Nutritious snack products
Snacks are provided that contains fruit or vegetable materials. Snacks can be formulated to provide one half of a serving and up to and including at least one serving, and fractions therebetween, of fruit or vegetable in a single 28 gram serving of snack. The snacks can comprise 12% or less fat. A fruit snack can comprise from about 12% to about 66% of fruit source solids; from about 34% to about 88% of starch; from about 0.1% to about 5.0% of water; and from about 0% to about 54% of optional ingredients.
1 . A snack chip comprising fruit source solids or vegetable source solids and wherein the snack chip comprises less than about 12% fat.
2 . A plurality of snack chips according to claim 1 and wherein at least one half of a serving of fruit or at least one half of a serving of vegetable is provided by one serving of snack chips.
3 . A plurality of snack chips according to claim 1 and wherein one serving of fruit or one serving of vegetable is provided by one serving of snack chips.
4 . The snack chip of claim 1 , and wherein the snack chip has a water absorption value of less than 2.5.
5 . The snack chip of claim 1 and wherein the chip is made by:
a) combining dry ingredients with water to form a dough;
b) sheeting the dough;
c) cutting the dough into pieces;
d) drying the pieces into a half product;
e) baking the half product into the snack chip.
6 . A snack, comprising:
a) from about 12% to about 66% of fruit source solids;
b) from about 34% to about 88% of starch material;
c) from about 0.1% to about 5.0% of water; and
d) from about 0% to about 54% of optional ingredients.
7 . The snack chip of claim 6 and wherein the starch material comprises rice.
8 . The snack chip of claim 6 and wherein the starch material comprises tapioca.
9 . The snack chip of claim 6 and wherein the starch material comprises rice and tapioca.
10 . The snack chip of claim 6 and further comprising oatmeal.
11 . The snack chip of claim 6 and wherein the snack chip comprises less than 12% fat.
12 . A plurality of snack chips according to claim 6 and wherein a plurality of snack chips delivers one serving of fruit per one serving of snack chip.
13 . The snack chip of claim 6 and wherein the snack chip comprises less than 12% fat and wherein one serving of the snack chips delivers one serving of fruit.
14 . The snack chip of claim 6 and wherein the snack chip has a water absorption between about 1.5 and about 2.5.
15 . The snack chip of claim 6 and wherein the snack chip has a fracture strength of from about 100 gf to about 700 gf.
16 . A dough for use in preparing a snack chip, comprising:
a) from about 20% to about 81% of fruit puree;
b) from about 15% to about 50% pre-gelatinized starch material;
c) from about 0% to about 65% optional ingredients.
17 . The dough of claim 16 and wherein the pre-gelatinized starch material comprises rice.
18 . The dough of claim 16 and wherein the pre-gelatinized starch material comprises tapioca.
19 . The dough of claim 16 and wherein the pre-gelatinized starch material comprises rice and tapioca.
20 . The dough of claim 16 and wherein the optional ingredients comprise oatmeal and water.
21 . A method for making a snack chip, comprising:
a) forming a dough by mixing:
1 . 7% to 50% of fruit source solids;
2 . 12% to 50% of pre-gelatinized starch material; and
3 . 0% to 81% of optional ingredients;
b) forming the dough into a thin sheet;
c) forming the thin sheet into a snack chip; and
d) drying the snack chip to a moisture content of between about 0.3% and 3%.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the drying step comprises at least a first stage and a second stage, wherein the first stage comprises drying the thin sheet to a half product having a moisture content of between about 4% and 16%, and wherein the second stage comprises drying the half product to a moisture content of between about 0.3% and 3%.
23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the drying is achieved at atmospheric pressure.
24 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the forming of a dough into a thin sheet comprises at least of one of milling, gauging, rotary molding, and non-heat extrusion.
25 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the pre-gelatinized starch material comprises tapioca.
26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the tapioca is less than 100% gelatinized.
27 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the forming the thin sheet into a snack chip comprises cutting out of the thin sheet of dough a desired size and shape of the snack chip prior to the drying.
28 . The method of claim 21 , wherein said fruit source solids is prepared by maceration of fresh fruit.