CEREAL COMPOSTIONS COMPRISING HIGH-POTENCY SWEETENERS

• US 20070116821A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Original Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Inventors: Prakash, Indra, DuBois, Grant
• Granted Patent: US 8,940,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/548
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 27/30 Artificial sweetening agents
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/122 Coated, filled, multilayered or hollow ready-to-eat cereals
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/126 Snacks or the like obtained by binding, shaping or compacting together cereal grains or cereal pieces, e.g. cereal bars
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/135 Individual or non-extruded flakes, granules or shapes having similar size, e.g. breakfast cereals
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/161 Puffed cereals, e.g. popcorn or puffed rice
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2200/132 Sugar replacer
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2250/24 Non-sugar sweeteners
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2250/262 Stevioside
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2250/6402 Erythritol

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to cereal compositions comprising non-caloric or low-caloric high-potency sweeteners and methods for making and using them. In particular, the present invention relates to different cereal compositions comprising at least one non-caloric or low-caloric natural and/or synthetic high potency sweetener and at least one sweet taste improving composition. The present invention also relates to cereal compositions and methods that can improve the tastes of non-caloric or low-caloric natural and/or synthetic, high-potency sweeteners by imparting a more sugar-like taste or characteristic. In particular, the cereal compositions and methods provide a more sugar-like temporal profile, including sweetness onset and sweetness linger, and/or a more sugar-like flavor profile.

Claims

1. A cereal composition comprising:

at least one cereal ingredient;

at least one high-potency sweetener; and

at least one sweet taste improving composition.

2. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one high-potency sweetener comprises a natural high-potency sweetener selected from the group consisting of rebaudioside A, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside E, dulcoside A, dulcoside B, rubusoside, stevia, stevioside, mogroside IV, mogroside V, Luo Han Guo sweetener, siamenoside, monatin and its salts (monatin SS, RR, RS, SR), curculin, glycyrrhizic acid and its salts, thaumatin, monellin, mabinlin, brazzein, hernandulcin, phyllodulcin, glycyphyllin, phloridzin, trilobatin, baiyunoside, osladin, polypodoside A, pterocaryoside A, pterocaryoside B, mukurozioside, phlomisoside I, periandrin I, abrusoside A, cyclocarioside I, and combinations thereof.

3. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one high-potency sweetener comprises a synthetic high-potency sweetener selected from the group consisting of sucralose, acesulfame potassium and other salts, aspartame, alitame, saccharin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, cyclamate, neotame, N-[N-[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)propyl]-L-α

-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, N-[N-[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-methylbutyl]-L-α

-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, N-[N-[3-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)propyl]-L-α

-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, salts thereof, and combinations thereof.

4. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition comprises a first sweet taste improving composition selected from the group consisting of carbohydrates, polyols, amino acids and their corresponding salts, polyamino acids and their corresponding salts, sugar acids and their corresponding salts, organic acids, inorganic acids, organic salts, inorganic salts, bitter compounds, flavorants, astringent compounds, polymers, proteins or protein hydrolysates, surfactants, emulsifiers, flavonoids, alcohols, and combinations thereof.

5. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition imparts a more sugar-like temporal profile to the cereal composition than the sweetener would have without the at least one sweet taste improving composition

6. The cereal composition of claim 1, further comprising at least one second sweet taste improving composition different from the at least one first sweet taste improving composition and selected from the group consisting of carbohydrates, polyols, amino acids and their corresponding salts, polyamino acids and their corresponding salts, sugar acids and their corresponding salts, organic acids, inorganic acids, organic salts, inorganic salts, bitter compounds, flavorants, astringent compounds, polymers, proteins or protein hydrolysates, surfactants, emulsifiers, flavonoids, alcohols, and combinations thereof.

7. The cereal composition of claim 6, further comprising at least one third sweet taste improving composition different from the at least one first sweet taste improving composition and the at least one second sweet taste improving composition and selected from the group consisting of carbohydrates, polyols, amino acids and their corresponding salts, polyamino acids and their corresponding salts, sugar acids and their corresponding salts, organic acids, inorganic acids, organic salts, inorganic salts, bitter compounds, flavorants, astringent compounds, polymers, proteins or protein hydrolysates, surfactants, emulsifiers, flavonoids, alcohols, and combinations thereof.

8. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one high-potency sweetener is rebaudioside A, stevioside, stevia, or combinations thereof.

9. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition comprises a polyol.

10. The cereal composition of claim 9, wherein the at least one polyol comprises erythritol.

11. The cereal composition of claim 9, wherein the at least one polyol comprises xylitol.

12. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition comprises at least one amino acid.

13. The cereal composition of claim 12, wherein the at least one amino acid comprises glycine, alanine, proline, hydroxyproline, glutamine, or combinations thereof.

14. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition comprises at least one polyamino acid.

15. The cereal composition of claim 14, wherein the at least one polyamino acid comprises poly-L-aspartic acid, poly-L-α

-lysine, poly-L-ε

-lysine, poly-L-α

-ornithine, poly-L-ε

-ornithine, poly-L-arginine, salts thereof, or combinations thereof.

16. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition comprises at least one inorganic salt.

17. The cereal composition of claim 16, wherein the at least one inorganic salt comprises a sodium potassium, calcium, or magnesium salt.

18. The cereal composition of claim 16, further comprising at least one inorganic phosphate.

19. The cereal composition of claim 18, wherein the at least one inorganic phosphate comprises a sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium phosphate.

20. The cereal composition of claim 16, further comprising at least one inorganic chloride.

21. The cereal composition of claim 20, wherein the at least one inorganic chloride comprises a sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium chloride.

22. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition comprises at least one carbohydrate.

23. The cereal composition of claim 22, wherein the at least one carbohydrate comprises sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, or sucrose.

24. The cereal composition of claim 23, wherein the at least one carbohydrate is present in the cereal composition in an amount from about 10,000 ppm to about 80,000 ppm of the composition.

25. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the at least one sweet taste improving composition comprises at least one synthetic high-potency sweetener.

26. The cereal composition of claim 25, wherein the at least one synthetic high-potency sweetener comprises sucralose, acesulfame potassium or other salts, aspartame, alitame, saccharin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, cyclamate, neotame, N-[N-[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)propyl]-L-α

-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, N-[N-[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-methylbutyl]-L-α

-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, N-[N-[3-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylpropyl]-L-α

-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, salts thereof, and combinations thereof.

27. The cereal composition of claim 25, wherein the at least one synthetic high-potency sweetener comprises saccharin or acesulfame potassium or other salts.

28. The cereal composition of claim 27, wherein the at least one synthetic sweetener is present in the cereal composition in an amount from about 10 ppm to about 100 ppm of the composition.

29. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the rebaudioside A comprises rebaudioside A in a purity greater than about 70% rebaudioside A by weight on a dry basis.

30. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the rebaudioside A comprises rebaudioside A in a purity greater than about 80% rebaudioside A by weight on a dry basis.

31. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the rebaudioside A comprises rebaudioside A in a purity greater than about 90% rebaudioside A by weight on a dry basis.

32. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the rebaudioside A comprises rebaudioside A in a purity greater than about 97% rebaudioside by weight on a dry basis.

33. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the rebaudioside A comprises rebaudioside A in a purity greater than about 98% rebaudioside by weight on a dry basis.

34. The cereal composition of claim 8, wherein the rebaudioside A comprises rebaudioside A in a purity greater than about 99% rebaudioside by weight on a dry basis.

35. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal ingredient is selected from the group consisting of a whole or a part grain, a whole or a part seed, a whole or a part grass, and combinations thereof.

36. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal ingredient is a flour or a bran.

37. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal ingredient is selected from the group consisting of a maize, a wheat, a rice, a barley, a bran, a bran endosperm, a bulgur, a soghum, a millet, an oat, a rye, a triticale, a buckwheat, a fonio, a quinoa, a bean, a soybean, an amaranth, a teff, a spelt, a kaniwa, and combinations thereof.

38. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one high-potency sweetener is present in the cereal in an amount in the range of about 0.02 to about 1.5 weight percent of the cereal composition.

39. The cereal composition of claim 1, wherein the sweet taste improving composition is present in the cereal in an amount in the range of about 1 to about 5 weight percent of the cereal composition.

40. The cereal composition of claim 1, comprising a breakfast cereal, a hot cereal, or a snack bar.

41. The cereal composition of claim 40, wherein the breakfast cereal has a shredded form, a flaky form, a puffy form, or an extruded form.

42. The cereal composition of claim 40, wherein the hot cereal comprises a grit, a porridge, a polenta, a rice, or a rolled oat.

43. The cereal composition of claim 40, wherein the snack bar comprises an energy bar, a rice cake, a granola bar, or a nutritional bar.