Abstract: Cooked and uncooked caramel slurries and products prepared using the cooked caramel slurries, and methods of preparing caramel slurries and coating a cooked caramel slurry onto a food piece.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for coating food pieces with edible particles. The methods include simultaneously applying liquid and edible particle components of a coating to a food piece.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for continuously coating food pieces. The methods include a steps of directing and uncoated food stream through an enrober to apply a first coating to at least a portion of a surface of each food piece to form a coated stream and continuously redirecting a portion of the coated stream back through the enrober along with the stream of uncoated food pieces to apply at least one additional coating to the portion of the coated stream.

Abstract: Described are coated food products having a sugar (sucrose) coating, the coating exhibiting desirable levels of sucrose crystallinity and a desired sucrose ratio (total sucrose per total soluble solids), as well as methods or preparing such coated food products and coating.

Abstract: Described are coated food products having a sugar (sucrose) coating, the coating exhibiting desirable levels of sucrose crystallinity and a desired sucrose ratio (total sucrose per total soluble solids), as well as methods or preparing such coated food products and coating.

Abstract: Described are food products such as ready to eat cereal having a base and a coating; examples include a base, a slurry layer over the base produced by applying a slurry coating to the base, the slurry layer having less than about 80% sucrose on a dry weight basis, and a particulate layer on the slurry layer. The particulate layer can be produced by dry charging particulates onto the slurry coated base. Particulates include be one or more of pregel starch, high molecular weight dextrin, high molecular weight soluble fiber, partially soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, protein, low solubility non-sugar compound, or sucrose, for example.

Abstract: A ready to eat breakfast cereal is prepared by coating dried cereal base pieces with a low sugar sweetener such as a high conversion maltodextrin or low conversion corn syrup that includes a high potency sweetener. The low sugar coating has a sugars content of less than 10% yet provides taste, texture, appearance and bowl life that mimics presweetened RTE cereals having a sucrose based coating.

Abstract: A ready to eat breakfast cereal is prepared by coating dried cereal base pieces with a low sugar sweetener such as a high conversion maltodextrin or low conversion corn syrup that includes a high potency sweetener. The low sugar coating has a sugars content of less than 10% yet provides taste, texture, appearance and bowl life that mimics presweetened RTE cereals having a sucrose based coating.

Abstract: A ready to eat breakfast cereal is prepared by coating dried cereal base pieces with a low sugar sweetener in powder form such as a high conversion maltodextrin or low conversion corn syrup that includes a high potency sweetener. The cereal is pre-coated with a liquid oil for better adhesion of the powdered low sugar sweetener. The low sugar coating has a sugars content of less than 10% yet provides taste, texture, appearance and bowl life that mimics presweetened RTE cereals having a sucrose based coating.

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.

Abstract: Disclosed are sugar reduced aerated confections. The confections essentially comprise a first heterogeneous continuous phase including a structured amorphous saccharide, a second discontinuous phase including a multiplicity of gas cells. The first heterogeneous continuous phase includes a multiplicity of crystals distributed evenly throughout also including about 1%-35% by dry weight basis of a non-hydrated polysaccharide filler ingredient preferably starch in the form of discrete particles evenly distributed through the continuous phase having a mean particle size distribution of preferably less than 150 microns. The confectionery food products find particular suitability for use as ingredients for reduced sugar children's RTE cereals.

Abstract: Visually appealing heterogeneous puffed flaked Ready-to-Eat (“R-T-E”) cereal products with varied texture and density have a first continuous denser portion and a second discontinuous portion in the form of more highly puffed discrete regions. The R-T-E cereal products are fabricated from a dried heterogeneous cooked cereal mass comprising a continuous phase provided by macerated cooked cereal ingredients, e.g., cut whole wheat and a discontinuous phase containing added discrete hydrated intact parboiled medium grain rice. The cereal products are made by preparation methods involving forming the workable heterogonous cooked cereal dough into wet pellets having discrete pieces of the parboiled rice; drying the wet pellets to form dried pellets; flaking the dried pellets to form wet flakes; and, heating the wet flakes to dry and puff the flakes to form puffed flakes having 2-5% moisture and bulk density of 270-480 g/liter. The flakes can be pre-sweetened.

Abstract: A slot ventilator including a housing and a closure member. The housing includes a face with an airflow opening defined in said face. When the closure member is in a first position, the closure member abuts against the face and generally closes the airflow opening. When the closure member is in a second position, the closure member is offset from the face and the airflow opening is generally unobstructed by the closure member. The housing further provides a drive mechanism for displacing the closure member from the housing.

Abstract: Nutrient clusters for food products, such as for addition to Ready-To-Eat cereals, are made in the form of aggregates or clusters comprising a first particulate component; a nutrient powder blend, and sufficient binder to adhere the powder to the particulates. The nutrient clusters are in the form of pieces each weighing from about 0.3 to 5 g. and having a moisture content of about 2% to 10%. Such nutrient clusters are prepared by applying a liquid binder to the particulates to form sticky particulates, adding a powdered nutrient blend, and curing the mixtures to form hardened dried nutrient clusters. The nutrient cluster can contain 100% US recommended daily allowance of essential vitamins and minerals and can contain added macronutrients such as soy proteins, soluble fiber, and/or calcium in nutritionally dense form in as little as 5 to 15 g of nutrient clusters.

Abstract: Nutrient clusters for food products, such as for addition to Ready-To-Eat cereals, are made in the form of aggregates or clusters comprising a first particulate component; a nutrient powder blend, and sufficient binder to adhere the powder to the particulates. The nutrient clusters are in the form of pieces each weighing from about 0.3 to 5 g. and having a moisture content of about 2% to 10%. Such nutrient clusters are prepared by applying a liquid binder to the particulates to form sticky particulates, adding a powdered nutrient blend, and curing the mixtures to form hardened dried nutrient clusters. The nutrient cluster can contain 100% US recommended daily allowance of essential vitamins and minerals and can contain added macronutrients such as soy proteins, soluble fiber, and/or calcium in nutritionally dense form in as little as 5 to 15 g of nutrient clusters.

Abstract: A computer implemented system and method provide navigation of information structures through corresponding graphical structures containing graphical nodes. Each graphical node has its own bounded volume defined in a relative 3D coordinate space. Each graphical node further may have a parent or child containment relationship with any other arbitrary graphical node. The containment relationships correspond to semantic containment relationships of corresponding information nodes in an information structure. As a result, the various 3D coordinate spaces are arbitrarily nested within each other, yet provide for a fully defined local coordinate frame of reference for contained objects. A viewer module manages a view volume in the coordinate space of a current one of the graphical nodes and associated current coordinate space. As the user moves a viewpoint in the current coordinate space, the view volume is dynamically rescaled in inverse proportion to the depth of the viewpoint in that space.

Abstract: A method for coating discrete food pieces with a sweet coating such as in the preparation of a presweetened R-T-E cereal and coated food products prepared by the method is provided. The coating contains a mixture of sugars and calcium. The method of preparation comprises the steps, in sequence of: (A) providing a base of dried food pieces; (B) blending sugar syrup with an aqueous calcium slurry; (C) coating the base of dried food pieces with the sugar syrup and calcium slurry blend; and (D) drying the coated product to a shelf stable moisture content to provide a calcium fortified finished product.

Abstract: A method for coating discrete food pieces with a sweet coating such as in the preparation of a presweetened R-T-E cereal and coated food products prepared by the process. The coating resists dissolution in cold milk. The coating contains a mixture of sugars, gelatin and calcium material. The method of preparation comprises the steps, in sequence of: (A) providing a base of dried food pieces; (B) blending an aqueous sugars solution with an aqueous gelatin solution and calcium material; (C) coating the base of dried food pieces with the aqueous sugar, gelatin solution and calcium material; and (D) drying the coated product to a shelf stable moisture content.