WO2001089324A1 - Method to activate cereals and legumes to obtain flour to be used in the making of bread and pasta - Google Patents

Abstract

Method to activate food products containing at least starches and proteins, such as cereals and legumes, to obtain flour to be used in the making of bread and pasta, applicable in particular on maize, whether it be in the form of grains (19), crumbled or flour, said method providing a first, separate heating step, to a pre-determined temperature, of a defined quantity of said food product and a correlated quantity of at least an added liquid, a second step of joining together said food product and said added liquid, to form a system having a modified molar heat capacity, and a third step of energy exchange between said added liquid and said food product, according to contact times defined by at least a maximum value, correlated to the temperature of the system and according to the respective quantities.

Description

"METHOD TO ACTIVATE CEREALS AND LEGUMES TO OBTAIN FLOUR TO BE USED IN THE MAKING OF BREAD AND PASTA"

* * * * *

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns a method to activate cereals and legumes to obtain flour for use in the field of bread and pasta making.

The invention is applied in the production of flour which can be used to make bread, pasta or other similar types of food, obtained from raw material which it was not possible to use until now because it was not suitable to absorb water, to be worked, kneaded and made to rise.

The preferential application of the invention concerns the activation of grains of maize to be used as raw material in order to obtain corresponding flour which can be used to produce bread, hard pasta, fresh pasta, pizza and other similar baked products, both sweet and savory.

Other applications concern cereals and legumes which do not by nature have binding, plastic and hydrophilic capacities, such as for example rice, beans, soya, chickpeas, lentils, de-fatted peanuts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present it is not possible to produce maize flour able to form, alone, soft dough, to rise naturally and to make pasta, since only its softest part has limited binding and hydrophilic capacities; however, it is not very plastic and gives very poor final results, which are in any case limited to bread-making. Numerous bread-making attempts have been made with soft maize flour mixed with wheat flour, but with very limited economic and organoleptic results.

The technique of using maize flour alone has not been applied in the field of food, also because the soft part is very inferior to the hard part, which has no plastic or visco-elastic capacity, it does not absorb water, it does not knead or bind, and it is more or less unusable except for some very rare uses, such as polenta.

The only applications known in the field of food concern the use of the soft part in forms of emergency bread-making and for particular food stuffs, such as the Mexican tortillas. No appreciable application has ever been made to produce dry pasta, which precludes the complete use of the hard part . The disadvantage of maize flour, or the grains from which it derives, is that they cannot be introduced into the human diet for two reasons : they have few uses and they cannot be conserved for a long time.

The partial and low-quality use of the soft part alone, obtained from milling, and the impossibility of working the hard part, have led producers and investors not to use this cereal for human food purposes but prevalently for feeding livestock only. In this way, although it is very widespread, maize has become an economically poor food, in spite of its real nutritional value which can be compared to or even exceed those of wheat.

The stocks of wheat in the world are continuously decreasing due to the high demand precisely from those populations which, although they have a great quantity of maize, do not know how to use it. It is also well-known that maize has great potentiality as a food product, since it has no gluten, it is easily assimilated, rich in noble proteins, rich in vitamins, rich in minerals, and very easily digested. Moreover, it can be conserved for long periods which facilitate distribution and storage.

US-A-4.513.018 discloses a method for continuously making grain flour from corn kernels, in which the corn is mixed with a lime water solution to form an acqueous suspension, and then this suspension is heated to a temperature 86 °C to 94 °C for a time of 20-30 minutes.

This method has the great problem that, if the corn and the water are first mixed together and then heated, there is the risk that the cork will be cooked during the heating and so it will be subjected to a irreversible degradation.

The present Applicant has devised and embodied this invention to overcome these shortcomings and to obtain other advantages as will be described hereafter. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the main embodiment.

The purpose of the invention is to subject cereals and legumes, particularly maize, to an activation treatment suitable to confer, both on the soft part and on the hard part, the capacity to absorb water, to bind in soft and shapable doughs, to rise naturally, to produce thin sheets for pasta-making, in substance to assume the typical behavior which wheat flour naturally has.

The following description will deal mainly with maize, which represents the preferential application of the invention, due to its widespread use and its nutritional and organoleptic properties; however, the invention is not limited to this product.

With this invention, maize becomes an excellent substitute for wheat and can compensate situations of food shortages since it becomes possible to use maize flour to substitute wheat flour completely in all those parts of the world where wheat is scarce or absent.

Moreover, the invention gives the advantage of having products similar to those of wheat, thus integrating and positively affecting the human diet. In fact, unlike wheat, maize is a food with no gluten, which causes gastric intolerance, obesity and reduces total digestibility; therefore, maize products can be adopted both in the treatment of celiac sufferers and to feed sportsmen and women and the military, or in those cases where the assumption of higher nutritional values, without gluten, encourages the digestive process and physical performance.

The method according to the invention provides to intervene on the structure of the molecular links with an innocuous energetic induction of a physical nature, without introducing or removing any substance to/from the natural composition of the maize; this is to confer on the normal dry grains of maize the binding-plastic-hydrophilic capacity which is necessary in order to be able to obtain easy to knead flours to produce doughs suitable for bread- and pasta-making. Moreover, this treatment increases conservation times and makes the product more stable for further processing; the treatment can be used both on whole grains and on flour, and it is preferable to treat the soft part separately from the hard part.

The invention gives various advantages: on the one hand it gives flour naturally without gluten which has the same capacity, that of binding with water, as flour which has gluten, such as flour obtained from wheat; the product is highly digestible, due to the formation of soft, plastic and homogeneous doughs; it is possible to obtain highly-risen bread with natural yeast, of high organoleptic and nutritional value; it is also possible to obtain thin sheets, which make natural pasta, even in the open air, to obtain both dry and fresh pasta.

Activated maize flour can compensate for world wide shortages in the supplies of wheat flour, acting as a substitute therefor, with higher nutritional values and better organoleptic characteristics, with a lower cost for raw materials .

The invention is based on the theory which considers it possible to make bread and pasta from all vegetable and agroindustrial substances which have a good quantity of starches and proteins, like wheat. The activation treatment consists in regulating, with an exact and controlled delivery of energy, the molecular links present in the amino-acids so that the amino-acids activated are distributed in a more stable manner, giving rise to a new crystallization and re-adjustment in a new molecular lattice, with a variation in the temperature of crystalline transition.

This new, irreversible crystallization confers on the maize all those properties which are typical of the crystallization of gluten, without using the specific amino- acids of wheat (glyadine and glutenine) and leaving the molecular weight of the maize naturally unchanged. This means that no substance is added to or removed from the maize, even if it goes through an intermediate step of reversible chemical-physical intermolecular transition.

The delivery of energy cited above is supplied in rigorously controlled quantities and times, and leads to the formation of a new molecular lattice of the amino-acids which are naturally present; in the natural state, this lattice is completely absent in the hard part of the grain of maize, causing the problems of use explained before.

The delivery of energy is conferred on the maize after it has been combined with an additional element in liquid form, suitable to modify its molar heat capacity, thus varying its capacity to absorb energy; thus we obtain that a quota, or surplus, of the same energy is exploited to construct the molecular lattice which is indispensable to achieve the desired properties, while the temperature of the product is maintained substantially constant. With this energy exchange, when the activation condition is achieved, stable and irreversible binding-hydrophilic-plastic properties are conferred on the maize.

When the activation condition has been reached, we proceed immediately to cool the system, that is to say, the combination of the food product and the added liquid, to below the critical temperature value, around 75°, to prevent the product from deteriorating.

In order to distinguish the method according to the invention from other techniques which exploit an energy delivery, it is important to point out the difference between simple heat influence and molar energy influence. In the first, the increase in temperature directly affects the molecular structures of the raw material, causing a possible deterioration thereof and having no effect whatsoever on the activation of the molecular links, since the energy acquired by the molecules is insufficient to activate them. In the second, on the contrary, there is the contribution of a further molecular species (in this case the added liquid) which, interacting with the raw material, actually increases the molar heat capacity and therefore its tolerance to absorb that energy which is necessary for molecular activation, in isothermal conditions, within the maximum contact times defined.

Moreover, using a cooling treatment shows that the simple heat effect is a condition to be avoided since, when the energy values needed for activation have been achieved, there is an energy exchange where the temperature remains constant and immediately diminishes to pass, in the quickest times possible, to a value lower than the critical value. Therefore, there is a heat effect only when the temperature of molecular tolerance is exceeded in the time unit of the raw material, where every energy contribution causes an increase in temperature; if this does not occur, then we have only molar activation energy. Until now, no heat effect used in food technology has ever activated the amino-acids, but only modified the starches to obtain different results.

The treatment obtained with this invention, although it uses techniques of heat energy delivery, for example by thermal convection, exploits the effect of energy saturation which derives from the different molar heat capacity which has occurred in the process, in the desired times, which alone is responsible for reaching the molecular activation value. Therefore, in the case of this invention, it is a case of a molar energy saturation effect, rather than a heat effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other characteristics will be clear from the following description of the preferential embodiment, given with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 shows schematically the possible equipment to put into effect the method according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the method according to the invention; Fig. 3 is a graph showing the reaction temperature on the y axis and the contact quantity ratios, or molar heat coefficients of the added liquids on the x axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The method according to the invention, in a preferential embodiment, provides to confer energy on maize, whether it is in the form of grains, crumbled or flour, the energy- being transmitted by thermal convection with a molecular caloric calibration. An energy balancing step with cold convection is also necessary, more or less accentuated according to the parameters actuated.

According to variant embodiments, the invention provides that the energy can be conferred with electromagnetic radiations, microwaves, electric current, heat irradiance or with other means, provided that it is possible to carry out a correct and controlled energy transmission and balancing, and that the correct conditions of molecular caloric absorption are complied with in the unit of time.

After the cob has been processed, the dry grain of maize is rigid, crystalline, and is not capable of absorbing much water, especially in its hardest part. The cause of this behavior is that in the grain there is a particular or modified molecular lattice which makes it impermeable to water and inhibits the binding properties of the amino-acids present .

On the contrary, the grain of wheat has a molecular lattice which leaves the amino-acids free to interact both among themselves and with water. In maize there are simple amino-acids which, once they have been made available by means of de-activation of the modified crystalline lattice, subsequent energy activation and consequent re- crystallization, begin to interact with the water, giving rise to the same characteristics which are naturally present in wheat .

The energy transmitted to the maize allows to modify the original molecular crystallization and to subsequently activate the molecular links, which entail a new form of crystallization and improved molecular structure for the use of the product. In substance, the invention supplies that minimum energy needed, which could not be acquired otherwise, to modify molecular links which are prejudicial in the formation of the natural molecular structure of the amino-acids present in maize.

In order to perform a good treatment, it is also necessary to consider the natural thermal inertia of maize and to adopt all the . conditions necessary for the correct transmission, absorption and de-absorption of the energy.

To this purpose, a preferential embodiment provides to adopt energy transmission methods using thermal convection with water and forced cold convection. It is advantageous to use water due to its high energy- transfer capacity, its ample contact surface which speeds up the process in the correct tolerance times, and above all due to its ability to temporarily modify the molar heat capacity of the system, allowing to increase the molecular absorption energy at a constant temperature.

One problem with using water, or other added liquid, is that of eliminating it afterwards, since at the end of the process the maize has already become hydrophilic and therefore begins to absorb large quantities of water. To eliminate the liquid, it is necessary to use a drying process with a flow of hot air, with which we obtain a double effect: on the one hand we dry the maize to optimum values of residual humidity and on the other hand we have recrystallization and final molecular restructuring. Water also has a double effect: the first is that of energy transmission by thermal convection, the second is that of molecular solubilization (or interaction) which allows to increase the molar heat capacity and subsequent molecular re-crystallization. Alternative treatments can be obtained by thermal convection using oil or other food liquids, for example saline or sugar solutions, with the same molecular solvency, which are easy to remove at the end or which do not alter the product.

With regard to thermal convection with oil, it has been noted that it is possible to obtain higher absorption isotherms which allow to greatly reduce the quantities of interaction. This is due to the fact that the molecular weight of oil is greater than that of water, therefore it is possible to obtain higher temperature absorption isotherms which therefore have a higher caloric value. We shall now describe some applied examples. Simple thermal convection with 90°C isotherm

Although this method is simple to actuate, it needs some conditions to be able to function: a) The temperature of the water which is mixed with the maize must be between 85 and 95°C; b) The quantity of water must be proportionate to the quantity of raw material to be treated in a ratio of 1.2:1; c) The temperature of the raw material must be between 85 and 95°C. It must be remembered that an indispensable condition for the success of the method is that the two elements, water and maize, must be heated separately and then mixed together only when they have reached the respective pre-determined temperatures; d) The raw material and the hot water must be in contact for a maximum of 60 seconds, advantageously about 40 seconds, at a temperature of 90°C; moreover, as the temperature goes down, it is necessary that the contact time between the raw material and the liquid does not exceed certain times for each of the absorption isotherms, for example about 1 minute for temperatures of more than 80°C, about 3 minutes for temperatures of more than 70°C, about 5 minutes for temperatures of more than 60°C. Temperatures of more than 40°C and less than 50°C are normally well tolerated.

Cold convection at a variable temperature with water or cold air flow This step also takes on a particular importance in the method, and it needs certain conditions if it is to function: a) The temperature of the water must be between 1 and 10°C; b) The quantity of cooling water used in the process must be proportionate to the quantity of raw material treated, in a ratio advantageously between 1:1 and 2:1; c) The contact time between raw material and cold water must be at least 5 minutes .

For heat interactions with a ratio of water-raw material of less than 0.4:1 it is possible to exclude the cold convection step with water, and replace it with a simple cooling process where the product is stratified and cold air made to flow over it . Alternate thermal convection Instead of water, for thermal convection it is possible to use saline or sugar water solutions, with different percentages including saturation; in this case, there is a variation of the parameters, and the quantity of liquid used is reduced to a minimum ratio of 0.3:1. It is also possible to use oil, thus completely excluding water, with a reduction of quantities to ratios in the order of 0.05÷0.1:1.

This obviates the need for the final removal of the activation liquid, which remains incorporated in the product without compromising the effectiveness of the product; otherwise, if so desired, it can be partly reduced by using water cooling, where the water also functions as a removal agent. Since this last method can be carried out in the total absence of water, it is the one best and most easily actuated since some steps of the entire process are reduced; the final stabilization is also rapid and reduced to simple cooling, excluding the long step of stabilization through drying .

To actuate the method it is necessary to use appropriate equipment, which is described hereafter as an example.

The fundamental feature is that an energy saturation effect (molecular interaction condition) must occur, which the machinery must be able to supply.

In a possible pilot line 10 (Fig. 1) , to reproduce the process in a standard manner, the following machinery and tools are used:

- Rotary bath 11 made of steel with inner blades, like a cement mixer or candy-floss mixer, suitable to receive the maize in the form of grains 19 or crumbled or flour;

- Gas blowpipe burners 12 fed from appropriate tank 20;

- Gas water heater 13 ;

- Gas ring burners 14; - Aluminium pans 15;

- Horizontal load fridge-freezer 16;

- Plastic bins 17 for cold water;

- Stabilizer cupboard 18 with hot or cold air flow.

The afore-said machinery is arranged as follows: on the outer wall, at the bottom, of the rotary bath 11, three medium delivery gas burners 12 are located.

The pans 15 are positioned above the gas rings 14, waiting to receive the water from the water heater 13; the plastic bins 17, full of drinking water, are put inside the fridge- freezer 16 and the thermostat set to fridge temperature.

The stabilizer cupboard allows to use three holed trays 20 with a surface area of 0.2 square meters, each with a maximum load of 10 Kg of product. Start of treatment

In the initial stages of thermal convection it is not necessary to define the added liquid; since it is a step exclusively of energy administration, the chemical characteristic of the liquid is not important, only its heat capacity.

The first step provides to prepare the raw material which must be ready to receive the thermal convection energy. Due to the heat inertia of maize, the latter must be adequately prepared, otherwise there is a risk that it will not be possible to transmit the necessary energy in the necessary times, that is to say, too little or too much energy might be transmitted, with an irremediable alteration to the final product, for example it may be cooked if too much energy is transmitted.

If we study the graphs of the crystalline transitions, we notice that low humidity values in the raw material increase the tolerance to sources of heat, within wider margins of time, without compromising the product; for this reason the raw material is pre-heated without undergoing deterioration. With reference to the block diagram in Fig. 2, this illustrates the steps which successively embody the method according to the invention. A) 1st step of the process: Preparation 1. Prepare a known quantity of raw material, whole grain 19 or dry crumbled maize, inside the rotary bath 11; using whole or crumbled grains is important for defining the activation parameters, since in whole grains the softest part is also present, and this needs less activation energy. The grain or crumbled maize must already be dry, with a residual humidity of less than 20%, advantageously less than 15%, to be able to start the pre-heating without deterioration to the product. 2. Start the bath 11 rotating, taking care that the inner blades 21 effectively mix the raw material to prevent the grains 19 from remaining stationary on the heated surface.

3. Heat the outer wall of the bath 11 by means of the burners 12.

4. Check that the temperature of the raw material increases gradually and homogeneously, advantageously with an increase of 3 to 5°C per minute.

5. While they are being continuously mixed, continue heating the grains 19 until they reach the temperature of 90°C within a maximum time of 20 minutes.

6. At the same time, put a quantity of hot water into the pans 15 on the gas rings 14; the hot water must be proportionate to the quantity of raw material in the rotary bath 11. The ratio can vary from 0.05:1 to 1.2:1 according to the molar heat capacity of the contact solution. In the case of distilled water the ratio is 1.2:1, in the case of salt saturated water solution the ratio goes down to 0.3:1.

7. Light the gas rings 14 and, in the case of water only, take the temperature to a value near boiling point or in any case above 90°C.

8. When these temperatures have been reached, in the grains 19 and in the water, keep them set by thermostat until the subsequent step. This first step of the process must be carried out accurately and in a maximum time of 20-30 minutes. Any discrepancies from the tolerance limits can lead to irreversible deterioration of the raw material so that the final product obtained can only be partly used, for example only for bread-making, or cannot be used.

B) 2nd step of the process: Activation of the molecular links by thermal convection. 9. With the temperatures quoted above being maintained, quickly put the hot water, heated in the pans, inside the rotary bath 11, in direct contact with the grains 19, which are being continuously mixed, in the activation ratio as calculated.

10. At this moment, by means of energy exchange, the activation of the molecular links of the amino-acids present in the grain 19 occurs. We obtain an energy saturation effect in an open system, with a molecular interaction of the added liquid. This effect, which occurs instantaneously at constant and continuous temperature as the temperature decreases in the activation interval, must be protracted for a maximum time of about 40 seconds for temperatures of above 90°C, within a minute for temperatures of above 80°C, within 3 minutes for temperatures of above 70°C, within 5 minutes for temperatures of above 60°C. For each of the isotherms indicated above, beyond these limits it is necessary to cool the product with water or other cooling liquid, in particular preventing the product from remaining above 75°C for longer than the permitted time.

For lower ratios of liquid-raw material interaction, for example less than 0.4:1, the cooling can be carried out with the product simple stratified under a flow of cold air, provided that the time limits laid down above are maintained. This is thanks to the reduction of the heat inertia of the system.

C) 3rd step of the process: Interruption of the residual energy by cold convection using water.

11. When the energy needed for activation has been supplied, it is necessary to de-absorb it due to the high heat inertia of the system which has accumulated more energy than necessary and keeps the temperature within the critical activation interval . The previously cooled water, from the bins 17, is rapidly introduced inside the rotary bath 11 and brought into direct contact with the grains of maize 19, advantageously in the ratio of 2:1 of the initial weight. 12. The product is cooled by water always while being continuously mixed and for at least 5 minutes.

When the cold convection step is finished, the new pre- activated maize has been obtained.

To complete activation definitively, it is necessary to recrystallize the molecules activated with the formation of the new molecular lattice by means of eliminating the superfluous humidity.

D) 4th and final step: Stabilization of the new molecular lattice by gradually eliminating the superfluous humidity. 13. The grains of maize 19, in the case of water cooling, are drained of their excess water, both added liquid and cooling liquid, and placed on trays 20 which have either holes or mesh.

14. When all the excess water has been removed, by draining and absorption, from the surface of the grain, it is necessary to remove the water inside the grain, in order to allow the restructuring of the new molecular lattice.

The trays 20, filled with a uniform layer of product, are put into appropriate thermostatted heaters (stabilization cupboards) 18 with a hot air flow, at a temperature of not more than 50°C.

15. The gradual drying of the grains 19 is thus begun. As the water is gradually eliminated there is a progressive stabilization of the new molecular lattice. The total duration of the drying and stabilization step can last advantageously about 8 hours without damaging the product. Shorter times are advisable, although it is possible to have a slow drying and stabilization simply by exposing the product, in a thin layer, in the open air.

Other methods for eliminating the water inside the grain can be those used in normal dehydration techniques . Drying and stabilization are considered completed when the residual humidity of the product reaches less than 10%.

At this point the grains 19, or the crumbled maize, have returned to their starting consistency and are ready to be ground, to obtain binding-plastic-hydrophilic flour to be used for bread- and pasta-making.

The physical properties acquired by the product thus formed are irreversible in character, its hygienic characteristics are improved, and the sell-by dates and conservation are extended. The greater chemical-physical stability acquired renders it impossible for the product to be attacked by external oxidising agents, bacterial contamination (since the values of water activity have also been stabilized) , but at the same time said stability renders it softer for grinding and more hydrophilic, to obtain doughs which have a greater binding power and are more visco-elastic.

Finally, to prove that there has been no substantial modification of the starches, the product does not have the hygroscopic character of starches, but only the hydrophilic character of amino-acids; this allows the flour obtained to be easily handled, even in the open air for extended periods of time.

Possible variants of the method are allowed in the first step of thermal convection of energy. As already explained, the energy can also be supplied by oil thermal convection, with saline or sugar water solutions or with other liquids compatible with food. In this case the parameters of contact quantity change, since the oil or solutions have a greater molar heat capacity and are not subject to evaporation.

The transmission of energy is obtained with less dispersion and a smaller quantity of liquid is required. Moreover, since oil and the saturated solution boil at a higher temperature, higher temperature values can be used, thus reducing the contact times .

In this way we obtain a higher absorption isotherm which facilitates a better activation of the grains; from this it follows that the flour has a greater binding capacity.

The initial energy can be supplied also with alternative energy transmission systems other than convection, such as irradiance or electric current, provided that it is possible to transfer the necessary activation energy to the grain 19, defined in the isotherm considered with a value of minimum calories expressed as 28 cal/Mol °C, in the maximum transmission time of 20 seconds in isothermal conditions.

Table of activation isotherms and parameters

Isotherm Liquid Ratio Time Cooling 1. 90°C Water 1.2:1 40 sees Water

2. 100°C Water 0.9:1 40 sees Water

3. 110°C Sol. 10% 0.6:1 40 sees Water

4. 110°C Sol. 20% 0.3:1 40 sees Air

5. 120°C Oil 0.3:1 40 sees Water 6. 140°C Oil 0.1:1 40 sees Air

For the parameters expressed in the activation table at points 4 and 6, it is possible to exclude the water cooling step from the process and pass directly to the stabilization step. Apart from causing a great reduction in the processing times, this allows the activation to have a better success because it reduces the possibilities of overheating or collapse to which the considerable presence of water (present in the other cases) can lead the product. In order to reduce the quantity of water which has to be used, it is however necessary to increase the molar heat capacity in the saline solution, or substitute the water for another added liquid with a higher molecular weight. In this way we obtain reduced parameters which are actuated better. Moreover, water cooling is not necessary, and cooling can be carried out simply by stratifying the product in the air; the stabilization of the molecular lattice is facilitated by the reduced water content, since in these cases the energy supplied corresponds exactly to the energy needed and it is not indispensable to exploit the binding properties of the water .

If it is desired to remove the excess salt or reduce the content of oil, it is possible in any case to use water cooling.

The graph in Fig. 3 shows the development of the reaction temperature with the variation of the quantity contact ratios, or molar heat coefficients, of the added liquids. From the graph it can be seen how a decreasing curve is formed in the thermal reaction interval (70÷140°C) . At lower temperature values a larger quantity of added liquid is needed; the type can vary, as we have seen, from distilled water to saline solution or sugar solution with oil.

In evaluating the activation process of the molecular links in amino-acids present in maize, their molecular coefficients have to be taken into account, since the energy needed to set off the response of a substance is given by the molar heat capacity of that substance. In the case of maize, the molecular weight is high, therefore a strong but measured energy stimulus is needed.

When, during the process, we talk about energy saturation, this means the maximum capacity of energy accumulation supplied without this having caused an increase in the temperature of the system.

A system is said to be saturated when a further increase in temperature is no longer absorbed or tolerated by the molecules, but affects their deterioration. With this invention this tolerance limit is increased, and a new point of energy saturation is obtained which has the function of activating the molecular links of the amino-acids present. In fact when the grains of maize and the water are put into contact, they already have a high energy value supplied through pre-heating, so that the union of the two energies exceeds for some moments the maximum value which can be acquired by their independent molar heat capacity, due to the interaction which has taken place, giving rise to the energy saturation which allows activation. Without the aid of a different, independent but interacting molecular species, it would not have been possible to produce this effect .

Therefore, in all those cases where energy is to be administered directly to maize grains only, molecular activation is not possible, because as soon as the maximum energy given by their molar heat capacity is exceeded, there is an increase in temperature which causes an immediate deterioration of the product, with the molecules themselves being damaged even before the activation is obtained.

In this case, it is the increase in the point of energy- saturation which prevents deterioration, inasmuch as it prevents the temperature increase and allows activation, thanks to the introduction of a molecular support given by the water which increases the number of molecules in the system.

In the parameters of the process a formula has been identified which allows to calculate the exact quantity of energy introduced into the system to allow activation alone, without damaging the product. The formula not only shows the importance of the molecular coefficients and the thermocalories possessed, it also shows the importance of a minimum temperature of the system, which allows molecular interaction with the added liquid. This minimum temperature is about 75°C; at lower temperatures the molecular interaction reaction is not set off. The formula is as follows: Ea(90°C) = (Cpa + Ct x Cpb) - Cpa where :

Ea = Activation energy expressed in cal/mol, supplied with isotherm at 90°C.

Cpa = Approximate specific heat of the raw material expressed in cal/mol

Cpb = Specific heat of the added liquid expressed in cal/mol

Ct = molar heat coefficient given by the proportionate quantity of the added liquid sufficient to modify the molar heat capacity of the system (in the case of distilled water this corresponds to 1.4).

By applying this formula we have:

Ea(90) = 170 + 1.4 x 18.04

Ea(90) = 170 + 25.6 = 195.6 cal/mol (Value to be reached in the system with a temperature of 90°C) From this we have that

ΔH(90°C) = Ea - Eo = 195.6-170 = 25.6 cal/mol (energy surplus at constant temperature) .

195.6 cal/mol is the thermal value to be reached on the grain to obtain molecular activation. This means that for a determined moment when 90°C is reached, the maize is able to absorb 195.6 cal/mol instead of 170 cal/mol, without any temperature increase occurring. The system has therefore been modified and its molar heat capacity has passed from 170 to 195.6 cal/mol per Centigrade degree, without supplying further energy but using the energy already acquired independently by the two elements, raw material and added liquid.

This is possible with the insertion of water which intervenes at a molecular level, modifying the molecular weight of the entire system and allowing this increase in heat capacity. So that the water has this molecular interaction capacity it is necessary that the system is placed at a minimum temperature of 80-90°C.

Without an added liquid, the maximum value which can be reached as inner energy quantity would have been the normal value of maize and activation would not have been possible.

Since, at the moment of the molar heat variation of the system, no further energy is supplied, but the gradual and then forced cooling of the product begins, it can be deduced that the energy needed for activation is given by the instantaneous energy surplus occurring at the moment of contact. This surplus is instantaneous in the isotherm considered and only lasts a few seconds, beginning immediately after the water has evaporated which displaces the system to the lower isotherm. It is extremely important to prevent this surplus from being involuntarily repeated at different absorption isotherms. In fact, since the molecular interaction temperature is in the interval of 75-95°C (for water) , the system must be put below these temperatures in the maximum time of 30-60 seconds, otherwise we would have limited but repeated possibilities of energy delivery with a consequent deterioration of the final product. Therefore, at the conclusion of our calculations we can conclude that the energy sufficient to activate maize is given by the energy surplus (ΔH = 25.6 cal/mol), supplied at a system temperature of between 80 and 90°C for an instantaneous time on the maximum point and immediately interrupted in the interval points, with a progressive and continuous reduction of the temperature in the maximum time of 30-60 seconds.

The final summation of the energies could thus be higher than the minimum value needed for activation, but since the absorption isotherms decrease rapidly below the maximum point (e.g. 100% at 90°C, 30% at 85°C, 10% at 80°C) , the quicker the cooling, the less energy over and above what is necessary will be absorbed, and the better the final result will be.

The product accepts absorption tolerances without altering its properties up to a maximum of 50% to obtain flour for making bread and only 10% to obtain flour for making pasta. Moreover, using water as the added liquid allows the temperature to be lowered rapidly to values of less than 85°C due to the effect of evaporation, thus reducing further energy absorption and facilitating the following forced cooling.

The actual times the system remains in the critical interval beyond the reaction time start from values of already 85°C (where the absorption isotherms are already reduced to 30%) and are concluded within a few seconds at ever lower values .

It is obvious that modifications and additions can be made to this invention but these shall remain within the field and scope thereof .

Claims

1 - Method to activate food products containing at least starches and proteins, such as cereals and legumes, to obtain flour to be used in the making of bread and pasta, applicable in particular on maize, whether it be in the form of grains (19), crumbled or flour, the method being characterized in that it provides a first, separate heating step, to a pre-determined temperature, of a defined quantity of said food product and a correlated quantity of at least an added liquid, a second step of joining together said food product and said added liquid, to form a system having a modified molar heat capacity, and a third step of energy- exchange between said added liquid and said food product, according to contact times defined by at least a maximum value, correlated to the temperature of the system and according to the respective quantities.

2 - Method as in Claim 1, characterized in that said energy- exchange occurs in conditions of constant or decreasing temperature and in any case without any further delivery of energy .

3 - Method as in Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that once having reached the maximum contact time relating to the temperature to which the system of the food product-added liquid is taken, a cooling step is provided to take the system outside the critical temperature at which the product deteriorates, which is about 75°C.

4 - Method as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said maximum contact time between the added liquid and the food product at a temperature of around 90°C is about 60 seconds.

5 - Method as in Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the residual water in the food product before the method is started is less than 20%. 6 - Method as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that the quantity ratio between said added liquid and said food product is regulated according to the specific calorific power of said added liquid. 7 - Method as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said added liquid is distilled water.

8 - Method as in any claim from 1 to 6 inclusive, characterized in that said added liquid is a saline or sugar solution. 9 - Method as in any claim from 1 to 6 inclusive, characterized in that said liquid is oil.

10 - Method as in Claim 7, characterized in that, in the case of water being used as the added liquid, with an initial isotherm of around 90°C, the quantity ratio between said added liquid and said food product is in the range of 1.2:1.

11 - Method as in Claim 8, characterized in that, in the case of a saline or sugar solution being used as an added liquid, with an initial isotherm of around 110°C, the quantity ratio between said added liquid and said food product has a minimum value in the range of 0.3:1.

12 - Method as in Claim 9, characterized in that, in the case of oil being used as the added liquid, with an initial isotherm of around 140°C, the quantity ratio between said added liquid and said food product reaches a minimum value in the range of 0.05:1.

13 - Method as in Claim 2, characterized in that said cooling step is performed by mixing the added liquid-food product system with at least a cooling fluid. 14 - Method as in Claim 13, characterized in that said cooling fluid consists of water with a temperature of between about 1 and 10°C. 15 - Method as in Claim 14, characterized in that it provides a contact time between the food product and the cold water of at least 5 minutes .

16 - Method as in Claim 15, characterized in that, at least for isothermal interactions with a ratio between added liquid and food product of less than 0.4:1, said cooling fluid is air.

17 - Method as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that, in the case of an added liquid containing water, it provides, after said cooling step, a step to remove the excess added liquid and cooling liquid and a stabilization step under a flow of air at a temperature of not more than 50°C.

18 - Method as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that, once the contact times for the isothermal reaction have been satisfied, it provides to cool the raw material- contact liquid system in the shortest possible time, with a maximum time in the range of 1 minute for temperatures of more than 80°C, 3 minutes for temperatures of more than 70°C and 5 minutes for temperatures of more than 60°C.

19 - Food product such as a cereal, a legume or similar, obtained with the method according to any of the claims from 1 to 18 inclusive.

20 - Flour for use in bread-making, pasta-making or similar, obtained with the method according to any of the claims from

1 to 18 inclusive.