Patent ID: 7763298

Claim:
A method of forming a vacuum packaged food product comprising: placing a single uncured composite mass, which is deformable and contains a quantity of identifiable grain-based frangible food particles, into a packaging material, the single uncured composite mass having a low water activity binder comprising less than 25% by weight of the composite mass, wherein at least a portion of the packaging material is flexible and the single uncured composite mass has a water activity between about 0.2 and about 0.5; applying a vacuum to the packaging material; sealing the packaging material to form a flexible sealed package which maintains at least a partial vacuum and is free of added headspace gas, wherein the flexible sealed package is an active package which provides compression action to the single uncured composite mass contained therein; and allowing the compression action of the active package to urge the single uncured composite mass to progress, over time into a single cured composite mass which is cooler in temperature and smaller in size than the single uncured composite mass, wherein the single cured composite mass and flexible sealed package form a vacuum packaged food product, further wherein at least 90% of the food particles in the vacuum packaged food product are unbroken.