Methods and materials for high dextrin dry food coatings

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for preparing a potato product with a film-like coating on the outer surface which coating according to the steps of: cutting the potatoes; blanching the potatoes; and coating the potatoes with a dry coating composition comprising at least 50% by weight dextrin and from 5% to 25% by weight of a hydrolyzed starch characterized by a DE of from 0.2 to 5. The method provides coated potato products (french fries) characterized by desirable textural properties at low coating weights.

Description

[0001] This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 270,380 filed Feb. 21, 2001.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to coated potato products and formulations and methods for coating potato products such as frozen french fries. [0003] Methods for preparing and applying coatings to the outer surfaces of frozen potato products are well known in the art. Murray et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,227 disclose a process in which raw potato strips are coated in a hot aqueous solution of modified gelatinized amylose derived from corn or potato starch. The process is said to produce a finished product which has superior strength and rigidity. Van Patten et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,268 disclose the coating of blanched potato pieces with an ungelatinized unmodified high amylose starch having an amylose content of at least 50 percent. The coated potato strips are deep fat fried during which the starch in the coating is gelatinized. ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019] The methods of the present invention are particularly useful because they provide coated potato products with good organoleptic properties even when the coatings are applied as a thin dry powder at low coating pickup levels. While french fry coating compositions are typically be applied at pickup levels of 6% to 8% and higher to achieve satisfactory results, the dry coating compositions of the invention provide improved organoleptic properties to coated potato strips when applied at pickup levels of less than 4% by weight. According to one aspect of the invention, the dry coating compositions of the invention may be applied at coating pickup levels of less than 2% by weight and as low as from 0.2% and 1.0% by weight while still providing good crispness and other desirable organoleptic properties.

[0020] According to another aspect of the invention, it is found that the incorporation of an octenyl succinate modified starch into a dry or aqueous enrobing slurry coating composition for application to potato products (french fries) or other foods provides improvements in the organoleptic character of the coated product. Accordingly, the invention also presents improvements in methods of preparing a potato product with a film-like coating on the outer surface by coating the potato product with an aqueous enrobing slurry or dry coating composition, by incorporating an octenyl succinate modified starch into said aqueous enrobing slurry or dry coating composition. The invention also provides an aqueous enrobing slurry for preparing a potato product with a film-like coating comprising at least 50% by weight of a modified starch component including but not limited to a crosslinked starch or starch hydrolysis product including dextrins and an octenyl succinate modified starch, and a dry coating composition for preparing a potato product with a film-like coating comprising at least 50% by weight of a modified starch component including but not limited to a crosslinked starch or starch hydrolysis product including dextrins and an octenyl succinate modified starch.

Problems solved by technology

The patents further teach that concentrations of the starch hydrolyzate products greater than 12% are undesirable because “at higher concentrations the surface of the potato strips become slightly tacky upon finish frying which promotes undesirable clumping of the potato strips.”