Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of milk or milk product
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-01
2004-08-24
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of milk or milk product
C426S317000, C426S468000, C426S524000, C426S582000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06780445
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems, processes, and methods for making cheese products. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for making cheese products which are enhanced to have a particular characteristic, such as increased yield, recovery of whey cream, desired protein content, water content, flavor, resistance to spoilage, accelerated ripening, or reduced, light, low fat, or fat free cheese, and Instant Quick Frozen Pizza cheese.
2. State of the Art
The making of cheese is generally a labor-intensive process that requires large quantities of milk to develop any of the many popular varieties. Typically, cheese yields range from 6% to 12% depending upon the variety and moisture content of cheese. The remainder of the milk forms by-products. Whey is the single largest product from the milk during the cheesemaking process and, prior to the present invention, has often been viewed as a negative by-product.
Numerous steps are required to turn milk into cheese having the desired characteristics of color, body, texture and organoleptic properties. Many of these steps are highly labor intensive and limit the speed and cost at which cheese can be produced. Additionally, success or failure in the market place is often determined by a company's ability to create cheese with the proper body, texture and organoleptic properties at the most competitive price. Because of the highly competitive nature of the cheese making industry, price differences of less than one cent per pound can provide significant advantages in the market place.
One significant concern that must be addressed for a cheese maker to be profitable is disposal of the by-products created during the cheese making process. For example, the formation of some types of cheese requires that the cheese be soaked in a brine solution. The brine solution quickly becomes contaminated with the cheese and the resulting breakdown products, primary free fatty acids and proteins. The resulting breakdown products of the cheese promote bacterial growth in the brine, which leads to contamination of the finished cheese. Further, the salt brine dissolves some of the cheese that leads to loss of yield.
Once the bacterial growth has reached certain levels, the contaminated brine solution must be discarded. The contaminated brine solution, however, must be specially handled in such a manner that it will not contaminate water supplies and or cause other environmental damage. Disposal of the brine solution is currently a major problem in the mozzarella industry and has forced some plants to close due to environmental concerns. Other cheeses that typically are brined include Brick, Romano, Parmesan, Blue, Swiss, etc. Disposal of the brine solution causes considerable problems in these portions of the cheese industry as well.
Another significant concern that must be addressed by nearly all cheese makers is disposal of cheese whey that is released during the cheese making process. As mentioned above, cheese whey is the largest product of the cheese making process. Cheese whey is a watery substance that contains large amounts of whey protein and lactose, which cannot be coagulated out of milk by typical coagulating enzymes or acid precipitants. Cheese whey contains approximately 0.9 percent whey protein and 5 percent lactose. About 25 percent of the total protein in milk is whey protein. Thus, disposal of cheese whey can be a significant problem.
Numerous attempts have been made to reintroduce the whey protein into cheese to eliminate disposal concerns and to enhance the protein content of the cheese and the yield. For example, in accordance with one method, whey protein extracted from one batch of milk during the cheese making process is returned to a subsequent batch of milk in an attempt to coagulate the whey protein with the cheese curds. Such attempts, however, have been relatively unsuccessful. Typically no more than about 18 percent of the whey protein reintroduced into the milk will precipitate out with the cheese curds. Several methods and procedures have been developed and patented over the years that primary utilize denatured whey protein in combination with caseins to form co-precipitates that have a propensity to precipitate out of the vat milk with the cheese curd. The efficiency of these processes and the effect upon the finished cheese is varied and none has achieved desired levels of whey precipitation. Thus, the remaining whey protein must be used for other purposes or disposed of in an appropriate manner.
One major problem with denaturing whey protein to the degree that it needs to be in order to precipitate out with the casein and fat is the whey proteins' effect upon the body and texture of the finished cheese. The denaturing process itself changes the whey protein conformation such that it materially affects the body and texture of the finished cheese. The physical chemistry involved in the coagulation of milk to form cheese is very complex and not fully understood. Anything from simple vibration to the type denatured whey protein will materially affect the coagulation and hence, the yield, as well as the body and texture of the finished cheese.
One solution to handling the cheese whey has been the making of alternate products. Ultra filtration has been tried and has been successful for making a pre-cheese that has been set with rennet to make cheese. Some cheeses have been made this way for over twenty years with market acceptance in various parts of the world. However, when Ultra filtration was used to make mozzarella in the United States, the resulting cheese would not melt and stretch satisfactorily. Thus, the ability to use the cheese whey to develop other cheese products or increase yield has been limited.
The whey protein which cannot be used within the cheese making process must be dried or otherwise processed to remove it from the liquid whey. A commercial whey drier typically costs between about 5 and 10 million U.S. dollars and consumes a significant amount of space and energy. Numerous other systems are also available for separating the whey protein from liquid cheese whey. For example, various mechanisms for separating the whey from the liquid are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,642,492; 3,640,996; 3,873,751; 4,297,382; 4,497,836 and 4,617,861, to name a few. Of course, several such systems may be used in conjunction with one another to separate and dry the whey protein.
Disposal of the whey is difficult because the high protein concentration and high BOD can quickly contaminate wells and local streams and rivers. The high protein concentration can cause algae blooms in surface waters, and can render ground water unusable for many purposes.
While the high protein concentration of the whey has been found to be desirable for use in health drinks and other nutritional snacks, the market are generally insufficient to keep whey protein prices higher than the cost of production. This is due, in part, to the properties of the whey protein. Thus, while cheese solids in mozzarella are currently worth about $2.40-$3.60 (U.S.) per pound, the whey protein sells for about $0.58 (U.S.) per pound. When the costs associated with drying and handling are figured in, the cheese producer usually sells its whey protein at a loss.
In response to this ongoing problem, numerous new products have been developed to utilize the whey protein. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,642,492 and 3,873,751 teach a method for making a simulated skim milk. Likewise, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,161,552 and 4,259,363 disclose the use of whey solids in place of non-fat dry milk for making comminuted meats. These products, however, have not been sufficiently successful to create a significant market for the whey protein.
Other companies have specially engineered proteins that are synthesized from the whey proteins. While such specialty proteins make the handling of whey protein profitable, there is a limited demand for such proteins, and the proprietary rights of certain c
Breneman, Esq. William D.
Cacique, Inc.
Georges, Esq. Peter J.
Vaughn, Esq. Todd A.
Wong Leslie
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