US 4,788,072 AGranted

Method of dehydrating foods

OwnerToshimitsu Kawamurainventor

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Abstract

A method for dehydrating foods by the steps of subdividing the starting food to a suitable size, as by slicing or chopping; blanching the subdivided product in a blanching solution such as brine, acid, sugars; placing the material in a sealed vessel, and while pressurizing the vessel to an elevated pressure of about 1-4 atmospheres above normal, contacting the food pieces with a solution of a sugar adapted to extract moisture therefrom by osmotic action; after sufficient moisture is removed osmotically, rapidly decompressing the vessel to significantly below atmospheric pressure, contacting the decompressed food pieces with a heated liquid oil until the moisture content thereof is not more than about 3% but before the pieces undergo superficial degradation in flavor and color, removing such oil from the pieces to reduce their oil content to about 5-25% by weight, preferably by centrifugation, and cooling the same to room temperature.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method of preparing a dehydrated food product which comprises subdividing the food to be dehydrated into pieces of desired size;

contacting said food pieces within a sealed vessel with an aqueous solution of a sugar of a concentration sufficient to absorb water from said food pieces by osmotic action while elevating the pressure within said vessel to force said solution into the cells of said food pieces;
when sufficient water is absorbed by said osmotic action terminating such contact and immediately reducing the pressure within said vessel significantly below atmospheric pressure to promote rapid volatilization of moisture of said solution from said cells but without violently disrupting those cells;
while said food pieces are under reduced pressure, contacting the same with an edible oil heated to at least about 90.degree. C. but below the temperature at which the food pieces would undergo superficial degradation, such contact with said oil continuing for a time sufficient to reduce the moisture content of a final food product defined by said food pieces to a level adequate for storage life;
and then removing unabsorbed oil from said food pieces and cooling the thus-treated food pieces to ambient temperature.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.