JP7117851B2 - cream cheese - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to novel cream cheeses.

In recent years, the production and consumption of natural cheese and processed cheese in Japan have been increasing both for direct consumption and for raw materials. Among them, the consumption of fresh cheese, which is unripened cheese, has been increasing.

Cream cheese, which is one of the fresh cheeses, has a good flavor, so consumption is increasing both for direct consumption and as a raw material for confectionery and bread making. On the other hand, since cream cheese is non-ripened cheese, its flavor and structure are likely to deteriorate during storage, and it cannot be stored for a long period of time. Flavor deterioration is caused by accelerated lactic acid fermentation by the starter lactic acid bacteria remaining in the product during storage, generating fermented odor and increasing acidity resulting in increased sourness (loss of freshness). In addition, texture deterioration is caused by a high moisture content, and changes in acidity destroy the texture of the cream cheese, deform its shape, make it difficult to handle (low hardness), and cause syneresis.

As a method for improving the storage stability of cream cheese, methods such as using preservatives to suppress the growth of microorganisms are generally performed, but the effect is limited and the effect of preventing tissue deterioration is inadequate. It is enough.
Generally, it is known to add whey protein materials and calcium materials before curd formation during natural cheese production. was eliminated with whey in 2005, and was inefficient and limited in efficacy.

Methods for suppressing deterioration of flavor and texture of cream cheese during storage include heat sterilization, which is generally performed in cheese production, that is, processing into cheeses such as processed cheese. By processing it into processed cheese, the starter lactic acid bacteria remaining in the cheese are deactivated by heating to prevent an increase in acidity during storage.

Addition of a stabilizer or the like can be used as a method for suppressing deformation and syneresis during storage. However, stabilizers tend to give rise to a stickiness peculiar to cheeses, and this stickiness peculiar to stabilizers causes unpleasant adhesion of cheeses to teeth in the oral cavity, poor melting in the mouth, and It causes poor removability and adhesion of cheeses to fingers and cooking utensils. The fresh flavor is also a property peculiar to cream cheeses, but if the stabilizer is added excessively, the cheese will have a gel-like texture and the flavor of the stabilizer itself will be expressed, so these will be lost. Become.
Thus, it has been difficult to provide cream cheeses with all of the properties of suppressing an increase in acidity, maintaining fresh flavor, suppressing syneresis, and good hardness.

For example, in Patent Document 1, the milk protein concentrate is contained at 4% by weight or more, the pH is adjusted to 4.5 to 5.7, and the average fat globule diameter is set to 1.8 μm or less to impart hardness and cook. Although the suitability and baking suitability are improved, Patent Document 1 does not describe sourness, fresh flavor, and syneresis.

Moreover, Patent Document 2 describes a cream cheese that has good breaking resistance, melts well in the mouth, and does not cause syneresis due to the addition of dietary fiber and gelatin, but the pH range is limited to 5.3 or less. ing.

Patent Document 3 also describes cutting suitability, shape retention and hardness by blending a specific stabilizer, but does not describe acidity and syneresis. In addition, the method described in Patent Document 3 does not sufficiently suppress stickiness, and does not result in imparting a fresh flavor.

JP 2013-66432 JP 2012-187069 JP 2009-112226

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel cream cheese having a fresh flavor with reduced sourness, moderate hardness and heat-resistant shape retention, and little syneresis during storage. .

In cream cheeses, the present inventors adjusted the pH range and added whey protein and calcium to maintain a fresh flavor with reduced acidity, while imparting hardness and heat-resistant shape retention. The inventors have found that separation of water is suppressed, and completed the present invention.
That is, the present invention includes the following aspects.
(1) Cream cheeses that do not use stabilizers, have a pH of 5.35 or more, and have syneresis of 10 g/50 g/cream cheeses or less.
(2) The cream cheese according to (1), which has a hardness of 700 gw or more.
(3) The cream cheese according to (1) or (2), which has a heat resistant shape retention of 80% or more.
(4) Stabilizer-free cream cheeses having a pH of 5.35 or higher and a hardness of 700 gw or higher.
(5) The cream cheese according to (4), which has a heat resistant shape retention of 80% or more.
(6) Cream cheeses that do not use stabilizers, have a pH of 5.35 or higher, and have a heat-resistant shape retention of 80% or higher.
(7) Cream cheese containing whey protein at a final concentration of 2.3% by weight or more, calcium at a final concentration of 0.4% by weight or more, pH of 5.35 or more, and no stabilizer.
(8) Cream cheeses in which the weight ratio of the final concentration of calcium to the final concentration of whey protein is from 0.05:1 to 0.30:1.
(9) Step of adding whey protein material to the raw cheese curd so that the whey protein content is 2.3% by weight or more at the final concentration Raw cheese curd so that the calcium content is 0.4% by weight or more at the final concentration and adjusting the pH of the mixture of raw cheese curds, whey protein material and calcium material to 5.35 or higher.

To provide cream cheeses exhibiting a fresh flavor with reduced sourness, sufficient hardness and heat-resistant shape retention, and suppressed syneresis during storage.

(cream cheese)
In the present invention, cream cheeses refer to foods containing natural cheese, processed cheese, milk, etc. as main raw materials, or cheese foods, and generally include cream cheese or cream cheese-like foods.

(whey protein)
Any whey protein contained in animal milk can be used as the whey protein in the present invention. In the present invention, one type of whey protein may be used, or two or more types of whey protein may be used. When two or more types of whey proteins are used, there are no restrictions on the combination of whey proteins used or their ratio.
The degree of denaturation of the whey protein used in the present invention may be 100%, but the lower the degree of denaturation, the higher the effect of imparting hardness to cream cheeses, so the degree of denaturation of the whey protein is preferably 80% or less. 50% or less is more preferable, and 20% or less is even more preferable.
When whey protein is added to the cream cheese of the present invention, a material containing whey protein (hereinafter referred to as whey protein material) can be used. Whey protein materials may be derived from those separated during cheese production or those separated from animal milk, but both can be used. Whey can be separated from the raw material by conventionally used methods such as separators and membrane concentrators. The separated whey may be concentrated by a commonly used method such as a membrane concentrator, a vegan concentrator, or a vessel concentrator. When drying, general methods such as spray drying and freeze drying may be used.
The whey protein content in the whey protein material may be 20% by weight or less. Weight % or more is more preferable.
WPI895 (manufactured by Fonterra), YO8075 (manufactured by Arla Foods), WPC550 (manufactured by Fonterra) and the like can be exemplified as whey protein materials that can be used, but are not limited thereto.

(concentration of whey protein)
The final concentration of whey protein in the present invention is the sum of the amount of whey protein contained in the raw cheese curd and the amount of whey protein derived from whey protein materials other than the raw cheese curd in the final cream cheese product. concentration.

Whey protein may be added to the cream cheese so that the amount of whey protein is 2.3% by weight or more (0.25% by weight or more of whey protein based on the total protein of the final product). For example, when the cream cheese as a raw material contains about 0.3 to 0.9% by weight of whey protein, the amount of whey protein is taken into consideration so that the amount of whey protein is 1.4 to 2.0% by weight or more. Material should be added. Even when whey protein is contained in raw materials other than the raw material cream cheese, the amount of whey protein material to be added is adjusted in the same manner as above, and the whey protein in the cream cheese is 2.3% by weight or more (in the final product total protein On the other hand, the whey protein should be 0.25 wt%/wt% or more).

The content of whey protein in the cream cheese of the present invention is 2.3% by weight or more (whey protein is 0.25%/wt% or more relative to the final product total protein), preferably 2.8% by weight or more (final 0.29 wt%/wt% or more of whey protein relative to total product protein), more preferably 3 wt% or more (0.33 wt%/wt% or more of whey protein relative to final product total protein), and Preferably 4 wt% or more (0.4 wt%/wt% or more whey protein based on final product total protein), most preferably 5 wt% or more (0.45 wt% whey protein based on final product total protein %/wt% or more). The upper limit is 20 wt% or less in the final product (whey protein is 0.8 wt% / wt% or less in the final product total protein), preferably 18 wt% or less (whey protein in the final product total protein is 0.77 wt%/wt% or less), more preferably 15 wt% or less (whey protein is 0.73 wt%/wt% or less relative to the final product total protein), more preferably 12 wt% or less (final 0.66% whey protein, based on total product protein), most preferably 10% or less (0.6% whey protein, based on final product total protein) .

(calcium)
The final concentration of calcium in the present invention is the total concentration of the amount of calcium contained in the raw cheese curd and the amount of calcium derived from calcium materials other than the raw cheese curd in the final cream cheese product. Any calcium material that can be used in the present invention can be used as long as it is commonly used as a food or food additive. Examples include tricalcium phosphate and calcium chloride. The calcium material may be added so that the amount of calcium in the cream cheese is 0.4% by weight or more (the amount of calcium relative to the total whey protein in the final product is 0.14% by weight/weight). For example, when cream cheese as a raw material contains about 0.06 to 0.08% by weight of calcium, 0.32 to 0.34% by weight or more of calcium material may be added in consideration of this amount. Even if calcium is contained in ingredients other than the raw material cream cheese, the amount of calcium material to be added is adjusted in the same manner as above, and the amount of calcium in the cream cheese is 0.4% by weight or more (calcium relative to the total whey protein in the final product). 0.14 wt %/wt % or more). The content of calcium in cream cheese is 0.4% by weight or more (calcium content relative to final product total whey protein is 0.14%/weight% or more), preferably 0.5% by weight or more (final product total whey protein 0.17 wt%/wt% or more of calcium based on total whey protein), more preferably 0.7 wt% or more (0.25 wt%/wt% or more of calcium based on final product total whey protein). The upper limit is 5% by weight or less in the final product (the amount of calcium relative to the total whey protein in the final product is 1%/% by weight or less), preferably 4% by weight or less (the amount of calcium relative to the total whey protein in the final product is 0.8% by weight). %/wt% or less), more preferably 3 wt% or less (the amount of calcium in the final product total whey protein is 0.6 wt%/wt% or less), more preferably 2 wt% or less (calcium in the final product total whey protein 0.4 wt.%/wt.% or less), most preferably 1.5 wt.% or less (0.3 wt.%/wt.% or less calcium relative to final product total whey protein).

The weight ratio of the final concentration of calcium and the final concentration of whey protein is from 0.05:1 to 0.30:1, preferably from 0.1:1 to 0.28:1, more preferably from 0.15:1 0.26:1.

(pH)
In the present invention, pH is adjusted to 5.35 or higher. The pH is preferably 5.60 or higher, more preferably 5.65 or higher, even more preferably 5.71 or higher, and most preferably 5.75 or higher.
When adjusting the pH, a pH adjuster generally used in food production may be used, such as sodium bicarbonate, lactic acid, citric acid, and fruit juice. It is also possible to adjust the pH using microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria.
The timing of adding the pH adjuster is not particularly limited as long as the final product has a pH of 5.35 or higher, and may be added to the raw cheese curd or after mixing with other raw materials. In cream cheeses, which have a higher moisture content than other types of cheese, raising the pH is effective in enhancing water retention and improving smoothness. Also, by increasing the pH, it is expected to reduce the acidity. If the acidity is reduced, the fresh flavor becomes more attractive. In addition, as a raw material, the range of use for cooking and fillings is expanding. For this reason, the pH is preferably 5.35 or higher. However, if the pH is too high, the bonds between proteins will loosen due to electrostatic interaction and the tissue will become soft and sticky. pH 5.75 to pH 6.2 is more preferred.

(no stabilizer used)
Not using stabilizers means not only not using stabilizers at all, but also using stabilizers in a manner that does not realize their effect, that is, the effect of stabilizing the physical properties of cream cheeses, and manufacturing and processing of food raw materials. It is a food additive that was used in the past and is not used in the production of the food, and when it is carried over to the final food, it becomes a trace amount in the final food and does not show the effect of the food additive itself. Including so-called carryover. Embodiments that do not realize the effect of stabilizing the physical properties of cream cheese include adding a very small amount of stabilizer, for example, 0.1 g or less, 0.5 g or less, or 1 g or less to 1000 g of cream cheese. be Examples of stabilizers include those commonly used in foods, such as agar, gelatin, locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, methylcellulose, dextrin, modified starch, and dietary fiber.

(Other raw materials)
In the present invention, if there is a desired texture and flavor in addition to the fresh flavor, it is possible to add a flavor, fruit, etc. that are effective in imparting them. However, if too much fruit is added, the texture deteriorates, so the amount of flavor/fruit added should be adjusted as appropriate. When syrup or fruit juice with a high water content is added, it is possible to use butter, milk protein, or starch according to specifications for the purpose of adjusting the solid content. In general, cheeses with a high moisture content tend to deteriorate in texture. In the present invention, there is no particular limitation on the water content, but when particularly sufficient hardness is expected, it is preferable to adjust the water content within the range of 40 to 65% by weight.

Also, in the present invention, an emulsifier can be used as appropriate. The emulsifier that can be used in the production of the cream cheese of the present invention may be any emulsifier that is generally used in the production of processed cheese, such as sodium diphosphate, sodium polyphosphate, and sodium citrate. In addition, those containing citric acid such as lemon juice and those containing phosphoric acid such as soft drinks can also be used.

(Production method)
The cream cheese of the present invention can be obtained by a general method for producing cream cheese. For example, the raw milk includes raw milk, whole milk, and modified milk, and concentrated milk obtained by concentrating these by heating concentration, centrifugal concentration, filtration membrane concentration, vacuum concentration, etc. can also be used. In addition, fresh cream, butter, skim milk, etc. may be added to raw material milk and concentrated milk, if necessary. As a heat sterilization step, the raw material milk or concentrated milk is heat sterilized, for example, at about 60° C. for 30 minutes or at about 75° C. for 15 seconds. After the heat sterilization step, the mixture is cooled in a plate heat exchanger, and homogenized at a homogenization pressure of 5 MPa to 25 MPa, preferably 15 MPa to 20 MPa as a homogenization step. After the homogenization step, a curd production step is performed in which milk-clotting enzymes and/or organic acids and/or lactic acid bacteria are added and allowed to react to produce curd. The milk-clotting enzymes, organic acids, and lactic acid bacteria that can be used in the curd production process can be used without any particular restrictions as long as they are used in normal cheese production. After the curd production step, heat sterilization is performed as necessary, and then whey is removed to obtain curd. Whey exclusion may be performed by techniques used in cheese making, such as cutting, pressing, membranes, separators, and the like. The curd thus obtained is used as raw material cheese curd, or the curd is once cooled and used as raw material natural cream cheese.
After mixing whey protein, a calcium material, a pH adjuster, and other appropriate auxiliary materials with raw cheese curds or raw natural cheese, heat sterilization and/or emulsification are performed as necessary. The steps up to mixing and/or heat sterilization and/or emulsification of sub-ingredients may be continuous, batch, or a combination of continuous and batch. There are various mixers, heat sterilizers, and emulsifiers depending on the difference in stirring share, the difference in direct heating or indirect heating, etc., but any of them may be used. By heating and mixing, it becomes a uniform structure with good storage stability. A further step of adding shares may be included. A machine for adding shear is not particularly limited, and for example, an in-line homomixer, a homogenizer, a TK homomixer, or the like can be used.

The cream cheeses thus obtained are characterized by reduced sourness, fresh flavor, sufficient hardness, and little syneresis during storage. Being able to impart such physical properties without using a stabilizer also has the advantage of stabilizing-free labeling.

(Whey content and undenatured whey content)
The whey protein content of the cream cheeses and whey protein raw materials of the present invention can be determined by the method described in Identification and quantification of major bovine milk proteins by liquid chromatography (Bordin et al 2001 J. Chromatography).
The undenatured whey protein content of the whey protein raw material of the cream cheeses of the present invention can be analyzed by the method described in A Papid Method for the Determination of Whey Protein Denaturation (N.Parris 1991 JDS).
(Sensory evaluation of acidity and fresh flavor)
The sourness and fresh flavor of the cream cheese of the present invention can be evaluated by sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation was conducted by a round table method by five trained expert panelists, and the acidity was evaluated as "strong: ×" or "good: ○", and the fresh flavor was evaluated as "none: ×" or "yes: ○". It can be evaluated by the method of
(calcium content)
The cream cheeses of the present invention and the calcium content of the calcium raw material can be analyzed by ICP emission spectrometry.
(pH)
The pH of the cream cheese of the present invention was measured by adding 40 g of ion-exchanged water to 12 g of the sample, grinding the mixture with a homoblender (AM-11, manufactured by Nippon Seiki, etc.) at 10,000 rpm for 1 minute, and measuring the pH with a pH meter at room temperature (23°C). (F-52, manufactured by Horiba Ltd., etc.).

(hardness)
The hardness of the cream cheese of the present invention can be measured by a compression test using a texture analyzer.
One mode of hardness measurement is shown below. The cream cheese of the present invention, which was cut into cubes of 10 mm on each side and cooled to 10° C., was compressed from the upper surface at a speed of 0.5 mm/s to 80% of the sample height using a jig (75 mm compression plate). The stress data at that time is collected with a Texture Analyzer (TA-XT2i: manufactured by Stable Micro System) and the software attached thereto (Texture Expert V1.20: manufactured by Stable Micro System) to obtain the hardness.
In the present invention, "sufficient hardness" refers to hardness of 700 gw or more as determined by a compression test using a texture analyzer.

(Heat resistant shape retention)
The heat-resistant shape retention of the cream cheese of the present invention is evaluated by cutting the cream cheese of the present invention into cubes with a side of 15 mm, placing filter paper on a large petri dish, arranging the cream cheeses so that they do not come into contact with each other, and boiling. Put the petri dish with the cream cheeses in the heated steamer, cover the steamer and steam for 10 minutes, then remove the petri dish and allow to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then measure the height of the cream cheeses with a vernier caliper. , the heat resistant shape retention can be evaluated by calculating the ratio of the height after heating to 15 mm before heating.
In addition, in the present invention, 80% or more is assumed to have heat resistant shape retention.

(takeoff)
The syneresis amount of the cream cheese of the present invention is obtained by centrifuging 50 g of the cream cheese with a centrifuge (Avanti HP-25I, manufactured by BECKMANCOULTER) at 14000 rpm (28977 G) at 20 ° C. for 20 minutes and measuring the weight of the separated water. can be evaluated by
In the present invention, less syneresis is defined as less than 10 g/50 g of cream cheese.

Examples of the present invention will be described below in detail to clarify the effects of the present invention. However, the example is one aspect of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the example.

[Example 1]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 82°C for 5 minutes, homogenized at 50°C and 15 MPa, solidified using lactic acid bacteria starter and rennet, separated by a separator at 80°C, and cooled to 10°C. To 3 kg of cream cheese, 3% by weight of WPI895 (Fonterra), 1% by weight of tricalcium phosphate (calcium content 40%) were added so that the final weight of whey protein and calcium was 2.8% by weight and 0.46% by weight, respectively. % by weight) was added. Sodium polyphosphate is 1.2% by weight, sodium bicarbonate is added to pH 5.75, butter and water are added so that the final moisture content is 53% by weight, and the fat content is 32% by weight. After heating to 85° C. at 1500 rpm, the mixture was creamed for 1 minute to emulsify with heating to obtain about 3.5 kg of cream cheese. A three-sided plain bag (for retort pouches, manufactured by Keihan Cellophane Co., Ltd.) was filled with the mixture and rapidly cooled with ice water to obtain Example product 1. (Example product 1).

[Example 2]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 75°C for 15 seconds, homogenized at 55°C and 17 MPa, solidified with lactic acid bacteria starter and rennet, separated by a separator at 75°C, and cooled to 12°C. To 3 kg of cream cheese, add 3% by weight of WPI895 (manufactured by Fonterra) and 2% by weight of tricalcium phosphate so that the final weights of whey protein and calcium are 2.8% by weight and 0.76% by weight, respectively. did. Sodium polyphosphate is 1.2% by weight, sodium bicarbonate is added to pH 6.5, butter and water are added so that the final moisture content is 53% by weight, and the fat content is 32% by weight. After heating to 85° C. at 1500 rpm, the mixture was creamed for 1 minute to emulsify with heating to obtain about 3.5 kg of cream cheese. A three-sided plain bag (for retort pouches, manufactured by Keihan Cellophane Co., Ltd.) was filled with the mixture and rapidly cooled with ice water to obtain Example product 2. (Example product 2).

[Example 3]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 75 ° C for 15 seconds, homogenized at 50 ° C and 15 MPa, solidified using lactic acid bacteria starter and rennet, and separated by a separator at 80 ° C. Whey protein is added to 3 kg of raw cheese curds prepared. 5% by weight of WPI895 (manufactured by Fonterra) and 1.3% by weight of tricalcium phosphate were added to give final weights of 5.3% by weight and 0.56% by weight of calcium, respectively. Add baking soda so that the pH is 5.71, add butter and water so that the final moisture content is 53% by weight and the fat content is 32% by weight, then heat to 85°C in a kettle at 150 rpm. Mixed to obtain about 3.5 kg of cream cheese. A three-side plain bag (for retort pouches, manufactured by Keihan Cellophane Co., Ltd.) was filled with the mixture, and slowly cooled at room temperature to obtain Example Product 3. (Example product 3).

[Example 4]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 60 ° C for 30 minutes, homogenized at 50 ° C and 15 MPa, solidified using lactic acid bacteria starter and rennet, separated by a separator at 80 ° C, mixed at 75 ° C for 30 minutes, and then 10 2% by weight of WPI895 (manufactured by Fonterra) to 3 kg of raw natural cream cheese prepared by cooling to ° C., so that the final weight of whey protein and calcium is 3.5% by weight and 0.56% by weight, respectively. A 20% by weight solution of WPI895 in an amount of 2% by weight on the final weight was preheated at 90° C. for 30 minutes, and 1.3% by weight of tricalcium phosphate was added. Sodium polyphosphate is 1.2% by weight, baking soda is added to pH 6.2, butter and water are added so that the final moisture content is 53% by weight, and the fat content is 32% by weight. At 150 rpm, the mixture was heated and mixed to 85° C., and then homogenized at 10 MPa to obtain about 3.5 kg of cream cheese. A three-sided plain bag (for retort pouches, manufactured by Keihan Cellophane Co., Ltd.) was filled with the mixture, and the mixture was rapidly cooled in a 10°C chamber to obtain Example Product 4. (Example product 4).

[Example 5]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized by reaching 95°C, homogenized at 50°C and 15 MPa, solidified using lactic acid bacteria starter, separated by UF membrane at 80°C, and cooled to 10°C. WPI 895 (manufactured by Fonterra) at 2.5% by weight and tricalcium phosphate at 0.9% for a final weight of 2.3% by weight and 0.42% by weight respectively of whey protein and calcium to 3 kg of cream cheese. Example product 5 was obtained in the same manner as Example product 1 except that sodium bicarbonate was added so that the pH was 5.6. (Example product 5).

[Example 6]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 75°C for 15 seconds, homogenized at 50°C and 15 MPa, solidified using lactic acid bacteria starter and rennet, separated by a separator at 80°C, hot-packed at 70°C, then 10°C. 2.7% by weight of WPI895 (manufactured by Fonterra), phosphoric acid Example product 6 was obtained in the same manner as Example product 1 except that 0.9% by weight of tricalcium was added and sodium bicarbonate was added so that the pH was adjusted to 5.35. (Example product 6).

[Comparative Example 1]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 82°C for 5 minutes, homogenized at 50°C and 15 MPa, solidified using a lactic acid bacteria starter, separated by a separator at 80°C, and cooled to 10°C to prepare raw material natural cream cheese 3. To .3 kg, add baking soda to a final weight of 1.2% sodium polyphosphate and a pH of 4.7, add butter and After adding water, the mixture was heated to 85° C. at 1500 rpm in a Stephan kettle and then creamed for 1 minute to emulsify with heating to obtain about 3.7 kg of cream cheese. A three-side plain bag (for retort pouches, manufactured by Keihan Cellophane Co., Ltd.) was filled with the mixture and rapidly cooled with ice water to obtain Comparative Example 1. (Comparative example product 1).

[Comparative Example 2]
About 3.7 kg of cream cheese was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that sodium bicarbonate was added so as to adjust the pH to 5.35. (Comparative example product 2).

[Comparative Example 3]
About 3.7 kg of cream cheese was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that sodium bicarbonate was added so as to adjust the pH to 5.9. (Comparative example product 3).

[Comparative Example 4]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 75°C for 15 seconds, homogenized at 50°C and 15 MPa, solidified using lactic acid bacteria starter and rennet, separated by a separator at 80°C, and cooled to 10°C. WPI 895 (manufactured by Fonterra) was added to 3.1 kg of cream cheese at a final weight of 1.5% by weight and 0.46% by weight of calcium, respectively, and 1.5% by weight of WPI 895 and 1 part of tricalcium phosphate. % was added. Sodium polyphosphate is 1.2% by weight, sodium bicarbonate is added so that the pH is 5.77, butter and water are added so that the final moisture content is 53% by weight, and the fat content is 32% by weight. After heating to 85° C. at 1500 rpm, the mixture was creamed for 1 minute to emulsify with heating to obtain about 4 kg of cream cheese. A three-sided plain bag (for retort pouches, manufactured by Keihan Cellophane Co., Ltd.) was filled with the mixture and rapidly cooled in a 10°C chamber to obtain Comparative Example Product 4. (Comparative example product 4).

[Comparative Example 5]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 75°C for 15 seconds, homogenized at 50°C and 15 MPa, solidified using lactic acid bacteria starter and rennet, separated by a separator at 80°C, and cooled to 10°C. WPI 895 (manufactured by Fonterra) at 3% by weight and tricalcium phosphate at 0.8% for a final weight of 2.8% by weight and 0.36% by weight of calcium in 3 kg of cream cheese. was added. Sodium polyphosphate is 1.2% by weight, sodium bicarbonate is added to pH 5.71, butter and water are added so that the final moisture content is 53% by weight, and the fat content is 32% by weight. After heating to 85° C. at 1500 rpm, the mixture was creamed for 1 minute and heat-emulsified to obtain about 4.5 kg of cream cheese. A three-sided plain bag (for retort pouches, manufactured by Keihan Cellophane Co., Ltd.) was filled with the mixture and rapidly cooled in a 10° C. storage to obtain Comparative Example Product 5. (Comparative example product 5).

[Comparative Example 6]
Raw milk and cream are used as raw materials, sterilized at 75°C for 15 seconds, homogenized at 50°C and 15 MPa, solidified using a lactic acid bacteria starter, separated by a separator at 80°C, and cooled to 10°C to prepare raw material natural cream cheese. To 3 kg, add 3% by weight of WPI895 (manufactured by Fonterra) and 0.8% by weight of tricalcium phosphate so that the final weights of whey protein and calcium are 2.8% by weight and 0.4% by weight, respectively. Comparative Example Product 6 was obtained in the same manner as Comparative Example Product 5 except that baking soda was added so that sodium polyphosphate was 1.2% by weight and pH was 5.27. (Comparative example product 6).

[Test Example 1]
The resulting cream cheeses were subjected to the following methods for (1) undenatured whey amount, (2) syneresis amount, (3) hardness, (4) heat-resistant shape retention, (5) sourness and freshness. An evaluation was carried out.

(1) Whey content and undenatured whey content Quantification of whey protein content in cheese was measured by the method described in Identification and quantification of major bovine milk proteins by liquid chromatography. (Bordin et al 2001 J. Chromatography).
As the undenatured whey protein content, the percentage of whey protein separated by the method described in A Papid Method for the Determination of Whey Protein Denaturation (N.Parris 1991 JDS) was analyzed.

(2) Amount of water separation A 50 g sample was centrifuged at 14000 rpm (28977 G) at 20°C for 20 minutes using a centrifuge (Avanti HP-25I, manufactured by BECKMAN COULTER), and the weight of separated water was measured. 10 g/50 g of cream cheese or less was considered to have little syneresis.

(3) Hardness Hardness was measured with a Texture Analyzer (TA-XT2i: manufactured by StableMicroSystem). Stress data when a sample cut into a cube of 10 mm on a side and cooled to 10°C is compressed from the top surface to 80% of the sample height at a speed of 0.5 mm/s using a jig (75 mm Compression Plate). was collected by the software attached to the device (Texture Expert V1.20: manufactured by StableMicroSystem) and used as the hardness. A hardness of 700 gw or more was defined as "sufficient hardness".

(4) Heat-Resistant Shape-Retaining Property Heat-resistant shape-retaining property was measured by cutting out a sample into cubes with a side of 15 mm, placing filter paper on a large petri dish, and arranging the samples so that they do not come into contact with each other. Put the petri dish in a steamer that has been brought to a boil, cover the steamer with a lid, and steam for 10 minutes. The sample was taken out together with the petri dish and allowed to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then, the height of the sample was measured with a vernier caliper, and the ratio to 15 mm was taken as heat resistant shape retention. 80% or more were determined to have heat resistant shape retention.

(5) Sensory evaluation of sour taste and fresh flavor Sensory evaluation evaluated sour taste and fresh flavor. The evaluation was conducted by a round table method by five trained expert panelists. The sour taste was evaluated as "strong: ×" or "good: ○", and the fresh flavor was evaluated as "absent: ×" or "yes: ○".

(6) Calcium content Analyzed by ICP emission spectrometry.

(result)
From the table, it can be seen that cream cheeses containing 2.3% by weight or more of whey protein and 0.4% by weight or more of calcium for example products 1 to 6 of cream cheese prepared by various methods had a pH of 5.0. At 35 or higher, syneresis was less at 8.9 g or less, hardness was sufficient at 772 gw or more, and heat resistant shape retention was high at 83% or more. In addition, all the products of Examples had a good sourness and a fresh feeling.

Comparative products 1 and 2, which were adjusted to pH 4.7 and pH 5.35, had sufficient hardness, but had a large amount of syneresis and a strong sour taste. Comparative product 3 adjusted to pH 5.9 suppressed syneresis and reduced sourness, but the result was insufficient hardness. In Comparative Example 4 containing 1.5% by weight of whey protein and 0.46% by weight of calcium at a pH of 5.71 or higher, the hardness was insufficient. is considered preferable. In addition, even in Comparative Example 5 containing 2.8% by weight of whey protein and 0.36% by weight of calcium at a pH of 5.71 or higher, the hardness was insufficient. is considered preferable. In addition, in Comparative Example 6 containing 2.8% by weight of whey protein and 0.4% by weight of calcium at a pH of 5.27, syneresis occurred, a sour taste occurred, and a fresh feeling was not felt, so the pH was 5.35. It is considered preferable to set the above.

From the above, in order to obtain cream cheeses having sufficient hardness, heat-resistant shape retention, reduced acidity, and fresh flavor, whey protein of 2.3% by weight or more and calcium of 0.4% by weight or more are added. It is preferable that the pH is 5.35 or higher.

Claims (3)

Stabilizer-free, pH is 5.35 or more, syneresis is 10 g/50 g cream cheese or less, hardness is 700 gw or more, heat resistant shape retention is 80% or more , and whey protein is 2 at the final concentration. Cream cheeses containing at least 3% by weight of calcium at a final concentration of at least 0.4% by weight . Cream cheeses according to claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of the final concentration of calcium and the final concentration of whey protein is from 0.05:1 to 0.30:1. A step of adding a whey protein material to the raw cheese curd so that the whey protein content is 2.3% by weight or more at the final concentration ;
A step of adding a calcium material to the raw cheese curd so that the final calcium content is 0.4% by weight or more, and adjusting the pH of the mixture of the raw cheese curd, the whey protein material, and the calcium material to 5.35 or more. the process of
The method for producing cream cheese according to claim 1 , comprising.