General Mills, Inc.

Dean E Franssell

Philip E Palkert

Charles A Anker

Bernhard H Van Lengerich

Philip K Zietlow

James L Stinson

Mathew F Langenfeld

Glenn J VanHulle

S Ganesh Ganesan

Glenn J Van Hulle

Aerated confections in the form of pieces having a body color and a body exterior surface importantly characterized by at least a portion of which has been modified to provide an appearance disparate to the body. The aerated food products comprise 50 to 98% of a saccharide component; about 0.5 to 30% of a structuring agent; and about 1 to 8% moisture. The aerated food products have a density of about 0.1 to 1.0 g/cc. The products are additionally characterized by having an external surface, and wherein at least a portion of the external surface has a distinguishing feature differing from the body in color, texture or structure. Preparation methods are disclosed directed to a mass of aerated confection pieces having at least one colored portion and having an external surface; applying a substance, at least a fraction of which has a second color, to adhere to the external surface and to define sticky aerated confection pieces; and, forming the sticky aerated confection pieces into finished non-sticky coated pieces, The confectionery food products find particular suitability for use as ingredients for children's RTE cereals.

Appearance modified aerated confection and method of preparation

Disclosed are dry culinary mixes for use in preparing baked goods, especially microwave muffins. The dry mixes employ particular levels of particular high soluble fiber materials. Surprisingly, inclusion of these particular soluble fiber materials in the present microwave dry mixes enables consumers to bake a muffin, using microwave radiant energy, of superior quality in terms of structure, volume, and texture compared to other microwave muffin mixes. The soluble fiber can be provided by minor amounts of the combination of psyllium with guar gum in a weight ratio of 1.5 to 3:1.

Dry mix for microwave muffins with psyllium and method of preparation

Disclosed are food compositions and methods for preparing sugary coated puffed snack products upon simple heating of the food compositions in a consumer microwave oven. The food compositions comprise a plurality of puffable farinaceous dough puff pieces or pellets and a puffing media throughout which the puff pieces or pellets are dispersed. The puffing media comprises from about 40% to 95% by weight of a nutritive carbohydrate sweetening agent and from about 5% to 10% moisture. The weight ratio of puffing media to puff pieces ranges between about 4:1 to 0.1:1. The water activity of the food compositions is less than about 0.75. The method for making a coated snack comprises forming a gelatinized dough, shaping the dough into pieces, partially drying the pieces, dispersing the pieces throughout a puffing media to form a puffing media/piece matrix, and microwave heating the matrix to simultaneously puff the pieces and to enrobe the pieces with the fluidized puffing media.

Method for preparing sugar coated, puffed snacks upon microwave heating

Disclosed are food compositions and methods for preparing cheese-coated puffed snack products upon simple heating of the food compositions in a consumer microwave oven. The food compositions comprise a plurality of puffable farinaceous dough puff pieces or pellets in a puffing medium throughout which the puff pieces or pellets are dispersed. The puffing medium comprises from about 30% to 90%, by weight of the puffing medium, of an edible fatty triglyceride and from about 10% to 60% by weight of dehydrated cheese solids. The puffing medium contains no more than about 2% by weight reducing sugars. The weight ratio of puffing medium to puff pieces ranges between about 0.2:1 to 1.3:1. The method of making a cheese-coated snack comprises forming a gelatinized dough, shaping the dough into pieces, partially drying the pieces, dispersing the pieces throughout a puffing medium to form a puffing medium/piece matrix, and microwave heating the matrix to simultaneously puff the pieces and to coat the pieces with the fluidized puffing medium.

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Dean E Franssell