Mars, Incorporated

Mars Gb Ltd.

Peter A Cheney

Ian Edward Burrows

John S Robertson

John Stares

David M Ford

Alan J Vernon

An ungelled processed food product, especially an emulsion such as ice cream, whipping cream, cheese spread, cheese slices, a flavored milk drink, or a meringue, which has been stabilized and/or thickened by the incorporation therein of at least one glucomannan, preferably a glucomannan derived from Amorphophallus species.

Air or oil emulsion food product having glucomannas as sole

What are disclosed are edible materials containing a thickened or gelled phase comprising a mixture or a reaction product of at least one carrageenan and at least one glucomannan, wherein the gelled phase may be either a thermo-irreversible gel or a thermo-reversible gel and the pH of the edible material is below 8.

Food product thickened or gelled with carrageenan and glucomannan

A shelf stable food product, which can be used for domestic animals comprises solid protein pieces in an aqueous gel and contains 6 to 20% protein, 3 to 12% fat and 65 to 95% moisture and is stabilized by antimycotic and a pH of 4.5 or below achieved with acid-producing micro-organisms. The product is prepared by dissolving a gelling agent in the aqueous phase of the product components at a pH value above 4.5, and after adding the other ingredients a gel is formed, and the pH is reduced by fermentation to a value below 4.5. Gelling agents may be ionic polysaccharides, including alginates, pectates and carrageenan, or thermoreversible protein systems such as gelatine.

Food product and process

The invention relates to the long term stabilization of proteinaceous food products both for human and for animal consumption, having a moisture content exceeding 50% and preserved against microbiological spoilage by a pH value of 4.5 or below. The long term stabilization of such products is enhanced by the presence of viable homofermentative acid producing organisms, notably lactic bacteria, together with available fermentable carbohydrate. In the preferred process the pH value of a proteinaceous product is reduced to a value in the range 5.0 to 4.0 and fermentation of the bacteria is then brought about, whereby the pH value of the product attains a final value not exceeding 4.5, if necessary with a lowering of pH value by the action of the bacteria. In preferred embodiments of the process a food grade acid is added to reduce the pH of the product to the range 4.5 to 4.0 and the final pH value of the product lies in the range 4.3 to 3.8.

Growing community of inventors

Anstey, United Kingdom

Peter A Cheney