Patent ID: 8715760
Filing Date: 2014-05-06
Classification: A23B,A23L,A23V

Abstract:
1. A method of making a snack food product comprising, (a) providing a plurality of cut or shaped food pieces; (b) exposing the food pieces for about 0.5-5 minutes to a solution comprising about 0.1-5 wt-% of one or more starch reducing enzymes; (c) thereafter blanching the food pieces for a time sufficient to inactivate the starch-reducing enzymes and naturally occurring enzymes, wherein the food pieces have an initial moisture level of about 80-85% after the blanching step; (d) heating a bulk quantity of the blanched food pieces in one or more ovens or driers by bringing the food pieces to a first temperature at about 275-375° F. for a first time period of about 0.5-25 minutes, to reduce the initial moisture level to an intermediate level; and (e) heating a bulk quantity of the intermediate moisture food pieces in the one or more ovens or driers by bringing the food pieces to a second temperature within the range of about 225-300° F. for a second time period of about 4-12 minutes, wherein the second temperature is lower than the first temperature, wherein at least one of steps (d) or (e) comprises fluidizing the food pieces in air, and wherein steps (d) and (e) are conducted in the absence of frying in oil to reduce the initial moisture level to a final moisture level of about 0.5 to about 10% by weight to yield the snack food product comprising up to about 15 wt-% fat; so that the snack food product exhibits one or more characteristic of a snack food product produced by frying a food piece in oil wherein the characteristic is selected from the group consisting of texture, flavor, crispness, crunchiness, color and appearance.