Reduced sucrose sugar coatings for cereals and methods of preparation

A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup, comprising:

• 40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
• 10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
• 1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less, wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided from a low protein flour;
• and
• 8-25% moisture.

A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar

• slurry coating syrup, comprising:
• 40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
• 10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
• 1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less;
• and,
• 8-25% moisture, wherein the pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup has a sucrose crystallinity value of 25% v/v or less and wherein at least a portion of the non-sucrose soluble solids is provided by an ingredient selected from the group consisting of corn syrup, glucose syrup, inulin, soluble corn fiber and mixtures thereof.

A method for preparing a pre-sweetener, reduced hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup, comprising the steps:

• A. Preparing a sugar make-up slurry comprising:
• 40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis),
• 10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids,
• 1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns of less, and,
• 8-25% moisture;
• and
• B. Heating the sugar make-up slurry with agitation to below the gelatinization temperature of the starch at 170-250° F. (75-121° C.) to dissolve the sucrose and non-sucrose soluble solids to form a hot sugar slurry coating syrup.

A method for preparing food pieces coated with a pre-sweetener, reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing pieces of dried base;
• (b) preparing a sugar make-up slurry comprising:
• 40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
• 10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
• 1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less;
• and
• 8-25% moisture, wherein preparing the sugar make-up slurry further comprises:
• heating the make-up sugar slurry with agitation to below the gelatinization temperature of the starch at 170-250° F. (75-121° C.) to dissolve the sucrose and non-sucrose soluble solids to form a hot sugar slurry liquid;
• (c) coating the dried base pieces with the sugar make-up slurry as a pre-sweetener coating, wherein the weight ratio of dried base pieces to coating ranges from 10:1 to 0.5:1 to form coated pieces;
• and
• (d) reducing the moisture content of the coated pieces to a range of less than 5% to provide finished pre-sweetened coated food pieces.