In another aspect of the present invention, the milk-based whole grain beverage containing the novel stabilizer system is made by weighing the sugar and gums separately and subsequently dry blending gums with sugar in a ratio of 1 to 10. In one aspect, the gums are blended with an equal amount of sugar. Next, the gum-sugar blend is added to room-temperature water with a high shear mixer operating at high speed. Following mixing for five (5) minutes, the whole grains are then added to the gum-sugar mixture. Additional water is then added to the gum-sugar-whole grain mixture. Any remaining ingredients such as sucrose and salt are then added to the mixture. Next, the milk-base is added to the batch. Finally, batch is subsequently standardized, the pH is set to about 2 to 8, such as about 7.0, and any additional flavors are added.
The inventors found that the stabilizer system described herein provides optimal suspension of the whole grains in the beverage while preventing separation and retrogradation of the starches in the whole grains. The suspension of the whole grain is very important in the beverage, since consumers are wary of purchasing a product with ingredients settled to the bottom of the serving container. Moreover by preventing separation of the beverage and retrogradation of the starches in the whole grains, the stabilizer system of the present invention also extends the shelf-life of a whole grain beverage containing this stabilizer system. For instance, beverages made with the stabilizer system of the present invention have an average shelf-life of about 12 months when stored at a temperature of about 25° C.