U.S. patent application number 14/357829 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-09 for reconstituted cereal grain.
The applicant listed for this patent is Buhler AG. Invention is credited to Luc Jacops, Felix Kormelink, Roland Kunz, Kristien Pauwels, Raymond Van Bussel.
Application Number | 20140302225 14/357829 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45444217 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140302225 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kormelink; Felix ; et
al. |
October 9, 2014 |
Reconstituted Cereal Grain
Abstract
A reconstituted cereal grain, wherein said grain comprises at
least about 10 wt. % of pea fibre, at least about 25 wt. % of
cereal starch in addition to said pea fibre, and at least about 0.5
wt. % emulsifier based on the dry weight of the grain; and wherein
said grain has a product density of greater than about 1 kg/l. The
grains have a natural appearance and cooking properties similar to
parboiled milled cereal grains. Also provided are products
comprising the grains.
Inventors: |
Kormelink; Felix; (LW Oud
Beijerland, NL) ; Pauwels; Kristien; (Olen, BE)
; Van Bussel; Raymond; (Veghel, NL) ; Jacops;
Luc; (Olen, BE) ; Kunz; Roland; (Donzhausen,
CH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Buhler AG |
Uzwil |
|
CH |
|
|
Family ID: |
45444217 |
Appl. No.: |
14/357829 |
Filed: |
November 16, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
November 16, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2012/056496 |
371 Date: |
May 13, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
426/654 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 7/117 20160801;
A23L 29/212 20160801; A23L 7/143 20160801; A23L 7/196 20160801;
A23L 33/21 20160801; A23P 10/00 20160801 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/654 |
International
Class: |
A23L 1/168 20060101
A23L001/168 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 16, 2011 |
GB |
1119770.4 |
Claims
1-13. (canceled)
14. A reconstituted cereal grain, wherein said grain comprises at
least about 10 wt. % of pea fibre, at least about 25 wt. % of
cereal starch in addition to said pea fibre, and at least about 0.5
wt. % emulsifier based on the dry weight of the grain; and wherein
said grain has a product density of greater than about 1 kg/l.
15. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 14, wherein
said product comprises from about 15 wt. % to about 35 wt. % of
said pea fibre dietary fibre based on the dry weight of the
grain.
16. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 15, wherein
said product comprises from about 20 wt. % to about 30 wt. % of
said pea fibre based on the dry weight of the grain.
17. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 14, wherein
said product comprises from about 35 wt. % to about 95 wt. % of
said cereal starch based on the dry weight of the grain.
18. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 17, wherein
said product comprises from about 45 wt. % to about 85 wt. % of
said cereal starch based on the dry weight of the grain.
19. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 14, wherein
said grain comprises at least about 80 wt. % of starches based on
the dry weight of the grain.
20. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 14, wherein
said cereal starch comprises, consists essentially of, or consists
of rice starch.
21. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 14, wherein
said cereal grain is a rice-like grain.
22. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 14,
comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of: 35-50 wt.
% rice starch; 15-35 wt. % pea fibre; 8-15 wt. % moisture; 0.6-1.2
wt. % emulsifier; 1-5 wt. % protein; less than about 2% lipids; and
at least about 80% total carbohydrate.
23. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 22,
comprising 40-45 wt. % rice starch.
24. The reconstituted cereal grain according to claim 22,
comprising 20-30 wt. % pea fibre.
25. A cereal product comprising, consisting essentially of, or
consisting of a plurality of reconstituted cereal grains according
to claim 14.
26. The cereal product according to claim 25, comprising,
consisting essentially of, or consisting of a mixture of the
reconstituted cereal grains according to the invention with milled
parboiled cereal grains.
27. The cereal product according to claim 26, wherein said product
has a bulk density from about 600 g/l to about 900 g/l.
28. The cereal product according to claim 27, wherein said product
has a bulk density from about 750 g/l to about 850 g/l.
29. The cereal product according to claim 23, wherein 100 g of the
product has a water uptake of from about 90 g to about 140 g on
cooking in excess water at 100.degree. C. for 10 minutes.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to high-fibre granular
extruded products, in particular high-fibre rice products, and to
methods of making such products.
[0002] As a staple food for nearly one-half of the world's
population, rice is one of world's most important foodstuffs.
[0003] Edible rice is prepared firstly by milling the seeds of the
rice plant to remove the chaff At this point, the product is called
brown rice. White rice is then produced by continuing the milling
process to remove the husk and the germ. The milling and polishing
that converts brown rice to white rice produces a more palatable
product, but significantly reduces its nutrient and vitamin
content, and removes much of the dietary fibre. Milled white rice
typically contains less than about 2 wt. % of dietary fibre on dry
weight basis.
[0004] Dietary fibre is defined as food material, particularly
plant material, that is not hydrolysed by enzymes secreted by the
human digestive tract but that may be digested by microflora in
gut. Plant compositions that fall within this definition include
non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) such as celluloses, gums and
pectin as well as lignin, resistant dextrins and resistant
starches.
[0005] Extensive research has been carried out into the
physiological effects of dietary fibre, which is associated with a
number of health benefits. High fibre foods, because of their
consistency, encourage mastication and stimulate the secretion of
digestive juices. The soluble components of dietary fibre cause an
increase in the viscosity of the stomach contents, thereby
retarding gastric emptying. This then affects the rate of digestion
and the uptake of nutrients and creates a feeling of satiety.
[0006] Soluble fibre has also been shown to lower selectively serum
LDL cholesterol and to improve glucose metabolism and insulin
response.
[0007] In the colon, dietary fibre tends to increase faecal bulking
due to increased water retention and the insoluble dietary fibre
reduces transit time. This is particularly important since the
conversion of sterols to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons is known to occur with time. Epidemiological evidence
suggests low faecal weights are associated with an increased risk
of cancer of the colon. Dietary fibre may also bind toxins, bile
acids and carcinogens. Inverse relationships between fibre intake
and the incidence of obesity, heart disease, cancers (of the colon
and breast), diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders have been
reported. Dietary fibre may also be beneficial in weight
reduction.
[0008] Brown rice contains a beneficial amount of dietary fibre in
the bran layer. However, despite the associated health benefits of
brown rice, milled white rice is still generally the more popular
product. Certain characteristics of brown rice make it less
appealing than white rice, including its darker colour, its longer
cooking time, and its propensity to spoil more quickly than white
rice due to fat-containing germ--which is removed when making white
rice.
[0009] As an alternative to brown rice, a number of high-fibre
products have been developed by coating processed white rice with
dietary fibre.
[0010] JP 06-026507 discloses a processed polished rice processing
method in which a water solution of one or more kinds of soluble
dietary fibre such as guar gum, locust bean gum, tamarind gum and
pectin is sprayed onto the surface of rice while it is being
polished and then dried. JP 06-026507 discloses a process in which
soluble dietary fibre is sprayed onto processed polished rice which
is then boiled. During boiling, the soluble dietary fibre "melts"
into the water and at the end of the cooking time has entered into
the starch tissue of the rice. AU-A-2008335453 describes methods of
coating powdered bran onto parboiled milled rice grains.
[0011] However, using coating methods to increase the fibre content
has certain disadvantages. Rice is often washed with water before
cooking, and during cooking is often boiled for up to half an hour.
Both the washing and cooking stages can serve to remove or erode
the high-fibre coating before it is consumed.
[0012] One approach to overcome the problems associated with using
coatings is to prepare reconstituted rice kernels.
[0013] This approach has been used to incorporate vitamins and
other nutrients into rice. FR-A-1530248 discloses fortified
artificial kernels prepared from a mixture of semolina or flour and
vitamins. The mixture is then formed into strands which are cut
into rice-size pieces which are dried. The artificial kernels are
mixed with natural grains in a 1:20 up to 1:1000 mixture. However,
the artificial kernels often tend to disintegrate during cooking,
thereby losing the vitamins to the cooking water and reducing the
potential beneficial properties when the cooked rice is
consumed.
[0014] The process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,896 uses
extrusion to prepare artificial enriched rice kernels and overcomes
the problems of cooking instability and subsequent vitamin loss by
adding specific ingredients such as heat stabilising agents,
binding agents and cross-linking agents. However, although the
addition of these agents produces a more stable product, production
times and costs are increased. Furthermore, such additives have
been linked to allergenic reactions and have even been cited as
being possible carcinogens.
[0015] WO-A-2005053433 describes processes for the preparation of
enriched rice-like grains by extrusion of a mixture of rice flour
or broken rice with water, one or more micronutrients such as
vitamins, and an emulsifier, followed by drying. Similar products
and processes are described in WO-A-2010/020640.
[0016] KR-A-20060120335 describes processes for the preparation of
rice-like grains by extruding a mixture of rice flour and resistant
starch, followed by drying. Fabricated rice-like grains are also
described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,675, EP-A-1166648, EP-A-0277498
and U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,271.
[0017] WO2010/102521 describes forming reconstituted cereal grains
from a multi-grain raw material that is ground and mixed with
water, an emulsifier and further ingredients such as cellulose and
nutrients, prior to extrusion.
[0018] CN-A-101869241 describes extruded cereal grains based on
various kinds of flour, including rice flour, pearl barley, red
bean or green bean flour. The grains may contain 0-12% of
cellulose.
[0019] US 2004/109931 describes a reconstituted cereal grain formed
from a dough that may contain 1-10% by weight (dry weight) of rice
bran.
[0020] A need remains for providing an enhanced-fibre granular
product which retains its stability and fibre-content whilst being
washed and cooked, and also provide a palatable taste and texture
when eaten. Preferably, the enhanced-fibre granular product is made
via an inexpensive and simple process.
[0021] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a
reconstituted cereal grain, wherein said grain comprises at least
about 10 wt. % of pea fibre, at least about 25 wt. % of cereal
starch in addition to said dietary fibre, and at least about 0.5
wt. % emulsifier based on the dry weight of the grain; and wherein
said grain has a product density of greater than about 1 kg/l.
[0022] The term "reconstituted" signifies that the grains are not
natural cereal kernels, but have been formed from a mixture or
similar mixture of ingredients by a shaping process, in particular
by extrusion. The grains may be of any shape. In embodiments they
resemble or are substantially identical in appearance with, natural
grain kernels, such as milled rice kernels or milled wheat kernels.
Suitably, they are shaped to resemble closely milled rice kernels.
That is to say, suitably they have a length of from about 5 mm to
about 8 mm, a mid-section having a diameter of from about 1.5 mm to
about 2.2 mm, said mid-section tapering to rounded or tapered ends
of the kernel. In these embodiments the mid-section is
substantially cylindrical, or it may be oval in cross section with
an aspect ratio (maximum to minimum diameter) of less than about
1.5. In other embodiments, the grains may have a shape not found in
nature, for example any of the fancy shapes such as star shapes,
annular shapes or even alphabet shapes as known in the pasta art.
Suitably, the cereal grain is a rice-like grain. That is to say, a
grain having the dimensions of a parboiled milled rice such as
long-grain rice. Suitably, the maximum dimension of each grain is
from about 1 mm to about 10 mm, for example from about 2 mm to
about 5 mm. Suitably, the grains of the invention are substantially
homogeneous, i.e. the composition of the grain is substantially or
completely uniform across the grain.
[0023] Products of the invention suitably have a product density
greater than about 1 kg/liter, for example greater than about 1.1
kg/liter. Product density refers to the Archimedean density, i.e.
the average density of the individual grains of the material. Thus,
a product density greater than 1 kg/liter signifies that the grains
will sink when placed in water. Products of the present invention
may have a slightly lower product density than natural white rice
due to the presence of the emulsifier.
[0024] It has been found that extruded rice grains according to the
invention containing 10 wt. % or more of pea fibre can have very
similar appearance and texture to natural white rice, but with a
much higher dietary fibre content. The term "natural white rice" as
used herein is defined white rice deriving from brown rice that has
been parboiled and milled, but that has not in any way been
reconstituted.
[0025] Furthermore, the extruded rice products according to the
present invention may be cooked within 10 minutes, and the cooked
product closely resembles the taste and texture of cooked parboiled
milled rice. Thus, extruded rice products of the present invention
provide similar or enhanced benefits relative to brown rice in
terms of providing high dietary fibre content, but overcome its
associated disadvantages--namely its less appealing darker colour
and the inconvenience of its longer cooking time.
[0026] Furthermore, grain products of the present invention
typically have a lower fat content (1.5-1.7%) than brown rice
(about 3%). The higher fat content of brown rice compared with
white rice leads to its greater propensity to spoil.
[0027] The present inventors have found that the use of pea fibre
as the dietary fibre ingredient in the reconstituted grains is
particularly advantageous because of the neutral colour and taste
of the pea fibre and the outstanding texture of the resulting
products after cooking.
[0028] Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is thought that
the claimed combination of rice flour and emulsifier in the
granular extruded products of the present invention provides a
starch-emulsifier or protein-emulsifier network which helps to
stabilise the integrity and shape of the product grains during
cooking and enhance the texture and "bite" of the cooked product.
The melting point of these complexes are in the range of
105-120.degree. C., and therefore they do not melt under normal
cooking conditions. This overcomes the problem that most
reconstituted cereal grain compositions (unlike pasta) contain very
little protein and therefore tend to disintegrate on cooking in
excess water, especially if they contain high levels of dietary
fiber.
[0029] Suitably, the product comprises from about 15 wt. % to about
35 wt. % of said pea fibre dietary fibre based on the dry weight of
the grain, for example from about 20 wt. % to about 30 wt. %, more
suitably about 20 wt. % to about 25 wt. % of said pea fibre dietary
fibre based on the dry weight of the grain. The dietary fibre may
be any food-acceptable dietary fibre such as cellulose fiber or
hemicellulose fiber. A suitable cellulose/hemicellulose is pea
fiber.
[0030] The maximum amount of the pea fibre dietary fibre in the
products is determined by the feasibility of the handling and
processing of the raw ingredients blend containing the dietary
fiber, and by the appearance, taste and texture of the final
extruded product and the cooked final extruded product.
[0031] The cereal starch is non-resistant starch present in
addition to any resistant starch forming part of the dietary fiber
component. The cereal starch may be any edible cereal starch, such
as rice starch, wheat starch, or potato starch. Most suitably the
cereal starch comprises rice starch. Suitably, the grain comprises
from about 25 wt. % to about 73 wt. %, for example about 30 wt. %
to about 60 wt. % of said cereal starch based on the dry weight of
the grain, for example about 35 wt. % to about 50 wt. % of said
cereal starch based on the dry weight of the grain. In embodiments,
the products of the invention do not contain more than about 10 wt.
% of wheat starch, more suitably they do not contain more than
about 5 wt. % of wheat starch, i.e. they are not pasta products
even though they can be made in a similar way to pasta.
[0032] Products of the present invention suitably comprise at least
about 0.5 wt. % emulsifier based on the dry weight of the product.
Suitably, about 0.5 wt. % to about 2 wt. % of emulsifier is
included in the product. Suitably, the product of the present
invention comprises from about 0.8 wt. % to about 1.2 wt. % of
emulsifier based on the dry weight of the product. As explained
above, the emulsifier is present to enhance the integrity and shape
of the product grains during cooking, and could also enhance the
"bite" of the cooked product.
[0033] The term "emulsifier" is used in its normal sense in food
science. An emulsifier is a substance that forms or preserves an
emulsion by increasing the compatibility of the contact surfaces of
two components in a blend. Any food-acceptable emulsifier may be
suitable for the present invention. For example, the emulsifier may
be selected from the group consisting of phospholipids such as
lecithin, enzyme digested lecithin/enzyme-treated lecithin,
glycerin fatty acid esters (monoglyceride, MG), acetic acid esters
of monoglycerides (acetylated monoglyceride, AMG), lactic acid
esters of monoglycerides (lactylated monoglyceride, LMG), citric
acid esters of monoglycerides (CMG), succinic acid esters of
monoglycerides (SMG), diacetyl tartaric acid esters of
monoglycerides (DATEM), polyglycerol esters of fatty acids
(polyglycerol ester, PGE), polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR),
sorbitan esters of fatty acids (sorbitan ester, SOE), propylene
glycol esters of fatty acids (PG ester, PGME), sucrose esters of
fatty acids (sugar ester, SE) and calcium stearoyl di lactate
(CSL).
[0034] Suitably, the products of the invention are substantially
free of added protein, that is to say protein other than the
protein inherently present in the cereal and dietary fiber
ingredients. Suitably there is no more than 2 wt. % of added
protein, more suitably no more than 1 wt. % on dry weight basis,
and most suitably no added protein. Of course, some protein is
normally inherently present in the cereal and dietary fibre
ingredients. Accordingly, the grains of the present invention
suitably comprise from about 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. % total
protein, more suitably from about 2 wt. % to about 8 wt. % protein,
for example about 4 wt. % to about 6 wt. % protein on a dry weight
basis.
[0035] Suitably, the products of the invention are substantially
free of added gelling agents, for example glutens, alginates,
alginate derivatives, or gums. The present inventors have found
that the products do not need such gelling agents to maintain
excellent integrity during cooking and a firm texture after
cooking. Suitably there is no more than 2 wt. % of added gelling
agents, more suitably no more than 1 wt. % on dry weight basis, and
most suitably no gelling agents other than those incidentally
present in the other ingredients.
[0036] Suitably, the products of the invention are substantially or
completely free of added dietary fibre components other than said
pea fibre. In these embodiments the total dietary fibre content of
the products consists of the pea fibre dietary fibre from the pea
fibre ingredient, together with incidental amounts of dietary fibre
that may be present in the other ingredients.
[0037] Preferred products of the invention include grains, suitably
rice-like grains, comprising (all percentages except moisture being
on dry-weight basis): [0038] 25-60 wt. %, suitably 30-50 wt. %
cereal flour, preferably rice flour [0039] 35-70 wt. %, suitably
50-65 wt. % of a cellulose or hemicellulose fiber ingredient,
preferably pea fiber; and [0040] 0.6-1.2 wt. % emulsifier.
[0041] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a cereal
product comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of a
plurality of reconstituted cereal grains according to the
invention. For example, the product may consist of the grains
according to the invention. Alternatively, the reconstituted grains
of the invention may be admixed with natural grains such as milled
parboiled cereal grains. Since the grains of the invention are not
puffed or expanded to any significant degree, such products
typically have a bulk density from about 600 g/l to about 900 g/l,
preferably from about 750 g/l to about 850 g/l. Bulk density (also
known as tap density) is the density of the whole granular material
including the interstitial air between the grains.
[0042] The above product densities and bulk densities of the
products are typical of dried parboiled milled cereal products that
have not been puffed or expanded. The grains and products of the
present invention are not puffed or expanded to any significant
degree. Indeed, the process conditions are selected as described
below to minimise puffing or expansion of the grains.
[0043] For example, the rice-like grains according to the present
invention can be mixed with milled parboiled rice in a proportion
by weight of from about 1% to about 99%, for example from about 10%
to about 80%, such as from about 30% to about 70. It may be more
economical to achieve a desired level of fibre content by mixing
high-fibre grains according to the invention with conventional
grains than by making a product entirely from grains according to
the invention having the desired level of fibre.
[0044] Therefore, for economic reasons as well as technical
reasons, it is desirable for the grains according to the invention
to have the highest level of dietary fibre that is compatible with
the manufacturing method and desired cooking properties and texture
of the products. Accordingly, the grains of the invention suitably
contain at least about 20 wt % of dietary fiber on a dry weight
basis, for example at least about 25 wt. % of dietary fiber on a
dry weight basis. Suitably, said total dietary fibre consists
essentially of pea fiber. It has surprisingly been found that
excellent cooking properties and bite can be achieved even at such
high dietary fiber levels.
[0045] As noted above, the grains of the invention suitably have
cooking properties substantially identical to natural milled
parboiled kernels.
[0046] The products of the present invention are suitably made by
extruding a mixture comprising a the pea fibre ingredient, a cereal
flour, emulsifier and water through a suitable die plate, with a
cutter to cut the extruded strands into grains. More complex
extrusion methods could be used to make grains of different shapes.
Heating and partial gelatinization of the starch in the mixture is
performed in the extruder, or in a preconditioner. The extrusion
process may be a "cooking extrusion", sometimes referred to as "hot
extrusion" method, or preferably it may be a "pasta extrusion",
sometimes referred to as "cold extrusion" process similar to pasta
manufacture.
[0047] The strands exiting the extruder are cut into grains, for
example pieces the size of rice grains, by a rotating knife or
similar. It will be appreciated that grains in the form of any of
the fancy shapes known in pasta manufacture can be prepared by
extrusion. The so obtained grains are dried in a suitable dryer,
such as a fluidized bed dryer or a belt dryer, to a moisture
content of no more than about 15 wt. %, suitably 10-13 wt. %.
[0048] In the context of this invention, a "pea fibre ingredient"
is defined as a product that contains pea fibre, but need not be
entirely composed of pea fibre. For example, the commercially
available pea fibre is 20-100 micrometer pea fiber from DPS/Dutch
Protein Services having a maximum of 66% dietary fibre (AOAC991.43
dry basis).
[0049] Suitably, the cereal flour ingredient contains, consists
essentially of, or consists of rice flour. Rice starch is the major
component of natural white rice and usually forms 90-93% of the dry
weight of the rice. Thus, rice starch is also a major component of
rice flour. For example, commercially available rice flour Remyflo
R7-250 contains a minimum of 85% rice starch (total weight
basis).
[0050] In embodiments, the mixture consists essentially of, or
consists of, the pea fibre ingredient, cereal flour, water and
emulsifier.
[0051] In preferred embodiments of the invention, the mixture
comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the following
components, based on the weight of the ingredients excluding added
water: [0052] 25-60 wt. %, suitably 30-50 wt. % cereal flour,
preferably rice flour [0053] 35-70 wt. %, suitably 50-65 wt. % of
pea fiber; and [0054] 0.6-1.2 wt. % emulsifier.
[0055] Suitably, the above components make up at least about 90%,
more suitably at least about 99 wt %, and most suitably
substantially all of the ingredients other than water.
[0056] Any features or embodiments described herein in relation to
any one aspect or embodiment of the invention may be used in
relation to any other aspect or embodiment. In particular, any of
the ingredients or methods described in relation to the methods of
manufacture may be used to make the products according to the
invention.
EXAMPLE
[0057] In these examples, rice-like granular extruded products were
made by a pasta extrusion method according to the following
formulation given in Table 1. The formulation contained rice flour
(Remyflo R7-250), pea fibre (DPS/Dutch protein&Services) and
emulsifier.
[0058] The Formulation 1 was mixed in lab batch mixtures.
[0059] processing of the formulations within the extruder was
assessed.
[0060] 25 the amount of steam added to the dry formulations was
varied in order to produce
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Raw materials Formulation 1 Rice flour/kg 75
Poly C One/kg (emulsifier) 1.2 Pea fibre/kg 75 (50)
[0061] The formulations were mixed in lab batch mixtures.
[0062] The granular extruded products were then produced using a
lab-scale Polymatik extruder TPXL1. The handling and processing of
the formulations within the extruder was assessed. For the
formulation, the amount of steam added to the dry formulations was
varied in order to produce products with different texture
characteristics. The granular extruded products were then
dried.
[0063] The dried reconstituted grain product samples were cooked
for 10 minutes (100 g of dried reconstituted grain product per 1
litre of water). Once cooked, the characteristics of the
reconstituted grain product, such as surface stickiness and
texture/bite were evaluated.
[0064] The parameters of uncooked appearance, texture, bite, cooked
taste, surface stickiness (cooked) and shape stability of the
cooked trial samples were all compared with an "ideal standard",
which was a sample of cooked commercially available parboiled
milled rice (Uncle Ben's.RTM. long grain rice with a recommended
cooking time of 10 minutes). The ideal standard rice has a water
uptake of from 100 to 150 g of water per 100 g of dry rice on
cooking in excess water at 100C for 10 minutes.
[0065] The results of these tests can be summarized as follows.
[0066] Formulation 1 (pea fibre): processing was unproblematic. The
resulting rice-like kernels had a good appearance, taste, texture
and stability on cooking.
[0067] In addition, a texture measurement was prepared on the rice
cooked as described above for 10 minutes in excess boiling water.
For this measurement, the cooked rice was cooled in air, then 17 g
samples were packaged in plastic bags and stored in a refrigerator
for 24 hours. Each sample was then loaded into a test cell.
[0068] The test cell was in the form of a rectangular enclosure
having a cross-section of 5.8 cm.sup.2. The top of the enclosure
was open to admit a piston of an Instron stress tester. The bottom
of the enclosure was closed by a perforated plate having 39
uniformly spaced circular holes of diameter 3 mm for extruding the
rice.
[0069] The test cell was mounted in an Instron load measurement
device equipped with a rectangular piston of area 5.8 cm.sup.2 for
fitting closely into the rectangular cell to press the rice through
the holes in the bottom of the cell. The piston was pressed down at
100 mm/minute, programmed to descend 105 mm, and the maximum load
on the piston was determined. A high maximum load was therefore
indicative of a relatively firm cooked rice product. A low maximum
load was indicative of a rice product that is soft or easily
disintegrated. Each measurement was repeated at least 10 times. The
results were as follows:
Ideal Standard Rice (Reference Example)
[0070] A commercially available pea fiber (20-100 micrometer pea
fiber from DPS/Dutch protein services having a maximum of 66%
dietary fiber by AOAC This pea fiber is a cellulose/hemicellulose
dietary fiber. The pea fiber products measured with a maximum load
of from 100 to 149 kN for 14 samples, mean 135 kN, indicating that
these samples are softer than the ideal standard rice.
[0071] Overall, the products comprising dietary fibre in the form
of pea fibre provided reconstituted grain products which very
closely resembled the commercially available rice, in terms of
appearance, taste and texture.
[0072] The above examples have been described for the purpose of
illustration only. Many other examples falling within the scope of
the accompanying claims will be apparent to the skilled reader.
* * * * *