Dairy products and method of preparation
AssigneeGeneral Mills, Inc.
InventorsEllen M. Silva, Mayank T. Patel, James McGuire, Timothy T. Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Refrigerated cultured dairy products such as yogurt having enhanced anti-mold stability are prepared by including minute quantities of a cultured dairy ingredient having been cultured with a propionic acid forming culture. The propionic bearing cultured dairy ingredient such as whey is added to a milk base that is then heat treated prior to inoculation and fermentation with a yogurt culture. Premature protein coagulation that can occur during the heat treatment step is minimized by adding minute quantities of a calcium sequestrant to the milk base.
Claims116
A cultured dairy product, comprising:
- a cultured dairy base, said base including a cultured dairy ingredient, said ingredient having:
- a total calcium content of about 10% to 25% (dry weight basis);
- and
- a calcium sequestrant in a weight ratio of cultured dairy ingredient to calcium sequestrant of about 1.5 to 10:1.
A process for the preparation of a cultured dairy product having increase resistance to premature protein coagulation, comprising the steps of:
- A. preparing a dairy base mix comprising:
- at least one fermentable dairy ingredient, about 0.05 to 0.3% (dry weight basis) of a cultured dairy ingredient having a total calcium content of about 10 to 25%, and
- about 0.025 to 0.15% of calcium sequestrant
- said base mix having a moisture content of about 70 to 85%;
- B. pasteurizing the dairy mix;
- C. cooling the dairy base mix to a temperature of from 35° C. to 55° C.;
- D. inoculating the dairy base mix with starter cultures to obtain an inoculated dairy base mix;
- and,
- E. incubating said inoculated dairy base mix at conditions effective to obtain a cultured dairy product.
A fortified cultured dairy ingredient, comprising:
- A. a cultured dairy ingredient having a native calcium content and having sufficient amounts of calcium hydroxide to have a pH of greater than 6 to provide a total calcium content of about 10% to 25% (dry weight basis);
- and
- B. a calcium sequestrant fortifying component wherein the weight ratio of total calcium content in the cultured dairy ingredient (dry weight basis) to calcium sequestrant ranges from about 1.5:1 to 10:1.
A method of preparing a fortified cultured dairy ingredient, comprising the steps of
- A. providing a cultured dairy ingredient neutralized with sufficient amounts of calcium hydroxide to have a pH of greater than 6 prior to drying;
- and
- B. admixing a calcium sequestrant fortifying component wherein the weight ratio of cultured dairy ingredient (dry weight basis) to calcium sequestrant ranges from about 1.5:1 to 10:1 to form the fortified cultured dairy ingredient which has a total calcium content of at least 10%.
The method claim of 53 wherein at least a portion of the calcium sequestrant is sodium hexametaphosphate.
In a refrigerated dairy product exhibiting greater resistance to mold and psychotropic bacteria, the improvement comprising:
- a cultured dairy ingredient having a calcium content fortified with a calcium sequestrant in a weight ratio of ingredient to sequestrant ranging from about 1.5:1 to 10:1 for a total calcium content of at least 10%.
A heat treated dairy base suitable for use in the preparation of a dairy product, comprising:
- a dairy base, said base including about 0.05 to 0.3% a cultured dairy ingredient, said cultured dairy ingredient having:
- a total calcium content of about 10 to 25% (dry weight basis);
- and
- a calcium sequestrant in a weight ratio of cultured dairy ingredient to calcium sequestrant of about 1.5:1 to 10:1.
A method of preparing a treated milk product, comprising:
- A. providing a cultured dairy ingredient formed from a substrate selected from the group consisting of whey, milk protein isolate, lactose, caseinate, buttermilk, and mixtures thereof, wherein said ingredient includes sufficient amounts of calcium hydroxide to have a pH greater than 6;
- and
- B. providing a calcium sequestrant wherein the weight ratio of cultured dairy ingredient to calcium sequestrant ranges from about 10:1 to 1.5:1.
The method claim of 109 wherein at least a portion of the calcium sequestrant sodium hexametaphosphate.
A process for the preparation of a cultured dairy product having increased resistance to mold, comprising the steps of:
- providing an wet fermentable dairy material having a pH of between 6 and 7.5;
- heat treating the wet fermentable dairy material to pasteurize and cool to form a pasteurized wet fermentable dairy material having a temperature of about 40 to 60° C.;
- inoculating the wet fermentable dairy material with a propionic acid forming culture cultures to obtain an inoculated wet fermentable dairy material;
- incubating with agitation the wet fermentable dairy material while maintaining a pH of between 6 and 7.5 by addition of calcium hydroxide to obtain a cultured dairy ingredient having a propionic acid content of about 10% to 40% (dry weight basis) and a calcium content of about 10% to 25% (dry weight basis);
- cooling the cultured dairy ingredient having a propionic acid and calcium content to arrest incubation;
- admixing a calcium sequestrant to the cultured dairy ingredient having a propionic acid and calcium content in a weight ratio of ingredient to sequestrant of about 1.5:1 to about 10:1 (dry weight basis) to form a cultured dairy ingredient having a propionic acid and calcium content fortified with a calcium sequestrant;
- admixing a dairy base mix comprising milk, thickeners, dairy ingredients with sufficient amounts of the cultured dairy ingredient having a propionic acid and calcium content fortified with a calcium sequestrant to provide a milk blend having
- a propionic acid value of about 0.05% to about 0.15%,
- a moisture content of about 70% to 85%, and
- a viscosity of about 10 to 500 cps,
- to form a dairy base mix containing a cultured dairy ingredient having a propionic acid and calcium content;
- heat treating the dairy base mix containing a cultured dairy ingredient having a propionic acid and calcium content to pasteurize and cool without precipitating milk proteins to form a pasteurized fermentable milk base having a temperature of about 40 to 60° C.;
- inoculating the pasteurized fermentable dairy base mix with a yogurt culture to obtain an inoculated fermentable dairy base mix;
- incubating the inoculated fermentable dairy base mix until the pH is reduced to between about 3.5 to about 5.0 to produce a thickened cultured dairy product, said product having a viscosity of at least 1,000 cps;
- cooling the cultured dairy to arrest the incubation to refrigeration temperature to form a cooled cultured dairy product having a propionic acid content;
- storing the cooled cultured dairy product at refrigerated temperatures wherein mold and/or psychrotopic bacteria are inhibited for an extended period of time during storage, said extended time period being longer than that achieved in the cultured dairy product alone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.