WITH HIGH CONTENTS IN ALIMENTARY FIBER AND REDUCED CONTENTS

IN CALORIES AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

This invention concerns a dietetic aliment in the form of cracker with high contents in natural fibers and reduced contents in calories.

This invention concerns also the method for produ- cing this aliment.

The aliments eaten by the largest part of the popu¬

lations of the most developed countries are very

lacking in fibers because of the procedures of

refinement are subjected. Among these procedures, there are: flour's sifting, rise and other cereals and similar's hulling.

This lack in fiber brings two very serious inconve-

§yBS7ITUTI SHEET

niences :

- a growing laziness of the intestine;

- the difficulty in reaching the sensation of satie¬ ty with a consequent lasting of the pangs of hunger

even after eating a sufficient quantity of food from the point of view of the caloric contribution with a consequent overalimentatio .

These inconveniences - by themselves - and even

more so if associated, are the main responsibles

of the eccess of weight, until obesity, that affli¬

cts a high percentage of people belonging to the above mentioned populations.

As it seems impossible either to re-educate the

consumers to eat rough products, or in consequence, inducing the alimentary industries not to produce refined foods, modern dietetics at present aims at studying compositions of products containing natural fibers, and at prescribing them as meals fiber integrators, especially in people with an altered lipidic or glycidic metabolism.

One of the main, if not the most important supplier

of natural fibers in a concentrated shape is gluco¬ mannan, that is the fundamental ingredient of such a fiber integrators.

Glucomannan is drawn from Amorphofallus Konjac,

SUBSTITUTE. SHiEET

a tuber of Far East origin.

It has the peculiarity of increasing its volume

when soaked with water, until 100 times its initial

volume.

Therefore glucomannan is very satisfying even from

the point of view of provoking the desired sense

of satiety.

However, glucomannan, because of its tendency to

loose its peculiarities of swelling when subjected to manipulations and cooking doesn't fit for making

finished goods and all the attempts made up to

now to produce glucomannan's goods easily eatable and provided with alluring peculiarities of taste

and flavour have failed.

Therefore up to now the administration of glucoman¬ nan has been made up to now almost exclusively

in capsules and its confection of medicinal type doesn't attract the consumers to use it.

Applicant, on the contrary, has found and got ready a particular composition of ingredients including glucomannan, that when subjected to a procedure involving a precise succession of operations allows

the production of crackers which fully satisfy

the need to supply glucomannan's fiber in an allu-

ring and tasteful pleasant shape. iUiSTITUTE 8HIIT

The applicant has found that some compositions

containing the ingredients quoted in the following

examples in the indicated range of proportions, are suitable, when appropriately prepared and baked,

to form crackers with a good flavour and a very

good taste.

The general composition in weight is as follows: Wheat meal 60÷85%

Refined vegetable oil 8÷16% Glucomannan 2÷10%

Malt extract l÷ 2,2%

Refined salt l÷ 2%

Yeast 0,2÷ 0,8%

In particular, the applicant has tested that in

order to get crackers that respect the exigence

of adapting the production's technical requirements

with the dietetic direction to which the crackers are addressed, the following particular composition

is the best one: Wheat meal 82,3%

Refined vegetable oil 9,4%

Glucomannan 4,7%

Malt extract 1,6%

Refined salt 1,3%

Yeast 0,7%

SU STITUTE SHEET

In particular in the product tested by applicant the quality of Glucomannan used is known like highly refined and with high molecular weight and viscosity

that has proved to be the best for the aims of

the invention.

In connection with the composition for producing

the cracker a method has been devised that, unique, allows such production.

This method includes the following steps:

a) intimate blending apart glucomannan and vegetable

oil;

b) kneading together the other ingredients;

c) leaving the knead rise for about 18 hours; d) amalgamating the blend of glucomannan and refined i vegetable oil in the risen knead; e) let the whole knead rise for about 30-60';

f) superimposing in sheets of pastry and laminating

the dough; g) engraving the lamina with round-die;

h) depositing the lamina on the stove grating and baking it for about 3-4 ' at a temperature of 220°-320° C.

βu∞TirurE SHEET