GB955636A - Improvements relating to quick-cooking cereal or farinaceous food products - Google Patents

Abstract

In producing a dried, quick-cooking starch-containing cereal food, such as cleaned, husked, puffed rice grains which can be re-hydrated quickly in hot or boiling water, the cereal is soaked in water, e.g. at 170 to 200 DEG F., or dried, e.g. in a stream of air at 150 to 280 DEG F., or by infra-red rays, to bring its moisture content to a desired value between 25 and 30% by weight, when soaked, or between 2 and 6% when dried. The resulting product is soaked in water at a temperature above the gelatinization temperature of the starch but below that at which the starch granules would burst, e.g. 170 to 200 DEG F., until the products has absorbed more water, e.g. between 3 and 4 times its weight thereof, and gelatinization of the starch is initiated, any excess water is removed and gelatinization is substantially completed, without further addition of moisture, by maintaining the product substantially at the latter temperature and at atmospheric pressure. The gelatinized product is then dried in a stream of air at 250 to 280 DEG F., or by infra-red rays or under vacuum.