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

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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.

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.

A method of smoke-infusing proteinaceous foods comprises the following sequential steps: a) enclosing the proteinaceous foods in a vacuum-treating zone; b) introducing smoke directly or indirectly from a smoke generation zone into the vacuum-treating zone; c) subjecting the proteinaceous foods to vacuum purging at a negative pressure in the vacuum-treating zone, thereby infusing smoke into the proteinaceous foods; d) repeating the steps of introducing smoke directly or indirectly from the smoke generation zone into the vacuum-treating zone; subjecting the proteinaceous foods to vacuum purging at a negative pressure in the vacuum-treating zone at least fifty times in pulsed sequences of smoke introduction stage/vacuum purging stage/vacuum release stage for the efficient infusion of smoke into the proteinaceous foods; and e) a post-chill resting cycle of the smoke-infused proteinaceous foods at a suitable temperature and for a suitable period of time. An optional modification to the smoke-infusing process is the addition of Cannabis plant material in order to enable the deposition of Cannabis-derived compounds on the surface of the smoke-infused food.

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.

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.

The invention relates to cheese and cheese-like products comprising about 0.2 to about 6% by weight .sub.s-casein, -casein, or a combination thereof, at least about 5% by weight of one or more hydrocolloids comprising one or more starches, and wherein the cheese or cheese-like product has one or more characteristics of a dairy product, such as flavour, taste, aroma, body, appearance, texture, firmness, handling, density, structure, coagulation, binding, leavening, aeration, foaming, emulsification, elasticity, viscoelasticity, melt, creaminess and mouthfeel.

The present invention relates to a composition for coloring foods, beverages, animal feeds, cosmetics or drugs comprising 1) dissolved carotenoid emulsified as an oil-in-water emulsion using a first hydrocolloid and 2) crystalline carotenoid encapsulated in a second hydrocolloid, making it water-dispersible and thereby miscible with the oil-in-water emulsified carotenoid fraction, mixed in a ratio of between 1:10 to 10:1 and wherein the first hydrocolloid is native casein.

The invention concerns a sweetened dairy product comprising a dairy material, at least one steviol glycoside, at least one additive selected from a polysaccharide of fructose units and a salt.

A method to produce cheese chips, consisting in provides that cut cheese slices are frozen and then raised by means of rapid water evaporation due to the application of microwave and vacuum drying. The freezing step is preceded by drying and cooling, and the raised cheese chips containing cheese and flavourings are characterised in that their density does not exceed 0.46 g/cm.sup.3, the porosity does exceed 40%, and the crunchiness does exceed 4.

The present disclosure relates generally to smooth cheese products and method of producing smooth cheese products.