Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23C—DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MAKING THEREOF
  • A23C19/00—Cheese; Cheese preparations; Making thereof
  • A23C19/02—Making cheese curd
  • A23C19/05—Treating milk before coagulation; Separating whey from curd
  • A23C19/054—Treating milk before coagulation; Separating whey from curd using additives other than acidifying agents, NaCl, CaCl2, dairy products, proteins, fats, enzymes or microorganisms
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23C—DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MAKING THEREOF
  • A23C19/00—Cheese; Cheese preparations; Making thereof
  • A23C19/02—Making cheese curd
  • A23C19/05—Treating milk before coagulation; Separating whey from curd
  • A23C19/053—Enrichment of milk with whey, whey components, substances recovered from separated whey, isolated or concentrated proteins from milk
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23C—DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MAKING THEREOF
  • A23C19/00—Cheese; Cheese preparations; Making thereof
  • A23C19/06—Treating cheese curd after whey separation; Products obtained thereby
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23C—DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MAKING THEREOF
  • A23C19/00—Cheese; Cheese preparations; Making thereof
  • A23C19/06—Treating cheese curd after whey separation; Products obtained thereby
  • A23C19/068—Particular types of cheese
  • A23C19/0688—Hard cheese or semi-hard cheese with or without eyes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23C—DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MAKING THEREOF
  • A23C19/00—Cheese; Cheese preparations; Making thereof
  • A23C19/06—Treating cheese curd after whey separation; Products obtained thereby
  • A23C19/068—Particular types of cheese
  • A23C19/072—Cheddar type or similar hard cheeses without eyes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L29/00—Foods or foodstuffs containing additives; Preparation or treatment thereof
  • A23L29/20—Foods or foodstuffs containing additives; Preparation or treatment thereof containing gelling or thickening agents
  • A23L29/206—Foods or foodstuffs containing additives; Preparation or treatment thereof containing gelling or thickening agents of vegetable origin
  • A23L29/256—Foods or foodstuffs containing additives; Preparation or treatment thereof containing gelling or thickening agents of vegetable origin from seaweeds, e.g. alginates, agar or carrageenan
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L29/00—Foods or foodstuffs containing additives; Preparation or treatment thereof
  • A23L29/20—Foods or foodstuffs containing additives; Preparation or treatment thereof containing gelling or thickening agents
  • A23L29/275—Foods or foodstuffs containing additives; Preparation or treatment thereof containing gelling or thickening agents of animal origin, e.g. chitin
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23V—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION
  • A23V2002/00—Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for the preparation of hard or semi-hard type cheese, wherein use is made of water retaining particles, which particles comprise at least seventy-five percent by weight of water.
• the present invention further relates to a hard or semihard cheese comprising said water retaining particles and to the use of such particles in the preparation of cheese.
• Cheese was historically manufactured as a farmhouse product on a relatively small scale. Today, it is produced on a large scale, either for consumption as a food as such or as a food ingredient.
• the production of cheese requires the coagulation of milk, in most cases through the action of rennet (chymosin) on the ⁇ -casein steric stabilizing layer, which protein is predominantly located on the outside of the casein micelles.
• rennet chymosin
• rennet chymosin
• the gel is cut and heated in order to expel moisture from the gel (syneresis) such that curd is obtained. Subsequently, the curd is drained, salted and stored such that cheese is formed.
• Typical semi-hard cheeses are Gouda type cheeses and Cheddar type cheeses.
• a typical example of a hard cheese is Parmesan.
• Gouda type cheeses are made from cows' milk and have 40 to 50% fat in the dry matter. They are brined after being pressed and typically have a water content below
• Cheddar-type cheeses are on average somewhat dryer and more acidic than Gouda type cheeses. They are made in a different way, in that they are salted in the curd stage, instead of being salted after pressing as with Gouda-type cheeses. Cheddar type cheeses may be matured for 2 to 15 months.
• the known hard and semi-hard cheeses comprise a considerable amount of lipids.
• Such cheeses comprise more than 30% by weight of the cheese lipids.
• WO95/01729 wherein it suggested to replace at least a part of the fat content by microparticles of microcrystalline cellulose and galactomannan. Although these particles may be used as a fat substitute, they are expensive to produce and have a negative influence on cheese properties. In order to compensate this loss of properties a gelling polysaccharide needs to be used.
• a first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for preparing hard or semi-hard type cheese, comprising the steps of:
• water retaining particles in total at least 5% by weight are added to the cheese milk composition and/or curd, which water retaining particles have a volume/surface average particle diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and wherein said water retaining particles comprise at least 75% by weight water; such that the cheese obtained comprises at least 50% by weight water.
• a second aspect of the present invention relates to hard or semi-hard cheese obtainable by the above mentioned method.
• a third aspect of the present invention relates to a hard or semi-hard cheese comprising:
• water retaining particles which particles have a volume/surface average particle diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and wherein said water retaining particles comprise at least 75% by weight water.
• the cheeses according to the present invention, and the cheeses prepared with the method of the present invention comprise a high amount of water, of which a considerable part is present in the water retaining particles. Due to the fact that these particles are generally smaller than 20 ⁇ , they will not be noticed by consumers. Furthermore, since these water retaining particles have a gel-like texture, they also contribute to the firmness of the cheese, which would not be the case if one would just increase the water content by adding additional (free) water to the cheese or the cheese milk.
• the cheeses according to the present invention have the textural properties of a hard or semi-hard cheese, but have a water content which has not previously been reported for these types of cheeses. Due to the higher water content, less lipids may be used, or less protein.
• hard or semi-hard type cheese as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to a cheese having a compression modulus "E" of 1 * 10 5 Pa or higher at 20°C, as described in Fox, P.F. et al., Cheese Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology, vol.1, 2004.
• dairy protein as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to proteins, such as casein and whey, present in milk from human or non-human mammals, such as bovines (e.g. cows), goats, sheep or camels.
• gel as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to an aqueous system, which does not exhibit flow when in a steady state.
• microgel as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to particles of a gel, which particles have a volume/surface average particle diameter smaller than 100 ⁇ .
• protein as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to a linear polypeptide comprising at least 10 amino acid residues.
• milk as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to the liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals, such as bovines (e.g. cows), goats, sheep or camels.
• chee milk composition refers to a liquid composition comprising dairy proteins, such as casein and whey proteins, in an amount and ratio suitable for making cheese.
• lipid' or "lipid particles” as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to particles, including droplets and globules, of esters of glycerol and fatty acids, such as monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides or a mixture thereof. In this regard it is noted that the terms lipid and fat are used interchangeably.
• coagulant as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to enzymes or agents able to specifically split the Phe-Met bond of ⁇ -casein.
• water retaining particle refers to a particle comprising at least 75% by weight water and at least one water retaining agent, such as casein, whey proteins or alignate.
• volume/surface average particle diameter ' as used herein has its conventional meaning and refers to the so called Sauter mean diameter (d 32 ) determinable with light scattering, as amongst others mentioned in P. Walstra et al, Physical Chemistry of Foods, 2003.
• a first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for preparing hard or semi-hard type cheese, comprising the steps of:
• water retaining particles in total at least 5% by weight are added to the cheese milk composition and/or curd, which water retaining particles have a volume/surface average particle diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and wherein said water retaining particles comprise at least 75% by weight water, such that the cheese obtained comprises at least 50% by weight water, preferably at least 55% by weight water, more preferably at least 60% by weight water.
• the cheese Preferably, 15 to 50% by weight of the total amount of water is present in the cheese as water retaining particles, more preferably 18 to 50% by weight.
• the cheeses prepared with the method of the present invention comprise a high amount of water, of which a considerable part is present in the water retaining particles. Due to the fact that these particles are generally smaller than 20 ⁇ , they will not be noticed by consumers.
• these water retaining particles have a gel like texture, they contribute to the firmness of the cheese, which would not be the case if one would just increase the water content by adding additional (free) water to the cheese or the cheese milk.
• the cheeses prepared with the method according to the present invention have the textural properties of a hard or semi-hard cheese, but have a water content which has not previously been reported for these types of cheeses. Due to the higher water content, less lipids may be used, or less protein may be used. This has an advantageous effect on the caloric value of the cheese and on the production costs.
• the water retaining particles used in the method of the present invention comprise at least 80% by weight water, more preferably 85% by weight water, even more preferably they comprise at least 90% by weight water, most preferably they comprise at least 95% by weight water.
• the water retaining particles will comprise besides water also a water retaining agent, hence the water retaining particles will in general not comprise more than 99.9% by weight water.
• the water retaining particles preferably have a volume/surface average particle diameter
• the dairy proteins of the cheese milk composition is casein.
• at least 80% by weight of the dairy proteins of the cheese milk composition of step a) is casein.
• the water retaining particles used are microgel particles comprising:
• alginate casein, whey protein or a combination thereof
• d 32 volume surface average particle diameter
• Alginate, casein and whey proteins are preferably used because they are already commonly used in food products and are not perceived negatively by consumers. Furthermore, they are excellent for binding water.
• the water retaining particles used in the present invention are alginate microgel particles, which comprise:
• alginate - 0.5 to 2% by weight alginate
• microgel particles have a have a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and an internal pH of 5 to 8. These particles are excellent water binders and are small enough not to be noticed by consumers, Furthermore, it is preferred that the pH of these particles when they are added to the cheese milk composition or curd is between 5 to 8, this way a negative influence on the pH of the cheese or on the taste of the cheese to be prepared is avoided. These kinds of alginate microgel particles have not been reported before.
• the alginate microgel particles have an internal pH of 6.5 to 7.5, preferably a pH of about 7.
• the alginate microgel particles preferably have a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 10 ⁇ .
• the alginate microgel particles preferably comprise at least 85% by weight water, more preferably at least 90% by weight water, most preferably at least 95% by weight water.
• These particles may be prepared and may be obtainable by the following method, which has not been reported before:
• a continuous aqueous phase comprising 0.5 to 2 wt% alginate and 0.1 to 1 wt% glucono delta lactone (GDL);
• step b emulsifying the dispersion of step a) in a continuous oil phase
• step a letting the emulsified droplets of the dispersion of step a) gel in the continuous oil phase, such that microgel particles are formed;
• the molar ratio of GDL to CaC0 3 ranges from 1.5 to 2.5, preferably from 1.9 to 2.1.
• the emulsion prepared in the above mentioned step b) preferably comprises 1 to 30% by weight of the dispersion of the above mentioned step a).
• the emulsion in step c) is stirred for 1 to 1500 minutes.
• the present invention thus also relates to alginate microgel particles obtainable by this method and to their use in hard-or semi-hard type cheese.
• the internal pH of said microgel particles ranges from pH 5 to 8, preferably pH 6.5 to 7.5.
• water retaining particles to be used in the present invention may be based on a casein gel.
• casein microgel particles preferably comprise:
• microgel particles have a volume surface/average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and a pH of 5 to 8.
• the concentration calcium in the casein microgel is at least 0.1% by weight. This way a gel may be formed from the casein.
• the casein microgel particles comprise at least 75% by weight water and 2 to 15% by weight casein, preferably 8 to 10% by weight casein, most preferably about 9% by weight casein.
• At least a part of the casein of the microgel particles has been cross-linked by means of a heat-treatment, the addition of calcium, the addition of pyrophosphate and/or a treatment with a cross-linking enzyme, such as transglutaminase. Due to such a cross-linking of the casein molecules in the microgel a firm gel may be formed.
• a method for preparing such particles comprises the steps of:
• a dairy protein composition comprising:
• the concentration calcium is at least 0.1% by weight of the composition, such that micro gel particles are formed, which have a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and comprise at least
• the calcium binding agent or calcium chelating agent is preferably citrate, phosphate, pyrophosphate polyphosphate, carbonate, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or a combination thereof.
• the calcium salt used in step c) of the above mentioned method is preferably calcium chloride.
• the dairy protein composition of step a) of the method described above preferably comprises 0 to 5% by weight lipids. This protein composition may also comprise flavors and colorants.
• the temperature in steps a) to c) of the above mentioned method is preferably kept between 0°C and 100°C and is more preferably the same in all these steps. Agitation as referred to in step c) may be carried out by shearing, stirring, shaking or any other method known in the art.
• the microgel particles obtained in step c) are subjected to a cross- linking treatment, e.g. by means of a heat-treatment, the addition of calcium, the addition of pyrophosphate and/or by means of an enzymatic treatment, such as a treatment with transglutaminase .
• the microgel particles may be separated from the mixture.
• the water retaining particles are whey microgel particles, which particles comprise:
• microgel particles have a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ .
• a second aspect of the present invention relates to hard- or semi hard cheese obtainable by the method of the present invention, as described above.
• a third aspect of the present invention relates to hard or semi-hard cheese comprising: - at least 20% by weight casein;
• water retaining particles which particles have a volume/surface average particle diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and wherein said water retaining particles comprise at least 75% by weight water.
• the water retaining particles comprise at least 80% by weight water, more preferably 85% by weight water, even more preferably at least 90% by weight water, most preferably at least 95% by weight water.
• the hard or semi-hard cheese according to the present invention preferably comprises 55% by weight water, more preferably at least 60% by weight water.
• the cheese Preferably, 15 to 50% by weight of the total amount of water is present in the cheese as water retaining particles, more preferably 18 to 50% by weight.
• the water retaining particles have a volume/surface average particle diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ , and less than 10% of the particles have a volume/surface average particle diameter of more than 25 ⁇ .
• the water retaining particles are microgel particles comprising:
• alginate at least 0.5% by weight alginate, casein, whey proteins or a combination thereof;
• d 32 volume/surface average particle diameter
• the water retaining particles are preferably alginate microgel particles, which particles comprise: - 0.5 to 2% by weight alginate;
• microgel particles have a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 0.1 to 20 ⁇ and an internal pH of 5 to 8.
• alginate microgel particles preferably have an internal pH of 6.5 to 7.5, preferably a pH of about 7.
• the alginate microgel particles have in a preferred embodiment of the present invention a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 10 ⁇ , preferably 1 to 5 ⁇ .
• the alginate microgel particles comprise at least 80% by weight water, more preferably 85% by weight water, even more preferably at least 90% by weight water, most preferably at least 95% by weight water.
• the water retaining particles are casein microgel particles, which particles comprise:
• microgel particles have a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ and a pH of 5 to 8.
• the concentration calcium in the casein microgel particles is preferably at least 0.1% by weight.
• casein microgel particles comprise at least 75% by weight water and 2 to 15% by weight casein, preferably 8 to 10% by weight casein, most preferably about 9% by weight casein.
• At least a part of the casein of the microgel particles has been cross-linked.
• This cross-linking has preferably been achieved by means of a heat-treatment, the addition of calcium, the addition of pyrophosphate and/or or by means of a treatment with a cross-linking enzyme, such as transglutaminase.
• the water retaining particles are whey microgel particles, which particles comprise:
• microgel particles have a volume/surface average diameter (d 32 ) of 1 to 20 ⁇ .
• the whey microgel particles comprise at least 90% by weight water, more preferably 95% by weight water.
• a fourth aspect of the present invention relates to the use of the above mentioned water retaining particles in the preparation of cheese.
• the amount of water retaining particles is preferably chosen such that the cheese prepared comprises at least 50% by weight water. In such as cheese preferably 15 to 50% by weight of the water is provided by the water retaining particles.
• Example 1 preparation of alginate microgel particles
• the alginate microgel particles were prepared through an emulsification/internal gelation technique. To this end dry CaC03 nanoparticles (with a CaC03/alginate mass ratio of 0.1/1) were dispersed in water and sonicated for 10 minutes using a Branson Sonifier 450 (output control level 5, duty cycle 50%), to allow complete dispersion of the nanoparticles. Sodium alginate (Algin Texturas from El Bulli, Spain) was added to obtain a ratio of 1 % (w/v) and the sample was stirred using a magnetic stirrer. After complete dissolution of the alginate, GDL was added (GDL/CaC03 mol ratio of 1.98/1) and the sample was stirred for 1 more minute.
• a Branson Sonifier 450 output control level 5, duty cycle 50%
• the mixture was then emulsified in volume ratios up to 30% in a continuous phase of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, containing 2% (w/w) PGPR as surfactant.
• Emulsification was performed with an Ultra Turrax (IkaR 319 T25 digital) at 10,000 rpm for 10 minutes.
• the samples were mildly agitated for 8 hours using a magnetic stirrer to prevent sedimentation and clustering of the alginate droplets during gelation. All samples were kept in closed containers and stored in a refrigerator until further analyses.
• microgel particles obtained had a water content of more than 80% by weight and the average particle diameter (d 32 ) as measured with a Mastersizer 2000 (Malvern Instruments) equipped with a Hydro 2000G large volume automated sample dispersion unit was about 10 ⁇ .
• Example 2 preparation of casein microgel particles
• Skim milk protein concentrate obtained after micro- and ultrafiltration of skim milk containing 14.7% by weight milk protein (of which 13.5% by weight is casein) was diluted with water to a total milk protein concentration of 9.0% by weight (8.3% by weight casein), and 0.3% by weight sodium pyrophosphate and 3.5% by weight sodium citrate was added and stirred for 2 minutes.
• the mixture was added to a solution of calcium chloride (10% by weight) while stirring vigorously using a turrax for 2 minutes. Subsequently, the casein gel particles were left to precipitate. The particles were kept in the calcium chloride solution for 24 hours to increase the firmness of the particles. Next, the suspension with the particles was heated for five minutes at 85°C. After cooling, the particles were separated from the solution.
• Example 3 preparation of whey microgel particles
• Whey protein micro particles were made by first dissolving whey protein isolate (WPI) (BIPRO, DAVISCO Food International Inc., Le Sueur, MN) in water to form a 40% w/w dispersion.
• WPI whey protein isolate
• the dispersion was stirred with an overhead mixer for at least 2 h at room temperature and then further mixed with a magnetic stirrer for at least 16 h at 4 °C. After that, the WPI dispersion was centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 10 min at 20 °C. Subsequently, the dispersion was placed in a bowl mixer (type W50) that was connected to a Brabender Do- corder E330 (Brabender OHG, Duisburg, Germany).
• Example 4 preparation of a low fat semi-hard cheese A low fat (30+) semi hard cheese was made following a normal procedure as known by cheese makers. We started with 10 1 skimmed milk with 2.3% fat. Casein micro particles were prepared as described in example 2. The micro particles contained 9%w protein (mainly casein) and 87%w water. The average particle diameter (d 32 ) was 15 ⁇ . Micro particles were added to the cheese milk before rennetting in different amounts: 5% (w/w) and 10%(w/w) of wet particles. From the curd we formed 4 small cheeses of 250-300 grams. After brining the cheeses were immediately wrapped in foil to avoid drying. The cheeses were stored at 14°C for 6 weeks. The addition of the micro particles resulted in an increased moisture content.
• alginate microgel particles according to the present invention were used in the preparation of fondue cheese, i.e. a semi hard type of cheese, with an increased water content.
• two types of alginate microgel particles were used, namely relatively soft particles (0.50% alginate) and hard particles (1.25% alginate) prepared according to the method described in example 1.

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• 2014
  • 2014-10-15 WO PCT/NL2014/050719 patent/WO2015060715A1/en active Application Filing
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