FR2465422A1 - Cheese prodn. from heat treated or powdered milk - after removal of whey proteins e.g. by exclusion chromatography - Google Patents

Abstract

In the prodn. of cheese from milk heated at high temp. or from recombined, reconstituted powdered milk, the new feature is that, before heat treatment or conversion to powder, the milk is subjected to (partial) removal of whey proteins by exclusion chromatography and- or ion exchange. Pref. 20-50% of the whey proteins are removed, then the milk heated at 120-150 deg.C, skimmed or adjusted to required fat content, and powdered. It can then be used to make cheese without special treatment, but cheese- forming ability is pref. improved by adding 0.1-2 g per l Ca salt, esp. CaCl2 or monocalcium phosphate. Types of milk not normally suitable for cheese making can now be used because removal of whey proteins prevents, the undesirable reaction between beta-globulin and K casein. The method reduces setting times; gives a firmer, more elastic and more easily worked curd; reduces loss of casein; prevents development of off- flavours (H2S) and permits utilisation of normally waste whey proteins.

Description

The present invention relates, in general, to the manufacture of cheeses and relates, more particularly, to a process for the preparation of cheeses from milk heated to high temperatures or from recombined or reconstituted milk powder.

 In the conventional cheese-making process, a series of operations is used, the first of which is the pasteurization of milk at around 70 ° C. to 750 ° C.

Although this heat treatment often proves to be insufficient, especially from a bacteriological point of view, treatment at higher temperatures (sterilization), which would be ideal from a bacteriological point of view, is unfortunately detrimental to the cheeseability of milk. It should also be considered that 1in the conventional manufacture of fritages, recombined or reconstituted milk powder is difficult to make cheese, whereas the use of such milks in romagery would be very important from the economic point of view; particularly in hot non-milk producing countries, which traditionally use powdered milk.

As a result of these advantages, it would be useful to make these milk cheeses. There are many difficulties due to the poor cheeseability of these milks, in particular the coagulation of milk with rennet (long setting times), the nature of the curds obtained (soft, fragile, not suitable for mechanical work such as brewing, slicing, etc ...), and the low yields due to losses in fines "(passage of casein debris in the whey).

 The reasons for this poor cheeseability are due to two main mechanisms. The first involves the insolubilization of calcium, or reduction of active calcium which allows the action of rennet. The second mechanism involves the denaturation of the proteins because the heat treatment denatures, in particular, the serum proteins, in particular D-lactoglobulin, the latter binding irreversibly to Kcasein as a result of the activity of sulfhydryl groups and entralnant a protection of K-casein v; s vis-à-vis the rennet, or a decrease in the action of the latter, followed by weaker coagulation.

 To solve these problems and allow the use of heat-treated milks, several methods have been used.

 The first process consists in adding soluble calcium (calcium chloride or monocalcium phosphate) in the sterilized or reconstituted milk, at a dose of 0.1 to 2 g / l, preferably 0.2 to 0.5 g / l, in order to again provide a favorable mineral balance.

 The second method consists in making milk powders by pasteurization and drying at low temperatures in order to limit the denaturation of serum proteins. This "soft" technology is called the "low heat" process and is quite expensive from an energy point of view.

 These two processes have also been combined, which is quite effective but does not make it possible to obtain any type of cheese.

 In addition, in the case of milk heated to high temperature (80-950C) or sterilized (120-1400C), one cannot limit the denaturation of proteins and, consequently, the fixation of ss-lactoglobulin on K -casein.

 It would therefore be useful to remedy these drawbacks and to allow the use of milks treated at high temperatures or powdered milks for the manufacture of cheeses, by eliminating the defects indicated above.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process for making milk treated at high temperatures or recombinant or reconstituted milk powders.

 Another object of the present invention is to make cheeses from untreated milks, that is to say milks which have not been subjected to high temperature heating or to powdering and which can nevertheless be transformed into cheese. after de-prototeination.

 Other objects will appear from the following description.

These objects are now achieved according to the present invention by a process for the production of cheeses from milk heated to high temperatures or from recombinant or reconstituted milk powder, in which, before heat treatment or put into the powder state, subjects the milk to partial or total de-proteination, obtained using exclusion chromatography and / or ion exchange
A process for the preparation of animal and vegetable proteins, especially lactoproteins, for the development of specific products with special properties, using exclusion chromatography and / or ion exchange using a resin Ion exchange has been described in French patent application No. 79/08555 in the name of the company called "Les Fromageries Bel". This process, which makes it possible to isolate the proteins contained in a product, is used, in the present invention, to remove the serum proteins contained in milk, and, - thus, to inhibit the p-globulin-K-casein reaction.

In this process, one or more resins having various ion exchange characteristics and different resolution powers, arranged in series, are brought into contact with a protein solution, at an ionic strength and at a pH compatible, in particular, with the fixation by ion exchange.

 In a preferred implementation of the present invention, an anionic column is used and the milk intended to be transformed into cheese is brought into contact with this column. A-lactalbumin, p-lactoglobulin and serum albumin are thus fixed on the column. The de-prototeination can be total or partial; in the latter case, the first fixed fraction will be -lactoglobulin which is the only protein in serum causing cheesemaking problems in milk heated to high temperatures or in recombinant or reconstituted powdered milk.

The rate of de-prototeination varies between about 0 and 100%; preferably, it is about 20 to 50%, and, optimally, 25 to 50%, which corresponds to the elimination of 50 to 100% of the ss-lactoglobulin, while leaving in the milk. the other soluble protein fractions.

After partial or total de-proteination, the milk can be processed at any temperature, in particular at sterilization temperatures (120 to 1500C approximately). The milk obtained can also be reduced to powder, for example by the spray process, without special precautions with regard to the continuation of the heat treatments. After the heat treatment or the transformation into powder, the milk is then cheeses without special treatment, after possible reconstitution and standardization in fat, under the usual conditions, as if it were a fresh or slightly milk. pasteurized.

 To improve the cheeseability of the milks obtained, calcium salts, such as calcium chloride or monocalcium phosphate, can be added at a rate of about 0.1 to 2 g / l, preferably 0.2 to 0, 5 g / l.

This eventually restores the mineral balance of the milk.

 The process of the present invention makes it possible to obtain, from the milks thus treated, all the types of cheese usually produced, having all the organoleptic and textural qualities of these conventional cheeses.

Compared to the traditional process for making cheeses from fresh or pasteurized milk, the advantages of cheeses made from milk treated by the process of the present invention are as follows:
- setting times are shorter,
- the curd obtained is firmer, more elastic, easier to work from the point of view of slicing, stirring, etc.
- the losses of casein in the serum are reduced due to the firmness of the curd,
- bad tastes due to the formation of H2S compounds and detectable during ripening are reduced.

 Another advantage of this process of the present invention is the fractional recovery of part or all of the seroproteins which, in the traditional cheese dairy, pass into the whey and are not used at their fair value By recovering them, they can be valued in various ways they can be used for their applications in the food industries; they can also be deatured by heat treatment and acidification and reincorporated into cheese milk before renneting, which inhibits the binding of D-lactoglobulin to K-casein; finally, after denaturation of the serum proteins and their incorporation into the milk, the whole can be subjected to a heat treatment at a high temperature (dehydration) or a transformation into powder and a reconstitution with a view to the production of cheeses.

 The present invention will now be described with the aid of the following examples which are given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation.

EXAMPLE 1
A pasteurized skimmed milk is treated on a column of so-called spherosil product (ion exchange resin, consisting of a porous mineral support, coated with a crosslinked polymer film, containing or carrying ion exchange groupings) so as to retain 50% of the serum proteins on the column. The milk thus freed from part of its serum proteins is subjected to instant heating by injection of steam at 1400 C.

 After cooling, the milk can be standardized as fat and then used in cheese making for the manufacture of any type of cheese, after the addition of 0.5 g / l of calcium chloride.

EXAMPLE 2
Pasteurized skimmed milk is 30% deso-proteinated on a column of product called Spherosil. I1 is then concentrated by evaporation, then dried in a so-called tower
Conventional spray (spray drying tower).

The powder thus obtained can be reconstituted in water and skimmed milk, reconstituted, standardized in fat (cream, butteroil, anhydrous milk fat) and adds 0.5 g / l of monocalcium phosphate, can be easily used for the manufacture of all types of cheese, according to technologies well known to those experienced in the art.

 The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments which have just been described, it is on the contrary liable to variants and modifications which will appear to those skilled in the art.

Claims (12)

 1 - Process for the production of cheeses from milk heated to high temperatures or from recombined or reconstituted milk powder, characterized in that before heat treatment or put into powder state, the milk is subjected to partial de-proteinproteination or total, obtained using exclusion chromatography and / or ion exchange.  2 - A method according to claim l, characterized in that the rate of de-prototeination is between about 0 and 100%. 3 - process according to claim 2, characterized in that the rate of de-proteoproteination is between about 20 and 50 t.  4 - Process according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the milk obtained is subjected to a heat treatment at high temperatures. 5 - Process according to claim 4, characterized in that the temperatures are between approximately 120 and 1500C,  6 - Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the milk obtained skimmed or standardized in fat is transformed into powder.  7 - Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that the milk is then transformed into cheese without special treatment, after possible reconstitution and standardization in fatty matter of animal or vegetable origin.  8 - Process according to claim 7, characterized in that the fronageability of the milks obtained is improved by the addition of calcium salts at a rate of about 0.1 to 2 g / l. 9 - process according to claim 8, characterized in that the calcium salts are chosen from the group consisting of calcium chloride and monocalcium phosphate.  10 - Process according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the recovered seroproteins are denatured by heat treatment and acidification and reincorporated in the milk before renneting. 11 - -Procédé according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that after denaturation of serum proteins and their reincorporation in milk, the whole undergoes a dehydration treatment and reconstitution or recombination for the manufacture cheeses. 12 - As new industrial products, cheeses and seroproteins obtained by the process according to any one of claims 1 to 11.