WO2011148006A1 - Extruded cereal and a method for manufacturing same - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a product including from 12 to 24 wt % of a dried fruit fat in paste form, from 45 to 60 wt % of cereals and/or cereal derivatives or a mixture thereof, and from 10 to 20 wt % of sugars, derivatives and sugar substitutes, sweeteners or a combination thereof, said extruded cereal being low in saturated fat, free of salt and rich in fiber.

Description

 EXTRUSIONED CEREAL AND PROCEDURE FOR MANUFACTURING

Extruded cereal and manufacturing process characterized in that it comprises between 12 and 24% by weight of a nut fat in the form of pasta, between 45 and 60% by weight of cereals and / or cereal derivatives or a mixture of them, and between 10 and 20% by weight of sugars, derivatives and substitutes for sugars, sweeteners or a combination of them, said cereal being extruded low in saturated fat, without salt and rich in fiber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is based on the description of an extruded cereal whose innovation lies in the incorporation of nut fat as an ingredient in a high percentage, obtaining a healthy final product consisting of vegetable fats, low in saturated fat, rich in fiber, without salt, with a caloric profile in accordance with market standards, with a pleasant taste and crunchy texture.

 As an initial consideration, unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are expressed by weight.

The consumption of nuts supposes a high contribution of energy, proteins, vitamins (vitamin E and vitamins of group B), minerals (mainly iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium), fibers and unsaturated fats (mainly oleic acid). In addition, some clinical trials have shown that there is an inverse relationship between nut consumption and body weight gain. Its habitual consumption reduces LDL cholesterol levels, increasing HDL cholesterol and protects against the development of arteriosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension. In addition, according to various studies, its high fiber content favors intestinal transit and helps prevent colon cancer. However, the consumption of nuts in Mediterranean countries barely reaches six grams per person per day. One way to increase their consumption can be by incorporating them into spreads or as can be the extruded cereals, object of this invention. Extruded cereals still show a steady increase in diet consumption.

 The use of nuts in extruded cereals and snacks has focused, on the one hand, on the addition of pieces of different nuts as an ingredient in mueslis and similar products, or the incorporation of previously defatted nutmeal to obtain snacks with a high percentage of protein in the final recipe (US Pat No. 5,498,438 and PCT / US2008 / 054775).

 Degreased flour has lower percentages of fat and high levels of protein and fiber than natural nuts. On the one hand, this decrease in fat in the extruded mass favors the extrusion process, but on the other hand, by incorporating the dried fruit in the form of defatted flour, it is necessary to incorporate very high amounts to detect the flavor of the fruit in the final product Dry added (between 40% and 80%). In addition, the particle size of the dried fruit has a great influence on the organoleptic properties of the product. In the flour of nuts we find particles of a size between 150-300 microns.

 Contrary to the use of defatted dried nutmeal, the inventors have assumed the technological challenge of working with dried fruits in the form of pasta (with a particle thickness between 30-80 microns) to get all the flavor coming from fat.

The nuts used (such as hazelnut, almond, nuts, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts, pecans, macadamias, or mixtures of them) have a high percentage of fat (between 50 and 70%), which added to particle size found in the paste, allows to work with percentages of nuts that are quantitatively smaller than those used in the documents of the prior art (US Pat No. 5,498,438 and PCT / US2008 / 054775), obtaining, despite this, a product with a pleasant and intense flavor to the dried fruit added to the recipe.

 To minimize the caloric intake of nut fats, and obtain an extruded cereal within market standards, fibers are added to the recipe, for example with the addition of soluble fiber that has prebiotic properties. Another option to reduce the energy contribution of the fatty incorporation of nuts, is the addition of reduced sugar levels to minimize the amount of carbohydrates, or the replacement of these sugars by derivatives, substitutes or sweeteners that provide a lower energy value .

 The inventors have developed a new extruded cereal that contains nut fats in the form of pasta, to achieve all the flavor coming from the fat, assuming the technological challenge posed by the difficulties associated with lower expansions in products with high percentages of fat.

 It is an object of the present invention to obtain an extruded cereal composed of vegetable fats derived from nuts, low in saturated fats, rich in fiber, without salt, with a caloric profile within the market standards, with a pleasant taste and crunchy texture. .

 The extruded cereal contains between 45 and 60% cereals, cereal derivatives or cereal mix (such as corn, wheat, oats, rice, quinoa, barley, rye, wheat starch aleurone).

The extruded cereal comprises between 12% and 24% of nut fat in the form of pasta (such as hazelnut, almond, nuts, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts, pecans, macadamias, or mixtures thereof). The higher the percentage of dried fruit fat incorporated in the cereal, the greater the amount of starch, as well as the percentage of cereals that are easy to expand (such as rice) in the recipe, to improve product expansion in the extrusion process, because the lipids acting as a lubricant in the extruder screw, hinder the transformation of mechanical energy specific generated in the screw extruder in the heat necessary for cooking and subsequent expansion of the product.

 The extruded cereal comprises between 10 and 20% of sugars, derivatives or substitutes for sugars, sweeteners or a mixture thereof (such as: sucrose, dextrose, fructose, glucose, polyols, sweeteners, sugar syrup).

 The extruded cereal contains a high percentage of dietary fiber, partly due to the endogenous fiber provided by the added ingredients, mainly cereals and nuts, and partly due to the addition of additional fiber to the recipe, for example between a 2 and 9%. The addition of fiber in the recipe has a triple function: first, balance the caloric content of the product that provides the high addition of nuts in the formula. Secondly, it provides a healthy effect, by adding, for example, soluble fibers (such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), inulin), which have well-known prebiotic properties. Ultimately, they provide an important technological effect on the final product, improving the crunchy texture and increasing the bowl life (time that the product remains crispy in a cup of milk).

 The extruded cereal may contain cocoa derivatives (such as cocoa powder, cocoa butter, ...) that help achieve a more pleasant final taste. More specifically, it can contain between 1 and 5% cocoa derivatives.

 The extruded cereal may also contain small amounts, in a percentage less than 5% by weight, of aromas, colorants, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, emulsifiers and / or protein sources

(such as: milk powder, lactic serum, ...).

An object of the present invention is an extruded cereal characterized in that it comprises between 12 and 24% by weight of a nut fat in the form of pasta, between 45 and 60% by weight of cereals and / or cereal derivatives or a mixture of them, and between 10 and 20% by weight of sugars, derivatives and substitutes for sugars, sweeteners or a a combination of these, said cereal being extruded low in saturated fat, without salt and rich in fiber.

 A further object of the present invention is a process for the manufacture of extruded cereals, comprising the following phases: premixing of all dry powdered ingredients, adding the premix to a twin-screw extruder, and hydrating the mixture with water, in a proportion between 2.5 and 12.5% by weight, addition inside the extruder of the paste of nuts and other ingredients of a fatty or aqueous nature, expansion of the product at the exit of the extruder, cutting process, drying of the cereal Extruded obtained at a temperature between 100 and 150 ° C until reaching a final humidity of less than 4%, and cooled and packed the extruded cereal.

CONCRETE REALIZATION OF THIS INVENTION

This invention provides an extruded cereal characterized in that it comprises between 12 and 24% of a nut fat in the form of pasta, between 45 and 60% of cereals and / or cereal derivatives or a mixture thereof, between a 10 and 20% of sugars, derivatives and substitutes for sugars, sweeteners or a combination thereof and incorporates between 2 and 9% fiber, for example soluble, extruded cereal comprising an extrusion process as defined below.

 In a first phase, a premix of all dry powdered ingredients (such as cereals and derivatives, sugars and substitutes, fibers, cocoa derivatives, lactic substances) is made.

 In a second phase, the premix is added to an extruder, for example a double screw extruder.

In a third phase, water is added, preferably in a percentage between 2.5 and 12.5%, to aid in the gelatinization of starch, water that partially evaporates during the extrusion and drying process. In a fourth phase, the nut fat is added in a percentage between 12 and 24%, or other ingredients of a liquid nature inside the extruder (such as glucose, fructose, polyols, sugar syrups).

 In a fifth phase the dough expands directly at the exit of the extruder screw.

 The cutting process takes place in a sixth phase.

 In a seventh phase, the extruded cereal obtained is dried at a temperature between 100 and 150 ° C for 3-10 minutes, until a product with a humidity of less than 4%, preferably less than 3%, is obtained.

 Finally, in an eighth phase, the extruded cereal is cooled and is packaged. With the parameters defined in all the phases described above, we obtain an extruded cereal with a density between 120 and 330 g / l.

 The extrusion parameters, the thickness of the output and the cutting process can be modified to vary some characteristics of the extruded cereal, such as size, density, texture and shape. In other words, any extruder, outlet diameter or cutting device can be used to obtain the extruded cereal composed of vegetable fats derived from nuts, low in saturated fat, rich in fiber, without salt, with caloric profile within the standards of market, of pleasant flavor and crunchy texture object of this procedure.

 Two examples are shown below and only as an embodiment. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are expressed by weight.

Example 1: Preparation of an extruded cereal with the incorporation of 21% hazelnut paste.

An extruded cereal is prepared following the following formula:

Ingredient%

Rice Flour 25 Wheat Flour 17.2

 Wheat Aleuron 5.5

 1 1 sugar syrup

 Dextrose 5

 Starch 4

 1% milk powder 3

 Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) 4,5

 Hazelnut Paste 21

 Cocoa 3.5

 0.3 emulsifier

 100 total

In a first phase, a premix of all dry powdered ingredients is made: rice flour, wheat flour, aleurone, dextrose, starch, milk powder, fructooligosaccharides and cocoa, together with 0.3% emulsifying agent.

 The ingredients are introduced in a twin screw extruder with a screw diameter of 42 mm and a length of 872 mm, following the following proportion:

Ingredient Kgs / hour

 Premix powder ingredients 44.1 1

 Hazelnut paste 13.65

 Sugar Syrup 7.14

 Water 6.50

 Total 64.90

At the beginning of the extruder the premix and the water are incorporated in the amounts set forth in the previous figure. Subsequently, hazelnut paste and sugar syrup are added. The temperature of the three zones of the extruder is 1 15.3, 1 17.3 and 108.6 ° C. The temperature at the extruder outlet is 146.0 ° C. The pressure inside the extruder reaches 20.8 bar. The specific mechanical energy of the process (SME) is 115.7 Wh / kg.

 Working with an output plate of 3.5 mm in diameter and a cutting speed of 3001 rpm we get an extruded cereal composed of vegetable fats derived from nuts, low in saturated fat, rich in fiber, without salt, with caloric profile within the market standards, with a pleasant taste and crunchy texture, which once dried at a temperature of about 120 ° C and cooled, has a humidity of 2.64% and a density of 221 g / l.

Example 2: Preparation of an extruded cereal with the incorporation of 13% hazelnut paste.

An extruded cereal is prepared following the following formula:

Ingredient%

 Rice flour 27.5

 Wheat Flour 19.3

 Wheat Aleuron 6.1

 Sucrose 12.1

 Dextrose 5.5

 Starch 4.4

 1% 3.3 milk powder

 Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) 5

 Hazelnut Paste 13

 Cocoa 3.9

Total 100 ^" In a first phase, a premix of all dry powdered ingredients is made: rice flour, wheat flour, aleurone, sucrose, dextrose, starch, milk powder, fructooligosaccharides and cocoa.

 The ingredients are introduced in a twin screw extruder with a screw diameter of 42 mm and a length of 872 mm, following the following proportion:

Ingredient Kgs / hour

 Premix powdered ingredients 39.31

 Hazelnut Paste 6.49

 Water 3.45

 Total 49.25

At the beginning of the extruder the premix and the water are incorporated in the amounts set forth in the previous figure. Subsequently, hazelnut paste is added.

 The temperature of the three zones of the extruder is 90.2, 1 10.8 and 1 18.8 ° C. The temperature at the extruder outlet is 146.0 ° C. The pressure inside the extruder reaches 56.5 bar. The specific mechanical energy of the process (SME) is 120.6 Wh / kg.

 Working with an output plate of 2 mm in diameter and a cutting speed of 2511 rpm we get an extruded cereal composed of vegetable fats derived from nuts, low in saturated fat, rich in fiber, without salt, with caloric profile within the market standards, with a pleasant taste and crunchy texture, which once dried at a temperature of about 120 ° C and cooled, has a humidity of 3.34% and a density of 145 g / l.

The present invention describes a new extruded cereal that incorporates as a differential ingredient and novel fat of nuts obtained from the preparation of pasta. The examples mentioned here are not limiting of the present invention, so it may have different applications and / or adaptations, all of them within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

one . - Extruded cereal, characterized in that it comprises:  a) between 12 and 24% by weight of a nut fat in the form of pasta,  b) between 45 and 60% by weight of cereals and / or cereal derivatives or a mixture thereof, and  c) between 10 and 20% by weight of sugars, derivatives and substitutes for sugars, sweeteners or a combination thereof, said cereal being extruded low in saturated fat, salt-free and rich in fiber.  2. - Cereal, according to claim 1, characterized in that the fat of dried fruits in the form of pasta comprises one of the following nuts or a combination thereof of the group of hazelnut, almond, nuts, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts , pecans and macadamias.  3. - Cereal, according to claim 1, characterized in that the cereal and / or cereal derivative comprises one or a combination thereof of the group of corn, wheat, oats, rice, quinoa, barley, rye, wheat aleurone and starch.  4. - Cereal, according to claim 1, characterized in that the sugars, derivatives and sugar substitutes comprise one or a combination thereof of the group of sucrose, dextrose, fructose, glucose, polyols, sweeteners and sugar syrup.  5. - Cereal, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises between 1 and 5% by weight of cocoa derivatives. 6. - Cereal, according to claim 1, characterized in that it can comprise amounts less than 5% by weight of aromas, colorants, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, emulsifiers and protein sources. 7. - Cereal according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises between 2 and 9% by weight of additional fiber.  8. - Cereal, according to claim 7, characterized in that the additional fiber is soluble.  9.- Procedure for the manufacture of extruded cereals, which includes the following phases:  - Premix of all dry powdered ingredients.  - Adding the premix to a twin screw extruder, and hydrating the mixture with water, in a proportion between 2.5 and 12.5% by weight.  - Addition inside the extruder of the paste of nuts and other ingredients of a fatty or aqueous nature.  - Expansion of the product at the exit of the extruder.  - Cutting process.  - Drying of the extruded cereal obtained at a temperature between 100 and 150 ° C until reaching a final humidity of less than 4%.  - Cooling and packaging of extruded cereal.