FR2650484A1 - Method for manufacturing a composite cheese product and products obtained using this method - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a method for manufacturing a composite cheese product comprising an outer cheese shell of firm consistency and an inner paste of softer consistency, characterised in that the outer shell is obtained by gelling of a milk-protein concentrate.

Description

The present invention relates to the cheese industry
It relates more particularly to a process for manufacturing composite cheese products comprising an external cheese dough of firm consistency and an internal filling of soft consistency.

 It also relates to the products obtained by this process.

 Processes are known for manufacturing food products which include cold spheres associated with other cheeses or cheese specialties or with other food products.

 Generally. in the case of a combination of cheese pastes, different blocks of different pasta are made to adhere to one another by means of a binding agent used in food.

 The patents FR-A-2 411 539, FR-A-2 475 301 and FR-A-2 504 781 describe cheeses produced in several distinct and successive stages formed from several blocks obtained from melted feasts.

 In general. the external paste is a cheese paste melted so as to ensure good mechanical resistance to the finished product, and the manufacturing technique is that of a melted cheese.

Documents EP-A-102 232. EP-A-130 740 and
EP-A-130 772 describe extrusion techniques making it possible to produce marbled food products or comprising an external dough surrounding an internal dough. However, these techniques used either in confectionery, or in the case of suitable products, in particular based on flour, cannot be suitable for cheeses, which by virtue of their constitution cannot be processed by extrusion techniques.

 The document EP-AO 260 194 describes a manufacturing process making it possible to obtain composite products formed from a cheese paste forming an external shell without the texture of the finished product being changed and of a second product enclosed in that -this.

 This process comprises a first step of adding proteins to the cheese as well as a subsequent step of mechanical treatment and shaping of the processed product. However, this process is limited in its implementation on the one hand by the raw material used which is a ripened pressed cheese containing at least 50% of dry matter and on the other hand by the two distinct production steps.

 The objective of the present invention is therefore to propose a process making it possible to obtain composite products based on cheese comprising a firm external cheese shell and an internal paste of softer consistency which avoids the drawbacks of the prior art.

 The products obtained by this new process can be of original and varied form are likely to be handled, preserved and consumed under satisfactory conditions.

 To develop the invention, the Applicant has used the gelation or coagulation properties of milk.

 By gelation, - within the meaning of the present invention means the physicochemical phenomenon of transformation.d'un sol gel.

 This transformation takes place spontaneously in the case of milk under the action of rennet which forms a compact or flexible gel. This result can also be obtained by adding gelling agents to milk such as hydrocolloids, gums, alginates, gelatin, etc.

In the cheese technique, the gelation or coagulation stage is characterized by the taking-in-mass of the milk under the effect of the acidification of the medium, which causes the precipitation of casein at its isoelectric point or under l effect of rennet (and more particularly chymotrypsin) or its substitutes (mainly of microbial origin)
In the case of renneting, coagulation is carried out in two phases, a first stage or primary reaction during which the enzyme attacks the casein and dissolves part of it and a second phase or secondary reaction which causes the precipitation of l casein under the influence of the calcium present. This second phase is slow at temperatures below lS-C and requires the presence of calcium ions.

The Applicant had the idea of dissociating these two phases by playing on the temperature so as to achieve gelation at a determined time chosen by it,
Similarly, in the case of the use of gelling agents, it suffices to control the gelling kinetics of the protein concentrate by the choice of gelling temperatures, the amount of gelling agents and / or the pH conditions.

 The choice of the time of gelation makes it possible to carry out the latter at the time of the shaping of the final product thus avoiding any risk of rupture and breakage of a dough which in the state of the art is already in the state of cheese at this stage of the process.

 The subject of the invention is therefore a method of manufacturing a composite cheese product comprising an external cheese shell of firm consistency and an internal paste of softer consistency, characterized in that the external shell is obtained by gelation of a protein concentrate dairy.

 In a first embodiment of the process, the outer shell is obtained by cold renneting of the milk protein concentrate at a temperature below 15-C, then increasing the temperature to 30 to 50XC to achieve gelation.

 In a second embodiment of the method, the outer shell is obtained by adding gelling agents and modifying the temperature and / or the pH.

 The product can be shaped during a continuous process consisting of a co-molding of the milk protein concentrate and the internal paste.

 In a second embodiment of the invention, the shaping of the product is carried out during a batch process consisting in forming the outer cheese shell followed by filling the shell with the internal paste, then closing of the shell by the external dough and solidification thereof.

 In a third embodiment, the shaping of the product is carried out by dipping in the non-gelled dairy prdtéique concentrate of the internal paste previously put into the desired final shape and coagulation of the dairy protein concentrate to form the outer cheese shell.

 Preferably, the dry extract of the milk protein concentrate is between 35 and 702.

The internal part is advantageously a fresh cheese or a cheese, optionally flavored, but may also consist of a protein concentrate of animal or vegetable origin enriched with fats of animal or vegetable origin or any other compatible food product. -
The invention also relates to the products obtained by the process according to the invention.

The invention will be better understood from the description which follows and from the appended drawings in which
- Figure 1 shows a sectional view of the installation used for the implementation of the continuous process according to the first embodiment of the invention consisting of a co-molding of the milk protein concentrate and the internal paste ;
- Figures 2A to 2D schematically represent the steps of the co-molding process of the milk protein concentrate and the internal leg;
- Figures 3A to 3D schematically represent the stages of the batch process according to the second embodiment according to 1 invention consisting of a formation of the outer cheese shell followed by filling of the shell with the internal dough, possibly closing the shell and solidification thereof;
- Figures 4A and 46 show examples of products obtained by the batch process
- Figures 5A to 5D schematically represent the steps of the .procédé according to the third embodiment according to 1 invention consisting of soaking the internal dough previously put in the desired final form in the ungelled milk protein concentrate.

 For the production of the outer shell, a dairy protein concentrate obtained by concentration of skimmed or whole milk is preferably used.

The concentration is advantageously carried out by ultra filtration according to the technique described in patent application FR-69 24 555. The milk protein concentrate is then cold renneted at a temperature below 15 ° C. according to the usual cheese techniques, with a appropriate amount of rennet from veal abomasum or rennet substitutes, such as fungal rennet or pepsin.

The renneted concentrate is used as it is but is advantageously cooled to a temperature below 10 ° C. so as to avoid any solidification of the paste by controlled blocking of the secondary phase of the coagulation process.

 The dry extract of the concentrate is advantageously between 35 and 70Z in order to obtain a rigid shell. The milk protein concentrate can be enriched with animal or vegetable fats and flavored with salty or sweet ingredients chosen from those traditionally used for dairy products.

 The internal dough consists of a product of dairy or non-dairy origin.

 In the case where it is of dairy origin, it may consist of processed cheese or of a fresh cheese obtained by ultrafiltration or by the traditional methods for preparing fresh curds with a lactic taste.

 The curds can be lean but also enriched with animal or vegetable fats and flavored with the ingredients traditionally used; it can still be abundant, which makes it possible to obtain a finished product having a contrast in texture between the rigid external shell and the softer and more airy internal fodder.

 The dry extract of the internal dough in the case of a fresh or melted cheese is advantageously between 25 and 457 ..

 The internal dough can also consist of a non-cheese product, for example chocolate, fruit jelly, etc.

 Figure 1 shows the installation used for the implementation of the method according to the first embodiment, in which the shaping of the final product is carried out in a single operation according to the technique known as "one shot". This process consists of a co-molding of the two constituents which.

will respectively produce the shell and the internal paste and which have a very different taste, texture and consistency.

 For this, the milk concentrate added with rennet (or a gelling agent) 1 and the internal dough 2 are sent into different hoppers not shown in the Figure at the bottom of which are fixed nozzles 3 and 4. The flow in the nozzles is controlled by two pistons (one for each product) not shown in the Figure, which allow the quantity of product delivered to be adjusted synchronously during each co-molding operation.

 The nozzle 3 receives the milk concentrate 1, while the nozzle 4 receives the dough 2. The constituents are then brought respectively by means of the tubes 5 and 6 to the level of four parallel poured heads 7, 8, 9 and 10 under which come place the forming molds.

The pistons then send the two constituents into the forming molds where co-molding is carried out as illustrated in Figures A2 to 20:
- In a first step (2A) we start by pouring the dough 1 constituting the shell until there is a layer of dough at the bottom of the mold, the thickness of which corresponds to the thickness of the shell desired;
- in steps 28 and 2C, while maintaining the flow of the dough 1, the constituent of the internal dough 2 takes its place in the mold for a time corresponding to the quantity of filling desired
- then in step 2D we end with a layer of external paste.

 The molded product is brought to and maintained at the coagulation temperature of the external dough so as to allow the secondary phase of coagulation and thus produce a firm shell around the filling.

 The product obtained is then removed from the mold, preferably overcoated and packaged. Depending on the shape of the mold and the characteristics of texture, taste and consistency of the two constituents, a wide range of new and original products will be obtained.

 Advantageously, the mold is preheated to a temperature close to the coagulation temperature in order to cause coagulation on the walls of the mold as quickly as possible, during co-molding.

 The coagulation temperature should not be too high, because too great a thermal shock must be avoided, from which coagulation and demoulding problems would result, the optimum temperature being 30 to 50 ° C.

 For carrying out this process, it is preferable that the milk protein concentrate and the internal paste have substantially the same viscosity; indeed, the internal dough when it begins to flow in the mold must not crush the external dough intended to constitute the shell, already present in the mold by causing a rise of this one on the walls of the mold and the internal dough should not be added to the center of the mold due to a too low screw cosity compared to the product constituting the shell, but must fill the volume reserved for it.

 The viscosity is advantageously between 0.5 and 15 Pa.s for the internal paste and between 0.9 and 1.5 Pa.s for the coating at a temperature of 30 ° C.

 Of course, depending on the rheological characteristics of the product, it may be different provided that the product is sufficiently fluid to be molded.

 In a second embodiment illustrated in Figures 3A to 3D, the method can be carried out in four stages.

 - In a first step (Figure 3A), a mold 12 is filled with an amount of external paste 1 corresponding to the desired volume of the shell.

 - In a second step 3B, a forming is carried out by placing an imprint 13 of shape complementary to that of the mold 12 and on. causes the external paste to clot by increasing the temperature.

- In a third step, the imprint 13 is removed from the mold and the interior of the shell is filled with the constituent of the fodder 2 as illustrated in the
Figure 3C.

 - In an optional fourth step, an upper crown 14 is placed on the mold, in the same configuration as the upper face of the mold 12 and an appropriate amount of external paste is poured so as to close the shell filled with filling with the paste external as illustrated in FIG. 3D and the latter is made to coagulate so as to obtain, after demolding and packaging, a product of semi-spherical shape as illustrated in FIG. 4B.

 It is also possible to unmold the product obtained at the end of the third step illustrated in 3C and having the shape of a half-sphere and to produce a finished product by combining two half-spheres then packaging them so as to obtain the product shown in Figure 4A.

 The filling of the mold is carried out at the coagulation temperature so as to solidify the milk protein concentrate forming the shell. This technique does not have the same constraints as the continuous technique, we can admit different viscosities for the two constituents.

 It is also obvious that the different steps can be automated.

 According to a third embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the dip method widely used in the chocolate industry is used for the production of certain products such as cherries coated with stems, in the ice cream industry for making iced sticks coated with chocolate. One can admit in this case different viscosities for the two constituents.

 - In a first step, the internal paste 2 is given the desired shape by molding. Preferably, the latter is provided with a rod 15, one end of the rod being taken in the paste 2 and the other end projecting beyond of dough 2 so as to allow gripping. This produces the intermediate product illustrated in Figure 5A.

- In a second step, illustrated by the
FIG. 5A, the dough is dipped; molded and provided with a rod 15 in the uncoagulated dairy protein concentrate 1 cooled so that the latter is distributed all around the dough 2.

 it is also possible to pass the molded internal paste through a film falling from cooled external paste, renneted but not coagulated.

 - In a third step, the internal dough 2 surrounded by a thin layer of renneted but uncoagulated external dough as shown in Figure 5C is placed in a tunnel of hot air so that the coagulation of the external dough occur, thereby achieving the outer shell around the inner paste 2 as shown in Figure 5D.

 All of these embodiments make it possible to obtain in a simple manner new cheese products of variable shape and size ranging from the bite of 5 to 109 and the bar from 20 to 50 g to prepackaged or cut products from 200 to 3009.

 The invention will be illustrated with the aid of the following examples given by way of illustration and not limitation.

EXAMPLE t
A milk protein concentrate is prepared by ultrafiltration of a skimmed milk; this paste has a dry extract of 55Z after enrichment in fat; the dough is then renneted at a rate of 20 ml of -presure per 100 kg of dough (force 1 / 1000Q), it is brought to the temperature of 8 C and maintained at this temperature to avoid the completion of the secondary coagulation.

 A filling consisting of a cheese paste is prepared from milk enriched with fat, the dry extract of which is 35X and the fat content in the dry extract of 50Z. This cheese is added with salt and flavored with chives, then abundant.

 The two constituents are then introduced into two hoppers of a "one-shot" machine as marketed by the firm AASTED for the production of chocolate boulders then extruded and molded in molds making it possible to make bites of 159.

Co-molding is carried out at 35 ° C., the external dough has a viscosity of 1 Pa.s at 30 ° C. and the filling a viscosity of 1.2 Pa.s at 30 ° C.

 The external paste is poured into the bottom of the mold to a thickness of 2 mm so as to subsequently produce the shell; then synchronously, the internal dough is poured into the mold on the external dough according to the quantity of filling desired.

We finish with an external paste pouring. After coagulation of the shell component, a bite of 159 is obtained consisting of a rigid shell surrounding a tender heart flavored with chives.

 The product is then packaged.

EXAMPLE 2
A milk protein concentrate is prepared by ultrafiltration at 40 ° C of skimmed milk until a dry extract of 40Z is obtained; this retentate is enriched in fatty matter until a dry extract of 60? is obtained. It is renneted with 20 ml of rennet of strength 1/10000. The renneted concentrate is cooled to 8 ° C. so as to avoid the secondary phase of coagulation.

 We pour into molds at '40-C the volume desired for the realization of the shell, the retentate is left for 40 min at 40'C so as to obtain the coagulation of the curd after laying an imprint of identical shape.

 The impression is removed after coagulation and demolded at room temperature. It is stuffed with fresh strawberry flavored curds. The hull is closed by pouring a layer of constituent of the hull at 40 ° C. which is left to stand for 40 min to allow the coagulation of this layer and the formation of the hull.

 The product is cooled to 10 ° C. and conditioned.

EXAMPLE 3
We prepare. a curd as a constituent of the fodder having a dry extract of 50 ?. The curd is given the form of bars of 209 which are provided with a gripping member.

 This curd with its gripping member is soaked in uncoagulated renneted retentate produced according to Example 1. The quail bars are brought out after a few minutes. and the whole is passed through a tunnel at 45 ° C. so as to achieve the coagulation of the coating consisting of a rigid shell.

 The products thus obtained are conditioned.

EXAMPLE 4
A renneted protein concentrate is prepared as in Example 2.

 This renneted concentrate is cooled to 8 ° C. so as to avoid the secondary phase of coagulation.

 Poured into molds of variable shapes, at 40 ° C., the volume desired for the production of the outer shell.

An imprint of a shape complementary to that of the mold is then placed on the surface and the retentate is left for 40 minutes at 40 ° C. so that the coagulation of the curd takes place.
The impression is removed at the end of coagulation and it is removed from the mold at room temperature.

 It is stuffed with melted cheese flavored with hazelnuts and containing hazelnut particles.

This melted cheese constituting the internal paste is poured at a temperature of 70 ° C. and rapidly cooled in contact with the external shell.

 The shell is closed by pouring a layer of constituent of the shell at 40C which is left to stand for 40 minutes at 40iC to allow coagulation of this layer and the formation of the entire shell.

The product is then cooled to 10 C to be conditioned,
Cheese bites can thus be obtained combining texture and aroma contrast.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS 1. Process for manufacturing a composite cheese product comprising an external cheese shell of firm consistency and an internal paste of more-soft consistency, characterized in that the external shell is obtained by gelation of a dairy protein concentrate.  2. Method according to claim 1, charac terized in that the outer shell is obtained by cold renneting at a temperature below  15'C of the milk protein concentrate and temperature increase up to 30 to 50'C  3. Method according to claim 1, iridescent character in that the outer shell is obtained by addition of gelling agents and modification of the temperature and / or pH.  4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that one carries out a shaping of the product continuously by -simultaneous molding of the milk protein concentrate and the internal paste.  5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the batching of the product is carried out by molding the external protein concentrate and formation of the external cheese shell followed by filling of the shell by the internal dough.  6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that one performs a shaping of the product by soaking the internal paste in the milk protein concentrate and solidification thereof to form the external cheese shell,  7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a dairy protein concentrate having a dry extract of between 35 and 70Z is prepared.  B. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the internal paste consists of fresh cheese flavored or not or flavored cheese flavored or not.  9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the internal paste consists of a protein concentrate of animal or vegetable origin enriched with fats of animal or vegetable origin.  10. Products obtained by a process according to any one of the preceding claims.