US 11,910,812 B2
Method for preparing food products by means of co-extrusion, viscous gelling solution and system for co-extrusion of food products
Johannes Martinus Meulendijks, Deurne (NL); and Johannes Marinus Quirinus Kools, Oudenbosch (NL)
Assigned to MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V., Boxmeer (NL)
Appl. No. 15/568,270
Filed by MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V., Boxmeer (NL)
PCT Filed Apr. 20, 2016, PCT No. PCT/NL2016/050278
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 20, 2017,
PCT Pub. No. WO2016/171553, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 27, 2016.
Claims priority of application No. 2014679 (NL), filed on Apr. 20, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2018/0295867 A1, Oct. 18, 2018
Int. Cl. A23L 13/60 (2016.01); A23P 30/25 (2016.01); A23L 29/256 (2016.01); A23L 29/281 (2016.01)
CPC A23L 13/65 (2016.08) [A23L 29/256 (2016.08); A23L 29/284 (2016.08); A23P 30/25 (2016.08); A23V 2002/00 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
 
1. A method for preparing food products by means of co-extrusion, comprising the steps of:
a) providing at least two casing material components comprising at least two dry gelling agents; each of which at least two casing material components in itself is not suitable for extrusion as an external layer;
b) mixing the at least two casing material components comprising the at least two dry gelling agents provided during processing step a) to make a gelling solution; and
c) feeding the gelling solution of processing step b) to the co-extrusion process of a food product to be co-extruded wherein the gelling solution forms the external layer of an extruded strand of food dough;
wherein a time range of a time window is defined between 1 and 48 hours, the time window being defined between a moment of mixing of the gelling solution in a separate mixing unit to a moment of co-extrusion of the extruded strand of food dough, to maintain the viscoelasticity of the gelling solution at the moment of the co-extrusion within a predetermined range such that the grammage of the external layer of the food product prepared does not exceed 200 g/m2;
wherein during the processing step b) an acidic buffer solution is added, the acid buffer solution having a pH between about 2.0 and 5.0;
wherein during the processing step b) the at least two dry gelling agents are mixed to form a dry gelling agent mix, and subsequently the dry gelling agent mix is mixed with an aqueous medium;
wherein during the processing step b) a control unit regulates a first dry gelling agent hopper and a second dry gelling agent hopper corresponding to the at least two dry gelling agents, respectively, and a mixing unit separate from and upstream of a co-extrusion unit to maintain the viscoelasticity of the gelling solution at the moment of the co-extrusion;
wherein the control unit regulates the time window between the moment of mixing of the at least two casing material components to make the gelling solution and the moment of the co-extrusion of the gelling solution to maintain the viscoelasticity of the gelling solution;
wherein the control unit regulates a pick-up of the external layer to not exceed 2.5%;
wherein the mixing of the casing material components to the gelling solution according to the processing step b) comprises plural mixing phases; a first mixing phase wherein a first dry powder gelling agent is mixed with an aqueous medium wherein the components are mixed at a lower speed; a second mixing phase wherein includes an obtained viscous gelling solution is mixed at a higher speed than the mixing speed during the first mixing phase, which second mixing phase takes place under a gas pressure of less than 0.2 bar during a period of 2-4 minutes.