| abstract |
Shelf-stable products, particularly beverages, containing polyphenols and optionally sterol and/or stanol esters are disclosed. Loss of polyphenols during the heat processing of the products is prevented by reducing the pH of the product by at least 0.2 after mixing and prior to heat processing. The pH of the final beverage should be about pH 4.6 to about pH 6.8. The preferred products are low fat cocoa beverages containing at least 0.2-5 micrograms of cocoa polyphenols per gram of the beverage. |