United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,747,936 B2 Ferriss (45) Date of Patent: Jun
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US008747936 B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,747,936 B2 Ferriss (45) Date of Patent: Jun. 10, 2014 (54) METHOD FOR PREPARING 29: E: 3. Sisleraham etet al.al ..... 1929. STARCH-THCKENED COMPOSITIONS 7,297.359 B2 11/2007 Bruggeman et al. ... 426,564 7,563,470 B2 7/2009 Joseph et al. ...... ... 426,564 (75) Inventor: Nancy W. Ferriss, Orange Village, OH 7,579,034 B2 8/2009 Burling et al. ... ... 426,603 (US) 7,585,537 B2 9, 2009 Merrill et al. ...... ... 426,582 2005, 004.819.0 A1 3/2005 TrkSaket al. ...... ... 426,658 (73) Assignee: Vita-Mix Corporation, Cleveland, OH 2007, 0087102 A1* 4, 2007 McPherson et al. ... 426,549 (US) 2009/01 17247 A1 5/2009 Felker et al. .................. 426,578 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS patent is extended or adjusted under 35 CH 684 567 AS 10/1994 U.S.C. 154(b) by 289 days. EP 1997 389 A1 12/2008 GB 2458 472 A 9, 2009 (21) Appl. No.: 12/804,436 JP 5811 1652. A * 7, 1983 JP 2008-228661 10, 2008 1-1. WO WO 2006/084336 8/2006 ............. C12N 15/O1 (22) Filed: Jul. 22, 2010 WO WO 2007.113328 A1 10, 2007 (65) Prior Publication Data OTHER PUBLICATIONS US 2012/0021114A1 Jan. 26, 2012 Fanny Farmer Cookbook, 1997 Alfred knopf Publication. Dessert and Dessert Sauces and Tapioca cream pudding recipe, p. 676. (51) Int. Cl. Vitamix Blender at Pleasant Hill Grain, www.Pleasanthillgrain.com, A23PI/00 (2006.01) Oct. 18, 2006, pp. 3.* A23PI/6 (2006.01) andE. Dessert Farmer Sauces and Tapioca1997 creamAlfred pudding R Publisatissert recipe, p. 680. t; 15, 3. Food Chemistry by Fennema, 1996 Marcel Dekker Publication, Gen ( .01) eral properties of Some strch granules, p. 193. A 2.3L I/0522 (2006.01) Vitamix Almond cookies and Buttermilk Pancake recipes, No date, 4 (52) U.S. Cl. pages. CPC. A23P 1/16 (2013.01); A23L 1/39 (2013.01): Easy Pudding recipes from my trusty Vitamix, by Sydney Johnson, Dec. 8, 2008 6.* uspc." 1/187 (2013.01); A23L 46.53os InternationaleC. S., , Searchpp. o. Report and Written Opinion (PCT/US2011/ ... T. grgrrr. s 043713) (9 pages, dated Jul. 12, 2011). (58) Field of Classister search 1A39: A23L 1 (187 Robert J. Coutrine Article: "Nouveau Larousse Gastronomique” - - - - - - - - - - - - - (1967 p. 362). A23L 1/O522 USPC .................................................. 426/578,589 * cited by examiner See application file for complete search history. Primary Examiner — Jyoti Chawla (56) References Cited (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Renner, Kenner, Greive, U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Bobak, Taylor & Weber 3,409,443 A 1 1/1968 Polya et al. (57) ABSTRACT 3,962.465 A 6, 1976 Richter et al. .................. 426/48 Stable starch-thickened food compositions are prepared by 4,025,657 A 5/1977 Cheng et al. ..... 426,579 using high speed agitation. A method is provided that 4,138,271 A 2f1979 Ohira et al. .. ... 127,34 4.228, 199 A 10, 1980 Chiu et al. ... 426,578 employs a blender to prepare starch-thickened soft gel com 5,132,128 A * 7/1992 Rockland. ... 426,658 positions, including puddings, creams, and custards. 6,391,358 B2 5, 2002 Finnie et al. ... 426,410 6,541,060 B2 4/2003 Jeffcoat et al. ................ 426,578 11 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet U.S. Patent Jun. 10, 2014 US 8,747,936 B2 Combine eggs, dairy, and optional non-starch ingredients to form base mixture NO Check temperature elatinizatio emp Yes Add starch Agitate until temp. about 180 F Allow Composition to Cool US 8,747,936 B2 1. 2 METHOD FOR PREPARING TABLE 2-continued STARCH-THCKENED COMPOSITIONS Comparative Amount Needed to Achieve TECHNICAL FIELD Designated Viscosity of Hot Type of Starch (approx 95°C.) Starch Paste This invention relates to a method for preparing stable Corn 4.90 starch-thickened food compositions by using high speed agi Waxy rice flour S.48 tation. More specifically, this invention relates to a method Rice S.49 that employs a blender to prepare starch-thickened soft gel Rice flour 5.57 10 Wheat 6.44 compositions, including puddings, creams, custards and the Wheat flour 9.27 like. Adapted from Osman, E.M. and Mootse, G. 1958, Food Res. 23, 554. BACKGROUND ART The temperature to which the mixture must be heated to Starch is a complex carbohydrate made up of two primary 15 effect gelatinization of the starch is sometimes referred to as components: amylose and amylopectin. Starch comes from a the gelatinization temperature, and will depend upon the type variety of Sources, and the relative amounts of amylose and of starch. Other Substances in the mixture, such as Sugar, can amylopectin in the starch can vary depending upon the raise or lower the gelatinization temperature. Source. Sources of Starch include roots/tubers (potato, tapi As the thickened Starch mixture cools, a gel is formed as oca, and arrowroot) and cereal (wheat, corn, rice). hydrogen bonds hold the Swelled granules in place. The amy The properties of different types of starch depend at least in lose that was released from the granule as the water was part on the relative amounts of amylose and amylopectin. absorbed also participates in the hydrogen bonding and gel Table 1 Summarizes the amounts of amylose and amylopectin formation. This process is sometimes referred to as gelation. found in various types of starch. There are problems that can arise with starch-thickened 25 products. If too many of the granules are damaged due to TABLE 1. extreme heator agitation, loss of viscosity orphase separation of the thickened mixture can result (scrambling). Starch mix STARCH % AMYLOSE % AMYLOPECTIN tures are typically heated slowly, allowing a gradual Swelling Tapioca 17 83 of the granules. The mixture is typically stirred, but vigorous 30 Potato 2O 8O agitation is avoided, so as to avoid mechanical damage to the Wheat 25-26 74-75 granules. Corn 24-28 72-76 Thus, classically prepared starch-thickened products, such Waxy corn O 100 as custards, require a careful cooking process. Heated milk or Rice 22 78 cream is added to an egg, Sugar and starch mixture. This step 35 is referred to as tempering. The tempered mixture is then Starches with a higher amount of amylopectin, Such as carefully cooked to a simmer until the gelatinization tempera tapioca and potato starches, tend to be good thickening agents ture is reached, resulting in gelatinization (thickening) of the and form softgels, as described below. Starches with greater starch. Continual stirring and observation of the mixture is amounts of amylose. Such as corn starch, tend to form stron required, to avoid scorch or curdling. Fifteen to twenty min ger gels. Mixtures of root and cereal starches are often used, 40 utes of labor-intensive cooking may be necessary to thicken Such as mixtures of potato and corn starches. the mixture. Starch is formed as granules in the cytoplasm of plant cells. The amount of heat must be carefully controlled and lim Amylopectin forms in concentric spheres with amylose dis ited. If excessive heat is used to speed up the process, a persed in between. The granules are held together by hydro Scorched and/or scrambled product may be produced, result gen bonds, and Swell when heated in aqueous liquids. When 45 ing in wasted ingredients and time. the granules Swell, water can migrate into the spheres of the The process of thickening starch-based products is there granules. The reduced free water left in the liquid causes a fore time consuming, requires skill and experience, and is change in the viscosity, thickening the liquid. This process is labor-intensive. The need exists, therefore, for a method of Sometimes referred to as gelatinization, and is what gives preparing starch-thickened compositions that is less labor structure to baked products and thickens sauces, soups and 50 intensive and reduces the possibility of wasted ingredients dressings. The relative amounts of starch needed to thicken a and time. starch-based composition can be seen in Table 2. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION TABLE 2 55 It is an object of the present invention to provide a method Comparative Amount Needed to Achieve for thickening starch-based products by blending. Designated Viscosity of Hot This and other objects of the present invention, as well as Type of Starch (approx 95°C.) Starch Paste the advantages thereof over existing prior art methods, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are Potato 1.96 Waxy corn 2.98 60 accomplished by the improvements hereinafter described and Waxy rice 3.13 claimed. Waxy sorghum 3.42 In general, a method for producing starch-thickened com Tapioca 3.54 positions includes bringing a base mixture containing non Cross-linked 4.15 waxy corn starch ingredients to an elevated temperature in a blender Arrowroot 437 65 adapted for high-speed agitation. The non-starch ingredients Sorghum 4.66 may include eggs and one or more dairy ingredients. Other optional non-starch ingredients may also be included. The US 8,747,936 B2 3 4 base mixture is blended at a speed ofat least about 20,000 rpm ture is prepared by combining the eggs, dairy ingredient, and until the base mixture reaches a desired temperature. A root optional ingredients (if any) in a blender container. starch is added to the base mixture after the base mixture has The amounts of the base mixture ingredients are not par reached a temperature that is approximately the gelatinization ticularly limited, but may be selected based upon the capacity temperature of the starch.