Moisture Cereal products

Schematic diagram of the dependence of crispness on water activity (data of many authors). A sudden loss of crispness occurs in low-moisture cereal products within a relatively narrow range of moisture contents (critical fl ).

Valles Pamies, B., Roudaut, G., Dacremont, C., Le Meste, M., and Mitchell, J.R. Understanding the texture of low moisture cereal products mechanical and sensory measurements of crispness, /. Sci. Food Agric., 80, 1679, 2000. 

Cereal Products. Breakfast cereals are susceptible to moisture absorption and require good water-vapor- and fat-barrier packagiag that retains dehcate flavors. Breakfast cereals are packaged in polyolefin coextmsion films in the form of pouches or bags within paperboard carton outer sheUs. 

Near infra-red reflectance spectroscopy was first used by Norris and Hart [54] for the determination of moisture, oil and fat in cereal products. A number of instrument companies, notably Technicon, have developed commercial instruments. The instrument replaces a series of chemical procedures by a signal measurement in each of six infra-red regions and reference to a suitable computer calibration. Such an approach offers... 

Suwonsichon, T., and Peleg, M. (1998). Instrumental and sensory detection of simultaneous brittleness loss and moisture toughening in three puffed cereal products. J. Texture Stud,... 

Many cereals are made with high moisture content so that the cereal can be formed into various shapes before it is dried. A cereal product containing 58% H20 by mass is produced at the rate of 1000. kg/h. How much water must be evaporated per hour if the final product contains only 20.% water ... 

Most low-moisture cereal-based foods (e.g., biscuits, extruded products, potato chips, etc.) have a crunchy or crisp texture that is lost as the moisture content increases either by redistribution within the product or moisture pick-up from the environment. The loss of crispness of cereal products and... 

FIGURE 4.21 Predicted values of moisture diffusivity of cereal products at 25°C. 

S. G Stevenson, P. C. Williams. The determination of protein, moisture and oil in diverse cereals, cereal products and oilseeds by NIRS. Cereal Foods Worldli 462, (abstr), 1978. T. Hymowitz, J. W. Dudley, F. I. Collins, C. M. Brown. Estimations of protein and oil concentration in corn, soybean and oat seed by near-infrared light reflectance. Crop Sci 14 713-715, 1974. 

W. R. Windham, S. E. Kays, F. E. Barton, n. Effect of cereal product residual moisture content on total dietary fiber determined by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy, J. Agric. Food Chem. 45 140-144, 1997. 

FIGURE 4.19 Predicted values of moisture diffusivity of FIGURE 4.21 Predicted values of moisture diffusivity of vegetables at 25°C. cereal products at 25°C. 

Casein is used to fortify flour, bread, and cereals. Casein also is used for glues and microbiological media. Calcium caseinate is made from a pressed casein, by rinsing, treating with calcium hydroxide [1305-62-0], heating, and mixing foUowed by spray drying. A product of 2—4% moisture is obtained. 

Food Applications. On the basis of intake, sucrose is the leading food additive (2). Its principal contribution to food is sweetness. However, it provides many other functionahties, eg, body, mouthfeel, texture, and moisture retention. Cereals and baked goods are the leading consumers of sucrose, followed closely by confectionery products (36). 

Glassine is a highly processed paper product with some grease resistant properties. When laminated with a suitable type of wax, it gives excellent protection from both moisture and gas transmission. For this reason it is used in packaging dry cereals. 

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