Food bar

A shelf stable, intermediate moisture, food bar having a soft and chewy texture with good taste is disclosed. Lowered sugar content and good texture and taste characteristics are maintained through the use of a combination of at least two polyhydric alcohols in varying ratios, one of which comprises a sugar alcohol and the other either glycerol or propylene glycol. In preferred embodiments the two polyhydric alcohols are glycerol and sorbitol employed in a ratio of glycerol to sorbitol in the range 1:1 to 5:1. Despite a low total sugar content the water activity may be maintained in the 0.2-0.55 range through the use of such polyhydric alcohols while achieving a soft texture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This application relates to a ready to eat food product and more 
particularly to a granola food bar having long shelf life and good flavor. 
Food bars or, as they may be appropriately termed, snack bars, have been 
known and available for some time. Some snack bars generally contain a 
grain or grains, nuts, possibly dried fruit, sweeteners and other 
ingredients. These ingredients can be mixed with a binder such as a sugar 
syrup or shortening and compressed into bars or slabs which may be later 
cut to a desired size. Depending on the snack bar's composition it may be 
mixed, formed, and/or baked prior to packaging and sale. 
For achieving good results in compressed foods, the addition of glycerine 
to the food, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,437,150 to Berg, has been taken 
to yield better mold release and bonding strength of the overall food bar. 
Other polyhydric alcohols have also been known to achieve similar results 
on its addition of a compressed food though to a lesser degree, and only 
in small amounts. 
In recent years a new technology has emerged in the food industry utilizing 
the concept of an intermediate moisture food product for extending shelf 
life. As is known, high levels of moisture in a food generally promote the 
microbiological spoiling and growth of organisms such as yeast, molds and 
bacteria. Stabilization of food products have heretofore traditionally 
been effected through the use of inherent properties of food, such as the 
naturally high acid content that occurs in tomato sauces and the like; 
sterilization of the food followed by hermetic sealing; drying the food to 
under 10 percent moisture; or freezing the food product. Each of the above 
methods of preserving foods has drawbacks. For instance, a high acid 
content approach may only be utilized with certain foods. Hermetically 
sealing and sterilizing foods becomes relatively expensive and can destroy 
the flavor of some foods. Frozen foods must be defrosted prior to use and 
may not be refrozen. 
This intermediate moisture foods recently introduced rely on the reduction 
of the availability of water in the food to prevent microbial growth and 
lengthen shelf life. Such availability of water in the food is commonly 
termed "water activity" (A.sub.w). In general, a low A.sub.w of the food 
product (under 0.90) indicates the existence of an environment in which 
most bacteria will not generally grow. 
The A.sub.w of the food, or the partial vapor pressure of the water at the 
temperature of the food, can be experimentally determined by placing the 
sample in a sealed container and, upon reaching equilibrium, determining 
the relative humidity in the head space above the sample. 
The principle or extending the shelf life of a food product by lowering the 
meter activity of that food product was first demonstrated in U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,202,514 to Burgess et al., which disclosed an intermediate moisture 
pet food. Pet food prepared according to this patent was capable of being 
stored in conventional moisture protective wrapping materials and 
eliminated by necessity for hot packing or thermal sterilization incident 
to packaging. With such a composition and packaging, the pet food could be 
stored for extended periods of times under non-refrigerated conditions 
without incurring any significant risk of microbiological spoilage, of 
recontammination or of product discoloration. 
In general, Burgess demonstrated that the A.sub.w of a food product could 
be maintained at a low level through a high sugar content. Polyhydric 
alcohols such as glycerine and sorbitol have been suggested as individual 
suitable substitutes for sucrose in U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,652 to Kahn et al. 
The addition of glycerine, sorbitol and other polyhydric alcohols 
individually to food bars has been known to provide better texture on 
their addition. Until now it had not always been possible to take full 
advantage of these qualities as the use of each such polyhydric alcohol by 
itself can yield a product with an undesirable taste and texture which 
becomes more evident as the concentration level is increased. Such poor 
taste and texture characteristics are difficult to overcome by 
conventional methods. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a 
healthful and tasteful ready to eat food bar. 
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a food bar with 
good shelf life, good texture, and good flavor. 
A further object of the subject invention is a food bar having a low water 
activity for a longer shelf life through the addition of a combination of 
polyhydric alcohols while retaining good flavor characteristics and 
improved soft texture. 
These and other objects and advantages of the subject invention are 
obtained in accordance with the present invention wherein there is 
provided a ready-to-eat food bar comprising natural growth cereals such as 
oats, rice, wheat and the like; a binder system including sugars, e.g. 
sucrose, invert sugars, corn syrup, and shortening; salt, flavoring, 
antioxidants, and a combination of sorbital and glycerol. Although the 
sugar content is relatively low and the moisture level of the mixture of 
the subject invention is between 4-8 percent, the water activity can be 
kept below 0.55 through the use of the polyhydric alcohol combinations of 
the subject invention. With the above ingredient mixture, soft texture and 
excellent, stable taste characteristics are obtained. Through the use of 
at least two of the above identified polyhydric alcohols, the water 
activity is lowered to an optimum level in the range of 0.2-0.55 while 
improving the taste and texture of the mixture. The taste and texture of 
the resulting food bar can be precisely controlled by proper selection of 
the polyhydric alcohols and control of the relative amounts added. In 
preferred embodiments the two polyhydric alcohols are glycerol and 
sorbitol employed in a ratio of glycerol to sorbitol in the range 1:1 to 
5:1. With the low water activity of the subject invention provided by 
addition of the polyhydric alcohols to the corn syrup and other 
ingredients, there is inherently more stability, not only 
microbiologically but also oxidative and hydrolytic stability as perceived 
through the absence of rancidity. 
The novel features of the invention both as to the product and the method 
of making the product together with further objectives and advantages 
thereof will be better understood from the following description in which 
the presently preferred method and composition of the invention is set 
forth. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Current food or snack bars comprise mixtures of rolled oats, brown sugar, a 
binder such as shortening or corn syrup, coconut oil, honey, salt, sesame 
seeds, and possibly an antioxidant. Mixing and drying these ingredients 
when forming the food bar results in a dry, crumbly product having a hard 
texture. However, adding combinations of polyhydric alcohols as will be 
set forth to such a mixture prior to forming the bars yields a bar of 
softer texture, chewy with good stable taste attributes. In addition, the 
bars need not be further dried to achieve the desired low water activity. 
The combinations of polyhydric alcohols which may be added according to the 
subject invention include at least one sugar alcohol, such as sorbitol, 
mannitol, or xylitol; the sugar alcohol is used in conjunction with either 
glycerin or propylene glycol to achieve the desired good taste and soft, 
chewy texture, as well as achieve a bacteriostatic action through the 
lowering of the water activity of the resultant food bar. 
The granola cereal mix containing oat and wheat flakes, rice, almonds, 
peanuts, coconut, raisins and chocolate chips, which has been used as the 
main component can give the dominant texture and flavor characteristics to 
the product, providing it is not overshadowed and overcome by the 
remaining ingredients. An excess of such granola mix can make the food bar 
dry and crumbly; conversely, too little granola mix will render the food 
bar too moist with an excessively high water activity. A typical granola 
cereal mix for use in the subject invention has the composition set forth 
in Table I. All percentages expressed herein are in percent by weight 
based on the weight of the material or mixture then referred to. 
TABLE I 
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GRANOLA MIX 
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Oat and Wheat Flakes 52 pts 
Peanuts 7 
Whey Solids 3.5 
Milk Solids 4 
Coconut 7.5 
Sugar 15 
Corn Syrup 5 
Shortening 10 
Honey 1 
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In the following examples specific preferred embodiments are disclosed 
utilizing the above granola mix as its main component. It should be 
understood that other mixes including fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables or 
any combination of these foods in any desired amounts may be used and as 
such, are intended to be within the scope of the subject invention. 
EXAMPLE I 
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Granola Mix 55 pts 
Dried Fruit 10 
Corn Syrup 10 
Crisp Rice 5 
Sugar 6 
Glycerine (96% solution) 
3 
Shortening 6 
Peanuts 2 
Sorbitol (70% solution) 1.43 
Salt and other flavorings 
0.5 
Antioxidant Preparation trace 
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The dry base ingredients were blended. The binder ingredients, i.e. the 
sugars, glycerin, sorbitol, and corn syrup were mixed separately with the 
salt and antioxidant and heated to 125.degree.-135.degree. F. The corn 
syrup was mixed in with the binder ingredients and the entire binder 
mixture added to the pre-mixed dry ingredients and blended. A measured 
amount of the entire mixture was poured into a forming mold where it was 
pressed to the desired size and density. The resulting bars were placed 
into aluminum pouches and hermetically sealed. 
The bars thus prepared had water activity of 0.31 to 0.40 with a moisture 
content of 5.2 to 6 percent. The bar was soft and chewy with good taste 
and no evidence of a bitter glycerin flavor. The glycerin to sorbitol 
ratio was approximately 2.9:1. 
EXAMPLE II 
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Granola Mix 55 pts 
Chocolate Chips 10 
Corn Syrup 10 
Crisp Rice 5 
Sugar 6 
Glycerin (96% solution) 3.45 
Shortening 6 
Mannitol (70% solution) .98 
Salt and other flavorings 
0.5 
Antioxidant Preparation trace 
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The above ingredients were utilized in preparing a food bar in a manner 
similar to that set forth for Example I, resulting in a food bar having a 
water activity of 0.31 to 0.40 with a total moisture content of 4.5 to 5.1 
percent. The resulting bar had good texture with good taste. No bitter 
glycerin taste was noted and the food bar was soft and chewy. The glycerin 
to mannitol ratio was approximately 4.8:1.0. 
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Granola Mix 55 pts 
Chocolate Chips 10 
Corn Syrup 10 
Crisp Rice 5 
Sugar 6 
Propylene Glycol 3.76 
Shortening 6 
Mannitol (70% solution) .98 
Salt and other flavorings 
0.5 
Antioxidant Preparation trace 
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The above ingredients were mixed to prepare a food bar according to the 
procedure set forth in Example I and resulted in a food bar having a water 
activity of 0.31 to 0.40 which appeared stable after nine months storage 
at 73.degree. F. The propylene glycol to mannitol ratio was approximately 
5.48:1.0. 
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred 
embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various 
changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements 
thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, 
many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material 
to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential 
scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited 
to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for 
carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all 
embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.