Reduced Sugar Coating Using Type 4 Resistant Starch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ready-to-eat cereals with sugar coatings face challenges in reducing sugar content without compromising bulk, taste, and appearance, as artificial sweeteners often have off-flavors and removing sugar affects the frosted appearance.
Innovation Solution
A reduced sugar coating using a 67 Brix liquid sugar syrup with type 4 resistant starch, such as potato starch, to maintain bulk and frosted appearance, potentially combined with natural or artificial sweeteners, replaces the removed sugar.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If sugar is removed or reduced from the coating, then calorie content is reduced, but bulk and frosted appearance are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses type 4 resistant starch as an intermediary substance to replace sugar in the coating. This starch serves as a mediator that provides the necessary bulk and structural properties without the caloric content of sugar, while also maintaining the frosted appearance through its physical properties in the coating matrix.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the compositional parameters of the coating by reducing sugar content and substituting with type 4 resistant starch. This parameter change maintains the physical bulk and appearance properties while altering the caloric content, achieving the desired reduction in energy without sacrificing quantity.
2Loss of energy
If sugar is removed or reduced from the coating, then calorie content is reduced, but frosted appearance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Type 4 resistant starch acts as an intermediary that preserves the visual properties of the coating. It maintains the frosted appearance by providing similar light-scattering and surface properties to sugar, while eliminating the caloric content associated with sugar.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent effectively copies the functional and visual properties of sugar-based coatings using type 4 resistant starch. The starch replicates the bulk, texture, and frosted appearance characteristics of traditional sugar coatings without replicating the caloric content, creating a visually identical but nutritionally modified product.
3Quantity of substance
If artificial sweeteners are used to replace sugar, then sweetness is maintained, but off-flavors are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs natural sweetening approaches through the resistant starch matrix rather than relying on artificial sweeteners. This approach uses food-grade, naturally occurring components that provide acceptable flavor profiles without the persistent off-flavors associated with artificial sweetening agents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of reduced sugar (loss of sweetness) into a benefit by using type 4 resistant starch, which has neutral or desirable flavor characteristics. This approach transforms the challenge of sugar reduction into an opportunity to use natural, clean-label ingredients that avoid artificial flavor issues.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a reduced sugar coating for coating a variety of food products including ready-to-eat cereals, granola, trail mix, energy bars, granola bars, cookies, cakes, pies, crackers, and muffins. The reduced sugar coating provides a frosted appearance to the food products and permits up to 50% reduction of the sugar in a coating composition while maintaining the taste, texture and function of a full sugar coating composition. The removed sugar is replaced by a type 4 resistant starch in an amount of from 0.1 to 1.0 parts of type 4 resistant starch per every 3 parts of removed sugar. Preferably the source of the type 4 resistant starch is potato, however the source can also comprise wheat, corn, rice, tapioca, quinoa, a legume, barley, banana, sorghum, oat, millet, sweet potato, or mixtures thereof.