U.S. patent application number 09/838510 was filed with the patent office on 2002-04-04 for food bar.
Invention is credited to Desjardins, Jean-Jacques, Geoffroy, Gilbert, Sievert, Birgit, Sirohi, Dhan Pal.
Application Number | 20020039608 09/838510 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8171431 |
Filed Date | 2002-04-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020039608 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sirohi, Dhan Pal ; et
al. |
April 4, 2002 |
Food bar
Abstract
A ready-to-eat food bar including of agglomerated particles of
one or more cereal bases is provided. The cereal bases include
primarily amalyceous materials and optionally milk solids. The
agglomerated particles are coated with a binder which includes
sugars, milk solids, humectants or fat and optionally milk solids.
A process for manufacturing the ready-to-eat food bar is also
provided.
Inventors: |
Sirohi, Dhan Pal; (Pully,
CH) ; Sievert, Birgit; (Epalinges, CH) ;
Desjardins, Jean-Jacques; (Yens, CH) ; Geoffroy,
Gilbert; (La Tour-de-Treme, CH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WINSTON & STRAWN
200 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10166-4193
US
|
Family ID: |
8171431 |
Appl. No.: |
09/838510 |
Filed: |
April 19, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
426/94 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 7/17 20160801; A23L
7/126 20160801 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/94 |
International
Class: |
A21D 013/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 1, 2000 |
EP |
00201548.5 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A ready-to-eat food bar comprising agglomerated particles of one
or more cooked cereal bases and a binder, the cooked cereal bases
comprising amylaceous material and the binder comprising sugars,
milk solids, humecants and fat.
2. The ready-to-eat food bar according to claim 1, wherein the
cooked cereal bases further comprise milk solids.
3. The food bar according to claim 1, comprising, in percent by
weight, from about 4% to about 12% of protein, from about 50% to
about 80% of available carbohydrate and from about 2.5% to about
25% of fat.
4. The food bar according to claim 1, comprising, in percent by
weight, from about 5.5% to about 27.5% of milk solids nonfat, from
about 2.5% to about 25% of milk fat or vegetable fat, from about
30% to about 60% of amylaceous material, from about 5% to about 30%
of sugars, from about 2.5% to about 15% of humectants and added
water up to a water content from about 1.0% to about 7%.
5. The food bar according to claim 1, which has an Aw value of from
about 0.1 to about 0.5.
6. A process for manufacturing a ready-to-eat food bar, comprising:
preparing a dry mixture of particles of one or more cooked cereal
bases, the bases comprising amylaceous materials; mixing the dry
mixture with a binder to form a mass, the binder comprising sugars,
milk solids, humectants and fat; and forming the mass thus obtained
into a bar shape.
7. The process according to claim 6, wherein the cooked cereal
bases further comprise milk solids.
8. The process according to claim 6, whereby the particles of
cooked cereal bases are rolled cereals, gun puffed grains, cereal
flakes or cooked-extruded cereals.
9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the
cooked-extruded-expanded cereals are prepared by the following
steps: cooking-extruding-expanding at about 120.degree. C. to about
170.degree. C. under from about 40 bar to about 160 bar for about 5
seconds to 50 seconds a mixture comprising, in parts by weight, up
to about 27.5 parts of milk solids nonfat, up to about 12.5 parts
of milk fat or vegetable fat, from about 50 to about 90 parts of
amylaceous material, up to about 12 parts of sugars, and added
water up to a water content of from about 11% to about 19% by
weight of the mixture; forming the mixture into a rope of a
thermoplastic mass having a porous texture, cutting the rope into
pieces; and optionally drying the pieces.
10. The process according to claim 9, further comprising coating
the dried pieces with a sugar solution and drying the sugar coated
pieces.
11. The process according to claim 10, wherein the sugar solution
comprises from about 50% to about 60% sugar, from about 3% to about
10% dextrose, from about 0.5% to about 1.5% oil and from about 10%
to 40% water.
12. The process according to claim 6, wherein the binder comprises,
in parts by weight, from about 10 parts to about 70 parts of
sugars, from about 5 to 30 parts of humectants, from about 5.5 to
about 27.5 parts of milk solids nonfat, from about 10 parts to
about 35 parts of milk fat or vegetable fat, up to about 10 parts
of cocoa powder, up to about 5 parts of emulsifier and added water
up to a water content of from about 5% to about 15%.
13. The process according to claim 6, wherein the milk solids are
incorporated into the binder in form of fresh milk, condensed milk
or milk powder.
14. The process according to claim 6, wherein the binder comprises
condensed sweetened milk in an amount of from about 20 to about 45
parts by weight.
15. The process according to claim 6, wherein the binder is
prepared by mixing the components in a double walled tank while
heating to a temperature of from about 105.degree. C. to about
117.degree. C., thereby concentrating the mixture up to a dry
matter content of from about 80% to 95% and then cooling down to a
temperature in a range of from about 33.degree. C. to about
80.degree. C.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a ready-to-eat food bar and
to a process for manufacturing it.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,685 to Persson et al. discloses a
biscuit comprising agglomerated granules of a cooked-extruded base
coated with a binder, the base comprising from 40 to 80 parts by
weight of cereal flour, up to 20 parts sucrose and from 0.5 to 3
parts of oil or fat, and the binder comprising from 8 to 30 parts
by weight of sucrose and/or mixtures of glucose and its
polymers.
[0005] PCT Application WO89/04121 assigned to HEINZ SCHAAF OHG
discloses a process for manufacturing cereals by cooking-extruding
a mixture of cereal material, vegetable and/or fruits with a
partial amount of sugar and milk, cutting the expanded rope of
cooked-extruded mixture into pieces having a large surface,
spraying an aqueous suspension of sugar and milk onto the just cut,
hot and moist pieces, coating the moistened pieces with a remaining
part of components in powder form and drying the coated pieces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is a ready-to-eat food bar which
includes agglomerated particles of amylaceous material, sugars and
optionally milk solids. The food bar of the invention is
nutritionally valuable and has a soft texture while retaining the
crunchiness of cereal.
[0007] The amylaceous material of the ready-to-eat food bar of the
invention includes one or more cooked cereal bases which are coated
with a binder. Advantageously, the binder includes sugars, milk
solids, humectants and fat.
[0008] The present invention is also a process for manufacturing
the ready-to-eat food bar. This process includes the steps of
preparing a dry mixture of particles of one or more cooked cereal
bases which includes mainly amylaceous materials and optionally
milk solids, mixing the dry mixture with a binder having sugars,
milk solids, humectants and fat and forming the mass thus obtained
into a bar shape.
[0009] It has surprisingly been found that it was possible in this
way to provide a food bar which is ready-to-eat, namely, it can be
eaten just by scrunching it, is nutritionally valuable and has a
soft texture while retaining the crunchiness of cereal.
[0010] Other improvements which the present invention provides over
the prior art will be identified as a result of the following
description which sets forth the preferred embodiments of the
present invention. The description is not in any way intended to
limit the scope of the present invention, but rather only to
provide the working example of the present preferred embodiments.
The scope of the present invention will be pointed out in the
appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] In the present context, the expression "being nutritionally
valuable" means a food bar which is rich in milk protein and
calcium and which is based on amylaceous materials and sugar
comprising, in percent by weight, from about 5.5% to about 27.5% of
milk solids nonfat and from about 2.5% to about 25% of milk fat
and/or vegetable fat.
[0012] In addition to relatively small amounts of each of residual
water, ash, dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals, the present food
bar can generally comprise, in percent by weight, from about 4% to
about 12% of protein, from about 50% to about 80% of available
carbohydrate and from about 2.5 to about 25% of fat.
[0013] The expression "has a soft texture while retaining the
crunchiness of cereal" means that the cereal particles are crunchy
within the bar while the binder, namely the continuous phase of the
bar is soft.
[0014] The expression "particles of cooked cereal bases" covers,
for example, any possible kind of cereal in piece form such as
rolled cereals, gun puffed grains, cereal flakes and/or
cooked-extruded cereals.
[0015] The term "food bar" means a food product having a massive
shape which can be eaten by hand, no limit being set as to the
choice of the shape which can be for example, a bar as well as a
stick, a ball, a heart, a star, a bear or a banana.
[0016] The present food bar can include from about 5.5% to about
27.5% of milk solids nonfat, from about 2.5% to about 25% of milk
fat and/or vegetable fat, from about 30% to about 60% of amylaceous
material, from about 5% to about 30% of sugars, from about 2.5% to
about 15% of humectants and from about 1.0% to about 7.0% of
residual water.
[0017] The present food bar can further comprise up to about 3% of
additional calcium, preferably in form of calcium carbonate or milk
calcium, in addition to the calcium already present in the milk
solids nonfat.
[0018] The food bar can also further comprise added vitamins,
minerals and/or a source of dietary fibers.
[0019] The milk solids can be incorporated into the food bar in two
parts, a first part being incorporated into the cooked cereal basis
and a second part being incorporated into the binder, or in one
part, all incorporated into the binder.
[0020] The milk solids nonfat in the cooked-extruded bases can be
powdered skimmed milk.
[0021] The milk solids in the binder can be milk solids from fresh
milk, milk solids from condensed milk and/or milk powder.
[0022] The milk fat and/or vegetable fat can be, for example,
butter oil and/or vegetable fat such as partially hydrogenated
sunflower or rape seed fat having a melting point of from about
33.degree. C. to about 39.degree. C.
[0023] The amylaceous material useful in the present invention
includes, without limitation, a cereal flour, a starch and/or
maltodextrin.
[0024] The cereal flour can be, for example, wheat, barley, oat,
rice and/or corn flour.
[0025] The starch can be a native starch obtained from wheat,
barley, rice and/or corn, preferably, high amylose starch.
[0026] Useful sugars for the present invention include, without
limitation, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, glucose syrup, invert
sugar and/or maltose syrup in dry or liquid form.
[0027] The possible source of fiber material can be without
limitation a cereal bran.
[0028] Beside sugars and milk solids, the binder comprises
humectants and it can further comprise emulsifiers.
[0029] The humectants can be glycerol and/or sorbitol.
[0030] The emulsifier can be one or more mono- or di-glycerides of
edible fatty acids, preferably of vegetable origin, or
lecithin.
[0031] Natural and/or artificial antioxydants can also be added in
order to prolong the shelflife of the bar, such as tocopherols,
BHA, BHT and mixtures thereof, for example.
The Process for Manufacturing the Food Bar
[0032] As stated above, the present process for manufacturing a
ready-to-eat food bar includes preparing a dry mixture of particles
of one or more cooked cereal bases, which bases include primarily
amylaceous materials and optionally milk solids; mixing the dry
mixture with a binder which comprises primarily sugars, milk
solids, humectants and fat and forming the mass thus obtained into
a bar shape.
Preparing Particles of Cooked Cereal Bases
[0033] Particles of cooked cereal bases can be any of those known
to the man skilled in the art, including, without limitation,
rolled cereals, gun puffed grains, cereal flakes and/or
cooked-extruded cereals.
[0034] Rolled cereals can be prepared by cooking grains (whole or
grits) with a liquor comprising sugar, malt, salt and vitamins,
partially drying, rolling and flaking them.
[0035] Puffed grains can be prepared for example, by puffing whole
grains of wheat or rice in a gun or in an oven.
[0036] Cereal flakes are prepared by methods, including, without
limitation, cooking cereal grits or grains with a liquor, forming
pellets out of the cooked mass thus obtained, rolling, toasting and
optionally them with sugar.
[0037] Cooked-extruded cereals are prepared by
cooking-extruding-expanding a mixture mainly comprising amylaceous
materials and optionally milk solids, thus obtaining a rope of a
thermoplastic mass having a porous texture, cutting the rope into
pieces and optionally coating the pieces with sugar.
[0038] The preferred cooked-extruded-expanded cereals can be
prepared by cooking-extruding-expanding at about 120.degree. C. to
about 170.degree. C. under about 40 bar to 160 bar for about 5 to
about 50 seconds a mixture comprising, in parts by weight, up to
about 27.5 parts of milk solids nonfat, up to about 12.5 parts of
milk fat and/or vegetable fat, from about 50 to about 90 parts of
amylaceous material, up to 12 parts of sugars, and added water up
to a water content of from about 11% to about 19% by weight of the
mixture, thus obtaining a rope of a thermoplastic mass having a
porous texture, cutting the rope into pieces and optionally drying
them.
[0039] The mixture can be prepared by first mixing together the
powdery components to obtain a dry mix and then mixing the dry mix
and the liquid or fluid components.
[0040] This mixing step is carried out in a first mixing section of
a traditional food extruder, preferably a twin screw extruder.
[0041] Cooking the mixture is then be carried out in subsequent
sections of the extruder where the mixture is heated, compressed
and sheared so that it forms a cooked thermoplastic mass.
[0042] The thermoplastic mass is extruded by having it pushed by
the extruder screw or twin screw through the openings of a die
provided for at an end of the extruder.
[0043] The die may have one or more circular openings having from
about 2 mm to about 5 mm in diameter.
[0044] The thermoplastic mass can be expanded by extruding it
through the die into an open space at ambiant temperature and at
atmospheric pressure.
[0045] Water is lost in form of steam escaping the thermoplastic
mass during expansion so that the rope thus obtained has a porous
texture and may have a water content of from about 5% to less than
about 11%, for example.
[0046] The rope of expanded thermoplastic mass thus obtained can be
cut into pieces by using a two or more blade cutter rotating
adjacent to the die openings of the extruder.
[0047] Drying the food bar pieces can be carried out on a belt
dryer with hot air.
[0048] Preferably, the dried pieces are then coated with a sugar
solution and dried again. The coating step can be carried out in a
tumbler where a sugar solution can be sprayed onto the tumbling
pieces, for example.
[0049] The sugar solution comprises from about 50% to about 60%
sugar, from about 3% to about 10% dextrose, from about 0.5% to
about 1.5% oil and from about 10% to about 40%, especially from
about 25% to about 35% water. The sugar solution can also include
without limitation, cocoa powder, sodium chloride and aroma.
[0050] The amount of sugar solution to be used can be such that the
weight proportion of coating on the coated pieces is from about 10%
to about 40%, preferably from about 15% to about 25%.
[0051] The coated pieces can then be finally dried down to a
residual water content of about 3% or less, preferably about 2% or
less.
Preparing the Binder
[0052] As a whole, the binder can include, in parts by weight, from
about 10 to about 70 parts of sugars, from about 5 parts to about
30 parts of humectants, from about 5.5 to about 27.5 parts of milk
solids nonfat, from about 10 to about 35 parts of milk fat and/or
vegetable fat, up to 10 parts of cocoa powder, up to about 5 parts
of emulsifier and added water up to a water content of from about
5% to about 15%.
[0053] The binder can be prepared by mixing together its dry
components in powdered form with its fluid components in liquid
form.
[0054] Milk solids which can be optionally included into the binder
can be incorporated in the form of fresh milk, condensed milk
and/or of milk powder.
[0055] Water can be added as such, as water contained in condensed
milk or as water contained in fresh milk.
[0056] Sugar can be added as such and/or as sugar contained, for
example, in sweetened condensed milk.
[0057] A preferred binder comprises condensed sweetened milk, in an
amount of from about 20 to about 45 parts by weight, for example.
In this case, the binder can be prepared by mixing the components
in a double walled tank while heating to a temperature of from
105.degree. C. to 117.degree. C., thus concentrating the mixture up
to a dry matter content of from 80% to 95%, preferably of from 90%
to 92%, and then cooling down to a temperature in a range of from
about 33.degree. C. to about 80.degree. C.
Mixing Particles and Binder
[0058] A dry mix of particles can be prepared and mixed with the
binder in a flowable state, namely at a temperature such that the
fat components are in a liquid state, especially at a temperature
of from about 33.degree. C. to about 80.degree. C.
[0059] Mixing particles and binder can be carried out by means of
any gentle, especially continuous mixer which does not damage the
cereal particles, such as a screw mixer of the helical spring type
with an axial sprinkling nozzle, a coating drum or a paddle
mixer.
[0060] The dry mix and the binder can be mixed at a rate of about
40 to about 70 parts by weight of dry mix and about 60 parts to
about 30 parts by weight of binder, while optionally adding thereto
additional cereals, fruits having an adequate water activity (Aw)
or nuts, for example.
[0061] The mass thus obtained preferably has an Aw of from 0.1 to
0.5 (water content of from 1 to 7%), and more preferably an Aw of
from 0.1 to 0.3 (water content of from 1 to 3%).
Shaping the Bar
[0062] The flowable mass obtained above can be formed into a bar
shape by sheet-cutting, sheet-moulding, moulding or pressing
through an opening and cutting.
[0063] The ready-to-eat food bar may then be coated with a sweet
coating such as a chocolate coating or a coating reminiscent of
white chocolate such as a mixture of a milk powder and fat, for
example. The bar thus coated can be finally provided with any
decorating usual in the confectionary art.
[0064] The ready-to-eat food bar can be conditioned in a packing
providing for its protection against humidity, such as a packing
made of a film with aluminum foil, or a metallised foil.
[0065] The following example is given as illustration of a
preferred embodiment of the ready-to-eat food bar and of the
process for its manufacture according to the present invention.
This example is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the
invention which is defined in the appended claims. The parts and
percentages are by weight.
EXAMPLE
[0066] A ready-to-eat food bar having particles of a
cooked-extruded wheat base was manufactured by first preparing, a
mixture which had the following composition, (in parts, except
added water):
1 wheat flour 41 wheat starch 18 oat flour 9 wheat bran 9 calcium
carbonate 0.5 added water, up to a water content of 19%
[0067] In preparing the mixture, the powders were first mixed
together to obtain a dry mix. The dry mix and added water were then
mixed together in the extruder. The mixture obtained in this way
was cooked-extruded-expanded with the aid of a BC-45H type CLEXTRAL
twin screw extruder having a screw diameter of 55 mm and a total
processing length of 800 mm. Cooking-extruding was carried out at
150.degree. C. under 100 bar for 30 seconds, the two intenneshing
screws rotating at 300 rpm. The cooked thermoplastic mass obtained
in this way was extruded through a die having eight circular
openings of 3 mm in diameter.
[0068] The thermoplastic mass was extruded into ambiant air and
immediately cut with a two blade cutter rotating adjacent to the
opening at 2000 rpm.
[0069] The particles of cooked-extruded-expanded wheat base
obtained in this way expanded after cutting so that they were about
5 mm in diameter. They had a water content of about 10.6%.
[0070] The particles were then dried with hot air on a belt dryer
to a residual water content of about 2.9%.
[0071] The dried pieces were coated with a sugar solution in a
tumbler.
[0072] The sugar solution comprised about 59% sugar, about 10%
dextrose, about 1% oil and about 30% water.
[0073] The amount of sugar solution used was such that the weight
proportion of coating on the coated pieces was about 20%. The
coated particles were then finally dried down to a residual water
content of about 2%.
[0074] A binder was prepared which had the following composition
(parts):
2 skim milk powder 12.5 glucose syrup 9.4 sorbitol syrup 7.2 invert
sugar 11.5 condensed sweetened milk (29% 33.5 water, 43% sugar)
sodium chloride 0.3 hydrogenated vegetable fat 13.4 (melting point
39.degree. C.) mixture of vegetable mono and diglycerides 0.6
Glycerine 6.7 Water 5.0
[0075] In preparing the binder, the components were mixed together
in a double walled tank while being heated to 114.degree. C. until
the mixture was concentrated up to a dry matter content of 91%. The
binder was then cooled down to a temperature of 75.degree. C.
[0076] 50 parts of particles of a cooked-extruded wheat base and 50
parts of binder were gently mixed by means of a mixer of the
helical spring type.
[0077] The mass thus obtained was formed into a bar shape by
sheeting down to a thickness of 1 cm and cutting individual bars 3
cm in width and 10 cm in length.
[0078] The bars had a water content of 5.3% and an Aw value of
0.35.
[0079] The bars had a soft texture while retaining the crunchiness
of the cooked-extruded-expanded wheat base. They had an appetizing
taste and could be eaten as they were. They were nutritionally
valuable, each individual bar representing a complete meal just as
it was.
[0080] Thus, while we have described what are the preferred
embodiments of the present invention, further changes and
modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without
departing from the true spirit of the invention, and it is intended
to include all such changes and modifications as come within the
scope of the claims set forth below.
* * * * *