WITH HIGH CONTENTS IN ALIMENTARY FIBER AND REDUCED CONTENTS

IN CALORIES, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

This invention concerns a dietetic aliment in form of biscuits with high contents in natural fibers

and low contents in calories.

The invention concerns also the methods 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 to which many of the base products of

the nourishment are subjected.

Among these procedures, there are: flour's sifting,

rice and other cereals and similar's hulling.

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This lack in fiber brings two very serious inconve¬

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 overalimentation.

These inconveniences -by themselves- and even more

so if associated, are the main responsibles of the eccess of weight, until obesity that afflicts

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,

to induce the alimentary industries not to produce refined foods, modern dietetics, at present, aims

at studying compositions of products containing natural fibers, and 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 shapejis gluco- mannan, that is the fundamental ingredient of such fiber integrators.

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Glucomannan is drawn from Amorphofallus Konjac,

a tuber of Far East origin.

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It has the peculiarity of increasing its volume

when soaked with water, until 100 times its initial

volume.

Therefore glucomannan is very satisfying 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 goods easily eatable

and provided with alluring peculiarities of taste

and flavour have failed.

Therefore up to now glucomannan has been given

almost exclusively in capsules and its confection

of medicinal type doesn't attract the consumers

to use it.

Applicant, on the contrary, has tested and got

ready a particular composition of ingredients inclu¬

ding glucomannan, that, when subjected to a procedu¬

re involving a precise succession of operations,

allows the production of biscuits which fully sati-

sfy the need to supply glucomannan ¹ s fiber in an

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alluring and tasteful pleasant shape.

Applicant has found that some compositions contai-

ning the ingredients quoted in the following exam¬

ples in the indicated range of proportions, are

suitable, when appropriately prepared and baked,

to form biscuits with a good flavour and a very

good taste.

The general composition in weight is as follows:

Wheat meal 40÷60%

Sugar 10÷16%

Refined vegetable oil 10÷16%

Glucomannan 5÷25%

Maize meal 5÷10%

Honey 0,1÷ 2%

Ammonium bicarbonate 1%

Refined salt 0,2÷ 1%

Sodium bicarbonate 0,2÷0,5%

Flavours 0,3÷0,6%

and, besides, water in the proportion of 11 kgs

per 100 kgs, of the above.

In particular, applicant has found out, after a

number of tests, that in order to obtain the best

results in a diet, the two following compositions,

respectively for biscuits with 10% and 20% of gluco-

mannan, have proved to be excellent to the task:

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Normal biscuit (10%):

Wheat meal 52%

Sugar 13,5%

Refined vegetable oil 13,2%

Glucomannan 10,0%

Maize meal 7,8%

Honey 1,4%

Ammonium bicarbonate 1,07%

Refined salt 0,25% Sodium bicarbonate 0,21%

Flavour 0,3%

Strong biscuit (20%):

Wheat meal 44,0%

Sugar 13,5%

Refined vegetable oil 13,2%

Glucomannan 20,0%

Maize, meal 5,8%

Honey 1,4%

Ammonium bicarbonate 1,07%

Refined salt 0,25%

Sodium bicarbonate 0,21%

Flavour 0,3% In particular in the product tested by the applicant

the quality of Glucomannan used is known like highly

refined and with high molecular weight and viscosi-

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ty, that has proved to be the best for the aims

of the invention.

In connection with both the normal type and strong

type of biscuit, a method has been devised that,

unique, allows the production of the biscuits.

This method includes the following steps: a) intimate blending apart glucomannan and vegetable

oil; b) kneading together the other ingredients; c) amalgamating the blend of glucomannan and vegeta¬ ble oil in the previous mixture;

d) compressing the final knead in the normal shapes

led by rolls used to mould the biscuits; e) depositing the obtained shapes on a conveyor

belt that passes through various cooking rooms

with increasing temperatures from 130°C to 180°C.

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