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US 6,416,797 B1Granted
Process for making a wheyless cream cheese using transglutaminase
AssigneeKraft Foods Holdings, Inc.
InventorsXiao-Qing Han, Jochen Klaus Pfeifer, Richard Harold Lincourt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The current invention includes a process for making cream cheese wherein nutrients typically lost as whey during processing are utilized in the final cream cheese; the resulting cream cheese has the body, texture, and taste of conventional cream cheese. The process of the current invention utilizes acidifying and cross-linking steps to process a dairy liquid into a wheyless cream cheese by utilizing the protein cross-linking activity of transglutaminase. The wheyless cream cheese does not require the addition of stabilizers and/or emulsifiers. Furthermore, the cream cheese that is formed is firmer than typical cream cheese and has significantly reduced syneresis.
Claims34
A process for making a wheyless cream cheese, said process comprising:
- (1) treating a dairy liquid containing dairy proteins with transglutaminase and a lactic acid producing culture at about 20 to about 40° C. until the pH reaches about 4.2 to about 5.2 to cross-link at least a portion of the dairy proteins and to form a first dairy mixture;
- (2) homogenizing the first dairy mixture to break up any curd that may have formed and to form a treated dairy mixture;
- (3) cooking the treated dairy mixture at about 75 to about 90° C. for about 2 to about 120 minutes to form a first blend;
- and
- (4) homogenizing the first blend to form a cream cheese having fat globules with an average diameter of about 0.2 to about 3 microns.
2 more elements
A process for making a wheyless cream cheese, said process comprising:
- (1) treating a dairy liquid with transglutaminase at about 40 to about 60° C. for about 2 to about 120 minutes to cross-link at least a portion of the dairy proteins and to form a treated dairy liquid;
- (2) cooking the treated dairy mixture at 75 to about 90° C. for about 2 to about 120 minutes to form a first blend;
- (3) adjusting the pH of the first blend to about 4.2 to about 5.2 by adding an edible acid;
- and
- (4) homogenizing the pH-adjusted first blend to form the wheyless cream cheese having fat globules with an average diameter of about 0.2 to about 3 microns.
2 more elements
A process for making a wheyless cream cheese, said process comprising:
- (1) blending a dairy liquid containing dairy proteins with transglutaminase and a lactic acid producing culture to form a first dairy mixture;
- (2) incubating the first dairy mixture at about 20 to about 40° C. until the pH reaches about 4.2 to about 5.2 to cross-link at least a portion of the dairy proteins and to form a second dairy mixture;
- (3) homogenizing the second dairy mixture to break up any curd that may have formed and to form a third dairy mixture;
- (4) heating the third dairy mixture at about 40 to about 60° C. for about 2 to about 120 minutes to form a treated dairy liquid;
- (5) mixing the treated dairy liquid with a wet mix or a treated wet mix to form a first blend;
- (6) homogenizing the first blend to form a second blend;
- (7) cooking the second blend at a temperature of about 75 to about 90° C. for about 2 to about 120 minutes to form a third blend;
- and
- (8) homogenizing the third blend to form a cream cheese having fat globules with an average diameter of about 0.2 to about 3 microns;
- wherein the wet mix is prepared by a first method comprising:
- (A) blending whey protein, milk protein concentrate, or mixtures thereof in water at a temperature of about 60 to about 75° C. to form a first mixture containing dairy proteins;
- and
- (B) blending fat with the first mixture to form the wet mix;
- and
- wherein the treated wet mix is prepared by a second method comprising:
- (A) homogenizing the wet mix;
- (B) adding transglutaminase to the homogenized wet mix to form a second mixture;
- and
- (C) incubating the second dairy mixture for a time and temperature sufficient to cross-link at least a portion of the dairy proteins to form the treated wet mix.
16 more elements
A process for making a wheyless cream cheese, said process comprising:
- (1) blending a dairy liquid containing dairy proteins with transglutaminase a first dairy mixture;
- (2) incubating the first dairy mixture at about 40 to about 60° C. for about 2 to about 120 minutes to cross-link at least a portion of the dairy proteins to form a treated dairy mixture;
- (3) mixing the treated dairy liquid with a wet mix or a treated wet mix to form a first blend;
- (4) homogenizing the first blend;
- (5) cooking the homogenized first blend at about 50 to about 95° C. for about 2 to about 120 minutes to form a second blend;
- (5) adjusting the pH of the second blend to about 4.2 to about 5.2 by adding an edible acid to form a third blend;
- and
- (6) homogenizing the third blend to form a cream cheese having fat globules with an average diameter of about 0.2 to about 3 microns;
- wherein the wet mix is prepared by a first method comprising:
- (A) blending whey protein, milk protein concentrate, or mixtures thereof in water at a temperature of about 60 to about 75° C. to form a first mixture containing dairy proteins;
- and
- (B) blending fat with the first mixture to form the wet mix;
- and
- wherein the treated wet mix is prepared by a second method comprising:
- (A) homogenizing the wet mix;
- (B) adding transglutaminase to the homogenized wet mix to form a second mixture;
- and
- (C) incubating the second dairy mixture for a time and temperature sufficient to cross-link at least a portion of the dairy proteins to form the treated wet mix.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.