Emulsifying salt-free and starch stabilized cheese

A processed cheese comprising:

• a natural cheese or a mixture of natural cheeses providing from about 5 weight percent to about 30 weight percent dairy protein;
• about 30 weight percent to about 80 weight percent water;
• about 0.5 weight percent or less of emulsifying salts;
• about 0.1 weight percent to about 10 weight percent of a non-crosslinked modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose;
• wherein the modified starch is a monosubstituted hydroxypropylated waxy corn starch, and wherein the modified starch has a profile such that if the modified starch were to be mixed with water to form an 8 percent (w/w) starch paste and the starch paste were to be heated between about 65° C. to about 95° C., the heated starch paste would exhibit an initial viscosity increase of at least about 2500 cps within a first 5 minutes of heating followed by a continuous viscosity decrease to below about 1000 cps during a following 10 minutes of heating.