Milk-coated cereal product

A dry, ready-to-eat cereal product in which pieces of cereal are coated with a dry powdered milk or milk substitute product that is reconstitutable in hot or cold water to produce a cereal having flavor, appearance and nutritional value comparable to an equivalent cereal that is not coated with the dried milk or milk substitute product but to which liquid milk has been added.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to ready-to-eat food products. More particularly, 
the invention relates to a cereal product coated with dry powdered milk or 
milk substitute that is reconstituted by the addition of water. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Food products that require little or no preparation have been available to 
the consumer for many years. These food products include breakfast cereals 
that are pre-sweetened and/or pre-flavored, whereby it is necessary only 
to add milk or hot water, depending upon the type of cereal and the 
desired flavor, to prepare the cereal for normal consumption. Some 
breakfast cereals are intended to be eaten hot, and these must either be 
cooked or have hot water or hot milk added to them. 
Many consumers eat breakfast cereals as a snack food, with or without the 
addition of milk. As reported in a recent issue of Business Week magazine, 
there is a growing trend to consume cereal at noon and at night, as well 
as more traditionally as a breakfast food. Many breakfast cereals may be 
eaten directly from the box, without any preparation time, except for the 
addition of milk or hot water, if desired, thus making it extraordinarily 
convenient for the frenetic pace of today's consumer. Further, the average 
consumer is more health conscious than in the past, and breakfast cereals 
make a more healthy ready-to-eat snack than many other ready-to-eat snack 
foods. Pre-sweetened and pre-flavored breakfast cereals also make them 
more convenient for consumption straight out of the box, since it is not 
necessary to add sweeteners or flavorings to the cereal before eating it. 
The convenience and nutritional value of cereal make it especially 
desirable as a food product. This is especially true in countries where 
conditions limit the availability of many healthful foods, due at least in 
part to the lack of refrigeration. Ready-to-eat cereals can be stored 
without refrigeration, and especially if fortified with vitamins and 
minerals, could provide essential nutrition to large segments of the 
population in these countries. For instance, milk and other dairy products 
are an important source of calcium, but the absence of refrigeration makes 
it very difficult to provide milk as a part of the regular diet in these 
countries. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,769 describes a breakfast cereal suitable for use as 
cold cereal by the addition of milk, or as a hot cereal by the addition of 
hot water. The cereal is prepared by heating rolled oats to cook the 
starch and protein contained therein, applying liquid milk in sufficient 
quantity only to wet the oats and to distribute it evenly throughout the 
oat product, and then drying the wet product to crispness, producing a 
crunchy product. During the manufacturing process, the flaky or granular 
cereal is either sprayed or sprinkled with liquid milk in which sugar, 
salt, fruit juice puree, and/or flavoring materials are dissolved, whereby 
the mixture is absorbed by the oat flakes and evenly distributed 
throughout the body of the flakes. Cream, butterfat, or cream substitute 
may be added to the milk to improve the flavor and the texture of the 
product. The cream or dry cream substitute may be mixed with the milk or 
it may be added to the cereal in a conventional mixer after the milk 
containing the other additives has been added. If a dry cream substitute 
is used, it may be dusted onto the cereal while the mixer is operating. 
The amount of milk added to the cereal is determined by the desired 
crunchiness of the resulting product, i.e., if a relatively small amount 
of milk is used and little fruit is added, the product will be relatively 
soft and water absorptive and not crunchy, or if a higher proportion of 
milk with fruit is used to wet the cereal, which is thereafter dried, it 
is crunchy. There is no suggestion in this patent of adding dry, powdered 
whole milk or low fat milk as a coating dusted onto prepared cereal pieces 
so that the addition of water to the cereal reconstitutes the milk to 
produce a cereal product that has the taste and appearance of an uncoated 
cereal prepared conventionally by the addition of liquid milk. 
An example of a pre-sweetened breakfast cereal is described in U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,089,984. This patent purports to overcome the difficulty in the 
prior art of sweetening cereals with fructose sweeteners. The use of 
fructose sweeteners, which are normally in a liquid state, was not 
practical before the invention described in this patent, since such 
coating resulted in a sticky, messy product. The teaching in this patent 
overcomes this difficultly and enables liquid fructose sweeteners to be 
used on cereal products, by covering or coating the sticky fructose 
coating with an edible powdered material to eliminate the stickiness. 
Examples of the powdered material are given as sucrose, lactose, dried 
corn syrup solids, corn starch, wheat starch, dried milk solids and/or 
dextrose. In the process described in this patent, the liquid sweetener is 
treated to evaporate a majority of the moisture from the liquid sweetener 
and then it is applied to the cereal pieces by using an enrober drum while 
the liquid sweetener is still at an elevated temperature and thus fluid. A 
limited amount of the powdered material is dusted onto the coated cereal 
pieces as cooling takes place. The liquid sweetener captures the powdered 
material, and the powdered material substantially eliminates the 
cohesiveness and stickiness of the coated pieces. There is no suggestion 
in this patent of adding dry, powdered whole milk or low fat milk as a 
coating dusted onto prepared cereal pieces so that the addition of water 
to the cereal immediately reconstitutes the milk to produce a cereal 
product that has the taste and appearance of an uncoated cereal prepared 
conventionally by the addition of liquid milk. The sweetener in this 
patent would dissolve relatively slowly in relation to the rate of 
dissolution of the powdered milk coating in the present invention, i.e., 
the sweetener would need to dissolve first in order to release the 
captured dried milk. 
A process for manufacturing a reconstitutable cereal is described in U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,874,624, in which water is added to pre-steamed flaked oatlets 
which are then blended together and fed to an extruder cooker to raise the 
temperature and pressure of the product. The exudate is cut into pellets 
which are formed into flakes on flaking rolls and dried to a moisture 
content of 7%. The flakes are blended with 25% by weight of the 
pre-steamed oatlets to form an instant water-reconstitutable cereal 
product. The product is therefore ready for eating without the need to be 
cooked, and may be prepared simply by the addition of hot water or milk. 
Additives such as trace nutrients, vitamins, wheat flour, bran, skimmed 
milk powder, whey powder, or other milk by-products, malt extract, honey, 
sweetening agents such as sugar or aspartame, sunflower seed, vegetable 
oil, salt or other flavoring agents may be added to the conditioned 
flakes. The prepared oatlets are described as having all the normal 
organoleptic properties of oats which are cooked in the traditional 
manner, and the major advantage is described as a cereal product which may 
be instantly reconstituted simply by the addition of hot water or milk. 
There is no suggestion in this patent of adding dry, powdered whole milk 
as a coating dusted onto prepared cereal pieces so that the addition of 
water to the cereal reconstitutes the milk to produce a cereal product 
that has the taste and other attributes of an uncoated cereal prepared 
conventionally by the addition of liquid milk. 
A creamy orange flavored snack cereal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,035,914. The food product described in this patent includes a popped 
cereal that includes a powdered dairy or dairy substitute product which 
simulates cream flavor, in combination with powdered orange or artificial 
orange flavor. The purpose of this patent is to provide a product which 
may be eaten as a snack without milk or liquid and yet has a "creamsicle" 
flavor. The patent describes two essential ingredients as being required 
in order to produce the invention. These are the constituent which creates 
the simulated cream flavor, and the constituent which creates the orange 
flavor. The cream flavor or creamy ice cream flavor is obtained by using 
powdered non-dairy cream substitutes such as, for example, coffee creamer 
or cream flavoring. The patent states that the food product may be eaten 
with milk, or used as a dry snack eaten like potato chips or other dry 
snacks. There is no suggestion in this patent of adding dry, powdered 
whole milk or low fat milk as a coating dusted onto prepared cereal pieces 
so that the addition of water to the cereal reconstitutes the milk to 
produce a cereal product that has the taste and appearance of an uncoated 
cereal prepared conventionally by the addition of liquid milk. 
Other ready-to-eat or easily prepared food products are disclosed in U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 3,578,459, 3,992,556, 4,485,120, 4,585,664 and 4,755,390. These 
patents all relate to the use of various additives and/or manufacturing 
processes which enhance the nutritional value and/or quality, e.g., 
texture, flavor, etc., of the resultant product. For instance, U.S. {at. 
No. 4,585,664 describes a dry instant rice porridge mix that is 
reconstitutable in milk, or which may be reconstitutable in water with the 
addition of dry milk solids. The non-fat dry milk solids are added to 
provide an amount of milk solids equivalent to the milk solids obtained in 
a conventional long-cook product, i.e., to provide an excess of milk 
solids in the rehydrated final ready-to-eat product. The conventional 
long-cook process evaporates water from the milk in which the rice is 
cooking and this results in an excess of milk solids, as compared to 
uncooked milk. Synthetic milk-like substances such as sodium caseinate 
and/or non-milk lipid sources may be used instead of non-fat dry milk 
solids. There is no suggestion in this patent of adding dry, powdered 
whole milk or low fat milk as a coating dusted onto prepared cereal pieces 
so that the addition of water to the cereal reconstitutes the milk to 
produce a cereal product that has the taste and appearance of an uncoated 
cereal prepared conventionally by the addition of liquid milk. 
Applicant is not aware of any prior art teaching of a dry, ready-to-eat 
cereal product coated with a dry milk product, such as powdered whole milk 
or a low-fat or non-fat dry milk product or dry powdered milk substitute, 
or any combination thereof, so that it is necessary only to add water to 
reconstitute the milk product, thereby producing a ready-to-eat cereal and 
milk combination that, in terms of taste, texture and appearance, is 
comparable to a conventional dry cereal product to which liquid milk has 
been added to prepare it to be eaten. Alternatively, the milk-coated dry 
cereal product of the invention may be eaten straight from the box, 
without the addition of water, and will have a flavor and nutritional 
value very much like that of cereal to which milk has been added. The 
prior art does not disclose anything comparable. 
Thus, there is need for a cereal product that is coated with a dry milk 
product, such as powdered whole milk or low-fat or non-fat milk or milk 
substitute, or some combination thereof, that may be reconstituted by the 
addition of water, or eaten straight from the box, so that the nutritional 
benefit and flavor of a cereal and milk combination may be produced 
without the necessity of adding liquid milk to the cereal to prepare it to 
be eaten. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by 
providing a dry cereal product coated with a dry, powdered milk product, 
including dried whole milk, low-fat dry milk, non-fat dry milk, or dry 
milk substitute product, or a combination of any of these, reconstitutable 
in water, whereby it is necessary only to add water to obtain a cereal 
product that is comparable in taste, nutrition and appearance to that 
obtained with conventional cereals by the addition of liquid milk. 
The milk-coated cereal of the invention may be stored just as any other dry 
cereal product, making it particularly suitable for prolonged storage 
under non-refrigerated conditions. The dry milk-coated cereal of the 
invention is thus convenient for school, office and home use, and may be 
dispensed in vending machines. Since water is generally available even 
when milk is not, the milk-coated cereal of the invention could be 
distributed in third world countries to provide a flavorful food having 
the nutritional benefits of cereal and milk, without the need for 
preserving and storing regular milk products. It is also particularly well 
adapted for use on camping trips or by the military or in disaster relief, 
etc. 
Further, the ready-to-eat milk-coated cereal of the invention may be 
packaged in serving size boxes, with or without the inclusion of a plastic 
spoon, so that it is necessary only to have access to water in order to 
produce a cereal immersed in milk, without requiring storage and access to 
regular milk, or eating utensils. 
The powdered milk coating may be applied to the cereal pieces either while 
the cereal pieces are still wet or damp during the manufacturing process, 
or after the cereal pieces have been dried. Conventional equipment may be 
used to dust the cereal pieces with the powdered milk product. 
Alternatively, dried cereal prices may be lightly misted or wetted with 
water, sweetener, flavoring, etc. and the dry powdered milk product then 
dusted onto the cereal pieces, after which the coated cereal pieces are 
dried and packaged. 
To enhance adherence of the dry milk product to the cereal pieces, the milk 
product may be processed to have the consistency of flour. This fine, 
dust-like texture of the coating is not as easily dislodged from the 
cereal pieces as would be a coarser material. 
As a further alternative, the powdered milk product can be made slightly 
damp so that it will adhere to the dry cereal pieces, and then sprayed 
onto the dried cereal pieces as they fall or are tumbled through the 
coating spray. The thus-coated cereal pieces can then be dried and 
packaged. 
The dry milk coating of the invention may be used as a carrier for other 
nutrients, to fortify the cereal with vitamins and minerals. Further, 
various products such as acidolpholis or Lactaid may be substituted for 
milk (dairy) products to produce a cereal that can be eaten by persons who 
are lactose-intolerant. 
A milk substitute such as whey or soy, for example, can be mixed with skim 
milk or non-fat dry milk product to minimize the cost but still obtain a 
desireable flavor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In accordance with the present invention, conventional cereal pieces are 
coated with a powdered whole milk or a low-fat or non-fat dry milk or a 
dry milk substitute product, or a combination of these, that is 
reconstitutable in water. The dry powdered milk may be dusted onto the 
cereal pieces at the end of the cereal manufacturing process, either while 
the cereal pieces are still wet or damp, or after the cereal pieces have 
been dried. A tacky substance or wetting agent can be applied to dry 
cereal pieces to facilitate adherence of the dry milk or milk substitute 
to the cereal pieces. 
Coating of the dry powdered milk product onto the cereal pieces can be 
accomplished in any suitable manner, as by spraying, dusting, tumbling, 
etc. 
The powdered milk coating preferably comprises dried whole milk or a 
low-fat dry milk or dry milk substitute product, but dried skim milk or 
non-fat milk products can be used, although they do not produce the same 
flavor or appearance as cereal coated with dried whole milk or low fat 
milk. However, milk substitutes such as whey or soy can be added to the 
non-fat milk products to enhance their flavor and appearance. This enables 
the cost of the coating to be minimized while still obtaining a 
satisfactory flavor. Similarly, coffee creamers and similar products 
should not be used since they do not readily dissolve in cold water. They 
also do not provide the same flavor as dried whole milk. 
A suitable powdered milk coating may be obtained from the low fat dry milk 
product that is sold by Familiar Foods, Inc., of City of Industry, 
California, under the trademark MILKMAN.RTM.. This product contains 5% 
milk fat before adding water, and 1/2% milk fat after water is added. It 
also contains a small amount of cream for added flavor. 
Commercially available dried milk products, including that noted above, are 
generally granular to avoid lumping and to obtain rapid dissolution when 
added to water. For use in the present invention, these products may be 
further processed to a flour-like consistency, which results in better 
adherence between the coating and the cereal pieces, but which also 
readily dissolves in water, without lumping, because the powder is in a 
layer distributed over the surface of the cereal pieces. 
The powdered milk coating may be applied to pre-sweetened cereals as well 
as to unsweetened cereals. If applied to pre-sweetened cereals, the 
sweetener should be applied first, so that the powdered milk coating is 
quickly dissolved to reconstitute the milk when water is added to the 
cereal. It is thus possible to dust or spray the powdered milk coating 
onto the pre-sweetened cereal while the sweetener is still tacky, thereby 
insuring adequate adhesion between the powdered milk and the cereal 
pieces. However, it is also possible to dust the powdered milk onto the 
cereal pieces after the cereal has been dried. 
Instead of powdered milk, coarser consistencies can be used. For example, 
dry milk pellets could be used with some cereals, such as shredded wheat, 
if desired, because this cereal captures the pellets in the interstices of 
the cereal structure. 
Best results are obtained when the dried milk or milk substitute is added 
in the ratio of from about six percent up to about thirty-two percent 
(6%-32%), by weight, of the cereal being coated, although other amounts 
may be acceptable on some cereals, depending upon the structure and 
flavoring of the cereals. 
If a milk substitute such as whey or soy is added to dry skim milk or 
nonfat milk products to enhance their flavor and appearance, the ratio of 
substitute to non-fat milk is preferably in the range of 15% to 25%, by 
wieght. 
Additional nutrients can be mixed in the dried milk or milk substitute, 
which then serves as a carrier, and dusted or coated onto the cereal 
pieces at the same time that the milk or milk substitute is applied to the 
cereal. Sweeteners and flavorings can be similarly applied. By applying 
the nutrients, sweeteners and/or flavorings at the end of the 
manufacturing process, many of the problems associated with loss of 
nutrients and detrimental change to flavorings caused by heat or other 
processing steps can be avoided. 
A process by which cereal may be coated in accordance with the invention is 
shown schematically in FIG. 1. In this figure, an apparatus for coating 
the cereal is indicated generally at 10. The apparatus includes an 
elongate chamber 11 through which the cereal 12 is conveyed while being 
tumbled. A plurality of nozzles 13 are positioned in the chamber 11 for 
spraying a mist onto the cereal to dampen it. Powdered milk or milk 
substitute 14 is then dusted onto the cereal pieces from a discharge 
member 15 positioned in the chamber 11 downstream from the nozzles 13, so 
that the cereal is substantially uniformly coated on all surfaces as it 
passes through the chamber 11. The cereal is thereafter conveyed by 
conveyor 16 through a heater 17 where it is dried prior to being packaged. 
If desired, rather than wet the cereal pieces, the powdered milk may be in 
a slightly wet state so that it will adhere to the pieces of cereal, with 
or without first wetting the cereal. 
The coated cereal then passes through a chamber 14 where the cereal is 
heated to dry the milk coating on the pieces of cereal. 
An alternate process by which cereal may be coated in accordance with the 
invention is shown schematically in FIG. 2. In this figure, an apparatus 
for coating the cereal is indicated generally at 20. The apparatus 
includes an elongate, vertically oriented chamber 21 through which the 
cereal 22 falls under the influence of gravity. A plurality of uniformly 
distributed nozzles 23 are positioned around the chamber 21 for spraying 
powdered milk product into the path of the falling cereal so that the 
cereal is coated as it passes through the sprays of powdered milk. If 
desired, the powdered milk may be in a slightly wet state so that it will 
adhere to the pieces of cereal, or the cereal may be dampened prior to 
applying the powdered coating. 
The coated cereal then falls through streams of heated air blown into the 
path of the falling cereal through nozzles 24 to dry the milk coating on 
the pieces of cereal. The velocity of air introduced through the upturned 
nozzles may be controlled as desired to avoid excessive agitation of the 
cereal, and even to achieve some control over flow of the cereal pieces 
downwardly through the chamber. 
The coated cereal 25 then falls onto a conveyor 26 for conveyance to a 
suitable packaging station. This alternate system for coating the cereal 
pieces eliminates the jarring of the cereal pieces, and the potential 
dislodgement of the coating associated with such jarring, caused by impact 
of the cereal pieces against the structure of the apparatus shown in FIG. 
1, as the cereal progresses through it. 
A variety of different shaped containers are shown in FIGS. 3-8 for 
packaging the cereal in individual serving sizes. FIGS. 3 and 4 show a 
circular container 28 having slightly tapered side walls. FIGS. 5 and 6 
show a hexagonally shaped container 29, having more sharply sloping side 
walls. FIGS. 7 and 8 show a rectangular shaped container 30 which may have 
perforations 31 formed in its top wall to facilitate opening of the wall. 
In this form of the invention, as well as in the previously described 
forms, the package may be suitably treated to make it water tight, and 
after it is opened water and/or milk may be added directly to the package 
so that the cereal can be eaten directly from the package. If it is 
intended to add the water directly to the package to prepare the cereal to 
be eaten, the package should be lined with a liquid impervious material, 
such as wax, waxed paper, etc. 
While a particular method of coating the cereal has been described herein, 
it is to be understood that other processes may be utilized to coat the 
pieces of cereal with dry powdered milk or milk substitute. A finely 
powdered dry milk or milk substitute is desired, having the consistency of 
flour, for better adherence to the cereal pieces, although more granular 
consistencies, or even small pellets, may be used on some cereals, such as 
shredded wheat, for example, and adequate coating of the cereal still 
obtained. In these instances it is probably more accurate to describe the 
milk product as imbedded in the interstices of the structure of the cereal 
pieces, but this is intended to be covered by the term "coating" or 
"coated" as used herein. 
The following examples are illustrative of milk-coated cereals produced in 
accordance with the invention. 
EXAMPLE 1 
Ninety (90) grams of commercially available pre-sweetened cereal flakes, 
Honey Frosted Wheaties.RTM., by General Mills, Minneapolis, Minn., were 
lightly sprayed with water to dampen them, and then dusted with sixteen 
(16) grams of Milkman.RTM. powdered milk, by Familiar Foods, Inc., 
processed to a flour-like consistency, until the flakes became uniformly 
coated with the powdered milk. The flakes were then dried and placed in a 
bowl and water was added, resulting in reconstitution of the milk and 
producing an excellent product that exhibited an appearance and flavor 
comparable to that of a flaked cereal, uncoated, placed in a bowl and 
liquid milk added. 
EXAMPLE 2 
Ninety (90) grams of commercially available toasted oat cereal sold under 
the name Cheerios.RTM., by General Mills, Minneapolis, Minn., was lightly 
sprayed with water to dampen it, and then dusted with sixteen (16) grams 
of Milkman.RTM. dry powdered milk, by Familiar Foods, Inc., processed as 
in Example 1, until the pieces of cereal became uniformly coated with the 
powdered milk. The pieces of cereal were then dried, placed in a bowl and 
water added to reconstitute the milk. An excellent product resulted, with 
a taste and appearance comparable to that of an uncoated cereal placed in 
a bowl with liquid milk. 
EXAMPLE 3 
In this example, one hundred fifty (150) grams of commercially available 
bite-size shredded wheat was sprayed with water to dampen it, and then 
dusted with ten (10) grams of Milkman.RTM. dry powdered milk, in its 
commercially available consistency, and gently tumbled until the pieces of 
cereal were substantially uniformly coated with the powdered milk. The 
pieces of cereal were then dried, placed in a bowl and water added to 
reconstitute the milk. The resultant product was comparable to that 
obtained by adding liquid milk to uncoated shredded wheat. 
EXAMPLE 4 
In this example, fifteen and eight-tenths (15.8) grams of Cocoa Puffs.RTM. 
were lightly sprayed with water to dampen them and then dusted with five 
and eight-tenths (5.8) grams of Milkman.RTM. dry powdered milk, processed 
as in Example 1, and gently tumbled until the pieces of cereal were 
substantially uniformly coated with the powdered milk. The pieces of 
cereal were then dried, placed in a bowl and water added to reconstitute 
the milk. The resultant product was excellent. 
Good adhesion of the dried milk product to the cereal pieces perhaps may be 
due at least in part to partial dissolving of the dried milk and 
consequent bonding of it to the dampened cereal pieces. 
Although specific examples have been given above, the dried milk and milk 
substitute products may comprise any commercially available product, 
including casein proteins of milk, i.e., non-fat dry milk, caseinates, 
caseins, milk protein concentrates and milk protein isolates. 
Caseinates and milk protein concentrates, in particular, enable the cereal 
to be calcium-fortified because they make insoluble calcium dispersable 
and suspendable. Depending upon requirements, calcium levels of these 
ingredients can range between 2.7% to 15.0% of total weight to provide 
100% of the RDI in some food systems. 
A high-calcium fractionated whey can also provide a source of 
calcium-fortification. This source of calcium provides the highest 
relative bioavailability in rats, as compared with three other common 
calcium sources. Whey protein concentrates are a particularly good source 
because of their high solubility over a wide pH range and their high 
protein content. 
A milk-coated cereal in accordance with the invention may be conventionally 
packaged, and does not require storage or handling any different than that 
of an uncoated cereal. 
While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and 
described in detail herein, it should be understood that various changes 
and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the 
spirit and intent of the invention, as defined by the scope of the 
appended claims.