General Mills, Inc.

Diamond Foods, Inc.

General Mills IP Holdings Ii, LLC

Gerneral Mills, Inc.

General Mills Marketing, Inc.

Snyder's-lance, Inc.

David W Plank

Daniel J Lewandowski

Jonathan W DeVries

Michael A Staeger

Barrie R Froseth

Randal J Monforton

Douglas J Novak

Marcia A Popa

Anthony J Delvecchio

Lindsey M Hirsch

Philip K Zietlow

Jon Duke Seibold

Alan A Oppenheimer

Braden J Erickson

Patrick C Dreese

Jon D (Duke) Seibold

Jessica Raby Luger

Kory M Kolvig

Alicia A Perdon

Fred Hemker

Richard H Fanning

Jonathan W Devries

Ravindranath Menon

The amount of dietary fiber in a sample can be quantified by dissoluting the sample to produce a dietary fiber solution and then centrifuging the dietary fiber solution to produce a pellet and a supernatant liquid. After separating the supernatant liquid from the pellet, the pellet can be analyzed to determine a content of non-dietary fiber components in the pellet. The dietary fiber content in the pellet can be determined from the content of the non-dietary fiber components in the pellet. By using centrifugation to help isolate the dietary fiber in the sample, fiber loss may be minimized, leading to a more accurate determination of the content of dietary fiber in the sample.

Method for determination of dietary fiber content by centrifugation

An analysis technique can be performed to quantify the digestible protein content of a protein-containing sample outside the body of a living organism. Traditionally, protein digestibility is evaluated in vivo, for example using a rat subject to measure protein digestibility after being fed the protein-containing sample. In some examples, an in vitro technique involves enzymatically digesting the protein-containing sample to simulate digestion that would occur inside a mammalian body. The sample can then be optically analyzed to measure the amount of reactive amine present in the sample, which can provide an indication of the amount of amino acid released during digestion. In some examples, the measured reactive amine value is adjusted to account for the stronger and/or weaker optical response of certain amino acids due to their relative reactivity with an optical tagging agent. Thereafter, an in vivo protein digestibility value can be calculated based on adjusted amine concentration.

In vitro method for estimating in vivo protein digestibility

Disclosed are hydrated fat piece compositions along with various methods of making hydrated fat piece compositions. Also disclosed are dough compositions and baked articles made using the hydrated fat piece compositions of the invention.

Hydrated fat piece compositions and dough articles made therefrom

Methods and food product compositions are provided for preferentially reducing absorption of saturated fat whereby the effective caloric content of a fat-containing food product is reduced by about 25% of the effective caloric content contributed by a saturated fat. This food product is prepared with a major portion of the saturated fat present in the food product being complexed with a solubilized alpha and/or beta cyclodextrin. Food products comprising a fat component comprising mixtures of saturated and unsaturated fat fractions are provided wherein the saturated fat fraction is desirably selectively more complexed to reduce its relative metabolic availability.

Method of preferentially reducing absorption of saturated fat and compositions

Oil resistant package material and packages prepared therefrom have cyclodextrin incorporated in or adjacent to a film layer of the package to reduce the permeation of oil through the package material, and particularly out of the package. The film layer comprises a polymer that coordinates or bonds with a cyclodextrin compound in an amount sufficient to reduce the permeation of oil through the film layer as compared to a like film layer that does not contain cyclodextrin.

Oil resistant packaging

The present invention is related to a novel food intermediate containing a phytosteryl esters complex and the method used to create the food intermediate. The food product provides beneficial hypocholesterolemic activity through increased cholesterol-uptake inhibition while simultaneously delivering a food product that is not adversely affected by its inclusion, either in taste or texture or in any undesirable side effects.

Food intermediate having sequestered phytosteryl esters in a polysaccharide matrix

A process of preparing a complexed fat composition in a continuous process is provided. The process comprises mixing a cyclodextrin with a solvent in an in-line mixing system at a temperature of from about 180 to about 200&#xb0; F. (82.2 to about 93.3&#xb0; C.), thereby solubilizing the cyclodextrin; mixing fat and the solubilized cyclodextrin in a static mixer mixing system at a temperature of from about 80 to about 120&#xb0; F. (26.7 to about 48.9&#xb0; C.) to form a fat/cyclodextrin composition comprising a fat/cyclodextrin complex; and cooling the fat/cyclodextrin composition in an in-line mixing system. The described continuous process is a very efficient manner of complexing fat with cyclodextrin, and provides compositions that exhibit excellent uniformity and homogeneity.

Method of making complexed fat compositions

Disclosed are microwave popcorn articles including a thickened liquid (at room temperature) oil and their methods of preparation. The microwave popcorn articles comprise any conventional microwave popcorn bag or container, and a food charge disposed therein comprising kernel popcorn and/or puffable pellets; 1% to 45% liquid (at room temperature) oil; and, 0% to 4% salt. The oil ingredient has a melting point of &#x2266;25&#xb0; C. The oil ingredient includes an oil thickening ingredient especially a starch based oil thickening ingredient such as a cyclodextrin in amounts sufficient to dimensionally stabilize the oil. By avoiding hydrogenation to solidify the oil into a solid fat at room temperatures, finished popcorn products can be provided that are desirably low in trans fatty acid content. The methods of preparation include preparing a heated oil thickened with cyclodextrin complexed with the oil and adding the thickened oil to the microwave container.

Microwave popcorn with viscous liquid fat and method of preparation

Fat-containing compositions comprise a fat component having less than 40% by weight of trans fat and a cyclodextrin, wherein at least about 25% of the cyclodextrin in the composition is bound to the fat. The fat compositions as provided herein can be substantially more viscous or harder than a like fat composition that does not contain cyclodextrin that is bound to the fat. Food products and methods of use of food products are described.

Viscous fat compositions having low amounts of trans-fat, methods and products

Fat-containing compositions comprise a fat component having less than 40% by weight of trans fat and a cyclodextrin, wherein at least about 25% of the cyclodextrin in the composition is bound to the fat. The fat compositions as provided herein can be substantially more viscous or harder than a like fat composition that does not contain cyclodextrin that is bound to the fat. Food products and methods of use of food products are described. Methods of making these compositions are also provided.

The present invention relates to an assay for determining the levels of sterols, stanols, steryl esters, fatty acid derivatives and combinations thereof in a starch-containing food product. The assay is particularly useful in supporting product health and/or nutritional claims in manufacturing products intended for human or animal consumption. The present invention describes a method for extracting sterols related compounds and uses as an internal standard a steryl ester, preferably cholesteryl oleate. By using the present extraction technique the process enables the recovery of substantially all of the sterol related compound in the sample.

Assay and method for quantifying the levels of steryl esters and free sterols in starch-containing food products

The present invention relates to novel uses of cyclodextrins either separately or in combination with beta glucans, to reduce trans fat levels in food products and food intermediates, as well as to enhance the hypocholesterolemic and hypocaloric benefit either individually or synergistically with other components.

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Taylors Falls, MN, United States of America

David W Plank