Snack food product and method of preparing same

An improved snack food product in the form of resilient, molded, self-sustaining bodies preferably made from a heated mixture comprising a dairy product (cheese, yogurt or pudding), gelatin, fat and water. The product bodies are small and bite sized, having a mass to surface area ratio of from about 0.05-5 g/cm.sup.2, which facilitates molding thereof. Preferred food products are prepared by first creating a heated flowable mixture of including cheese, gelatin, fat and water, and depositing small quantities of the mixture into molding depressions formed in powdered starch; after hardening, the resultant products are separated from the starch and packaged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention is concerned with an improved molded snack food
 product and method for preparing such product. More particularly, the
 invention pertains to resilient, self-sustaining, chewable food bodies
 including non-gelatin protein (at least a part of which is dairy
 product-derived protein), gelatin, water and fat; in preferred forms, the
 products contain a substantial fraction of a dairy product such as cheese,
 yogurt or pudding. The method of the invention involves starch molding of
 heated flowable food mixtures by first forming appropriately configured
 depressions in a starch layer, depositing the food mixture in the
 depressions and allowing hardening thereof, followed by separating the
 finished food products from the starch.
 2. Description of the Prior Art
 The prior art relating to the manufacture of dairy products such as cheeses
 and yogurts is immense. Through the years, a huge variety of cheeses and
 other products have been prepared with a multitude of different
 ingredients. Commonly, hard cheeses such as cheddars are produced in large
 block form and are later subdivided as slices or shreds. Similarly, soft
 cheeses in the nature of mozzarellas are produced as blocks or cubes and
 are then cut or shredded for use.
 The growth in snack food consumption over the past few decades has been
 substantial. Many consumers prefer the ease and convenience associated
 with snack foods such as pretzels, chips, granola bars and the like.
 However, these snack foods are often perceived as lacking in nutrition and
 bear the onus of non-natural or "artificial" foods. Certain types of
 cheeses and particularly mozzarellas have been packaged in tubular
 containers for ready consumption. While these products have achieved a
 certain measure of success, they are not particularly attractive to young
 children.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,579 to Haggerman et al. describes hard cheeses where
 gelatin is added during the cheese-making process. Thus, gelatin may be
 added to the cheese milk before rennet addition or after whey-off. The
 gelatin is described as adding resilience and taste to the final cheese
 product. The '579 patent is not concerned with production of attractively
 shaped, small snack-type products.
 U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,679,395, 3,615,690 and 5,330,773 also describe the use of
 gelatin as an additive in cream cheese, molded meat and cheese composites,
 and as an additive during cheese making. Here again, these references do
 not deal with the production of small, bite sized snack products.
 There is accordingly a need in the art for an improved food product which
 includes a substantial fraction of cheese or other dairy product, and
 which can be molded to virtually any shape (e.g., sports or recreational
 items) to yield resilient snacks having desirable mouth feel and taste
 properties.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above, and provides
 improved food products in the form of resilient, self-sustaining bodies
 having non-gelatin protein (at least apart of which is derived from dairy
 product(s)), gelatin, fat and water. The products are relatively small and
 bite sized, and have a mass to surface area ratio of from about 0.05-5
 g/cm.sup.2. Preferably, the molded bodies have a pH of from about 4.4-6.2,
 and a water activity of from about 0.7-1, whereby the bodies have
 substantial shelf lives. The gelatin fraction gives the bodies a desired
 resilience and mouth feel.
 Preferably, the molded food bodies of the invention include a substantial
 proportion of one or more dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and
 pudding therein. These base materials provide non-gelatin protein and also
 give the final products desirable taste and texture qualities. In this
 connection, such base materials are supplemented with gelatin and other
 ingredients such as whey, milk solids, flavorants and colorants.
 In preparative procedures, a flowable mixture is created by heating and
 mixing the desired starting ingredients, followed by high shear
 processing. Good results have been obtained through the use of an
 auger-type lay down mixer with direct steam injection into the mixture
 during blending to achieve a mixture temperature of from about
 150-190.degree. F. Thereupon, the heated mixture is passed through a high
 shear mixer or homogenizer until essential homogeneity is achieved.
 In order to mold the bite sized products, a starch molding technique is
 followed. Specifically, a layer of powdered starch is prepared, wherein
 the starch is at a temperature of from about 50-100.degree. F. and has a
 reduced moisture content of about 5-8% by weight. The starch layer is then
 imprinted with an impression device to form a series of shaped depressions
 therein. These depressions are filled with the heated food mixture, and
 the latter is allowed to harden therein at a temperature of from about
 30-90.degree. F. The hardened bodies are then separated from the starch,
 allowed to equilibrate, and are packaged.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 The preferred process in accordance with the invention is illustrated
 schematically in the drawing. The process is in some ways similar to
 starch molding processes long practiced in the candy and confectionary
 industries. In the first step (FIG. 1), particulate starch 10 is deposited
 into a tray or similar holder 12. It is important that the starch (which
 can be derived from any common source) be preconditioned to reduce the
 moisture content thereof. In particular, starch as-received commonly has a
 moisture content of 10-11% by weight, but it has been found that this
 moisture content should be reduced to a level of from about 5-8% by weight
 for use in the invention. Moreover, the starch should be at essentially
 room temperature or slightly warmer, preferably about 70-100.degree. F. If
 the particulate starch is not preconditioned to a relatively low moisture
 content, the starch tends to agglomerate on the surface of the final
 product, and is difficult to remove.
 FIG. 2 illustrates the starch 10 within tray 12 after filling and skimming
 of the starch. This presents an upper surface 14 for the starch layer as
 best seen in FIG. 2. It is to be understood that the starch layer is not
 pressed into the tray 12, but rather starch is merely dumped into the tray
 12 and skimmed off using a knife or the like to provide the flat upper
 surface 14. The density of the starch in the tray is preferably from about
 0.5-0.7 g/cm.sup.2.
 The next step (FIG. 3) involves forming a series of depressions or openings
 in the starch 10 through the upper surface 14. A variety of equipment can
 be used for this purpose, but in the example of the drawing, a plate 16
 having a series of depending cylindrical projections 18 is positioned
 above the tray 12. The plate 16 is then pressed into the starch 10 as
 shown (FIG. 4) through the upper surface 14. This creates a series of
 open-top depressions 20 in the starch 10 (FIG. 5) which are complemental
 with the projections 18. This can better be seen in FIG. 6 which shows
 that the depressions 20 are in a spaced array.
 The depressions 20 are next filled with a flowable food mixture 22 until
 the upper surface of the latter is essentially coincident with starch
 surface 14. In the illustrated embodiment, a manifold 24 having a series
 of depending outlet pipes 26 is located above the depressions 20, and the
 flowable mixture 22 is directed through the respective pipes 26 for
 filling of the depressions. Generally, this flowable mixture has a
 temperature of from about 150-190.degree. F. during the filling step. The
 mixture 22 is then allowed to harden within the individual depressions 20
 to form the self-sustaining bodies 28 of the invention. Such hardening can
 be carried out at room temperature or, if desired, in a refrigerated area.
 In the case of room temperature hardening, a period of from about 45
 minutes to 4 hours is normally sufficient. At the end of the hardening
 step, the bodies 28 typically have a moisture content of from about 30-60%
 by weight and a temperature of from about 40-90.degree. F. The products of
 the invention have a mass to surface area ratio in the range of from about
 0.05-5 g/cm.sup.2. It has been found that bodies having greater than a 5
 g/cm.sup.2 ratio are difficult to mold owing to the fact that the starch
 tends to tenaciously cling to the surfaces of the bodies because, during
 hardening, substantial moisture migrates from the bodies into the
 surrounding starch.
 The formed bodies 28 are then separated from the starch 10. This can be
 accomplished by a variety of techniques. FIG. 8 illustrates one such
 method wherein the entire contents of the tray 12 are dumped onto a sieve
 apparatus 30 allowing the bulk of the starch 10 to fall into a lower
 collector 32. Thereafter, residual starch is removed from the bodies 28 by
 directing a positive pressure air stream over the bodies with appropriate
 collection of such residual starch. An advantage of the invention is that
 the starch so collected from the process can be reused. This involves
 heating the starch as required to again reduce its moisture content to the
 desired level, which also controls the pathogens in the starch.
 The makeup and handling of the flowable food mixture 22 is an important
 aspect of the invention. In general, the mixture is made up of non-gelatin
 protein, gelatin, water and fat, wherein the non-gelatin protein of the
 mixture comprises a quantity of dairy product-derived protein (i.e.,
 protein from dairy products such as cheese, whey and other milk products).
 In preferred forms, the mixture includes a substantial proportion of a
 dairy ingredient selected from the group consisting of cheese, yogurt,
 pudding and mixtures thereof, typically from about 10-80% by weight, and
 more preferably from about 15-50% by weight. In the case of cheeses, cream
 cheese, American, Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Swiss, mozzarella and
 mixtures thereof are preferred. The overall flowing mixture 22 also
 typically includes other ingredients such as whey powder, non-fat dry milk
 (NFDM) powder, lactic acids, preservatives and colors.
 In order to prepare the flowable mixture, the ingredients are mixed
 together and heated. In one preferred method, such heating is accomplished
 by direct steam injection. After such heating, the mixture is subjected to
 high shear processing to render the mixture essentially homogenous. The
 steam injection is carried out until the flowable mixture has the desired
 temperature of from about 150-190.degree. F. High shear processing can be
 carried out in a high shear mixer (e.g., a Votator) or in a homogenizer.
 The goal of this processing is to minimize the size of the gelatin
 particles so that these are essentially invisible to the eye in the final
 product 28.
 The following table sets forth broad and preferred ranges for important
 ingredients and properties of the flowable mixtures of the invention. Is
 to be understood that these ranges are approximations.
 TABLE 1
 Broad Preferred
 Mixture Ingredients/Properties.sup.1 Range Range
 Non-gelatin protein content 5-25% 9-15%
 % of non-gelatin protein provided by dairy 50-100% 75-100%
 protein
 Dairy protein 5-25% 9-15%
 Gelatin content 3-10% 5.2-8%
 Gelatin Bloom value 150-350 200-300
 Water content 35-70% 45-65%
 Fat content 5-30% 12-25%
 Emulsifying salts solids content 1-4% 1.2-2.5%
 Whey powder content 0-10% 4-8%
 NFDM content 0-8% 0.5-4%
 Dairy product.sup.2 content 10-80% 15-50%
 pH 4.4-6.2 4.8-6.0
 Temperature .sup. 150-190.degree. F. .sup.
 160-180.degree. F.
 .sup.1 All percentages on a weight basis, with the total weight of the
 mixture taken as 100% by weight.
 .sup.2 Dairy product is selected from the group consisting of cheese,
 yogurt, pudding and mixtures thereof.
 The final product 28 resulting from the process is in the form of a
 resilient, self-sustaining body having a desirable mouth feel and "bite."
 The product moreover has a refrigerated shelf life (40.degree. F.) of at
 least about six months, and a room temperature shelf life of at least
 about thirty days. The product is essentially free of visually observable
 gelatin particles under a 25.times. magnification.
 The following table sets forth important broad and preferred ingredient and
 property ranges for the final products of the invention. Again, these
 ranges are approximate.
 TABLE 2
 Broad Preferred
 Final Product Ingredients/Properties.sup.1 Range Range
 Non-gelatin protein content 6-36% 10.5-18%
 % of non-gelatin protein provided by dairy 50-100% 75-100%
 protein
 Dairy protein 6-36% 10.5-18%
 Gelatin content 4.5-12% 6.2-10.5%
 Gelatin Bloom value 150-350 200-300
 Water content 30-60% 35-50%
 Fat content 6-36% 14-30%
 Emulsifying salts solids content 1.2-4.8% 1.4-3.0%
 Whey powder content 0-12% 4-10%
 NFDM content 0-10% 0.6-5%
 Dairy product.sup.2 content 12-90% 18-60%
 pH 4.4-6.2 4.8-6.0
 Water activity 0.7-1.0 0.8-0.9
 Mass/surface area ratio 0.05-5 0.15-2
 g/cm.sup.2 g/cm.sup.2
 .sup.1 All percentages on a weight basis, with the total weight of the
 mixture taken as 100% by weight.
 .sup.2 Dairy product is selected from the group consisting of cheese,
 yogurt, pudding and mixtures thereof.
 The following examples set forth preferred formulae and procedures for
 producing products in accordance with the invention. It is to be
 understood, however, that these examples are provided by way of
 illustration and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the
 overall scope of the invention.
 EXAMPLE 1
 In this example, a cheese snack product was prepared using the overall
 procedure schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, except that each of the
 starch depressions 20 were manually filled with cheese mixture.
 The formula used for the flowable cheese mixture is set forth below.
 TABLE 3
 Ingredient % By Weight
 Water 29.52
 Water from steam injection 6.40
 Cheddar cheese 43.89
 NFDM 0.99
 Whey powder 5.87
 Carotenal 73 0.05
 Salt 0.56
 Cream (80% fat) 4.11
 Disodium phosphate 2.05
 Lactic acid (50%) 0.55
 Sorbic acid 0.15
 Gelatin (270 Bloom) 5.82
 This mixture contained 43.89% cheese, 18.40% fat, 54.0% moisture, 6.08%
 carbohydrate, 0.15% sorbic acid, 4.62% ash, 0.89% whey protein, 16.9%
 other protein, 11.10% casein, 5.65% lactose, 1.62% emulsified solids,
 1.48% salt, 0.37% calcium, 1.09% sodium and 27.69% ash, carbohydrates and
 protein.
 The ingredients of the mixture were placed in an auger-type lay down cooker
 and blended. During this time, culinary steam was injected into the
 mixture for a period of about 1 minute, until the mixture reached a
 temperature of about 180.degree. F. The steam injection was then
 terminated and mixing was continued for about 20 seconds. At this point,
 the mixture was passed through a Votator shear pump to assure essential
 homogeneity.
 A series of starch trays were prepared as described previously using low
 moisture (about 5-8%) particulate starch at 70-80.degree. F. with a
 density of about 0.6 g/cm.sup.2. A male mold plate having a series of
 shaped projections (e.g., different types of sports balls such as soccer
 and footballs) was used to print the starch layer and form appropriately
 configured depressions therein. The prepared, heated cheese mixture was
 then manually deposited in each depression to fill it. The filled trays
 were then allowed to stand at room temperature for a period of about two
 hours. The contents of the trays were then dumped into a sieve apparatus
 to separate the majority of the starch from the hardened food product
 bodies. As a final measure, these bodies were passed under a positive
 pressure air stream to remove all residual starch.
 The final snack product had the following profile: moisture, 56.0%, fat,
 22.40%, carbohydrate, 7.40%, sorbic acid, 0.19%, ash, 5.63%, whey protein,
 1.08%, gelatin protein, 6.13%, casein, 13.52%, lactose, 6.88%, emulsifing
 solids, 1.97%, salt, 1.80%, calcium, 0.45%, and sodium, 1.33%.
 The final product had a pH of about 5.7 and exhibited desirable resilience
 and mouth feel qualities.
 EXAMPLE 2
 In this example, a yogurt-based snack product was prepared. The starting
 formula was:
 TABLE 4
 Ingredient % By Weight
 Water 24.11
 Water from steam injection 6.40
 Non-fat dry yogurt powder 12.98
 FD&D Red 40 0.0014
 Artificial strawberry flavor 0.20
 Natural strawberry flavor 0.40
 Strawberry puree 7.50
 Baker's sugar 15.0
 Salt 0.50
 Cream (80% fat) 25.38
 Sorbic acid 0.20
 Gelatin (270 Bloom) 7.30
 This mixture had the following profile: fat, 16.99%, moisture, 55.40%,
 carbohydrate, 18.19%, sorbic acid, 0.16%, ash, 1.36%, whey protein, 0.77%,
 protein, 9.06%, casein, 3.27%, gelatin protein, 6.31%, lactose, 5.58%,
 salt, 0.56%, calcium, 0.13%, sodium, and 0.24%, ash.
 The foregoing ingredients were prepared as described in Example 1 and
 deposited into preformed starch bed openings, and allowed to harden
 therein. Separation of starch and recovery of the hardened final products
 was likewise carried out as in Example 1. The final product had the
 following profile: fat, 20.68%, moisture, 44.00%, carbohydrate, 22.15%,
 sorbic acid, 0.20%, ash, 1.66%, whey protein, 0.94%, protein, 11.03%,
 casein, 3.98%, gelatin protein, 6.31%, lactose, 6.80%, salt, 0.68%,
 calcium, 0.15%, and sodium, 0.29%. This product had a pH of about 5.1.