# US 11,297,870 B2 · Reduced sucrose sugar coatings for cereals and methods of preparation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,297,870 B2 - Document ID: US11297870B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/173,298 - Filed: 2011-06-30 - Published: 2012-01-05 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2010-07-01 - Assignees: General Mills, Inc. - Applicants: Christopher J. Barrett; Patrick C. Dreese; Daniel R. Green; Victor T. Huang; Christine Nowakowski; Fern A. Panda; Scott Whitman - Inventors: Christopher J. Barrett; Patrick C. Dreese; Daniel R. Green; Victor T. Huang; Christine Nowakowski; Fern A. Panda; Scott Whitman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11297870B2 ## CPC - A23L 33/20: Reducing nutritive value; Dietetic products with reduced nutritive value - A23L 5/00: Preparation or treatment of foods or foodstuffs, in general; Food or foodstuffs obtained thereby; Materials therefor - A23L 7/00: Cereal-derived products; Malt products; Preparation or treatment thereof (preparation of malt for brewing C12C) - A23L 7/122: Coated, filled, multilayered or hollow ready-to-eat cereals - A23L 29/212: Starch; Modified starch; Starch derivatives, e.g. esters or ethers (containing starch hydrolysates, e.g. dextrin, A23L29/30) - A23L 29/30: containing carbohydrate syrups; containing sugars; containing sugar alcohols, e.g. xylitol; containing starch hydrolysates, e.g. dextrin (products from apiculture A23L21/20; artificial sweetening agents A23L27/30) - A23L 29/35: {Degradation products of starch, e.g. hydrolysates, dextrins; Enzymatically modified starches} - A23L 33/125: containing carbohydrate syrups; containing sugars; containing sugar alcohols; containing starch hydrolysates (indigestible substances A23L33/21) - A23L 33/16: Inorganic salts, minerals or trace elements - A23P 20/10: Coating with edible coatings, e.g. with oils or fats - A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs - A23V 2200/3322: Low carb - reduced carbohydrate content - A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B) - A23P: SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS - A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION ## Abstract Disclosed are improved sugar coatings for topically pre-sweetened food products that are sugar reduced whether in the form of a syrup or in the form of a dried coating. The syrup form is useful as an intermediate product in the preparation of pre-sweetened food products. In dry form, the present formulations can be a component part of a composite food product especially in the form of a topical coating or filling. The present invention is particularly suited for the preparation of R-T-E pre-sweetened cereals. The coating formulations comprise less than 70% sucrose, corn syrup and 1-20% non-hydrated integrated starch and preferably about 5-10% insoluble mineral salts each of particle size of about 50 microns. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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; 0.1% to about 15% of a finely milled insoluble fiber; and, 8-25% moisture. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1 additionally comprising about 5% to about 25% of an edible insoluble mineral. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the edible-insoluble mineral is calcium carbonate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the starch ingredient is provided by a whole grain flour ingredient. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the non-hydrated starch is supplied by an insoluble cereal grain bran. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1, wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup. ### Claim 7 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. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 7 additionally comprising 0.1% to about 15% of a finely milled insoluble fiber. ### Claim 9 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. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 9, having a fat content of up to 15%. ### Claim 11 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. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided by a cereal grain bran. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of: C. evaporatively concentrating the hot sugar slurry coating syrup by maintaining the temperature at below the gelatinization temperature of the starch to form a cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry coating syrup having a moisture content ranging from about 8 - 12% and wherein the non- hydrated starch remains-ungelatinized; and D. cooling the cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry coating syrup to a temperature of 162° F. (72° C.) or cooler to form a cooled concentrated sugar or saccharide slurry coating syrup having about 40-85% of sugar components and having 25% or less crystallinity. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of method for preparing a pre-sweetener, reduced hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 11, wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup. ### Claim 15 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. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the dried base includes a R-T-E cereal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the coating additionally comprises about 5-10% of a calcium material. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein of the pre-sweetener coating is hypocrystalline and having a sucrose crystallinity of less than 25%. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 additionally comprising the steps of: evaporatively concentrating the hot sugar slurry liquid by maintaining the temperature at below the gelatinization temperature of the starch to form a cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry syrup having a moisture content ranging from about 8-12% and wherein the non-hydrated starch remains ungelatinized; and cooling the cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry syrup to a temperature of 162° F. (72° C.) or cooler to form a cooled concentrated sugar or saccharide syrup having about 40-85% of sugar components and having 25% or less crystallinity. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided by a cereal grain bran. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The method for preparing food pieces coated with a pre-sweetener of claim 15, wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup.