Patent ID: 8663728

Claim:
An acidified milk beverage comprising a milk product and a stabilizer system, wherein: the milk product is present in an amount sufficient to provide milk protein in an amount of at least about 0.25% by weight of the acidified milk beverage; the stabilizer system comprises a carrageenan component; wherein the carrageenan component comprises Mu carrageenan in an amount from about 2% by weight to about 7% by weight of the carrageenan component, and Nu carrageenan in an amount from about 10% by weight to about 17% by weight of the carrageenan component, and wherein a combined total of the Mu carrageenan and the Nu carrageenan is present in the carrageenan component in an amount from about 15% by weight to about 22% by weight of the carrageenan component; and the acidified milk beverage has a pH in the range of about 5.0 to about 6.0; wherein the carrageenan component is present in the acidified milk beverage in an amount from about 0.05% by weight to about 0.6% by weight of the acidified milk beverage and provides colloidal stability and protein protection to the milk protein to prevent aggregation during a thermal treatment, and wherein the acidified milk beverage has an average protein particle size of less than about 10 μm.