Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-02-06
Cano, Milton (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
C426S478000, C426S490000, C426S491000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183804
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an “on-demand” method for producing process cheese or process cheese-type products by the direct conversion of milk. More particularly, the present invention provides a direct, fast, and on-demand method for producing process cheese or process cheese-type products directly from milk without fermentation, enzymatic treatment, and/or intermediate steps of forming and separating curds and whey. The present invention forms an intermediate milk protein concentrate in powdered form. The milk protein concentrate can be converted to a process cheese or process cheese-type product immediately or can be stored for later conversion. The present process 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 process is especially adapted for semi-continuous or continuous manufacture of process cheese-type products. The present 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.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cheese is generally made by developing acidity in milk and setting the milk with a clotting agent, such as rennet, or by developing acidity to the isoelectric point of the protein. The set milk is cut and whey is separated from the resulting curd. The curd may be pressed to provide a cheese block. The whey, which contains significant amounts of whey protein, is generally further processed for protein and fat recovery. Curing typically takes place over a lengthy period of time under controlled conditions. Process cheese-type products can be prepared from such conventional cheeses by grinding and then heating the ground cheeses with emulsifying salt or salts in, for example, a laydown cooker.
The name or label given to the resulting product depends upon the ingredients used, its composition, and, in some instances, regulations promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 21 C.F.R. §§133.169-180. For example, the term “pasteurized process cheese” refers to a product comprising a blend of cheeses to which an emulsifying agent, usually an emulsifying salt, and possibly acids, have been added, and which has then been worked and heated into a homogeneous plastic mass.
The term “pasteurized process cheese food” refers to a product which is prepared from the same materials and the same processes used for manufacture of process cheese. However, cheese food generally has added dairy ingredients such as cream, milk, skimmed milk, whey, or any of these from which part of the water has been removed (e.g., concentrated skimmed milk). The moisture level in process cheese food is generally higher than that of process cheese and may be up to about 44%. Fat is generally present at a level of not less than 23%. The term “pasteurized process cheese spread” refers to a product which is similar to cheese food, in the sense that it can contain the indicated dairy ingredients. Process cheese spread, however, may have a moisture level as high as 60%, and a minimum fat level of 20%. Process cheese, process cheese food, and process cheese spread are generally referred to as “standardized products”, since their methods of manufacture and composition are determined by Federal Standards of Identity.
As used herein, the term “process cheese-type products” includes those products known and referred to as “pasteurized process cheese,” “pasteurized process cheese food,” “pasteurized process cheese spread,” and “pasteurized process cheese product.” “Process cheese-type products” also includes products resembling process cheese, process cheese food, process cheese spread, and process cheese product, regardless of whether or not they meet the U.S. Federal Standards of Identity for any of the above products in that they may contain ingredients not specified by such Standards, such as vegetable oil or vegetable protein, or may not meet the compositional requirements of such Standards. Process cheese-type products also include products having flavor and texture similar to those of a process cheese product regardless of the ingredients or manufacturing steps employed, and regardless of whether the Standards have been met.
There have been many efforts to provide simplified processes for making cheese or cheese-type products. U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,528 (May 19, 1981) provides a method for producing soft cheeses wherein milk is acidified to a pH less than 4.4 to coagulate the milk followed by ultrafiltration to produce a flowable acidified retentate containing flocculated casein. After cooling, the acidified retentate is stirred, taking care to avoid foaming, to deflocculate the flocculated casein after which rennet is added to form the cheese.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,201 (Jun. 2, 1981) provides a method whereby denatured whey protein is mixed with milk either before or after ultrafilitration. The resulting ultrafiltered milk is then coagulated using a lactic starter and then drained to produce a curd containing substantially the same amount of total serum protein as the original milk.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,679 (Aug. 30, 1983) provides a method for preparing a cheese base wherein milk is treated with ultrafiltration combined with diafiltration and evaporation. The ultrafiltered milk is innocualted with an acid culture before evaporation and acidified after evaporation to form the cheese base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,599 (Aug. 14, 1990) provides a method for the continuous production of cheese using ultrafiltration. The ultrafiltered milk is cooled and acidified to a pH of 4.8 to 5.8 without coagulation. A milk coagulating enzyme or a lactic acid starter is then added and the mixture quickly heated to 25 to 84° C. to form cheese curds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,834 (Feb. 5, 1985) provides a simplified method of making a dairy-based food product wherein milk is first condensed to the proportion of milk solids and moisture corresponding substantially to that desired in the final product after which the concentration of lactose in the milk is reduced by hydrolysis, molecular sieving, or ultrafiltration to below about 15 percent by weight at which crystallization was reported to occur. The mixture is then gelled by heating and thereafter cooled, manipulated, and packaged using conventional techniques.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,945 (Nov. 24, 1992) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,780 (Jul. 24, 1994) describe a process for producing cheese containing whey protein. Ultrafiltered and diafiltrated milk is renneted and then heated to coagulate the mixture and deactivate the rennet. Water is then removed without removing soluble proteins to produce a cheese which contains casein and substantially all of the soluble protein in the original feed stock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,773 (Jul. 19, 1994) provides a method for producing a low-fat cheese food product wherein a gelatin or gum is added to low-fat ultrafiltrated milk. The resulting milk blend is maintaining at a temperature such that gelling does not occur. After adding an activator such as lactic acid to form a paste, it is subjected to draining, brining, and ripening to form the low-fat cheese food product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,183 (Nov. 16, 1993) provides a method in which a milk retentate is fermentated to a pH of about 4.8 to about 5.6 without coagulation. After adding a milk clotting enzyme in a non-coagulating amount, water is removed by evaporation to obtain a solids content of about 55 percent or higher to produce a pre-cheese. The pre-cheese is cured (generally over a three to fourteen day period) to convert at least 65 percent of kappa casein to para kappa casein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,639 (Oct. 18, 1994) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,640 (Oct. 18, 1994) provide a method for producing cheese containing substantially all of the casein and whey protein in the starting milk using ultrafilration and diafiltration. The retentate is treated with salt to an ionic strength which prevents coagulation
Dever Hugh A.
Hyde Michael A.
Miller Anthony M.
Moran James W.
Silver Richard S.
Cano Milton
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery
Kraft Foods Inc.
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