Baking&Snack - June 2012 - 132

PATENTS

Enriched oat bran cereals
Dry-milled, heat-conditioned dehulled oats form a coarse whole, nondefatted oat flour. Then, without first removing the fat, the oats are dry-fractionated into coarser bran and finer oat flour. Sifting separates the coarse oat flour into a coarser fraction oat bran with more concentrated beta-glucan and a finer oat flour. The oat bran is milled a second and third time and sifted to yield oat bran with high beta-glucan content (7 to 9%) and oat flour with relatively low beta-glucan content (3%). The oat bran and oat flour can be used to prepare ready-to-eat cereals. US Patent No. 8,097,290 (Jan. 17, 2012), J. Hellweg, et al., assigned to General Mills IP Holdings II, LLC, Minneapolis, MN.

Trans fat-free shortening
This non-hydrogenated vegetable oil containing a mono- and diglyceride emulsifier forms a liquid mixture. An inert gas blends into the liquid until it reaches at least 5% of the mixture by volume. The mixture is pumped through a scraped-surface heat exchanger to rapidly cool it. When cool, the mixture transfers to a working unit before the nucleation time elapses. The unit mechanically works the cooled mixture, and then the shortening composition is metered into a container for further processing and packaging. US Patent No. 8,088,430 (Jan. 3, 2012), C. Schlegel, et al., assigned to Ventura Foods, LLC, Brea, CA.

Quick corn nixtamalization process Active agents delivered via chocolate
Pharmaceutically or nutraceutically active agents in particulate form are homogeneously dispersed in a fat matrix such as chocolate or chocolate compound coating. Chocolate is well-suited to deliver active agents because its organoleptic characteristics mask unpleasant flavors associated with some active agents. Chocolate also imparts a smooth and creamy texture for the edible products; otherwise, the active agents are undesirably gritty. Chocolate is also substantially anhydrous and, therefore, it resists microbial growth and hydrolysis of water-sensitive active agents. US Patent No. 8,105,640 (Jan. 31, 2012), K. Lang, assigned to Delavau LLC, Philadelphia, PA. Corn masa for production of tortillas, fried and baked tortilla chips, tostadas, and corn chips is made directly from raw materials without the traditional cooking and steeping steps. The materials are dry-blended and hydrated, and then the dough is worked in an extruder with a unique screw configuration. This process uses very little water and emits no wastewater. US Patent No. 8,110,239 (Feb. 7, 2012), C. Wallens, et al., assigned to Sabritas, S. de R.L. de C.V., Col. Bosques de las Lomas, Mexico.

Acrylamide reduction process
By manipulating operations such as peeling, cooking and product rejection, foods can have significantly reduced acrylamide levels. For example, peeling operations can more fully peel potato slices. Cooking to higher moisture and/or at lower hot oil temperatures minimizes the high-temperature/low-moisture conditions that favor acrylamide formation. US Patent No. 8,110,240 (Feb. 7, 2012), C. Cantley, et al., assigned to Frito-Lay North America, Inc., Plano, TX.

Resealable packaging
Tamper-evident recloseable packaging for products such as cookies and crackers allows consumers to know whether the product has been previously opened. A 2-ply material forms the resealable closure. A releasable adhesive on either the sealing panel or the film layer or both adheres the panel and film layer. The sealing panel releases by peeling it back and recloses when the sealing panel is moved back against the top. Advantageously, the transferable material’s coating is a different color or pattern than that of the film layer or sealing panel; thus, if the coating is initially applied to the sealing panel, it is evident whether the closure has been opened. If the perimeter edge of the sealing panel is nonlinear, such as a zigzag pattern, a slight misalignment of the zigzag pattern between the sealing panel and the film layer will be visible. US Patent No. 8,114,451 (Feb. 14, 2012), G. Sierra-Gomez, et al., assigned to Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC, Northfield, IL.

Method for reducing acrylamide
Processors can manipulate washing and cooking operations to reduce acrylamide levels in thermally processed foods. For example, washing modifications can increase time and temperature and add components such as calcium chloride and L-cysteine to the wash water. Cooking can be divided into a higher-temperature first heating step and a lower-temperature second heating step to avoid the high-temperature/low-moisture conditions most favorable for acrylamide formation. US Patent No. 8,114,463 (Feb. 14, 2012), D. Barry, et al., assigned to Frito-Lay North America, Inc., Plano, TX.

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Baking&Snack - June 2012

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