Frozen Taquito Coating for Microwave Crispiness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing crispy taquitos do not effectively maintain the crispy characteristic when reconstituted using conventional oven heating, and there is a need for a process that can efficiently produce a crispy, microwave-reconstituted ethnic Mexican food item with a fried coating.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the preparation of flour tortillas, filling preparation, batter coating, frying, and freezing, followed by microwave reheating to maintain the crispy texture, using a specific composition of tortilla dough and batter coating that includes a mixture of water and flour for the edible adhesive and batter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional oven heating is used to reconstitute frozen taquitos, then the heating process is slower, but the crispy characteristic is not effectively maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the physical and chemical properties of the coating materials (using specific ratios of starch, flour, and hydrocolloids) and the heating conditions (microwave power levels and time) to achieve crispy texture in significantly reduced reheating time compared to conventional methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional oven heating (thermal conduction-based) with microwave heating (electromagnetic radiation-based), which directly heats water molecules in the taquito, enabling faster reconstitution while maintaining crispy texture through the specific coating formulation
2Temperature
If a fried coating is applied to maintain crispy characteristic, then the texture quality improves, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining multiple coating components (starch, flour, hydrocolloids) in specific ratios to create a batter coating that delivers crispy texture when microwaved, replacing the need for traditional fried coating processes while maintaining or improving texture quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of creating crispy texture from the frying process itself and achieves it through a microwave-compatible coating formulation, eliminating the need for the frying step while preserving the desired crispy characteristic
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
The process ensures that the frozen taquitos can be reconstituted to a crispy state using microwave heating, providing a quicker and more effective method than conventional oven heating, while maintaining the desired texture and flavor.
Implementation Method 1
To reconstitute the taquito, the frozen taquito may be subjected to microwave heating without thawing
Implementation Method 2
After applying a coating of, for example, a diluted hydrocolloid, the product is fried to make the coated taquito
Data Source
AI summary
Frozen taquitos are made on a commercial scale by preparing a flour-based tortilla dough, shaping that dough into generally circular tortillas, baking the tortillas, applying a strip of filling to each baked tortilla, rolling the baked tortilla around the filling to form a filled tortilla, coating the tortilla with batter, frying the batter-coated filled tortillas, and freezing them. To reconstitute, the frozen taquito can be heated in a microwave oven.