Patent ID: 6287621
Filing Date: 2001-09-11
Classification: A23L,C08L

Abstract:
A method for preparing a dry, sweetened extruded ready-to-eat puffed cereal consisting essentially of the steps of:(a) formulating a cereal mixture comprising an effective amount of one or more cereal flours, a sweetening amount of one or more sweeteners, about 4 to about 28% by weight added water, and an effective amount of about 5 to about 20% by weight of a pregelatinized cold or hot water soluble high amylose starch or flour having an amylose content of at least about 70% by weight; which starch selected from the group consisting of (i) pregelatinized spray-dried non-granular unmodified or converted high amylose starch characterized in that the starch is substantially non-crystalline, substantially non-retrograded, and fully predispersed; (ii) a pregelatinized, spray-dried granular unmodified or converted high amylose starch characterized in that the starch is uniformly gelatinized and in the form of granular indented spheres, with at least a majority of the granules being whole and unbroken and being in the form of loosely-bound agglomerates or individual granules; and (iii) a combination thereof;(b) extruding the cereal mixture at a temperature of about 120 to about 160.degree. C. and at a pressure of about 100 up to about 500 psi, with the temperature at the exit being higher than the temperature at the inlet so that moisture is flashed off and the cereal puffed; wherein the extruded cereal mixture exhibits superior expansion to that of an extruded cereal mixture where the same amount of a corresponding non-pregelatinized, cold or hot water soluble high amylose starch or flour is substituted for the pregelatinized high amylose starch of step (a);(c) cutting the puffed extrudate into pieces; and(d) toasting the cut pieces.