Breakfast Cereals and other Products of Extrusion Cooking Breakfast Cereals the starch. Cooking by extrusion at low moisture All cereals contain a large proportion of starch. causes the starch granules to lose their crystallinity In its natural form, the starch is insoluble, but they are unable to swell as in the normal gelatinization process in excess water. However, tasteless,and unsuited for human consumpton. when they are exposed to moisture during con cooked. Breakfast cereals are products that are sumption they hydrate and swell to become consumed after cooking, and they fall into two susceptible to enzymic digestion categories: those made by a process that does not include cooking and which therefore have to be Hot cereals cooked domestically(hot cereals)and those which are cooked during processing and which require Porridge from oats no domestic cooking The first class of products is exemplified by various types of porridge Porridge is generally made from oatmeal or second by products which are described as ' re oatcakes (rolled oats or 'porridge oats), the cture to-eat’ cereals of which was described on p. 167 Besides the distinction regarding the need for The milling process to make oatmeal includes no cooking(unless the oats are stabilized to inactivate domestic cooking as against readiness for con- the enzyme lipase: cf. p. 165), and the starch in according to the form of the product, and accord- oatmeal is ungelatinized; moreover, the particles ing to the particular cereal used as the raw material sequently, porridge made from coarse oatmeal requires prolonged domestic cooking, by boiling with water, to bring about gelatinization of the Cooking of cereals starch. Oatmeal of four fineness cooks quickly, but the cooked product is devoid of the granular If the cereal is cooked with excess of water and structure associated with the best scotch porridge only moderate heat, as in boiling, the starch Rolled oats are partially cooked during manu gelatinizes and becomes susceptible to starch- facture; the pinhead oatmeal from which rolled hydrolyzing enzymes of the digestive system. If oats is made is softened by treatment with steam cooked with a minimum of water or without and, in this plastic condition, is er, but at a higher temperature, as in toasting, flaking rolls. Thus, porridge made from rolled a non-enzymic browning (Maillard) reaction oats requires only a brief domestic cooking time between protein and reducing carbohydrate may to complete the process of starch gelatinize occur, and there may be some dextrinization of The amount of domestic cooking required byI1 Breakfast Cereals and Other Products of Extrusion Cooking Breakfast Cereals All cereals contain a large proportion of starch. In its natural form, the starch is insoluble, tasteless, and unsuited for human consumption. To make it digestible and acceptable it must be cooked. Breakfast cereals are products that are consumed after cooking, and they fall into two categories: those made by a process that does not include cooking and which therefore have to be cooked domestically (hot cereals) and those which are cooked during processing and which require no domestic cooking. The first class of products is exemplified by various types of porridge, the second by products which are described as ‘ready￾to-eat’ cereals. Besides the distinction regarding the need for domestic cooking as against readiness for con￾sumption, breakfast cereals can also be classified according to the form of the product, and accord￾ing to the particular cereal used as the raw material. the starch. Cooking by extrusion at low moisture causes the starch granules to lose their crystallinity, but they are unable to swell as in the normal gelatinization process in excess water. However, when they are exposed to moisture during con￾sumption they hydrate and swell to become susceptible to enzymic digestion. Hot cereals Porridge from oats Porridge is generally made from oatmeal or oatflakes (rolled oats or ‘porridge oats’), the manufacture of which was described on p. 167. The milling process to make oatmeal includes no cooking (unless the oats are stabilized to inactivate the enzyme lipase: cf. p. 165), and the starch in oatmeal is ungelatinized; moreover, the particles of oatmeal are relatively coarse in size. Con￾sequently , porridge made from coarse oatmeal requires prolonged domestic cooking, by boiling with water, to bring about gelatinization of the starch. Oatmeal of flour fineness cooks quickly, but the cooked product is devoid of the granular Cooking of cereals If the cereal is cooked with excess of water and structure associated with the best Scotch porridge. only moderate heat, as in boiling, the starch Rolled oats are partially cooked during manu￾gelatinizes and becomes susceptible to starch- facture; the pinhead oatmeal from which rolled hydrolyzing enzymes of the digestive system. If oats is made is softened by treatment with steam cooked with a minimum of water or without and, in this plastic condition, is flattened on water, but at a higher temperature, as in toasting, flaking rolls. Thus, porridge made from rolled a non-enzymic browning (Maillard) reaction oats requires only a brief domestic cooking time between protein and reducing carbohydrate may to complete the process of starch gelatinization. occur, and there may be some dextrinization of The amount of domestic cooking required by 244