Study of the Use of a Corn Flake Crumb Matrix for Corn Flake Bar, Survival Type

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether corn flake crumbs could replace part or all of the sugar coated corn flakes used to produce compressed fruit flavored corn flake bars. (For further information on these products see military specification MIL-C-35074.) By substituting corn flake crumbs for pulverized sugar-coated corn flakes considerable savings could be realized. For example, based on purchases of 12 million long range patrol packets by the Armed Forces in FY70, of which one quarter contain corn flake bars as a component, at least $60,000 could have been saved. Simple as this sounds, the corn flake crumbs (in bar form) would require comparable storage stability as the pulverized flakes and be able to be compressed to a similar hardness level without brittleness. Test samples were compressed at 2612 pounds per square inch, stored for 9 months at 100°F., and hardness and work measured periodically. In this study it was found that the Instron Universal Testing Apparatus provided objective textural data on corn flake bars heretofore not obtainable by other methods. Results indicated that compressed fruit-flavored corn flake bars prepared from corn flake crumbs were as stable from a sensory and textural standpoint as those prepared from pulverized corn flakes. However, on increased compression pressures, the use of corn flake crumbs resulted in bars that were more brittle. Further research must be done to determine if this problem of increased brittleness associated with the use of corn flake crumbs can be overcome.