Reduced sugar pre-sweetened breakfast cereals comprising tri- and tetra saccharides and methods of preparation

Abstract

A reduced sugar presweetened ready to eat breakfast cereal is prepared by coating dried cereal base pieces or food pieces with a reduced-sugar composition comprising maltotriose, maltotetrose in full or partial substitution for sucrose, and a high potency sweetener. The reduced-sugar coating can have a sucrose content of less than 70%, yet provides taste, texture, appearance, and bowl life that mimics presweetened R-T-E cereals having a coating with more sucrose.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e)(1) of a provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 142,972 filed Jan. 7, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entity.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to food products and to methods to prepare food products, more particularly, to food products having reduced sugar coating compositions and comprising tri- and tetrasaccharides, to food products including such reduced sugar coating compositions such as breakfast cereals, and to their methods for their preparation.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Cereal products, particularly ready-to-eat (hereinafter “R-T-E”) breakfast cereals, are well-known and popular food items, particularly presweetened R-T-E cereals. Typically, such products include various coatings usually comprising nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners such as sucrose, sugar alcohols, corn syrup, dextrose, polydextrose, fruc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]B. applying a reduced-sugar composition as a coating or binder in the form of a slurry, said composition comprising a mixture of DP3 and/or DP4, sucrose sugar, and at least one high potency sweetener, and wherein the sug...

Problems solved by technology

One problem with sugar coated R-T-E cereals is the high amount of sugar in the finished product that is necessary to impart sweetness and assist in maintaining the desired texture in milk, referred to as bowl life.

While useful in reducing the sugar content of R-T-E cereals, the finished products containing such substitutes often suffer from the absence of certain physical and organoleptic attributes provided by the presence of sugar-based coatings.

In particular, the products can lack the bite or crispness and bowl life in milk exhibited by sugar coatings and require special packaging to minimize water absorption.

These clumps are undesirable in the finished product and must be removed before packaging, which reduces production yield.

Another drawback of using a low conversion corn syrup as a sugar substitute is its tendency to take up moisture (hygroscopicity) requires that cereals including corn syrup must be shielded from humidity with special packaging.

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