Breakfast cereal texture

Cereal brans and other ingredients added for health benefits such as fecal bulk and colonic fermentation typically impair expansion and mouthfeel of puffed cereal products. Resistant starches can be used in the manufacture of snacks and breakfast cereals without compromising product appearance, texture or palatability.135 Such resistant starches, offered for use in expanded cereals and snacks, use high-amylose... 

In most dry foods, starch is the main component responsible for a glassy state. This concerns several dry cereal products, like hard biscuits and various breakfast cereals. Figure 16.5 gives Tg for wheat starch, but if low-molar-mass components, generally sugars, are also present, the curve is shifted to lower temperatures, somewhere between those for starch and those for lactose. Another example is pasta, in the dry form in which it is commonly sold, which consists for the most part of wheat starch. Pasta has an impressive shelf life in the glassy state, and it readily takes up water upon cooking, to attain a soft rubbery texture. 

Figure 13.7 (a) Non-standardized vs (b) standardized TDS curves for texture evaluation of a breakfast cereal sample. 

The polystyrene beads are normally white with a texture very similar to popcorn or expanded breakfast cereals. (See Fig. 1.) Unlike many of the various plastic foams, some of which have been used to insulate tops of cryostats [2], they have a very small cell diameter, observed to be under 40 /ll. Interference colors are produced by some of the cell walls indicating their thickness to be near the wavelength of light. The surface of the bead is quite smooth and has a... 

Extrusion has found wide application in the production of snack foods and breakfast cereals from maize, as well as producing textured soya proteins. Extrusion technology should be investigated as a means of preparing novel textured proteins from animal sources. 

Furthermore, drying leads to stmctures usually differing from those of the initial humid product. This can be a disadvantage, but it can also offer a new benefit, as for example the porous structure of mashed potato flakes, crispy granulates for breakfast cereals, instant dry milk powder, and so on. The drying process can, therefore, also be considered as a controlled texturing operation, a source of innovative and easy-to-use products. 

Extmsion cooking is used to manufacture from cereals a wide range of products including breakfast cereals, snack foods and pet foods. In these products, texture and density are key quality requirements that are controlled by the processing conditions summarized by the term degree of cook. Conventionally, control is attempted by measurement of inputs such as the moisture content, screw speed, barrel temperature and so forth on the basis that the relationship between these and the product quality is understood. However, a more direct means of control is highly desirable. 

Cracking—Breakfast cereals which require cooking often contain cracked grains, which cook faster than whole grains. Also, limited amounts of cracked grains are added to certain breads to give them a nutty flavor and texture. 

Chicory inulin has 10% of the sweetness of sugar and is used as a fat and sugar replacement, fiber, and probiotic in dairy products, frozen desserts, fruit preparations, breads and baked goods, and dietetic products also as a fat replacement in table spreads, salad dressings, meat products, and fillings as a fiber and probiotic in breakfast cereals sugar replacement and fiber in chocolate also used to provide form stability, moisture retention, texture improvement, texture, crispness, and mouthfeel in diverse foods. ... 

The bowl-life test was developed to study the susceptibility of the breakfast cereal to losing texture after hydration with milk. The loss of texture throughout time (usually after 5 min) is determined with a texturometer. 

This term covers a wide variety of grain products that are usually cooked or processed to improve their texture, flavor, and digestibility. Although these products are often made from flours, they differ from breads and other baked goods in that they are not usually leavened instead, they may be toasted to crispiness like crackers. In the United States and Great Britain, cereals are considered suitable for breakfast... 

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