Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of milk or milk product
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-14
2001-10-16
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of milk or milk product
C426S034000, C426S038000, C426S573000, C426S582000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06303160
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a process for producing a high moisture cream cheese having desirable textural characteristics (i.e., increased firmness). More specifically, the process of the invention provides a high moisture cream cheese with significantly increased firmness. In the present process, moisture levels during the manufacturing process are maintained at levels below the final target moisture level of the final cream cheese product; the moisture level of the final composition is then adjusted to the final target moisture level by the addition of water. It has surprisingly been found that control of the moisture levels during the manufacturing process in this manner results in significantly increased levels of firmness in the final cream cheese product.
BACKGROUND
Cream cheese is a soft, mild acid-coagulated uncured cheese made from a mixture of cream and milk. Cream cheese is stored under refrigeration conditions and the body of cream cheese is smooth and butter-like. The texture and cream cheese body at refrigeration temperatures is such that the cream cheese can be sliced and spread. In making cream cheese, uncultured whole milk and/or skim milk and sweet cream are blended in pre-selected proportions to form a cream cheese mix. The cream cheese mix normally has a butterfat content of from about 10 to about 20 percent. After processing, the finished cream cheese has a butterfat content of from about 33 to about 35 percent by weight.
The cream cheese mix is pasteurized and homogenized after which it is cooled, usually to a temperature between 62 and 92° F., and is then inoculated with a lactic acid culture. The mix is held at the inoculation temperature until it has ripened and formed a coagulum. The acidity of the coagulum is from about 0.6 to about 0.9 percent (calculated as percent equivalent lactic acid). After the desired acidity is obtained, the curd is separated from the whey and is thereafter packaged. One well known process for making cream cheese and separating cream cheese curd from whey includes a mechanical separation of the curd. This process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,387,276 to Link. In accordance with this method, after ripening to form a coagulum, the coagulum is heated to an elevated temperature to break the viscosity of the mix. Thereafter, the heated mix is centrifuged at the elevated temperature to separate the curd from the whey. Processes that result in the production of whey increase production costs as the whey must be separated and disposed or otherwise treated.
Considerable efforts have been made to produce a high moisture cream cheese with significantly reduced protein and fat levels. However, increasing moisture levels in the cream cheese will often result in a cream cheese product that does not have a desired firmness. The present invention provides a high moisture cream cheese having the desired degree of firmness.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to a process for producing a high moisture cream cheese with increased firmness. Moreover, the present invention provides a process for the production of a high moisture cream cheese that does not include a whey separation step. In accordance with the present invention, cream cheese components are pasteurized and homogenized at moisture levels below target moisture levels of the final cream cheese. Moisture levels of the resulting product are then adjusted to the final target levels to provide a final high moisture cream cheese product. The process of the invention provides a curd firmness of about 5 to about 20 times greater than curd produced in a process having essentially constant moisture levels throughout the manufacturing process. In another aspect, the process of the invention provides high moisture products with less protein and, in particular, less casein. Whey protein is a less expensive source of protein than casein. In an important aspect, the process does not include a whey separation step, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
The present invention provides a process for the production of high moisture, firm cream cheese. The present process comprises blending a non-fat cultured milk mixture, a milk fat emulsion, gum, and salt at a temperature of about 130 to about 150° F. for about 5 to about 10 minutes. In an important aspect of the invention, the non-fat cultured milk mixture, milk fat emulsion, gum, and salt blend has a moisture content of at least about 2 percent lower than the moisture content in the final high moisture cream cheese product. In the next step of the process of this invention, the blend is homogenized at a temperature of about 130 to about 150° F. at about 500 to about 4000 psi. In another important aspect of the invention, the moisture content during homogenizing is at least about 2 percent lower than the moisture content in the final high moisture cream cheese product. After homogenization, additional water is blended with the homogenized blend to provide a cream cheese with a moisture content of at least about 68 percent and having a firmness of about 5 to about 20 fold greater than a cream cheese produced in a process having essentially constant moisture levels. The high moisture cream cheese produced in accordance with the claimed invention has a protein content of from about 5 to about 10 percent.
The present invention also provides a process for the production of high moisture cream cheese having a predetermined target moisture content, said process comprising:
blending a non-fat cultured mix component having a casein to whey ratio of less than about 75:25, an emulsion component, and a salt/gum component at a temperature of about 130 to about 150° F. for about 5 to about 10 minutes to form a blend, wherein the blend has a moisture content less than the predetermined target moisture content;
homogenizing the blend at a temperature of about 130 to about 150° F. at about 500 to about 4000 psi to form a homogenized blend, wherein the homogenized blend has a moisture content less than the predetermined target moisture content; and
blending additional water with the homogenized blend to raise the moisture content to the predetermined target moisture level, thereby providing the high moisture cream cheese,
wherein the high moisture cream cheese has a significantly higher firmness than a standard cream cheese produced in a similar process but wherein the blend or the homogenized blend have moisture levels approaching or equal to the predetermined target moisture content.
The present invention also provides a process for the production of high moisture cream cheese having a predetermined target moisture content, said process comprising:
(1) preparing a non-fat cultured mix component by a process comprising:
(A) preparing a substrate comprising 0 to about 4 percent non-fat dry milk, about 6 to about 9 percent milk protein concentrate, about 1 to about 4 percent whey protein substrate, and about 80 to about 90 percent water, wherein the substrate has a casein to whey ratio of less than about 75 to 25;
(B) pasteurizing the substrate;
(C) cooling the pasteurized substrate to a temperature of about 70 to about 80° F.; and
(D) culturing the cooled pasteurized substrate with a cream cheese culture at a temperature of about 65 to about 85° F. for about 10 to about 20 hours to achieve a pH of about 4.4 to 4.9 to obtain the non-fat cultured mix component;
(2) preparing an emulsion component by a process comprising:
(A) blending whey protein concentrate with water to form a whey protein concentrate and water blend;
(B) adding a melted fat to the whey protein concentrate and water blend to form a melted fat, whey protein concentrate, and water blend containing about 4 to about 6 percent whey protein concentrate, about 45 to about 55 percent fat, and about 45 to about 50 percent water;
(C) treating the melted fat, whey protein concentrate, and water blend under low shear conditions to form a coarse emulsion with a mean fat droplet diameter of about 5 to about 20 microns; and
(D) treating the coarse emulsion under high shear to fo
Campbell Bruce Edward
Cha Alice Shen
Laye Isabelle Marie-Francoise
Lindstrom Ted Riley
Loh Jimbay P.
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery
Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.
Wong Leslie
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