Abstract: A lower carbohydrate soup product is produced by preparing a mixture of soup ingredients, native xanthan gum, particulate xanthan gum and water to form a suspension in a high-speed mixer at a high sheer rate. The native xanthan gum and particulate xanthan gum cooperate to provide a viscosity necessary for successfully retorting a lower carbohydrate soup. The suspension is heated with steam injection until a viscosity sufficient to maintain the soup ingredients and particulate xanthan gum in a suspension. The suspension is then injected into a retort container and undergoes a retort process, thereby producing the lower carbohydrate soup product.

Abstract: An analogue cheese composition can be formulated using a whey protein cream ingredient that has historically been considered a waste byproduct of the whey protein isolate production process. The whey protein cream has been found to found to function as a source of protein in the analogue cheese and provide emulsification properties to the other constituent ingredients incorporated into the analogue cheese composition. Accordingly, in some formulations, the analogue cheese composition may include a comparatively low amount of casein protein, with the whey protein cream functionally compensating for the removed casein protein.

Abstract: A pizza cheese composition may include a dairy cheese and analogue cheese. The dairy cheese can provide at least 10 weight percent of the pizza cheese composition. The analogue cheese may include one or more fats, casein protein, guar gum, and one or more hydrocolloid other than guar gum. The fat can range from 15 to 35 weight of the analogue cheese and be obtained from a non-dairy source. The casein protein can be present in an amount less than 3 weight percent of the analogue cheese. The hydrocolloid other than guar gum may range from 10 to 25 weight percent of the analogue cheese. An example specifies that a ratio of a weight of guar gum divided by a weight of casein protein is at least 1.0. This can provide enhanced freeze/thaw stability notwithstanding the reduced levels of casein protein used in the composition.

Abstract: A frozen, ready-to-bake dough product has an expanded dough core and an un-proofed dough veneer. The dough core is proofed before being enveloped by the outer dough veneer to form a dual density dough product having an inner, lower density body portion and an outer, higher density body portion, with the outer body portion constituting more than half of the overall body mass. The dual density dough product is frozen into a ready-to-bake dough product. Upon baking directly from the frozen state, a surface area of the dough product expands less than 60% while a volume of the dough product basically doubles due to expansion of the dough veneer, with the dough veneer establishing a crust for a light and airy inner bread body.