Importance

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for producing a ready-to-eat cereal and fluid-milk breakfast food product having a firm surface and an interior comprised of fully cooked, soft and moist, fluid-milk-infused cereal grains joined together. The cereal and fluid-milk products of the present invention can be picked up and eaten hand-held because their textures do not become soggy even when the cereal grains have been infused with all the added fluid-milk. In the process of the present invention, a fluid-milk solution which contains starch complexing agents, flavors and sweeteners, are infused into cereal grains at temperatures above 180 F until the cereal grains become infused with all the fluid-milk solution, fully cooked, and soft and moist in texture. The proteins of the cooked fluid-milk together with the gelatinized starch of the cooked cereal grains provide the needed fluid-binding and cohesive properties which synergistically act together to both cause the individual fully-cooked cereal grains to become joined to one another and in addition, to bind and retain all the infused fluid-milk solution within the cereal grains' interiors. The fluid-milk-infused cereal grains are then shaped into units with low shear forming equipment, and oven-baked to firm their surface texture and develop their golden brown surface color while still retaining their soft, moist, fluid-milk-infused interior texture.

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First Claim