Cooked and uncooked caramel slurries and products prepared using the cooked caramel slurries, and methods of preparing caramel slurries and coating a cooked caramel slurry onto a food piece.

Cooked and uncooked caramel slurries and products prepared using the cooked caramel slurries, and methods of preparing caramel slurries and coating a cooked caramel slurry onto a food piece.

Dried coated food pieces are produced by applying a composition to a surface of food pieces to produce coated food pieces. The composition includes water and a soluble solids component having a soluble solids content including erythritol in an amount more than 10% and up to about 50% by dry weight of the soluble solid content and sucrose in an amount of about 50% and up to about 90% of the soluble solids content. No more than 10% by dry weight of the soluble solids content is other than erythritol and sucrose. The coated food pieces are dried to form dried food pieces having at least a partial coating. The coating includes at least a portion of the sucrose in crystal form and at least a portion of the erythritol in crystal form. The coating has a crystallinity of about 20% to about 60%.

Dried coated food pieces are produced by applying a composition to a surface of food pieces to produce coated food pieces. The composition includes water and a soluble solids component having a soluble solids content including erythritol in an amount more than 10% and up to about 50% by dry weight of the soluble solid content and sucrose in an amount of about 50% and up to about 90% of the soluble solids content. No more than 10% by dry weight of the soluble solids content is other than erythritol and sucrose. The coated food pieces are dried to form dried food pieces having at least a partial coating. The coating includes at least a portion of the sucrose in crystal form and at least a portion of the erythritol in crystal form. The coating has a crystallinity of about 20% to about 60%.

An edible chew is formulated for oral consumption by a human child and includes an expanded pre-gelatinized cereal flour matrix. A method of (i) providing teething support to a human child who is teething and/or (ii) soothing, calming and/or delivering an active ingredient to a human child can include administering the edible chew to the human child. Methods of making the edible chew are provided, for example by modified extrusion; and also a system including the edible chew and further including a holder configured to attach to the edible chew; a product including a packaging and further including the edible chew; and a product including a container housing a plurality of the edible chews, and the plurality of edible chews are individually packaged.

An edible chew is formulated for oral consumption by a human child and includes an expanded pre-gelatinized cereal flour matrix. A method of (i) providing teething support to a human child who is teething and/or (ii) soothing, calming and/or delivering an active ingredient to a human child can include administering the edible chew to the human child. Methods of making the edible chew are provided, for example by modified extrusion; and also a system including the edible chew and further including a holder configured to attach to the edible chew; a product including a packaging and further including the edible chew; and a product including a container housing a plurality of the edible chews, and the plurality of edible chews are individually packaged.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing an edible oil and fat that is usable for any kind of food, has an improved oxidation stability, and exhibits a good flavor. By stably dispersing a tea extract together with an acid in an oil and fat, the oxidation stability can be improved without increasing the formulation amount of the tea extract.

Disclosed are improved sugar coatings for topically pre-sweetened food products that are sugar reduced whether in the form of a syrup or in the form of a dried coating. The syrup form is useful as an intermediate product in the preparation of pre-sweetened food products. In dry form, the present formulations can be a component part of a composite food product especially in the form of a topical coating or filling. The present invention is particularly suited for the preparation of R-T-E pre-sweetened cereals. The coating formulations comprise less than 70% sucrose, corn syrup and 1-20% non-hydrated integrated starch and preferably about 5-10% insoluble mineral salts each of particle size of about 50 microns.

Disclosed are improved sugar coatings for topically pre-sweetened food products that are sugar reduced whether in the form of a syrup or in the form of a dried coating. The syrup form is useful as an intermediate product in the preparation of pre-sweetened food products. In dry form, the present formulations can be a component part of a composite food product especially in the form of a topical coating or filling. The present invention is particularly suited for the preparation of R-T-E pre-sweetened cereals. The coating formulations comprise less than 70% sucrose, corn syrup and 1-20% non-hydrated integrated starch and preferably about 5-10% insoluble mineral salts each of particle size of about 50 microns.

A food product flavoring apparatus is provided. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a removable container configured to contain a flavor target, a means for agitating the flavor target, and a housing. The housing is configured to receive the agitated flavor target when the removable container is adjacent the housing such that the container opening is aligned with the housing opening. The apparatus further includes a means for applying a flavoring agent to the agitated flavor target a means for removing substantially all residual flavoring agent from the housing after the flavor target has been flavored. A method of applying a flavoring agent to a flavor target is also provided.