This invention relates to a high fiber, sugar free, healthy cookie and a process for manufacture thereof.

Cookies are products with specific bite and taste profile that require high fat and high sugar in the formulation with low or no dietary fiber. While it is a challenge to make a sugar free cookie, it is even more challenging to incorporate dietary fiber in this formulation, due to the fact that dietary fibers from any source would absorb water and make further processing difficult.

In the normal process, a cookie like product is made by initially blending vegetable oils with other ingredients like sugar, milk powder, emulsifiers, raising agents, colour, flavour and finally wheat flour is added, and the ingredients are mixed and baked. In case of normal products with sugar and shortening, addition of ingredients to enhance dietary fiber content would not result in any processing issue and would not affect product sensorial characteristics significantly.

However, in the cookie proposed herein, due to the absence of sugar and fat, which are required for bulking and shortening effect, addition of dietary fibers had an effect on processing and sensorial properties making the product inedible.

According to this invention dietary fiber ingredients are first mixed with a specific quantity of edible oil. This mixture is added at the last stage of dough mixing after addition of wheat flour to prevent interaction of fibers with water in the formulation which would therefore not affect processing and sensorial properties of the product. This procedure is in contrast to the conventional process in which all the ingredients except wheat flour are added at the creaming stage and wheat flour is added finally and processed.

The food product proposed herein is a baked food product and one of its preferred forms is COOKIE. This invention is applicable to other forms of this baked product, such as biscuit. The term "cookie" in this specification and Claims must therefore be read with this interpretation in mind.

The process for the manufacture of a high fiber, sugar free, healthy cookie according to this invention, comprises mixing of fiber ingredients with edible oil, a creaming stage, a dough making stage, addition of fiber ingredients and a baking stage, such as described here in, all said stages involving sugar free ingredients, to obtain a formulation, characterized in that the said process also comprises the preparation of a separate mixture of (1) at least one fiber ingredient selected from cereal fiber (oat fiber) (1.5 - 6.0% by weight), fruit fiber (apple fiber) (0.5 - 5.0% by weight), prebiotic fiber source (inulin) (3 - 10%), vegetable fiber (guar gum) (0.2 - 2.0%) and (2) an edible oil, the said separate mixture being added to the formulation at the final stage of mixing, after addition of wheat flour, to minimize interaction of water with fibers, and the final dough is baked to yield the desired product.

A general description of the process proposed herein is given below followed by a process flow chart given as an example for carrying out the process, by way of illustration, and not by way of limitation.

Edible oil, like palm oil, is mixed with cereal fiber (oat fiber) (1.5 - 6.0% by weight), fruit fiber (apple fiber) (0.5 - 5.0% by weight), prebiotic fiber source (inulin) (3 - 10%), vegetable fiber (guar gum) (0.2 - 2.0%), individually or a combination of two or three of them (in the ratio of 20:80 to 90:10) of the final product in a separate blender.

In a separate dough mixer, preparation of the dough is taken up through a three stage mixing:

1. Creaming stage: Where in a low calorie filler, Maltitol at 5 - 15% and a cereal product, Maltodextrin at 1 - 5% are added along with other ingredients like oil (15 - 20%), skimmed milk powder (2 - 6%), oats (2 - 7%), emulsifiers (0.5 - 3%), salt, artificial sweetener - sucralose (0.01 - 0.06%), salt, flavour and mixed at RPM >30 followed by leavening agents dissolved in water and mixed at a speed > 30 RPM speed for 2 minutes to 20 minutes.

2. Dough making stage: Wheat flour along with ragi flour (optional), are added and mixed at RPM below 50 for a minute followed by dough conditioner and further mixed at RPM <50 for 7.5 minutes to 30 minutes.

3. Addition of fiber ingredients: Mixture made out fiber ingredients and oil is added at the end of this mixing and mixed at RPM below 50 for a minute or two. This prevents interaction of water in dough with fiber ingredients and gives the cookie its characteristic texture, finish and taste.

PROCESS FLOW CHART

PREPARATION OF MIXTURE:

3.0% of oat fiber or 1.7% apple fiber along with 6.5% prebiotic fiber and guar gum 0.5% is mixed with oil in a separate blender for 1 - 10 minutes. THIS IS MIXTURE "A".

CREAMING STAGE: 15.0% palm oil, 0.5% emulsifiers, 8.0% maltitol, 2.5% Maltodextrin, 4.5% skimmed milk powder, almonds (optional) 3%, salt, flavour are mixed at 40 rpm. Leavening Agents dissolved in water is mixed at high speed for 5 - 7 minutes.

DOUGH MAKING STAGE: Wheat flour and ragi flour (optional) followed by Acidulant (Sodium acid pyrophosphate) are added and mixed.

ADDITION OF MIXTURE "A": Mixture of dietary fiber ingredients with oil is added and mixed for a minute or two. Formed dough is then baked.
The terms and expressions in this specification are of description and not of limitation, as such terms and expression do not, and are not intended to, exclude any equivalents of the features of this invention illustrated and described, but various other modes of carrying out the process herein are possible without departing from the scope and ambit of this invention.

We claim:

1. A process for the manufacture of a high fiber, sugar free, healthy cookie comprising mixing of fiber ingredients with oil, a creaming stage, a dough making stage, addition of fiber ingredients and a baking stage, as described herein, all said stages involving sugar free ingredients, characterized in the said process also comprises the preparation of a separate mixture of (1) At least one fiber ingredient selected from cereal fiber (oat fiber) (1.5 - 6.0% by weight), fruit fiber (apple fiber) (0.5 - 5.0% by weight), prebiotic fiber source (inulin) (3 - 10), vegetable fiber (guar gum) (0.2 - 2.0%) and (2) A predetermined quantity of oil %prior to addition. This mixture is added to the formulation at the final stage of dough making, after addition of wheat flour, to minimize interaction of water with fibers and the dough obtained finally is baked to yield the desired product.

2. A process for the manufacture of a high fiber, sugar free, healthy cookie is described herein and illustrated with the example and flow Chart.

3. A high fiber, sugar free, healthy cookie whenever manufactured by a process as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims.