Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

Kraft Foods, Inc.

Sandra Ann Trop

Mark Kijowski

Mohamed Saad Kettani

Scott T Ostergaard

John Richard Sadowsky, Iv

A method for incorporating concentrated milkfat into milk to form a concentrated milkfat/milk blend is provided. The concentrated milkfat/milk blend can be used in the preparation of natural cheese. The method provides a cost effective procedure for blending concentrated milk fat and milk without the use of added stabilizers. Fat in the concentrated milkfat/milk blend does not separate during additional processing required in producing a natural cheese from the concentrated milkfat/milk blend. In this process, a reduced-fat milk is blended with concentrated milkfat at a temperature sufficient to melt the concentrated milkfat to form a slurry. The slurry is homogenized, preferably using an in-line jet homogenizer at a pressure of about 90 to about 225 psig or a piston type homogenizer operated at a pressure of about 500 to about 1500 psig, to obtain the concentrated milkfat/milk blend with an average fat particle size of about 1.0 to about 10 microns and a fat particle size distribution such that at least about 90 percent of the fat particles have a particle size of about 1.0 to about 10 microns. The concentrated milkfat/milk blend can be used to prepared natural cheese using conventional cheese-making techniques.

Method of manufacture of natural cheese

The present invention is directed to methods for utilizing, frozen concentrated milkfat to manufacture cream cheese. Generally in accordance with the method, frozen concentrated milkfat which has been stored in a solid state is comminuted and mixed with a dairy fluid prior to melting of the milkfat, and the frozen concentrated milkfat is melted while in contact with the dairy fluid to provide a cream cheese mix, which is subsequently fermented, separated from whey and packaged to provide a cream cheese product with excellent keeping quality without oxidized off flavors.

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Palos Park, IL, United States of America

Sandra Ann Trop