GB2519365A - Breakfast Cereal Biscuit Comprising Oats - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for producing a breakfast cereal biscuit comprises providing grain which comprises oat grain and/or groats in an amount of at least 50.1 % by weight of total grain content including meal and/or flour. The process further defines sequentially hydrating, cooking and shaping the meal and/or flour into beads of a size between 2mm - 10mm and then forming the extruded beads into flakes The flakes have a moisture content of about 16 - 30 wt. % and are formed into a desired biscuit shape without the use of an internal binder. The biscuits are then dried to a moisture content of at least 1-4 wt. %. The invention also describes a breakfast cereal biscuit prepared by the process.

Description

BREAKFAST CEREAL BISCUIT COMPRISING OATS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a process for producing breakfast cereal biscuits comprised in the majority of oat grain. The present invention also relates to breakfast cereal biscuits so produced.

Background of the Invention

Breakfast cereal biscuit (BCB) products make up a significant proportion of the international ready-to-eat breakfast cereal market. Some examples of BCB products available on the world market are Weet Bix (RTM) (Sanitarium Health Food Company, 145 Fox Valley Road, Waroonga, NSW 2076, Australia), Weetabix (RTM) (Weetabix Ltd, Burton Latimer Kettering, Northants, NN15JR, England) and Vita Brits (RIM) (The Uncle Toby's Company Limited, Barkly Street, Wahgunya, Victoria, 3687, Australia). These products which have been available for many years are usually made from wheat, which have other optional inclusions such as flavourings, nutritional supplements, pre-puffed or pre-toasted cereals, fruits, bran, salt, sweeteners or stabilisers.

BCBs are usually marketed as biscuits typically with dimensions of about B x 4 x 2 cm as well as in an assortment of shapes such as cubes, cylinders etc. They are generally eaten with cold or hot milk and the flakes of grain within the biscuit become soft and mushy within only 2-3 minutes of the addition of cold milk and quicker with hot milk.

The BCB5 are generally made from the whole wheat kernel (germ, bran and endosperm), by initially hydrating and cooking the kernel and then rolling the cooked grain into very thin flakes which are then agglomerated and formed into biscuits.

An alternative method involves the grains being hydrated and cooked followed by flaking and agglomeration along with the addition of flavours, colours, fruits etc., optional pre-drying and then the resultant mixture formed in the desired shapes and toasted dry to the final desired biscuit product.

Whilst oat grains have been previously contemplated in the manufacture of BCBs, oats suffer from the disadvantage that whilst oat grains can be flaked, this can only be done when the moisture levels are below a critical point, otherwise cooked or kilned oat grains (groats) tend to stick together or agglomerate during the flaking step resulting in lumps that cannot be separated and formed into a BCB. As such, maintaining critical moisture levels is important in the production of flakes, but this does result in a very difficult biscuit forming step when the flakes either do not stick to each other and/or the BCB subsequently comes apart after drying and packaging. The taught solution to this problem is to add a binder such as syrup either directly before or during the forming step, but this generally results in a chewy cereal bar-like product rather than the desired crispy oat biscuit.

This is unfortunate as oats are generally considered a nutritious health food. In particular the widely reported cholesterol lowering properties of oats has led to wider appreciation of oats as a healthy food.

Whilst attempts have been made to improve the nutritional quality of, and to add textural and flavour variety to, flaked wheat BCB5, by adding other cereal grains such as rice, rolled oats, sesame seeds etc., such products have tended to be more expensive than the simple wheat BCBs, and have in addition been shown to produce a product which is less tender, less crisp and generally less appealing to consumers than the all-flaked wheat BCBs.

It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate some of the problems associated with the flaked oat grain BCB products known to date and to improve the nutritional offering of such products.

Other objects according to the present invention will become apparent from the following

description thereof.

In this specification the following terms have the following meanings: According to Wikipedia, "Groats" means the hulled grains of various cereals, such as oats, wheat, barley, or rye. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain as well as the endosperm (which is the usual product of milling).

"Meal" means milled grain (groats) or milled wholegrain flakes.

"Flour" means a more refined product than meal, it being the product of milled oats having had some of the bran removed.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a process for producing a breakfast cereal biscuit comprising the steps of: a. providing grain which comprises oat grain and/or groats in an amount of at least 50.1 % by weight of total grain content and which grain is in the form of meal and/or flour; b. sequentially hydrating, cooking and shaping the meal and/or flour into beads of a size that ranges between 2mm -10mm; c. forming the beads into flakes having a moisture content of from about 16 to about wt.%; d. forming the flakes into a desired biscuit shape without the use of an internal binder; and e. drying the product of step d) from a moisture content of 14-28 wt.% to a moisture content of at least 1-4 wt.% and preferably 3-6wt.%.

Preferably the grain is ground grain in particulate form, i.e. in the form of a flour.

In one embodiment the process additionally comprises the step of pre-conditioning the grain in steam at a temperature of between 85 and 100 degrees Centigrade (deg C) for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.

Step b) may include extruding the grain to form beads. The beads may be rolled into flakes.

The process may include the additional step of adding one or more of other grain or grain products. Nuts, fruits, fruit juice, nutritional supplements, flavours, colours, salt, sweeteners and/or stabilisers may be added, but not in the form of an internal binder, which is to say not prior to or during agglomeration.

The oat grain and/or groats preferably comprise at least 75% by weight of the total grain content, more preferably at least 80% by weight of the total grain content, more preferably at least 85% by weight of the total grain content, most preferably 100% by weight of the total grain content.

The grain may be hydrated to a moisture content of up to 30 wt. %.

It will be appreciated that the invention extends to a breakfast cereal biscuit prepared by the process as hereinbefore described.

It has been surprisingly found that by producing BCBs from oats according to the present invention, it is possible to produce a flaked grain BCB product which has improved nutritional qualities and is tender and crisp in texture. In particular, BCBs produced from oats develop pleasant flavours together with agreeable organoleptic properties, at the same time as requiring reduced energy in the manufacturing process, when compared with standard BCBs produced from flakes of wheat.

Thus, there is provided a breakfast cereal biscuit comprising grain wherein the grain comprises oats in the majority by weight of total grain content.

Preferably grain comprises at least 50.1% by weight, more preferably 75% by weight, most preferably 100% by weight oats of total grain content.

In an embodiment of the present invention the oats are processed by cleaning and sizing, de-hulling, kilning, sizing and milling to a final whole oat flour. The oats (in the form of oat flour) may be hydrated to a moisture content of up to 30 wt. %, more preferably from 21 to 24 wt. %, most preferably about 18 wt. %.

The BCB of the invention contains flaked grain in the form of the majority of which is oats, which grain typically has been processed by hydration and cooking of the grain either sequentially or simultaneously or both, extruded and pelletised (beaded), rolled into flakes, agglomerated into a desired biscuit shape without the use of an internal binder, and dried or toasted. Alternatively the rolled grain is toasted prior to agglomeration into the desired biscuit shape.

One advantage of the present invention is that the processed oat flakes can be agglomerated without the need for additives such as binders including syrups and other agents added to the flakes immediately before or during agglomeration (or forming) to prepare a suitable flaked oat grain BCB product, which hereto before has not been possible. This is considered as the addition of an internal binder.

The present invention extends to the application of such syrups and other sugar based solutions, and other agents added externally to the BCB after forming.

Nonetheless it is sometimes desirable to add one or more of other grain or grain products, nuts, fruits, and non-binding fruit juice nutritional supplements, flavours, colours, salt, sweeteners, stabilisers and the like in the preparation of the biscuits, either before or during the extrusion step or after forniing the BCB.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" or the term "includes" or variations thereof, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element or integer or group of elements or integers but not the exclusion of any other element or integer or group of elements or integers.

In this regard, in construing the claim scope, an embodiment where one or more features is added to any of the claims is to be regarded as within the scope of the invention given that the essential features of the invention as claimed are included in such an embodiment.

Throughout this specification and the appended claims, it is intended that the term "breakfast cereal biscuit" or the abbreviation "BOB" means a biscuit produced from the agglomeration of flaked cereal grain, usually wheat. Such biscuits are usually consumed in conjunction with warm or cold milk.

Breakfast cereal biscuits are generally intended to be consumed as a breakfast meal, in conjunction with milk or a milk substitute. Milk substitutes may include for example, soy milk or even fruit juice or water, all of which have the effect of reducing the crispness of the BOB at least to some extent. Naturally however, it is possible for BOBs to be consumed as a meal or snack at other times of the day, or without the addition of milk or a milk substitute. For example, some consumers may wish to use the BOBs as a base for toppings such as butter, jam, honey or even savory toppings such as ham and cheese.

Up until the present time there has been little consideration given to production of BOBs from oat grain. What is meant by "oat grain" is grain wherein at least 18% or more of the starch present within the grain is in the form of amylose, preferably at least 20%. As will be understood by persons skilled in the art, oats are comprised of four major components, namely the hull or husk, the bran, the germ and the endosperm (although some varieties of oats lack a hull layer). The bran layer includes fibre and protein with some vitamins and minerals. The endosperm is comprised of carbohydrate, in the form of starch, and protein, and the germ includes fat, protein and fibre as well as some vitamins and minerals. In the case of oat grains, most of the starch present within the endosperm is in the form of a mixture of amylopectin and amylose. It is intended that the oat grains can be combined with other grains so that, for example, oat grains can be combined with barley, corn, wheat, rice and sorghum, provided, however, the oat grain should be in the majority by weight of the total grain content. It is therefore intended that the BOBs according to the present invention can be produced from a combination of grains, as long as there is at least 50.1% of total grain weight comprised of oat grain. Preferably, however, at least 51% of the total grain weight will be comprised of oat grain, more preferably at least 75%. Particularly preferably, oat grain will comprise at least 90% of the total grain weight, and most particularly preferred is the situation where oat grain is present in the BOB product to the exclusion of other grains. Preferably the oat grain is the common oat (Avena sativa).

The general process followed in producing the breakfast cereal biscuits according to the invention is that the oat grain, which should be of good quality, is initially cleaned and graded as desired to ensure that it is free of infestations, dirt or stones. Grains which have hulls will need to be de-hulled. It is then possible, if desired, to fully or partially remove the bran layer.

For example, 5 -15 % of the outer bran may be removed. It is to be stressed however, that this removal of bran is purely optional, and is conducted in order to aid the process of hydration of the grain or to modify the eating quality of the final food. It is also optional to crack the grain (without excessive damage) for example by passage through a roller mill. This process will aid moisture absorption.

The grain is preferably milled or ground to form a particulate grain product (flour or meal) which may be hydrated and cooked, and these steps may be conducted separately or in combination. For example, hydration can be conducted simply by steeping the meal in water or conditioning to the required moisture content by methods well known in the grain processing industry. Following hydration the meal may be cooked using a pressure forming equipment that can also generate pellets. Equally however, the cooking may to be conducted without any prior hydration step, such that the hydration of the grain takes place during the cooking. A third option is to combine these two hydration methods by partially hydrating the grains prior to cooking followed by addition of the balance of moisture during the cook phase. The moisture content to which the grain is hydrated is dependent upon grain type. Preferably, the moisture content of the grain is increased to at least about 12 -24 wt. % during the hydration and cooking stages depending upon characteristics desired in the final product. It is important, however, that the grain is not overly moist when the process of rolling into flakes is conducted, since if the moisture is excessively high at this stage, the flakes will lose their integrity during the rolling process and material may adhere to the rollers.

As will be well understood, although there is a considerable degree of flexibility associated with the moisture content, cooking time and temperature, the present invention depends on a particular combination of parameters. The overall objectives of the hydration and cooking steps are to increase the moisture content of the grain and to soften the grain in preparation for rolling. The addition of moisture also aids gelatinisation of starch during heat application. As will also be understood, it is generally the case that the adoption of increased cooking temperatures will require decreased cooking time. For example, it has hereto before been considered to be appropriate to cook the grain for between about 20 minutes and about 90 minutes at temperatures ranging between about 100 deg C and 180 deg C such that substantially all of the starch within the grain will have been gelatinised.

Unfortunately this cooking process tends to destroy many of the vitamins, such as B group vitamins, which may be present in the uncooked grain.

The present invention provides an initial preconditioning step whereby the oat grain in the form of a flour or meal with a water content of between 12 and 24 wt %, preferably in the region of 18 wt % are subject to steam at a temperature of between 80 and 100 deg C, preferably 90 - 95 deg C for a residence time of between 30 seconds and 3 minutes, preferably about 60 seconds. Other non-binding ingredients such as vanillin may also be present during the preconditioning step.

Of course, by requiring a lesser period of cooking the products of this invention lose a lesser amount of the contained natural vitamins. Nonetheless, it may therefore be appropriate to add various non-binding nutrients, flavours and the like to the flakes, at any suitable stage of the process. Such non-binding additives include vitamins, minerals or other nutritional supplements, flavours, colours, salt, sweeteners and/or water nucleating agents such as sodium chloride.

If it is necessary for the moisture content of the cooked grain to be reduced following the cooking step, this may conveniently be conducted by allowing the cooked grain to air-dry, either in ambient air or by exposing the cooked grain to warm air for a period of time.

After the preconditioning step, the oat product is passed to a extruder, for example a 3-5 barrel extruder, preferably a five barrel extruder, where further water may be added and the product may be further cooked at temperatures of between 100 and 120 deg C. Non-binding flavourings may be added to a barrel of the extruder. The barrel extruder can contain single or twin screw elements, preferably twin screw.

Residence time in the extruder is between 1 and 30 seconds, preferably between 5 and 10 seconds.

The product may be extruded at a temperature of from 100 to 112 deg C, preferably about 106 deg C to feed a cutter, for example, a three blade cutter, operating at a speed of about 1200 rpm and about 3.69 Nm to produce oval beads or pellets of about 1.4 mm in length having a moisture content of between 20 and 30 wt. %, preferably about 22-26 wt. %.

The pellets may then be transferred to a flaker, for example, a roller flaker, by way of pneumatic transport (entrained in an air stream). The flakes will have between 25 and 28 wt. % moisture content, preferably 18-26 wt.%. It will be appreciated that the residence time of the pellets in the air stream is critical. The temp of the air stream is between ambient and 35 deg C and the residence time is about 15-40 seconds and should preferably not exceed about 25-seconds.

The flaker may have a water temperature of from 20 to 40 deg C, preferably about 30 deg C (oC) and operate at a speed of about 168rpm. The power may be in the region of 20kW with a force setting of about 27kN both left and right. Flakes with a thickness of from 5 -40 um (micrometre) preferably 10 -20 um are produced, which flakes have a moisture content of between 18 and 30 wt. %, preferably about 20-24 wt. %. After rolling, the flakes produced remain integral and do not clump together and can then be agglomerated and formed into the desired biscuit shape.

"Agglomeration" or "forming" is intended to mean the related processes of binding the grain flakes together and forming into the desired biscuit shape through the application of pressure, preferably without the use of a binder.

In one form of the invention, agglomeration or forming is achieved by conveying the flakes by a vibrating conveyor to a forming machine where the flakes are placed within moulds of the desired shape, compressing the flakes and then removing the shaped biscuit from the mould.

The forming machine preferably operates at a speed of about 15Hz, the flakes have a residence time of between 1.5 and 4.0 seconds, preferably about 2.5 secs, have a moisture content of about 23 wt.%. The forming machine preferably has a pressing force of about 6.8 to 7.5 bars.

The shaped biscuits so produced preferably have a bulk density of between 0.250 and 0.400 kg/L, preferably about 0.309 kg/L.

Following the agglomeration (forming) step which includes shaping into the desired biscuit shape, the formed biscuits are passed to a flat conveyor where they are conveyed to a spraying system where the biscuits may be sprayed with a coating, for example a coating of sweetener or other flavouring. The spraying system may have a line speed of about 2.5 m/min and a line width of about 1000mm. The biscuits may be sprayed with a 4% solution of glucose and water (for example 70 brix).

Thereafter the product may be passed to a drier/toaster having an air flow rate of about 0.84 m/s, a bed depth of about 5-10 cm, an air supply temp or in the region of 100 deg C and a residence time of about 25 minutes. This will result in a final BCB product having a moisture content of between 3 and 5 wt.% , preferably about 4 wt.%, a bulk density of between 0.2 and 0.3 kg/L, preferably about.258 kg/L, dimensions of about 3.5 cm x about 1.75 cm x about 1.08 cm with a weight of about 2.5 g per 8GB.

It will be appreciated that the BCB of the present invention may optionally be additionally toasted. During the toasting phase, the biscuits may be heated to between about 110 deg C to about 240 deg C for a period of between about 30 seconds and about 30 minutes depending on the desired result, in order to reduce the moisture content from between around 16-50% to between about 1-8%. During this toasting stage, the biscuits will undergo texture, flavour and colour changes associated with the moisture content reduction and heat application. Also, volume reductions during toasting of between 5 %-20 % can be expected. The final texture, flavour and colour are determined by the set of drying and toasting parameters applied.

As with the cooking step described above, there is significant flexibility associated with the time and temperature adopted when toasting the BCB product. Toasting may be conducted by means well known in the art, for example by utilisation of a forced hot air toaster, or by baking in a hot oven.

The product, once toasted and formed as required, is then ready for packaging and distribution.

In one optional form of the invention the toasted biscuit may be coated with a coverture as desired, for example with chocolate, yoghurt, honey, sugar glaze, or filled with flavourings, etc. It has been surprisingly found that utilising an oat grain (possibly in mixture which comprises at least 50.1% by weight oat grain) results in a BCB product which has a pleasant taste and agreeable organoleptic properties.

Another significant advantage of the present invention is that it has been surprisingly found that the energy requirement associated with cooking BCB5 produced from oat grains is quite significantly reduced relative to the energy requirements for cooking BCB products produced from other grains. This surprising result is of significant commercial importance, and means that the overall production costs of the BCBs of the invention is markedly reduced relative to that of known BCBs. Oat grains contain an increased level of dietary fibre and particularly soluble fibre, relative to their cereal grain counterparts.

A further, surprising attribute of the present invention is that product wastage is markedly reduced due to a reduced tendency for the BCB product to break or form dust. This has obvious economic benefits, as well as being appealing to consumers who will be less likely to receive broken or damaged products. This is particularly surprising as it has not hereto before been possible to produce an oat based BCB without significant breakage and separation taking place.

Detailed Description of the Figure

The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the following Figure 1 which shows a diagrammatic representation of one embodiment of processing the BCB according to the present invention.

A mixture of 100 parts oat grain in the form of a flour, 13.5 parts sugar and 0.5 parts vanillin with a water content of in the region of 18 wt % (A) are subject to steam (B) and water (C) at a temperature of 90-95 deg C in a preconditioning unit 101 for a residence time of 60 seconds.

After the preconditioning step, the oat product is passed to a five barrel extruder 102, where further water (D) is added and the product is further cooked at temperatures as follows: Barrel III: 113.7 deg C Barrel IV: 98 deg C Barrel V: 107 deg C. Barrel IV is vented 103.

Non-binding flavourings (F) are added to Barrel V of the extruder.

Residence time in the extruder is 30 seconds.

The product is extruded at a temperature of 106 deg C to feed a cutter 104. The cutter 104 is a three blade cutter, operating at a speed of about 1200 rpm and about 3.69 Nm to produce oval beads or pellets of about 1.4 mm in length having a moisture content of about 26 wt. %.

The pellets are then transferred to a roller flaker 105 by way of pneumatic transport (entrained in an air stream) 106. The flakes have between 25 and 28 wt. % moisture content. The temp of the air stream is between ambient and 35 deg C and the residence time does not exceed about 25-30 seconds.

The flaker 105 has a water temperature of about 30 deg C and operates at a speed of about 168rpm. The power is in the region of 20kW with a force setting of about 27kN both left and right. Flakes (not shown) with a thickness of from 10 -20 um are produced, which flakes have a moisture content of about 24 wt. %.

Agglomeration or forming is achieved by conveying the flakes by a vibrating conveyor 108 to a forming machine 107 where the flakes are placed within moulds of the desired shape, compressing the flakes and then removing the shaped biscuit from the mould (not shown).

The forming machine operates at a speed of about 15Hz, the flakes have a residence time of about 2.5 secs and have a moisture content of about 23 wt.%. The forming machine 107 has a pressing force of about 6.8 to 7.5 bars.

The shaped biscuits so produced have a bulk density of about 0.309 kg/L.

Following the agglomeration (forming) step which includes shaping into the desired biscuit shape, the formed biscuits are passed to a flat conveyor 109 where they are conveyed to a spraying system 110 where the biscuits are sprayed with a coating of sweetener or other flavouring. The spraying system 110 has a line speed of about 2.5 m/min and a line width of about 1000mm. The biscuits are sprayed with a 4% solution of glucose and water (about 70 brix).

Thereafter the product is passed to a drier/toaster 111 having an air flow rate of about 0.84 mis, a bed depth of about 5 -10 cm, an air supply temp in the region of 100 deg C and a residence time of about 25 minutes. This results in a final BCB product having a moisture content of about 4 wt.%, a bulk density of about.258 kg/L, dimensions of about 3.5 cm x about 1.75cm x about 1.08cm with a weight of about 2.5 g per BCB.

The invention will now be described with reference to the following non-limiting example.

EXAMPLE I

A ready to eat oat biscuit cereal product was made from a hulled variety of oat grain having less more than 18% total amylose content and about 9 -10 wt. % moisture content. The grain was de-hulled, kilned and milled to whole oat flour. The flour is hydrated in water to about 18 wt. % moisture content. The hydrated grain was then pre-conditioned in a pre-conditioner in live steam at about 90 -95 deg C for about 60 seconds. The hot grain flour was then passed through an extruder and cutter to pelletise (bead) the product which was then passed to roller flaker which compressed the grain to a flake having a thickness of between 10 -20 um and a moisture content of about 24 wt. %. The roller mill had smooth rollers moving at identical speeds. The flaked oat grain was cohesive and stuck together when gently compressed despite there being no internal binders added to this point. The flaked grain was packed into teflon forms of the required dimension to give a suitable breakfast cereal biscuit having dimensions of about 3.5 cmx about 1.75 cmx about 1.08 cm.

The biscuits were then dried at 100 deg C with hot air blown through the biscuit to achieve even heat distribution throughout the biscuit for 25 minutes, by which time a light golden colour had developed. At this stage the product contained about 4 wt. % moisture content. The volume of the biscuit was decreased by about 15% during drying. The final BCB had a moisture content of about 4 wt.%, a bulk density of about.258 kg/L and a mass of about 2.5 g.

In the final biscuit product individual oat flakes were still discernible within the bound grain mass. The grain was a warm golden toasted colour.

The finished oat product can be eaten as is as a dry biscuit being tender, crisp and tasty.

Alternately, the oat biscuit can be served as a cold breakfast cereal in a bowl with hot or cold milk. In cold milk the oat biscuits have a fresh, crispy and crunchy texture. The grains within the biscuit soften quite slowly without the biscuit losing its overall shape or dispersing into the milk. Surprisingly, the individual flaked grains maintain their identity even though they eventually become softer with time. The oat BGB has a pleasant toasted flavour with a naturally slightly sweet malty character.

Claims (9)

1. CLAIMS1. A process for producing a breakfast cereal biscuit comprising the steps of: a. providing grain which comprises oat grain and/or groats in an amount of at least 50.1 % by weight of total grain content and which grain is in the form of meal and/or flour; b. sequentially hydrating, cooking and shaping the meal and/or flour into beads of a size that ranges between 2mm -10mm; c. forming the beads into flakes having a moisture content of from about 16 to about wt.%; d. forming the flakes into a desired biscuit shape without the use of an internal binder; and e. drying the product of step d) from a moisture content of 14-28 wt.% to a moisture content of at least 1-4 wt.%.
2. 2. A process according to claim 1 additionally comprising the step of pre-conditioning the grain in steam at a temperature of between 85 and 100 deg C for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.
3. 3. A process according to claim 1 additionally comprising the step of extruding the grain of step b) to form beads.
4. 4. The process according to claim 1 including the additional step of adding one or more of other grain or grain products, nuts, fruits and non-binding amounts of fruit juice, nutritional supplements: flavours, colours, salt, sweeteners and/or stabilisers.
5. 5. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oat grain comprises at least 75% by weight of the total grain content.
6. 6. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oat grain comprises at least 90% by weight of the total grain content.
7. 7. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oat grain comprises 100% by weight of the total grain content.
8. 8. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the grain is hydrated to a moisture content of up to 30 wt. %.
9. 9. A breakfast cereal biscuit prepared by the process of any one of claims 1 to 8.Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows.CLAIMS1. A process for producing a breakfast cereal biscuit comprising the steps of: a. providing grain which comprises oat grain and/or groats in an amount of at least 50.1 % by weight of total grain content and which grain is in the form of meal and/or flour; b. sequentially hydrating, cooking and shaping the meal and/or flour into beads of a size that ranges between 2mm -10mm; c. forming the beads into flakes having a moisture content of from 16 to 30 wt.%; d. forming the flakes into a desired biscuit shape without the use of an internal binder; and e. drying the product of step d) from a moisture content of 16-50 wt.% to a moisture content of 1-8 wt.%.2. A process according to claim 1 additionally comprising the step of pre-conditioning the grain in steam at a temperature of between 85 and 100 deg C for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.3. A process according to claim 1 additionally comprising the step of extruding the grain of C step b) to form beads.4. The process according to claim 1 including the additional step of adding one or more of other grain or grain products, nuts, fruits and non-binding amounts of fruit juice, nutritional supplements, flavours, colours, salt, sweeteners and/or stabilisers.5. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oat grain comprises at least 75% by weight of the total grain content.6. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oat grain comprises at least 90% by weight of the total grain content.7. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oat grain comprises 100% by weight of the total grain content.8. A process as claimed in claim I wherein the grain is hydrated to a moisture content of upto3owt.%.9. A breakfast cereal biscuit prepared by the process of any one of claims ito 8.