Vegetable Snack Composition for High Vegetable Content and Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snack foods struggle to provide a significant amount of real vegetables other than potatoes and corn while maintaining organoleptic appeal and nutritional value.
Innovation Solution
A method of producing a vegetable snack product using a dry mix comprising 50-60% base starch, 20-40% whole vegetable flour, 2-12% corn flour, and 0.2-5% vegetable powder, followed by extrusion, perforation, and frying to create a three-dimensional shape with at least 15% real vegetables, excluding potato and corn.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a significant amount of real vegetables other than potatoes and corn is included in the snack product, then the nutritional value and health appeal are improved, but the organoleptic quality and texture may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite dough formulation combining multiple starch sources (potato starch, corn starch, rice flour) with vegetable flours and binders (egg white, xanthan gum) to create a unified matrix that integrates high vegetable content (20-40%) while maintaining cohesive structure and pleasing texture. This composite approach allows the heterogeneous vegetable particles to be uniformly distributed within a stabilizing starch-protein network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes multiple formulation parameters including starch-to-vegetable ratio, moisture content (30-37%), binding agent concentration, and particle size distribution to achieve the desired balance. By systematically adjusting these parameters, the formulation maintains organoleptic quality even with elevated vegetable content, transforming the physical and chemical properties of the dough to accommodate higher vegetable incorporation.
2Quantity of substance
If high vegetable content is used in the snack product, then the health appeal and nutritional value are improved, but the product texture and structural integrity may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediary binding agents (egg white, xanthan gum, and other hydrocolloids) that act as mediators between the vegetable particles and starch matrix. These binders form a cohesive network that binds vegetable particles together and to the starch framework, preventing structural collapse while maintaining the high vegetable content required for health appeal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates localized regions within the dough where binders and starch concentrate around vegetable particles, forming strengthened interfaces. This local quality enhancement ensures that the structural integrity is maintained at critical stress points where vegetable particles would otherwise create weak zones, allowing the overall structure to remain robust despite high vegetable content.
3Adaptability or versatility
If varied vegetable flours are incorporated to provide varied tastes and textures, then the consumer appeal and nutritional profile are improved, but the formulation complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vegetable content into distinct functional categories: bulk vegetables for structure (e.g., carrot, cauliflower), flavor vegetables (e.g., spinach, kale), and texture-modifying vegetables (e.g., peas, beans). Each segment is formulated to contribute specific properties, allowing complex flavor and texture profiles to be achieved through systematic combination of standardized components rather than ad hoc formulation.
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 results in a snack product with high vegetable content, desirable texture, and nutritional benefits, free from gluten, leavening agents, and exogenous additives, while maintaining a bulk density of 60-84 g/L.
Implementation Method 1
The dough may then be extruded to form an extruded sheet having a thickness in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 3.0 mm
Implementation Method 2
the individual snack-sized pieces and/or clusters of individual snack-sized pieces are fried, causing the joined sheets that formed the individual snack-sized pieces to expand and form a three-dimensional shape
Data Source
AI summary
A vegetable snack product includes a base starch, corn flour, whole vegetable flour other than potato and corn, vegetable powder other than potato and corn. The vegetable snack product provides at least 15% of real vegetables exclusive of potato and corn and has a bulk density between about 60 g/L to about 84 g/L. An exemplary method of making a vegetable snack product includes hydrating a dry mix containing a base starch, corn flour, whole vegetable flour other than potato and corn, and vegetable powder other than potato and corn to form a dough containing from 31.5% to 35.5% of 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 a vegetable snack product.