A composition for imparting/enhancing cheese flavour is provided which is capable of imparting cheese flavour to foods, and enhancing the cheese flavour of foods. Furthermore, provided are: a method for producing the composition for imparting/enhancing cheese flavour; a method for imparting cheese flavour to foods or enhancing the cheese flavour of foods; and a method for producing foods with imparted/enhanced cheese flavour. The composition for imparting/enhancing cheese flavour has, as an active ingredient, an oxidized oil or fat which has a peroxide value of 15 to 280, and which includes at least 10 mass % but not more than 100 mass % of milk fat. Furthermore, in the method for imparting cheese flavour to foods or enhancing the cheese flavour of foods, an oxidized oil or fat, which has a peroxide value of 15 to 280, and which includes at least 10 mass % but not more than 100 mass % of milk fat, is added to a food. Moreover, in the method for producing foods with imparted/enhanced cheese flavour, the composition for imparting/enhancing cheese flavour is added to a food. The present invention is particularly and preferably applicable to foods including cheese.

The invention provides natural cheese and a method for making natural cheese with specific texture attributes.

The present invention provides foods and beverages comprising a combination of two or more digestion-resistant components. This invention also provides an agent for producing hydrogen gas in the large intestine, the agent comprising a combination of two or more digestion-resistant components. The foods and beverages or the agent for producing H.sub.2 in the large intestine according to this invention can induce sustained production of large amounts of hydrogen gas by intestinal bacteria of more human individuals.

Methods of preparing steviol glycosides, including Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside E, Rebaudioside M, Rebaudioside N and Rebaudioside O are provided herein. Sweetener and sweetened consumables containing Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside E, Rebaudioside M, Rebaudioside N and Rebaudioside O are also provided herein.

According to embodiments, dry powdered compositions which may be reconstituted to provide a cheese product include at least one cheese component and a color blend. In some embodiments, the color blend includes from about 49.7% to about 87.1% curcumin compounds by weight based on a total amount of a color portion of the color blend; from about 2.1% to about 42.8% annatto carotenoids by weight based on the total amount of the color portion of the color blend; and from about 7.5% to about 10.8% paprika carotenoids by weight based on the total amount of the color portion of the color blend. In embodiments, the powdered composition includes from about 38.5 ppm to about 733.9 ppm curcumin compounds by weight based on the powdered composition; from about 3.6 ppm to about 165.7 ppm annatto carotenoids by weight based on the powdered composition; and from about 5.8 ppm to about 90.7 ppm paprika carotenoids by weight based on the powdered composition.

Disclosed are sweetened consumables and methods of forming said sweetened consumables that comprise certain sweeteners and a compound of formula (1),

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of OH and OCH.sub.3, and R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of H and OH, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 comprise at least one OH group, and when R.sup.1 is OH then R.sup.2 is H (trilobatin), and when R.sup.1 is OCH.sub.3 then R.sup.2 is OH (HDG), in a concentration near its sweetness detection threshold. The sweeteners include sucrose, fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, xylose, arabinose, rhamnose, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, inositol, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, sucralose, saccharine, or combinations thereof.

Compounds represented by the formula ##STR00001## and their edible salts, and edible compositions containing same wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl residue containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkene residue containing from 9 to 25 carbon atoms with 1 to 6 double bonds, such that R.sub.1 together with the carbonyl group to which it is attached is a residue of a carboxylic acid, and the amino acid residue connected to the carbonyl carbon atom is a residue of a 1-amino cycloalkane carboxylic acid (ACCA), and n is 1, 2, 3 or 4.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a strained fermented dairy product comprising the following successive steps: (a) providing a dairy product, (b) adding a lactase and a culture of bacteria comprising at least one strain of thermophilic lactic acid bacteria, with the provision that that it does not comprise any strain of mesophilic lactic acid bacteria, and fermenting the dairy product to obtain a fermented dairy product, and (c) separating a liquid whey from the fermented dairy product to obtain a strained fermented dairy product.

Methods as can be used in the preparation of one or more dairy, dairy analog and cheese products from a range of proteinaceous starting materials, such methods comprising protein modification and protein restoration or protein restructure.

A composition for colouring cheese curd comprising a combination of an oil phase comprising an effective amount of paprika, an effective amount of a carotenoid, and a fat, and an aqueous phase comprising a caseinate. The composition selectively colours the cheese curd while leaving the whey fraction uncoloured.