Fabricated food product made from fresh potato mash

Abstract

A composition and method for providing a strong dough having a substantial quantity of fresh potatoes. Fresh potatoes are made into a mash and centrifuged to reduce the water content to about 70% by weight. Such potato mash can comprise over 50% by weight of the final dough. This dough can be used to make sheeted or extruded products. Such dough results in improved, more naturally-flavored products compared to products made entirely from dehydrated or partially-dehydrated potato derivatives. The method comprises finely slicing potatoes to form a potato slurry or mash; decanting excess water from the potato slurry; heating the potato slurry to a temperature no greater than about 190 degrees Fahrenheit; cooling the slurry to under 140 degrees Fahrenheit; and imparting a low amount of work input to a mixture of the slurry and other ingredients to form a shapeable dough.

1 . A fresh potato dough formulation comprising a fresh potato mash, wherein said fresh potato mash comprises fully-gelatinized potato.  
   
   
       2 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  further comprising at least one of the following: 
 a potato starch;    a plurality of potato flakes;    a potato dextrin;    a sugar; and    an emulsifier.    
   
   
       3 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 less than about 0.5% potato granules by weight;    less than about 0.5% corn syrup solids by weight; and    less than about 0.5% non-potato-derived starch.    
   
   
       4 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  wherein said fresh potato mash comprises at least about 50% by weight of the dough formulation.  
   
   
       5 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  wherein said fresh potato mash has a moisture content greater than about 10% by weight.  
   
   
       6 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  wherein said fresh potato mash has a moisture content greater than about 60% by weight.  
   
   
       7 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  wherein said fresh potato mash has a moisture content of about 70% by weight.  
   
   
       8 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  wherein said fully-gelatinized potato slurry comprises potato particles having thicknesses on the order of several thousandths of an inch to several hundredths of an inch.  
   
   
       9 . The dough formulation of  claim 1  wherein said fully-gelatinized potato slurry comprises potato particles having a nominal thickness of about 30-thousandths of an inch.