Provided is means of thickening a liquid component, wherein the thickener contains an oil and/or fat composition, the oil and/or fat composition contains an oil and/or fat component containing one or more types of XXX-type triglycerides having fatty acid residues X, each with x carbon atoms, at positions 1 to 3 of glycerin, x, the number of carbon atoms, is an integer selected from 10 to 22, and the XXX-type triglyceride is contained at 50% by mass or more relative to a content of the oil and/or fat component being 100% by mass; or the thickener, wherein the oil and/or fat composition is a powder oil and/or fat composition having a loose bulk density of 0.05 to 0.6 g/cm.sup.3, the oil and/or fat component contains a 3-type oil and/or fat, and a particle of the powder oil and/or fat composition has a plate shape.

The invention provides oligosaccharide compositions, wherein arabinoxylan is present in said composition in amounts of 40-70% (w/w) of dry solid con-tent (DS) and the oligosaccharides have a dispersity (D) of 10-17. The oligosaccharide compositions are useful as bulking agents and for increasing the mouthfeel of a food product.

The invention provides oligosaccharide compositions, wherein arabinoxylan is present in said composition in amounts of 40-70% (w/w) of dry solid con-tent (DS) and the oligosaccharides have a dispersity (D) of 10-17. The oligosaccharide compositions are useful as bulking agents and for increasing the mouthfeel of a food product.

Provided is means of thickening a liquid component, wherein the thickener contains an oil and/or fat composition, and when a total triglyceride content is set to 100% by mass, the oil and/or fat composition contains 65 to 99% by mass of one or more types of XXX-type triglycerides having fatty acid residues X, each with x carbon atoms, at positions 1 to 3 and 35 to 1% by mass of one or more types of X2Y-type triglycerides each having a fatty acid residue Y with y carbon atoms in place of one of the fatty acid residues X of the XXX-type triglyceride, x, the number of carbon atoms, is an integer selected from 8 to 20, and y, the number of carbon atoms, is each independently an integer selected from x+2 to x+12 and satisfies y22.

Provided is a composition which comprises (a) okara or whole soy or a mixture thereof, and (b) a fiber-containing pectin product or pectin, wherein the weight ratio between components (a) and (b) is from 0.1:1 to 75:1. The composition is useful for increasing the cohesion of solid food, such as soy patties.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dispersion stabilizer that has an effect of improving or stabilizing the dispersibility of solids insoluble in aqueous media and/or liquid components immiscible therewith. The above object can be achieved by a dispersion stabilizer comprising welan gum.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dispersion stabilizer that has an effect of improving or stabilizing the dispersibility of solids insoluble in aqueous media and/or liquid components immiscible therewith. The above object can be achieved by a dispersion stabilizer comprising welan gum.

Disclosed are compositions useful for improving or enhancing the organoleptic properties, especially mouthfeel, of nutritional compositions. The composition contains a combination of partially hydrogenated guar gum (PHGG) and acacia gum (AG). These may also be used to promote a healthy gut flora and treat or prevent digestive diseases when included in a nutritional composition.

Disclosed are compositions useful for improving or enhancing the organoleptic properties, especially mouthfeel, of nutritional compositions. The composition contains a combination of partially hydrogenated guar gum (PHGG) and acacia gum (AG). These may also be used to promote a healthy gut flora and treat or prevent digestive diseases when included in a nutritional composition.

The invention provides a food and water thickener and a method for preparing the food and water thickener. The food thickener comprises pretreated mineral water, xanthan, food preservative, a first antimicrobial and chelating agent, and a sequestering agent, wherein the food thickener has a density of between 750 and 1250 grams per liter. The method for producing the thickener incorporates pretreatment of mineral water and xanthan, and specific heating steps. Also provided is method for producing thickened alcoholic beverages. The invention further provides a method for invoking a swallow response in dysphagic patients, the method comprising increasing the mass of food to between 750 mg per liter and 1500 mg per liter; and orally administering the food to dysphagic patients.