Process for making retort stable simulated meat products

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A RETORT STABLE FOOD PRODUCT COMPRISING: A. ADMIXING IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION A BLEND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PIECES OF EDIBLE PROTEIN MATERIAL HAVING A PROTEIN CONTENT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 15% AND FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 1,000% BY WEIGHT OF PROTEIN MATERIAL OF AN INHIBITED STRACH MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CORN STARCH HAVING A GRANULAR SWELLING POWER AT 95*C OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 15, WAXY CORN STARCH HAVING A GRANULAR SWELLING POWER AT 95*C. OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 25, SORGHUM STARCH HAVING A GRANULAR SWELLING POWER AT 95*C. OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 15, WHEAT STRACH HAVING A GRANULAR SWELLING POWER AT 95*C. OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 15, AND TAPIOCA STRACH HAVING A GRANULAR SWELLING POWER AT 95*C. OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 25, B. COOKING THE BLEND AT A TEMPERATURE AND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO GELATINIZE A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE INHIBITED STARCH MATERIAL WITHOUT APPRECIABLE LOSS IN NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE PROTEIN AND WITHOUT APPRECIABLE DECOMPOSITION OR DEGRADATION OF THE PROTEIN, AND C. COOLING THE COOKED PRODUCT, D. WHEREBY A RETORT STABLE INTEGRAL PRODUCT COMPRISING THE PIECE OF PROTEIN MATERIAL BOUND TOGETHER WITH INHIBITED STARCH MATERIAL IS OBTAINED.