Reduced sucrose sugar coatings for cereals and methods of preparation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11297870-B2
Application number	US-201113173298-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2011
Priority date	Jul 1, 2010
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed are improved sugar coatings for topically pre-sweetened food products that are sugar reduced whether in the form of a syrup or in the form of a dried coating. The syrup form is useful as an intermediate product in the preparation of pre-sweetened food products. In dry form, the present formulations can be a component part of a composite food product especially in the form of a topical coating or filling. The present invention is particularly suited for the preparation of R-T-E pre-sweetened cereals. The coating formulations comprise less than 70% sucrose, corn syrup and 1-20% non-hydrated integrated starch and preferably about 5-10% insoluble mineral salts each of particle size of about 50 microns.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar
slurry coating syrup, comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less;
0.1% to about 15% of a finely milled insoluble fiber; and,
8-25% moisture.

2. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1 additionally comprising about 5 % to about 25 % of an edible insoluble mineral.

3. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the edible-insoluble mineral is calcium carbonate.

4. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the starch ingredient is provided by a whole grain flour ingredient.

5. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the non-hydrated starch is supplied by an insoluble cereal grain bran.

6. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1 , wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup.

7. A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup, comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less, wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided from a low protein flour; and
8-25% moisture.

8. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 7 additionally comprising 0.1% to about 15% of a finely milled insoluble fiber.

9. A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar
slurry coating syrup, comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less; and,
8-25% moisture, wherein the pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup has a sucrose crystallinity value of 25% v/v or less and wherein at least a portion of the non-sucrose soluble solids is provided by an ingredient selected from the group consisting of corn syrup, glucose syrup, inulin, soluble corn fiber and mixtures thereof.

10. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 9 , having a fat content of up to 15%.

11. A method for preparing a pre-sweetener, reduced hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup, comprising the steps:
A. Preparing a sugar make-up slurry comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis),
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids,
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns of less, and,
8-25% moisture; and

B. Heating the sugar make-up slurry with agitation to below the gelatinization temperature of the starch at 170-250° F. (75-121° C.) to dissolve the sucrose and non-sucrose soluble solids to form a hot sugar slurry coating syrup.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided by a cereal grain bran.

13. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of:
C. evaporatively concentrating the hot sugar slurry coating syrup by maintaining the temperature at below the gelatinization temperature of the starch to form a cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry coating syrup having a moisture content ranging from about 8 - 12 % and wherein the non- hydrated starch remains-ungelatinized; and
D. cooling the cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry coating syrup to a temperature of 162° F. (72° C.) or cooler to form a cooled concentrated sugar or saccharide slurry coating syrup having about 40-85% of sugar components and having 25% or less crystallinity.

14. The method of method for preparing a pre-sweetener, reduced hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 11 , wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup.

15. A method for preparing food pieces coated with a pre-sweetener, reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup comprising the steps of:
(a) providing pieces of dried base;
(b) preparing a sugar make-up slurry comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less; and
8-25% moisture, wherein preparing the sugar make-up slurry further comprises: heating the make-up sugar slurry with agitation to below the gelatinization temperature of the starch at 170-250° F. (75-121° C.) to dissolve the sucrose and non-sucrose soluble solids to form a hot sugar slurry liquid;

(c) coating the dried base pieces with the sugar make-up slurry as a pre-sweetener coating, wherein the weight ratio of dried base pieces to coating ranges from 10:1 to 0.5:1 to form coated pieces; and
(d) reducing the moisture content of the coated pieces to a range of less than 5% to provide finished pre-sweetened coated food pieces.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the dried base includes a R-T-E cereal.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the coating additionally comprises about 5-10% of a calcium material.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein of the pre-sweetener coating is hypocrystalline and having a sucrose crystallinity of less than 25%.

19. The method of claim 15 additionally comprising the steps of:
evaporatively concentrating the hot sugar slurry liquid by maintaining the temperature at below the gelatinization temperature of the starch to form a cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry syrup having a moisture content ranging from about 8-12% and wherein the non-hydrated starch remains ungelatinized; and
cooling the cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry syrup to a temperature of 162° F. (72° C.) or cooler to form a cooled concentrated sugar or saccharide syrup having about 40-85% of sugar components and having 25% or less crystallinity.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided by a cereal grain bran.

21. The method for preparing food pieces coated with a pre-sweetener of claim 15 , wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup.

Assignees

• Barrett Christopher J
• Dreese Patrick C
• Green Daniel R
• Huang Victor T
• Nowakowski Christine
• Panda Fern A
• Whitman Scott
• Gen Mills Inc

Inventors

• Barrett Christopher J
• Dreese Patrick C
• Green Daniel R
• Huang Victor T
• Nowakowski Christine
• Panda Fern A
• Whitman Scott

Classifications

• A23L5/00

  Preparation or treatment of foods or foodstuffs, in general; Food or foodstuffs obtained thereby; Materials therefor · CPC title

• A23L7/00

  Cereal-derived products; Malt products; Preparation or treatment thereof (preparation of malt for brewing C12C) · CPC title

• A23L29/30

  containing carbohydrate syrups; containing sugars; containing sugar alcohols, e.g. xylitol; containing starch hydrolysates, e.g. dextrin (products from apiculture A23L21/20; artificial sweetening agents A23L27/30) · CPC title

• A23P20/10

  Coating with edible coatings, e.g. with oils or fats · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title