Process for making an improved dry instant pudding mix

Claim 1

A process for making an instant pudding mix comprising the following steps in the stated order: (a) pregelatinizing and drying a starch in a manner effective to produce a pregelatinized starch particle size distribution wherein at least 40% by weight of the starch has a particle size of about 63 microns or greater; (b) grinding and controlling said dry, pregelatinized starch in a manner effective to produce a ground starch particle size distribution wherein: (i) between at least 1% and up to 10%, by weight, of said pregelatinized starch has a particle size greater than about 63 microns, but (A) less than about 1%, by weight, of said pregelatinized starch has particle sizes greater than about 105 microns, (B) less than about 3%, by weight of said pregelatinized starch has particle sizes greater than about 88 microns, and (C) less than about 6%, by weight of said pregelatinized starch has particle sizes greater than about 74 microns, (ii) between about 55% and about 80%, by weight, of said starch has particle sizes less than about 38 microns, and at least 10%, by weight of said starch, has particle sizes less than about 20 microns; (c) apportioning a quantity of said ground, pregelatinized starch in a manner effective to constitute between about 5% and about 25%, by weight of the pudding mix; (d) combining said apportioned starch with sugar, setting, and flavoring components wherein: (i) said sugar component is between about 25% and about 85% by weight of the pudding mix, (A) between 15% and about 40% of said sugar component is powdered sugar, and (B) at least about 90% of the sugar component has particle sizes less than 74 microns; and (ii) said setting component is between about 1% and about 5%, by weight of the pudding mix and said setting component consists essentially of an alkali pyrophosphate and an alkali orthaphosphate; (e) blending said combined components; and (f) packaging said blended, combined components.