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US 6,472,004 B2Granted
Modified oat and corn grit products and method
AssigneeThe Quaker Oats Company
InventorsJames Hansa, Alice Hibbs, Donald Salisbury
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AssigneeThe Quaker Oats Company
InventorsJames Hansa, Alice Hibbs, Donald Salisbury
Estimating the term…
A coated, uncooked oat product is provided that has no added fat and comprises uncooked oat flakes having a coating adherent to the oat flakes. A coated, oat flake agglomerate is also provided, wherein each agglomerate comprises at least two uncooked oat flakes and has a fat-free coating. A flavored, coated oat product in bulk and a flavored, coated, agglomerated oat product are provided, both of which products have flavors uniformly distributed throughout the bulk. Corn grit products are also provided and include (1) individual pieces of corn grit having a fat-free coating and (2) clusters of corn grit pieces having a fat-free coating.
An uncooked oat product comprising uncooked oat flakes having a fat-free coating adhering to the oat flakes, the coating comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of colorants, flavors, nutrients, and sweeteners, wherein said uncooked oat flakes have no added fat;
An uncooked oat product comprising agglomerated, flaked oats composed of at least two uncooked oat flakes and having a fat-free coating adhered to the oat flakes;
A flavored oat product in bulk having flavors uniformly distributed throughout the bulk and comprising uncooked, coated oat flakes;
An uncooked oat product comprising a plurality of coated, uncooked oat flakes, wherein said coated uncooked oat flakes have a fat-free coating adhering to the oat flakes, said coating comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of colorants, flavors, nutrients, and sweeteners, said coated, uncooked oat flakes comprising a plurality of first coated, uncooked oat flakes of a first color present in the coating of said first coated, uncooked oat flakes and a plurality of second coated, uncooked oat flakes of a second color, distinct from the first color, said second color being present in the coating of the second coated, uncooked oat flakes, said colors provided by water-soluble colorants and when said product is placed in an aqueous liquid, a new color is formed in said liquid from a combination of said first and second colors.
An uncooked oat flake product comprising a plurality of agglomerated uncooked, coated flaked oats, said agglomerated, uncooked, coated oat flakes composed of at least two uncooked oat flakes and having a fat-free coating adhered to the flakes;
A flavored oat product in bulk having uniformly distributed throughout the bulk and comprising a plurality of uncooked, coated flaked oats;
A flavored oat product in bulk comprising a plurality of agglomerated, uncooked, coated, flaked oats, said agglomerated, uncooked, coated oat flakes composed of at least two uncooked oat flakes and having a fat-free coating;
A flavored oat product in bulk comprising agglomerated, coated, flaked oats composed of at least two uncooked oat flakes having a fat-free coating;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Cereal granules or flakes to be cooked and eaten hot, e.g. oatmeal; Reformed rice products: made from wholegrain or grain pieces without…
Cereal-derived products: addition of antibiotics, vitamins, amino-acids, or minerals
Flakes or other shapes of ready-to-eat type; Semi-finished or partly-finished products therefor: coated, filled, multilayered or hollow…
Flakes or other shapes of ready-to-eat type; Semi-finished or partly-finished products therefor: snacks or the like obtained by binding, shaping…
Term ended 19 Jan 2020 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates to coated, uncooked, flaked oat products and methods of making such oat products. More particularly, the present invention relates to (1) an oat product comprising coated, uncooked oat flakes and having a fat-free coating adhered to the oat flakes, (2) an agglomerated oat product comprising coated, uncooked oat flakes and having a fat-free coating adhered thereto, (3) a flavored oat product in bulk comprising oat flakes coated with a fat-free coating, and (4) a flavored oat product in bulk comprising oat flake agglomerates having a fat-free coating.
This invention also relates, in particular, to methods of making the coated, uncooked oat flake product; the agglomerated, coated oat flake product; and the coating.
Cereal manufacturers today are faced with the ever-increasing challenge of producing flavorful yet nutritious products that appeal to consumers. Nutritionally, compared with other grains, oats offer a high concentration of protein, a good distribution of amino acids, and fiber. Oat groats—the component of oats that is used to form oat flakes (also termed “flaked oats” herein)—reportedly have a high protein concentration in the range of about 13.8% to 25.5%. See Oat, Ch. 10 by V. L. Young and R. A. Forsberg, in “Nutritional Quality of Cereal Grains: Genetic and Agronomic Improvement,” pp. 466-475, published by the American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Madison, Wis. (1987). Moreover, the amino acid composition of oat protein is good compared to other grains. Although lysine is the major limiting amino acid in oats, oats still have a higher concentration of this amino acid than is typically found in other grains. Further, rolled oat groats are a good fiber source as they contain about 1.1% crude fiber and thus provide 0.3 grams of crude fiber per ounce of rolled oat groats.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method of coating oat flakes with a fat-free coating material in accordance with the invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are flow charts illustrating a method of coating oat flakes with colorant-containing coating material in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of coating oat flakes with nutrient-containing coating material in accordance with the invention.
This invention includes all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In accordance with the invention, any source of oat flakes can be used and any suitable process can be used to make oat flakes or flaked oats. It is also to be understood that in accordance with the invention, any suitable cooking or partial cooking technique can be used to make corn grits. Corn grits can be obtained from corn in any manner known to those skilled in the art and in any desired size range. Throughout the following description, like numerals and letters refer to like parts or steps.
In accordance with the present invention, an uncooked oat product is provided which comprises uncooked, individual oat flakes having a coating that imparts no added fat to the finished product. The coating comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of colorants, flavors, nutrients, and sweeteners. The coating, applied so it is substantially uniformly distributed over the surface of the oat product, preferably comprises from about 0.1% to about 60% by weight, on a dry weight basis of the uncooked oat product. More preferably, the coating comprises from about 20% to about 50% by weight, on a dry weight basis, of the uncooked oat product. Most preferably, the coating comprises from about 35% to about 45% by weight, on a dry weight basis of the uncooked oat product. Preferably, the aforedescribed inventive product is packaged in a bulk quantity.
Vitamins, minerals, natural nutrients and sweeteners may be added to the coating material if desired. Typically, vitamins are selected from the group consisting of, for example, vitamin A, beta-carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, and derivatives and mixtures thereof. Minerals are generally selected from the group consisting of, for example, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, and derivatives and mixtures thereof. Natural nutrients are selected from the group consisting of, for example, Echinacea extract, gingko biloba extract, ginseng, bee pollen, St. John's wort extract, and mixtures thereof. Sweeteners are generally selected from the group consisting of, for example, sugar, fructose, honey, corn syrup, molasses, fruit juice, artificial sweeteners, and mixtures thereof.