OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF

DESCRIPTION

The present invention concerns food products and more specifically it concerns a 100% vegetable food product and the process for obtaining it.

Foods of vegetable origin are known, such as fruit, vegetables, cereals, legumes, algae, spices, etc.

Food products obtained from foods of vegetable origin are known, such as soups, sauces or food preparations in general which do not contain any ingredient of animal origin.

Foods of vegetable origin supply as a whole all the substances which are necessary for the consumers’ health. In order to ensure the regular intake of all the nutritive substances, these kinds of food must be consumed in the correct quantities and combinations, in such a way as to avoid an excessive intake of some substances and an insufficient intake of other substances.

In the preparation of food products based on food of vegetable origin it is therefore important that the ingredients used are correctly balanced, so that the obtained product contains the correct proportions of nutritive substances.

In the preparation of food products cooking procedures of various types are employed such as, for example, boiling, grill cooking, pot cooking, etc. Each cooking process modifies not only the organoleptic properties, but also the nutritional properties of the ingredients. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid some cooking methods for some types of food, and to prefer other methods, in such a way as to obtain food products whose nutritional value is optimized.

The subject of the present patent is a 100% vegetable food product, obtained through the differentiated cooking of its ingredients. The present patent concerns also the process for obtaining said product.

The main object of the present invention is to guarantee the correct intake of nutritional substances, which must be correctly balanced.

It is another object of the present invention to optimize the nutritional properties of the substances contained in the food product, through a preparation procedure which should be differentiated according to the characteristics of the single ingredients.

In order to overcome all the above-mentioned drawbacks, a new type of 100% vegetable product has been studied and prepared, which comprises:

a first part, or white part, comprising water, Kala Namak salt, cashew nuts and agar-agar, wherein said first part or white part has a substantially solid consistency and any shape, generally a three-dimensional shape;

a second part, or yellow part, comprising potatoes, oil, preferably extra-virgin olive oil, turmeric, pepper and possibly even Kala Namak salt, wherein said second part or yellow part has a substantially solid consistency and any shape, generally a three-dimensional shape;

and wherein said first part and said second part are not mixed together, but are combined and placed in mutual contact, for example they are placed on top of each other or side by side or one partially/completely contained in the other.

According to a first embodiment, said first part and said second part are substantially parallelepiped in shape and each of them has at least one side whose dimensions are the same as those of at least one side of the other part, in such a way that said equal sides of the two parts can be positioned so that they face each other and are joined to each other.

According to a different embodiment, said first part has a substantially toroidal or a substantially cylindrical shape, meaning that it is provided with a blind or through cylindrical hole, while said second part has a shape which corresponds to that of said cylindrical hole of the first part and is inserted therein.

According to a further embodiment, said first part has a substantially hemispherical or fancy shape or in any case a shape with a convex curved surface and a substantially plane surface, and wherein said substantially plane surface is provided with a concave recess in a substantially hemispherical or fancy shape, while said second part has a substantially hemispherical or fancy shape corresponding to the shape of said recess of the first part and is inserted therein.

In this way, the two parts are not mixed together during the production step and can be produced at different times and in a different way, independently of each other. The ingredients of each part are thus prepared and cooked in a differentiated manner, following the cooking or preparation processes which are most suitable for optimizing their nutritional and organoleptic properties.

Furthermore, after being prepared separately, the two parts are joined in such a way that at the moment of consumption by the final consumer they are substantially ingested at the same time, thus maximizing the nutritional and beneficial effect of the substances contained in each of the two parts.

Thus, the food product obtained contains as a whole the correct and balanced quantity of nutritional substances that must be taken at the same time.

More specifically, said first part, or white part, is rich in mineral salts, especially in magnesium, which is useful for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, and in selenium and copper, which are useful for the treatment and prevention of joint diseases, such as arthritis. Said first part contains also large quantities of iron which, among other beneficial effects, contributes to destroying free radicals. Said first part, furthermore, is completely cholesterol-free and therefore it is suited to be consumed also by subjects who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system or from diabetes.

Kala Namak salt has beneficial effects in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, such as constipation, heartburn, abdominal swelling.

Agar-agar is a gelatinizing agent of natural origin derived from red algae and having a laxative and purifying effect.

Cashew nuts contain tryptophan, a well-known natural antidepressant, commonly used in the treatment of anxiety and known as a stimulator for the production of serotonin.

Said second part, or yellow part, instead, comprises potatoes, which are an energetic food with anti-inflammatory action for the digestive system. Potatoes, furthermore, have beneficial effects on haemorrhoids and furthermore contain vitamin C, which contributes to destroying free radicals and regenerating the cells of the epidermis. According to recent studies carried out by researchers of the University of Michigan, pepper and turmeric, if taken together, may have an important synergic action in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Turmeric, in fact, has scarce bioavailability if taken alone by mouth, since it is metabolized very quickly by the liver and the intestinal walls. Pipeline, which is contained in black pepper, instead, can significantly increase the bioavailability of curcumin, which is the active principle of turmeric.

Pepper and turmeric are added to said second part or yellow part when it has cooled down.

To conclude, the new food product comprises two parts which are not mixed together, each containing different nutritional substances and produced independently of the other, wherein said parts are joined in the final food product in such a way that they can be taken together by the final consumer.

The special composition of said first part and of said second part, furthermore, makes it possible to obtain a beneficial effect from the intake of the final product that contains both of them. Furthermore, the quantities of nutritional substances contained in the final product are perfectly balanced.

The process implemented for making the new food product guarantees that the parts can be prepared separately, according to the characteristics of the ingredients contained in each one of them.

In its preferred embodiment, the process for the preparation of the new food product comprises the following steps:

1) preparation of said first part, or white part; 2) preparation of said second part, or yellow part;

3) assembly of the two parts, white and yellow, to form the food product.

Said step of preparation of said first part, or white part, comprises the following steps: making a compound obtained by mashing the cashew nuts with water;

adding agar-agar;

- boiling the obtained compound;

adding Kala Namak salt and mixing;

pouring the compound into moulds, wherein said moulds have such a shape that said first part is moulded in a three-dimensional shape and is provided with a recess or hole;

leaving the compound to cool until it hardens.

Said step of preparation of said second part, or yellow part, comprises the following steps:

cooking the potatoes;

making a thick compound obtained by mashing the potatoes;

adding turmeric, oil, pepper and Kala Namak salt when the compound has cooled down.

The step of assembling the two parts includes the insertion of said second part in said recess or hole obtained in said first part.

The characteristics of the new food product are highlighted in greater detail in the following description, with reference to the drawings which are enclosed hereto by way of non-limiting example.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show three possible embodiments of the new food product (1, G,

I ")·

Figure 1 shows the new food product (1) comprising a first part (10) in the shape of a parallelepiped and a second part (20) in the shape of a parallelepiped, not mixed together, but joined to each other through the juxtaposition of two of their sides (11, 21), said sides (11, 21) having preferably but not necessarily the same shape and size. Figure 2 shows the new food product (G) in a different shape, wherein said first part (10') has a substantially toroidal or cylindrical shape with a recess or hole (1 G), for example an axial and through recess or hole (11’), in which said second part (20'), whose shape corresponds to the shape of the hole (1 G) itself, is inserted.

Figure 3 shows the new food product (1") in a different embodiment, wherein said first part (10") has a generally hemispherical or fancy shape, for example the shape of a half egg, comprising a convex surface (12") and an opposite substantially plane surface (13") that is provided with a recess (11") having a substantially hemispherical or fancy shape, in which said second part (20"), whose shape corresponds to the shape of the recess (11") itself, is inserted.

The new food product can be conveniently obtained through a suitable process.

Said process comprises production in an automatic feeding line, wherein the external white part is first placed in a pre-formed tub provided with one or more seats in the shape of a half egg.

Said seats, preferably four, are suited to receive the first part in the liquid state which is poured therein through four proportioning devices.

The invention includes a molding machine suited to form the second part in the shape of half balls in the solid state, with density similar to that of a puree, which are inserted in the first part. At this point, the tubs containing the four half eggs advance towards a blast chiller and then exit from the latter, reach a MAP machine for packaging in modified atmosphere with neutral gas, then pass to the machine that puts them in boxes, for example of the type with an external strap. In this way, a shelf life of the product of approximately two weeks is guaranteed.

The special solution described herein makes the food product described above edible also for consumers who cannot eat food of animal origin, without generating different treatments among different types of consumers.

Any restaurant can therefore offer a menu containing meat and/or fish and/or vegan food, indifferently. These are the schematic outlines which are sufficient for the expert in the art to carry out the invention; consequently, in practical application, variants may be made without affecting the innovative substance of the concept introduced herein.

Therefore, with reference to the above description and the attached drawings, the following claims are expressed.