A food product comprising a substrate of pieces of meat, poultry, fish, vegetable, fruit or dairy food and an aqueous composition coating the substrate provides improved performance, particularly for microwave cooking of reheating of the food product. The aqueous coating composition includes a mixture consisting of by dry weight: TABLE-US-00001 cellulose gum 15-35% modified starch 15-50% hydrocolloid 20-30%, wherein the hydrocolloid is selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, carrageenan gum, guar gum and mixtures thereof, and TABLE-US-00002 proteinaceous component 10-20%; wherein the percentages of the ingredients are selected from the ranges quoted to total 100%; and wherein the aqueous coating composition does not contain any substantial amount of polydextrose.

A food product comprising a substrate of pieces of meat, poultry, fish, vegetable, fruit or dairy food and an aqueous composition coating the substrate provides improved performance, particularly for microwave cooking of reheating of the food product. The aqueous coating composition includes a mixture consisting of by dry weight: TABLE-US-00001 cellulose gum 15-35% modified starch 15-50% hydrocolloid 20-30%, wherein the hydrocolloid is selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, carrageenan gum, guar gum and mixtures thereof, and TABLE-US-00002 proteinaceous component 10-20%; wherein the percentages of the ingredients are selected from the ranges quoted to total 100%; and wherein the aqueous coating composition does not contain any substantial amount of polydextrose.

A protein-rich composition can be provided from egg albumen via a process that involves diafiltering with purified water an egg albumen concentrate. Collected retentate from the diafiltration step constitutes a protein-rich composition which, on a dry basis, can include less than 1% (w/w) lipids. The composition can be spray dried to a protein isolate solid which is substantially free of sugars.

In one embodiment, a confectionary comprises 50 to 75 wt. % erythritol, 0 to 75 wt. % of at least one additional sweetener, at least one stabilizer, water, and a first active ingredient. The water may comprise 0.5 to 3 wt. % of the confectionary. The water may have a water activity of from 0.3 to 0.5. The confectionary may be aerated such that the density of the confectionary is 0.05 to 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter.

In one embodiment, a confectionary comprises 50 to 75 wt. % erythritol, 0 to 75 wt. % of at least one additional sweetener, at least one stabilizer, water, and a first active ingredient. The water may comprise 0.5 to 3 wt. % of the confectionary. The water may have a water activity of from 0.3 to 0.5. The confectionary may be aerated such that the density of the confectionary is 0.05 to 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter.

A cold-gelated mono-nuclear microencapsulate comprises a unitary liquid core encapsulated within a gastro-resistant, ileal-sensitive, polymerized denatured protein membrane shell, wherein the liquid core comprises a GLP-1 release stimulating agent in a substantially solubilised form. The GLP-1 release stimulating agent is a native protein selected from native dairy protein, native vegetable protein or native egg protein.

A cold-gelated mono-nuclear microencapsulate comprises a unitary liquid core encapsulated within a gastro-resistant, ileal-sensitive, polymerized denatured protein membrane shell, wherein the liquid core comprises a GLP-1 release stimulating agent in a substantially solubilised form. The GLP-1 release stimulating agent is a native protein selected from native dairy protein, native vegetable protein or native egg protein.

Baby food products containing allergenic protein and methods of delivering the products are provided as a source of early introduction for prevention of food allergy in children. The product may be a solid or semi-solid product and includes an allergenic protein, one or more of a prebiotic or a probiotic, and a foodstuff. A method of feeding a baby food product to a child involves providing the child with a serving of the baby food product such that the child ingests a pre-defined amount of an allergenic protein. The serving may be provided on a periodic basis such that the child ingests a constant amount of the allergenic protein per week over an extended period.

Baby food products containing allergenic protein and methods of delivering the products are provided as a source of early introduction for prevention of food allergy in children. The product may be a solid or semi-solid product and includes an allergenic protein, one or more of a prebiotic or a probiotic, and a foodstuff. A method of feeding a baby food product to a child involves providing the child with a serving of the baby food product such that the child ingests a pre-defined amount of an allergenic protein. The serving may be provided on a periodic basis such that the child ingests a constant amount of the allergenic protein per week over an extended period.

A method for reducing muscle atrophy in an individual undergoing orthopedic surgery, the method comprising administering to said individual a mixture of protein and non-protein nutrients for 4-7 days pre-surgery and for 10-21 days post-surgery. The protein dosage is 15-30 g, of which 17-25% is leucine, 23-35% is 1-glutamine, 10-15% is 1-arginine and 1-2% is cysteine. The protein nutrients are derived from a combination of commercially available proteins and the appropriate free amino acid. The non-protein nutrients are a mono or disaccharide in the amount of 15-30%, N-acetyl-cysteine in the amount of 1-15% and the antioxidant Vitamin C.