JAPAN: Japanese company gets US Patent for 30-second pasta

Japanese company Feed Up Inc. has been issued US Patent 6,136,355 for its inventor, T. Fukuyama's new method of preparing dry pastas or noodles so that the consumer can have a meal ready in 30 seconds. The initial application for a Japanese Patent was made on 11th June 1997, which resulted in the issue of a Japanese Patent. As per US law, the US application has to be made within one year, which was made exactly on 10th June '98. The US Patent was issued last week, on 24th October. Feed Up already had the same inventor's US Patent 6,036,987 issued 14th March this year. The Abstract of the latest Patent is reproduced below : Dry pastas or noodles are heated with either wet or dry heat to convert their surface layer portion to the .alpha.-starch form and, if the heating is done by wet heat, the moisture in the surface of the pasta or noodle strings is removed and, thereafter, the pasta or noodle strings are put into a sealable container, which is then injected with a specified amount of water and sealed, followed by reheating of the pasta or noodle strings. Pastas such as spaghetti and macaroni or noodles such as udon, soba, hiyamugi, kishimen and Chinese noodles can be cooked by just boiling them or a short time or heating them in a microwave oven and yet they develop the same texture as can be attained by fully boiling dry or raw pastas or noodles.

November 1, 2000

Japanese company Feed Up Inc. has been issued US Patent 6,136,355 for its inventor, T. Fukuyama’s new method of preparing dry pastas or noodles so that the consumer can have a meal ready in 30 seconds. The initial application for a Japanese Patent was made on 11th June 1997, which resulted in the issue of a Japanese Patent. As per US law, the US application has to be made within one year, which was made exactly on 10th June ’98. The US Patent was issued last week, on 24th October. Feed Up already had the same inventor’s US Patent 6,036,987 issued 14th March this year. The Abstract of the latest Patent is reproduced below :

Dry pastas or noodles are heated with either wet or dry heat to convert their surface layer portion to the .alpha.-starch form and, if the heating is done by wet heat, the moisture in the surface of the pasta or noodle strings is removed and, thereafter, the pasta or noodle strings are put into a sealable container, which is then injected with a specified amount of water and sealed, followed by reheating of the pasta or noodle strings. Pastas such as spaghetti and macaroni or noodles such as udon, soba, hiyamugi, kishimen and Chinese noodles can be cooked by just boiling them or a short time or heating them in a microwave oven and yet they develop the same texture as can be attained by fully boiling dry or raw pastas or noodles.