Incorporation of whey into process cheese

A process cheese product comprising a cheese and dairy liquid wherein the dairy liquid contains casein, whey protein, and lactose, wherein at least a portion of the casein or whey protein in the dairy liquid has been crosslinked via γ-carboxyl-ε-amino crosslinks with transglutaminase prior to being combined with the cheese, wherein the lactose in the process cheese product is contained as a non-crystalline material in a moisture phase in the process cheese product and remains dissolved upon storage at refrigerated temperature, and wherein the process cheese product is provided by a process that comprises the sequential steps of

• (i) preparing a dairy liquid comprising casein, whey protein, and lactose;
• (ii) contacting the dairy liquid with a transglutaminase for a time, and under conditions, sufficient to crosslink at least a portion of the casein and/or whey protein to provide a crosslinked dairy liquid;
• (iii) combining the crosslinked dairy liquid with one or more compositions wherein the compositions taken together include a fat, an emulsifier, a salt, and a preservative, and homogenizing the combination;
• (iv) adding the homogenized combination to a melted cheese to form a process cheese;
• and
• (v) heating the process cheese to a temperature of 170° F. to 200° F. for about 1 min to 10 min to form the process cheese product.