The invention relates to a method of producing a shelf stable ready-to-drink beverage product, comprising the steps of: providing an ingredient composition comprising micellar caseins and whey protein, having a total protein concentration of 1.5-8 wt. %, and wherein the composition has a casein to whey protein ratio of 90/10-60/40, adding divalent cations to provide a concentration of 3-20 mM free divalent cations in the ingredient composition, and 0.025-0.3 wt % of a stabilizing system comprising hydrocolloids, and subsequently heat treating the ingredient composition at ultra high temperature (UHT) at 135-150° C. for 3-30 s to form agglomerated proteins comprising casein and beta-lactoglobulin from the whey protein, the agglomerates having a size of 5-30 microns mean diameter D(4,3) as measured by laser diffraction. The invention also relates to a shelf stable ready-to-drink beverage product comprising aggregated proteins comprising micellar caseins and whey protein aggregates, wherein the product has a pH of 6.6-7.2, 1.5-8.0 wt. % milk proteins, a casein to whey protein ratio of 90/10-60/40, and a concentration of 3-20 mM divalent cations, and the aggregates are of 5-30 microns mean diameter D(4,3) as measured by laser diffraction.

A dry powder including an edible part and an inedible part of immature pulses is provided. The dry powder has a proportion of the inedible part to the edible part of immature pulses from 1 mass % to 200 mass % by dry mass, a moisture content of 20 mass % or less, brightness in a Munsell color system of 7 or more, chroma in the Munsell color system of 3 or more, and hue in the Munsell color system from 5Y to 10Y or from 0GY to 10GY. The dry powder also has a specific surface area per unit volume of dry powder particles before ultrasonication of 0.05 m.sup.2/mL or more, a standard deviation of particle size distribution of dry powder particles before ultrasonication of 200 μm or less, and a number average diameter of dry powder particles after ultrasonication of less than 30 μm.

A dry powder including an edible part and an inedible part of immature pulses is provided. The dry powder has a proportion of the inedible part to the edible part of immature pulses from 1 mass % to 200 mass % by dry mass, a moisture content of 20 mass % or less, brightness in a Munsell color system of 7 or more, chroma in the Munsell color system of 3 or more, and hue in the Munsell color system from 5Y to 10Y or from 0GY to 10GY. The dry powder also has a specific surface area per unit volume of dry powder particles before ultrasonication of 0.05 m.sup.2/mL or more, a standard deviation of particle size distribution of dry powder particles before ultrasonication of 200 μm or less, and a number average diameter of dry powder particles after ultrasonication of less than 30 μm.

The invention describes products, uses thereof, compositions thereof, and methods to prepare products formed from Maillard reaction products from a sugar donor and/or sweet tea extracts, stevia extracts, swingle (mogroside) extracts, one or more sweet tea extract components, one or more steviol glycosides, one or more mogrosides, one or more glycosylated sweet tea glycosides, one or more glycosylated steviol glycosides or one or more glycosylated mogrosides and an amine donor/reactant.

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-quality anthocyanin pigment composition more efficiently and at a lower cost than red cabbage pigment, which has not been achieved by the prior art.

This invention provides the following anthocyanin pigment composition derived from a plant other than red cabbage, the composition having the following features (A), (B), and (C):

(A) an aqueous solution containing the anthocyanin pigment composition and adjusted to a pH of 3 with a citrate buffer (pH: 3.0) has a maximum absorption wavelength in the range of 500 to 550 nm in the visible light region;
(B) when a pigment-composition-containing aqueous solution containing the anthocyanin pigment composition, 0.2 mass % citric acid, 20 mass % ethanol, and water is prepared so as to have a color value E.sup.10%.sub.1cm of 10, 1 mL of the aqueous solution is sealed in a 20-mL vial, and the vial is stored at 50° C. for 5 days and further maintained at 40° C. for 30 minutes, the total amount of methyl mercaptan, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide in the gas in the sealed space of the vial is 100 pg/mL or less; and (C) the gas in the sealed space of the vial contains 5-methylthiopentanenitrile when the vial is maintained at 40° C. for 30 minutes in (B) above.

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-quality anthocyanin pigment composition more efficiently and at a lower cost than red cabbage pigment, which has not been achieved by the prior art.

This invention provides the following anthocyanin pigment composition derived from a plant other than red cabbage, the composition having the following features (A), (B), and (C):

(A) an aqueous solution containing the anthocyanin pigment composition and adjusted to a pH of 3 with a citrate buffer (pH: 3.0) has a maximum absorption wavelength in the range of 500 to 550 nm in the visible light region;
(B) when a pigment-composition-containing aqueous solution containing the anthocyanin pigment composition, 0.2 mass % citric acid, 20 mass % ethanol, and water is prepared so as to have a color value E.sup.10%.sub.1cm of 10, 1 mL of the aqueous solution is sealed in a 20-mL vial, and the vial is stored at 50° C. for 5 days and further maintained at 40° C. for 30 minutes, the total amount of methyl mercaptan, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide in the gas in the sealed space of the vial is 100 pg/mL or less; and (C) the gas in the sealed space of the vial contains 5-methylthiopentanenitrile when the vial is maintained at 40° C. for 30 minutes in (B) above.

A composition including a. a spirulina-extract having phycocyanin, b. at least one multi-sulphated carrageenan and c. water wherein the amount of the phycocyanin is between 0.5 and 50 wt % DM, wherein the amount of the at least one multi-sulphated carrageenan is between 1 and 80 wt % DM, wherein the amount of the water is between 0.1 and 60 wt %, wherein the wt % ratio of carrageenan to phycocyanin ranges between 1:1 and 20:1, wherein the wt % DM are relative to the weight of the dry matter of the composition, and wherein wt % is relative to the total weight of the composition. A foodstuff containing the above composition.

A composition including a. a spirulina-extract having phycocyanin, b. at least one multi-sulphated carrageenan and c. water wherein the amount of the phycocyanin is between 0.5 and 50 wt % DM, wherein the amount of the at least one multi-sulphated carrageenan is between 1 and 80 wt % DM, wherein the amount of the water is between 0.1 and 60 wt %, wherein the wt % ratio of carrageenan to phycocyanin ranges between 1:1 and 20:1, wherein the wt % DM are relative to the weight of the dry matter of the composition, and wherein wt % is relative to the total weight of the composition. A foodstuff containing the above composition.

The invention relates to an emulsion comprising an aqueous phase and an oil phase having a liposoluble colorant and comprising an emulsifier composition for emulsification of the liposoluble colorant in a foodstuff. In order to further develop the emulsion in such a manner that it has a very high transparency and a stable colouration, and in order to provide an emulsifier composition for a colorant emulsion which also has a high acidic stability in very acidic drinks in the range of pH 3.5, the invention proposes that an emulsifier in the aqueous phase is a quillaia extract and the aqueous phase comprises at least one polyol and/or at least one sugar alcohol and preferably comprises lecithin in the oil phase.

The invention relates to an emulsion comprising an aqueous phase and an oil phase having a liposoluble colorant and comprising an emulsifier composition for emulsification of the liposoluble colorant in a foodstuff. In order to further develop the emulsion in such a manner that it has a very high transparency and a stable colouration, and in order to provide an emulsifier composition for a colorant emulsion which also has a high acidic stability in very acidic drinks in the range of pH 3.5, the invention proposes that an emulsifier in the aqueous phase is a quillaia extract and the aqueous phase comprises at least one polyol and/or at least one sugar alcohol and preferably comprises lecithin in the oil phase.