Schreiber Foods, Inc.

Conagra Dairy Products Company

Charles C Hunt

Thomas M Henry

Jeng-Jung Yee

Jerry Urben

A method of making a processed cheese with improved firmness comprises mixing a protein cross-linking enzyme and optionally first other ingredients with a cheese material having a pH of less than 5.6, a moisture content of less than 60% and preferably containing one or more coagulating agents, to form a mixture; providing temperature and pH conditions and allowing time for the enzyme to react with protein in the mixture to cross link at least a portion of the protein; and combining one or more emulsifying agents and optionally second other ingredients with the mixture and heating the combination to thereby produce processed cheese from the combined cheese material contain cross-linked proteins, emulsifying agents and optional first and second other ingredients.

Processed cheese with improved firmness using cross-linking enzymes

An improved method for making cheese is provided. The method comprises pasteurizing and acidifying one or more dairy components to obtain a cheese diary product. The cheese dairy product is coagulated to form a coagulum comprising curd and whey. The coagulum is cut and the whey is removed therefrom, thereby leaving the curd. The curd is heated and kneaded to produce a fiberous mass. An extender is added to the curd or to the fiberous mass, and the extender comprises at least one source of fat. The fiberous mass is processed to produce a cheese product. By this method. By this method, the casein/fat ratio can be increased early in the process so that less fat is wasted through removal with the whey. The fat content of the cheese product can then increased later in the process through the use of the extender, thereby creating a more cost-effective product.

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DePere, WI, United States of America

Charles C Hunt