JP7218229B2 - Method for producing processed cheese - Google Patents

Description

The present technology relates to a method for producing processed cheeses. More specifically, it relates to a method for producing processed cheese using natural cheese matured with mold.

Processed cheeses are generally made by blending one or more natural cheeses with water, molten salt, etc., heating and melting, emulsifying, molding into a predetermined shape, cooling, and solidifying. manufactured. If the viscosity of the melted product before molding is too high or too low, it may interfere with transportation and filling on the production line. It is necessary to adjust the viscosity of the melt.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for suppressing a viscosity increase during heating and melting by adding a molten salt and an emulsifier to raw materials in producing processed cheese containing pre-cooked cheese. Patent Document 2 describes a technique of blending a molten salt and an emulsifier with an HLB of 3 or more and 12 or less in the production of processed cheese. It is disclosed that this makes it possible to obtain processed cheeses having a viscosity at 80° C. of 300 dPa·s or less after emulsification and having manufacturing suitability.

JP-A-9-154486 JP 2017-225420 A

By the way, natural cheese aged by mold is popular for its unique flavor produced by the action of enzymes and metabolites produced by mold, but it does not keep as long as processed cheese. Therefore, processed cheese having the flavor of natural cheese matured with mold has been developed, and commercial products are currently distributed. However, many of the commercially available products are considered to be flavored by using cheese powder processed into powder, flavoring, etc., and there is room for improvement in flavor. In order to improve the flavor of the conventional products, the present inventors tried to produce processed cheeses by blending natural cheese itself aged with mold as a raw material. As a result, although the flavor can be improved, there is a problem that the filling aptitude is lowered. However, there is a problem that the filling process becomes difficult due to problems such as protruding out of the container.

Therefore, the main object of the present technology is to provide a method for producing processed cheese containing natural cheese matured with mold and having good filling aptitude during production.

The inventor of the present invention made earnest studies to solve the above problems. As a result, instead of heating and melting all the raw materials at once, a first melting step of heating and melting raw materials containing natural cheese aged with mold to prepare a raw material composition, and a raw material containing the raw material composition The inventors have found that process cheeses with good filling aptitude can be obtained by dividing the process into two stages, that is, the second melting process of heating and melting, and have completed the present technology.

That is, the present technology includes a first melting step of heating and melting a raw material containing natural cheese matured with mold and emulsifying it to prepare a raw material composition, and heating and melting the raw material composition and raw materials containing natural cheese. and a second melting step of emulsifying to prepare melted cheese.
The melted cheese may have a viscosity of 5000 mPa·s or more at 80°C.
The natural cheese used in the second melting step may contain soft cheese.
The soft cheese is at least selected from the group consisting of cream cheese, cottage cheese, mascarpone, quark, fromage blanc, fiorello, feta, ricotta, mozzarella, brousseau, boursan, Saint Marcelin, Brillat-Savarin and Petit Suisse. You may include 1 type.
The melted cheese may contain 10 to 55% by mass of the soft cheese.
The natural cheese used in the second melting step may include semi-hard cheese and/or hard cheese.
The mass ratio of the natural cheese used in the second melting step and the raw material composition (natural cheese used in the second melting step / raw material composition) may be 2 to 30.
The mold-ripened natural cheese may be white mold-ripened natural cheese.
Milk may be the main raw material of the natural cheese aged with white mold.
The method for producing the processed cheese may include a filling step of filling a container with the melted cheese.
The processed cheeses may be portion-type processed cheeses.

According to the present technology, it is possible to produce processed cheeses that contain natural cheeses that have been matured with mold and that have good filling aptitude during production. Note that the effects achieved by the present technology are not necessarily limited to the effects described herein, and may be any of the effects described in this specification.

Preferred embodiments for implementing the present technology are described below. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are examples of representative embodiments of the present technology, and the scope of the present technology should not be construed narrowly.

In this specification, "processed cheese" refers to processed cheese, cheese food or It corresponds to any of the standards for foods whose main ingredient is milk, etc., and includes all foods that are generally considered to be processed cheeses or processed cheese-like foods.

A method for producing processed cheese according to the present technology is characterized by including a first melting step and a second melting step. Raw materials and production procedures for each step are described below.

<I. Method for producing processed cheese>
[1. First melting step]
The first melting step is a step of heat-melting and emulsifying raw materials containing natural cheese matured with mold to prepare a raw material composition.

(1) Raw material (A) Natural cheese aged with mold The natural cheese aged with mold used in the first melting step is not particularly limited as long as it is known, but for example, it is aged with white mold. Natural cheeses and natural cheeses aged with blue mold are included. Natural cheeses aged with white mold include, for example, cheeses mainly made from cow's milk such as Camembert and Brie, and cheeses mainly made from goat's milk such as Valensee and Sainte-Mole. Natural cheeses aged with blue mold include, for example, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort and the like. Among these, from the viewpoint of flavor, it is preferably natural cheese aged with white mold, more preferably natural cheese aged with white mold whose main ingredient is milk, and still more preferably camembert cheese.

The raw material composition prepared in the first melting step preferably contains 5% by mass or more, more preferably 10% by mass or more, of natural cheese aged by mold. By setting it in such a range, it is possible to obtain processed cheeses in which the flavor of natural cheese matured with mold can be felt well.

(B) Other raw materials In the first melting step, molten salt may be used when heating the natural cheese. That is, the raw material composition may contain a molten salt, and the molten salt may be any known molten salt in the field of cheese. As the molten salt, for example, one commonly used for heating and melting natural cheese can be used. Specifically, for example, citrates such as trisodium citrate; sodium orthophosphates such as monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate and trisodium phosphate; sodium pyrophosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate, condensed phosphates such as sodium metaphosphate; One type of molten salt may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination.

The raw material composition preferably contains 0.01 to 5% by mass of molten salt, more preferably 0.1 to 4% by mass. When the amount is 0.1% by mass or more, the meltability of the cheese is improved, and when the amount is 4% by mass or less, deterioration of flavor due to excessive addition of molten salt can be suppressed.

The raw material composition may contain water. The amount of water used in the preparation of the raw material composition is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set in consideration of the ease of handling the raw material composition in the second melting step.

In the first melting step, in addition to the above, known raw materials used in the production of processed cheeses, such as seasonings, thickening stabilizers, shelf life improving agents, emulsifiers, pH adjusters, preservatives, flavors, etc., are added to the present You may use it in the range which does not impair the effect of a technique.

Seasonings include salt, carbohydrates, spices, and the like. Thickening stabilizers include agar, locust bean gum, carrageenan, guar gum, xanthan gum and the like. Shelf-life improvers include glycine, sodium acetate, lysozyme, rosemary extract and the like. Examples of emulsifiers include sucrose fatty acid esters, lecithin, glycerides and the like. Examples of pH adjusters include sodium bicarbonate and lactic acid. Preservatives include sodium dehydroacetate, potassium sorbate, nisin and the like.

(2) Manufacturing procedure In the first melting step, raw materials containing natural cheese matured with mold are melted by heating and emulsified. Specifically, for example, natural cheese aged by mold is pulverized with a cutter or the like, and mixed with other raw materials such as molten salt and water with a mixer or the like. After that, an emulsifier may be used to heat and melt the raw material to emulsify. Examples of the emulsifier include known emulsifiers such as a closed emulsifier, a horizontal cheese cooker, a high-speed emulsifier, a direct heating continuous emulsifier (shock sterilizer), and an indirect heating continuous emulsifier (combinator, votator). can be used. Alternatively, a device combining a device dedicated to heat sterilization and a device dedicated to emulsification may be used. The conditions for heat melting and emulsification are not particularly limited.

The raw material composition prepared by the above procedure is used in the second melting step, which will be described later. The raw material composition may be subjected to the second melting step immediately after preparation, or may be subjected to the second melting step after being temporarily stored. When the raw material composition is stored, it is preferably stored in a refrigerator, for example, at 0 to 10° C. in order to enhance the storage stability.

[2. Second melting step]
The second melting step is a step of heating and melting raw materials including the raw material composition and natural cheese and emulsifying to prepare molten cheese. The melted cheese preferably has a viscosity of 5000 mPa·s or more at 80°C.

(1) Raw Material (A) Raw Material Composition The raw material composition used in the second melting step is prepared in the first melting step. The molten cheese prepared in the second melting step preferably contains 1 to 30% by mass of the raw material composition, more preferably 1 to 15% by mass. By setting such a range, it is possible to adjust the viscosity of the molten cheese to be more suitable for filling, and the flavor of the natural cheese aged by mold is felt well, and the processed cheese is smooth and melts in the mouth. can be obtained.

(B) Natural cheese The natural cheese used in the second melting step is not particularly limited as long as it is known. Natural cheeses are classified as soft, semi-hard, hard and extra-hard cheeses based on the moisture content in the weight of the cheese minus fat (MFFB), any of which are classified as natural cheeses. may be used.

Soft cheeses, for example, selected from the group consisting of cream cheese, cottage cheese, mascarpone, quark, fromage blanc, fiorello, feta, ricotta, mozzarella, brousseau, boursan, Saint Marcelin, Brillat-Savarin and Petit Suisse One or more natural cheeses can be used. Processed cheeses with good smoothness and melting in the mouth can be obtained by using soft cheese. That is, from the viewpoint of obtaining processed cheeses having good smoothness and melting in the mouth, it is more preferable to use soft cheese, and it is even more preferable to use cream cheese in the present technology.

As the semi-hard cheese, for example, one or more natural cheeses selected from the group consisting of gouda, cantal, samso, maribault and edam (hard edam) can be used. As the hard cheese, for example, one or more natural cheeses selected from the group consisting of cheddar, parmesan, parmigiano reggiano, grana padano, mimolette, emmental, gruyere, comte, beaufort and provolone are used. be able to. By using semi-hard cheese and/or hard cheese in combination with soft cheese, it becomes easier to adjust the melted cheese to a viscosity suitable for filling. Among these semi-hard cheeses and hard cheeses, cheddar cheese and/or gouda cheese are more preferable, and cheddar cheese is even more preferable, from the viewpoint of filling suitability and flavor.

The melted cheese preferably contains 10-55% by weight of soft cheese. In order to improve the smoothness and melting in the mouth of processed cheeses, the lower limit of the soft cheese content is more preferably 15% by mass or more, more preferably 20% by mass or more. In order to improve filling aptitude, the upper limit of the soft cheese content is more preferably 60% by mass or less, even more preferably 50% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 40% by mass or less.

The melted cheese preferably contains 20-70% by weight of semi-hard cheese and/or hard cheese. In order to adjust the viscosity of the melted cheese to be more suitable for filling, it is more preferable to set the lower limit of the content of semi-hard cheese and/or hard cheese to 30% by mass or more. In order to improve the smoothness and melting in the mouth of processed cheeses, the upper limit of the content of semi-hard cheese and / or hard cheese is more preferably 60% by mass or less, more preferably 55% by mass or less. % or less is particularly preferred.

From the viewpoint of balancing the filling suitability and the texture of processed cheeses, the mass ratio (soft cheese/semi-hard cheese and hard cheese) of the soft cheese, semi-hard cheese and hard cheese contained in the molten cheese is 0 It is preferably from 0.01 to 3.0, more preferably from 0.1 to 2.0, even more preferably from 0.1 to 1.5. By blending in such a mass ratio, it is possible to obtain processed cheeses with better smoothness and melting in the mouth while ensuring a viscosity suitable for filling. If semi-hard cheese is used and hard cheese is not used, the mass ratio is "soft cheese / semi-hard cheese", and if hard cheese is used and semi-hard cheese is not used, the mass ratio is "soft cheese / hard cheese”.

The mass ratio of the natural cheese used in the second melting step and the raw material composition (natural cheese used in the second melting step / raw material composition) is preferably 2 to 30, and more preferably 3 to 15. . By blending in such a mass ratio, it is possible to adjust the viscosity of the melted cheese to be more suitable for filling, and improve filling aptitude.

The natural cheese used in the second melting step may include mold-ripened natural cheese. However, since it brings undestroyed mold into the manufacturing equipment of the second melting process, in order to further reduce the possibility of contamination of the manufacturing equipment, natural cheese with mold that can propagate is attached to the second melting process. It is preferably not used in the melting process. On the other hand, when it is desired to obtain processed cheeses with a stronger flavor of natural cheese aged with mold while reducing the possibility of contamination, for example, a powder obtained by processing natural cheese aged with mold into powder is used. It may be blended in the second melting step. The powder is generally sterilized during processing, so there is no risk of introducing mold that can grow into the second melting step.

As described above, the present technology uses natural cheese that has been mold-ripened in the first melting step. In order to prevent non-dead fungi from entering the manufacturing equipment for the second melting process, it is preferable to physically separate the manufacturing equipment between the first melting process and the second melting process. For example, each process may be performed in a separate factory or in separate rooms within the same factory.

(C) Other raw materials In the second melting step, molten salt can be used for heating and melting. Since the type of molten salt is the same as the molten salt explained in the first melting step, the explanation is omitted here. The molten salt content is preferably 0.01 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 4% by mass in the molten cheese. When the content is 0.1% by mass or more, the meltability of the cheese is improved, and when the content is 4% by mass or less, deterioration of flavor due to excessive addition of molten salt can be suppressed.

Water can be added in the second melting step. The amount of water used in the preparation of melted cheese is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set according to the moisture content of the desired processed cheese.

In the second melting step, raw materials other than those described above may be used as long as the effect of the present technology is not impaired. Since the details are the same as those described in the first melting step, the description is omitted here.

(2) Production procedure In the second melting step, melted cheese is prepared by heat-melting and emulsifying raw materials including the raw material composition and natural cheese. Specifically, for example, after mixing the raw materials with a mixer or the like, the raw materials may be heated and melted using an emulsifier to emulsify. The conditions for heat melting and emulsification are not particularly limited.

The melted cheese prepared in the second melting step preferably has a viscosity at 80° C. of 5000 mPa·s or more, more preferably 6000 mPa·s or more, and even more preferably 8000 mPa·s or more. Molten cheese of such viscosity has good filling aptitude. The upper limit of the viscosity at 80°C is preferably 30,000 mPa·s or less, more preferably 20,000 mPa·s or less, and still more preferably 15,000 mPa·s or less. By setting the upper limit of the viscosity to such a range, the smoothness and melting in the mouth of the obtained processed cheese are improved. The viscosity of the melted cheese can be measured using a viscosity measuring instrument commonly used in the food field, and can be measured, for example, by the method described in Examples.

In completing the present technology, the present inventors have found that even if all the raw materials used in the first melting step and the second melting step are heated and melted at one time and emulsified, molten cheese with a viscosity suitable for filling can be obtained. I confirmed that it is not possible. In other words, the feature of the present technology is that the raw material is heated and melted in the first melting step and the second melting step as described above.

[3. Filling process]
Processed cheeses obtained by the present technology are preferably portion type divided by a fixed amount from the viewpoint of ease of production, high preservability, ease of eating, and the like. For this reason, the manufacturing method of the present technology preferably includes a filling step of filling a container with the melted cheese prepared in the second melting step. In the filling step, for example, a filling machine is used to discharge melted cheese from a nozzle of the filling machine to fill the container. Although the container used in the filling step is not limited, it is preferably a portion container made of aluminum foil.

[4. Cooling process]

The production method of the present technology preferably includes a cooling step of cooling the container to solidify the molten cheese after the filling step. As a result, portion-type processed cheeses molded into the shape of a container are obtained. The cooling temperature and time are not particularly limited as long as the molten cheese is solidified. After the cooling step, a step of refrigerating the obtained processed cheese may be provided.

<II. Processed cheeses>
Processed cheeses of the present technology are obtained by the production method described above. The shape of the processed cheese is not particularly limited, but portion type is preferred.

Processed cheeses of the present technology preferably have a maximum load of 0.5 to 8.0N in a breaking strength test, more preferably 1.0 to 7.0N, still more preferably 2.0 to 6.0N. be. In the breaking strength test, a 10 mm-thick processed cheese specimen of the present technology was subjected to a creep meter (RE2-33005C, manufactured by Yamaden Co., Ltd.) with a cylindrical plunger having a diameter of 8 mm. It is carried out by pushing in at a speed of 0 mm/s. The maximum load is the pressure when the specimen is compressed to 2.5 mm in the breaking strength test, and the larger the value, the harder the processed cheese. The process cheese of the present technology tends to have better filling suitability as the maximum load increases, but if the maximum load is excessively large, the filling suitability may be poor. In addition, the smaller the maximum load, the softer and more preferable texture is obtained, but if the maximum load is excessively small, the filling aptitude may be poor. Therefore, in order to obtain processed cheeses with a soft texture while enabling filling production, the maximum load is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 8.0N.

The processed cheese of the present technology preferably has a water content of 40 to 60% by mass, more preferably 43 to 57% by mass, and even more preferably 45 to 55% by mass. The value of moisture content is the value measured by the normal pressure heating/drying aid method. A sample amount of 3 g is dried at a drying temperature of 105° C. to obtain a constant weight (mass after drying), and the water content (unit: mass %) can be obtained by the following formula.
Moisture content = {(mass before drying - mass after drying) / mass before drying} x 100

Hereinafter, the present technology will be described in further detail based on examples. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are examples of representative embodiments of the present technology, and the scope of the present technology should not be interpreted narrowly.

<Production of processed cheese>
[First melting step]
700 g of camembert cheese, 25 g of sodium polyphosphate and 30 g of water were put into a high-speed emulsifying pot, stirred at 1500 rpm, heated to 90° C. while injecting heated steam, and held for 1 minute to prepare a raw material composition.

[Second melting step]
Raw materials having the composition shown in Table 1 below were placed in a high-speed emulsifying vessel, stirred at 700 rpm, heated to 87° C. while injecting heated steam, and held for 1 minute to prepare melted cheese.

[Filling process and cooling process]
Using a filling machine, molten cheese was continuously filled into a plurality of portion containers made of aluminum foil, and then cooled at 5°C to obtain portion-type processed cheese.

<Measurement of viscosity of melted cheese>
The viscosity of the melted cheese obtained in the second melting step was measured with a viscometer (Visco Tester VT-06, manufactured by Rion Co., Ltd.). Specifically, melted cheese at 80° C. was measured using a No. 1 rotor (manufactured by Rion Co., Ltd.).

<Measurement of moisture content of processed cheese>
The moisture content of the processed cheese was measured by the normal pressure heating/drying aid method. A sample amount of 3 g was dried at a drying temperature of 105° C. to obtain a constant weight (mass after drying), and the water content (unit: mass %) was determined by the following formula.
Moisture content = {(mass before drying - mass after drying) / mass before drying} x 100

<Breaking strength test>
Processed cheese was molded into a thickness of 10 mm to prepare a specimen. Using the specimen, a breaking strength test was performed according to the following procedure, and the maximum load (unit: N) was measured.

A breaking strength test was performed by pushing a cylindrical plunger with a diameter of 8 mm at a speed of 1.0 mm/s with a creep meter (RE2-33005C, manufactured by Yamaden Co., Ltd.). The maximum load was the pressure when the specimen was compressed to 2.5 mm in the breaking strength test.

<Sensory evaluation>
Ten evaluators (panels) who have experience in product development for at least two years and who are conducting regular sensory evaluation tests to coordinate evaluation criteria performed sensory evaluations of the texture of processed cheese. . Specifically, smoothness and melting in the mouth were evaluated in 5 stages according to the following criteria.

[Smoothness]
5: Smooth 4: Somewhat smooth 3: Neither 2: Somewhat not smooth 1: Not smooth [melt in the mouth]
5: Good 4: Somewhat good 3: Neither 2: Somewhat bad 1: Bad

The results are shown in Table 1 below. In Table 1, the result of the sensory evaluation is the average score given by 10 panelists. The individual ratings for each panel are shown in Table 2 below.

In Examples 1 to 4, when continuously filling the portion container with molten cheese, stringing from the nozzle of the filling machine and extrusion of molten cheese out of the container did not occur, and filling aptitude was good. From these results, it was confirmed that processed cheeses with good filling aptitude can be obtained according to the production method of the present technology. On the other hand, in Example 5, the melted cheese had a slightly low viscosity of 2900 mPa·s and was soft, so that it slightly protruded from the container during filling.

Examples 1 to 5 differ in the blending amounts of soft cheese (cream cheese) and hard cheese (cheddar cheese). Among them, Examples 3 and 4 had a particularly good balance between filling suitability and texture. In order to improve the texture (smoothness and melt in the mouth) of processed cheeses in addition to filling suitability, it was suggested that it is preferable to adjust the amount of soft cheese and hard cheese used in the second melting step. .

<Comparative example>
With the same formulation as in Example 4 above, without dividing the melting process into two, all the raw materials were put into a high-speed emulsification pot at once, stirred at 700 rpm, and heated to 87 ° C. while injecting heated steam. A molten cheese was prepared by holding for 1 minute. Since the melted cheese was soft, it protruded from the container during filling and did not have the required filling aptitude.

Claims (11)

A first melting step of heating and melting a raw material containing natural cheese aged with mold and emulsifying to prepare a raw material composition;
A second melting step of heating and melting the raw material containing the raw material composition and natural cheese and emulsifying to prepare molten cheese;
A method for producing processed cheeses, comprising: The method for producing processed cheese according to claim 1, wherein the melted cheese has a viscosity of 5000 mPa·s or more at 80°C. The method for producing processed cheese according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the natural cheese used in the second melting step includes soft cheese. The soft cheese is at least selected from the group consisting of cream cheese, cottage cheese, mascarpone, quark, fromage blanc, fiorello, feta, ricotta, mozzarella, brousseau, boursan, Saint Marcelin, Brillat-Savarin and Petit Suisse. The method for producing processed cheese according to claim 3, comprising one type. The method for producing processed cheese according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the melted cheese contains 10 to 55% by mass of the soft cheese. The method for producing processed cheese according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the natural cheese used in the second melting step includes semi-hard cheese and/or hard cheese. Any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the mass ratio of the natural cheese used in the second melting step and the raw material composition (natural cheese used in the second melting step / raw material composition) is 2 to 30. A method for producing the processed cheese described in the item. The method for producing processed cheese according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mold-ripened natural cheese is white mold-ripened natural cheese. 9. The method for producing processed cheese according to claim 8, wherein the natural cheese aged with white mold is mainly made of milk. The method for producing processed cheese according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising a filling step of filling a container with the melted cheese. The method for producing processed cheeses according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the processed cheeses are portion-type processed cheeses.