

Appealing traditional nutritious snacks and mixes from which consumers can prepare appealing traditional nutritious snacks are disclosed. These snacks and mixes offer an alternative to appealing but unhealthy snacks. The nutritious snacks of the present invention are traditional in form, provide a balanced mix of an amino acid source, fat, and carbohydrates and typically have an appeal similar to that of unhealthy snacks of similar form. Thus, the snacks and snack mixes of the present invention resolve the dilemma that consumers are currently faced with&mdash;healthy eating or enjoying what you eat. Processes for making and methods of using appealing traditional nutritious snacks and mixes from which consumers can prepare appealing traditional nutritious snacks are also disclosed.

Nutritionally balanced snack food compositions

Ready-to-eat nutritionally balanced food compositions having superior taste systems

Nutritionally balanced traditional snack foods

A method for preparing frozen par-fried potato strips comprising about 38% to about 58% moisture which remain fresh tasting after storage at about 0&deg; F. (&minus;17.8&deg; C.). The method comprises peeling, trimming and cutting raw potatoes into strips, blanching, and reducing the moisture content of the potato strips to not less than about 60%. The reduced moisture potato strips are then parfried in oil at a temperature of from about 270&deg; F. (132&deg; C.) to about 335&deg; F. (168.3&deg; C.) for a time sufficient to reduce the moisture content of the potato strips to about 38% to about 58% moisture. Thereafter, the parfried potato strips are frozen. The frozen par-fried potato strips are stable (i.e., free from off-flavor development) when stored at 0&deg; F. (&minus;17.8&deg; C.) to about 20&deg; F. (&minus;6.7&deg; C.) for at least 1 month. When cooked, the finished French fries have improved flavor over conventional oven baked fries.

Process for preparing storage stable par-fries

The present invention relates to frozen hydrated par-fried potato strips comprising about 35% to about 55% moisture which when oven finished have substantially the same internal and surface texture as deep fried French fries. More particularly this invention relates to par-fried potato strips for subsequent finishing in an oven prior to consumption prepared by: (a) parfrying potato strips at an oil temperature of from about 270.degree. F. (132.degree. C.) to about 385.degree. F. (196.degree. C.) for a time sufficient to reduce the moisture content of the par-fries to from about 30% to about 50%, (b) hydrating the surface of said par-fries until the weight thereof is increased by from about 1% to about 12%, and (c) freezing said hydrated par-fries. The frozen, hydrated par-fries comprise from about 35% to about 55% moisture.

Process for preparing frozen par-fried potato strips having deep fried

The present invention relates to a process for making superior quality oven-finished French fries. i.e., French fried potato strips, by baking prebake par-fries in a forced air convection oven or impingement oven for about 0.5 to about 10 minutes at 325.degree. F. (162.8.degree. C.) to about 600.degree. F. (315.6.degree.) at an air velocity of from about 500 to about 10,000 feet per minute. After baking, the fries are optionally coated with oil. The oven-finished French fries of this invention are like deep fat fried French fries, which are superior in quality compared to the state of the art oven-finished French fries. The oven-finished French fries (shoestring-cut) made by the process of this invention have a bulk moisture of from about 32% to about 46%; a total fat content of from about 12% to about 25%; and a French Fry Texture Value of at least about 200. Preferably the fries have a surface water activity (Aw) of less than about 0.55 and an internal moisture content of from about 55% to about 80%.

Forced air convection oven process for finishing french fries

The present invention provides a process for quickly oven finishing (baking) oil-enrobed prebake fries in as litle as 0.75 minute at a temperature of from about 325.degree. F. (162.degree. C.) to about 800.degree. F. (426.degree. C.) to provide oven-finished French fries that have virtually the same taste and characteristics as deep fat fried finished French fries. The oven-finished shoestring French fries of this invention are characterized as having: a bulk moisture of from about 32% to about 46%; a total fat content of from about 12% to about 25%; and a French Fry Texture Value of at least about 200. Preferably the fries have a surface water activity (Aw) of less than about 0.55 and an internal moisture content of from about 55% to about 80%.

Process for preparing improved oven-finished french fries

Nondigestible fats having relatively flat Solid Fat Content (SFC) profile slopes between typical room and body temperatures are disclosed. These nondigestible fat contain a liquid nondigestible oil and relatively small nondigestible particles dispersed in the oil to control passive oil loss. Edible fat-containing products containing these nondigestible fats can be less waxy tasting due to the lower level of solids required for passive oil loss control.

Nondigestible fat compositions containing relatively small nondigestible

A reduced calorie fat composition comprising: (a) from about 50% to about 100% of polyol fatty acid polyesters consisting of a combination of liquid and solid polyol fatty acid polyesters, and from 0% to about 50% triglycerides. The liquid polyol fatty acid polyester having at least 50% saturated fatty acid radicals with not more than 14 carbon atoms, provides faster moisture transport than prior polyol fatty acid polyester fat compositions. As a result, foods cooked in the present compositions have good texture, crispness, mouthfeel, color, and taste with reduced calories.

Polyol fatty acid polyester cooking mediums

Reduced fat and calorie pourable shortenings, cooking oils, salad oils or similar compositions are disclosed. The nondigestible portion of these compositions contain low levels of solids, yet still exhibit good passive oil loss control. These compositions also have good temperature cycling stability and they impart good organoleptic properties to foods prepared with them. Also disclosed are relatively clear oils with reduced calories, All these pourable compositions comprise specific solid polyol fatty acid polyesters, a liquid nondigestible oil and, optionally, a digestible oil and/or a hardstock fat.

Reduced calorie pourable shortening, cooking oils, salad oils or like

Reduced fat and calorie plastic shortenings are disclosed. The nondigestible portion of these compositions contain low levels of solids, yet still exhibit good passive oil loss control. These compositions also impart good organoleptic properties to foods prepared with them. These shortenings comprise specific solid polyol fatty acid polyesters, a liquid nondigestible oil, and, optionally, a hardstock, a digestible oil, an intermediate melting triglyceride, or other shortening ingredients.

Shortening compositions containing polyol fatty acid polyesters

Fatty acid esters of polyols having at least 4 hydroxyl groups wherein the fatty acid groups consist essentially of: (1) long chain unsaturated fatty acid radicals containing at least 12 carbon atoms or mixtures of said unsaturated radicals with saturated fatty acid radicals containing 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and (2) long chain saturated fatty acid radicals containing at least 20 carbon atoms, wherein the molar ratio of (1):(2) is from 1:15 to 2:1 and wherein at least 4 of the hydroxyl groups of the polyol are esterified. The compounds are useful as nondigestible substitutes for solid fats in foods.

Solid, nondigestible, fat-like compounds and food compositions

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Joseph J Elsen