Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Walter Ley

Gary W Trecker

James W Moran

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.

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Prospect Heights, IL, United States of America

Walter Ley