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.

1 . A reduced-sugar slurry, comprising:
 a. at least one nutritive carbohydrate;   b. at least one tri-saccharide or tetra-saccharide;   c. at least one high potency sweetener; and   d. sufficient amounts of moisture to form a syrup.   
     
     
         2 . A reduced-sugar slurry, comprising:
 a. about 70% or less sucrose (dry weight basis);   b. about 5-99% tri-saccharide or tetra-saccharides;   c. about 0.01-2% of at least one high potency sweetener;   d. about 0-15% of at least one sugar alcohol; and   e. about 0-40% of at least one triglyceride.   
     
     
         3 . The slurry of  claim 2 , comprising:
 a. about 50% or less (dry weight basis) sucrose;   b. about 10-80% tri-saccharide or tetra-saccharides;   c. about 0.01-1.5% of at least one high potency sweetener;   d. about 1-15% of at least one sugar alcohol; and   e. about 0-10% of at least one triglyceride.   
     
     
         4 . The slurry of  claim 2  further comprising:
 a. about 30-40% (dry weight basis) sucrose;   b. about 40-80% tri-saccharide or tetra-saccharides;   c. about 0.03-0.7% of at least one high potency sweetener;   d. about 1-2% of at least one sugar alcohol; and   e. about 10% or less of at least one triglyceride.   
     
     
         5 . The slurry of  claim 2  further comprising:
 about 10-30% corn syrup solids.   
     
     
         6 . A reduced-sugar slurry, comprising:
 a. at least one nutritive carbohydrate;   b. a tri-saccharide; and   c. at least one high potency sweetener.   
     
     
         7 . The slurry as in either  claim 1 ,  2 ,  3 , or  4 ,
 wherein the tri-saccharide and tetra-saccharides mixture comprises about 35-45% tri-saccharide and about 15-25% tetra-saccharides.   
     
     
         8 . The slurry as in either  claim 1 ,  2 ,  3 , or  4 ,
 wherein the tri-saccharide and tetra-saccharides mixture comprises about 35-45% tri-saccharide and about 25-35% tetra-saccharides.   
     
     
         9 . The slurry as in either  claim 1 ,  2 ,  3 , or  4 ,  5  or  6  wherein the at least one high potency sweetener includes a  stevia  extract. 
     
     
         10 . The slurry as in either  claim 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 , or  6  wherein the at least one high potency sweetener includes a lo han fruit extract. 
     
     
         11 . The slurry as in either  claim 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 , or  6  wherein the at least one high potency sweetener includes sucralose. 
     
     
         12 . A method of preparing a reduced-sugar food product using the reduced-sugar slurry of  claim 7 , comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a food base;   b. coating the food base with the reduced-sugar slurry;   c. admixing the food base and slurry; and   d. drying the product.   
     
     
         13 . A method of preparing a reduced-sugar food product using the reduced-sugar slurry of  claim 8 , comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a food base;   b. coating the food base with the reduced-sugar slurry;   c. admixing the food base and slurry; and   d. drying the product.   
     
     
         14 . A method of preparing a reduced-sugar food product using the reduced-sugar slurry of  claim 9 , comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a food base;   b. coating the food base with the reduced-sugar slurry;   c. admixing the food base and slurry; and   d. drying the product.   
     
     
         15 . A method of preparing a reduced-sugar food product using the reduced-sugar slurry of  claim 10 , comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a food base;   b. coating the food base with the reduced-sugar slurry;   c. admixing the food base and slurry; and   d. drying the product.   
     
     
         16 . A method of preparing a reduced-sugar food product using the reduced-sugar slurry of  claim 11 , comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a food base;   b. coating the food base with the reduced-sugar slurry;   c. admixing the food base and slurry; and   d. drying the product.   
     
     
         17 . The method as in either  claim 12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 , or  16  further comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a food base in which the food base includes a cereal base;   b. providing adjuvant ingredients comprising, vitamins, minerals, and flavors;   c. admixing the base, slurry and adjuvant ingredients to make a R-T-E cereal;   d. drying the R-T-E cereal; and   e. packaging the R-T-E cereal.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a cereal base at a dry weight basis of about 75% or less including 50-75%;   b. coating the cereal base with the reduced-sugar slurry, said slurry comprising a weight basis of about 25-50% and heated to about 93-149° C., including about 95-127° C. and about 110-121° C.;   c. providing adjuvant ingredients comprising, vitamins, minerals, and flavors at a dry weight basis of about 0-2%;   d. admixing the base, slurry and adjuvant ingredients to make a R-T-E cereal;   e. efficiently drying the R-T-E cereal to less than 5% moisture, including about 1-2.5% moisture; and   f. cooling the R-T-E cereal.   
     
     
         19 . The method as in either  claim 12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 , or  16  further comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a food base in which the food base includes clusters of food ingredients;   b. coating the clusters with the reduced-sugar slurry;   c. providing adjuvant ingredients comprising, vitamins, minerals, and flavors;   d. agglomerating the clusters, slurry, and adjuvant ingredients to make a comestible;   e. molding the comestible; and   f. drying the comestible.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of:
 a. providing clusters at a dry weight basis of about 50-75%;   b. coating the clusters with the reduced-sugar slurry, said slurry comprising a weight basis of about 25-50%;   c. providing adjuvant ingredients comprising, vitamins, minerals, and flavors at a dry weight basis of about 0-2%;   d. agglomerating the clusters, slurry and adjuvant ingredients to make a comestible;   e. molding the comestible;   f. drying the comestible to about less than 5% moisture, including about 1-2.5% moisture; and   g. packaging the comestible.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising the steps of:
 a. providing clusters comprising bits of fruit, cereal, grains, flakes, puffs, oat flakes, nuts, and marshmallows, said bits about 0.5-4 mm in size, including about 0.5-2 mm; and   b. adding the bits to a cereal base ranging in ratios of about 1:100 to about 25:100, preferably about 5:100 to about 15:100.   
     
     
         22 . A method of preparing a reduced-sugar R-T-E cereal, comprising the steps of:
 a. cooking a dry mix cereal base at a dry weight basis of about 90%, and a syrup at a dry weight basis of about 10%;   b. introducing the cereal base to a pellet dryer to further reduce the moisture content;   c. introducing the cereal base to a shaping apparatus, including a flaking roll;   d. drying or toasting the shaped cereal base;   e. introducing the dried or toasted cereal base comprising a dry weight basis of about 65% and a reduced-sugar slurry at a weight basis of about 35% to an enrober to coat the cereal base with the slurry, wherein the slurry comprises about 70% or less sugars, including about 99% or less of a mixture of DP3 and DP4;   f. introducing the coated cereal to a finish dryer;   g. cooling the dried, coated cereal including about 1.8% moisture.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  in which the mixture of tri-saccharide and tetra-saccharide comprises about 35-45% tri-saccharide and about 15-25% tetra-saccharide. 
     
     
         24 . A method of making a reduced-sugar comestible as disclosed in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 , or  FIG. 4 .