Method for preparing extruded fried snack products from corn and other cereal flours

Claim 1

A method for making an extruded expanded fried cereal-based snack product, comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized cereal flours comprising friom about 15% to about 80%, by weight, of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 3% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 45%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough in which the moisture content of the dough is from about 40% to about 50%, by weight, of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough; and frying the dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) and having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water present in the dough piece sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded fried snack of substantially uniform porosity throughout its cross-section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the extruded dough piece.

Claim 2

A method for making an extruded expanded fried cereal-based snack product, comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized cereal flours comprising friom about 15% to about 80%, by weight, of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 3% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 45%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough in which the moisture content of the dough is from about 40% to about 50%, by weight, of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough; and frying the dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) and having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water present in the dough piece sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded fried snack of substantially uniform porosity throughout its cross-section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the extruded dough piece.

Claim 13

A method for making an extruded expanded fried corn snack product comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized corn flours selected from the group consisting of whole corn flour and corn flour and comprising from about 15% to about 80%, by weight, of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 3% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 45%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough having a moisture content of about 40% to about 50% by weight of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough; and frying the dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) and having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded, fried snack of substantially uniform porosity throughout its cross section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the extruded dough piece.

Claim 14

A method for making an extruded expanded fried corn snack product comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized corn flours selected from the group consisting of whole corn flour and corn flour and comprising from about 15% to about 80%, by weight, of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 3% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 45%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough having a moisture content of about 40% to about 50% by weight of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough; and frying the dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) and having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded, fried snack of substantially uniform porosity throughout its cross section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the extruded dough piece.

Claim 26

A method for making a sheeted expanded fried cereal-based snack product, comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized cereal flours comprising from about 35% to about 70% of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 10% to about 50%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 30%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough in which the moisture content of the dough is from about 40% to about 50%, by weight, of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough; and frying the dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water present in the dough piece sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded fried snack of substantially uniform porosity throughout its cross section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the sheeted and cut dough piece.

Claim 27

A method for making a sheeted expanded fried cereal-based snack product, comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized cereal flours comprising from about 35% to about 70% of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 10% to about 50%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 30%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough in which the moisture content of the dough is from about 40% to about 50%, by weight, of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough; and frying the dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water present in the dough piece sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded fried snack of substantially uniform porosity throughout its cross section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the sheeted and cut dough piece.

Claim 29

A method for making an extruded expanded fried cereal-based snack product, comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising fine particulate whole grain cereal solids selected from the group consisting of corn, wheat, barley, oats, rye and soy, in which the starch contained in the low water-absorbing component is raw or partially gelatinized and comprises from about 15% to about 80%, by weight, of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 3% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough in which the moisture content of the dough is from about 40% to about 50%, by weight, of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough while substantially avoiding gelatinization of residual raw starch contained in the dough piece during the extrusion step; and frying the extruded dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) and having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water present in the dough piece sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded fried snack of substantial uniform porosity throughout its cross section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the extruded dough piece.

Claim 30

A method for making an extruded expanded fried cereal-based snack product, comprising the steps of: preparing a dough consisting essentially of: (a) a low water-absorbing component comprising fine particulate whole grain cereal solids selected from the group consisting of corn, wheat, barley, oats, rye and soy, in which the starch contained in the low water-absorbing component is raw or partially gelatinized and comprises from about 15% to about 80%, by weight, of the total solids contained in the dough; (b) a high water-absorbing component comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours or dehydrated potatoes comprising from about 3% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; (c) a starch component comprising one or more extraneously added ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 40%, by weight, of the total solids in the dough; and (d) water mixed with the solids to form a dough in which the moisture content of the dough is from about 40% to about 50%, by weight, of the dough; extruding a dough piece from the dough while substantially avoiding gelatinization of residual raw starch contained in the dough piece during the extrusion step; and frying the extruded dough piece in hot cooking oil to form an expanded fried snack product, the dough piece containing said amounts of the components (a), (b) and (c) and having said 40% to 50% moisture content at the time of frying, the dough piece at the time of frying also containing residual raw starch provided by said amounts of components (a) and (c), component (b) having a substantially greater ability to hold water than component (a) throughout the frying step up until the gelatinization temperature of said residual raw starch is reached, thereby retaining water present in the dough piece sufficiently to combine with said residual raw starch at said gelatinization temperature to cause the residual raw starch to gelatinize and form an expanded fried snack of substantial uniform porosity throughout its cross section with an expansion from about 1.2 to about 3.0 times the original thickness of the extruded dough piece.