Kraft Foods, Inc.

Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Nabisco, Inc.

Richard S Silver

Xiao-Qing Han

Robert Charles Dinwoodie

Mark S Miller

Ronald Louis Meibach

Leslie G West

Wen-Sherng Chen

James J Myrick

Gary F Smith

Peter Harris Brown

David K Hayashi

Zohar M Merchant

Richard Harold Lincourt

R G Krishnamurthy

James W Moran

Gerard L Hasenhuettl

Michael Anthony Hyde

Dale A Kyser

Anthony M Miller

Ronald D Gee

David Kaganoff

Chrisanthus Thomas

Michael T Dueber

Federico D Carvallo

Peter H Brown

Maria Lucrecia Cardona

Thomas A Nosek

Hugh A Dever

Donald E Carpenter

Gerald Hasenhuettl

Alex Gonsalves

The present invention provides a wheyless process for preparing natural mozzarella cheese using dry dairy ingredients. This process enables the manufacture of cheese from non-perishable or shelf-stable ingredients such as dried milk protein concentrate and anhydrous milkfat. This enables greater flexibility in the location of cheese manufacturing facilities as handling and/or transporting large quantities of fresh milk is not required. Also, in utilizing such a process, the need for refrigerated storage of the fresh milk would be minimal. The dry dairy ingredients used in the present invention comprise milk protein concentrates and blends of milk protein concentrates with up to about 50 percent of a second dry dairy ingredient selected from the group consisting of whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, rennet casein, acid casein, nonfat dry milk, and mixtures thereof.

Wheyless process for production of natural mozzarella cheese

The present invention provides a process for making an enzyme-modified cheese flavoring in which treatment of a composition containing dairy proteins that include whey proteins with a proteolytic enzyme occurs prior to any heating step, and in which the treatment is of short duration. The process includes incubating a dairy mixture containing the dairy proteins at a temperature and for a period of time that are sufficient to partially hydrolyze the proteins. The invention additionally provides an enzyme-modified cheese including partially proteolyzed dairy proteins wherein the partially proteolyzed dairy proteins contain partially proteolyzed whey proteins. The enzyme-modified cheese originates from any of a broad range of dairy liquids that contain dairy proteins. In important embodiments, the enzyme-modified cheese is made by the process of the invention.

Method for producing enzyme-modified cheese flavorings

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 particulate natural cheese suitable for preparation of processed cheese, as well as for use as a natural cheese, such as a snack food and shreds for cheese toppings. In the method, a milk coagulum is provided. The coagulum is cut to provide particulate cheese curds and whey. The cheese curd is cooked while undergoing agitation. Thereafter, whey is drained from the cheese curd while the cheese curd is continuously agitated. The cheese curd is then cooled or dried sufficiently to maintain the cheese curd as separate particles. Agitation may be used during or immediately after the cooling or drying step to insure separation of the cheese particles. The cheese particles formed may form friable lumps but do not knit during storage. The cheese particles are then packed into relatively large containers holding from about 1,000 to about 2,500 pounds of cheese curd or may be bulk packed in rail cars or trucks. The containers are preferably bulk bags with a liner of plastic or other disposable material. The liners are gas flushed before and during filling to reduce the oxygen content and inhibit mold growth. The liners may be disposed of after use in transporting the cheese curd to a final destination. The bulk bags are reusable with fresh liners. In an alternate embodiment, the cheese curd is drained without agitation to provide a cheese mat. The cheese mat is milled into cheese pieces prior to the cooling step.

Manufacture of particulate natural cheese without block formation

A two-stage method for the preparation of polyol fatty acid polyesters is provided. The resulting polyol fatty acid polyesters are very lightly colored (i.e., colorless to slightly yellow) and have a high degree of substitution with fatty acid groups. The first stage of this two-stage method is a solvent-based esterification reaction; the second stage is an essentially solvent-free esterification reaction. In the first stage, a polyol in a solvent (e.g., sucrose in dimethylsulfoxide)) is reacted with fatty acid lower alkyl esters at relatively low temperatures using an alkaline salt catalyst. After the desired degree of esterification is obtained, the resulting partially-esterified polyol fatty acid polyesters and the solvent-containing phase are separated. The separated partially-esterified polyol fatty acid polyesters are further esterified with the same or different fatty acid lower alkyl esters in a second stage with an alkaline salt catalyst using essentially solvent-free, high temperature conditions whereby the degree of substitution is significantly increased. Most of the color bodies and other contaminants capable of producing color are removed with the solvent in the first stage and, therefore, are not present during the higher temperature reaction conditions of the second stage. The resulting polyol fatty acid polyesters, and in particular the sucrose fatty acid polyesters, are especially useful as fat substitutes in food applications and products.

Two-stage method for preparing polyol fatty acid polyesters

An improved method for the preparation of polyol fatty acid polyesters via a one step reaction. A polyol-type reagent is mixed with a fatty-acid containing reagent, and an esterification catalyst to form a reaction mixture. The polyol-type reagents include polyols and saccharides having hydroxyl groups, partially-esterified polyols and saccharides having both hydroxyl groups and lower alkyl ester groups, and fully-esterified polyols and saccharides having lower alkyl ester groups. The reaction is heated to about 95.degree. to 200.degree. C. for a time sufficient for the formation of saccharide fatty acid polyester while a non-fatty acid-containing lower alkyl ester by-product or an alcohol by-product are removed from the reaction mixture by a thin film reaction techniques. The use of thin film reaction methodology provides more efficient removal of by-products and greater yields of the polyol fatty acid polyesters. The polyol fatty acid polyesters, especially sucrose fatty acid polyesters, are useful as fat substitutes or low-calorie fats in food compositions.

Method for preparing polyol fatty acid polyesters by transesterification

The present invention is directed to a reduced-fat margarine-type spread prepared from liquid, edible vegetable oils. The spread is a two-phase emulsion comprising a continuous aqueous phase and a dispersed liquid oil phase. The emulsion contains from about 45% to about 65% liquid vegetable oil, from about 15% to about 20% of calcium gluconate, from about 18% to about 28% of water and from about 0.2% to about 1.2% of a hydrophilic emulsifier.

Low calorie tablespread made from liquid triglyceride oils

An enzymatic transesterification method for preparing a margarine oil having both low trans- acid and low intermediate chain fatty acid content is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a transesterification reaction mixture containing a stearic acid source material and an edible liquid vegetable oil, transesterifying the stearic acid source material and the vegetable oil using a 1-, 3-positionally specific lipase, and then finally hydrogenating the fatty acid mixture to provide a recycle stearic acid source material for a recyclic reaction with the vegetable oil. Also described is a counter-current method for preparing a transesterified oil. The method includes the steps of providing a transesterification reaction zone containing a 1-, 3-positionally specific lipase, introducing a vegetable oil into the transesterification zone, introducing a stearic acid source material, conducting a supercritical gas or subcritical liquified gas counter-current fluid, carrying out a transesterification reaction of the triglyceride stream with the stearic acid or stearic acid monoester stream in the reaction zone, withdrawing a transesterified triglyceride margarine oil stream, withdrawing a counter-current fluid phase, hydrogenating the transesterified stearic acid or stearic acid monoester to provide a hydrogenated recycle stearic acid source material, and introducing the hydrogenated recycle stearic acid source material into the reaction zone.

Enzymatic method for preparing transesterified oils

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Wilmette, IL, United States of America

Richard S Silver