Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Kraft, Inc.

John J Strandholm

Mark S Miller

Gerard L Hasenhuettl

John F Kratochvil

Alice A Heth

George A Henry

Ronnie G Morgan

Phillip J Kerwin

Cynthia C Baer

Gerard Eckhardt

Lori A Crane

Chyi-Cheng Chen

Susan M Gaud

Wennie L Lloyd

John M Kaiser

Jules H Guth

John T Hynes

Wehn-Sherng Chen

Robert R Prochnow

Estela A Balmaceda

Lawrence E Woodford

Steven M Neunaber

Lorraine C Hellgeth

Rajendra P Borwankar

Adam P De Vito

A fermented skim milk retentate is introduced into a mixing tank provided with agitation means. The skim milk retentate is agitated and transferred through a recirculating loop as dry cottage cheese curd and an emulsifying salt are added to the mixing tank. Agitation and recirculation are continued for a period of time sufficient to provide a dispersion of the dry cottage cheese curd and emulsifying salt homogeneously throughout the retentate. Heating of the dispersion is then started by injecting steam into the dispersion as it passes through the recirculating loop. While the temperature of the dispersion is within the range of from about 70.degree. F. to about 150.degree. F., non-fat dry milk is added to the dispersion. Agitation and heating is continued until the dispersion temperature is within the range of from about 140.degree. F. to about 165.degree. F. Xanthan gum, as the first gum of a stabilizing system, is then added to the mixing tank. Agitation and heating is continued until the dispersion temperature is in the range of from about 165.degree. F. to about 190.degree. F. The steam is shut off and salt, sugar and carrageenan, as the second gum of a stabilizer system, are added to the mixing tank. Agitation is continued for a period of from about 1 to about 4 minutes to provide a non-fat cream cheese mix. The cream cheese mix is then homogenized to provide a non-fat cream cheese product.

Non-fat cream cheese product and method for manufacture thereof

Microfragmented ionic polysaccharide/protein complex dispersions

The present invention is directed to a simulated cheese product wherein all or a part of the skim milk solids, acid casein, caseinates or rennet casein commonly used in a simulated cheese product is replaced with a casein material selected from the group consisting of alpha-S-1 casein, alpha-S-2 casein, beta casein, kappa casein, gamma casein, dephosphorylated native casein, dephosphorylated alpha-S-1 casein, dephosphorylated alpha-S-2 casein, dephosphorylated beta casein, dephosphorylated kappa casein, dephosphorylated gamma casein and mixtures thereof. The simulated cheese product is made by providing an admixture of the modified casein material with an edible lipid material selected from the group consisting of fat and oil and an emulsifying agent and heating the admixture with agitation to provide the simulated cheese product. Suitable flavoring agents and coloring agents may also be present in the simulated cheese product.

Method of making simulated cheese containing casein materials

In accordance with the present invention, the meltability of processed cheese is controlled to provide a desired degree of meltability by incorporating whey proteins in the process cheese mix and processing the process cheese mix under conditions of temperature and time so as to denature the whey proteins sufficiently to provide a predeterminted level of cross-linked beta-lactoglobulin and provide the desired level of meltability. The whey protein provided in the process cheese blend is selected to limit the lactose in the final product to a predetermined level. The method of the present invention avoids the need for the use of sodium hexametaphosphate and consequently permits, in process cheese manufacture greater flexibility in handling holdover cheese.

Method for controlling melting properties of process cheese

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Morton Grove, IL, United States of America

John J Strandholm