5 Things to Know Before Buying Breakfast Cereals Production Line

When Neolithic farmers figured out how to cultivate wheat, millet, oats and other wild grasses some 10,000 years ago – they created the first steady food supply we’d ever known.

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But a supply of barley for the winter is a bit different from the bulk pack of Cupcake Pebbles from Costco.

What is cereal?

For thousands of years, many traditional cultures have eaten cereals in the form of porridge. Traditionally, these were whole or ground grains (and sometimes legumes such as peas or starches such as tapioca) that were soaked in water and allowed to ferment. Historically, porridge was often seen as poor people’s food, or the kind of cuisine you’d get in prison.

Flintstones notwithstanding, the breakfast cereals of today don’t look much like their traditional ancestors.

Breakfast cereal: A brief history

Dr. James Caleb Jackson created the world’s first cold breakfast cereal in . It was whole wheat flour and water.

He baked it, broke the pieces up, and then baked them again. Ta-da – he had “Granula”. Granula had to be soaked overnight in order to be chewed.

Later, food manufacturers began to add vitamins and minerals to cereals, and people began to view cereals as health-promoting rather than as prison or peasant cuisine.

During World War II, the government encouraged vitamin and mineral enrichment of foods to improve the nation’s health. This continues today, with mixed results. In , Kellogg’s saturated about 30,000 packages of Rice Krispies with excessive amounts of iron. Later that year, 28,000 packages of Mini-Wheat’s had too much vitamin A added.

How cereal is made

In general, when cereals are made, grains are processed into flour, cooked, mixed with other ingredients, dried, and shaped. Cereal can also be puffed, flaked or shredded.

Making breakfast cereal involves:

• mixing grains with flavouring agents and water
• cooking to gelatinize the grains’ starch, which creates the desired final texture and makes the grains digestible
• drying
• cooling/tempering, then pressure-flattening or passing through an extruder that makes shapes (rather like a big toothpaste tube)
• toasting and flaking

Here’s a schematic diagram of some of the machinery involved. Yummy! Just like grandma used to make!

Cereal manufacturers use mechanical food texture analyzers to test the “crunchiness” of cereal. One of the reasons cereal is often sugar coated is to provide a layer between the liquid (usually cow’s milk) and the cereal to extend its crunch.

8 types of cereal processing

Beyond the basic cereal production process, there are eight distinct cereal processing categories:

1. Flaked cereals

A typical formula contains 100 pounds of grain, 6 to 12 pounds of sugar, 2 pounds of malt syrup, 2 pounds of salt, and enough water to achieve 28-32% moisture after cooking. Too much moisture reduces crunchiness. Too little moisture leads to breakage. Cooking time varies depending on the grain. Corn takes about 120 minutes, rice takes 60 minutes, and wheat takes 35 minutes.

Example: Corn Flakes.

2. Gun-puffed whole grains

Here, the grain must be cooked, followed by a rapid pressure drop in the atmosphere surrounding the grain. This releases steam from the grain as the pressure within the grain tries to equilibrate with the lower pressure surrounding it.

Rice and wheat are the only whole grains used for gun-puffing (corn can also undergo this process, but not in whole-grain form). Puffing can be done with single or multiple shot guns. Temperatures vary, staying above 400 degrees F. Puffed cereals rely on a coating (usually sugar) to maintain a crisp texture.

d: Golden Crisp/Sugar Crisp

3. Extruded gun-puffed cereals

The starting material is flour. Cooking takes place in the extruder, and then dough is formed and cast. Using modified food starch (e.g., like tapioca or potato starch) helps to obtain a high expansion volume and form a film on the cereal while keeping the fat content low. When the dough is cast, the desired shape is created, similar to pasta. Extruded cereals tend to have less browning than other varieties.

Example: Cheerios

4. Shredded whole grains

The grain is cooked, cooled, and tempered for up to 24 hours. After this, the wheat is squeezed between one smooth and one grooved roll. A comb runs along the grooved roll to separate the shreds.

Example: Shredded Wheat

5. Extruded and other shredded cereals

A blend of the extruded and shredded processes mentioned above.

Example: Life

6. Oven-puffed cereals

These cereals are usually rice or corn (or a mixture), and require very high temperatures (550 to 650 degrees F). For more on high cooking temperatures and processed carb foods, see All About Cooking & Carcinogens.

Example: Rice Krispies

7. Extruded expanded cereals

Similar to the extrusion process above.

Example: Cap’n Crunch

8. Granola cereals

A mixture of grains, sweeteners, fruits, nuts and other additives baked at 300 to 425 degrees F to achieve a light-brown color and 3% moisture.

Example: Umm… granola.

Why is cereal so important?

If you want to see America’s advertising expertise in action, walk down the cereal aisle.

Cereal was one of the first marketing panaceas, and we’ve taken the advertising bait. Cereal also kicked off our addiction to convenience. Forget about a 15 minute delay for rolled oats or a vegetable omelet. Cereal = open, pour, and hover. Ready in 30 seconds.

A few cereal consumption facts:

• We buy about 2.7 billion boxes of cereal each year, leading to annual sales of about $10 billion, making it one of the top three most popular supermarket products (behind beverages and bread). Per capita consumption of cold breakfast cereals rose from 4.4 pounds in to 14.3 pounds in . By comparison, France consumes about 1.8 pounds and Canada eats about 9 pounds.
• The only countries that eat more cereal than the U.S. are England, Ireland and Australia.
• Kellogg’s, General Mills and Post make up 73% of the cereal market share. The top three most popular cereals are Cheerios, Special K, and Honey Bunches of Oats. About 20 new cereals are offered each year.

Yep, we love our breakfast cereals. In part, this is because we mistakenly think they’re good for us… and our kids.

But breakfast cereals marketed to children contain more sugar and salt than those for adults. Cereal manufacturers spend millions of dollars each year marketing to kids. During kids TV shows the top category of advertised food is cereal (beating out candy, snacks and fast food).

On average, 8 to 12 year olds see three cereal ads per day (about cereal ads per year). And you wonder why your 10 year old turns into a drugged up monkey while browsing the cereal aisle?

What you should know about cereal

Before cereal was invented, the U.S. was eating grease, flour (e.g., pancakes), pork, mutton, liver, kidney, pickled meats, and rich sauces for breakfast. As you might expect, many Americans were also battling indigestion, gout and constipation.

Religious folks were ready to intervene with a whole grain alternative to help with regularity and gut health. Oh, and they also wanted to get rid of meat at breakfast to “curb ungodly desires.”

Kellogg, cereal pioneer

John Harvey Kellogg helped lead the way. Kellogg was a Seventh Day Adventist who studied medicine, eventually writing books/articles. He recommended no drugs, no alcohol, and no tobacco, plenty of exercise, low calorie consumption, and low meat intake. This was revolutionary (in the s).

He believed that optimal health started in the GI tract – so he also pushed bran consumption and daily enemas.

But before you become a Kellogg disciple – he also prescribed 12 pounds of grapes each day for people with high blood pressure and forced underweight patients to consume 26 milk feedings per day while lying motionless in bed with sandbags on their feet (seriously).

Kellogg began experimenting with cereal recipes based on Dr. James Caleb Jackson’s original mix. He combined wheat flour, cornmeal and oatmeal into various ready-to-eat cereal shapes and sizes.

In , wheat flakes were developed by cooking ground wheat into dough and then flattening it between metal rollers. The flakes were then cooked and cooled. Kellogg called it “Granose.” Eventually, corn was also used. This began the cold cereal revolution.

In , W.K. Kellogg (John Harvey’s brother) experimented with adding sugar to cereal. Between and sugar consumption doubled. Adding sugar to cereals increased sales and cereal companies began to focus on profit.

Not until the s did parents question added sugars in cereal, and thus cereal names started changing.

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• Sugar Crisp became Golden Crisp
• Sugar Pops became Corn Pops
• Sugar Smacks became Honey Smacks

Big Cereal and the business of breakfast

Cereal is big business. Each new cereal production technique was (and is) a marketing opportunity.

In the mid s, food manufacturers wanted people to buy more cereal, so they did motivational research on flavours and textures. They modified the packaging to draw more attention to the cereal.

Eventually, the production of cereals became so secretive that factory tours were cancelled in the s due to espionage.

It’s no surprise — cereal production takes a 12 cent bushel of grain and converts it to a product that sells for around four dollars… and most of the money is spent on marketing.

Cereal and health

In North America, we don’t eat whole grains much. One of these potential occasions is a bowl of breakfast cereal (the other major sources are popcorn and bread). Of all foods consumed for breakfast, cereal is the most common, making its way into about one-third of all breakfast occasions.

Data show that consuming commercial breakfast cereals can increase overall nutrient intake and lead to a healthier weight – when compared to those who skip breakfast. It’s hard to conclude much from studies on eating cereal and body weight, due to the multitude of other factors.

In the last decade, we’ve seen the introduction of cereal bars and cereal cafes.

Manufacturers have successfully convinced many of us that cereals are good for us, especially when “fortified” with added vitamins, minerals, and fibre. But ask yourself… why is all that good stuff missing in the first place?

Let’s look at what Honey Nut Cheerios, for instance, contains. I’ve taken the liberty of putting sugar sources in bold.

Let’s see… five types of sugar, for starters. And the fibre has to be added in.

I wouldn’t exactly call that healthy. By the way, go and measure 3/4 cup of cereal. I bet you’ll be surprised at how tiny it looks. Most folks could easily eat three times that and not notice.

The “healthy” cereals

Oats

Oatmeal was proclaimed in the s to be one of the best soothers for an irritable stomach. In the s, Quaker Oats began utilizing radio advertising to promote sales. The first instant flavored oatmeal was introduced in – less than 50 years ago. In the s, Wilford Brimley started pushing oatmeal, and sales increased by 25%.

Cream of Wheat

Cream of Wheat was discovered in by a guy in North Dakota who was looking to save some money by cooking up “wheat leftovers” (the bran) as porridge.

Ralston

Ralston (endorsed by Dr. Ralston) wheat cereal originated as livestock feed. To bump up profits, it was eventually marketed as a cereal for humans.

Wheaties

I don’t know about you, but during my 7th grade basketball season, I made sure my mom bought Wheaties. Was this due to nutrition science? Nope. It’s because Michael Jordan was on the box.

The advertising push for Wheaties began in . Interestingly, a survey in revealed that most American consumers didn’t realize Wheaties were made out of wheat.

Jim Fish, a former vice president of advertising for General Mills said, “Wheaties is no different from anybody else’s [cereal]; it’s just a product of unique and consistent advertising.”

Special K

This was invented in . The s was when TV advertising for cereals took off. The industry took advantage and Special K swept across the U.S. As you can see, TV ads for cereal in the s and s were riveting.

Kix commercial from the s

Trix cereal commercial from the s

Special K commercial from the s

Cheerios commercial from the s

Wheaties commercial from the s

Froot Loops commercial from the s

All Bran

In , All Bran sales increased 41% when a TV commercial claimed that bran could decrease the risk of cancer.

Summary and recommendations

Most of us can acknowledge that a majority of cereals are edible entertainment. Cereal consumption usually has little to do with nutrition and a lot to do with advertising, characters, images, and convenience.

Cereal is one breakfast option that may contribute to optimal health/body composition… if the alternative is eating nothing. But always consider what your alternative option would be (for more on alternative breakfast options, see All About Breakfast).

Be aware that a majority of cereals have added sweeteners/preservatives, are highly processed, and are a concentrated source of energy (which can be helpful when trying in increase body weight).

If you eat cereal, use common sense when reading the ingredient label, and as always, don’t believe any of the information printed on the front of the box.

Extra credit

In C.W. Post tried developing a coffee substitute, but instead he sold it as breakfast cereal. It’s called Grape-Nuts — “grape” because it contained maltose, which at the time Post called “grape sugar.” And “nuts” because it tasted like nuts.

When cow’s milk pasteurization became standard in the early s, cereal became more popular.

In the s Post worked on freeze drying fruits for cereals. This allowed them to double the price of cereal. They started to actually deplete North American strawberry crops.

Lucky Charms were invented based on the inclusion of Circus Peanut marshmallow shavings in a basic extruded cereal.

Since cereals can break into bits and settle during transport – companies claim “Contents measured by weight, not volume,” on the front of the package.

In , Quaker test marketed an entire Cap’n Crunch product line with cookies, snacks and shakes.

Food and beverage packaging is a major source of waste, accounting for 55% of global packaging waste.

In , each percentage point of market share for cereals was worth approximately $62 million.

A cereal fortified with fluoride was tested in the s by Post.

Cereal production lines can package 2 boxes per second.

In the s cereal companies started printing and distributing coupons – this was done to increase sales.

Grains contain lectins. See All About Lectins for more.

References

Click here to view the information sources referenced in this article.

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Breakfast cereal is one of the most popular meals to eat in the morning around the world. Cereals go through a vast production line. They are usually processed from raw materials such as cereal corn, oats, wheat, and rice. After harvesting, the grains will be crushed to remove the outer layer or ground into flour. To prepare the grains ready to be shaped, they are sent into a rotating pressure cooker and a drying oven. When the grains are grounded into flour, they’ll then be cooked in a cooking extruder, which mixes the flour with other ingredients such as water, vitamins, or flavorings.

After stabilizing the moisture content of the grains, they can be further processed into desired forms ranging from flaked, puffed, shredded, or other special forms of cereals. Granolas and mueslis involve mixing grains with nuts or fruits and cooking them on a conveyor belt through an oven.

Different types of breakfast cereals

Cereals can be made in various forms and shapes through extruders and pellets. Gone are the days when there were only breakfast cornflakes. Nowadays, there are so many different varieties of breakfast cereals. Special forms of cereals, such as circles or shapes of alphabets, can also be achieved by adding a die to the end of the extruder to form a ribbon which will later be cut.

Granolas are processed by baking the grains until crispy, coating them with honey, and sometimes mixed with dried fruits or chocolate chips. On the other hand, muesli keeps the most nutrients since the grains are directly flattened and mixed with dried fruits or other ingredients.

Packing your cereal products

While some cereals, such as shredded wheat, are pretty resistant to moisture and stored directly in cardboard boxes, some cereal products need to be placed in an airtight and waterproof bag to protect them from being damaged. Resealable, flexible, and stand-up pouches have shown a growing trend in cereal packaging. At the same time, as the off-to-go snack bar has become more popular, single-serve packing also shows its potential.

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