Nabisco, Inc.

Nabisco Brands, Inc.

Martha Y Wang

Louise Slade

Harry Levine

Richard D Fazzolare

James M Manns

Theresa E Dzurenko

Mark J Moisey

Kevin Addesso

James Ievolella

Robert E Ross

Jane E Michnowski

Diane L Hnat

A chip-like snack is prepared by admixing wheat flour, a no or low gluten content starchy material, e.g. potato starch, pregelatinized waxy starch and water to form a dough. The dough is then sheeted and cut into pieces and the pieces are heated to reduce their moisture content to obtain chip-like products having a blistered appearance and a crisp texture.

Production of chip-like starch based snacks

A pregelatinized waxy starch provides for the production of cohesive, continuously machineable doughs from starchy materials or ingredients having starch with no- or low-gluten contents. The pregelatinized waxy starch is admixed with only a portion of the at least one starchy material and only a portion of the water needed to form a machineable dough. This mixing procedure results in uniform hydration of the pregelatinized waxy starch and avoids tearing of the dough sheet during machining. The moisture content of the dough sheets is reduced substantially from above about 25% by weight by heating in air, preferably in a gas-fired oven, to obtain chip-like snacks, such as potato chips and corn chips, having a low oil content, a blistered appearance, and a crisp texture.

Ready-to-eat shredded potato products having a pleasant texture, and a substantially uniform off-white to golden tan color, are obtained by the process of the present invention. A potato dough is formed under low temperature and low shear mixing conditions so as to avoid overgelatinization of the potato starch and tackiness which would impede flowability and the continuous production of long continuous shred layers. Individual discrete dough pieces having a moisture content of from about 29% to about 50% by weight are tempered to distribute the water substantially uniformly throughout the dough pieces, the tempered dough pieces are shredded and the shredded dough is cooked.

Process for making shredded potato products

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Glen Rock, NJ, United States of America

Martha Y Wang