Smoke flavored cereal product and process for making same

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A WOOD SMOKE-FLAVORED CEREAL MALT FLOUR PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES: (A) INTIMATELY ADMIXING WATER WITH A GASEOUS STREAM OF HARDWOOD SMOKE IN A CONTACTING ZONE, (B) MAINTAIANING SAID SMOKE IN CONTACT WITH SAID WATER IN SAID CONTACTING ZONE FOR A SUFFICIENT PERIOD OF TIME FOR SAID WATER TO EXTRACT THE DESIRABLE FLAVOR COMPONENTS FROM SAID HARDWOOD SMOKE, (C) REMOVING AN AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF HARDWOOD SMOKE FROM SAID CONTACTING ZONE, (D) PASSING SAID AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF HARDWOOD SMOKE THROUGH A FILTERING MEDIUM IN ORDER TO REMOVE UNDESIRABLE WOOD TAR PRODUCTS FROM SAID EXTRACT, (E) FORMING A BATTER BY ADMIXING SAID FILTERED EXTRACT WITH FINELY DIVIDED CEREAL MALT, (F) THEREAFTER SUBJECTING SAID BATTER TO A TWO-STEP DRYING OPERATION, (G) THE FIRST STEP OF THE DRYING OPERATION COMPRISING REDUCING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE BATTER TO ABOUT 20% BY PASSING A SMOKE-LADEN HEATED GAS STREAM IN CONTACT WITH THE BATTER, (H) THE SECOND STEP OF THE DRYING OPERATION COMPRISING FURTHER REDUCING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE BATTER BY PASSING WARM DRY AIR IN CONTACT WITH THE PARTIALLY DRIED BATTER, AND (I) RECOVERING A WOOD SMOKE-FLAVORED CEREAL MALT FLOUR IN A POWDERED FROM WHICH CAN BE USED TO FLAVOR FOOD PRODUCTS.