LOW-CALORIE CEREAL BAR COMPOSITION

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cereal bar composition comprising allulose and a process for preparing the cereal bar composition, and provides the cereal bar composition having high sugar content and low calorie and having a soft sensory property.

Claims

1. A cereal bar composition comprising allulose, nuts, dried fruit and cereals.

2. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the allulose is an allulose powder or allulose syrup form.

3. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the allulose is comprised 3 to 20 wt % based on 100 wt % of the total composition.

4. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the allulose is provide with a mixed saccharide syrup or powder form prepared by the mixed saccharide syrup, and the mixed saccharide syrup comprises 1 to 99.9 wt % of allulose based on 100 wt % of total solid content of the mixed saccharide, and further comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of fructose, glucose and oligosaccharides.

5. The cereal bar composition of claim 4, wherein the mixed saccharide comprises 2 to 55 wt % of allulose, 30 to 80 wt % of fructose and 2 to 60 wt % of glucose, based on 100 wt % of total solid content of the mixed saccharide

6. The cereal bar composition of claim 4, wherein the mixed saccharide is prepared by reacting a fructose-containing raw material with a composition for producing allulose comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of an allulose epimerase, a microbial cell of a strain producing the allulose epimerase, a culture of the strain, a lysate of the strain, and an extract of the lysate or the culture.

7. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one saccharide selected from the group consisting of sucrose, fructose, starch syrup, rare sugar and high-intensity sweetener.

8. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the nuts are at least one selected from the group consisting of peanuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, coconuts and pistachios, and is comprised of an amount of 3 to 50 wt % based on 100 wt % of total composition.

9. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal is at least one selected from the group consisting of rice, barley, brown rice, wheat, corn, rye, oats, sorghum bicolor, foxtail millet, common millet, buckwheat quinoa and spelt is comprised in 3 to 50wt % based on 100 wt % of the total composition.

10. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the dried fruit is at least one selected from the group consisting of cranberry, strawberry, prune, blueberry, blackberry, grape, apple, mango and banana and is comprised in an amount of 2 to 40 wt %, based on 100 wt % of the total composition.

11. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises one or more seeds selected from the group consisting of chia seeds, linseed, perilla seed, sesame seed, poppy seed, and sunflower seeds.

12. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of an emulsifier, an indigestible dextrin, a protein powder, a vitamin, a mineral, a salt, an expanding agent, flavoring agent, and coconut.

13. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises at least one oligosaccharide selected from the group consisting of malto-oligosaccharide, galacto-oligosaccharide, isomalto-oligosaccharide, fructo-oligosaccharide and soy oligosaccharide.

14. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal bar composition comprises 0.1 to 7 g of saccharide based on 40 g of cereal bar composition.

15. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal bar composition has a calorie content of 50 to 160 Kcal/40 g based on 40 g of the cereal bar composition.

16. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal bar composition has a moisture content of from 2 to 10 wt % and a water activity of 0.150 to 0.750.

17. The cereal bar composition of claim 1, wherein the cereal bar composition has a hardness of from 300 to 15,000 g.

18. A method of preparing a cereal bar composition comprising saccharide comprising allulose, nuts, dried fruits and cereals to claim 1.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the preparation method comprises adding water to the saccharide and heating to prepare saccharide syrup, and adding nuts, dried fruits and cereals to the saccharide syrup and mixing them.

Description

MODE FOR INVENTION

[0036] The present invention will be described in more detail by the following illustrative examples, but the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited by the following examples.

PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

Preparation of Allulose Powder

[0037] As allulose, allulose syrup was prepared from fructose substrates by the substantially same biological method as the preparation method disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-16173797.

[0038] Specifically, a gene (DPE gene; Gene bank: EDS06411.1) encoding allulose epimerase derived from Clostridium scindens (Clostridium scindens ATCC 35704) was introduced to a recombinant vector (pCES_sodCDPE), and with the prepared recombinant vector (pCES_sodCDPE) was transformed into Corynebacterium glutamicum by electroporation. The beads containing the transformed Corynebacterium glutamicum cells were prepared and filled in an immobilization reaction column, and the 24-26(w/w) % allulose syrup having a composition of glucose:fructose:allulose:oligosaccharide=6:67:25:2 was obtained from 95 wt % of fructose at 40 Brix.

[0039] To remove impurities such as colored and ion components, etc., the obtained allulose syrup was treated by flowing through a column at a room temperature in which cation exchange resin, anion exchange resin and mixed resins of cation and anion exchange resins at a hourly rate of two times(1 to 2 times) of the volume as that of ion exchange resin. Then, using a chromatography filled with a calcium (Ca.sup.2+) type of ion exchange resin, allulose fraction with a high purity was obtained.

[0040] The high-purity allulose syrup was concentrated to 82 Bx and cooled slowly from a temperature of 35 C. at which supersaturation occurred, to a temperature of 10 C., produce alluose crystals. At this time, the allulose crystals obtained in the crystallization step without adding the allulose seed crystals were carried out by centrifugal dehydration to remove the mother crystals and the crystals were washed with cooling water, then dried and recovered.

EXAMPLES 1 and 2

Preparation of Cereal Bars Using Allulose Powder

[0041] 1-1: Production of Saccharide Syrup

[0042] The preparation of the syrup for producing the cereal bar is carried out by weighing the raw material and adding an appropriate amount of water. The syrup was heated by using a water double boiler and the water in the syrup was evaporated to adjust the certain syrup brix (82bx), to prepare syrup for cereal bar production. A saccharide syrup solution was prepared by the components and contents shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Comparative Example 1 Example 1 Example 2 Raw material (% by weight) (% by weight) (% by weight) Starch syrup (82bx) 40 40 40 Sucrose 40 20 Isomalto- 20 20 20 oligosaccharide Allulose powder 20 40 sum 100 100 100

[0043] 1-2: Preparation of Cereal Bars

[0044] The prepared saccharide syrup for cereal bar was mixed with the components and contents shown in Table 2 and heated in a pot for 25 minutes or more. The heating temperature was heated to 53 C. at the surface temperature of the pot and 60 C. at the pot temperature, followed by stirring to prepare a raw material mixture. The prepared raw material mixture was transferred through a conveyor belt, molded in a molding machine, and cooled to room temperature. After the cooling step, the product was cut to produce a serial bar. The unit of amount in Table 2 is % by weight.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparative Raw material Example 1 Example 1 Example 2 Cranberry 10.54% 10.54% 10.54% whole Almond 7.63 7.63% 7.63% soy nugget 7.27% 7.27% 7.27% Rice crisp 5.72% 5.72% 5.72% Half-cut peanut 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% Prune dices 4.90% 4.90% 4.90% Baked brown rice 4.54% 4.54% 4.54% Isolated soy protein 4.54% 4.54% 4.54% Corn flake 4.54% 4.54% 4.54% Whole hazelnut 2.82% 2.82% 2.82% Blueberry extract 2.72% 2.72% 2.72% Non-digestible maltodextrin 1.82% 1.82% 1.82% Baked chia seed 1.09% 1.09% 1.09% Almond powder (12mesh or lower) 0.91% 0.91% 0.91% Vitamin and mineral mix SA 0.91% 0.91% 0.91% Extract of chicory root 0.91% 0.91% 0.91% Fish collagen 0.91% 0.91% 0.91% Arabic gum 0.73% 0.73% 0.73% Shell calcium 0.45% 0.45% 0.45% Purified salt 0.18% 0.18% 0.18% L-carnitine 0.09% 0.09% 0.09% Starch syrup (82bx) 12.72% 12.72% 12.72% Sucrose 12.72% 6.36% Isomalto-oligosaccharide 6.36% 6.36% 6.36% Allulose powder 0.00% 6.36% 12.72% Sum 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

Preparation of a Serial Bar

[0045] In Comparative Example 1, the cereal bar was performed as substantially the same as Example 1, except that 12.72% by weight of sucrose was used without including allulose, instead of 6.36% by weight of the sucrose and 6.35% by weight of the allulose powder used in Example 1.

TEST EXAMPLE 1

Evaluation of Water Content and Water Activity

[0046] Moisture refers to the water content contained in the food, and the moisture in the food is always fluctuating according to the surrounding environmental conditions, and thus, the water activity considering the relative humidity in the atmosphere is represented. The water activity is a very important feature in food, because it is related to the chemical, biophysical, and physical reactions in foods that change microbial growth and taste, color and flavor of food.

[0047] The water content and water activity of the cereal bars prepared in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1 were evaluated by the following methods. Water activity is an intrinsic property of food, and equilibrium relative humidity is an environmental property that equilibrates with food. The water content (%) in the cereal bar was measured by setting the temperature to 105 C. and the time to the automatic mode for 2 g of the sample with using a moisture analyzer (Satoriuns, Germany). The water activity was measured using a water activity meter (LG Electronics, Korea).

[0048] The water content and the water activity were measured at day 1, day 10, and day 15 after manufacture, and the measurement results are shown in Table 3 and FIG. 1 below.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Classification 1 day 10 days 15 days Comparative Water content (%) 5.61 5.58 3.66 Example 1 Water activity (Aw) 0.344 0.394 0.378 Example 1 Water content (%) 5.08 5.52 4.13 Water activity (Aw) 0.309 0.322 0.309 Example 2 Water content (%) 5.37 5.64 4.19 Water activity (Aw) 0.303 0.315 0.296

[0049] As described above, it was confirmed that as the content of allulose increases, the water content becomes higher but the water activity becomes lower. Generally, the soft texture is better as the moisture content is higher, but the higher moisture content also raises the water activity, which may cause microbial growth. However, in the cereal bar product of the present invention, the water content is increased but the water activity is not significantly different depending on the allulose content. Thus, the cereal bar achieved advantageously soft texture and stability to the microbial growth.

TEST EXAMPLE 2

Evaluation of Hardness (Softness Degree)

[0050] The hardness of the cereal bars prepared in Example 1, Example 2 and Comparative Example 1 in Preparation Example 2 was measured under the analytical conditions shown in Table 4, to evaluate the degree of soft texture. The hardness of the sample was measured with a texture analyzer (TA-XT2i, Stable micro system) under the following measurement conditions. The hardness was measured repetitively at five times and expressed as an average value.

[0051] The hardness of the cereal bar was evaluated by measuring the force applied at the time of pressing, and the degree of the hardness was represented by the weight (g) per unit area. The high value of hardness measured by the texture analyzer means higher force required for pressing the cereal bar, and means the cereal bar having harder texture. The conditions of measurement are shown in Table 4 below, and the measurement results are shown in Table 5.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Measuring the pressing Classification Hardness analysis conditions force Sample Size 30 W (mm) 30 L Sample Size: Horizontal, (mm) 30 H (mm) Vertical, Height 30 mm Cube Form speed 5 mm/s The speed at which the probe presses the sample is 5 mm/s Distance 30% Press sample until 30% deformation at initial height of sample Probe 100 mm compression plate Probe kinds

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Sample 1 day (g) 10 days (g) 15 days (g) Comparative 4592.00 9290.00 11230.00 Example 1 Example 1 2877.00 4262.00 6530.00 Example 2 906.00 2723.00 3320.00

[0052] As shown in Table 5, the hardness of the cereal bar prepared in Comparative Example 1 using only sucrose was the highest, and the hardness of the cereal bar in Example 2 having a high allulose content was further lower. Thus, the hardness was lowered according to the content of allulose, and the cereal bar containing allulose could be expected to have a relatively soft texture, due to the low hardness

TEST EXAMPLE 3

Comparison of Saccharide Amount and Calorie

[0053] The total amount of monosaccharide and disaccharide in the 40 g of the cereal bars prepared in Example 1, Example 2 and Comparative Example 1 was measured according to the instrumental analysis method of Food Hygiene Act. The calorie of cereal bar was calculated by theoretical method using nutrients. The results are shown in Table 6 below.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Comparative Classification Example 1 Example 1 Example 2 Saccharides (g/40 g) 8 5 3 Calorie(Kcal/40 g) 175 150 130

[0054] As can be seen from Table 6, it was confirmed that the cereal bars of Examples 1 and 2 had significantly lower saccharide content and superior calorie reduction effect as compared with Comparative Example.

TEST EXAMPLE 4

Sensory Evaluation

[0055] In order to evaluate the sensory properties of the cereal bar such as crispness, sweetness, color intensity, appearance satisfaction and texture satisfaction of the cereal bars, the cereal bars prepared in Example 1, Example 2 and Comparative Example 1 were placed in the mouth, and stimulated the surface of oral cavity for 20 seconds. Then, the cereal bars were spit out. The mouth surface was washed with water every time after the evaluation of one sample was completed. After 10 minutes passed, the next sample was evaluated. The sensory elements were measured on a 5-point box scale, respectively. The sensory evaluation staff consisted of 15 panelists (20-40 years old, male and female) professionally trained on taste and flavor evaluations, and displayed on a 5-point scale. The evaluation criteria of the items are as follows, and the results are shown in Table 7 below.

[0056] The softness, the crispness, the sweetness, the appearance satisfaction and the texture satisfaction were rated as 0 for worst case and 5 for best case, respectively. The overall preference was set to a minimum of 0 points and a maximum of 5 points by judging overall appearance, texture, and taste.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Comparative Evaluation criteria Example 1 Example 1 Example 2 Soft feeling 2.5 3.6 4.7 Crispness 3.3 3.7 3.7 Sweetness 4.0 4.2 3.8 Color intensity 3.5 3.6 3.4 Appearance satisfaction 3.7 3.6 3.9 Texture satisfaction 3.5 3.7 3.9 Overall preference 3.2 3.6 3.9

[0057] As shown in Table 7, the cereal bar containing allulose had the sweetness which was not significantly different from that of Comparative Example 1 containing a large amount of sucrose and starch syrup, and had notably high soft feeling being similar crispness to that of Comparative Example. It was confirmed that Example 2 in which the whole sucrose was replaced with allulose was the highest overall preference. Thus, it could be possible to provide a high-preference cereal bar having a low calorie and a soft texture.