General Mills, Inc.

Dean W Creighton

John D Efstathiou

Bryan Worwa

James N Weinstein

Patrick E Allen

Steven J Leusner

Jason Herzog

Robert Erickson

Karen M Garrity

John A Merboth

Cereal piece

Dried fruit has a coating of microcrystalline cellulose in an amount effective to prevent agglomeration of the dried fruit. Methods of preparing and using the coated dried fruit are also described. The dried fruit pieces of the present invention are less sticky and are readily separated from one another using ordinary gravity feed handling conditions.

Coated dried fruit and methods

Dried fruit has a coating of microcrystalline cellulose in an amount effective to prevent agglomeration of the dried fruit Methods of preparing and using the coated dried fruit are also described. The dried fruit pieces of the present invention are less sticky and are readily separated from one another using ordinary gravity feed handling conditions.

Coated dried fruit and/or nuts and methods

Lightly cooked cereal dough products are provided that are fortified with at least a 0.3% calcium at least a portion of which is supplied by CaCO,exhibiting reduced discoloration such as RTE cereals and grain based snacks. The dried cereal finished products are fabricated from cooked cereal doughs that can comprise rice and/or corn and minor levels of other conventional cereal ingredients and calcium carbonate. The cooked cereal doughs additionally contains effective amounts of calcium sequestrants. Methods for preparing such calcium fortified cooked cereal compositions and dried cereal finished food products are: A. providing a lightly colored calcium fortified cooked cereal dough or mass containing at least 0.3% calcium (dry weight basis) at least a portion of which is supplied by calcium carbonate and sequestrants; B. forming the lightly colored calcium fortified cereal dough into pieces; and, C. drying the pieces to form the present rice based finished food products fortified with high levels of calcium.

Calcium fortified cereal product and method of preparation

Food product piece

Disclosed are puffed ready-to-eat breakfast cereal products having a high Total Dietary Fiber content which nonetheless exhibit desirable crispness. The cereal products are characterized by specific densities of about 0.075 to 0.35 g/cc. The Total Dietary Fiber content of the cereal compositions is about 2.5-12 g/oz or about 9% to 42%. The total fat content of the puffed cereal is less than about 4%. The cereal base is in the form of a hollow, pillow shaped piece comprising a thin shell surrounding the hollow core. In preferred embodiments, the cereal is provided with a low level of a sugar presweetening coating. Also disclosed are processes for preparing the puffed high fiber R-T-E cereals from pellets in sheet form.

Puffed high fiber R-T-E cereal and method of preparation

Disclosed are high temperature, high pressure, short residence time methods for heat treating whole cereal grains which upon milling form raw whole grain flours which exhibit enhanced storage stability. The heat treatment step involves introducing the cereal grain into a zone of high pressure and temperature. Conventional continuous cereal puffing gun apparatus are useful to practice the process. Thereafter, the whole grain is introduced to a second zone of lower pressure but wherein the pressure differential is insufficient to cause puffing. After cooling without further drying, the treated grains can be milled to form the raw whole grain flours. The whole grain flours are especially useful in the preparation of whole grain cereal products such as whole grain R-T-E corn flakes.

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Brooklyn Park, MN, United States of America

Dean W Creighton