Pasta-Shaped Snack Processing Without Expansion or Surface Bubbles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing pasta-shaped snacks result in products with swollen or uneven shapes and surfaces, lacking a pleasant degree of crunchiness and chewability, and are often complex and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of durum wheat semolina-based dough, processed through extrusion or lamination to achieve thin, well-defined pasta shapes, followed by cooking without ventilation or frying, and optionally adding flavorings, to maintain shape and achieve desired texture and taste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If extrusion and hot air expansion is used to produce pasta-shaped snacks, then the snacks can be produced efficiently, but the snacks become swollen and have uneven surfaces with bubbles
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the critical parameter of cooking method from hot air expansion to baking/cooking on heated surfaces. This parameter change prevents the dough from expanding and forming bubbles, while still allowing efficient production through controlled baking at 80-300°C for 1-120 minutes, thus resolving the contradiction between production efficiency and shape definition
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies preliminary anti-action by controlling the cooking process to prevent expansion before it occurs. The dough is baked or cooked on heated plates at controlled temperatures and times, which prevents the formation of bubbles and swelling that would otherwise occur with hot air expansion, thereby maintaining well-defined shapes throughout production
2Ease of operation
If yeast and expansion processes are used, then the snacks become lighter and easier to eat, but they lose the well-defined pasta shape and develop surface irregularities
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the parameter of leavening by using yeast-free dough and replacing expansion processes with controlled baking. This maintains the well-defined pasta shapes while still producing lightweight, easy-to-eat snacks through the baking process that creates a crisp texture without expansion
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the mechanical expansion process (hot air inflation) with a thermal processing system (baking/cooking on heated surfaces). This replacement eliminates the formation of bubbles and shape distortion while still achieving the desired snack characteristics of lightness and ease of eating through controlled thermal treatment
3Manufacturing precision
If complex processing steps are used to achieve desired texture, then the snack quality improves, but the production time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the shaping and cooking operations into a streamlined sequence. The extruded or laminated dough shapes are directly baked or cooked on heated plates without intermediate expansion steps, combining form preservation with texture development in a single efficient process that reduces production time while maintaining quality
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates unnecessary processing steps from the traditional snack production process. By removing the hot air expansion step and yeast fermentation, the process achieves the desired crisp texture directly through controlled baking, reducing production time while maintaining or improving texture quality
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Produces snacks with defined shapes, pleasant crunchiness and chewability, and simple, quick production, without expansion or surface bubbles, using a method that maintains the initial shape and adds flavor without cooking in boiling water or frying.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the dough portions to a third processing which provides a thermal cooking treatment chosen from one of the following treatments: baking in the oven or cooking on heated plates, wherein said dough portions are cooked at a temperature preferably comprised between 80°C and 300°C, preferably between 120°C and 190°C, and for a duration between 1 minute and 120 minutes
Data Source
AI summary
Method for making a snack food, having the form of the usual shapes of fresh or dry, short or long pasta, comprising the steps of: a) preparing a dough comprising: durum wheat semolina in an amount between 40% and 80% by weight of the dough, preferably between 60% and 75%, - water in an amount between 10% and 40% by weight of the dough, preferably between 20% and 30%, - vegetable oils and/or animal fats, preferably extra virgin olive oil, or olive oil, or butter, or peanut oil, or coconut oil, or palm oil, or lard, in an amount between 0.1% and 15% by weight, more preferably between 0.1% and 10% - salt in an amount between 0.1% and 10% by weight of the dough, preferably between 0.5% and 7%, - wherein said dough is yeast-free, i.e. it does not contain substances that, when added to the dough, increase the volume of said dough. b) a first processing of the dough by means of an extrusion or lamination process so as to obtain raw dough portions which have the forms of the classic shapes of fresh or dry short or long pasta, or the form of strips, sticks, or a polygonal shape; c) wherein, after said processing, such portions of raw dough have a thickness between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, preferably between 0.4 mm and 1.3 mm d) wherein in said first dough processing, the dough is kept at a temperature and for a time lower than the cooking temperature and time, preferably lower than 80°C, so that at the end of this first processing the obtained dough portions are still raw; e) subjecting the dough portions to a second process which includes a first step of seasoning the raw extruded or laminated dough portions, wherein vegetable oil, preferably olive oil or extra virgin olive oil, and/or sauces, and/or dressings, are added to all or part of the outer surface of said portions of raw dough, in a percentage between 1% and 30% by weight of the portion of the raw dough, f) subjecting the dough portions to a third processing which includes a thermal cooking treatment chosen from one of the following treatments: baking in the oven or cooking on heated plates, - wherein said dough portions are cooked at a temperature between 80°C and 340°C, preferably between 120°C and 190°C, and for a duration between 1 minute and 120 minutes, preferably between 6 minutes and 40 minutes, and even more preferably between 8 minutes and 25 minutes, - wherein said cooking the portions of raw dough does not require ventilation or requires ventilation of less than 15m/s so as to prevent their expansion, and/or creation of bubbles on the surface - wherein said cooking does not involve frying the dough portions g) wherein after cooking the snack: - has a moisture content below 7%, preferably below 6%, - has substantially maintained the same shape as the dough portions before cooking, has not expanded, is neither puffed nor leavened, nor shows surface swellings, - has smaller dimensions with respect to the size of the portions of dough before cooking, for example smaller percentage dimensions by a value between 2% and 30%.