US4409250A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for preparing sugar coated, puffed snacks upon microwave heating
Assignee: General Mills Inc
•
Filing: 1979-05-29
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Granted: 1983-10-11
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Expires: 1999-05-29
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed are food compositions and methods for preparing sugary coated puffed snack products upon simple heating of the food compositions in a consumer microwave oven. The food compositions comprise a plurality of puffable farinaceous dough puff pieces or pellets and a puffing media throughout which the puff pieces or pellets are dispersed. The puffing media comprises from about 40% to 95% by weight of a nutritive carbohydrate sweetening agent and from about 5% to 10% moisture. The weight ratio of puffing media to puff pieces ranges between about 4:1 to 0.1:1. The water activity of the food compositions is less than about 0.75. The method for making a coated snack comprises forming a gelatinized dough, shaping the dough into pieces, partially drying the pieces, dispersing the pieces throughout a puffing media to form a puffing media/piece matrix, and microwave heating the matrix to simultaneously puff the pieces and to enrobe the pieces with the fluidized puffing media.
Inventors
- 👤 Glenn J. Van Hulle
- 👤 Charles A. Anker
- 👤 Dean E. Franssell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 04:03
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23L; A23L7/00; A23L7/10; A23L7/161; A23L7/165; A23L7/117; A23L7/122; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S426/00; Y10S426/808
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
194 words
A process for preparing a sugary coated snack product by microwave heating, comprising the steps of: A. forming a gelatinized starch-containing dough having a moisture content of about 12% to 25% by weight; B. shaping the dough into a plurality of discrete pieces; C. partially drying said pieces at a temperature of about 70° F. to 200° F. and at a relative humidity of at least 35% for a period of time sufficient to reduce the moisture content of the pieces to between about 5% to 15%; D. dispersing the partially dried pieces throughout a puffing medium consisting essentially of, from about 40% to 95% by weight of the puffing medium, a nutritive carbohydrate sweetening agent and from about 5% to 10% by weight moisture, wherein the puffing medium is substantially free of protein sources and wherein the weight ratio of puffing medium to the pieces is about 0.1:1 to 4:1, to form a puffing medium/piece matrix; thereafter E. microwave heating the matrix for about 1-4 minutes to form a plurality of puffed pieces enrobed in a sugar coating; and, F. cooling to room temperature to harden the sugar coating on the puffed pieces.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
194 words
A process for preparing a sugary coated snack product by microwave heating, comprising the steps of: A. forming a gelatinized starch-containing dough having a moisture content of about 12% to 25% by weight; B. shaping the dough into a plurality of discrete pieces; C. partially drying said pieces at a temperature of about 70° F. to 200° F. and at a relative humidity of at least 35% for a period of time sufficient to reduce the moisture content of the pieces to between about 5% to 15%; D. dispersing the partially dried pieces throughout a puffing medium consisting essentially of, from about 40% to 95% by weight of the puffing medium, a nutritive carbohydrate sweetening agent and from about 5% to 10% by weight moisture, wherein the puffing medium is substantially free of protein sources and wherein the weight ratio of puffing medium to the pieces is about 0.1:1 to 4:1, to form a puffing medium/piece matrix; thereafter E. microwave heating the matrix for about 1-4 minutes to form a plurality of puffed pieces enrobed in a sugar coating; and, F. cooling to room temperature to harden the sugar coating on the puffed pieces.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the puffing medium additionally comprises from about 0.1% to 30% by weight of an edible fatty triglyceride.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A process in accordance with claim 2 wherein the weight ratio of puffing medium to the pieces is about 1.6:1 to 3.0:1.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method in accordance with claim 3 wherein the dough pieces range between about 0.01 to 6.0 g. in weight.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-10-10 | 1987-04-11 | 1987-10-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-10-10 | 1991-04-11 | 1991-10-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-10-10 | 1995-04-11 | 1995-10-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |