Beverage lowering serum cholesterol

Abstract

A beverage comprising protein, plant sterol ester and/or plant stanol ester, a fruit and/or vegetable preparation, and a stabiliser.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A beverage comprising:
 protein in an amount of 0.5-5% by weight of the beverage;   plant sterol ester and/or plant stanol ester in an amount of 0.5-7% by weight of the beverage;   stabilizer in an amount of 0.1-1% by weight of the beverage; and   a vegetable preparation, wherein the beverage has an effective concentration of 30-1000% by weight natural vegetable derived from the vegetable preparation, based on the weight of the beverage.   
     
     
         2 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of plant sterol ester and/or plant stanol ester is from 1.0 to 4.0% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         3 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the vegetable preparation comprises at least one of carrot, tomato, maize, celery, cucumber, beets, parsley, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, wheat grass, pea, pumpkin, or sauerkraut. 
     
     
         4 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the protein is derived from dairy milk, soy milk, rice milk, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of protein is from 1.0 to 3.0% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         6 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of protein is from 0.75 to 2.5% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         7 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage further comprises an emulsifier. 
     
     
         8 . The beverage of  claim 7 , wherein the emulsifier is selected from the group consisting of acetic acid esters, lactic acid esters, succinic acid esters, citric acid esters, diacetyl tartaric acid esters and diacetyl lactic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, sorbitan esters, polysorbates, stearoyl lactylates, and sugar esters. 
     
     
         9 . The beverage of  claim 7 , wherein the emulsifier is present in an amount of 0.05-0.5% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         10 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of vegetable preparation is from 11.5% to 79.35% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         11 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the effective concentration of natural vegetable derived from the vegetable preparation is from 40 to 750% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         12 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the effective concentration of natural vegetable derived from the vegetable preparation is at least 101% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         13 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of stabilizer is from 0.2 to 0.8% by weight of the beverage. 
     
     
         14 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein at least one stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of pectin, modified starch, xanthan gum, and guar gum. 
     
     
         15 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer comprises pectin. 
     
     
         16 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer comprises high methoxy pectin. 
     
     
         17 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the protein comprises non-fermented protein. 
     
     
         18 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage is free of a carbohydrate sweetening agent. 
     
     
         19 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage further comprises a non-carbohydrate sweetener. 
     
     
         20 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein the ingredients are homogenously dispersed throughout the beverage. 
     
     
         21 . The beverage of  claim 1 , wherein at least 90% of particles present in the beverage have a particle size less than 100 μm. 
     
     
         22 . A beverage comprising:
 protein in an amount of 0.5-5% by weight of the beverage;   plant sterol ester and/or plant stanol ester in an amount of 0.5-7% by weight of the beverage;   stabilizer in an amount of 0.1-1% by weight of the beverage, wherein the stabilizer comprises high methoxy pectin; and   a fruit and/or vegetable preparation, wherein the beverage has an effective concentration of 30-1000% by weight natural fruit and/or vegetable derived from the fruit and/or vegetable preparation, based on the weight of the beverage.   
     
     
         23 . A beverage comprising:
 dairy milk, soy milk, rice milk, or a mixture thereof in an amount of 20-80% by weight of the beverage;   plant sterol ester and/or plant stanol ester in an amount of 0.5-7% by weight of the beverage;   stabilizer in an amount of 0.1-1% by weight of the beverage, wherein the stabilizer is high methoxy pectin; and   a fruit and/or vegetable preparation in an amount of 23.5 to 74.25% by weight of the beverage.