Kraft Foods, Inc.

Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Kraft, Inc.

Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC

Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC

James W Moran

David W Mehnert

Divya Shree Reddy

Chad David Galer

Richard S Silver

Benjamin E Dias

Gary W Trecker

Hermann Eibel

James R Posdal

Michael Anthony Hyde

Susan P Monckton

Steven Havlik

Anthony M Miller

Walter Ley

Ludmilla Gimelfarb

Leslie Kopko

Hugh A Dever

Paul Gass

Benjamin Dias

Mary C Doyle

Chad Galer

Thomas R Jackson

Cheryl J Baldwin

Gary F Smith

Michael A Hyde

Rudolf J Fritsch

Bashir Aideloje Elabor

Jonathan L Reeve

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

A two stage, on-demand, commercially-viable method for producing process cheese or process cheese-type products by the direct conversion of milk is provided. This method does not require fermentation, enzymatic treatment, and/or intermediate steps of forming and separating curds and whey. In the first stage, a powdered milk protein concentrate is form by ultrafiltering liquid milk, preferably skim milk, and then spray drying the concentrated ultrafiltered milk. The powdered milk protein concentrate, which is storage-stable, may be converted to process cheese or process cheese-type product immediately or may be stored for later conversion. The powdered milk protein concentrate can be used to produce fat-free, reduced-or low-fat, and/or full-fat cheeses having similar organoleptic properties to cheeses prepared from conventional curds and whey processes. The present two stage process is especially adapted for semi-continuous or continuous manufacture of process cheese-type products. The present two stage process is especially adapted for on-demand manufacture of process cheese or process cheese-type product since the milk protein concentrate can be stored for later conversion to cheese product. By converting the milk to a storage-stable milk protein concentrate, the manufacturing of cheese products is uncoupled from, and is independent of, the milk supply.

Continuous on-demand 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

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.

Manufacture of curd and cheese from a milk retentate

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Antioch, IL, United States of America

James W Moran