Shelf stable dessert product and method for manufacture thereof

A method for manufacture of a shelf stable dessert product which has a reversible gel structure at refrigeration temperatures comprising the steps of

• providing a homogeneous, aqueous dessert mixture of gelatin, starch, a sweetening agent, and a proteinaceous source selected from the group consisting of cream cheese, neufchatel cheese, cottage cheese, casein, an edible caseinate salt and an edible soy proteinate salt,
• adjusting the fat content of said mixture to provide said mixture with a fat content in the range of from about 15 to about 25 percent by weight, based on the weight of said mixture, said gelatin being present in said dessert mixture at a level of from about 0.4 to about 0.7 by weight, said starch being present in said dessert mixture at a level of from about 0.4 to about 2 percent by weight, said sweetening agent being present in said dessert mixture at a level of from about 10 to about 25 percent by weight, and said proteinaceous source being present at a level to provide a protein content in said dessert mixture at a level of from about 2 to about 7 percent by weight, based on the weight of said dessert mixture,
• homogenizing said mixture after the addition of any fat source other than cream cheese or cream,
• heating said mixture to a temperature and for a time sufficient to pasteurize said mixture,
• adjusting the pH of said mixture to a pH value below about 4.6, and
• cooling said mixture to ambient temperature to provide a substantially syneresis-free, ambient temperature shelf stable thixotropic dessert product having a reversible gel structure at refrigeration temperature such that said dessert product is pourable at ambient temperature and is gelled at refrigeration temperature.