Process for making a healthy snack food

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a method for making a healthy snack food having an appearance and taste similar to conventional fried snack products without the use of an oil-frying process. The method of the present invention includes the steps of providing food slices from a starch-based food or dough. The food slices can be blanched and a controlled amount of oil can be added to enhance final organoleptical properties. The food slices are then rapidly dehydrated to a much lower moisture content in a primary drying step that simulates conventional frying dehydration rates. A food snack, such as a corn or potato-based snack, produced by this method is a low-fat, ready-to-eat snack having the conventional texture and taste associated with fried snack products.

1 . A method for cooking in a non-oil medium a food product, wherein the end product mimics the organoleptic characteristics of a fry-cooked product, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) determining a dehydration profile corresponding to a desired end product;   b) preparing a food product for cooking;   c) cooking in a non-oil medium the food product at a controlled rate, wherein said controlled rate is adjusted to mimic the dehydration profile of step a) for the food product of step b).   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the cooking of step b) comprises microwave cooking. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the food product of step b) comprises a food material selected from the group consisting of potato, yam, beet, carrots, parsnip, sweet potato, turnip, squash, courgette, asparagus, mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet pepper, chili pepper, peas, sweetcorn, celeriac, tomato, olives, aubergine, beetroot, fennel, onions, spinach, chard, cabbage, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, brazils, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, squash, peas, chickpeas, lentils, pinto beans, kidney beans, broad beans, butter beans, soy beans, runner beans, black eye beans, oats, wheat, sorghum, rice, millet, rye, barley, basil, bay leaves, coriander, mint, cumin, garlic, lemongrass, oregano, paprika, turmeric, parsley, pepper, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fry-cooked product comprises dough prior to frying. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein said dough comprises potato or corn. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said food product of step b) consists of a dough, wherein said dough comprises 85% potato and 12% legumes by wet dough mix weight. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said food product of step b) consists of a dough, wherein said dough comprises 49% potato and 40% lentils by wet dough mix weight. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said food product of step b) consists of a dough, wherein said dough comprises 70% potato and 25% mixed root vegetable by wet dough mix weight. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said food product of step b) consists of a dough, wherein said dough comprises 70% potato and 25% cauliflower by wet dough mix weight. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step b) comprises a blanching step, wherein said blanching step comprises a wet blanch, or dry blanch, or oil blanch. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  wherein said wet blanch comprises a medium comprising water at about 60° C. to about 100° C., and further wherein said blanching step occurs for between about 50 seconds and about 3 minutes. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12  wherein said dry blanch step is about 30 to about 90 seconds in duration and wherein said food product is brought to a temperature of about 90° C. to about 120° C. during said blanch. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12  wherein step b) further comprises an oil addition step after the blanching step. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the oil is conditioned prior to use in step b), thereby increasing the fried characteristics provided by the added oil. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12  wherein said blanch step comprises a warm oil dip of about 60 to about 120 seconds in duration and wherein said food product is brought to a temperature of about 60° C. to about 99° C. during said blanch. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 12  wherein said blanch step comprises a flash fry for about 7 seconds to about 20 seconds in oil having a temperature of about 120° C. to about 180° C., and preferably for about 15 seconds to about 20 seconds in oil having a temperature of about 150° C. to about 160° C. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 12  wherein step b) further comprises a de-oiling step after the oil blanching step. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the food product is cooled prior to or following the de-oiling step. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the food product is pre-dried following the de-oiling step. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein said pre-drying occurs in a microwave pre-dryer. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27  wherein said pre-drying takes from 5 seconds to 90 seconds, and preferably from 10 seconds to 20 seconds. 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 27  wherein at least one quarter of the water content of the food product is removed during pre-drying. 
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step b) comprises adding natural ingredients to said food product. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the controlled rate of step c) comprises a first microwave power step and a second microwave power step. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the controlled rate of step c) corresponds to moisture removal between starch transition points. 
     
     
         38 . The method of Claim I wherein the dehydration profile is determined by measuring the moisture level in a fry-cooked product at a plurality of points during the time that the fryer-cooked product is fried or an iterative process, wherein said iterative process produces the desired end product. 
     
     
         39 . (canceled) 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said controlled cooking rate of step c) comprises a first dehydration rate of between about 0.02 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.2 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second, and wherein further said controlled cooking rate of step c) comprises a second dehydration rate of between about 0.004 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.08 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said food product of step b) consists of a dough and wherein further said controlled cooking rate of step c) comprises a first dehydration rate of between about 0.04 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.2 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second, and wherein further said controlled cooking rate of step c) comprises a second dehydration rate of between about 0.01 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.08 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said food product is par-dried to a half-product, and wherein further said half-product is packaged for later finish drying by a consumer of said product. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42  wherein said food product is par-dried to below its starch melting point. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 42  wherein said food product is par-dried to below its glass transition point. 
     
     
         45 . A food product made by the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         46 . A method for preparing shelf-stable food slices comprising the steps of:
 a) blanching a plurality of food slices; and   b) explosively dehydrating said food slices to a moisture content of less than about 20% with a microwave, wherein further said dehydration comprises a first dehydration rate and a second dehydration rate.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the dehydrating at step b) comprises a par-dry to a half-product, and wherein further said half-product is packaged for later finish drying by a consumer of said product. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the dehydrating of step b) occurs in a belt microwave with evenly presented, substantially monolayered food slices or in a deep bed dryer. 
     
     
         49 . (canceled) 
     
     
         50 . (canceled) 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 46  wherein said explosive dehydration at step b) comprises a first dehydration rate of between about 0.02 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.20 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second, and preferably between about 0.06 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.18 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second. 
     
     
         52 . (canceled) 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 46  wherein said explosive dehydration at step b) comprises a second dehydration rate of between about 0.004 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.08 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second, and preferably between about 0.01 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.06 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second. 
     
     
         54 . (canceled) 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 46  wherein said explosive dehydration at step b) further comprises a third dehydration rate of between about 0.0005 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.03 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second, and preferably between about 0.002 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.02 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second. 
     
     
         56 . (canceled) 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 46  wherein oil is added to said slices prior to step b). 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the oil is conditioned prior to use as an additive, thereby increasing the fried characteristics provided by the added oil. 
     
     
         59 . (canceled) 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 46  wherein said blanching at step a) comprises dry blanching, or wet blanching, or oil blanching, wherein said oil blanching comprises a warm oil dip. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 60  wherein further the food slices are subjected to a de-oiling step after the oil blanching of step a) and before the dehydrating of step b). 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 61  wherein the food slices are subjected to a pre-drying step after the de-oiling step and prior to the dehydrating of step b). 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 62  wherein said pre-drying occurs in a microwave pre-dryer. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 62  wherein said pre-drying takes from about 5 seconds to about 90 seconds, and preferably from about 10 seconds to about 20 seconds. 
     
     
         65 . (canceled) 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 62  wherein at least one quarter of the water content of the food product is removed during pre-drying. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 46  wherein said explosive dehydration at step b) occurs in a rotary microwave. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 46  wherein step b) further comprises dehydrating to a moisture content of between about 3% and about 15%, and preferably between about 6% and about 10%. 
     
     
         69 . (canceled) 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 46  wherein step b) occurs under vacuum. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 46  wherein one or more of said slices in step a) is a food product consisting primarily of a food material selected from the group of corn, waxy corn, oats, wheat, sorghum, rice, waxy rice, kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, chickpea, potato, Jerusalem artichoke, yam, tapioca, yucca, tarot, sweet potato, beet, carrot, arrowroot, cassava, and parsnip. 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising the step of adding a real food ingredient prior to step b). 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 46  wherein step b) further comprises dehydrating said slices to a starch melting point range in a non-oil heating medium in less than about 60 seconds and further dehydrating said slices in a non-oil medium starch glass transition range in less than about an additional 50 seconds, and preferably to a starch melting point range in a non-oil heating medium in less than about 40 seconds and further dehydrating said slices in a non-oil medium starch glass transition range in less than about an additional 30 seconds. 
     
     
         74 . (canceled) 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising the step of:
 c) further dehydrating said slices in a non-oil medium to a moisture content of less than about 3%.   
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75  wherein said non-oil medium at step c) comprises infrared radiation, or microwave radiation, or hot air. 
     
     
         77 . (canceled) 
     
     
         78 . (canceled) 
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 46  wherein said blanching step a) comprises a flash fry for about 7 seconds to about 20 seconds in oil having a temperature of about 120° C. to about 180° C., and preferably for about 15 seconds to about 20 seconds in oil having a temperature of about 150° C. to about 160° C. 
     
     
         80 . (canceled) 
     
     
         81 . (canceled) 
     
     
         82 . (canceled) 
     
     
         83 . (canceled) 
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 60  wherein said warm oil dip is of about 60 to about 120 seconds in duration and wherein said food slice is brought to a temperature of about 60° C. to about 99° C. during said blanch. 
     
     
         85 . The food slice prepared by the method of  claim 46 . 
     
     
         86 . A method for determining how to reproduce the characteristics of a desired cooked food product, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) determining the moisture level in the desired food product at a plurality of points in time during the time that the food product is cooked; and   b) using the determined data of step a) to identify product transition cooking phases during dehydration.   
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 86  wherein the identifying of product transition cooking phases during dehydration of step b) further comprises identifying a plurality of cooking phases, said cooking phase consisting of at least a first phase and a second phase, and wherein further each phase consists of a determined average dehydration rate and duration. 
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 87  further comprising the steps of:
 c) determining power inputs required from non-oil cooking to maintain the determined dehydration rates for at least the first phase and second phase of step b) for cooking said food product in a non-oil medium.   
     
     
         89 . The method of  claim 88  wherein the power inputs of step c) during the first and second cooking phases comprises microwave energy. 
     
     
         90 . The method of  claim 87  wherein the dehydration rate of the first phase identified in step b) is between about 0.02 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.20 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second, and preferably between about 0.06 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.18 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second. 
     
     
         91 . (canceled) 
     
     
         92 . The method of  claim 87  wherein the dehydration rate of the second phase identified in step b) is between about 0.0004 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.08 grains of moisture per gram of solid per second, and preferably between about 0.01 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second and about 0.06 grams of moisture per gram of solid per second. 
     
     
         93 . (canceled) 
     
     
         94 . The method of  claim 87  wherein each phase identified in step b) is defined at an end point by at least one starch transition point. 
     
     
         95 . The method of  claim 86  wherein the food product of step a) consists of slices of a starting food material selected from the group consisting of potato, sweet potato, yam, beet, carrot, corn, parsnip, chickpea, lentils, kidney beans, soy beans, yam, tapioca, yucca, tarot, arrowroot, cassava, rice, oats, wheat, sorghum, rice, millet and rye, and/or comprises dough that is fried, wherein said dough comprises a food material selected from the group consisting of carrots, parsnip, sweet potato, turnip, squash, courgette, asparagus, mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet pepper, chili pepper, peas, sweetcorn, celeriac, tomato, olives, aubergine, beetroot, fennel, onions, spinach, chard, cabbage, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, brazils,pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, squash, peas, chickpeas, lentils, pinto beans, kidney beans, broad beans, butter beans, soy beans, runner beans, black eye beans, oats, wheat, sorghum, rice, millet, rye, barley, basil, bay leaves, coriander, mint, cumin, garlic, lemongrass, oregano, paprika, turmeric, parsley, pepper, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         96 . (canceled) 
     
     
         97 . (canceled) 
     
     
         98 . The method of  claim 86  wherein the food is cooked during step a) using energy transfer to the food product and wherein further said energy transfer comprises microwave energy. 
     
     
         99 . (canceled) 
     
     
         100 . The method of  claim 88  further comprising the steps of:
 d) applying the determined power inputs of step c) to a product in order to replicate the characteristics of a desired cooked food product.   
     
     
         101 . The method of  claim 100  wherein said food product is subjected to a blanching step prior to step d), wherein said blanching step comprises a wet blanch, or dry blanch, or oil blanch. 
     
     
         102 . (canceled) 
     
     
         103 . (canceled) 
     
     
         104 . (canceled) 
     
     
         105 . (canceled) 
     
     
         106 . The method of  claim 101  wherein said oil blanching step comprises a warm oil dip is of about 60 to about 120 seconds in duration and wherein said food slice is brought to a temperature, of about 60° C. to about 99° C. during said blanch. 
     
     
         107 . The method of  claim 101  wherein oil is added to the food product prior to step d). 
     
     
         108 . The method of  claim 107  wherein said oil is conditioned prior to its addition to the food product. 
     
     
         109 . The food product produced by the method of  claim 100 . 
     
     
         110 . The food product of  claim 109  wherein said food product comprises a par-dried half-product, wherein further said half-product is packaged for later finish drying by a consumer of said food product. 
     
     
         111 . (canceled) 
     
     
         112 . A microwave apparatus for continuous deep bed drying of a food product, said apparatus comprising:
 an enclosure into which the food product is continuously introduced and in which microwave energy is contained, wherein said enclosure comprises a means for tumbling said food product while said food product is introduced into said enclosure.   
     
     
         113 . The apparatus of  claim 112  wherein said means for tumbling comprises a catenary belt or a rotating drum within the enclosure and further wherein said enclosure is static. 
     
     
         114 . The apparatus of  claim 113  wherein said apparatus further comprises an inlet microwave choke through which the catenary belt enters the enclosure and an outlet microwave choke through which the catenary belt exits the cavity. 
     
     
         115 . (canceled) 
     
     
         116 . (canceled) 
     
     
         117 . The apparatus of  claim 112  wherein said means for tumbling comprises a rotating enclosure. 
     
     
         118 . The apparatus of  claim 117  wherein said apparatus further comprises at least one microwave choke point exterior to said rotating enclosure through which the food product traverses. 
     
     
         119 . The apparatus of  claim 117  wherein said apparatus further comprises a non-stick metal tumbling surface or a polymer sleeve insert. 
     
     
         120 . (canceled) 
     
     
         121 . The apparatus of  claim 112  wherein said apparatus further comprises a plurality of enclosures in series connected to another by microwave chokes. 
     
     
         122 . (canceled) 
     
     
         123 . A method for continuous deep bed drying of a food product, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) introducing a food product through a microwave choke and then into an enclosure;   b) applying microwave energy to the food product while said food product is within said enclosure; and   c) tumbling said food product simultaneously with the application of microwave energy of step b) and simultaneously with the introduction of food product of step a).   
     
     
         124 . The method of  claim 123  wherein step b) comprises applying at least two different levels of microwave energy to the food product, depending on the location of the food product within the enclosure. 
     
     
         125 . The method of  claim 123  wherein step c) further comprises tumbling said food product with a modular belt or a rotating drum within a static microwave enclosure or a rotating microwave enclosure. 
     
     
         126 - 151 . (canceled) 
     
     
         152 . The method of  claim 1  further wherein the food product of step b) comprises a fabricated food slice made from a dough having a thickness of 1 mm to 4 mm. 
     
     
         153 . The method of  claim 152  wherein said dough comprises a moisture content of at least 65% on a wet basis. 
     
     
         154 . The method of  claim 46  further wherein the food product comprises a fabricated food slice made from a dough having a thickness of 1 mm to 4 mm. 
     
     
         155 . The method of  claim 154  wherein said dough comprises a moisture content of at least 65% on a wet basis.