Crumb manufacture

Abstract

A method of manufacture of a breadcrumb coating for a food product provides a crumb with an extremely low moisture content without the need for substantial energy input. The method achieves such very low moisture content without significant adverse effect on product quality.

1 . A method of manufacture of a crumb, the method comprising:
 extruding a dough composition comprising flour, a gelling agent, optional further ingredients and water to form an extruded composition, wherein the gelling agent is uniformly distributed throughout the composition;   drying the extruded composition in a rotary dryer to form a dried composition, wherein the water content of the dried composition is from about 0.1% to about 1.5% by weight; and   milling the dried composition to form a crumb with a water content of about 0.1% to about 1.5% by weight.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary dryer comprises an inlet; an outlet; a passageway for the extruded composition, the passageway extending between the inlet and outlet;
 one or more drying units comprising a perforated cylindrical tube extending between the inlet and outlet and a screw extending axially of the tube, wherein one of the tube and the screw are rotatable to move extruded composition from the inlet to the outlet; and means for circulating drying air through the passageway.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the crumb has a water content from about 0.3% to about 1.0% by weight. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the crumb has a water content from about 0.5% to about 1.0% by weight. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the crumb has a water content from about 0.5% to about 0.6% by weight. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the crumb has a maximum dimension from about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gelling agent is a hydrocolloid. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the crumb contains from about 0.06% to about 4% by weight of the gelling agent. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the crumb contains from about 0.08% to about 3% by weight of the gelling agent. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the crumb contains from about 0.1% to about 3% by weight of the gelling agent. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gelling agent is selected from the group consisting of natural gums, modified gums, gelatin, pectin, alginate, arabinogalactan, agar, carrageenan, furcellaran, modified starch and combinations thereof 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the hydrocolloid is selected from the group consisting of natural gums and combinations thereof 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the natural gum is selected from the group consisting of guar gum, locust bean gum, gum arabic, tragacanth, gum karaya, gum ghatti, xanthan gum and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the extruded pellets are dried in the rotary dryer by employing a counter current stream of hot air having a temperature in the range of 120° C-160° C. 
     
     
         15 . A crumb, comprising:
 milled farinaceous particles of an extruded composition comprising flour;   a gelling agent uniformly distributed throughout the crumb; and   optional further ingredients;   wherein the total water content of the crumb is from about 0.1% to about 1.5% by weight.   
     
     
         16 . The crumb of  claim 15 , wherein the crumb has a water content from about 0.3% to about 1.0% by weight. 
     
     
         17 . The crumb of  claim 16 , wherein the crumb has a water content from about 0.5% to about 0.6% by weight. 
     
     
         18 . The crumb of  claim 15 , wherein the crumb has a maximum dimension from about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gelling agent is a hydrocolloid. 
     
     
         20 . The crumb of  claim 19 , wherein the crumb contains from about 0.06% to about 4% by weight of the gelling agent.