Background of the invention

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an oven-baked breaded preparation. In particular, the in vention relates to a preparation in breading of which has been used a food fat component which is capable of preventing oxidation of fatty acids and simultaneously capable to form deep-fried product-like products without the disadvantages of the deep-frying process and hot frying oil.

The present invention also relates to a method suitable for the production of such a prod- uct, as well as products prepared by using this method.

Description of related art

Oven baking is a generally known cooking method which is widely used both in food in- dustry and households for production of food, such as chicken, fish, meat or vegetables, and baking, roasting and for example drying. Oven baking is easy and simple method to prepare or heat foods in variable temperatures for different cooking times. As a production method it does not require hot oil for cooking, such as for example fat frying, which is why it is perceived as a safe and healthy way of making foods. In addition, it is an easy cooking method in households; neither does it require separate air-conditioning system or waste treatment.

Breading usually refers to coating of raw materials, such as meat, chicken, fish or different vegetables, prior to cooking. Breading often enables the improvement of the final texture, taste and appearance of the cooked products and the formation of moisture and fat imper vious surface for the products. The raw materials can be breaded as still being raw, raw and frozen, or cooked and frozen. Pre-breaded products are widely used in households, restau rants and institutes, such as schools and hospitals, in order to speed up and facilitate food preparation. Breaded products are usually perceived as products being crisp and hard from the top and moist and juicy from the inside. However, breading is usually associated with problem caused by the moisture, wherein the liquid present in the substrate is transferred into the breading during or after the cooking, which produces soft and waterlogged surface to the product. This problem has previously aimed to be solved by either cooking the prod ucts prior to its breading or by adding moisture-retentive layers beneath the breading.

Breading is usually used in deep-fried products prior to cooking. Deep-frying is fast and efficient food cooking method but it also causes a lot of challenges. Cooking oil is difficult to handle since it can overheat or cause foaming, wherein the hot oil may cause dangerous situations or the fat can ignite.

In addition, deep-frying process predisposes food for problems caused by oxidation, which affects negatively to the quality of the product. In addition, deep-frying increases the amount of energy of the product to be cooked and predisposes the product for carcinogens formed in the cooking process. Deep-frying also requires efficient ventilation ducts, which complicates its use in households. One of the problems is also disposal of the frying oil.

However, deep-fried products are popular in the center of consumers because they are deli cious in taste, moist from the inside and have crispy texture. Therefore, there is high inter est in the development and production of corresponding but healthier products in the food industry. In patent literature, there is presented plenty of deep-fried products-like foods which are crispy in texture, golden-brown in color and moist from the inside, and cooking of which takes place in oven or microwave instead of deep-frying. Oven baking is the most common cooking method of these, though the problem has been long cooking time and dry mouth-feel of the products.

In patent literature has been described variety of production methods and products based on cooking taking place in oven or microwave for the production of breaded deep-fried product-like products. In patent applications US 4518620 (A), US 4208442 (A), US 4199603 (A), NZ 608753 (A), US 4943438 (A), US 4675197(A) as a final product has been described deep-fried-like products to be prepared in oven or microwave, which prod ucts have been coated prior cooking, and taste, texture and appearance of which usually correspond to foods cooked by deep-frying. In patent application US4518620 (A) has been described production of coated food, where- in the coating consists of a fat emulsion for stabilization of which has been used water sol- uble compounds (for example starch or protein). In order to increase the adhesion of the coating, the product is immersed to the mixture composed of egg white and water prior to cooking, after which the product is frozen. The combination of these three factors keeps the breading as whole, decreases the loss caused by mechanical strain and increases the attachment of the breading to the substrate and forms a golden-brown, crispy and tasty fi- nal product.

Patent application NZ608753 (A) describes food production method which gives deep- fried-like product. The product is produced by three steps. At the first step the substrate to be coated is coated with dough mixture which consists of starch and /or protein added into a liquid. At the second step the substrate is breaded for example with bread crumbs and at the third step oil is added onto the product. The final product is cooked in oven at a tem perature of 230 °C to 290 °C such a way that the coating hardens and gets color but the substrate still remains uncooked. In patent application US4943438 (A) has also been de scribed a three step production method of a coated product. A substrate containing binding agent is breaded with dried flour dough crumbs, after which the product to be coated is surface impregnated with oil aerosols. The product is baked in oven at high temperature, the meaning of which is to form crispy and brown baking surface for the product.

Surface impregnation by oil is also used in patent application US4199603 (A), where it is an essential part of the pre-coating of food. Patent application describes a production method in which a frozen food, often fish, is pre-coated as frozen with a pre-coating mix ture separately developed for that, after which the products are coated with a mixture con sisting of dry particles and cooked with generally known cooking methods to deep-fry or pan fry products-like products. The pre-coating consists of mixture in which has been add ed eatable oil and moisture absorbing compound, such as starch. The pre-coating is in a liquid, yet sufficient viscous form and it is spread over the frozen products by generally known spray-methods. Viscosity of the pre-coating essentially affects adhesiveness of the mixture in frozen foods. In addition, the pre-coating acts as a moisture-barrier surface be tween the substrate and the breading. Finally, the pre-coated product is coated with dry, finely divided and crispy coating, often with bread or dough crumbs which form the de sired surface for the product. In patent application US5770252 (A) has been described a breaded deep-fried product-like product with less fat. Production of the product resembles production of deep-fried prod- uct; substrate is pre-coated, batteres, breaded and at the end the breading is attached with a starch mixture. The final product resembles a deep-fried product from its texture and ap pearance. Especially the amount of saturated fat is low in the application.

In general, in known products fat is added at last onto the surface of the breading just prior to cooking. In this case the touching surface, however, remains fatty, and the amount of fat is not possible to be optimized. Thus, there is still need for development of breaded prod ucts.

Summary of the invention

The present invention is defined in the independent claims. Certain embodiments are de fined in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect the present invention relates to use of a food fat component as a breading or as part of it in a coating of substrates to be cooked in oven, such as chicken, cheese, seafood, vegetables, fruits or meat.

According to a second aspect the invention relates to a product in which the food fat com ponent is used as a breading or as part of it, which food fat component is capable to pre vent oxidation of fatty acids in products and to form deep-fried product-like products with out the disadvantages brought by deep-frying process and hot cooking oil.

According to a third aspect the invention relates to a method for the production of the product described above, and products prepared according to such method.

The present invention is based on the idea that the food fat component according to the invention serves as a moisture-retentive layer during the oven baking maintaining the moisture of the oven baked product, simultaneously being capable to provide a coating for the preparation, which coating corresponds to the structure of the coating obtained by deep-frying due to its oily composition. The method according to the invention and the food fat component produced by the meth od allows the protection of soluble fat contained in the component against the problems caused by oxidation. The prevention of oxidation of fatty acids is based on a physical bar rier formed by the food fat component according to the invention and antioxidants option ally contained in the ingredients. The method of the invention allows the preservation of the nutritional quality of soluble fats as well as the prevention of primary oxidation and hence preferably improvement of the quality of fatty acids in the products compared with normal orally consumed products containing soluble fat. In addition, use of the food fat component as a breading provides added value to oven baked foods with its nutritionally beneficial nutritional profile.

Several other benefits are achieved with the present invention as well. By the method ac cording to the present invention, production of such foods, for cooking of which is usually used fat frying, can be facilitated and simplified. Utilization of the food fat component ac cording to the invention as a breading or as part of it in oven baked products reduces the amount of steps associated with the production and prevents risks associated with hot oil, such as overheating of the oil or dangerous situations caused by foaming.

Cooking step of the preparation according to the invention is also more suitable for the environment compared to regular fat frying. The present invention reduces the amount of energy in the final product, reduces the amount of harmful compounds originating from oil and formation of off-tastes and -smells caused by the fat. Neither does the invention re quire separate waste treatment after cooking, whereas cooking oil does. Waste treatment of cooking oil is time consuming and causes difficulties for operator and increases the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Compared to other deep-fried product-like products cooked in oven or microwave, the im proved moisture retention feature of the present invention improves the organoleptic prop erties of the product, such as taste, texture and appearance, preserving the product as juicy and fresh, simultaneously improving nutritional properties of the product. In addition, the present invention increases the weight of the final product and thus affects advantageously the profitability of the product. Embodiments

The present invention relates to a breaded preparation to be cooked in an oven. The bread- ing or part of the breading of the preparation according to the invention is formed of a food fat component which is capable to prevent oxidation of fatty acids and to form deep-fried product-like final products when cooking the preparation in oven.

It is significant for the profitability of the product according to the invention that the weight proportion of the food fat component increases during the cooking. However, the weight proportion is not favorable to increase too much because in such case the final composition of the cooked product could become wrong. According to a preferred embod- iment, the preparation according to the invention is produced in such a way that the weight proportion of the food fat component in the preparation increases 1 to 20 weight-%, prefer ably 1 to 15 weight-%, during the cooking.

Typically, the food fat component is added into the breading of the preparation, wherein it provides a dense and hard surface around the substrate as a result of baking in oven.

In breading, the food fat component forms a fatty sheath for the protection of the prepara tion, which sheath is capable to retain the moisture contained in the substrate during cook ing or heating of the preparation in oven and simultaneously to form a shell for the product to be cooked in oven, the shell corresponding to the shell of a breaded deep-fried product.

The use of the food fat component as a breading or as part of it can affect both the nutri tional and organoleptic properties of the oven baked product.

According to a preferred embodiment the food fat component used in the breading is a food fat component presented in patent application FI20175435, which food fat component has surprisingly been found to act as an excellent breading in oven baked products. The invention described in this patent application has not been previously used for breading of oven baked products and thus the present invention forms a new solution which facilitates, simplifies and fastens the production process of foods by preserving the texture, taste and appearance of deep-fried product-like products and simultaneously improving the nutri tional properties of the product. Patent application FI20175435 describes an oily fat and grain containing food fat compo- nent and a product including it, as well as a production method of these.

The described patent application relates to a food fat component which is capable to pre venting oxidation of fatty acids and simultaneously to improve both the nutritional profile and organoleptic properties of the product. In said patent application the prevention of oxi- dation of fatty acids is based on a physical barrier and antioxidants optionally contained in the ingredients.

According to the mentioned patent application the function of the fat component is based on the idea that after the addition of protein and biomaterial (optionally also addition of electrolyte) to the oil-in-water mixture the fatty acids contained in the fat are bound by means of a mechanical treatment and assisted by the proteins into small particles, where upon the proteins and the active chains of their amino acids are via their affinities and part ly via interatomic bonds conforted onto the surface of the particles. Also other biomaterial may be added to the mixture, whereupon a finished food fat component is formed, after which the mixture is preferably dehydrated. By forming the oil-in-water mixture prior to addition of protein, the oil and fatty acids have been rendered into stable protected struc tures, i.e. the fat remains in the product without detaching and causing an unpleasant mouthfeel. With the decrease of water as a result of dehydration, the preservability of the food fat component is enhanced and oxidation of fats can simultaneously be reduced. Both the nutritional and organoleptic properties of the products can be improved by means of the presented food fat component.

According to a preferred embodiment, it is significant for the present invention to first form a mixture of oil and water, and optionally electrolyte. Oil-in-water mixture is formed by mixing oil effectively into the water, in which mixture small oil droplets are evenly mixed with the water. The system thus formed is, however, not stable because oil repels water and small oil droplets easily combine to each other, wherein two separate phases are quickly formed.

Thus, protein should be added to the oil-in-water mixture where the oil droplets are still evenly distributed in the water phase. Proteins are polar compounds with both hydrophilic and lipophilic parts. According to a preferred embodiment, a water soluble protein is used in the present invention. When water soluble protein is added to above described oil-in-water mixture, the lipophilic parts of the protein seek on to the surface of the oil droplets before water molecules have time to form a shell around the protein, which shell weakens the interaction between protein and oil droplets. Thus, a protein membrane, in which the hydrophilic part of the protein is out- ward, is formed around the oil droplets. The hydrophilic part is surrounded by water mole- cules of the water phase by binding these tightly into the composition, which prevents dry ing of the food fat component during both storage and heating. Oil-in-water emulsion is formed, in which emulsion protein preferably acts as an emulsifier.

A food fat component and its production method described in the above mentioned patent application are typically used in the present invention. This food fat component comprises 10 to 70 weight-% oil fat, 10 to 70 weight-% biomaterial and 1 to 40 weight-%, preferably 1 to 30 weight-% protein. In addition, the component preferably comprises water and op tionally an electrolyte. For example salts can be used as electrolytes. Water can be in the form of pure water or some other aqueous liquid. Milk and vegetable and fruit juices are liquids typically suitable for this purpose.

According to a preferred embodiment the water content, or more precisely moisture con tent, of the food fat component is typically 0.1 to 15 weight-%. Appropriate moisture can have a reducing effect on the oxidation of fatty acids. In addition, its advantages include, for example, non-dustiness and fluidity of the food fat component during use.

As biomaterial in the production of the food fat component, use is typically made of carbo- hydrate-containing material, but also biomaterial containing proteins and fats. As exam ples, mention can be made of cereal flours, semolina or flakes (such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, millet, maize, rice or sorghum); pseudocereal flours, semolina or flakes (such as buckwheat, amaranth or quinoa); legumes (soybeans, peas, chickpeas, beans, lentils, lu pines) or field beans or organic protein sources (such as insects, seafood, chordates, mam mals, fungi, algae or molds). The ingredients of the component form an oil-in-water emul sion, in which protein and biomaterial form, as a result of intensive homogenizing, a stable structure on the interfaces of the emulsion. By dehydrating the emulsion, a powder-like solid material is obtained. According to a preferred embodiment as biomaterial in the production of the food fat com ponent, use is made of starch-based material, such as oats, com, rice, potatoes, vegetable powder or tapioca starch, or some of their mixtures, preferably oats.

Any fat which at least upon heating is oil-like is suitable as the oil fat for use in the present invention. In fact, various different fats or lipid compounds can be used for the production of the component according to the invention, i.e. by using the method, different fat profiles can be generated for various orally consumed fat-containing biomatrices. As oil fat, use is typically made of vegetable fat or oil, such a s rapeseed or palm oil, shea butter, or a com bination of these. Omega fatty acids are particularly beneficial.

Protein sources used in the food fat component are not restricted. Any protein obtainable from living organisms can be used in the invention (such as the above mentioned flours, semolina and flakes, or insects, seafood, chordates, mammals, fungi, algae or molds).

According to an embodiment, the protein used is a protein contained in egg, such as avidin, ovalbumin, conalbumin or lysozyme, or a soy protein, or several of these simultaneously.

According to a preferred embodiment the protein source contained in the food fat compo nent has a protein content of at least 50 %, preferably at least 80 %, for example about 90 %.

According to a preferred embodiment, encapsulation of fat is performed without added stabilizing or emulsifying agents, in contrast to several already patented fatty acid micro encapsulation methods. The protein source used preferably serves itself as emulsifier, such as in the case of egg. According to one embodiment, a separate emulsifier can also be used. When producing vegan products, for example lecithin can be used.

According to a preferred embodiment biomaterial and protein comprised in the food fat component are specifically from different sources. This is due to that the protein source should be protein-rich because it is the function of the protein to form a protein membrane around the oil droplets by its polar structure containing both hydrophilic and lipophilic parts. In turn, biomaterial is preferably carbohydrate-rich in order to able to fulfill its func- tion among others by protecting the above described formed structure and acting as a mois- ture binder.

According to one embodiment biomaterial may also comprise protein and fat, but in that case use is preferably also made of additional protein source.

According to a preferred embodiment the biomaterial other than the main protein source is carb ohy drate-b ased .

Ingredients of the food fat component added in right, in the present invention defined, or der and mixed form an oil-in-water emulsion, in which protein and biomaterial form, as a result of intensive homogenizing, a stable structure on the interfaces of the emulsion.

According to one embodiment the emulsion can be dehydrated, wherein a powder-like sol id material is obtained.

According to one embodiment the breading of the breaded oven baked preparation accord ing to the invention comprises 1 to 50 weight-%, preferably 1 to 20 weight-%, oil fat.

According to another embodiment the breading of the breaded oven baked preparation ac cording to the invention comprises 1 to 20 weight-% protein.

According to third embodiment the breading of the breaded oven baked preparation ac cording to the invention comprises 10 to 80 weight-%, preferably 30 to 70 weight-%, car bohydrate-based biomaterial.

According to fourth embodiment the food fat component forms only part of the breading. Thus, the food fat component can be used for example together with commonly used bred- ings. Commonly used breadings are mixtures of proteins, fats and polysaccharides.

In the method according to the invention, a fat phase and salt are added into water to a wa ter content of 20 to 80 weight-%, preferably 30 to 70 weight-%, and the mixture thus ob tained is stirred at below 60°C, preferably below 50 °C, for less than 10 min. At the latest as a result of this heating the fat used will be in an oil-like form and an oil-in-water mixture has formed in which the fatty acids are dispersed in the aqueous phase. Protein is added to the mixture, and mechanical stirring is then continued. At the final stage, intense homoge- nizing treatment is applied for less than 10 min, preferably less than 3 min, until the mix ture consists of a homogenous phase or phases. The protein is added at a temperature be low 100 °C, preferably 0 to 70 °C, depending on the protein source. When necessary, an electrolyte, typically salts, can additionally be added to the mixture. This phase/these phas es constitute the first part of the food fat component according to the invention. Homoge nization of the mixture is carried out by a commonly known mechanical method which is compatible with the viscosity of the desired mixture. Homogenization is preferably carried out with mechanically cutting blades.

In the next step the mixture is combined with other biomaterial, i.e. to the second part of the food fat component, wherein the food fat component according to the invention is ob tained. Combining takes place by generally known mechanical treatments such as grinding, mixing, high pressure treatment, cutting treatment or a combination of these. The bio material must be hygienically clean and fulfill the requirements of generally acceptable standards. As the final result, a homogenous mass, mixture or suspension is obtained.

According to one embodiment the resulting mass, mixture or suspension is dehydrated by generally known and applicable processing methods (e.g. freeze-drying or vacuum drying), preferably by heat treatment. The heat treatment takes place typically at below 250 °C for a time of less than 45 min, depending on the viscosity of the mixture and the volume of the mixture to be processed. Dehydration enables the amount of water to be reduced in the product and the preservability of the product thus improved. Typically the moisture, i.e. typically water content, of the dehydrated product is about 0.1 to 15 weight-%, depending on the drying conditions. The dehydrated product is mechanically milled into small and large particles by generally known methods, after which the powder is processed ready for use.

According to a preferred embodiment the resulting mass, mixture or suspension is dehy drated as a thin layer, particularly when using heat treatment. The thickness of the layer to be dehydrated is preferably less than 10 mm, for example about 2 to 8 mm, preferably about 5 to 6 mm. According to one embodiment dehydration takes place through drying the mass, mixture or suspension e.g. by freeze-drying or vacuum drying at low temperatures.

According to another embodiment dehydration takes place through baking the mass, mix ture or suspension by heat treatment. Preferably heat treatment takes place under 250 °C.

The powder is used for coating of any food substrates, typically solid substrates, such as meat, chicken, crustaceans, cheese or for example vegetables. According to one embodi- ment the substrate to be cooked is first lubricated with a commonly known viscous mixture in order to increase the adhesion of the coating, after which the lubricated substrate is coat- ed with the food fat component according to the present invention. Typically, the coated substrate is heated at below 250 °C for less than 60 minutes depending on size, shape and surface area of the substrate.

Optionally, the food fat component can be combined with other breading mixture for ex- ample by mechanical stirring.

The actual breading step can be performed in one or more breading steps, which after the preparation is cooked in oven, typically < 250°C, preferably at a temperature of 100 to 250 °C, until the breading is cooked. Oven baking is typically continued for less than 60 minutes, preferably for 1 to 30 minutes, most preferably for 5 to 20 minutes.

The present invention is applied as a breading or as part of it in oven breading of various foods, half preparations, preparations or raw-materials and pastries, cakes and pies, without anyhow restricting preparations or the invention.

The present invention can be applied in oven breading of foods when prevention of oxida- tion of fatty acids and disadvantages caused by cooking oil and deep-frying process is de- sired. In addition, the invention can be applied in products in which addition of weight has effect on profitability.

The invention is suitable for production of deep-fried product-like foods when the products are desired to be produced easily and simply by utilizing general cooking methods. In addi- tion, new kinds of lower energy final food products having organoleptic properties typical for deep-fried-like products can be produced by the present invention. The invention can as well be applied to simplify the cooking process and reduce greenhouse gases of the pro- cess. In the following examples, the invention has been described with reference to certain de- tails. However, the purpose of these is only to illustrate the invention, without anyhow lim iting the invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1 - Grinding of food fat component to breading powder for oven breading of foods.

Food fat component according to the present invention was mechanically grinded by gen- erally known grinding method, after which the powder was further processed ready for use by generally known processing methods.

Example 2 - Use of food fat component as a breading in meat, fish, vegetable and poultry products intended to be cooked or in preparations or half preparations composed of those.

Use of a food fat component produced by the method according to the present invention as breading in oven baking process was tested with meat, chicken, fish, vegetables and fruits. The substrates to be cooked were pre-treated with generally known viscous mixture, after which the products were breaded with the food fat component according to the present in- vention. After this, the breaded substrates were cooked by hot air at different temperatures by generally known cooking methods. Table 1 shows cooking temperatures and cooking times of different substrates used in the test.

Table 1. Cooking temperatures (°C) and times (min) of substrates A to D.

Industrial applicability

The present invention, without anyhow limiting the invention, can be used in general for preparation of any food, without anyhow limiting the raw-materials of the food, by means of traditional oven baking method when it is desired to produce a deep-fried product-like product which does not contain any extra cooking oil absorbed into the product nor harm ful compounds caused by hot oil or challenges caused by further oil processing. The inven tion can preferably be used to facilitate and simplify production of breaded-like foods without a deep-frying process.

As practical examples within the food industry, mention can be made of the following ap plications: chicken, meat, vegetable, milk, fruit, crustaceans, fish and insect products, without anyhow limiting the foods. Initiated use can be for example frozen or fresh prod ucts to be produced in oven at various stages or during different cooking times, and such deep-fried products-like products, nutritional properties of which are desired to be im proved by oven baking.

List of reference publications Patent literature

US 4518620 (A)

US 4208442 (A)

US 5770252 (A)

US 4199603 (A)

NZ 608753 (A)

US 4943438 (A)

US 4675197 (A)