Allulose-Based Cereal Bar Composition for Low-Calorie Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cereal bars have high calorie and sugar content, leading to health issues, and often have a hard texture that is unsuitable for breakfast substitutes, necessitating a low-calorie, low-sugar alternative with improved moisture content and savory properties.
Innovation Solution
A cereal bar composition incorporating allulose, nuts, dried fruits, and cereals with a moisture content of 3-7% and water activity of 0.200-0.600, along with isomalto-oligosaccharide and starch syrup, which reduces saccharide content by 10-90% and calorie intake by 10-50% compared to sucrose-based bars, while maintaining sweetness and texture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If sucrose and starch syrup are used to provide sweetness in cereal bars, then sweetness is improved, but calorie content increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the sweetening agent from sucrose/starch syrup to allulose. Allulose provides comparable sweetness but with significantly lower caloric impact as it is not metabolized by the body, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining sweetness and reducing calorie content
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite sweetening system combining allulose with other functional ingredients like isomalto-oligosaccharide and starch syrup in specific proportions. This composite approach allows optimization of both sweetness perception and caloric reduction, achieving a balance that neither ingredient could provide alone
2Ease of operation
If moisture content is increased to improve savory properties and texture, then chewing sensation is improved, but microbiological stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the water activity parameter to a specific range (0.15-0.60) through controlled moisture content (3-7%). This parameter optimization allows the product to maintain soft, chewable texture while staying below the threshold for microbial growth, thus resolving the contradiction between texture improvement and stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses allulose as an intermediary substance that binds water molecules through hydrogen bonding. This intermediary action allows high moisture content to coexist with low water activity, enabling both improved chewing sensation and maintained microbiological stability simultaneously
3Use of energy by moving object
If allulose content is increased to reduce calories, then calorie reduction is improved, but sweetness intensity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges allulose with isomalto-oligosaccharide and starch syrup in a composite formulation. Allulose provides the caloric reduction benefit while the other ingredients contribute to sweetness intensity, achieving a synergistic effect that satisfies both calorie reduction and sweetness requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different functional ingredients in specific proportions tailored to their local strengths: allulose (3-20%) for caloric reduction, isomalto-oligosaccharide (5-30%) for sweetness enhancement, and starch syrup (10-40%) for texture and additional sweetness. This localized optimization resolves the contradiction between calorie reduction and sweetness maintenance
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cereal bar composition comprising allulose and a process for preparing the cereal bar composition, and provides the cereal bar composition having high sugar content and low calorie and having a soft sensory property.