Process for coating cereal with candy floss

Claim 2

A process for coating ready-to-eat food pieces with a sugar-containing sweetened composition, at least a portion of said sugar being in a noncrystalline state, which comprises moistening a tumbling mass of food pieces with a solution containing at least water so that the moisture content of said pieces does not exceed 20 percent, applying particles of ground candy floss to the moistened food pieces, mixing said pieces and said particles together and fusing the particles of candy floss to the moistened surfaces, and heating the coated food pieces thereby reducing their moisture content and causing the coating to form a glaze surrounding the individual pieces.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 which includes moistening the tumbling food pieces with a slurry containing water and particles of candy floss.

Claim 4

The process of claim 2 wherein the ratio of floss particles of to water ranges from 0-3 parts of candy floss to 1 part of water.

Claim 5

The process of claim 2 wherein the particles of candy floss in the slurry are flavored with ingredients other than crystalline sugar.

Claim 6

The process of claim 1 wherein the particles of candy floss which are applied to the moistened food pieces are flavored with ingredients other than crystalline sugar.

Claim 7

The process of claim 5 which includes forming filaments of candy floss from a syrup containing at least brown sugar, syrup and water, and grinding said filaments to form particles of candy floss.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 which includes applying particles of ground nutmeats to the surfaces of the moistened mass of food pieces.

Claim 9

The process of claim 1 which includes moisteniNg the cereal pieces so their moisture content ranges from about 10-13 percent, and drying said pieces to a moisture content of less than 3 percent.

Claim 10

The process of claim 1 which includes breaking up agglomerates of food pieces and separating said pieces from each other after they have been dried.

Claim 11

The process of claim 9 which includes cooling the food pieces after they have been dried and separated from each other.

Claim 12

The process of claim 1 which includes forming the particles of candy floss by melting sugar crystals and spinning threadlike filaments from a heated centrifugal head, and grinding said filaments into particles of candy floss.

Claim 13

The process of claim 1 which includes forming filaments of flavored candy floss, and grinding said filaments of floss with nutmeats thereby forming a ground mixture of floss particles and nut particles.

Claim 14

A process for coating ready-to-eat cereal food pieces with a sweetened composition which comprises forming crystalline sugar into filaments of candy floss, pulverizing said floss into particles having a prescribed size, making a flavored slurry by combining and mixing about 2 parts of said floss particles with about 1 part water at room temperature, spraying said slurry onto a tumbling mass of food pieces and increasing the moisture content of said pieces to about 10-13 percent, applying particles of flavored ground floss onto the moistened tumbling mass, mixing said cereal pieces and said floss particles together thereby fusing said particles to the cereal pieces, said particles absorbing part of the moisture in the cereal pieces, heating the moistened coated pieces thereby reducing their moisture level to less than 3 percent and causing the floss particles to form a glaze surrounding the individual cereal pieces, agitating the dried particles thereby separating them from each other, and cooling the coated pieces.

Claim 15

A process for coating ready-to-eat cereal food pieces with a sweetened composition which comprises forming crystalline sugar into filaments of candy floss, pulverizing said floss into particles having a prescribed size, making a flavored slurry by combining and mixing about 2 parts of said floss particles with about 1 part water at room temperature, spraying said slurry onto a tumbling mass of food pieces and increasing the moisture content of said pieces to about 10-13 percent, applying particles of flavored ground floss onto the moistened tumbling mass, mixing said cereal pieces and said floss particles together thereby fusing said particles to the cereal pieces, said particles absorbing part of the moisture in the cereal pieces, heating the moistened coated pieces thereby reducing their moisture level to less than 3 percent and causing the floss particles to form a glaze surrounding the individual cereal pieces, agitating the dried particles thereby separating them from each other, and cooling the coated pieces.

Claim 16

The process of claim 13 which includes grinding nuts into particles, and applying them onto the moistened, tumbling food pieces, said ground nuts being caused to adhere to the surfaces of the cereal pieces.

Claim 17

The process of claim 14 wherein the final product is comprised of about 40-60 percent of the cereal piece, about 40-60 percent of the sweetened composition, and about 10-20 percent of the ground nutmeats.

Claim 18

The process of claim 13 which includes forming a flavored candy floss by forming a slurry containing sugar, water and at least one other flavoring ingredient, cooking said slurry and reducing its moisture content to less than 1.5 percent, discharging the slurry from the cooker, forming the slurry into filaments of candy floss by diffusing the slurry with a pressurized gaseous medium as the slurry is discharged from the cooker, and heating the moistened coated pieces at a temperature of at least 170* F. for about 60 minutes.

Claim 19

A process for coating ready-to-eat food pieces which comprises forming a slurry by combining water, particles of ground candy floss, and at least one other flavoring ingredient, moistening a tumbling mass of food pieces by spraying said slurry onto said tumbling food pieces so that the moisture content of said pieces does not exceed 20 percent, applying particles of ground candy floss to the moistened food pieces, mixing said pieces and said particles together and fusing the particles of candy floss to the moistened surfaces, and heating the coated food pieces thereby reducing their moisture content and causing the coating to form a glaze surrounding the individual pieces.

Claim 20

A process for coating ready-to-eat food pieces which comprises forming a slurry by combining water, particles of ground candy floss, and at least one other flavoring ingredient, moistening a tumbling mass of food pieces by spraying said slurry onto said tumbling food pieces so that the moisture content of said pieces does not exceed 20 percent, applying particles of ground candy floss to the moistened food pieces, mixing said pieces and said particles together and fusing the particles of candy floss to the moistened surfaces, and heating the coated food pieces thereby reducing their moisture content and causing the coating to form a glaze surrounding the individual pieces.