German and Russian rye baking often specifies the use of a scald
(Brühstück/Zavarka) or cold soak (Quellstück).

I accidentally found a website about a patent that was applied for (I
think by a Belgian group), which lowered the time necessary for a
Brühstück to stand and mature. If you look at the information about
the patent (in English), you can get a lot of very useful and
interesting information about how the Brühstück works and how it
differs from a cold soak. They don't refer to "zavarka," but that is
the Russian equivalent of Brühstück, and often used in rye dough.

The reference: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6042868.html

Extract:

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation and for
the precooking of whole or crushed seeds in order, on the one hand, to
make it possible to stabilize the preparation and, on the other hand,
to be able to use them without prior steeping treatment operations in
food uses, in particular in bakery applications. The present invention
also relates to a packaging, preferably vacuum packaging, of such seeds
which makes possible prolonged preservation at room temperature and to
the immediate use without requiring prior steeping.

2. Technological Background

In many countries, and in particular in Germany, softened cereal,
fabaceae, cucurbitaceae or oleaginous seeds are used in various types
of bread (wholemeal bread or white bread, rye bread, sunflower bread,
linseed bread, and the like). The seeds can be used whole or crushed.

The softening of the seeds is obtained by steeping the seeds in water
or by heat treatment (injection of steam, cooking).

In general, the baker uses the process of steeping in water. Depending
on the temperature of the water, two types of steeping are
distinguished:

Bruhstuck: the seeds are steeped in hot water (70-100.degree. C.). The
container containing the water and the seeds is stored either for 6
hours at 20.degree. C. or for 4 hours at 40.degree. C.

Quellstuck: the seeds are steeped in cold water (10-30.degree. C.). The
mixture of seeds and water is stored either for 12 hours at 20.degree.
C. or for 8 hours at 40.degree. C.

The proportion of water and seeds is generally 1 to 1. After steeping,
all the water is absorbed by the seeds.

However, during steeping, undesirable fermentations can take place due
to microbial contaminations. These fermentations have a harmful effect
on the taste and are unacceptable for public health reasons. These
contaminations, in particular the growth of Bacillus mesentericus (an
agent which causes dough to become ropy) the spores of which are
resistant to cooking in an oven, should be avoided.

Steeping thus constitutes a critical stage with respect to the
microbiological quality of the obtained product. Hygiene precautions
must consequently be taken by the user.

The conventional Bruhstuck and Quellstuck preparation in any case
requires a lengthy operating time, in particular for the presteeping.

Various publications describe products, in particular cereal products,
which have been treated by acidification and by cooking in order to be
used as it is in food applications.

The document EP-A-0415787 describes rice which is stable on storage and
which is pasteurized in acidic medium. The targeted aim is to obtain a
product described as a convenience food which can be rapidly reheated
by the user and which retains its organoleptic features. It is proposed
to use polymeric acids, such as alginic acid.

In column 6, lines 39 et seq., it is indicated that it is desirable to
obtain rice which is firm without being hard, rubbery or soft and that
it must moreover be non-sticky. The rice can be precooked or partially
cooked.

It is indicated that this rice, advantageously in the absence of free
water, can be packaged in a container which is impermeable to
microorganisms, so as to ensure its stability during storage. Packaging
is preferably carried out under vacuum (column 9, lines 13-50).

It thus does not in any way relate to softened seeds constituting an
ingredient with other constituents in a food composition.

The document EP-A-0191573 describes a process for the treatment of
foodstuffs, such as vegetables and cereal seeds, by treatment in the
presence of a mixture of an acid and lactones, in particular the
aldonic acid and the corresponding lactones, for the purpose of
sterilizing them at lower temperatures and/or for shorter times while
retaining the intrinsic properties of the foodstuff.

It again relates to obtaining a product which can be described as a
convenience food which is used as it is. The product can be packaged
hermetically and then heat treated.

On page 44, lines 4-21, reference is made to a series of products which
can be treated in this way, among which appear unleavened doughs which
are not intended for bakery applications.

A series of other documents, such as the document GB-A-807084 (Example
V), the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,570 (see the examples) and the
document Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 17, No. 589 (C-1124), which
makes reference to the document JP-A-05176693, relate to cereal
foodstuffs, essentially rice and groats, which are heat and acid
treated and which undergo a final drying.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The process of the present invention is targeted at overcoming the
abovementioned disadvantages by making available to the professional
user softened ready-for-use seeds, of guaranteed microbiological
quality, in the form of a packaging which ensures their preservation.
Thus, the present invention relates to convenience food which is used
"as is" by the user. The present invention is targeted at obtaining a
precooked product derived from whole and crushed seeds which have been
softened and which is used as an ingredient in food compositions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The process of the present invention comprises the following stages:

mixing the seeds to be steeped with water, preferably in the proportion
of one volume of seeds per volume of water;

acidifying the mixture of seeds and water to a pH of less than 4.5 and
preferably of less than 4.2; and

cooking the obtained acidified mixture of seeds and water and possibly
packaging the moist product.

Salt (NaCl) is preferably added to the mixture of seeds and of water,
in the preferred proportion of approximately 2% calculated with respect
to the weight of the seeds.

The acidification can be carried out by addition either of lactic acid
or of acetic acid or of citric acid or of other acids, whether organic
or inorganic.

The acidification can also be obtained by adding, to the
seeds/water/salt (NaCl) mixture, an amount of sourdough to produce the
desired pH. A sourdough is a mixture of flour (rye, wheat or others),
of water and optionally of other ingredients (sugars, salt (NaCl), and
the like) fermented by lactic acid bacteria. This lactic fermentation
can be spontaneous or induced either by a mother sponge or by a
starting preparation (starter) of lyophilized lactic ferments. Lactic
bacteria produce lactic and acetic acid from the sugars of the flour
and from the added sugars. The sourdough is thus acidic and can be used
to decrease the pH of the abovementioned mixture of seeds, water and of
salt (NaCl).

In this case, on the one hand, the sourdough acts as an acidifying
agent and, on the other hand, it enriches the aroma of the bread,
prepared with soaked seeds according to the invention.

Various additional ingredients, in particular those conventionally used
in bakery applications, can be incorporated in the preparation. Mention
may be made, among these, of various enzymes, proteins (e.g. gluten),
fungicides, polysaccharides (e.g. guar) or alternatively of products
which make it possible to preserve the freshness of the bread. Mention
may also be made salts such as propionates and sorbates which release
their free acid form in the presence of stronger acids (such as the
lactic acid present in the preparation). They are used in the
proportion of 1 to 10 g/kg.

It is possible to carry out this cooking either directly in the
packaging container, insofar as it is resistant to cooking, or
separately, for example in a cooking vessel with transfer of the cooked
product into appropriate packagings under aseptic conditions.
Preferably, in one case as in the other, the packaging is a vacuum
packaging.

However, in practice, the acidified mixture of seeds, of water and of
salt is preferably directly vacuum wrapped in packagings (sachets and
the like) which are resistant to cooking.

The packagings containing the acidified seeds/water/salt mixture are
then placed in a cooker of autoclave type so as to cook the product
with a temperature between 95.degree. C. and 120.degree. C. for 10 to
60 minutes. This cooking softens the seeds by gelatinization of the
starch and destroys the microorganisms contained in the product
(sterilization). The cooking thus contributes to the preservation of
the product and the undesirable fermentations are inhibited by the heat
treatment and by the addition of acid. The salt can also contribute to
the stabilization of the product.

The cooking is halted as soon as the softness of the seeds is
satisfactory. The softness criteria are as follows:

the seed must soften

a slight resistance to mastication ("al dente") remains

the crumb of a loaf of bread containing these seeds is easy to slice

the seeds must not disintegrate after a loaf of bread containing these
seeds has been baked.

The temperature/cooking time combination is related to the type of
seeds to be treated and will be determined easily by the person skilled
in the art.

The final preparation of treated softened seeds according to the
invention keeps for a minimum of 6 months at room temperature.

By way of illustration, various applications of the invention will be
described in the following examples.

EXAMPLE 1



______________________________________
Composition of the mixture
Ingredients Amounts (g)
______________________________________
Rye kernels 368.03
Water 551.12
Salt 7.33
Liquid rye sourdough* 73.52
Total 1000.00
______________________________________
*: titratable acidity of the sourdough: 105 ml 0.1 N NaOH/10 g
place the mixture obtained in a sachet or a container which is
resistant
to cooking
seal the mixture under vacuum in the packaging
cook the mixture in an autoclave at 120.degree. C. for 20 minutes



EXAMPLE 2


______________________________________
Composition of the mixture
Ingredients Amounts (g)
______________________________________
Wheat kernels 368.03
Water 551.12
Salt 7.33
Liquid rye sourdough* 73.52
Total 1000.00
______________________________________
*: titratable acidity of the sourdough: 105 ml 0.1 N NaOH/10 g
place the mixture obtained in a sachet or a container which is
resistant
to cooking
seal the mixture under vacuum in the packaging
cook the mixture in an autoclave at 120.degree. C. for 20 minutes



EXAMPLE 3


______________________________________
Composition of the mixture
______________________________________
mix 500 ml of whole rye seeds with 500 ml of water.
Acidify to pH 4.0 by adding an 88% lactic acid solution
place the mixture obtained in a sachet or a container
which is resistant to cooking
seal the mixture under vacuum in the packaging
cook the mixture in an autoclave at 120.degree. C. for 20 minutes
______________________________________
______________________________________
Recipe for rye bread with Bruhstuck
Ingredients Amounts (kg)
______________________________________
Rye flour (type 1150)
0.700
Wheat flour (type 550) 0.300
Bruhstuck (rye seeds) 0.300
cf. Example 1
Purasauer* 0.035
Salt 0.024
Yeast 0.012
Water 0.975**

Try this for lots of other bread and related patent applications:

http://www.patentstorm.us/class/426/...ked_goods.html

On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 08:41:11 -0800, Ron wrote
.com>):

> German and Russian rye baking often specifies the use of a scald
> (Brühstück/Zavarka) or cold soak (Quellstück).
>
> I accidentally found a website about a patent that was applied for (I
> think by a Belgian group), which lowered the time necessary for a
> Brühstück to stand and mature. If you look at the information about
> the patent (in English), you can get a lot of very useful and
> interesting information about how the Brühstück works and how it
> differs from a cold soak.

Comments from a geriatric chemist:

a) the function of patents is to discourage potential competitors (by
making the patent claims sufficiently broad).

b) the examples supplied in the patent have to fall within the ambit of
the claims but are usually not commercially viable.

SNIP

>
> The temperature/cooking time combination is related to the type of
> seeds to be treated and will be determined easily by the person skilled
> in the art.
>
SNIP

> EXAMPLE 1
>
>
>
> ______________________________________
> Composition of the mixture
> Ingredients Amounts (g)
> ______________________________________
> Rye kernels 368.03
> Water 551.12
> Salt 7.33
> Liquid rye sourdough* 73.52
> Total 1000.00
> ______________________________________
> *: titratable acidity of the sourdough: 105 ml 0.1 N NaOH/10 g
> place the mixture obtained in a sachet or a container which is
> resistant to cooking
> seal the mixture under vacuum in the packaging
> cook the mixture in an autoclave at 120.degree. C. for 20 minutes
>

Comments:

a) titratable acidity is not a measure of pH; and

b) while few bakers are likely to have an autoclave (and achieve a
temperature of 120°C), many are likely to have a pressure cooker that
probably runs at about 105°C. There are few contaminating spores that
are likely to survive long at 105°C. These bakers will of course, be
"persons skilled in the art" and be infringing the patent (if it was
granted).

Felix Karpfen
--
Felix Karpfen
Public Key 72FDF9DF (DH/DSA)