# US 11,109,613 B2 · Recipe for vegetable gnocchi and the production process thereof

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,109,613 B2
- Document ID: US11109613B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/223,883
- Filed: 2018-12-18
- Published: 2020-06-18
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-18
- Assignees: Bocon S.R.I.
- Applicants: BOCON S.r.l.
- Inventors: Luca Ricci; Donatella Moro; Omar Baldassini
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11109613B2

## CPC

- A23L 7/109: Types of pasta, e.g. macaroni or noodles
- A23B 2/80: Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
- A23L 5/15: {using wave energy, irradiation, electrical means or magnetic fields, e.g. oven cooking or roasting using radiant dry heat}
- A23L 7/198: {Dry unshaped finely divided cereal products, not provided for in groups A23L7/117 - A23L7/196 and A23L29/00, e.g. meal, flour, powder, dried cereal creams or extracts}
- A23L 19/09: {Mashed or comminuted products, e.g. pulp, purée, sauce, or products made therefrom, e.g. snacks (A23L19/01, A23L19/10, A23L27/63 and A23L21/00 take precedence)}
- A23L 19/13: {Mashed potato products}
- A23L 29/225: Farinaceous thickening agents other than isolated starch or derivatives
- A23P 20/11: {Coating with compositions containing a majority of oils, fats, mono/diglycerides, fatty acids, mineral oils, waxes or paraffins}
- A23P 30/20: Extruding
- A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)
- A23B: PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
- A23P: SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS
- A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION

## Abstract

A recipe industrially produces vegetable gnocchi, and, in particular, cauliflower gnocchi, and a production process thereof. Moreover, the gnocchi is obtained by the process in order to provide a food product that is nutritionally advantageous and easy to produce on an industrial level without any disadvantages.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A composition for producing vegetable gnocchi the vegetable gnocchi being produced having a water content of between 70% and 80% by weight of the total weight of the vegetable gnocchi, the composition comprising, as a percentage of the total weight of the ingredients of the composition;
40% to 90% of a fiber-rich vegetable pure, wherein potatoes are excluded from vegetables that are reduced to make the fiber-rich vegetable purée; and
10% to 60% of grain and non grain gluten-free flour; wherein
the composition is free of gluten, egg proteins and milk proteins.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The composition according to claim 1, further comprising natural vegetable thickening additives at 1% to 6% and/or salt at 0.1% to 2%.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The composition according to claim 2, wherein the natural vegetable thickening additives are selected from the group consisting of potato flour, agar-agar, gum arabic, carrageenan, locust bean gum, guar flour, pectin, cellulose derivatives and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The composition according to claim 1, wherein the vegetables of the fiber-rich vegetable purée are one or more vegetables of a family selected from the group consisting of
Brassicaceae family;
Apiaceae family;
Solananceae family, excluding potatoes; and
Fabaceae family.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The composition according to claim 1, wherein the gluten-free flour is selected from the group consisting of cassava flour, amaranth flour, buckwheat flour, corn flour, millet flour, quinoa flour, rice flour, sorghum flour, teff flour, fava bean flour, bean flour, chickpea flour, pea flour, lentil flour, locust bean gum, soy flour, hemp flour and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The composition according to claim 1, wherein the vegetables that are reduced to make the fiber-rich vegetable purée have a fiber content of at least 1.6 grams, per 100 grams, and a starch content of less than 2% by weight thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The composition according to claim 6, wherein the vegetables that are reduced to make the fiber-rich vegetable purée are selected from the group consisting of chickpeas, beans, broad beans, lentils, peas, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, artichokes, fennel, eggplant, turnips, celeriac, spinach, and Jerusalem artichokes.

### Claim 8

A process for producing vegetable gnocchi comprising the steps of:
a) making a vegetable purée from vegetables, wherein potatoes are excluded from the vegetables that are reduced to make the vegetable purée;
b) forming a dough by mixing said purée with grain and non-grain gluten-free flour at 10% to 60% as percentage of the total weight of the ingredients with optional natural vegetable thickening additives and salt comprising the natural vegetable thickening additives at 1% to 6% and/or the salt at 0.1% to 2%;
c) forming gnocchi from the dough obtained from said mixture;
d) cooking the gnocchi in boiling water and/or steam;
e) cooling the cooked gnocchi to obtain a vegetable gnocchi having a water content between 70% and 80% by weight of the total weight of the vegetable gnocchi; and
f) at least one of the following:
preserving the vegetable gnocchi having water content between 70% and 80% in a refrigerator at 4° to 8° C.,
deep-freezing the vegetable gnocchi having water content between 70% and 80% at −18° to −25° C. or
cryo-freezing the vegetable gnocchi having water content between 70% and 80% at −170° C. to −190° C.; wherein
the vegetable gnocchi having water content between 70% and 80% is free of gluten, egg proteins and milk proteins.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The process according to claim 8, wherein step a) comprises the sub-steps of:
i) shredding raw vegetables so as to obtain a raw purée, alternately
ii) cooking the vegetables for 3-20 minutes in boiling water and/or steam and subsequently shredding the cooked vegetables in order to obtain said purée.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The process according to claim 8, wherein the step of forming the dough comprises sequentially kneading or mixing the purée, the salt, the natural thickening additives and the gluten-free flour.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The process according to claim 8, wherein the vegetable gnocchi having a water content between 70% and 80% is subjected to the deep-freezing or the preserving in the refrigerator, and before the step of deep-freezing or preserving in a refrigerator, the process further comprises a step of drying the surface of the vegetable gnocchi having water content between 70% and 80% with air flows and/or a subsequent oiling step wherein vegetable gnocchi having water content between 70% and 80% are carried on a conveyor belt underneath a roller having brushes soaked with extra virgin olive oil so that the vegetable gnocchi having water content between 70% and 80% are covered with an oil film.

### Claim 12

A vegetable gnocchi comprising, by weight per 100 grams of gnocchi, a water content of between 70% and 80%, fiber-rich vegetables between 60% and 90%; wherein
potatoes are excluded from the fiber-rich vegetables, and
the vegetable gnocchi is free of gluten, egg proteins and milk proteins.