The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 10, 1995
Filed:
Dec. 23, 1993
Todd W Gusek, Crystal, MN (US);
James R Korslund, Edina, MN (US);
Vinod W Padhye, Maple Grove, MN (US);
General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides methods for improving the baking properties of cake flour using either high intensity dielectric heating, (10 GHz to 3 MHz) and/or radio frequency heating (300 MHz to 3 MHz). The treated cake flour is intended as a substitute for chlorinated cake flour. The present unchlorinated, dielectrically heated treated cake flour is an essential ingredient in dry mixes for batter baked goods especially high sugar-to-flour ratio layer cakes. In addition to other dry mix ingredients, preferred dry mixes additionally essentially comprise about 0.15% to 0.45% triglycerol monostearate for even greater enhancement of finished baked goods' volume. The method comprises exposing cake flour having a moisture content of >8% to sufficient amounts of radio frequency energy to heat the flour to a temperature of about 230.degree. to 270.degree. F. and to a finished moisture content of less than 6%. Preferred radio frequency heated flours are additionally characterized by a peak pasting viscosity of at least 350 Stir Number Units. In another aspect, a second method has been found that can obtain cake flours having a Stir Number Unit value of >400.