Reduced sodium or zero sodium added snack food pellets

Abstract

Methods of making reduced sodium or zero sodium expandable snack food pellets by controlling manufacturing conditions to control the expansion ratio of the pellets. Methods of making reduced sodium or zero sodium expanded snack foods by controlling manufacturing conditions to control the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food. Reduced sodium or zero sodium expandable snack food pellets having a particular expansion ratio and / or glass transition temperature, and reduced sodium or zero sodium expanded snack food products made from the pellets. Reduced sodium or zero sodium expanded snack foods having a particular bulk density.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to sodium-reduced or sodium-free snack food pellets for manufacturing expanded snack foods, expanded snack foods with reduced or zero sodium addition, and a method for manufacturing sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food pellets. Background Technology

[0002] The use of snack food pellets to produce snack food products is well known in the art. The pellets are typically produced by extrusion, and expand during cooking to create expanded snack foods.

[0003] Known snack food pellets typically contain significant amounts of added sodium. Some known pellet compositions contain 1% to 4% sodium, which can be derived from sources such as sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and / or monosodium glutamate. For example, when the sodium source is sodium chloride, 2.4% sodium chloride equates to approximately 950 mg of sodium per 100 g of pellet. The amount of added sodium may vary between different products. For example, expanded cereal snacks such as Sabritones... TM Typically contains 100g of Sabritones TM 1445mg added sodium, while Bugles TM Typically contains 100g of Bugles TM Added sodium 450mg to 500mg. Expanded potato-based snacks like Quavers. TM Typically contains Quavers per 100g TM 654mg of added sodium.

[0004] Adding sodium is important in snack food pellets because it enables the formation of expanded snack food products with the texture consumers desire. This is believed to be because added sodium plays a crucial role in the expansion of snack food pellets. Furthermore, added sodium imparts the desired flavor to expanded snack food products.

[0005] However, excessive dietary sodium is unhealthy, thus necessitating the production of low-sodium food products, especially snack foods. Ideally, the sodium content should be reduced to less than 300mg of added sodium per 100g of pellets, and more preferably, zero added sodium.

[0006] However, removing sodium from pellets is not easy. Due to the role sodium plays in expansion, simply removing sodium tends to result in low or minimal expansion of the pellets, leading to a high bulk density in the expanded product, which may exhibit an unexpanded glassy phase. This is not desirable for consumers.

[0007] Attempts have been made to compensate for the effect of sodium addition on pellet swelling by altering the composition of the starch matrix. For example, WO2015 / 118060 discloses adjusting the ratio of crystalline to amorphous portions in the starch matrix by adding more amorphous starch to the starch composition, resulting in a matrix with a higher concentration of amorphous starch. Amorphous starch provides starch flowability and water flowability in the amorphous regions, having a similar effect to the starch destruction provided by sodium, thus achieving comparable swelling.

[0008] However, this method involves adding expensive functional starches such as N-Hance 59, making it prohibitively costly. Therefore, there is a need for a method to compensate for the effect of sodium on swelling, which can be readily applied to existing manufacturing methods in a cost-effective, preferably cost-neutral, manner. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium, the method comprising: providing dough containing less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; extruding the dough through an extruder to produce an extrudate; forming the extrudate into pellets; and drying the pellets, wherein manufacturing conditions are controlled such that the expansion ratio of the pellets is increased by about 5% to about 45% relative to the same pellets manufactured under standard conditions.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium, the method comprising: providing dough containing less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; extruding the dough through an extruder to produce an extrudate; forming the extrudate into granules; drying the granules; and cooking the granules, wherein manufacturing conditions are controlled to reduce the bulk density of the snack food by about 5% to about 40% relative to the same snack food manufactured under standard conditions.

[0011] In some embodiments, the manufacturing conditions are controlled by: a) increasing the temperature of the extruder relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or b) increasing the speed of the extruder relative to the speed of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or c) decreasing the moisture content of the dough relative to the dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or d) pretreating the dough by steam injection prior to extrusion, and increasing the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used for pretreating dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0012] In some embodiments, increasing the temperature of the extruder reduces the bulk density of the snack food by about 5% to about 30%, preferably about 10% to about 25%, more preferably about 15% to about 20%; and / or increases the overrun of the snack food pellets by about 5% to about 30%, preferably about 10% to about 25%, more preferably about 15% to about 20%.

[0013] In some embodiments, increasing the extruder speed reduces the bulk density of the snack food by about 5% to about 20%, preferably about 10% to about 15%; and / or increases the overrun of the snack food pellets by about 5% to about 20%, preferably about 10% to about 15%.

[0014] In some embodiments, reducing the moisture content of the dough reduces the bulk density of the snack food by about 5% to about 15%, preferably about 7.5% to about 10%; and / or increases the overrun of the snack food pellets by about 5% to about 15%, preferably about 7.5% to about 10%.

[0015] In some embodiments, increasing the amount of injected steam reduces the bulk density of the snack food by about 5% to about 20%, preferably about 10% to about 15%; and / or increases the expansion ratio of the snack food pellets by about 5% to about 40%, preferably about 10% to about 30%, more preferably about 15% to about 20%.

[0016] In some embodiments, the temperature of the extruder is increased by about 5% to about 45% relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough, preferably about 7% to about 40%, more preferably about 8% to about 35%, and even more preferably about 10% to about 30%.

[0017] In some embodiments, the speed of the extruder is increased by about 5% to about 50%, preferably about 7% to about 45%, more preferably about 8% to about 40%, and even more preferably about 10% to about 35%, relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0018] In some embodiments, the moisture content of the dough is reduced by about 0.5 wt% to about 6 wt% relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g dough, preferably about 0.75 wt% to about 5 wt%, more preferably about 1 wt% to about 4 wt%.

[0019] In some embodiments, the amount of injected steam is increased by about 1% to about 20%, more preferably about 3% to about 15%, and even more preferably about 5% to about 10%, relative to the amount of injected steam used for pretreatment of dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0020] In some embodiments, the temperature of the extruder may be increased by about 5°C to about 50°C relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0021] In some implementations, the speed of the extruder can be increased by about 10 rpm to about 40 rpm relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0022] In some embodiments, the dough comprises potato-based starch. When the dough comprises potato-based starch, the manufacturing conditions can be controlled by: (i) increasing the temperature of the extruder by at least about 15%, preferably at least about 18%, relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or (ii) increasing the speed of the extruder by at least about 20%, preferably at least about 25%, relative to the speed of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In these embodiments, the pellets can be described as having a heterogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0023] In some embodiments, the dough comprises cereal-based starch. When the dough comprises cereal-based starch, the manufacturing conditions can be controlled by: (i) increasing the temperature of the extruder by at least about 5%, preferably 5.5%, relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or (ii) increasing the speed of the extruder by at least about 8%, preferably 10%, relative to the speed of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In these embodiments, the pellets can be described as having a homogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0024] In some embodiments, manufacturing conditions are controlled by, for example, increasing the temperature of the extruder and / or increasing the speed of the extruder and / or decreasing the moisture content of the dough and / or increasing the amount of injected steam, thereby lowering the glass transition temperature of the extrudate so that the glass transition temperature of the extrudate is lower than that of the dough.

[0025] In some embodiments, the dough contains less than about 250 mg, preferably less than about 200 mg, and more preferably less than about 150 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In some embodiments, the dough contains zero added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0026] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium, the method comprising: providing dough containing less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; extruding the dough through an extruder to produce an extrudate; forming the extrudate into pellets; and drying the pellets, wherein manufacturing conditions are controlled to provide pellets with an expansion ratio of about ±10%, preferably ±5%, of the expansion ratio of equivalent pellets containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of pellets.

[0027] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium, the method comprising: providing dough containing less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; extruding the dough through an extruder to produce an extrudate; forming the extrudate into granules; drying the granules; and cooking the granules, wherein manufacturing conditions are controlled to provide a snack food with a bulk density of about ±10%, preferably ±5%, of the bulk density of a comparable snack food containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules.

[0028] In some embodiments, the manufacturing conditions are controlled by: a) increasing the temperature of the extruder relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or b) increasing the speed of the extruder relative to the speed of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or c) decreasing the moisture content of the dough relative to the dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or d) pretreating the dough by steam injection prior to extrusion, and increasing the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used for pretreating dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0029] In some embodiments, the temperature of the extruder is increased by about 5% to about 45% relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough, preferably about 7% to about 40%, more preferably about 8% to about 35%, and even more preferably about 10% to about 30%.

[0030] In some embodiments, the speed of the extruder is increased by about 5% to about 50%, preferably about 7% to about 45%, more preferably about 8% to about 40%, and even more preferably about 10% to about 35%, relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0031] In some embodiments, the moisture content of the dough is reduced by about 0.5 wt% to about 6 wt% relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g dough, preferably about 0.75 wt% to about 5 wt%, more preferably about 1 wt% to about 4 wt%.

[0032] In some embodiments, the amount of injected steam is increased by about 1% to about 20%, more preferably about 3% to about 15%, and even more preferably about 5% to about 10%, relative to the amount of injected steam used for pretreatment of dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0033] In some embodiments, the temperature of the extruder may be increased by about 5°C to about 50°C relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0034] In some implementations, the speed of the extruder can be increased by about 10 rpm to about 40 rpm relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0035] In some embodiments, the dough comprises potato-based starch. When the dough comprises potato-based starch, the manufacturing conditions can be controlled by: (i) increasing the temperature of the extruder by at least about 15%, preferably at least about 18%, relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or (ii) increasing the speed of the extruder by at least about 20%, preferably at least about 25%, relative to the speed of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In these embodiments, the pellets can be described as having a heterogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0036] In some embodiments, the dough comprises cereal-based starch. When the dough comprises cereal-based starch, the manufacturing conditions can be controlled by: (i) increasing the temperature of the extruder by at least about 5%, preferably 5.5%, relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; and / or (ii) increasing the speed of the extruder by at least about 8%, preferably 10%, relative to the speed of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In these embodiments, the pellets can be described as having a homogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0037] In some embodiments, manufacturing conditions are controlled by, for example, increasing the temperature of the extruder and / or increasing the speed of the extruder and / or decreasing the moisture content of the dough and / or increasing the amount of injected steam, thereby lowering the glass transition temperature of the extrudate so that the glass transition temperature of the extrudate is lower than that of the dough.

[0038] In some embodiments, the dough contains less than about 250 mg, preferably less than about 200 mg, and more preferably less than about 150 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In some embodiments, the dough contains zero added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0039] In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium, manufactured by the methods described in the first and / or third aspects.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, comprising less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the pellets have a glass transition temperature of less than about 80°C, preferably less than about 70°C, more preferably less than about 60°C.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, which contain less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the expansion ratio of the pellets is about ±10%, preferably ±5%, of equivalent pellets containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets.

[0042] In the eighth aspect, expanded snack foods are provided, which are made from expanded snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium in accordance with any of the fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects.

[0043] In a ninth aspect, a method for manufacturing expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium is provided, the method comprising: providing a plurality of snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium according to any one of the fifth, sixth and / or seventh aspects; expanding the pellets in a cooking step to produce expanded snack foods; optionally, wherein the cooking step includes frying, baking, microwaving or popping.

[0044] In a tenth aspect, expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, wherein the bulk density of the snack food is about ±10%, preferably ±5%, of the bulk density of a comparable snack food containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food.

[0045] In the eleventh aspect, snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, manufactured by the method according to any one of the second, fourth, eighth, or ninth aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0046] Figure 1a and Figure 1b This describes an expanded snack food made from standard sodium-added granules (1455 mg added sodium / 100 g granules). Figure 1a) and puffed snack foods made from reduced additive pellets (255mg added sodium / 100g pellets) Figure 1b An image showing the color differences between ( ).

[0047] Figure 2 This chart shows the texture evaluation of standard sodium-added expanded snack products and reduced sodium-added expanded snack products conducted by a sensory panel. Commercially available pellets contain 1455 mg of added sodium per 100g pellets; group 3B contains 935 mg of added sodium per 100g pellets; group 5 contains 740 mg of added sodium per 100g pellets; group 1 contains 561 mg of added sodium per 100g pellets; and group 6 contains 255 mg of added sodium per 100g pellets.

[0048] Figure 3 It is a graph showing how the bulk density changes as the extruder temperature increases.

[0049] Figure 4 This is a graph showing how the expansion ratio changes as the extruder temperature increases.

[0050] Figure 5 This is a graph showing how torque changes as the extruder temperature increases.

[0051] Figure 6 This is a graph showing how torque changes as extruder speed increases.

[0052] Figure 7 The graph shows how torque changes as extruder temperature and extruder speed increase.

[0053] Figure 8 It is a graph showing how the bulk density changes as the extruder speed increases.

[0054] Figure 9 This is a graph showing how the expansion ratio changes as the extruder speed increases.

[0055] Figure 10 This is a graph showing how the bulk density changes as the injected steam is pretreated.

[0056] Figure 11 This is a graph showing how the expansion ratio changes as the injected steam is pretreated.

[0057] Figure 12 This is a graph showing the effect of different moisture contents of the aggregate on the bulk density.

[0058] Figure 13 It is a graph showing how the bulk density changes as the dough moisture content decreases.

[0059] Figure 14This is a graph showing how torque changes as the moisture content of the dough decreases.

[0060] Figure 15 This is a series of graphs illustrating the effect of sodium removal and different processing conditions on the modulus of extruded pellets. Pellet containing 333 mg of added sodium is compared to pellets with zero added sodium. Under standard conditions (REF), removing added sodium increases the modulus of the pellets. Overprocessing (F) of the zero-added-sodium pellets manufactured under standard conditions reduces the modulus.

[0061] Figure 16 This is a series of graphs illustrating the effects of sodium removal and different processing conditions on the microstructural properties of fried products produced from extruded pellets. Pellet containing 333 mg of added sodium is compared to pellets with zero added sodium. Under standard conditions (REF), sodium removal reduces the lumen size. Overprocessing (F) of the zero-added-sodium pellets produced under standard conditions increases the lumen size.

[0062] Figure 17 This is a series of graphs illustrating the effects of sodium removal and different processing conditions on the frying kinetics of the pellets. Pellet containing 333 mg of added sodium is compared to pellets with zero added sodium. Under standard conditions (REF), sodium removal increases the time to expansion. Overprocessing (F) of the zero-added-sodium pellets manufactured under standard conditions reduces the time to expansion.

[0063] Figure 18 Images of standard sodium-added expanded snack foods and sodium-free expanded snack foods manufactured according to embodiments of the present invention are provided.

[0064] Figure 19 The figure shows the effect of different mechanical shearing and thermal processing on zero-addition sodium chickpea pellets.

[0065] Figure 20 Images are provided showing the differences in zero-addition sodium chickpea fried pellets prepared under various mechanical shearing and thermal processing conditions.

[0066] Figure 21 This is a sensory graph describing how increased mechanical and thermal processing of zero-additive-sodium chickpea pellets can improve product texture. Group 1: Low-shear screw profile (Screw #3) at 100°C and 50 rpm; Group 2: Low-shear screw profile (Screw #3) at 120°C and 80 rpm; Group 3: Medium-shear screw profile (Screw #6) at 100°C and 60 rpm; Group 4: Medium-shear screw profile (Screw #6) at 120°C and 80 rpm; Group 5: High-shear screw profile (Screw #8) at 100°C and 60 rpm; Group 6: High-shear screw profile (Screw #8) at 120°C and 80 rpm.

[0067] Figure 22 It is a graph showing how the bulk density changes as the extruder temperature increases.

[0068] Figure 23 This is a graph showing how the expansion ratio changes as the extruder temperature increases. Detailed Implementation

[0069] Known snack pellets typically contain added sodium to ensure good expansion of the pellets during cooking, resulting in a light and porous snack.

[0070] Sodium can be present in granules, dough used to make granules, and / or the final expanded snack food product in any form suitable for consumption food products. The term "added sodium" as used herein refers to any sodium added to dough or granules, i.e., sodium added in addition to sodium naturally present in the ingredients of dough / granules. Sodium naturally present in the ingredients of dough may be referred to herein as "trace sodium." Examples of added sodium include sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and / or monosodium glutamate. Typically, added sodium is sodium chloride and / or sodium bicarbonate. When this disclosure refers to the amount of sodium, it means the total amount of added sodium from all sources.

[0071] Typically, the pellets contain 1.0 wt% to 3.5 wt% added sodium, which can be derived from sources such as sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and / or monosodium glutamate. This is approximately equivalent to 425 mg to 2975 mg of added sodium per 100 g of pellets. In this document, such pellets are referred to as "standard added sodium pellets" or "standard pellets." Similarly, in methods for manufacturing expandable snack food pellets, the dough used to manufacture the pellets typically contains 1.0 wt% to 3.5 wt% added sodium (425 mg to 2975 mg per 100 g of pellets). In this document, such dough is referred to as "standard added sodium dough" or "standard dough." Therefore, expanded snack foods produced from standard pellets or standard dough typically contain 1.0 wt% to 3.5 wt% added sodium (425 mg to 2975 mg per 100 g of expanded snack food product). In this document, such snack foods are referred to as "standard added sodium expanded snack foods" or "standard expanded snack foods."

[0072] The sodium-reduced granules according to this disclosure comprise or contain less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules (on a dry weight basis). Preferably, the granules comprise or contain less than about 275 mg, less than about 250 mg, less than about 225 mg, less than about 200 mg, less than about 175 mg, less than about 150 mg, less than about 125 mg, less than about 100 mg, less than about 75 mg, less than about 50 mg, or less than about 25 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules.

[0073] Alternatively, the sodium-reduced granules according to this disclosure comprise or contain up to about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules (on a dry weight basis). Preferably, the granules comprise or contain up to about 275 mg, up to about 250 mg, up to about 225 mg, up to about 200 mg, up to about 175 mg, up to about 150 mg, up to about 125 mg, up to about 100 mg, up to about 75 mg, up to about 50 mg, or up to about 25 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules.

[0074] Alternatively, the sodium-reduced granules according to this disclosure may comprise or contain about 0 mg to 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules (on a dry weight basis). For example, the granules may comprise or contain about 25 mg to 275 mg, or about 50 mg to about 250 mg, or about 75 mg to 225 mg, or about 100 mg to about 200 mg, or about 125 mg to 175 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules.

[0075] The expanded snack food with reduced added sodium according to this disclosure comprises or contains less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food (on a dry weight basis). Preferably, the snack food comprises or contains less than about 275 mg, less than about 250 mg, less than about 225 mg, less than about 200 mg, less than about 175 mg, less than about 150 mg, less than about 125 mg, less than about 100 mg, less than about 75 mg, less than about 50 mg, or less than about 25 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food.

[0076] Alternatively, the expanded snack food with reduced added sodium according to this disclosure comprises or contains up to about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food (on a dry weight basis). Preferably, the snack food comprises or contains up to about 275 mg, up to about 250 mg, up to about 225 mg, up to about 200 mg, up to about 175 mg, up to about 150 mg, up to about 125 mg, up to about 100 mg, up to about 75 mg, up to about 50 mg, or up to about 25 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food.

[0077] Alternatively, the expanded snack foods with reduced added sodium according to this disclosure may contain or contain about 0 mg to 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food (on a dry weight basis). For example, the snack food may contain or contain about 25 mg to 275 mg, or about 50 mg to about 250 mg, or about 75 mg to 225 mg, or about 100 mg to about 200 mg, or about 125 mg to 175 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food.

[0078] 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of granules, dough, or expanded snack food product is approximately equivalent to 0.30 wt% (on a dry weight basis). Therefore, in some embodiments, granules with reduced added sodium comprise or contain less than about 0.30 wt% of added sodium by (dry) weight of the granules. Preferably, the granules comprise or contain less than about 0.275 wt%, less than about 0.25 wt%, less than about 0.225 wt%, less than about 0.2 wt%, less than about 0.175 wt%, less than about 0.15 wt%, less than about 0.125 wt%, less than about 0.10 wt%, less than about 0.075 wt%, less than about 0.05 wt%, or less than about 0.025 wt% of added sodium by dry weight of the granules.

[0079] In some embodiments, the expanded snack food product with reduced added sodium includes or contains less than about 0.30 wt% added sodium by weight of the snack food (dry weight). Preferably, the snack food includes or contains less than about 0.275 wt%, less than about 0.25 wt%, less than about 0.225 wt%, less than about 0.2 wt%, less than about 0.175 wt%, less than about 0.15 wt%, less than about 0.125 wt%, less than about 0.10 wt%, less than about 0.075 wt%, less than about 0.05 wt%, or less than about 0.025 wt% added sodium by weight of the snack food (dry weight).

[0080] Alternatively, the reduced sodium-containing pellets may comprise or contain up to about 0.30 wt% sodium by weight of the pellets (dry). Preferably, the pellets comprise or contain up to about 0.275 wt%, up to about 0.25 wt%, up to about 0.225 wt%, up to about 0.20 wt%, up to about 0.175 wt%, up to about 0.15 wt%, up to about 0.125 wt%, up to about 0.1 wt%, up to about 0.075 wt%, up to about 0.05 wt%, or up to about 0.025 wt% sodium by weight of the pellets (dry).

[0081] In some embodiments, the expanded snack food product with reduced added sodium includes or contains up to about 0.30 wt% added sodium based on the (dry) weight of the snack food. Preferably, the snack food includes or contains up to about 0.275 wt%, about 0.25 wt%, about 0.225 wt%, about 0.20 wt%, about 0.175 wt%, about 0.15 wt%, about 0.125 wt%, about 0.1 wt%, about 0.075 wt%, about 0.05 wt%, or about 0.025 wt% added sodium based on the (dry) weight of the snack food.

[0082] Alternatively, sodium-reduced pellets (or sodium-reduced expanded snack foods) may contain or contain about 0 wt% to 0.30 wt% of added sodium by weight of the pellets (dry). For example, the pellets may contain or contain about 0.025 wt% to 0.275 wt%, or about 0.05 wt% to about 0.25 wt%, or about 0.075 wt% to 0.225 wt%, or about 0.1 wt% to about 0.2 wt% of added sodium by weight of the pellets (dry).

[0083] In some embodiments, the expanded snack food product with reduced added sodium contains or includes about 0 wt% to 0.30 wt% of added sodium based on the (dry) weight of the snack food. For example, the snack food may contain or include about 0.025 wt% to 0.275 wt%, or about 0.05 wt% to 0.25 wt%, or about 0.075 wt% to 0.225 wt%, or about 0.1 wt% to about 0.2 wt% of added sodium based on the (dry) weight of the snack food.

[0084] In some implementations, snack food pellets are referred to as sodium-free snack food pellets. The term "sodium-free" means that no sodium is added to the pellets or dough. The pellets / dough may contain trace amounts of sodium that are naturally present in the dough's components; for example, potato chips typically contain about 80 mg of sodium per 100g; potato starch typically contains about 16 mg of sodium per 100g; and cereal flour typically contains about 5 mg to 20 mg of sodium per 100g.

[0085] In some implementations, the snack food is referred to as a zero-sodium snack food. The term "zero-sodium" means that no sodium is added to the granules or dough used to manufacture the snack food. As mentioned above, snack foods may contain trace amounts of sodium that are naturally present in the dough ingredients.

[0086] This invention is at least in part based on the inventors' discovery that sodium plays an important role in the expansion mechanism of snack food pellets during cooking when added sodium is present. It is believed that adding sodium can have several effects, including altering moisture distribution, retaining water within the pellets, and lowering the glass transition temperature (Tg). g It acts as a nucleation site for expansion, increases the expansion ratio, and alters the rheological properties of the matrix. Compared to expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium, this reduces the bulk density of expanded snack food products.

[0087] As used herein, the term "expansion ratio" refers to the volume ratio between dry pellets and expanded snack food. The expansion ratio can be determined by volume (displacement) measurement. In this disclosure, when comparing the expansion ratio of snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium according to this disclosure with the same pellets manufactured under standard conditions, the same conditions are used to expand the pellets to produce expanded snack foods.

[0088] When sodium is not added to the pellets, the distribution of moisture within the pellets differs, the glass transition temperature increases, and the rheological strength of the matrix increases. Additionally, the expansion ratio of the pellets decreases. This results in poor expansion during cooking, high bulk density, and a texture that consumers do not desire—hard, crunchy, and dense.

[0089] The inventors unexpectedly discovered that by controlling the manufacturing conditions involved in the production of granules, they could mitigate the loss of sodium in granules with reduced or zero sodium addition and / or expanded snack foods, or reduce the impact on expansion and / or bulk density.

[0090] Manufacturing conditions can be controlled such that the bulk density of expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium increases by about 5% to about 40%, preferably about 35%, relative to the same snack foods manufactured under standard conditions. Alternatively or additionally, manufacturing conditions can be controlled such that the expansion ratio of the snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium increases by about 5% to about 45%, preferably about 40%, relative to the same pellets manufactured under standard conditions.

[0091] Alternatively or additionally, manufacturing conditions can be controlled to provide expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium, having a bulk density of approximately ±5% of the bulk density of comparable snack foods containing at least approximately 950 mg of sodium per 100 g of snack food.

[0092] In this disclosure, the term "at least" includes the starting point of the range.

[0093] Alternatively or additionally, manufacturing conditions can be controlled to provide granules with reduced or zero sodium addition, having an expansion ratio of approximately ±10%, preferably ±5%, of the expansion ratio of equivalent granules containing at least approximately 950 mg of sodium per 100 g of granules.

[0094] The term "manufacturing conditions" refers to any conditions that can be controlled during the pellet manufacturing process. Examples include, but are not limited to, the moisture content of the dough, pretreatment steps, extrusion conditions (temperature and / or speed), etc.

[0095] The term "identical granules" refers to granules with the same composition as a reference granule. The term "identical snack food" refers to snack foods with the same composition as a reference snack food.

[0096] The term "standard conditions" refers to the conditions used to manufacture equivalent standard sodium-added granules or equivalent standard sodium-added expanded snack foods.

[0097] The term "equivalent granules" refers to granules whose composition is identical to that of a reference granule, except for the amount of added sodium. The term "equivalent snack food" refers to a snack food whose composition is identical to that of a reference snack food, except for the amount of added sodium.

[0098] For example, the snack food Sabritones TM Contains 100g of Sabritones TM 1455mg sodium granules (Sabritones) TM It is made from "standard sodium-added granules". It can be made according to this disclosure for Sabritones. TM The manufacturing conditions for the zero-addition sodium granules are controlled to ensure that their bulk density is relative to that used in the manufacture of Sabritones. TM The same granules (Sabritones) manufactured under standard conditions with added sodium granules. TM The percentage of "zero-addition sodium granules" increases by approximately 5% to approximately 35%.

[0099] In some embodiments, the controlled manufacturing conditions include the temperature of the extruder, the speed of the extruder, the moisture content of the dough, and / or pretreatment of the dough by steam injection.

[0100] In some embodiments, the extruder temperature is increased relative to the temperature of the extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In some embodiments, the extruder speed is increased relative to the speed of the extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In some embodiments, the moisture content of the dough is decreased relative to the amount of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In some embodiments, the dough is pretreated by steam injection prior to extrusion, and the amount of injected steam is increased relative to the amount of injected steam used to pretreat the dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0101] Surprisingly, it was found that controlling manufacturing conditions in this way can cause pellets with reduced or zero added sodium to expand during cooking, thus producing well-expanded snack food products with favorable texture properties. It was anticipated that controlling these manufacturing conditions would cause the pellets to over-expand during cooking, resulting in a polystyrene product with a certain viscosity that is unpleasant to eat.

[0102] Using one or more of these controlled manufacturing conditions, the bulk density of expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium can be reduced by about 5% to about 40%, preferably about 35%, relative to the same expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium manufactured under standard conditions; and / or the expansion ratio of expanded snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium can be increased by about 5% to about 45%, preferably about 40%, relative to the same expanded pellets with reduced or zero added sodium manufactured under standard conditions.

[0103] In some embodiments, under these controlled manufacturing conditions, the bulk density of expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium is about ±5% of the bulk density of equivalent expanded snack foods containing at least about 950 mg of sodium per 100 g of pellets, and / or the expansion ratio of pellets with reduced or zero added sodium is about ±5% of the expansion ratio of equivalent pellets containing at least about 950 mg of sodium per 100 g of pellets.

[0104] The increased overrun of the snack food pellets causes the pellets to expand during cooking in a manner comparable to standard sodium-added pellets. Furthermore, the resulting snack food exhibits a desired bulk density. Therefore, this invention allows for the manufacture of overrun snack food products with reduced or zero sodium added, but possessing a texture comparable to standard sodium-added overrun snack foods.

[0105] In some embodiments, under the controlled manufacturing conditions disclosed herein, the To of pellets with reduced or zero sodium addition is reduced. g The rheological properties of the matrix are reduced, and the rheological properties of the matrix are closer to those of standard sodium-added granules, resulting in granules that can expand in a similar manner to standard sodium-added granules, thus achieving the texture desired by consumers. This is unexpected, because generally controlling manufacturing conditions during granule preparation, such as increasing the temperature and / or speed of the extruder, will result in over-processed granules that expand when fried, have a certain viscosity of polystyrene, and are unpleasant to eat.

[0106] Therefore, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium and a method for manufacturing expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium.

[0107] Expandable snack food pellets are pellets that expand during cooking to form expanded snack foods with the desired shape and configuration. Various compositions of snack food pellets are known in the art. Typically, snack food pellets are produced through an extrusion process followed by a drying step. Cooking usually involves frying the pellets in oil.

[0108] dough ingredients

[0109] The dough used in this invention can be any dough used to prepare expanded snack food products, except that the amount of added sodium is reduced or eliminated.

[0110] Typically, granules are made from dough containing starch. The starch component of the dough is the component that expands to the maximum extent to form expanded snack food products. Therefore, the starch component is the component that is primarily affected by reducing or eliminating the amount of added sodium.

[0111] Any starch-based ingredient suitable for forming pellets can be used in this disclosure. The starch-based ingredient can be, for example, potato, cereal, legume (legume seeds), and / or root vegetables. If the starch-based ingredient is potato, it can be in the form of dehydrated potato (e.g., wild potato, potato flakes, potato isolate (fiber and protein), and / or potato pellets) and / or potato starch. When the starch-based ingredient is cereal, it can be, for example, wheat, oats, rice (e.g., black rice, red rice), rye, barley, millet, quinoa, triticale, sorghum (e.g., white sorghum), spelt wheat, or maize, or combinations thereof. When the starch-based component is legume, it can be, for example, chickpeas, peas (such as green peas, yellow peas), beans (such as black beans, mung beans, soybeans, etc.), lentils (such as brown lentils, green lentils, red lentils, yellow lentils, black and white lentils, puy lentils, etc.), flaxseed, or combinations thereof. If the starch is from a root vegetable, the component can be cassava. The starch can also be, or additionally, cassava starch. The starch can also be, or additionally, a protein isolate (such as pea protein isolate).

[0112] Dough may contain additional ingredients such as fillers (e.g., rice flour), flavorings (e.g., yeast powder, onion powder), colorings (e.g., carmine, curcumin), salt substitutes (e.g., potassium bicarbonate, potassium chloride), acids (e.g., citric acid), and / or fats (e.g., oil).

[0113] In a typical wheat-based dough used to manufacture reduced-addition sodium pellets, the dough may contain 98 wt% to 99.5 wt% wheat flour, 0.1 wt% to 1.0 wt% sodium chloride, 0 wt% to 1.0 wt% sodium bicarbonate, and 0 wt% to 1.0 wt% other ingredients (fillers, flavorings, colorings, potassium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, citric acid, and / or oils). Preferably, in the wheat-based dough, the dough contains about 0.55 wt% sodium chloride and about 0.15 wt% sodium bicarbonate. In a typical wheat-based dough used to produce zero-addition-sodium pellets, the dough may contain 99.8 wt% to 100 wt% wheat flour and 0 wt% to 0.2 wt% other ingredients (such as colorants).

[0114] In a typical corn-based dough used to manufacture reduced-addition sodium granules, the dough may contain 98 wt% to 99.5 wt% corn flour, 0.1 wt% to 1.0 wt% sodium chloride, 0 wt% to 1.0 wt% sodium bicarbonate, and 0 wt% to 1.0 wt% other ingredients (fillers, flavorings, colorings, potassium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, citric acid, and / or oils). Preferably, in the corn-based dough, the dough contains about 0.55 wt% sodium chloride and about 0.15 wt% sodium bicarbonate. In a typical corn-based dough used to produce zero-addition-sodium granules, the dough may contain 99.8 wt% to 100 wt% corn flour and 0 wt% to 0.2 wt% other ingredients (such as colorants).

[0115] In a typical potato-based dough used to manufacture reduced or zero-sodium granules, the dough may contain 10 wt% to 97 wt% dehydrated potato (potato flakes and / or potato granules), 10 wt% to 97 wt% potato starch, 0 wt% to 1 wt% sodium chloride, 0 wt% to 1.0 wt% sodium bicarbonate, and 0 wt% to 1.0 wt% other ingredients (fillers, flavorings, colorings, potassium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, citric acid, and / or oils). Preferably, in the potato-based dough, the dough contains at least 80 wt% potato-based starch, about 0.5 wt% sodium chloride, and about 0.15 wt% sodium bicarbonate. In a preferred formulation, the potato-based dough contains about 0.2 wt% added sodium.

[0116] As mentioned above, the starch component of dough is primarily affected by reducing or eliminating the amount of added sodium. Since starch is the main component of dough, addressing the effects of sodium reduction on the starch component in terms of bulk density and / or expansion by controlling manufacturing conditions will result in pellets with better expansion properties (closer to those pellets with standard added sodium), regardless of whether the dough contains any other components.

[0117] Moisture content

[0118] The dough used in this invention typically has a moisture content of 30 wt% to 40 wt%. After drying, the dried granules typically have a moisture content of 10 wt% to 12 wt%.

[0119] It is generally believed that the expansion of granules used in the manufacture of snack food products can be improved by increasing the moisture content of the granules. However, the inventors were surprised to find that increasing the moisture content of the granules only helps expansion to a certain point, after which the expansion of the granules is negatively affected. The inventors investigated whether reducing the moisture content of the dough could increase the expansion ratio of the resulting granules made from the dough and / or reduce the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack foods. Surprisingly, they found that this was indeed the case, and therefore one of the controllable manufacturing conditions in this invention is the moisture content of the dough. Accordingly, the moisture content of dough containing less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can be reduced relative to the moisture content of dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0120] In some embodiments, the moisture content of dough with reduced or zero added sodium is reduced by about 0.5 wt% to about 6 wt% relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough, preferably about 0.75 wt% to about 5 wt%, more preferably about 1 wt% to about 4 wt%, and even more preferably about 2 wt% to about 3 wt%.

[0121] In some embodiments, the moisture content of the reduced-sodium or sodium-free dough is reduced by at least about 2 wt%, or at least about 1.5 wt%, or at least about 1.0 wt%, or at least about 0.5 wt%, compared to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In some embodiments, the moisture content of the reduced-sodium or sodium-free dough is reduced by at most 6 wt%, or at most about 5 wt%, or at most about 4 wt%, or at most about 3 wt%, compared to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0122] Standard sodium-added granules typically have a moisture content of about 34 wt% to about 37 wt%. According to this disclosure, the moisture content of reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough can be reduced to about 33 wt%, or about 32 wt%, or about 31 wt%, or about 30 wt%.

[0123] Reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced or sodium-free dough relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by about 5% to about 15%, preferably about 7.5% to about 10%, relative to the same snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., conditions where the moisture content of the dough is not reduced). In some embodiments, the bulk density of such sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food is comparable to that of standard sodium-added expanded snack food.

[0124] Alternatively, reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced or sodium-free dough relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by up to about 15%, or up to about 12.5%, or up to about 10%, relative to the same snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free snack food). Similarly, reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced or sodium-free dough relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by at least about 5%, or at least about 7.5%, relative to the same snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free snack food).

[0125] Reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced or sodium-free dough relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules by about 5% to about 15%, preferably about 7.5% to about 10%, relative to the same granules produced under standard conditions (i.e., without a reduction in dough moisture content). In some embodiments, this expansion ratio of the sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules is comparable to the bulk density of standard sodium-added granules.

[0126] Alternatively, reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced or sodium-free dough relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules by up to about 15%, or up to about 12.5%, or up to about 10% relative to the same granules produced under standard conditions (i.e., without a reduction in dough moisture content). Similarly, reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced or sodium-free dough relative to dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules by at least about 5%, or at least about 7.5%, relative to the same granules produced under standard conditions (i.e., without a reduction in dough moisture content).

[0127] Heterogeneous and homogeneous granules

[0128] Granulated materials used in the production of snack food products are generally classified into two main types based on their physical and microstructural properties: homogeneous and heterogeneous. Due to their different physical and microstructural properties, these different types of granules expand in different ways.

[0129] Homogeneous granules are typically cereal-based. Cereal starch often requires more energy to process due to the integrity and composition of its starch matrix. Therefore, in homogeneous granules, the structure of the starch matrix is ​​severely disrupted during processing to form the granules. Typically, homogeneous granules do not contain intact starch structures; the matrix is ​​more uniform, and proteins are distributed throughout the granule. For homogeneous granules, expansion is driven by the properties of this severely disrupted, elastic material or matrix. When homogeneous granules are heated (often by frying), the pressure generated by the steam causes the granules to "blow air," forming a small number of large bubbles.

[0130] Heterogeneous granules are typically potato-based. The potatoes used to form the granules are usually pre-cooked (e.g., pre-cooked potato flakes or pellets), and therefore require less energy for starch processing because they are already at least partially cooked. Heterogeneous granules often have a structure dominated by filler particles, such as swollen and crystalline starch granules. When heterogeneous granules are heated, the filler particles act as nucleation sites for bubble growth, which is accelerated by the increased pressure during frying. This expansion kinetics are slower than in homogeneous systems, resulting in numerous small and uniform bubbles within the expanded structure.

[0131] Extruder conditions

[0132] The manufacture of typical (standard sodium-added) snack food granules usually involves extruding standard sodium snack food dough through an extruder, and then forming the extrudate into granules. Extrusion conditions need to be carefully monitored because over-processing leads to excessive expansion during subsequent cooking, resulting in polystyrene-like products that are unpleasant to eat and therefore undesirable to consumers. Essentially homogeneous standard sodium-added granules can typically withstand extrusion temperatures of 90°C to 135°C and extruder speeds of 80 rpm to 370 rpm (single-screw extruders). Essentially heterogeneous standard sodium-added granules can typically withstand extrusion temperatures of 55°C to 90°C and extruder speeds of 18 rpm to 80 rpm (single-screw extruders).

[0133] However, when pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are manufactured under conditions applicable to standard sodium-added pellets (standard conditions), the resulting pellets exhibit poor expansion and produce a hard, crunchy, and dense final product. This is presumably due to the pellets having a more rigid / harder matrix, leading to poor expansion and consequently, increased bulk density in expanded snack foods.

[0134] Surprisingly, it was found that increasing the extrusion temperature and / or extrusion speed could compensate for the effect of a stiffer / harder matrix on expansion in pellets with reduced or no sodium addition. This was unexpected, as it was thought to cause the pellets to over-expand during further processing.

[0135] Therefore, the controllable manufacturing conditions in methods for producing expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium include the temperature and / or speed of the extruder. Thus, in some embodiments, the manufacturing conditions are controlled by increasing the temperature of the extruder relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. In some embodiments, the manufacturing conditions are controlled by increasing the speed of the extruder relative to the speed of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0136] Extruder temperature

[0137] When the extruder temperature is increased, the increase can be up to about 50%, preferably 45%, relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. For example, the increase can be up to about 40%, or up to about 35%, or up to about 30%, or up to about 25%, relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0138] Alternatively, the extruder temperature may be increased by at least about 3% relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. For example, at least about 5%, or at least about 7%, or at least about 8%, or at least about 10% relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0139] Alternatively, the temperature of the extruder may be increased by about 5% to about 50% relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough, preferably about 5% to about 45%, more preferably about 7% to about 40%, even more preferably about 8% to about 35%, even more preferably about 10% to about 30%.

[0140] Increasing the temperature of the extruder relative to the temperature of the extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food with reduced or zero added sodium by about 5% to about 40%, preferably about 5% to about 30%, more preferably about 10% to about 25%, and even more preferably about 15% to about 20%, compared to the same expanded snack food (i.e., snack food with reduced or zero added sodium) manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., the extruder temperature is the same as that used to produce granules with standard added sodium).

[0141] Alternatively, increasing the extruder temperature relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by up to about 40%, or up to about 35%, or up to about 30%, or up to about 25%, or up to about 20% compared to the same expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions. Similarly, increasing the extruder temperature relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by at least about 5%, or at least about 10%, compared to the same expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions.

[0142] Increasing the temperature of the extruder relative to the temperature of the extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting reduced- or zero-added-sodium granules by about 5% to about 40%, for example about 5% to about 40%, or about 5% to about 30%, preferably about 10% to about 25%, more preferably about 15% to about 20%, under standard conditions (i.e., the same extruder temperature as the granules to be used to produce standard-added-sodium granules) compared to granules produced under standard conditions (i.e., the same conditions as the extruder temperature used to produce granules with standard-added-sodium granules).

[0143] Increasing the extruder temperature relative to that used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules by up to about 45%, or up to about 40%, or about 30%, or up to about 25%, or up to about 20%, compared to the same granules manufactured under standard conditions. Similarly, increasing the extruder temperature relative to that used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules by at least about 5%, or at least about 10%, or at least about 15%, or at least about 20%, compared to the same granules manufactured under standard conditions.

[0144] If the dough contains potato-based starch, it typically contains pre-cooked components (dehydrated potatoes). Therefore, the extruder temperature is lower (55°C to 90°C for standard sodium-added dough, as mentioned above), because the starch has already been cooked, requiring less energy for processing. When using potato-based dough to produce reduced or zero-sodium granules, there is therefore room to increase the extruder temperature. Thus, when producing reduced or zero-sodium granules from potato-based dough, the extruder temperature is typically increased by at least about 15%, preferably at least about 18%, and more preferably at least about 20%, relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. The resulting reduced or zero-sodium granules typically have a heterogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0145] If the dough contains cereal-based starch, more energy is typically required to process it. This results in higher extruder temperatures (90°C to 135°C for standard sodium-added dough, as mentioned above). Therefore, when using cereal-based dough to produce reduced or zero-sodium granules, there is less room to increase the extruder temperature. Consequently, when producing reduced or zero-sodium granules from cereal-based dough, the extruder temperature is typically increased by at least about 3%, preferably at least about 5%, at least about 5.5%, or at least about 6%, relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. The resulting reduced or zero-sodium granules typically have a homogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0146] When manufacturing granules with reduced or zero sodium addition according to this disclosure, the temperature of the extruder can be increased by about 5°C to about 50°C, preferably by about 10°C to about 40°C, or by about 20°C to about 30°C, relative to the temperature of the extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0147] Alternatively, the extruder temperature may be increased by at least about 5°C, for example, at least about 10°C, about 15°C, or about 20°C, relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. Similarly, it may be said that the extruder temperature may be increased by up to about 50°C, for example, up to about 40°C or about 30°C, relative to the extruder temperature used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0148] For potato-based dough with reduced or zero added sodium, the extruder temperature is typically increased by at least about 10°C relative to the extruder temperature used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0149] For cereal-based doughs with reduced or zero added sodium, the extruder temperature is typically increased by at least about 5°C relative to the extruder temperature used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0150] Extruder speed

[0151] With the increase in extruder speed, the extruder speed increases by about 5% to about 50% relative to the extruder speed used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0152] For example, relative to the extruder speed used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough, the speed can be increased by about 7% to about 45%, or about 8% to about 40%, or about 10% to about 35%.

[0153] Alternatively, the extruder speed may be increased by at least about 5% relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. For example, the extruder speed may be increased by at least about 7%, or at least about 8%, or at least about 10% relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0154] Alternatively, the extruder speed may be increased by up to about 50% relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. For example, the extruder speed may be increased by up to about 45%, or up to about 40%, or up to about 35% relative to the speed of an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0155] Increasing the speed of the extruder relative to the speed of the extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food with reduced or zero added sodium by about 5% to about 20%, preferably about 7.5% to about 17.5%, more preferably about 10% to about 15%, compared to the same expanded snack food (i.e., snack food with reduced or zero added sodium) manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., the same conditions under which the extruder speed is used to produce granules with standard added sodium).

[0156] Alternatively, increasing the extruder speed relative to the speed of an extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by up to about 20%, or up to about 17.5%, or up to about 15%, compared to the same expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food). Similarly, increasing the extruder speed relative to the speed of an extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by at least about 5%, or at least about 7.5%, or at least about 10%, compared to the same expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food).

[0157] Increasing the speed of the extruder relative to the speed of the extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting reduced- or zero-added-sodium granules by about 5% to about 20%, preferably about 7.5% to about 17.5%, more preferably about 10% to about 15%, compared to the same granules (i.e., reduced- or zero-added-sodium granules) produced under standard conditions (i.e., the same conditions under which the extruder speed is used to produce granules with standard added sodium).

[0158] Increasing the extruder speed relative to that used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules by up to about 20%, or up to about 17.5%, or up to about 15% relative to the same granules manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules). Similarly, increasing the extruder speed relative to that used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules by at least about 5%, or at least about 7.5%, or at least about 10% relative to the same granules manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules).

[0159] If the dough contains potato-based starch, it typically contains pre-cooked components (dehydrated potatoes). Therefore, the extruder speed is lower (18 to 80 rpm for standard sodium-added dough, as mentioned above), because the starch has already been cooked, requiring less energy for processing. When using potato-based dough to produce reduced or zero-added-sodium pellets, there is therefore room to increase the extruder speed. Thus, when producing reduced or zero-added-sodium pellets from potato-based dough, the extruder speed is typically increased by at least about 20%, preferably at least about 25%, at least about 30%, at least about 40%, or at least about 50%, or at least about 60%, relative to an extruder used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. The resulting reduced or zero-added-sodium pellets typically have a heterogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0160] If the dough contains cereal-based starch, more energy is typically required to process it. This necessitates a higher extruder speed (typically 80 rpm to 370 rpm for standard sodium dough). Therefore, when using cereal-based dough to produce reduced or zero-added-sodium pellets, there is less room to increase the extruder speed. Consequently, when producing reduced or zero-added-sodium pellets from cereal-based dough, the extruder speed is typically increased by at least about 5%, preferably at least about 8%, at least about 10%, or at least about 12%, compared to an extruder used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. The resulting reduced or zero-added-sodium pellets typically have a homogeneous starch-based matrix.

[0161] When manufacturing granules with reduced or zero sodium addition according to the disclosure herein, the extruder speed may be increased by about 10 rpm to about 40 rpm, preferably by about 15 rpm to about 35 rpm, or by about 20 rpm to about 30 rpm, relative to the extruder speed used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0162] Alternatively, the extruder speed may be increased by at least about 10 rpm, preferably at least about 15 rpm, or at least about 20 rpm, relative to the extruder speed used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. Similarly, it may be said that the extruder speed may be increased by up to about 40 rpm, preferably up to about 35 rpm, or up to about 30 rpm, relative to the extruder speed used for extruding dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0163] For potato-based dough with reduced or zero added sodium, the extruder speed is typically increased by at least about 10 rpm, or at least about 15 rpm, relative to the extruder speed used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0164] For cereal-based dough with reduced or zero added sodium, the extruder speed is typically increased by at least about 10 rpm, or at least about 15 rpm, relative to the extruder speed used to extrude dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0165] Preprocessing

[0166] The manufacture of expandable snack food products may include one or more pretreatment steps prior to dough extrusion. Pretreatment steps are typically used to partially hydrate and / or partially gelatinize the dough before extrusion.

[0167] In some implementations, one of the controllable manufacturing conditions is to pretreat the dough by steam injection prior to extrusion, and to increase the amount of steam injected relative to the amount of steam injected for pretreating dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0168] Typically, pretreatment via steam injection is not performed when manufacturing standard sodium-added granules. In this case, pretreatment of dough with reduced or zero sodium addition with any amount of injected steam constitutes an increase in the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used to pretreat dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0169] In some embodiments, the amount of injected steam is increased by about 1% to about 20%, more preferably about 3% to about 15%, and even more preferably about 5% to about 10%, relative to the amount of injected steam used for pretreatment of dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0170] Alternatively, the amount of injected steam is increased by at least about 1%, preferably about 3%, and more preferably about 5%, relative to the amount of injected steam used for pretreatment of dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0171] Similarly, the amount of injected steam is increased by up to about 20%, preferably up to about 15%, and more preferably up to about 10% relative to the amount of injected steam used for pretreatment of dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough.

[0172] The amount of steam used for pretreatment of dough can be up to about 10 wt% (on a dry weight basis), preferably up to about 5 wt%. For example, if 100 kg of dry powder ingredients per hour are made into granules, the dough can be pretreated with 5 kg of steam per hour.

[0173] Pre-treating the dough by steam injection and increasing the amount of steam injected relative to the amount of steam injected for pre-treating dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food with reduced or zero added sodium by about 5% to about 20%, preferably about 7.5% to about 17.5%, more preferably about 10% to about 15%, compared to the same expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., without pre-treating the dough by steam injection or with the amount of steam injected that would be used to pre-treat standard added sodium granules).

[0174] Alternatively, pretreating the dough by steam injection and increasing the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used to pretreat dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by up to about 20%, or up to about 17.5%, or up to about 15%, relative to the same expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free snack food). Similarly, pretreating the dough by steam injection and increasing the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used to pretreat dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the bulk density of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food by at least about 5%, or at least about 7.5%, or at least about 10%, relative to the same expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free snack food).

[0175] Pre-treating the dough by steam injection and increasing the amount of steam injected relative to the amount of steam injected for pre-treating dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can reduce the expansion ratio of the resulting reduced- or zero-added-sodium granules by about 5% to about 40%, preferably about 10% to about 30%, more preferably about 15% to about 20%, of the same granules produced under standard conditions (i.e., without pre-treating the dough by steam injection or with the amount of steam injected that would be used to pre-treat standard-added-sodium granules).

[0176] Pretreating dough by steam injection and increasing the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used to pretreat dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules relative to the same granules manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules) by at least about 40%, or at most about 35%, or at most about 30%, or at most about 25%, or at most about 20%. Similarly, pretreating dough by steam injection and increasing the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used to pretreat dough containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough can increase the expansion ratio of the resulting sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules relative to the same granules manufactured under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules) by at least about 5%, or at least about 7.5%, or at least about 10%, or at least about 12.5%, or at least about 15%.

[0177] Granular properties

[0178] Controlling the manufacturing conditions used to produce expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium according to this disclosure can produce pellets with properties close to those of standard sodium-added pellets. For example:

[0179] Expansion ratio

[0180] As discussed above, it is desirable to manufacture pellets with reduced or zero added sodium that have an expansion ratio similar to that of standard sodium-added pellets. Therefore, in some embodiments, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, containing less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the expansion ratio of such pellets is about ±10%, preferably ±5%, of pellets containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets.

[0181] The expansion ratio refers to the volume ratio between dried granules and expanded snack food. The expansion ratio can be determined by volume (displacement) measurement.

[0182] Typically, the expansion ratio of standard sodium-added granules is from about 3 to about 8. When reduced or zero sodium is added, the expansion ratio drops to about 1.2 to about 5, under the same manufacturing conditions as standard sodium granules (i.e., under standard conditions). This results in a poorly expanded product with a texture that is undesirable to consumers.

[0183] When sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules are manufactured under controlled manufacturing conditions according to this disclosure (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment by steam injection), the overrun ratio increases to about 3 to about 6. Since this is within the overrun ratio range of standard sodium-reduced granules, sodium-reduced or sodium-free overrun snack food products are closer to products produced from standard sodium granules and have better texture characteristics.

[0184] Therefore, in some embodiments, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets to increase the expansion ratio, thereby giving the sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets a greater expansion ratio than the same pellets produced under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets). In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or decreasing the dough moisture content and / or increasing the amount of injected steam increases the expansion ratio, thereby giving the sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets a greater expansion ratio than the same pellets produced under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets). In another preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or decreasing the dough moisture content and / or increasing the amount of injected steam increases the expansion ratio, thereby giving the sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets an expansion ratio comparable to that of standard sodium-added pellets.

[0185] In some embodiments, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, comprising less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the pellets have an expansion ratio of about 3 to about 6, preferably about 4 to about 5.

[0186] In some embodiments, the pellets have an expansion ratio of up to about 6, preferably up to about 5. Alternatively, the pellets may have an expansion ratio of at least about 3 or at least about 4.

[0187] Glass transition temperature

[0188] Glass transition temperature T of dough g It is an important metric related to the stiffness / flexibility of dough. The glass transition temperature is an indicator that a material begins to exhibit flowability; or alternatively, an indicator that plastics and flexible materials begin to acquire more solid-like properties. The glass transition temperature is an indicator that the material's properties begin to change. Generally, a higher T... g The rheological strength of the matrix is ​​negatively correlated with the dough's elasticity. Therefore, as the amount of sodium added decreases and the glass transition temperature increases, the rheological strength of the matrix also increases. The matrix becomes more rigid, resulting in poorer expansion.

[0189] The glass transition temperature can be determined by any suitable method. For example, by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), particularly using the DMA-7 with the Perkin-Elmer three-point bending test. This analysis uses a heating rate of 10°C per minute, a temperature scan from 25°C to 150°C, a constant stress frequency of 1 Hz, and a PTFE plate.

[0190] Standard sodium-added granules typically have a T0 of about 55°C to about 80°C. g When sodium with reduced or zero addition is prepared under the same manufacturing conditions as standard sodium granules (i.e., under standard conditions), T g The temperature is increased to approximately 80°C to approximately 125°C. This, in turn, increases the rheological strength of the matrix, resulting in poor expansion and providing a final product with a hard, brittle, and dense texture.

[0191] When pellets with reduced or zero sodium addition are manufactured under controlled manufacturing conditions according to this disclosure (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment by steam injection), the T of the pellets... g The temperature should be lowered to below about 80°C, preferably below about 70°C, and more preferably between about 60°C and about 70°C. This is within the T range of standard sodium-added granules. g Within this range, expanded snack food products with reduced or zero added sodium are closer to products made from standard sodium-added pellets and have better texture characteristics.

[0192] Therefore, in some embodiments, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules to lower the glass transition temperature, thereby resulting in an extruder with a glass transition temperature lower than that of the dough. In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or decreasing the moisture content of the dough and / or increasing the amount of injected steam lowers the glass transition temperature, resulting in an extruder with a glass transition temperature lower than that of the dough. Alternatively, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules to lower the glass transition temperature, resulting in an extruder with sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules having a lower glass transition temperature than the same extruder produced under standard conditions (i.e., an extruder with sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules). In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed lowers the glass transition temperature, resulting in extrudates with reduced or zero sodium addition having a lower glass transition temperature than the same extrudate produced under standard conditions (lower extruder temperature and / or lower extruder speed). In another preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed lowers the glass transition temperature, resulting in extrudates with reduced or zero sodium addition having a glass transition temperature comparable to extrudates with standard sodium addition.

[0193] Therefore, in some embodiments, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, comprising less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the pellets have a glass transition temperature of less than about 80°C, preferably less than about 70°C, more preferably less than about 60°C.

[0194] Alternatively, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, containing less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the pellets have a glass transition temperature of up to about 80°C, preferably up to about 70°C, more preferably up to about 60°C.

[0195] Tensile strength

[0196] Tensile strength is defined as "resistance to longitudinal stress, measured by the tensile force along the length of the maximum weight load per unit area that a given material can withstand without tearing." Removing sodium from granules increases the rheological strength of the matrix, and consequently, the tensile strength. When manufacturing granules with reduced or zero sodium addition, controlling manufacturing conditions (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment via steam injection) reduces the tensile strength to the value of standard sodium granules. This is believed to be because the enhanced processing conditions disrupt the molecular weight of the starch-based matrix, thereby reducing the tensile strength of the matrix.

[0197] Tensile strength can be determined by any suitable method, such as using an Instron universal testing machine (5.500R6025) to perform an Instron oven tensile test at a high temperature of 100°C and a speed of 6 mm / min for 5 replicates / formulas.

[0198] The tensile strength of standard sodium granules is typically from about 0.8 MPa to about 4.5 MPa. When sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules are prepared under the same manufacturing conditions as standard sodium granules (i.e., standard conditions), the tensile strength increases to about 1 MPa to about 12 MPa. This, in turn, increases the rheological strength of the matrix, resulting in poor expansion and providing a final product with a hard, brittle, and dense texture. When sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules are manufactured under controlled manufacturing conditions according to this disclosure (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment by steam injection), the tensile strength of the granules can decrease to about 1.5 MPa to about 10 MPa.

[0199] Therefore, in some embodiments, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules to reduce tensile strength, resulting in extruders with lower tensile strength than dough. In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or reducing the moisture content of the dough and / or increasing the amount of injected steam reduces tensile strength, resulting in extruders with lower tensile strength than dough. Alternatively, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules to reduce tensile strength, resulting in extruders with sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules having lower tensile strength than the same extruders produced under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free extruders). In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed reduces tensile strength, resulting in extruders with sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules having lower tensile strength than the same extruders produced under standard conditions (lower extruder temperatures and / or lower extruder speeds) (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free extruders). In another preferred embodiment, increasing the temperature of the extruder and / or increasing the speed of the extruder reduces the tensile strength, thereby making the extrudate with reduced or zero sodium addition have tensile strength comparable to that of the extrudate with standard sodium addition.

[0200] Therefore, in some embodiments, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, which contain less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the pellets have a tensile strength of less than about 4.5 MPa.

[0201] Modulus

[0202] Modulus, or tensile modulus, assesses the elasticity of a material and the force required to deform it. It measures the stiffness of the material. Removing sodium from granules increases the rheological strength of the matrix, and consequently increases the tensile modulus. Regarding the aforementioned tensile strength, controlling manufacturing conditions during granule production (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment via steam injection) reduces the tensile modulus to the value of standard sodium-added granules. This is believed to be because the enhanced processing conditions disrupt the molecular weight of the starch-based matrix, thereby reducing the matrix's tensile modulus.

[0203] Modulus can be determined by any suitable method. For example, an Instron oven tensile test can be performed using an Instron universal testing machine (5.500R6025) at a high temperature of 100°C and a speed of 6 mm / min, with 5 replicates / formulas.

[0204] Standard sodium-added pellets typically have a modulus of about 40 MPa to 140 MPa. When reduced or zero sodium-added pellets are prepared under the same manufacturing conditions as standard sodium pellets (i.e., standard conditions), the tensile strength increases to about 100 MPa to about 240 MPa. This, in turn, increases the rheological strength of the matrix, resulting in poor expansion and providing a final product with a hard, crumbly, and dense texture. When reduced or zero sodium-added pellets are manufactured according to this disclosure (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment by steam injection), the pellet modulus decreases to about 60 MPa to about 190 MPa.

[0205] Therefore, in some embodiments, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules to reduce the modulus, resulting in an extruder with a modulus lower than that of the dough. In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or reducing the moisture content of the dough and / or increasing the amount of injected steam reduces the modulus, resulting in an extruder with a modulus lower than that of the dough. Alternatively, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules to reduce the modulus, resulting in extruders with sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules having lower tensile strength than the same extruder produced under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free extruders). In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed reduces the modulus, resulting in extruders with sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules having a lower modulus than the same extruder produced under standard conditions (lower extruder temperature and / or lower extruder speed) (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free extruders). In another preferred embodiment, increasing the temperature of the extruder and / or increasing the speed of the extruder reduces the modulus, thereby making the extrudate with reduced or zero sodium addition have a modulus comparable to that of the extrudate with standard sodium addition.

[0206] Therefore, in some embodiments, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, comprising less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the pellets have a modulus of less than about 140 MPa.

[0207] Time to expansion

[0208] The to-expansion time refers to the time it takes for pellets to expand from being subjected to cooking conditions (typically frying) until expansion begins (initial bubble formation). Removing sodium from the pellets increases the to-expansion time. This is believed to be because, with the removal of sodium and the increase in matrix rheological strength, the matrix becomes more rigid. A more rigid matrix has an increased ductile-brittle transition temperature, meaning that product expansion requires more energy. Therefore, the matrix needs more heating to reach its point where it is sufficiently ductile to expand. This equates to an increase in the to-expansion time.

[0209] There is no standardized method to measure expansion time; it is usually determined by recording the frying time of the pellets and making a visual judgment on when expansion begins.

[0210] Standard sodium-added granules typically have a to-expansion time of about 25 to about 40 seconds (measured at a temperature of about 130°C to about 150°C). When reduced or zero sodium-added granules are prepared under the same manufacturing conditions as standard sodium-added granules (i.e., standard conditions), the to-expansion time increases to about 90 seconds (measured at a temperature of about 130°C to about 150°C). When reduced or zero sodium-added granules are manufactured according to this disclosure (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment by steam injection), the to-expansion time of the granules decreases to about 60 seconds (measured at a temperature of about 130°C to about 150°C). Because this is closer to the to-expansion time of standard sodium-added granules, expanded snack food products with reduced or zero sodium-added granules are closer to products with better texture characteristics produced from standard sodium-added granules.

[0211] Therefore, in some embodiments, manufacturing conditions are controlled during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets to reduce the expansion time, thereby resulting in sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets having a shorter expansion time than the same pellets produced under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets). In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or reducing the moisture content of the dough and / or increasing the amount of injected steam reduces the expansion time, thereby resulting in sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets having a shorter expansion time than the same pellets produced under standard conditions (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets).

[0212] In another preferred embodiment, increasing the temperature of the extruder and / or increasing the speed of the extruder and / or decreasing the moisture content of the dough and / or increasing the amount of injected steam reduces the to-expansion time, thereby making the pellets with reduced or zero sodium addition have a to-expansion time comparable to that of standard sodium-added pellets.

[0213] In some embodiments, expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, comprising less than about 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g pellets, wherein the pellets have an expansion time of less than about 60 seconds when fried at about 130°C to about 150°C.

[0214] Properties of expanded snack foods

[0215] Controlling the manufacturing conditions used to produce expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium according to this disclosure can result in expanded snack foods with properties close to those of expanded snack foods with standard added sodium. For example:

[0216] Bulk density

[0217] As discussed above, it is desirable to manufacture expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium that have a bulk density similar to that of expanded snack foods with standard added sodium. Therefore, in some embodiments, expanded snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, wherein the bulk density of the snack food is about ±5% of the bulk density of an equivalent snack food containing at least about 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of snack food.

[0218] When sodium is removed (or not added) from the pellets, the bulk density of expanded snack foods produced from those pellets increases. This is undesirable because denser expanded snack foods have a harder, crisper, and thicker texture.

[0219] Bulk density can be measured by placing the product in a 5L clear plastic beaker until it is full and allowing the product to settle. The weight of the product is then recorded, and the bulk density is calculated by dividing the weight (g) by the volume (L).

[0220] Typically, the bulk density of standard sodium-added expanded snack foods is from about 35 g / L to about 50 g / L. When pellets with reduced or zero sodium addition are prepared under the same manufacturing conditions as standard sodium pellets (i.e., under standard conditions), the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack foods increases to about 50 g / L to about 60 g / L. This results in products with a texture that is not desirable to consumers.

[0221] When sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules are manufactured under controlled manufacturing conditions according to this disclosure (e.g., increased extruder temperature and / or increased extruder speed, and / or reduced dough moisture content and / or pretreatment by steam injection), the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food is reduced to about 40 g / L to about 50 g / L, preferably about 45 g / L to about 50 g / L. Since this is within the bulk density range of standard sodium-added expanded snack foods, sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack food products are closer to products produced from standard sodium granules and have better texture characteristics.

[0222] Therefore, in some embodiments, controlling the manufacturing conditions during the production of sodium-reduced or sodium-free pellets reduces the bulk density, resulting in sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack foods having a lower bulk density than the same expanded snack foods (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack foods) manufactured under standard conditions. In a preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or decreasing the dough moisture content and / or increasing the amount of injected steam reduces the bulk density, resulting in sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack foods having a lower bulk density than the same expanded snack foods (i.e., sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack foods) manufactured under standard conditions. In another preferred embodiment, increasing the extruder temperature and / or increasing the extruder speed and / or decreasing the dough moisture content and / or increasing the amount of injected steam reduces the bulk density, resulting in sodium-reduced or sodium-free expanded snack foods having a bulk density comparable to that of standard sodium-added expanded snack foods.

[0223] In some embodiments, expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium are provided, wherein the bulk density of the expanded snack food is about 40 g / L to about 50 g / L, preferably about 45 g / L to about 50 g / L.

[0224] In some embodiments, the bulk density of the expanded snack food is less than about 50 g / L, preferably about 45 g / L.

[0225] After extrusion

[0226] Once the extrudate is produced, it is formed into pellets. This can be done by any method known in the art, and the pellets can have any desired shape and / or configuration.

[0227] The pellets are then dried. The pellets can be dried using any technique used for drying standard pellets. Typical drying conditions are 5 hours at 45°C and 65% humidity.

[0228] Dry granules are expanded during a cooking step to produce expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium. The granules can be expanded using any method known in the art. In some embodiments, the cooking step includes frying, baking, microwaving, or puffing. These granule expansion methods are known to those skilled in the art of snack food manufacturing.

[0229] Therefore, in some embodiments, a method is provided for producing expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium, the method comprising: providing a plurality of snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium as described herein; expanding the pellets in a cooking step to produce expanded snack foods; optionally, wherein the cooking step includes frying, baking, microwaving, or puffing.

[0230] In some cases, the texture of reduced- or zero-sodium snack foods can be further improved by frying the pellets under optimized conditions. Surprisingly, it was found that raising the frying temperature of reduced- or zero-sodium pellets by approximately 5°C to approximately 20°C relative to the temperature used for frying standard sodium-added pellets resulted in an overexpansion ratio, bulk density, and product texture comparable to standard sodium-added snack foods. This was unexpected, as raising the frying temperature of standard sodium-added pellets was expected to lead to browning / burning of the pellets, the formation of process contaminants (acrylamide), and deterioration of the oil quality.

[0231] Example

[0232] The following examples are specific embodiments of the present invention, but are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0233] Example 1

[0234] Dough containing standard sodium was prepared, comprising 96.07% wheat flour, 0.98% sodium bicarbonate, and 2.95% sodium chloride. 1455 mg of sodium was added per 100 g of dough. Dough containing reduced added sodium was also prepared, comprising 99.32% wheat flour, 0.13% sodium bicarbonate, and 0.55% sodium chloride. This dough contained 255 mg of added sodium per 100 g.

[0235] Two doughs were extruded and formed into pellets under standard conditions (90°C and 90 rpm). After frying the pellets at 185°C for 20 seconds, it was found that the bubble structure of the pellets with reduced sodium was smaller than that of the pellets with standard sodium. Compared with the pellets with standard sodium and the resulting expanded snack food, the pellets with reduced sodium and the resulting expanded snack food were very pale in color. Figure 1a (Standard sodium) and Figure 1b (Reduced sodium) showed a difference in color.

[0236] The texture of the snack food pellets with standard sodium and reduced sodium was also tested by a sensory panel. Figure 2 For this evaluation, three additional sodium-reducing granules were prepared, and the granules evaluated are as follows:

[0237] Commercially available pellets contain 1455mg of added sodium per 100g of pellets;

[0238] Group 3B contains 935mg of added sodium per 100g of pellets (97.5% wheat flour, 2% sodium chloride, 0.5% sodium bicarbonate);

[0239] Group 5 contains 740mg of added sodium per 100g of pellets (97.5% wheat flour, 0.5% sodium chloride, 2% sodium bicarbonate);

[0240] Group 1 contains 561 mg of added sodium per 100 g of pellets (98.5% wheat flour, 1.2% sodium chloride, 0.3% sodium bicarbonate); and

[0241] Group 6 contains 255mg of added sodium per 100g of pellets.

[0242] Figure 2 Data shows that when the amount of added sodium is reduced from the pellets without compensating for the effect of added sodium on pellet expansion, the resulting expanded snack food is hard, crunchy, and has a slower rate of breakdown in the mouth.

[0243] Example 2

[0244] Using doughs prepared in Example 1 containing 1455 mg of added sodium and doughs containing 255 mg of added sodium, the effect of controlling manufacturing conditions by increasing the temperature of the extruder used to extrude the dough on the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack foods was studied.

[0245] Figure 3 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 3 The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings involve extrusion at 90°C and 90 rpm. When dough with standard sodium addition was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack food (after frying at 185°C for 20 seconds) had a bulk density of approximately 45.0 g / L. When dough with reduced sodium addition was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack food had an increased bulk density of approximately 56.3 g / L.

[0246] For optimal expansion, it is desirable that the bulk density of the sodium-reduced expanded snack food be as close as possible to that of the standard sodium-reduced expanded snack food, preferably within 5%. To attempt to achieve this, the extruder temperature was increased by 10°C to 100°C, an increase of 11% compared to the control setting. This resulted in a reduction in the bulk density of the sodium-reduced expanded snack food to approximately 50.6 g / L, a decrease of approximately 10% compared to the same sodium-reduced snack food manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in bulk density resulted in the sodium-reduced expanded snack food having a bulk density approximately 12.5% ​​higher than that of the standard sodium-reduced expanded snack food.

[0247] For expanded snack foods with reduced sodium content, it was desirable to achieve a bulk density closer to that of expanded snack foods with standard sodium content. Therefore, the extruder temperature was further increased, this time by 20°C to 110°C, an increase of 22% compared to the control setting. This resulted in a reduction in the bulk density of the expanded snack food with reduced sodium content to approximately 46.2 g / L, a decrease of approximately 17.9% compared to the same expanded snack food with reduced sodium content manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in bulk density resulted in the expanded snack food with reduced sodium content having a bulk density approximately 2.7% higher than that of the expanded snack food with standard sodium content.

[0248] Expansion of sodium-reduced granules extruded under manufacturing conditions controlled by increasing the extruder temperature by 20°C (22%) compared to standard conditions resulted in expanded snack food products with larger surface and internal bubble structures that more closely resembled those of standard sodium-reduced granules. It was also found that sodium-reduced granules extruded under elevated temperature conditions led to faster breakdown of expanded snack food products in the mouth, resulting in products more similar to those with standard sodium reductants.

[0249] Example 3

[0250] Using doughs prepared in Example 1 containing 1455 mg of added sodium and doughs containing 255 mg of added sodium, the effect of controlling manufacturing conditions by increasing the temperature of the extruder used to extrude the dough on the expansion ratio of the resulting pellets was investigated.

[0251] Figure 4 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 4 The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings are performed at 90°C and 90 rpm. When extruding dough with standard sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have an expansion ratio of approximately 3.39. When extruding dough with reduced sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have a reduced expansion ratio of approximately 2.99.

[0252] For optimal expansion, it is desirable that the expansion ratio of the sodium-reduced pellets be as close as possible to that of the standard sodium-reduced pellets, preferably within 5%. To attempt to achieve this, the extruder temperature was increased by 10°C to 100°C, an increase of 11.1% compared to the control setting. This resulted in an increase in the expansion ratio of the sodium-reduced pellets to approximately 4.89, an increase of approximately 63.5% compared to the same sodium-reduced pellets manufactured under standard conditions. This increase in expansion ratio resulted in the sodium-reduced pellets having an expansion ratio approximately 44.2% higher than that of the standard sodium-reduced pellets.

[0253] For the sodium-reduced pellets, it was desirable to achieve an overexpansion ratio closer to that of standard sodium-reduced pellets. Therefore, the extruder temperature was further increased, this time by 20°C to 110°C, an increase of 22.2% compared to the control setting. This resulted in an increase in the overexpansion ratio of the sodium-reduced pellets to approximately 4.05, an increase of approximately 35.5% compared to the same sodium-reduced pellets manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in the overexpansion ratio resulted in an overexpansion ratio of approximately 19.5% higher than that of standard sodium-reduced pellets. While this is higher than ideally desired, these pellets do not result in undesirable overexpansion in snack food products; they are simply different.

[0254] Expansion of sodium-reduced granules extruded under manufacturing conditions controlled by increasing the extruder temperature by 20°C (22.2%) compared to standard conditions resulted in expanded snack food products with larger surface and internal bubble structures that more closely resembled those of standard sodium-reduced granules. It was also found that sodium-reduced granules extruded under elevated temperature conditions led to faster breakdown of expanded snack food products in the mouth, resulting in products more similar to those with standard sodium reductants.

[0255] Example 4

[0256] In this embodiment, it was investigated why controlling manufacturing conditions by increasing the temperature of the extruder resulted in pellets with reduced sodium addition that were closer to pellets with standard sodium addition.

[0257] Assume that the rheology of the dough changes when sodium is removed or reduced. This results in more force being needed to turn the extruder screw when less sodium is added. Increasing the temperature inside the extruder barrel helps alter the rheological properties of the dough, thereby reducing the amount of force required. Figure 5 The results show that when added sodium is removed from the dough (1455 mg added sodium compared to 255 mg added sodium), the torque increases from 836 Nm to 1106 Nm. Therefore, increasing the extruder temperature by 10°C reduces the torque required to extrude dough with reduced added sodium to 864 Nm, which is closer to that required for standard added sodium pellets.

[0258] Figure 6 The diagram shows the torque as a function of extruder speed (rpm). Increasing the extruder rpm by approximately 10 rpm or approximately 20 rpm reduced the torque required to extrude dough with reduced sodium to 1076 Nm and 1101 Nm, respectively, which is closer to that required for standard sodium-added granules.

[0259] Similarly, Figure 7 It is shown that increasing the rpm by about 10 rpm or about 20 rpm and increasing the temperature by about 10°C further reduces the torque to about 4% to about 6% of the torque required for extruding standard sodium-added dough.

[0260] Example 5

[0261] Using doughs prepared in Example 1 containing 1455 mg of added sodium and doughs containing 255 mg of added sodium, the effect of controlling manufacturing conditions by increasing the speed of the extruder used to extrude the dough on the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack foods was studied.

[0262] Figure 8 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 8 The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings involve extrusion at 90°C and 90 rpm. When dough with standard sodium addition was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack food (after frying at 185°C for 20 seconds) had a bulk density of approximately 45.0 g / L. When dough with reduced sodium addition was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack food had an increased bulk density of approximately 56.3 g / L.

[0263] For optimal expansion, it is desirable that the bulk density of the sodium-reduced expanded snack food be as close as possible to that of the standard sodium-reduced expanded snack food, preferably within 5%. To attempt to achieve this, the extruder speed was increased by 10 RPM to 100 RPM, an increase of 11% compared to the control setting. This resulted in a reduction in the bulk density of the sodium-reduced expanded snack food to approximately 54.5 g / L, a decrease of approximately 3.2% compared to the same sodium-reduced expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in bulk density resulted in the sodium-reduced expanded snack food having a bulk density approximately 21.1% higher than that of the standard sodium-reduced expanded snack food.

[0264] For expanded snack foods with reduced sodium content, it was desirable to achieve a bulk density closer to that of standard expanded snack foods with added sodium. Therefore, the extruder speed was further increased, this time by 20 RPM to 110 RPM, an increase of 22% compared to the control setting. This resulted in a reduction in the bulk density of the expanded snack food with reduced sodium content to approximately 49.5 g / L, a decrease of approximately 12.1% compared to the same expanded snack food with reduced sodium content manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in bulk density resulted in the expanded snack food with reduced sodium content having a bulk density approximately 10% higher than that of standard expanded snack foods with added sodium.

[0265] Expansion of sodium-reduced granules extruded under manufacturing conditions controlled by increasing the extruder speed by 10 RPM (11%) compared to standard conditions resulted in expanded snack food products with larger surface and internal bubble structures that more closely resembled those of standard sodium-reduced granules. It was also found that sodium-reduced granules extruded under elevated temperature conditions led to faster breakdown of expanded snack food products in the mouth, resulting in products more similar to those with standard sodium.

[0266] Example 6

[0267] Using doughs prepared in Example 1 containing 1455 mg of added sodium and doughs containing 255 mg of added sodium, the effect of controlling manufacturing conditions by increasing the speed of the extruder used to extrude the dough on the expansion ratio of the resulting pellets was investigated.

[0268] Figure 9 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 9 The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings are performed at 90°C and 90 rpm. When extruding dough with standard sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have an expansion ratio of approximately 3.39. When extruding dough with reduced sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have a reduced expansion ratio of approximately 2.99.

[0269] For optimal expansion, it is desirable that the expansion ratio of the sodium-added pellets be as close as possible to that of the standard sodium-added pellets, preferably within 5%. To attempt to achieve this, the extruder speed was increased by approximately 10 rpm to 100 rpm, an increase of 11.1% compared to the control setting. This resulted in a slight decrease in the expansion ratio of the sodium-added pellets to approximately 2.97. Since this was not the desired increase in expansion ratio, the extruder speed was further increased, this time by approximately 20 rpm to 110 rpm, an increase of 22.2% compared to the control setting.

[0270] This greater increase in rate results in an increase in the expansion ratio of the sodium-reduced pellets to approximately 4.31, an increase of approximately 44.1% compared to the same sodium-reduced pellets manufactured under standard conditions. This decrease in the expansion ratio results in a sodium-reduced pellets having an expansion ratio that is approximately 27.1% higher than that of standard sodium-reduced pellets. While this is higher than ideal, these pellets do not result in undesirable expansion in snack food products; they are simply different.

[0271] Expansion of sodium-reduced granules extruded under manufacturing conditions controlled by increasing the extruder speed by approximately 10 rpm (11.1%) compared to standard conditions resulted in expanded snack food products with larger surface and internal bubble structures that more closely resembled those of standard sodium-reduced granules. It was also found that sodium-reduced granules extruded under elevated temperature conditions led to faster breakdown of expanded snack food products in the mouth, making them more similar to expanded snack food products with standard sodium refills.

[0272] Example 7

[0273] Using doughs prepared in Example 1 containing 1455 mg of added sodium and doughs containing 255 mg of added sodium, the effects of pre-treatment of the dough by steam injection before extrusion and increasing the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used for pre-treatment of the standard added sodium dough on the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food were investigated.

[0274] Figure 10 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 10 The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings involve extrusion at 90°C and 90 rpm (without steam pretreatment). When dough with standard sodium addition was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack food (after frying at 185°C for 20 seconds) had a bulk density of approximately 45.0 g / L. When dough with reduced sodium addition was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack food had an increased bulk density of approximately 56.3 g / L.

[0275] For optimal expansion, it is desirable that the bulk density of the sodium-reduced expanded snack food be as close as possible to that of the standard sodium-added expanded snack food, preferably within 5%. To achieve this, the sodium-reduced dough is pretreated with an injection of approximately 5% steam (on a dry weight basis). This results in a reduction in the bulk density of the sodium-reduced expanded snack food to approximately 49.38 g / L, a reduction of 12.3% compared to the same sodium-reduced expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in bulk density results in the sodium-reduced expanded snack food having a bulk density approximately 9.7% higher than that of the standard sodium-added expanded snack food.

[0276] Extruded pellets with reduced sodium addition, pretreated with approximately 5% steam injection before extrusion, exhibited similar expansion under controlled manufacturing conditions. Increasing the extruder temperature had a similar effect. The resulting pellets produced expanded snack food products that decompose more quickly in the mouth and have a softer texture.

[0277] Example 8

[0278] Using doughs prepared in Example 1 containing 1455 mg of added sodium and doughs containing 255 mg of added sodium, the effects of pre-treatment of the dough by steam injection before extrusion and the control of the amount of injected steam relative to the amount of injected steam used for pre-treatment of the standard added sodium dough on the expansion ratio of the resulting pellets were investigated.

[0279] Figure 11 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 11The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings involve extrusion at 90°C and 90 rpm (without steam pretreatment). When extruding dough with standard sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have an overrun of approximately 3.39. When extruding dough with reduced sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have a reduced overrun of approximately 2.99.

[0280] For optimal expansion, it is desirable for the expansion ratio of the sodium-reduced granules to be as close as possible to that of the standard sodium-reduced granules, preferably within 5%. To achieve this, the sodium-reduced dough is pretreated with an injection of approximately 5% steam (on a dry weight basis). This results in an increase in the expansion ratio of the sodium-reduced granules to approximately 4.24, an increase of approximately 41.8% compared to the same sodium-reduced granules manufactured under standard conditions. This increase in expansion ratio results in a sodium-reduced granules expansion ratio that is approximately 25.1% higher than that of the standard sodium-reduced granules. While this is higher than ideally desired, these granules do not result in snack food products with poor expansion, but are simply different.

[0281] Extruded pellets with reduced sodium addition, pretreated with approximately 5% steam injection before extrusion, exhibited similar expansion under controlled manufacturing conditions. Increasing the extruder temperature had a similar effect. The resulting pellets produced expanded snack food products that decompose more quickly in the mouth and have a softer texture.

[0282] Example 9

[0283] It is generally believed that the expansion of aggregates can be improved by increasing the moisture content of the aggregates. However, it was surprisingly found that increasing the moisture content of the aggregates only helps expansion to a certain point, after which the expansion of the aggregates is negatively affected. Figure 12 The effect of varying moisture content on the bulk density of expanded snack food products is shown. Figure 12 It can be seen that when the moisture content of the aggregate is about 11 to 12%, the bulk density decreases favorably, but the bulk density increases from 13% moisture content, and when the moisture content increases to about 15.5%, the bulk density increases significantly.

[0284] Example 10

[0285] Based on the findings of Example 9, experiments were conducted to observe whether reducing the moisture content of dough with reduced sodium addition could affect the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food.

[0286] The doughs containing 1455 mg of added sodium and 255 mg of added sodium prepared in Example 1 were used. The moisture content of these doughs was approximately 34%. Two additional doughs with reduced added sodium (255 mg of added sodium) were prepared by reducing the moisture content of the doughs from Example 1 to 32% and 31%, respectively.

[0287] These doughs were then extruded under standard extrusion conditions of 90°C and 90 rpm, and the results are shown below. Figure 13 It can be seen that simply reducing the added sodium in dough containing approximately 34% moisture resulted in a bulk density of 53.4 g / L for the expanded snack (after frying at 185°C for 20 seconds). This represents an increase of 12.9% compared to expanded snacks with standard added sodium. However, reducing the moisture content of the dough with reduced added sodium by approximately 2% to approximately 32% resulted in a bulk density of 51.4 g / L for the resulting expanded snack. This represents a decrease of 3.7% compared to expanded snacks made from dough with reduced added sodium and approximately 34% moisture content. This reduction in bulk density resulted in an expanded snack with reduced added sodium having a bulk density approximately 8.7% higher than that with standard added sodium.

[0288] For expanded snack foods with reduced sodium content, it is desirable to achieve a bulk density closer to that of expanded snack foods with standard sodium content. Therefore, the moisture content of the dough with reduced sodium content is further reduced to approximately 31% (a reduction of approximately 3% compared to dough with standard sodium content). This results in a bulk density of expanded snack foods with reduced sodium content reduced to approximately 48.3 g / L, a reduction of approximately 9.6% compared to expanded snack foods made from dough with reduced sodium content of approximately 34%. This reduction in bulk density results in an overall bulk density of expanded snack foods with reduced sodium content that is approximately 2.1% higher than that of expanded snack foods with standard sodium content.

[0289] The expansion of extruded granules with reduced added sodium, controlled by increasing the moisture content of the dough relative to dough containing more than 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough, resulted in a softer product that breaks down more quickly in the mouth. This product is closer to standard expanded snack foods with added sodium.

[0290] Example 11

[0291] In this embodiment, it was investigated why controlling production conditions by reducing the moisture content of the dough resulted in granules with reduced sodium content and expanded snack foods with reduced sodium content that are closer to granules with standard sodium content and snack foods with standard sodium content.

[0292] As mentioned above, it is assumed that the rheology of the dough changes when sodium is removed. This results in more force being required to turn the extruder screw when less sodium is added. Surprisingly, it was found that reducing the moisture content of the dough helps change the rheological properties of the dough, thereby reducing the force required by the extruder screw. This is unexpected because dough with less moisture is usually stickier and therefore requires more force.

[0293] Figure 14The results show that when sodium addition is reduced from dough containing approximately 34% moisture (1455 mg sodium addition compared to 255 mg sodium addition), the torque increases from 801 Nm to 1130 Nm. Reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced dough to approximately 32% reduces the torque required to extrude the sodium-reduced dough to 991 Nm, closer to that of standard sodium-added granules. Similarly, further reducing the moisture content of the sodium-reduced dough to approximately 31% further reduces the torque required to extrude the sodium-reduced dough to 963 Nm, again, closer to that of standard sodium-added granules.

[0294] Example 12

[0295] Dough containing standard sodium was prepared, comprising 98.9% corn flour, 0.5% sodium bicarbonate, 0.5% sodium chloride, and 0.1% colorant. Dough with zero added sodium was also prepared, comprising 99.9% corn flour and 0.1% colorant.

[0296] Sodium-containing dough and sodium-free dough undergo three different extrusion processing conditions:

[0297] -Inadequate processing: Speed ​​70rpm & Temperature 115℃

[0298] -Reference: Speed ​​80 rpm & Temperature 130℃

[0299] - Over-processing: Speed ​​90 rpm & Temperature 140℃

[0300] The extruder used was a single-screw cooking extruder manufactured by FEN Italia.

[0301] The extruded dough is formed into pellets and dried. The dried pellets are then fried at 140°C.

[0302] The effects of sodium removal and different processing conditions on the rheological properties of the granules, the microstructure of the fried products, and the frying kinetics are shown in Table 1 and [Table data missing]. Figures 15 to 18 .

[0303]

[0304] Table 1

[0305] Figure 15 The effects of sodium removal and different processing conditions on the modulus of the extruded pellets are shown.

[0306] Compared to standard granules containing sodium (2E, 2Ref, and 3F), sodium removal from dough resulted in matrix hardening (granules 3E, 3Ref, and 3F). This is reflected in the increased modulus and tensile strength values ​​after sodium removal.

[0307] Compared to the reference condition, both sodium-containing dough (2E) and zero-addition sodium dough (3E) underprocessing resulted in a slight increase in matrix hardening / reinforcement. This is hypothesized to be due to mild starch damage and gelatinization, which reduces homogeneity in the structure and consequently increases matrix strength.

[0308] However, compared to the reference condition (3Ref), the overprocessed zero-addition sodium dough (3F) resulted in a reduction in matrix stiffness / strength, and the zero-addition sodium granules were closest in rheological properties to the standard sodium-containing reference granules (2Ref).

[0309] Compared to the reference condition (2Ref), overprocessing sodium-containing granules (2F) results in increased stiffness.

[0310] Figure 16 The results show the microstructural characteristics of fried products produced from extruded granules under different processing conditions.

[0311] When processed under reference conditions—2Ref (cell size 270 μm) & 3Ref (cell size 210 μm)—sodium removal resulted in a decrease in cell size. It was also observed that the microporous structure of the zero-sodium-added particles (3Ref) was slightly more homogeneous, and the elongation of the group was higher.

[0312] Compared to the reference conditions, overprocessing standard sodium-containing dough resulted in a decrease in cavity size (from 270 μm to 228 μm) and an increase in anisotropy. However, compared to the reference conditions, overprocessing zero-addition-sodium dough resulted in a decrease in cavity size (from 250 μm to 210 μm). A lower anisotropy was also observed, with a lower percentage of cavities below 200 μm and a more heterogeneous microstructure. The overprocessed zero-addition-sodium pellets were closest to the standard sodium-containing pellets processed under the reference conditions.

[0313] Figure 17 The results of the frying kinetics of the pellets under different processing conditions are shown. Frying the pellets at 140°C, although about 40°C lower than the conventional frying temperature, made it easier to observe the initial expansion of the pellets. Figure 17 It can be seen that, for all processing conditions, the zero-addition-sodium granules have a longer time to initial expansion than the standard sodium-containing granules under the same conditions. However, it can also be seen that overprocessing either the zero-addition-sodium dough or the standard sodium-containing dough results in granules with a reduced time to expansion. Importantly, for the zero-addition-sodium granules, the overprocessing conditions reduce the time to expansion to a level closer to that of the standard sodium-containing granules processed under standard conditions (granule 3F compared to granule 2Ref).

[0314] Figure 18Images of the standard sodium-containing product and the zero-sodium product of this embodiment are provided. However, it should be noted that differences that may be observed during consumption are not always visually perceptible.

[0315] Example 13

[0316] A sodium-free dough was prepared, which contained 40% chickpea flour, 20.37% rice flour, 5% pregelatinized rice flour, 25% corn flour and 9.63% tapioca starch.

[0317] The effects of different manufacturing conditions (mechanical shearing and thermal processing) during pellet formation on the resulting fried chickpea pellets were investigated. The following conditions were explored:

[0318] Group 1: Low shear screw profile (No. 3 screw) at 100℃ and 50rpm;

[0319] Group 2: Low-shear screw profile (No. 3 screw) at 120℃ and 80rpm;

[0320] Group 3: Medium shear screw profile (No. 6 screw) at 100℃ and 60rpm;

[0321] Group 4: Medium shear screw profile (No. 6 screw) at 120℃ and 80rpm;

[0322] Group 5: High shear screw profiles (No. 8 screw) at 100℃ and 60rpm;

[0323] Group 6: High shear screw profile (No. 8 screw) at 120℃ and 80rpm.

[0324] Figure 19 The effects of these different conditions on the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack food products are shown. Increasing both the rpm and temperature of the extruder reduced the bulk density of all shear screw profiles. Switching from a low-shear screw profile to a high-shear screw profile had a greater impact on the bulk density, decreasing from 220.1 (Group 1) to 64.1 (Group 5) and from 145.7 (Group 2) to 51.2 (Group 6).

[0325] Figure 20 Images visually illustrate the differences in chickpea fritters prepared under the above conditions. It can be seen that the product in group 3, with the highest bulk density, is hard, crunchy, and dense. In contrast, the products in groups 4 to 6, with the lowest bulk density, are light and soft.

[0326] Figure 21It is a sensing graph that describes how the mechanical and thermal processing of zero-sodium chickpea kernels can improve the product texture from hard, crunchy, and dense that breaks down slowly in the mouth to the opposite: soft on the first bite and breaks down quickly, resulting in a clean diet product.

[0327] Example 14

[0328] A standard sodium-containing dough was prepared, comprising 38% chickpea flour, 5% yellow corn flour 355, 20% rice flour, 10% tapioca starch, 5% pregelatinized rice flour, and 2% salt. This dough contained 787 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. A zero-sodium dough was also prepared, comprising 40% chickpea flour, 25% yellow corn flour 355, 20% rice flour, 10% tapioca starch, and 5% pregelatinized rice flour. This dough contained 0 mg of added sodium per 100 g. The moisture content of both doughs was 33.5%.

[0329] The effect of controlling manufacturing conditions by increasing the temperature of the extruder used to extrude the dough on the bulk density of the resulting expanded snack foods was studied.

[0330] Figure 22 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 22 The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings were performed by extruding at 80°C and 60 rpm (screw #6). When dough with standard added sodium was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack (after frying at 185°C for 16 seconds) had a bulk density of approximately 47.4 g / L. When dough with zero added sodium was extruded under the control settings, the resulting expanded snack had an increased bulk density of approximately 72.4 g / L.

[0331] The temperature of the extruder is increased by 20°C to 100°C. This results in a reduced bulk density of 55.5 g / L for the sodium-free snack food, approximately 23.3% lower than that of the same sodium-free snack food manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in bulk density results in a bulk density that is approximately 17% higher for the sodium-free expanded snack food compared to the standard expanded snack food with added sodium.

[0332] For sodium-free expanded snack foods, it is desirable to achieve a bulk density closer to that of standard sodium-added expanded snack foods. Therefore, the extruder temperature was further increased, this time by 40°C to 120°C, a 50% increase compared to the control setting. This resulted in a reduction in the bulk density of the sodium-free expanded snack food to approximately 43.8 g / L, a decrease of approximately 39.5% compared to the same sodium-free expanded snack food manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in bulk density resulted in the reduced-sodium expanded snack food having a bulk density approximately 7.6% lower than the standard sodium-added expanded snack food.

[0333] The expansion of sodium-free granules extruded under manufacturing conditions controlled by increasing the extruder temperature by 20°C or 40°C compared to standard conditions provides expanded snack food products with a surface and internal bubble structure close to that of standard sodium-added granules.

[0334] When the sample was evaluated by a panel of experts, the zero-sodium formulation processed at an extruder temperature increase of 40°C was found to be closest to the standard sodium product.

[0335] Example 15

[0336] Using chickpea dough prepared in Example 14 containing 787 mg of added sodium and zero added sodium, the effect of controlling manufacturing conditions by increasing the temperature of the extruder used to extrude the dough on the expansion ratio of the resulting pellets was investigated.

[0337] Figure 23 The results of this embodiment are shown. Standard conditions are in... Figure 23 The settings are labeled "Control Settings". These control settings are performed at 80°C and 60 rpm. When extruding dough with standard sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have an expansion ratio of approximately 2.1. When extruding dough with zero sodium addition in the control settings, the resulting pellets have a reduced expansion ratio of approximately 1.6.

[0338] For optimal expansion, it is desirable that the expansion ratio of the sodium-free pellets be as close as possible to that of the standard sodium-added pellets, preferably within 5%. To attempt to achieve this, the extruder temperature was increased by 20°C to 100°C, a 25% increase compared to the control setting. This resulted in an increase in the expansion ratio of the sodium-free pellets to approximately 2.1, an increase of approximately 31.3% compared to the same sodium-free pellets manufactured under standard conditions. This increase in expansion ratio resulted in the sodium-free pellets having the same expansion ratio as the standard sodium-added pellets.

[0339] The extruder temperature was further increased, this time by 40°C to 120°C, a 50% increase compared to the control setting. This resulted in an increase in the expansion ratio of the sodium-free pellets to approximately 2.3, an increase of approximately 43.8% compared to the same sodium-free pellets manufactured under standard conditions. This reduction in the expansion ratio resulted in a 9.5% higher expansion ratio for the sodium-free pellets compared to the standard sodium-added pellets.

[0340] The expansion of sodium-free granules extruded under manufacturing conditions controlled by increasing the extruder temperature by 20°C or 40°C compared to standard conditions provides expanded snack food products with a surface and internal bubble structure close to that of standard sodium-added granules.

[0341] When the sample was evaluated by a panel of experts, the zero-sodium formulation processed at an extruder temperature increase of 40°C was found to be closest to the standard sodium product.

[0342] To avoid any doubt, unless otherwise expressly stated or required by the context, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include a plural number of alternatives, such as at least one alternative.

[0343] "Optional" or "optionally" means that the event or situation described below may or may not occur, and the description includes both the possibility that the event or situation occurs and the possibility that it does not occur.

[0344] Various other modifications to the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium, comprising: Provided is a reduced- or zero-added-sodium dough, which contains cereal-based starch and less than 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; The dough with reduced or zero added sodium is extruded using an extruder to produce an extrudate; The extrudate is formed into granules with reduced or zero sodium addition; as well as The sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules are dried to obtain the expandable snack food granules. Among these measures, the manufacturing conditions are controlled so that the expansion ratio of the expandable snack food pellets is increased by 5% to 45% relative to the expansion ratio of standard sodium-added pellets manufactured from standard sodium-added dough under standard conditions; The standard sodium-added dough contains the cereal-based starch and at least 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. The standard conditions include the standard sodium-added dough having a moisture content of 34 wt% to 37 wt%, an extruder temperature of 90°C to 135°C, and an extruder speed of 80 rpm to 370 rpm. The manufacturing conditions include a 0.5 wt% to 6 wt% reduction in moisture content of the reduced or zero sodium-added dough relative to the standard sodium-added dough, an increase in extruder temperature of 5% to 50%, and an increase in extruder speed of 5% to 50%.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The manufacturing conditions are controlled as follows: The reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough is pretreated by steam injection before extrusion, and the amount of steam injected is increased relative to the amount of steam injected for pretreating the standard sodium-added dough.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The expansion ratio of the expandable snack food pellets is increased by 5% to 30% compared to the expansion ratio of the standard sodium-added pellets.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The expansion ratio of the expandable snack food pellets is increased by 10% to 15% compared to the expansion ratio of the standard sodium-added pellets.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The extruder temperature under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 7% to 40% compared to the extruder temperature under the standard conditions.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The extruder speed under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 7% to 45% compared to the extruder speed under the standard conditions.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The moisture content of the reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough under the manufacturing conditions is reduced by 0.75 wt% to 5 wt% compared to the moisture content of the standard sodium-added dough under the standard conditions.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The amount of injected steam in the reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 1% to 20% compared to the amount of injected steam in the standard-sodium dough under the standard conditions.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The extruder temperature under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 5°C to 50°C compared to the extruder temperature under the standard conditions.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The extruder speed under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 10 rpm to 40 rpm compared to the extruder speed under the standard conditions.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The extruder temperature is increased and / or the extruder speed is increased and / or the moisture content of the reduced sodium or zero sodium dough is reduced and / or the amount of injected steam is increased, thereby causing the glass transition temperature of the extrudate of the reduced sodium or zero sodium dough to be lower than that of the extrudate of the standard sodium-added dough.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough contains less than 250mg of added sodium per 100g of dough.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The reduced or zero sodium dough contains zero sodium per 100g of dough.

14. A method for manufacturing expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium, comprising: Provided is a reduced- or zero-added-sodium dough, which contains cereal-based starch and less than 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; The dough with reduced or zero added sodium is extruded using an extruder to produce an extrudate; The extrudate is formed into granules with reduced or zero sodium addition; as well as The sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules are dried to obtain the expandable snack food granules. Among these measures, the manufacturing conditions are controlled so that the expansion ratio of the expandable snack food granules is ±10% of the expansion ratio of standard sodium-added granules manufactured from standard sodium-added dough under standard conditions; The standard sodium-added dough contains the cereal-based starch and at least 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. The standard conditions include the standard sodium-added dough having a moisture content of 34 wt% to 37 wt%, an extruder temperature of 90°C to 135°C, and an extruder speed of 80 rpm to 370 rpm. The manufacturing conditions include a 0.5 wt% to 6 wt% reduction in moisture content of the reduced or zero sodium-added dough relative to the standard sodium-added dough, an increase in extruder temperature of 5% to 50%, and an increase in extruder speed of 5% to 50%.

15. A method for manufacturing expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium, comprising: Provided is a reduced- or zero-added-sodium dough, which contains potato-based starch and less than 300 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough; The dough with reduced or zero added sodium is extruded using an extruder to produce an extrudate; The extrudate is formed into granules with reduced or zero sodium addition; as well as The sodium-reduced or sodium-free granules are dried to obtain the expandable snack food granules. Among these measures, the manufacturing conditions are controlled so that the expansion ratio of the expandable snack food pellets is increased by 5% to 45% relative to the expansion ratio of standard sodium-added pellets manufactured from standard sodium-added dough under standard conditions; The standard sodium-added dough contains the potato-based starch and at least 950 mg of added sodium per 100 g of dough. The standard conditions include the standard sodium-added dough having a moisture content of 34 wt% to 37 wt%, an extruder temperature of 55°C to 90°C, and an extruder speed of 18 rpm to 80 rpm. The manufacturing conditions include reducing the moisture content of the reduced sodium or zero sodium dough by 0.5 wt% to 6 wt% relative to the standard sodium-added dough, increasing the extruder temperature by 5% to 50%, and increasing the extruder speed by 5% to 50%.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The manufacturing conditions are controlled as follows: The reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough is pretreated by steam injection before extrusion, and the amount of steam injected is increased relative to the amount of steam injected for pretreating the standard sodium-added dough.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The expansion ratio of the expandable snack food pellets is increased by 5% to 30% compared to the expansion ratio of the standard sodium-added pellets.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The expansion ratio of the expandable snack food pellets is increased by 10% to 15% compared to the expansion ratio of the standard sodium-added pellets.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The extruder temperature under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 7% to 40% compared to the extruder temperature under the standard conditions.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein, The extruder speed under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 7% to 45% compared to the extruder speed under the standard conditions.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The moisture content of the reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough under the manufacturing conditions is reduced by 0.75 wt% to 5 wt% compared to the moisture content of the standard sodium-added dough under the standard conditions.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The amount of injected steam in the reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 1% to 20% compared to the amount of injected steam in the standard-sodium dough under the standard conditions.

23. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The extruder temperature under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 5°C to 50°C compared to the extruder temperature under the standard conditions.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The extruder speed under the manufacturing conditions is increased by 10 rpm to 40 rpm compared to the extruder speed under the standard conditions.

25. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The extruder temperature is increased and / or the extruder speed is increased and / or the moisture content of the reduced sodium or zero sodium dough is reduced and / or the amount of injected steam is increased, thereby causing the glass transition temperature of the extrudate of the reduced sodium or zero sodium dough to be lower than that of the extrudate of the standard sodium-added dough.

26. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, wherein, The reduced-sodium or zero-sodium dough contains less than 250mg of added sodium per 100g of dough.

27. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, wherein, The reduced or zero sodium dough contains zero sodium per 100g of dough.

28. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The extruder temperature under the manufacturing conditions is at least 15% higher than the extruder temperature under the standard conditions, and / or the extruder speed under the manufacturing conditions is at least 20% higher than the extruder speed under the standard conditions.

29. A method for manufacturing expanded snack foods with reduced or zero added sodium, comprising: Provided a plurality of expandable snack food pellets with reduced or zero added sodium according to any one of claims 1 to 28; and The expandable snack food pellets are expanded during the cooking process to produce expanded snack food.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the cooking step includes frying, baking, microwaving, or puffing.

Images