High moisture, smooth-textured shaped cereal foods

Abstract

The present invention teaches how to make high moisture shaped cereal foods from cereal flour and fluid-milk and/or water; said cereal foods having a higher than 40% moisture content, a thin surface skin, and a soft, smooth, homogenous interior texture. The shaped cereal and milk foods of the present invention taste similar to the traditional cereal and milk that have always been consumed from a bowl with a spoon while also having the added benefit of being able to be eaten hand-held, on-the-go. The process of the present invention can also be used to make high moisture rice fries from rice flour and water. Having a higher than 40% moisture content is important because it provides the moisture and lubricity that both fat-fried and oven-baked rice fries products need. In the process of the present invention, cereal grains from one cereal genera or mixtures of different cereal genera are milled into a cereal flour. Fluid-milk and/or water is then infused into the starch granules of the cereal flour at temperatures above 170 F inside a cooker until the fluid-infused cereal flour thickens into a viscous, smooth and homogenous consistency. Additional food ingredients that impart flavor, color, water-binding and freeze-thaw stability properties to the finished product can also be infused into the cereal flour. Outside the cooker and with the retained heat and fluid from the cooking step, the starch granules of the fluid-infused cereal flour continue to both absorb some of the retained fluid and increase to a viscosity that is thick and firm enough to maintain a formed shape. Said fluid-infused cereal flour is then formed into shaped units with low-shear forming systems or cut into individual units with cutters. The individual units are spaced apart in a mono-layer before they are conveyed into either a continuous fat-fryer or oven which further heat the units thereby fully gelatinizing the starch granules of the fluid-infused cereal flour and developing a thin surface skin while retaining a higher than 40% moisture level and a soft, smooth, homogenous interior texture.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A process for making high moisture shaped cereal foods from cereal flour and fluid-milk; said cereal foods having a higher than 40% moisture content, a thin surface skin, and a smooth, homogenous interior texture; said process is comprised of: 
 a) milling cereal grains into a cereal flour;    b) infusing fluid-milk into the starch granules of the cereal flour at temperatures above 170 F inside a cooker and then discharging from said cooker the fluid-milk-infused cereal flour when it has absorbed most of the fluid milk and thickens into a viscous, smooth and homogenous consistency;    c) making units comprised of the viscous, smooth and homogenous fluid-milk-infused cereal flour of b) after the viscosity of said fluid-milk-infused cereal flour thickens and firms enough to maintain a formed shape;    d) heating the shaped units of c) at temperatures above 275 F to fully gelatinize the starch granules of the fluid-milk-infused cereal flour and develop a thin surface skin while retaining a moisture content that is higher than 40% and a smooth, homogenous interior texture.    
     
     
         2 . The process set forth in  claim 1  wherein one to three pounds of a fluid-milk are infused into each pound of dry cereal flour.  
     
     
         3 . The process set forth in  claim 1  wherein the fluid-milk is comprised of: water, full-fat fluid-milk, low-fat fluid-milk, fat-free fluid-milk, buttermilk, concentrated milk diluted with water or powdered milk diluted with water, or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1  wherein cereal flour is made by milling cereal grains selected from the group consisting of: corn, oats, rice, wheat, barley, rye and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         5 . The process set forth in  claim 1  which further comprises adding to the cooker, food ingredients selected from the group consisting of: food flavors, food colors, gums, salt, sugar, fat, oil, butter, cheese, nutritional supplements, powdered whey, whey proteins, powdered milk proteins, monoglycerides, lecithin, calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         6 . The process set forth in  claim 1  which further comprises premixing the cereal flour with selected food ingredients before said cereal flour is metered into the cooker.  
     
     
         7 . The process set forth in  claim 1  wherein low-shear scraper agitators are used to agitate and convey the cereal flour as it is infused with the hot fluid-milk in a continuous cooker.  
     
     
         8 . The process set forth in  claim 1  which further comprises the absorption of fluid-milk retained from the cooking step into the starch granules of the fluid-milk-infused cereal flour as said fluid-milk infused cereal flour continues to increase in viscosity.  
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 1  whereby shaped units are made by cutting a sheet of the smooth and homogenous fluid-milk-infused cereal flour after its viscosity thickens and firms enough to maintain a formed shape.  
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1  whereby shaped units are made by depositing continuous ribbons of fluid-milk-infused cereal flour from a double-roll former after its viscosity thickens and firms enough to maintain a formed shape; said deposited continuous ribbons are then cut into units.  
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 1  which further comprises arranging the units of fluid-milk-infused cereal flour in a mono-layer, with spaces between said units after they are formed and before they are heated.  
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 1  which comprises oven-baking the shaped units at temperatures above 275 F. in a continuous hot-air oven to fully gelatinize the starch granules of the fluid-milk-infused cereal flour and develop a light-golden-brown surface color and a thin skin on the units' surfaces while retaining a moisture level higher than 40% and a smooth, homogenous interior texture.  
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 1  which comprises fat-frying the shaped cereal units at about 350 F. in a continuous fat-fryer to fully gelatinize the starch granules of the fluid-milk-infused cereal flour and develop a light golden-brown surface color and a thin skin on the units surface while retaining a moisture level higher than 40%, and a smooth, homogenous interior texture.  
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 1  which further comprises rapidly freezing the units.  
     
     
         15 . A process for making high moisture shaped rice foods from rice flour and water; said rice foods having a higher than 40% moisture content, a thin surface skin, and a smooth, homogenous interior texture; said process is comprised of: 
 a) milling rice grains into a rice flour;    b) infusing water into the starch granules of the rice flour at temperatures above 170 F inside a cooker and then discharging from said cooker the water-infused rice flour when it has absorbed most of the water and thickens into a viscous, smooth and homogenous consistency;    c) making units comprised of the viscous, smooth and homogenous water-infused rice flour of b) after the viscosity of said water-infused rice flour thickens and firms enough to maintain a formed shape;    d) heating the shaped units of c) at temperatures above 275 F. to fully gelatinize the starch granules of the water-infused rice flour and develop a thin surface skin while retaining a moisture level higher than 40%, and a smooth, homogenous interior texture.    
     
     
         16 . The process set forth in  claim 15  wherein one to three pounds of water are infused into each pound of dry rice flour.  
     
     
         17 . The process set forth in  claim 15  which further comprises adding to the cooker, food ingredients selected from the group consisting of: food flavors, food colors, gums, salt, spices, herbs, sugar, fat, oil, butter, cheese, nutritional supplements, powdered whey, whey proteins, powdered milk proteins, monoglycerides, lecithin, calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         18 . The process set forth in  claim 15  which further comprises pre-mixing the rice flour with selected food ingredients before said rice flour is moved into the cooker.  
     
     
         19 . The process set forth in  claim 15  wherein low-shear scraper agitators are used to agitate and convey the rice flour as it is infused with the hot water in a continuous cooker.  
     
     
         20 . The process set forth in  claim 15  which further comprises the absorption of water retained from the cooking step into the starch granules of the water-infused rice flour as said water-infused rice flour continues to increase in viscosity.  
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 15  whereby shaped rice units are made by cutting a sheet of the smooth and homogenous water-infused rice flour after the viscosity of said water-infused rice flour thickens and firms enough to maintain a formed shape.  
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 15  whereby shaped rice units are made by depositing continuous ribbons of water-infused rice flour from a double-roll former after the viscosity of said water-infused rice flour thickens and firms enough to maintain a formed shape; said deposited continuous ribbons are then cut into units with cutters.  
     
     
         23 . The process of  claim 15  which further comprises arranging the units of water-infused rice flour in a mono-layer, with spaces between said units after they are formed and before they are heated.  
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 15  which comprises fat-frying the shaped rice units at about 350 F in a continuous fat-fryer to fully gelatinize the starch granules of the water-infused rice flour and develop a light golden-brown surface color and a thin skin on the units surface while retaining a moisture level higher than 40%, and a smooth, homogenous interior texture.  
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 15  which comprises oven-baking the shaped units at temperatures above 275 F in a continuous hot-air oven to fully gelatinize the starch granules of the water-infused cereal flour and develop a light-golden-brown surface color and a thin skin on the units' surfaces while retaining a moisture level higher than 40% and a smooth, homogenous interior texture.  
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 15  which further comprises rapidly freezing the units.