Back to results
US 4,243,687 AGranted
Freeze-dried natural sour dough starter
OwnerLeo Klineinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerLeo Klineinventor
Estimating the term…
A freeze-dried sour dough French bread starter culture, or baking additive for other purposes, is prepared by inoculating an unsterilized and unpasteurized flour-water-salt suspension with a natural mother or starter sponge containing numerous naturally occurring and closely related strains of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco, and also containing substantial levels of the natural fermentations acids, lactic and acetic; incubating said mixture at about 82.degree. F. until a specified acidity level is reached corresponding to about 2.times.10.sup.9 viable bacteria per gram; cooling to about 55.degree. F., and adding stabilizers compatible with the flour system, in particular certain disaccharides; freezing under moderate conditions (-10.degree. to -25.degree. F.) without first separating the cells from the flour medium; followed by conventional freeze-drying in vacuo (vacuum of approximately 50 to 200 microns) to a moisture content in the final product of about 2%.
A freeze-dried bakery composition comprising Lactobacillus sanfrancisco in a flour culture media which has been subjected to incubation conditions suitable for the growth of said bacteria prior to freeze-drying, said Lactobacillus sanfrancisco being initially present in said culture media to provide an initial count of at least about 5.times.10.sup.6 viable cells per gram of culture media prior to being subjected to said incubation conditions, at least about 20% of the viable bacteria produced during incubation being recoverable after freeze drying, the weight ratio of flour to water in said culture media prior to freeze-drying being about 1:1 to 1:2.5, the gluten of said flour being substantially undeveloped during said incubation, said culture media containing at least about 6% by weight of at least one disaccharide stabilizer prior to freeze-drying to improve recovery of viable Lactobacillus sanfrancisco, and a residue of water of not over about 4% by weight.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.