Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Kraft Foods, Inc.

Kraft, Inc.

Gary W Trecker

James W Moran

Susan P Monckton

James R Posdal

David W Mehnert

Brent K Pope

Walter Ley

In accordance with the method of the present invention, dried grated Parmesan cheese particles are manufactured from milk. The fat level of the milk is standardized to about 2.0 percent. The milk is subjected to membrane processing by ultrafiltration and diafiltration to provide a retentate. The retentate is then fermented with a combination of lactic acid cultures, a flavor culture, and a lipase enzyme. The fermentation is carried out at a temperature between about 90 and about 120&deg; F. The fermented retentate is then evaporated to a solids level desired in the finished dry grated Parmesan cheese, which is generally in the range of from about 18 to about 24 percent moisture. A clotting agent is added to the fermented retentate immediately before the initiation of the evaporation step. Evaporation is preferably carried out in a drum drier under quiescent conditions. The Parmesan cheese is removed from the drum drier and is transferred to a disintegrator, such as a Fitz mill, to provide a grated Parmesan cheese product. The grated Parmesan cheese may be then blended with an anticaking material and an antimycotic material prior to packaging for consumer use without further aging or curing.

Rapid method for manufacture of grated parmesan cheese

A method for producing a cheese product directly from milk in a short period of time is provided. In the method, pasteurized milk is treated with lactic acid to provide an acidified milk product. The resulting acidified milk is then subjected to ultrafiltration (UF), and optionally diafiltration (DF), to form a UF retentate (or UF/DF retentate if diafiltration is used) which is concentrated by about a factor of about 4 to about 7 and which has a lactose concentration of about 2.5 to about 4.0 percent (UF retentate) or about 0.5 to about 2.5 percent (UF/DF retentate). After adding lactic acid and salt, the UF or UF/DF retentate is subject to an evaporation step to form a precheese. The resulting precheese has a total solid content of about 30 to about 70 percent. The precheese, with added flavorants and other additives (including, for example, emulsifying salts) is then subject to conventional cheese processing conditions in, for example, a laydown cooker. The resulting process cheese or process cheese-type product is ready for immediate packaging and does not require a separate curing step. The process cheese or process cheese-type product is similar in flavor and texture characteristics to conventional process cheeses.

Continuous manufacture of process cheese

The present invention is directed to a method for making a high moisture, low-fat cheddar type cheese product from skim milk. The skim milk cheddar cheese product has from about 54% to about 58% moisture and less than 1% fat. The process parameters of the method are established to provide a skim milk cheddar cheese bulk product having uniform moisture and pH. In the method of the invention, skim milk is fermented, coagulated, cut into curd and whey, cooked, drained, washed and salted at particular times and pH's. The curd particles, having about 60% moisture, are then placed into 55 gallon drums and are pressed in cheddar cheese type pressing apparatus to remove moisture and provide a curd with about 60% moisture. A foraminous plate is then placed over the drum opening. The drum is inverted and the whey which is expelled from the curd by syneresis is drained for a period of from about 10 to about 24 hours until the curd has attained a pH of from about 4.9 to about 5.4.

Method for manufacture of skim milk cheese

A high-solids pre-cheese for conversion into natural cheese is prepared by producing a retentate from milk, fermenting the retentate to a pH between about 4.8 and about 5.6 without coagulation, adding a milk clotting enzyme in a non-coagulating amount, evaporating moisture to a total solids content of more than about 55% to produce pre-cheese and holding the pre-cheese under curing conditions for conversion of at least about 65% kappa casein to para kappa casein. The milk clotting enzyme is preferably added immediately prior to evaporation. Evaporation is under highly turbulent conditions and product temperature in the evaporator preferably does not exceed 75.degree. F. After evaporation, the pre-cheese is preferably held for 3 to 14 days for the conversion of kappa casein to para kappa casein.

Manufacture of high-solids pre-cheese for conversion into natural cheese

In accordance with the method of the present invention for manufacture of low-fat cheese from skim milk, the fat level of milk is adjusted to less than about 1 percent to provide the low fat milk utilized in the method. The low fat milk is subjected to membrane treatment to provide a retentate. A lactic acid-producing culture and a coagulating enzyme are added to the retentate. The coagulating enzyme is added in a coagulating amount. The retentate is then fermented while subjecting the retentate to movement sufficient to prevent formation of a coagulum and to form curd particles having a size in the range of from about 3 to about 22 microns. After fermentation, the retentate is evaporated under turbulent conditions to provide a low-fat cheese having at least of about 50 percent solids.

Low fat cheese by evaporation of retentate

In accordance with the present invention, Parmesan cheese is grated to provide a particulate Parmesan cheese. The grated Parmesan cheese is dried to a moisture level of from about 19% to about 24% by weight. Either before or after the drying step, disodium phosphate is blended with the grated Parmesan cheese. After a period of time, the disodium phosphate is dissolved into the grated Parmesan cheese. After dissolution of the disodium phosphate, the Parmesan cheese particles remain discrete and the Parmesan cheese particles resist agglomeration and oil-off even at moisture levels of from about 19% to about 24% and at temperatures higher than ambient.

Grated hard Parmesan cheese and method for making same

High solids curd and cheese are produced by fermenting and evaporating a milk retentate. Preferably, moisture is evaporated under vacuum to 55 percent or more solids while the fermented retentate is spread on a drum surface. Curd is formed on the surface under quiescent conditions and is doctored off without substantial breakdown of curd structure. Salts such as sodium chloride may be added to the retentate to prevent coagulation during fermentation. A milk clotting enzyme may be added after fermentation and before evaporation in an amount insufficient to cause coagulation which is avoided prior to curd formation.

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Lake Zurich, IL, United States of America

Gary W Trecker