U.S. patent number RE31,982 [Application Number 05/823,983] was granted by the patent office on 1985-09-10 for dehydrated potato processes.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Basic American Foods. Invention is credited to Roderick G. Beck, Lyle H. Parks, Arden O. Pulley, Mounir A. Shatila.
United States Patent |
RE31,982 |
Beck , et al. |
September 10, 1985 |
Dehydrated potato processes
Abstract
Process for making a reconstitutable dehydrated, cooked potato
piece or strip. Raw potatoes are cooked and a dough of separated
potato cells is formed therefrom. A small quantity of the cells are
ruptured to release their starch contents. The released starch
alone or in combination with additional raw starch which is
gelatinized after mixing with the dough are used to give the dough
an adhesive character which will permit the eventually dried potato
pieces to be reconstituted in water without loss of piece identity.
After rupture of the potato cells the dough is maintained in a
heated condition until formed into strips or pieces of the desired
size after which they are dried. An alternative process employs raw
starch as the principle means for obtaining the desired adhesive
character in the dried potato pieces. In the alternative process
the dough is processed and formed into the desired pieces or strips
without heating and thereafter the raw starch is gelatinized by
application of heat. The product is thereafter dried.
Inventors: |
Beck; Roderick G. (Blackfoot,
ID), Parks; Lyle H. (Blackfoot, ID), Shatila; Mounir
A. (Blackfoot, ID), Pulley; Arden O. (St. Louis,
MO) |
Assignee: |
Basic American Foods (San
Francisco, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
27365503 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/823,983 |
Filed: |
August 12, 1977 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
192590 |
Oct 26, 1971 |
|
|
|
|
39141 |
May 20, 1970 |
3634105 |
|
|
|
655746 |
Jul 25, 1967 |
|
|
|
Reissue of: |
538292 |
Jan 2, 1975 |
03991222 |
Nov 9, 1976 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
426/550; 426/456;
426/472; 426/482; 426/578; 426/637 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L
19/13 (20160801) |
Current International
Class: |
A23L
1/214 (20060101); A23L 1/216 (20060101); A23L
001/216 () |
Field of
Search: |
;426/550,578,637,441,455,456,465,472,482,808 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Yoncoskie; Robert A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kenyon & Kenyon
Parent Case Text
.Iadd.CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS .Iaddend.
This is a continuation of .[.application.]. Ser. No. 192,590,
.[.filed.]. Oct. 26, 1971 .[.and now.]..Iadd.,
.Iaddend.abandoned.Iadd., .Iaddend.which is a division of
.[.copending application.]. Ser. No. 39,141, .[.filed.]. May 20,
1970.].now.]..Iadd., .Iaddend.U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,105, .[.and claim
is made for all rights to which said parent application is
entitled.]. .Iadd.which in turn is a continuation of application
Ser. No. 655,746, July, 25, 1967, now abandoned.Iaddend..
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A process for producing permanently agglomerated reconstituted
cooked potato strips or pieces suitable for use without loss of
piece identity in the preparation of such potato dishes as pan
fired or hash browns as a substitute for like strips or pieces of
natural potato, comprising the steps of: (a) cooking fresh potatoes
and producing therefrom a mash of separated potato cells; (b)
incorporating uniformly into said mash sufficient ungelatinized raw
starch to form a dough composed of a maximum of 20 percent by
weight of said starch and a minimum of 80 percent by weight of said
separated potato cells; (c) heating said dough at a temperature of
about 190.degree. F. to gelatinize said raw starch and provide a
binding gel structure formed of said gelatinized starch and said
separated potato cells; (d) forming said heated dough into pieces
of strips about 1/8-1/4 inch in thickness; (e) predrying said piece
or strips to about 65 percent moisture content out of contact with
one another to remove the surface moisture so as to prevent them
from adhering to one another; (f) drying said formed pieces or
strips to a moisture content of about 71/2 percent; and (g)
reconstituting said pieces of strips with water to absorb about
1.5-2.0 times their dry weight resulting in permanently
agglomerated pieces or strips suitable for use without loss of
piece identity as a substitute for natural potatoes in the
preparation of such potato dishes as pan fried or hash browns.
2. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said dough is
formed debris-free, the debris being initially removed from the
potatoes by removal of skin, eyes and other defective portions by
mechanical and/or manual trimming.
3. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein said dough is
formed debris-free, the debris being removed during slurrying of
the cooked potatoes and thereafter thickening the slurry.
4. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the raw starch
added is about 6-20 percent of the solids content of the dough.
5. The process of claim 1 in which a cooling step is performed
following the forming step and prior to the drying step to create a
more stable gel structure.
6. The process of claim 1 in which said reconstituting step can be
accomplished in about 15-30 minutes in cold water, 5-10 minutes in
water at 140.degree. F., or 3-5 minutes in water at 200.degree.
F.
7. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said dough
comprises about 9 percent by weight of said ungelatinized raw
starch.
8. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said separated
potato cells are a combination of freshly cooked and previously
dehydrated separated potato cells.
9. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the solids content
of said dough is in the range of 20-25 percent to facilitate
physical handling and to prevent sluffing of the end product upon
reconstitution.
10. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the raw starch is
raw corn starch.
11. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said forming step
precedes said heating step.
Description
This invention relates to a novel dehydrated potato product and a
process for producing the same, involving a specific intermediate
mix form. The intermediate and the dehydratd end products are
composed essentially of debris-free cooked potato flesh containing
some additives, flavorings or other components, singly or in
appropriate combination. The intermediate is given a higher
solids-to-moisture ratio than found in the normally cooked potato
flesh by addition of undamaged dehydrated potato cells and is used
to form a sheet from which pieces are cut preparatory to drying for
producing as end products dehydrated substitutes for pieces of
dehydrated natural potato for use in making pan fried and hash
brown potato dishes.
Although many dehydrated potato products such as potato granules
and potato flakes have been received well and are produced
commercially on a large scale, similar widespread use has not been
achieved by sliced potatoes and diced potatoes. Slices and dice
require prolonged rehydration and are therefore not "instant" and
do not have the required convenience factor. Attempts have been
made to shorten the preparation time by drying thinner pieces and
more recently by explosion, puffing and irradiation to create a
more porous structure which is more permeable to the rehydrating
solution. Although this has resulted in improved products, there is
still a need for dehydrated potato pieces which can be prepared
completely in a few minutes.
It is a purpose of this invention to describe a process for
producing large potato pieces which can be rehydrated and prepared
as pan fried potatoes or hash brown potatoes in a fraction of the
time required for conventionally dried pieces of the same size.
It is a further object of this invention to produce such potato
pieces free of dark spots, eyes, or blemishes which are common
defects in potato pieces described in prior art.
It is a further object to produce potato pieces suitable for pan
fries or hash browns with flavor and color stability superior to
that of conventionally dried potato slices made from intact
potatoes.
It is a further object of this invention to produce dehydrated
potato pieces which can be used interchangeably with conventional
pieces of the same dimensions but with added convenience and
superior performance.
When using raw potatoes as starting material, our process comprises
the normal preparation step of producing a cooked potato or potato
piece. From this we produce a debris-free slurry of about 17
percent solids as described in copending application Ser. No.
222,538, assigned now U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,716 to American Potato
Company as is this present application. Although we prefer to
produce debris-free cooked potato flesh in this manner, it is
obvious that the same result can be obtained following complete
removal of skin, eyes, and defective portions by costly mechanical
and/or manual trimming. The solids content of the slurry is then
increased to about 22-25 percent by partial dewatering, addition of
dehydrated instant potato, or both. Additives such as
anti-oxidants, sulphite salts, calcium salts, sugar, starch or
other binders are added as required to control stability, color,
and texture. This thickened slurry or mix is now comparable in
consistency to a very dry mashed potato. By eliminating precooking
and cooling of the potato prior to cooking and by adjusting the
slurrying procedure at least a portion of the required adhesive
character is obtained from the controlled rupture of a small
fraction of the potato cells.
In another application of our invention, the debris-free potato mix
is made by reconstituting debris-free dehydrated potato products
such as potato granules or potato flakes, which in commercial form
already contain the desired additives. Any combination of potato
solids whether from a freshly cooked source of from a dehydrated
source can be used in our process by preparing a mix of the proper
moisture and containing the proper additives.
We have found several means of obtaining the controlled amount of
adhesion which is necessary in the mix. In our early test work, as
disclosed in our original application, Ser. No. 547,195, filed May
3, 1966, a satisfactory product resulted from our process if
product piece size and rehydration time and temperature were
controlled closely. We have now developed improved processes which
are not sensitive to changes in preparation techniques and which
resist sloughing even when over-rehydrated or when rehydrated in
very hot water.
In these improved processes, the adhesive force necessary to result
in permanently agglomerated, previously separated potato cells is
obtained by a heat treatment step which gelatinizes raw starches
uniformly dispersed in the dough thus forming a binding gel
structure which is maintained in the dough throughout the
process.
One example of an improved process for producing hash brown pieces
and using potato granules as the sole source of potato solids, is
as follows:
330 grams of commercial potato granules are mixed uniformly with 30
grams of raw corn starch. This mix is then added uniformly to 1170
ml. of water heated to 185.degree. F. in a Hobart mixer operated at
low speed for 2-3 minutes to form a homogeneous dough to about
231/2 percent solids. The dough is then extruded in strips about
1/8 inch.times.1/4 inch in cross section and of any length onto a
screen. The extruded dough is then steamed for about 10 minutes on
the screen. The heat-treated strips are then dried, still on the
screen, at about 180.degree.-200.degree. F. for about 3-4 hours to
reduce the moisture content to about 71/2 percent.
An alternate improved process has been also developed in which the
heat treatment step to gelatinize the raw starch is accomplished
before the dough is extruded. In this application, the heat-treated
dough mix must be kept hot until extrusion is completed.
When the end product desired is an instant 1/8 inch potato slice
suitable for pan frying, pieces of the desired slice size are
formed from the hot sheeted mix. These pieces are then predried out
of contact with one another to a moisture content of about 65
percent by subjecting the individual pieces to air at about
300.degree. F. for about 5-6 minutes. Any other set of conditions
which gives this moisture reduction without demage would be
acceptable. The purpose of this step is to pre-dry the surfaces of
the pieces so they do not adhere to each other in final drying. The
final drying step immediately follows before diffusion of moisture
to the surface of the pieces can create any stickiness. The final
drying step is normally conducted with the pieces in several layers
on a continuous perforated belt dryer using air at about
200.degree. F. until the moisture content is reduced to about 6 to
7 percent.
In the development of our novel improved processes, several facts
were disclosed by our research:
We found that all raw starches tested were effective adhesive
agents, but that raw corn starch resulted in finished products with
superior rehydration and handling attributes.
We further found that effective starch gel formation in the dough
requires a minimum heat treatment temperature of about 190.degree.
F. In tests where dough was heated to only 170.degree. F., no
beneficial result was found. Another important discovery of our
research was that the temperature at which the dough is dried is
critical. If excessive drying temperatures are employed, the outer
layer of the extruded pieces dries too quickly causing case
hardening which results in puffed pieces which slough undesirably
when reconstituted.
The starch added for adhesion must be in the raw or ungelatinized
state when mixed into the dough. A cooked or gelatinized starch
ingredient does not form the proper gel distribution. The most
desired quantity of raw starch ranges from 6-20 percent. With less
than 6 percent the reconstituted product sloughs excessively. With
more than 20 percent the end product has less potato flavor, less
desirable browning, and has an undesirable tough or rubbery
texture. Our tests with corn starch and commercial potato granules
have shown that about 9 percent starch and 91 percent granules is
optimum.
Mixing of the heat-treated dough can be damaging to the starch gel
structure. We have found that if mixing is required, the dough must
be kept hot during this operation. If the dough cools before the
finish of mixing or before extrusion, the gel structure is
disrupted and the advantages of our process are decreased.
Although the drying step can be started immediately following the
heat treatment of extruded pieces, even more resistance to
sloughing can be obtained by allowing the pieces to cool thereby
creating a more stable gel structure before dehydration. As
mentioned, satisfactory products can be made from freshly cooked
potatoes or from granules or flakes. It is obvious to anyone
skilled in the art that mixtures of any of these potato solids
sources can also be utilized.
Although we prefer a solid content of the dough of about 23-25
percent, a range from 17-50 percent gives useful results. If the
solids content is appreciably below 20 percent, physical handling
becomes difficult. If the solids of the dough is appreciably above
25 percent, the end products are more susceptible to sloughing upon
reconstitution.
The products of our novel processes have great flexibility in use.
The following conditions of rehydration all give properly
reconstituted hash brown pieces which can be pan fried in about 4
minutes at about 275.degree. F.
Cold water soaking for about 15-30 minutes.
140.degree. F. water soaking for about 5-10 minutes.
200.degree. F. water soaking for about 3-5 minutes.
The products of our invention can be subjected to prolonged
rehydration without undesirable sloughing; however, any liquid
absorbed in excess of 1.5-2.0 times the dry weight would have to be
boiled away before frying takes place.
The excellent rehydration characteristics allow simultaneous
rehydration and frying in a single pan. An excellent one-pan recipe
for has browns is as follows:
125 grams of the dehydrated hash browns are mixed with salt, fat,
and 1 to 11/4 cups of water. When the mix is heated, an excellent
hash brown potato with desirable piece identity can be finished in
about 10-14 minutes.
There are several advantages in the products of our invention over
presently available products. The dehydration of a conventional
blanched potato piece requires many hours and we have found by
using sensitive gas chromatographic techniques that rancidity
actually develops before the piece reaches the required finished
moisture content. Although this rancidity is not strongly objected
to by a majority of users, it may be at least partially responsibe
for limited usage of these products. In our processes, if freshly
cooked potatoes are used, they are immediately mixed with the
conventional protective additives which are incorporated uniformly
and contact and protect all parts of the mix.
Storage of the final dried products demonstrates the stability of
the products of our invention as evidenced by low hexanal
formation.
A further advantage is gained from the fact that the products of
our invention are made from a debris-free cooked potato slurry or
from debris-free dehydrated products. The end products are
therefore free of blemishes, eyes, fibers, and other discolored
pieces which would have to be mechanically or manually sorted from
conventional dehydrated potato pieces.
The permeability which is attained by the permanent agglomeration
of previously separated potato cells allows ready penetration of
reconstitution liquid in contrast to conventional dehydrated pieces
which have a tough horny exterior which requires prolonged soaking
for proper rehydration. When the products of our invention are to
be reconstituted for pan fries or hash browns, it is not necessary
to bring about complete rehydration, since much of this water would
simply be re-evaporated as frying takes place.
A further advantage of the products of our invention is the ability
to incorporate sugars in desired concentration to the mix so that
the color can be controlled in the fried end product. It is
well-known that fresh potatoes contain varying amounts of sugar
depending upon growing and storage conditions. It is the subject of
many patents to control the sugar content of fresh potato pieces by
complicated processing steps.
* * * * *