Three-Dimensional Snack Product Using Extruded Dough and Frying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snack foods face challenges in incorporating significant amounts of whole grains and real vegetables other than potatoes and corn, as they often result in homogeneous dough sheets with undesirable organoleptic properties and textures, and it is difficult to create a crispy, crunchy texture with a light and airy appearance.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a dry mix of a starch base, whole grain ingredients, and vegetable substrates, combined with moisture to form a dough, which is extruded, perforated, and fried to create a three-dimensional snack product with a bulk density between 50 g/L to 84 g/L, containing 10% or more vegetables and 15% to 45% whole grains, without using pre-cooked whole vegetable flours or leavening agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If significant amounts of whole grains and real vegetables (other than potatoes and corn) are incorporated into snack foods, then nutritional value and healthiness are improved, but homogeneous dough sheet formation becomes difficult and organoleptic properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical and physical parameters of the dough formulation by introducing specific starches (potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch) in controlled amounts alongside whole grains and vegetables. This parameter adjustment enables proper dough hydration, gluten development, and homogeneity while maintaining the desired nutritional content of 10%+ vegetables and 15%-45% whole grains.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite dough system combining multiple ingredients with different functional properties: starches provide structure and binding, whole grains contribute nutritional value and texture, and vegetables add flavor and color. This composite approach allows each component to fulfill its specific function while achieving overall homogeneity and manufacturability.
2Quantity of substance
If whole grains are used in snack foods, then nutritional content is improved, but organoleptic challenges arise due to earthy odor, flavor, and dense or dry texture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality modification by using specific starches (particularly potato starch and tapioca starch) as binding agents that create localized zones of softness and moisture retention within the dough. These starches counteract the earthy flavors and dense texture of whole grains in specific regions, creating an overall palatable product that maintains nutritional benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces starches as intermediary substances that mediate between the whole grains and the final product characteristics. The starches act as binding agents that hold whole grain particles together while providing a softer, more palatable matrix that reduces the perception of earthy flavors and dense texture.
3Quantity of substance
If vegetable matter (other than potatoes and corn) is increased in snack foods, then healthiness is improved, but it becomes difficult to create an organoleptically pleasing product with familiar taste and texture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the formulation parameters by incorporating 10% or more vegetables (other than potatoes and corn) alongside specific starch ratios and whole grain content. This parameter optimization ensures that the vegetable matter is properly integrated into the dough matrix, maintaining familiar snack food taste and texture profiles while achieving the desired healthiness level.
4Shape
If three dimensional product structure is created with light and airy appearance, then visual appeal is improved, but maintaining crispy crunchy texture becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition during the frying process, where the dough structure undergoes rapid moisture evaporation and starch gelatinization. This phase change creates the desired three-dimensional puffed appearance while simultaneously forming the crispy crunchy texture through Maillard reactions and starch crystallization on the product surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a porous dough structure through controlled foam formation during mixing and cooking, where air cells and voids are distributed throughout the dough matrix. This porous architecture provides the light and airy appearance while the starch network maintains structural integrity to deliver crispy crunchy texture when fried.
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 method produces a snack product that maintains a crispy, crunchy texture and light appearance while providing a significant amount of whole grains and vegetables, achieving a bulk density within the desired range without the use of leavening agents.
Implementation Method 1
The dough may then be extruded to form an extruded sheet
Implementation Method 2
The extruded sheet may then be perforated
Implementation Method 3
The individual snack-sized pieces are dehydrated and thereafter fried
Implementation Method 4
the joined sheets that formed the individual snack-sized pieces to expand and form a three-dimensional shape
Implementation Method 5
The individual snack-sized pieces are dehydrated and thereafter fried
Data Source
AI summary
A snack product includes a starch base, vegetable substrate(s) other than potato and corn, whole grain ingredient(s), and optional additives. The snack product provides about 10% or more vegetables and from about 15% to about 45% whole grains and has a bulk density between about 50 g/L to about 84 g/L. An exemplary method of making a snack product includes hydrating a dry mix containing a starch base, vegetable substrate(s) other than potato and corn, whole grain ingredient(s), and optional additives to form a dough containing from about 30% to about 40% moisture. The dough may be extruded through a die slot to form a continuous sheet that may be cut to form individual snack sized pieces, which are then fried pieces to form the snack product.