Low Sugar Presweetened Coated Cereals and Method of Preparation

Abstract

A ready to eat breakfast cereal is prepared by coating dried cereal base pieces with a low sugar sweetener such as a high conversion maltodextrin or low conversion corn syrup that includes a high potency sweetener. The low sugar coating has a sugars content of less than 10% yet provides taste, texture, appearance and bowl life that mimics presweetened RTE cereals having a sucrose based coating.

1 . A method of making low sugar pre-sweetener coated food products comprising:
 providing a base of food pieces; and   applying a low sugar pre-sweetener coating composition on the base to establish a low sugar coated base, said low sugar pre-sweetener coating composition including:
 0.01 to 2% by weight of a high potency sweetener; and 
 80-99.9% of a high conversion maltodextrin or low conversion corn syrup having a dextrose equivalence less than 40 and a degree of polymerization of at least 3; and 
   drying the low sugar coated base to produce low sugar pre-sweetener coated food products having glassy, non-sticky coatings at room temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the low sugar pre-sweetener coating composition is applied as a coating to the base in a weight ratio of base to low sugar pre-sweetener coating composition ranging from 100:5 to 100:150. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the low sugar pre-sweetener coating composition is applied in the form of a liquid slurry having a temperature ranging from about 95 to 150° C. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the low sugar pre-sweetener coating composition is applied at a moisture content ranging from about 5-25% by weight. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the liquid slurry has a moisture content ranging from about 5-10% by weight. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the low sugar coated base includes particulates ranging in size from about 0.5 to 4 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the low sugar coated base is dried to form the low sugar pre-sweetener coated food products having a moisture content ranging from 1-6% by weight. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , additionally comprising the step of packaging the food products in an imperforate moisture barrier packaging. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: forming the food products as puffed R-T-E cereal. 
     
     
         10 . A food product comprising:
 a base; and   a low sugar pre-sweetener coating composition on the base, said coating composition including:
 0.01 to 2% by weight of a high potency sweetener; and 
 80-99.9% of a high conversion maltodextrin or low conversion corn syrup having a dextrose equivalence less than 40 and a degree of polymerization of at least 3; 
   wherein the coating composition provides the food product with a glassy, non-sticky coating at room temperature.   
     
     
         11 . The food product of  claim 10 , wherein the coating composition constitutes about 5 to 60% by weight of the food product. 
     
     
         12 . The food product of  claim 11 , wherein the high potency sweetener constitutes 0.5 to 1.5% by weight of the coating composition. 
     
     
         13 . The food product of  claim 10 , wherein the high potency sweetener of the coating composition is selected from the group consisting of sucralose, acetylsulfame K, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The food product of  claim 10 , wherein the coating composition further includes 1-15% by weight of a humectant, wherein the humectant is glycerin. 
     
     
         15 . The food product of  claim 10 , wherein the coating composition has a T g  of at least 20° C. 
     
     
         16 . The food product of  claim 10 , further comprising: edible food pieces, wherein the coating composition establishes a binder on the base securing the edible food pieces to the base. 
     
     
         17 . The food product of  claim 10 , wherein the base includes low sugar dried food pieces. 
     
     
         18 . The food product of  claim 10 , wherein a weight ratio of base to coating composition ranges from 100:5 to 100:150. 
     
     
         19 . The food product of  claim 10  in the form of a square or bar. 
     
     
         20 . The food product of  claim 10  in the form of a puffed R-T-E cereal.