Analysis of mechanical properties of breakfast cereals during process of milk absorption

Breakfast cereals are products extrudate, starch-based, which traditionally are consumed with milk. The crispness of these products has been associated to the freshness and quality and their loss has been one of the causes of rejection by consumers. Undesirable textural changes may occur when these cereals are exposed to the atmospheric environment or are soaked in liquid medium. The physical structure of these cereals has a great influence in the moisture diffusion, therefore their high porosity and hygroscopic behavior imply in increase of the diffusivity of the milk and increase of the water activity, gaining moisture quickly and loosing their desirable brittle texture, becoming soggy. This behavior could be related to a transition from the glassy solid state to rubbery liquid state. In this work the behavior of three commercial breakfast cereals were analyzed, the mass diffusion coefficients were determined, besides the texture change of these products, using mechanical properties, which were related to the time of immersion in milk. The variation of water activity values, at equilibrium, of cereal samples immersed in milk was determined to quantify the critical time and the water activity value in that the commercial breakfast cereals became soggy.

breakfast cereal; diffusion; water activity; mechanical properties