JPH05227885A - Method for preparing mosarena cheese being allowable without aging - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To produce good mozzarella cheese used for pizza by using the subject production that comprises subjecting milk having a specified fat content to low temp. sterilization, thereafter fermenting the sterilized milk to form cheese milk, coagulating the cheese milk to form a coagulated lump consisting of cheese curd and whey; cutting the coagulated lump to remove the whey and to allow the cheese curd to remain, heating and mixing the cheese curd to obtain cheese and rolling the resulting cheese, placing the rolled cheese in a cooling seawater tank, and then taking out the cooled cheese from the cooling seawater tank. CONSTITUTION: This production comprises: subjecting milk having an about 1.5 to 3.5 wt.% fat content to low temp. sterilization; fermenting the sterilized milk together with a single kind or plural kinds of lactic acid-producing bacteria to form cheese milk; coagulating the cheese milk to form a coagulated lump consisting of whey and curd; cutting the coagulated lump to allow the whey to flow out from cut pieces of the lump and to allow the cheese curd to remain; heating and mixing the cheese curd with a mixer forming machine 10 until a fibrous lumpy material consisting of a heated unripened mozzarella kind of cheese having an about 45 to 60 wt.% moisture content and an about >=30 wt.% milk fat content is formed, and rolling the cheese thus formed; thereafter, cooling the rolled cheese with cold seawater in a cooling seawater tank 15; taking out the cooled cheese from the tank 15 and adjusting each of the moisture content and the wet milk fat content of the cheese to about >=70 wt.%; forming the resulting cheese into formed bodies with a cuber 17; dicing the formed bodies with a dicer 19; and thereafter, freezing the diced cheese with a freezer 21 within 48 hours to produce the objective mozzarella cheese 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a continuous process for producing, comminuting and packaging various mozzarella cheeses and more particularly for use where the cheese produced is not subjected to additional ripening or processing. On how it works. The present invention also relates to compositions of mozzarella cheese produced using this method. The milk fat, protein and moisture components are adjusted in such a way as to achieve the desired performance characteristics.

The dairy industry, and in particular the cheese industry, has for many years attempted to reduce the length of time required during the manufacturing process in order to obtain the desired and expected cheese performance characteristics.
It's coming. The performance characteristics associated with the Mozzarella cheese species are the properties exhibited when cooking these types on pizza. These include melt characteristics in terms of blistering, melting, elongation and softness. The ability to shorten the ripening process or eliminate it as a whole has significant economic benefits that are directly related to the cost of ripened cheese.

Mozzarella cheese is: a) Pasteurized milk with a fat content in the range of about 1.5 to 3.5% by weight (in many countries buffalo milk is used); b). Fermenting the milk with one or more lactic acid producing bacteria to obtain cheese milk; c) coagulating the cheese milk to obtain a coagulum consisting of curd and whey; d) cutting the coagulum, and Then the whey is drained, thereby leaving the cheese curd; e) the cheese curd has a moisture content in the range of about 45-60% by weight and a milk fat content of at least about 30% by weight (based on dry solids). Until a homogeneous fibrous mass
Heating, kneading and rolling the cheese curd; f) placing the mass in a cold seawater bath and leaving it there for sufficient time to achieve cooling and salt infiltration;
And g) producing a cooled cheese from the seawater.

After the seawater treatment step, the unripe mozzarella cheese obtained is treated for about 7 to 21 days, about 35 days, to develop a characteristic taste and texture and an acceptable baking characteristic.
It has been aged at ~ 45 ° F. (The ripening process is sometimes referred to as "storage" or "ripening".) The main ingredients of cheese, namely carbohydrates, proteins and fats, all undergo a change during ripening. Through a complex variety of metabolic processes, such as enzymatic lipolysis and proteolysis, these major components are metabolized to butyric acid, peptides, amino acids and fatty acids.

After ripening, mozzarella cheese is often finely ground and frozen to stop the ripening process and then brought to the refrigerator. It is frozen in block form.

The baking characteristics of mozzarella cheese are very important. Most mozzarella cheese is used to make pizza. This requires spreading the tomato sauce and cheese (in finely ground form) onto the pizza crust, and then at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F, often about 450-650 or 850 ° F. It is necessary to bake the resulting pizza in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of. As is well known, many other types of food products such as pepperoni slices, mushroom slices, minced meat, sausages and pineapples can be used as toppings on pizza. As the cheese melts, the cheese ingredients begin to fluidize, which results in water evaporation, oil release and blistering. What is desired is for the cheese to melt well before the crust is overbaked. What is not desired is that the cheese forms many large blisters as it melts. The blisters formed by the protein bake, creating a black, firmness that detracts from the pizza's appearance, taste and mouth feel. To be satisfactory, the cheese needs to melt with minimal blistering as the rind roasts.

When not subjected to the ripening stage, mozzarella cheese has been significantly blistered when used to make baked pizzas. The higher the oven temperature, the higher the risk of blistering. Ripening mozzarella cheese requires considerable time, space and energy, which adds to the cost of the final product. The same happens to other types of cheese to a greater or lesser extent. To this end, many approaches have been attempted to find means for accelerating the ripening process for some types of cheese.

Lederer (1953) is the aging time for American cheddar cheese, when unaged,
Quickly freeze the cheese while holding it frozen for 60-180 minutes, and then for 45-45 minutes.
It has been disclosed that it can be shortened by transferring the cheese to a conventional ripening room maintained at 60 ° F. Good body, texture and flavor are at least 6 by conventional methods
Achieved after only 6 days compared to weekly aging.
(Lederer, US Pat. No. 2,816,036
No., "Cheese Manufacture," filed May 1, 1953, published December 10, 1957).

Freeman (1959) discloses that ripening of Cheddar cheese can be accelerated by using a mixture of cultures and elevated temperatures (60 ° F.) for the first 4 weeks. (Freeman, "Accelerating the Aging Proce
ss in Cheddar Cheese, "Kentucky Agric. Experiment
Station, U.Kentucky, Bulletin 666 (June, 1959). )

Kristofferson (1967)
Teach that the addition of reduced glutathione and porcine lipase to the cheese slurry will accelerate the aging of cheddar when making cheese paste. (Kristofferson, et al. "Cheddar Cheese Flavor.I
V.Directed and Accelerated Ripening Process, "J.Da
iry Sci. Vol.50, No.3, 292-297 (1967). )

Singh (1969) discloses that the ripening of Cheddar cheese in slurry form can be accelerated by the addition of sodium citrate and vitamins and minerals. (Singh, et al., "Factors Affecting Flavor
Development in Cheddar Cheese Slurries, "J. of Da
iry Sci. Vol.53, No.5, 533-536 (1969). )

Prochazka (1971) discloses the addition of sodium citrate to "mozarella-type" cheese in order to shorten the ripening period by at least 1/3. (Czech Slovak Patent No. 141,283, "Pr
ocess for the Production of Cheeses with Accelerate
d Ripening, "May 15, 1971.)

Sullivan (1973) discloses that American and Swiss cheeses can be aged 2-5 times faster by adding adenosine-3 ', 5'-cyclic monophosphate to the cheese curd.
(Sullivan et al., US Pat. No. 3,859,
No. 446, "Method for Ripid Curing of Cheese," 1
Filed Sep. 26, 973 and announced on Jan. 7, 1975. )

Sutherland (1975) teaches that the time required to ripen a cheddar cheese slurry can be shortened by adjusting a variety of different conditions, such as headspace air in a ripening vessel. .. (Sutherland, "Rapidly Ripenin
g Cheese Curd Slurries in Processed Cheese Manufac
ture, "the Australian J. of Dairy Tech., Vol.30, 1
38-142 (1975). )

Shehata (1977) teaches that the addition of sodium citrate to raw buffalo milk promotes lipolysis and proteolysis of lath cheese produced therefrom. (Shehata et al., "Effect of Ad
ding Sodium Citrate to Buffaloes' Milk on Chemical
and Organoleptic Propesties of Ras Cheese, "Dairy
Sci. Abstracts, Vol.41, No.9, 550 (1979). )

Lee (1979) proposed the injection of a pregastrickesterase solution into mozzarella cheese to shorten the ripening process. (Lee, Hyong Joo, "Acc
eleration of Cheese Ripening: High Pressure Injec
tion and Diffusion of Curing Comporents in Italian
-Type Cheese, "Ph.D.Thesis, U.Wisconsin-Madison, 19
79.) Lee's article contains a literature review of promoting cheese ripening. Lee reports that, like most chemical reactions, the aging process is accelerated at elevated temperatures, but in many cases undesired reactions also occur, resulting in tasteless products.

Abdel Baky (1982) reports the results of an experiment demonstrating that the addition of sodium citrate, proteinase and lipase to a slurry of lath cheese can shorten the ripening period from 2 months to 7 days. (Abde
l Baky, et al., "Ripening Changes in Cephalotyre" R
as "Cheese Slurries," J. Dairy Research, Vol.49,337
~ 341 (1982). )

Law (1987) showed that ripening of various cheeses can be accelerated by the addition of exogenous proteolytic enzymes. (Law, Barry A., "Proteclysis in R
elation to Normal and Accelerated Cheese Ripenin
g, "Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology
(Elsevier Applied Science), New York, NY1987, Ed
ited by PFFox, Vol.1, ch.10, 365 ~ 392. ) (The addition of lipase and esterase has been
It has been used to make Italian type cheese. )

All of these prior art methods have been shown to require a period of aging. It has been discovered that Mozzarella cheese species exhibiting the desired performance characteristics can be produced by a process that eliminates the need for a separate ripening step. In the method of the present invention, conventional steps of the production of mozzarella cheese are used, but the ingredients and conditions are such that the cheese obtained from the seawater treatment step has a combined moisture content of at least about 70% by weight and Adjusted to have a wet milk fat content. Means by which the moisture and milk fat content of the final cheese can be adjusted are known in the mozzarella industry. Therefore,
For example, the milk fat content can be adjusted in that the excess fat in the milk is removed in the separator. This is just before pasteurization. Moisture can be controlled, for example, by controlling the temperature and length of the cooking stage, as well as by controlling the amount of acid production during fermentation.

Mozarella cheese on the market today is 70%
Below, for example, having a combined moisture and wet milk fat content of about 65 to 69.5% by weight. Also, of course, they are aged. The most normal 4 on the market today
Typical composition examples for seed cheeses are as follows:

[0021]

[Table 1]

1) US Code of Federal Regulations, C
As defined by hapter 21, Sections 133.155 to 133.158. 2) Bound and free water-i.e.% Of weight lost when dried in an oven at 200 <0> C overnight. 3)% by weight of total cheese (not solid). 4) "Fat on Dry Basis"-% based on dried solids in cheese. It has been found that the mozzarella cheese produced by the method of the present invention can be used to produce an immediately satisfying pizza. Aging is not required; in fact it is not even desired. The unripe cheese already has the desired performance characteristics for use in baked food products. It can be frozen immediately and shipped. When kept frozen, the cheese will retain satisfactory performance characteristics for up to 12 months.

The cheese should be used or frozen within 48 hours after the completion of seawater treatment. If it is not used or frozen within that time, some control over its melt performance characteristics will be lost. The cheese then tends to char, and blisters when baked unless it is first allowed to "age", i.e. remains unused for at least 5 days. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the method of the invention can be carried out in a continuous manner, and the cheese is only 2 after seawater treatment.
Within a period of time, it is finely ground and frozen.

The cheese is formed into a mass and optionally frozen in that form; but preferably it will be comminuted prior to freezing. If it is frozen in chunks, the entire process from pasteurizing the milk to loading the boxed chunks of frozen final cheese into trucks can be done in only 36 hours.
If the cheese is diced or sliced before freezing, and freezing is accomplished by independent quick freezing, the entire process from pasteurization to shipping is less than that, for example about 8 hours. Can be completed in. In contrast, prior art methods require an additional 7-21 days of aging to achieve the desired performance characteristics.

The mozzarella cheese produced by the method of the present invention can be readily used by the pizza maker to which it is shipped. You don't have to wait. That is US Patent No. 4,
If independently and rapidly frozen by the method disclosed in 753,815 (Kielsmeier et al.), It need not even be thawed first; it may be put in the oven in the frozen state. Under typical cooking conditions used in the pizza industry today, the cheese of the present invention will typically produce 7
Performance on pizza as good as or better than Mozarella with up to 70% by weight combined moisture and wet milk fat aged for -21 days.

If a mozzarella cheese with significantly less than 70% by weight combined moisture and milk fat is frozen and shipped immediately after removal from seawater, it should be thawed, and Melt performance that is kept in a cooler at about 35-45 ° F for 7 days or more before it is used on pizza, and under typical cooking conditions used in the pizza industry today. Give birth. Such cheese should be aged for at least one week before it is frozen, or if it is frozen immediately, it is thawed and then today is typically used in the pizza industry. It should be aged for at least one week before it can be satisfactorily used under baking conditions. Unripe cheeses having combined moisture and milk fat contents of up to 70% by weight can be produced to exhibit acceptable melting characteristics under limited and unusual cooking conditions, but what is needed is It is a mozzarella that can be used by pizza makers under standard conditions of baking time and temperature. The cheese produced by the method of the present invention is a cheese having the characteristics as described above, even if it is produced without aging.

The pizza industry commonly uses mozzarella cheese as one of the main ingredients of pizza. Different types of pizza (ie thin crust, thick crust, etc.) and type of oven used will significantly affect the performance or melting characteristics of the mozzarella cheese. Further, the length of time the pizza is cooked (and the temperature at which it is cooked) will have a similar effect on the performance of the cheese. Thus, when cooking mozzarella cheese on pizza, these cooking conditions limit the amount of energy available to obtain the desired melting characteristics.

Performance, especially melting properties such as blistering, melting and elongation are important to pizza makers. Because it is most obvious to the end consumer,
And it is a characteristic that contributes to the overall pleasure of eating pizza. As mentioned above, in order to obtain such melting properties, mozzarella cheese, regardless of its composition
It has been generally accepted that it requires aging for days or longer. The present invention provides a method that eliminates the need for aging or any other treatment of Mozzarella cheese, and still achieves melting characteristics similar to those of prior art cheeses that have been aged.

There are three main constituents of mozzarella cheese that affect melting characteristics: moisture, milk fat and protein. It is understood that all of these ingredients, and in combination with each other, play a role in the performance characteristics of Mozzarella cheese. Of the three components, protein and, more specifically, protein production complexity is the main limiting factor with respect to final melt characteristics. The protein structure of cheese, rather than any of the other ingredients, requires a high degree of heat (ie, caloric energy) to cause its fluidization or melting when cooked on pizza. When fluidized, long chain protein molecules must break down. This decomposition typically requires that the cheese be heated to a temperature in the range of about 150-200 ° F. This temperature range is also similar to the temperatures normally achieved when cooking pizza. By this degradation of the protein structure, the desired melting properties can be achieved.

Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy emitted by a substance; and, therefore, the temperature of the molten substance is a function of the amount of energy absorbed, the melting point of the substance and the energy released. Fully understood.
Therefore, a certain amount of energy needs to be absorbed by the cheese in order to decompose the protein structure of the cheese and obtain the necessary temperature to melt. After the melting is complete, the energy will be released and the temperature of the cheese will rise more easily. When cooking pizza, the other ingredients of the pizza (eg, dough, sauce, etc.) require more energy to ensure that their desired baked characteristics are obtained as well. The amount of energy and energy transfer available is limited based on the particular style of pizza and the particular cooking conditions (ie oven time and temperature). The pizza may not be left in the oven during the extended cooking of the cheese, or else the skin and other ingredients will deteriorate.

To date, the energy available under the cooking conditions normally used in the pizza industry has not been considered sufficient to break down the complex protein structure associated with Mozzarella cheese if the cheese is not aged. I came. Aging partially decomposes the protein through proteolysis. Small protein units (peptides) that are structurally less complex do not require much energy to break down.

The second effect that ripening has on the performance characteristics of the mozzarella cheese is the equilibration of salts in the cheese and the change in the free water: bound water ratio in the cheese. "Bound water" means water that is chemically or physically combined with other ingredients in cheese. The rest is "free water".
Both of these factors affect the final melting performance of Mozzarella cheese. Cheese blisters on baked pizzas are likely caused by charring or drying of the proteins present. Therefore, when cooking cheese on pizza, it seems critical that the protein structure retains moisture as it melts to avoid excessive blistering. However, if a large amount of free water is present in the cheese, such water will be washed away during the cooking process resulting in a high degree of blistering. On the other hand, cheeses with a significant amount of bound water (which are normally associated with cheese ripening) do not have a blistering slope as this bound water is not easily washed away and thus keep the protein structure moist.

In the process according to the invention and the resulting product, excess flushing of free water appears to be avoided by the following factors: 1) Salt introduction during mixing / molding. Salt has the ability to "bind" water, thus retaining some free water in the cheese that can be flushed during cooking. 2) By having adequate moisture and milk fat content, and thus obtaining a sufficiently high heat capacity, protein and milk fat are sufficient in the cooking process to hold free water before it is flushed. Becomes fluid.

The mozzarella cheese produced by the method of the present invention can be held for up to 48 hours after being chilled in seawater and before being crushed and packaged, which still contains
It will have the desired performance characteristics. The preferable time of fine pulverization is within 2 hours after seawater treatment. This optimizes the performance characteristics of the cheese and retains the manufacturing efficacy associated with the continuous process. Holding the cheese in the unfrozen state for more than about 48 hours results in a product that is too soft to properly comminute into cheese granules. This is about 52 cheese
It seems to be especially true when it has a moisture content in the range of -60 wt% and a wet milk fat content in the range of about 20-30 wt%.

It has also been observed that products that are held for more than 48 hours prior to freezing tend to require conventional aging (generally 7-21 days total) in order to obtain the desired melting properties. It was Although not theoretical, the relationship between moisture and protein status is as follows: the desired melting properties are achieved within the first 48 hours after completion of seawater treatment, but at this time. After this there is a change in this relationship, and only by aging the cheese for a week or more, the desired melting performance is obtained. The desired properties of the unripe cheese can generally be retained by freezing it within 48 hours. Preferably, the cheese will be frozen to a core temperature of about 25 ° F or less.

When used to make pizza, cheese prepared by the method of the present invention with tomato sauce (other ingredients are optional) is spread on frozen or unfrozen pizza skin. Be done. Also, the skin may be unbaked, partially baked or fully baked. Cheese is typically thawed about 14 days prior to being placed in the oven. However, as mentioned above, it need not be melted long before baking. When thawed, it performs well in about 1 or 2 days before use. Further, if the cheese is frozen by the IQF method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,815, it is placed in the oven without any pre-thaw, and it is
It will still exhibit the desired baking properties.

In the process of the present invention, the ingredients and conditions are generally in the range of about 50-60% by weight moisture and about 16-about.
Adjusted to obtain cheese with wet milk fat content in the range of 30% by weight. A preferred composition in which the mozzarella cheese is retained in the method of the present invention is at least 52% by weight moisture and at least 18% by weight wet milk fat.

As mentioned above, one of the purposes of ripening is to allow the diffusion of salt (sodium chloride) from the outer skin into the center of the mozzarella cheese mass, thereby increasing the salt concentration of the cheese. Equilibrate. Since ripening is eliminated in the method of the present invention, it is preferred to mix about 0.5-1.5% salt (based on the weight of the curd) into the fresh cheese during the heating, kneading and stretching operations. .. Most preferably, at least 0.8% by weight salt will be added.

After the cheese curd is heated to a homogeneous fibrous mass, kneaded and rolled out, it is treated with seawater. The agglomerates are typically about 125-155 °
It will be present at a temperature of F. The warm mass is extruded directly into a seawater tank, or it is manually extruded into a mass (e.g., about 3-1 / 2 "x 7" x 22 ") and first quenched in cooling water. If extruded by hand, the lumps will be cooling water (about 35-50 ° F).
It is placed in a stainless steel mold that has been impregnated into the mold for about 20-30 minutes. This cools the cheese sufficiently to hold it in its shape. It is then removed from the mold and placed in a seawater tank having a temperature of about 35-55 ° F and a salinity of about 50-98% by weight.

However, manual extrusion is labor intensive and direct extrusion of the warm fibrous mass ribbon into the "supercooled" seawater solution is preferred. The ribbon is preferably about 6-8 inches wide by 3-4 inches thick. Supercooled seawater is typically about 0 to 25 ° F.
Will exist at temperatures in the range of and will have a salinity of about 30-60% by weight. The cheese is rapidly quenched in supercooled seawater to set it quickly. If the ribbons are not properly cured before they are cut, the cheese chunks tend to deform and lose their uniform shape. Cheese ribbons typically have a core temperature of about 1
If lowered to 20 ° F or less, for example within the range of about 90-110 ° F, it will cure properly. Typically, this requires less than about 10 minutes of cooling in supercooled seawater. The extruded cheese ribbon can be cut to a length of about 20-26 inches after it has been hardened in supercooled seawater. The cheese mass is then further cooled in the main seawater tank, where the temperature is about 35-5.
5 ° F and salinity is about 50-98%.

Even when the cheese is extruded and cut or it is extruded manually, large chunks of cheese have a core temperature of about 75 ° F or less, for example about 55-75 ° F. It is left in the main seawater tank until it has cooled to a range of temperatures. Using the extrusion process and the two-step seawater treatment, cheese can
It may be quenched to a core temperature of ° F or below.

It has been found that a core temperature of about 75 ° F. or less is desired for milling salted cheese chunks into granules. Temperatures above 75 ° F often result in cheese in the presence of free moisture and liquid milk fat. When comminuted, these ingredients are not well retained in cheese granules. Moreover, cheese above 75 ° F tends to stick to the equipment used to cut the cheese. The time required to cool cheese heated below 75 ° F. can be reduced by reducing the thickness of the cheese and / or reducing the seawater temperature used.

For use as a pizza topping, the cheese preferably has a final core or core of individual pieces of only about 1/8 "from its surface and preferably 1/16" from its surface. Finely crushed to size.

Preferably, the final sized pieces of cheese are subjected to independent quick freezing shortly after milling to form a free flowing frozen product. Freezing is preferably performed in a fluidized bed freezer with cooling air at a temperature of about -20 to -40 ° F.

The amount of cheese present in the freezer at any one time is preferably about -10 ° F within 5-7 minutes after the individual pieces of cheese have entered the freezer.
Will be low enough to be cooled to the core temperature. Preferably, the cheese pieces are about -10 ° F or less, such as about -10 to -25 ° F, before being removed from the freezer.
Would be frozen to a core temperature in the range.

The quick freezing step preferably does not lose more than about 1% of its weight by evaporation of moisture,
It is done in a way that does not substantially lower the moisture content of the cheese.

If the frozen pieces of cheese are removed from the freezer, they may optionally contain flavoring additives, and / or
Or it may be coated with one or more other cheese chemicals, such as emulsifiers, such as sodium citrate and / or surfactants such as dimethylpolysiloxane.

A preferred means of applying any of the flavoring agents, emulsifiers or surfactants to the cheese pieces is to tumble the pieces to evenly coat them while tumbling the pieces on an aqueous solution of the above-mentioned additives Or by spraying the emulsion. Various additives may be applied together or from separate solutions. Solution concentrations and coating application rates are preferably from about 10 to 2000 ppm flavor, about 10 ppm.
Cheese to apply ~ 2500 ppm emulsifier and about 1-10 ppm surfactant (all based on cheese weight) and with about 0.5-4% water (also based on cheese weight). It can be adjusted for coating. Both the cheese and the water should be cold enough that the spray forms the ice that coats the cheese pieces substantially immediately.

[0049]

EXAMPLE 1 Heart-Skim Mozzarella cheese curds were prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,077 (Kielsmeier) overnight-curd-holding system.
-hold system). Lactobacillus (l
A starting culture containing microorganisms of Streptococcus and streptococcus is used, and cheese milk is flocculated by the addition of calf rennet. The composition of the curd was adjusted to obtain a final cheese product having a moisture content above 52% and a milk fat content above 18% (and thus a total moisture / milk fat content above 70%).

The cheese curd was kept overnight, after which the fermentation was complete. FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a representative view of the process from this point. With reference to FIG. 1, a fermentation curd (not shown) was kneaded with 1.5% salt (sodium chloride) (not shown) added and stretched at 140 ° in a mixer / molding machine 10. Heated to F. After mixing for about 5-7 minutes, the melted cheese was prepared according to US Pat. No. 4,339,468 (Ki).
4 ″ × according to the method described in Elsmeier)
Extruded into a preliminary seawater tank 11 in the form of a 7 "continuous ribbon 12. The extruded ribbon flows directly into" supercooled "sodium chloride seawater, where the seawater is at 10 ° F. And had a salinity level of 60% .The residence time of the ribbon in seawater was 8 minutes, at which point it was 4 "x.
A 7 ″ ribbon was lifted from tank 11 and cut by cutter 13 into 20 inch length 14.
The cheese core temperature at the time of this cut was 120 ° F. 4 ″ × 7 ″ × 2, then cooled and salted
The 0 ″ mass 14 is allowed to float for 3 hours in the main seawater tank 15. The temperature of the seawater in the tank 15 is 4
5 ° F and it had a salinity of 95%. When taken from the main seawater tank, the cheese core temperature was 65 ° F.

The chilled Part-Skimmozzarella cheese is then conveyed by conveyor 16 to cuvers 17,
Here the cheese was immediately shaped into a 2 ″ × 2 ″ × 3 ″ chunk 18. The chunk was immediately carried to a dicer 19 where they were 1/8 ″ × 1/8 ″ × 1/8 ″ Cheese granules 20 were finely ground. The granules were immediately I.V. Q.
F. Carry to Freezer 21, where the Freezer
Frigoscandia Model 300 Flo-Freeze Fluidized Bed Freezer 21 as described in US Pat. No. 4,753,815. After freezing, the core temperature of cheese 22 is -2.
It was 0 ° F. Then package the cheese, and at 0 ° C
Retained in freezer (not shown) maintained for further evaluation.

To serve as a control, an additional part-Skimmozarella cheese, which was not adjusted to obtain a combined moisture and milk fat content above 70%, was prepared by the same method and comminuted. Frozen, and packaged. This cheese is hereafter referred to as Control 1A. In this regard, a portion of this unconditioned part-Skimmozarella cheese is not comminuted immediately after cooling, but instead is packaged in chunks, placed in a cooler and maintained at 38 ° F for 9 days, And then milled, frozen, packaged and kept at 0 ° F for further evaluation. After this, this cheese is referred to as Control 1B.

The product of the invention and the two controls were then placed in the same cooler (maintained at 38 ° F) and all three products were equilibrated at 38 ° F. Hold there until you reach. After the products were equilibrated, each was evaluated for composition, apparent heat capacity and melting performance. The composition and apparent heat capacity of these products is as follows:

[0054]

[Table 2]

The apparent heat capacity of cheese (also sometimes referred to as the "heat index value") was measured by the Shimadzu Sc
It was measured by the use of a differential scanning calorimeter manufactured by Scientific Instruments, Inc., Columbia, Maryland. If the value is heated from the room temperature starting point (about 21 ° C),
It refers to the amount of energy (joules) required to completely melt 1 g of cheese. This energy is
Cheese is supposed to be absorbed before it undergoes the phase change;
Therefore, it is reported as a negative value. The lower the number (ie, the more negative), the higher the apparent heat capacity of the cheese.

As shown in Table 1, the cheese produced by the method of the present invention exhibited a higher heat capacity than either control cheese. Often, the conditions and ingredients used to produce cheese by the method of the present invention are -6
It will result in a cheese with an apparent heat capacity of 75 Joules / g or less.

The melting performances of the three products were measured at 530 ° F. for 6.5 hours in a Middle by Marshall 360S oven with 13 inches (diameter) pizza (Rion's unbaked dough and 4 ounces of tomato sauce. Consisting of 11 ounces of cheese). This is a combination of time and temperature commonly used to bake pizzas of this size, made from certain dough and tomato sauces. After cooking, individual final pizzas were photographed and the cooked cheeses were evaluated for percent and size of blistering, melting, elongation and tenderness. A reproduction of the photograph is shown in Figure 2 of the drawings accompanying this specification.
It consists of ~ 4. The following observations were made regarding the performance of those three products:

Control 1A (up to 70% combined water and
(Fat, unaged) : As seen in Figure 2, there is a high degree of blistering coverage, and the size of the blisters formed is from small (eg "dot") blisters to large scabs. It is a range. The surface of the product was very dry and there was no apparent milk fat. This is an unacceptable melting performance.

Control 1B (up to 70% combined water and
Fat, aged for 9 days) : As seen in Figure 3, there was a lesser extent of blister coverage than Control 1A. Only the blisters of dots were present on this pizza. The surface of the product was damp and the presence of milk fat was visually evident. This is an acceptable melt performance, as expected for Part-Skimmozarella aged at 38 ° F for 9 days.

Example of the Invention : Low% as seen in FIG.
Blistering coverage was present, and the blisters present were spot blisters. The surface of the product is damp in appearance,
And obviously there was milk fat. This is a melting performance comparable to that of Control 1B. This cheese and control 1
B cheese is also comparable and acceptable in terms of flavor, mouth feel and stretch characteristics.

Example 2 Furthermore, cheese was produced according to the same method as in Example 2.
However, the moisture and milk fat levels were changed. In all, 19 batches with 68.2% to 77.48% combined moisture and milk fat were produced. The cheese is not aged, and it is all diced into 1/8 "cubes,
Immediately after being taken out from the second seawater tank, it was frozen by the IQF method disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,753,815.

The individual heat capacities of these cheeses were measured by the same method as described in Example 1. Melting performance,
It was measured by using individual cheese samples to prepare a 13 inch pizza under the same conditions as in Example 1. Individual cheeses were graded using the following scale: Melt Performance Grade Mean 1-2 Slight blistering area (approximately 10-25% surface area) 2-3 Medium blistering area (approximately 25-50% surface area) 3-4 Substantial blistering area (about 50-75% surface area)

Scores were assigned in increments of 1/2. The score was scored by the "blind", ie a scorer who did not know which cheese was used. The results are reported in Table 3. The cheeses are listed in the table according to their heat capacity, in high order (except for the aged controls listed last).

[0064]

[Table 3]

As can be seen from the table above, 9 cheeses have a combined moisture and milk fat content of 70% or more, and 9 cheeses have a combined content of 70% or less. And the nineteenth batch was the conventionally aged control. Of the nine unaged batches with fat and moisture above 70%, all but one had an excellent melt performance rating (ie 1-2). 70%
Of the nine unaged batches with the following fat and moisture, only one has a melt performance rating in the range of 1-2:
Five were generally unacceptable 2.5, one was 3 and two were very poor 3.5.

The data in Table 2 was plotted to obtain a graph of total moisture- and-milk fat content versus heat capacity (Figure 5). Regression analysis was performed on the data. It showed a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.84. The higher the moisture-and-milk fat content, the higher the heat capacity of the cheese. This generally appears to be a good correlation, according to biostatisticians.

The data in Table 2 was also used to plot a graph of melt performance versus combined moisture-and-milk fat content (FIG. 6). Melt performance grades in the range of 1-2 are generally considered acceptable. A rating of 2.5 or higher is generally considered to represent an unacceptable blistering area. As already mentioned, except for one product, a melt performance rating of 1-2 is even if the combined moisture-and-milk fat content is equal to or more than 70% by weight. Was achieved. 1 of an unaged product containing up to 70% combined moisture-and-milk fat
All species except the seed had an unacceptable melt performance rating (ie a rating of 2 or higher).

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a general drawing of a portion of a manufacturing line using the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a photograph in lieu of a drawing of a pizza baked with insufficient unripe mozzarella.

FIG. 3 is a drawing-substitute photograph of a pizza baked with a conventional aged mozzarella.

FIG. 4 is a photograph instead of a drawing of a pizza baked with unripe mozzarella produced by the method of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the combined heat and milk fat content versus apparent heat capacity of cheese prepared by the method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship of combined moisture and milk fat content of unripe cheese to its melting performance.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Mixer / Molding machine 11 ... Preliminary seawater tank 12 ... Continuous ribbon 13 ... Cutter 14 ... Aggregate 15 ... Main seawater tank 16 ... Conveyor 17 ... Cuba 18 ... Agglomerate 19 ... Dicer 20 ... Cheese granule 21 ... I. Q. F Freezer 22 ... Cheese

Claims (65)

[Claims] 1. A method for producing a mozzarella type cheese comprising: a) pasteurizing milk having a fat content in the range of about 1.5 to 3.5% by weight; b) cheese milk. Fermenting the milk with one or more lactic acid producing bacteria to obtain; c) coagulating the cheese milk to obtain a coagulum consisting of curd and whey; d) cutting the coagulum and then whey E) leaving the cheese curd; e) the cheese curd is heated having a moisture content in the range of about 45-60 wt% and a milk fat content of at least about 30 wt% (based on dry solids). Heating, kneading and rolling the cheese curd until it is a homogeneous fibrous mass of unripe Mozzarella type cheese; f) cooling the heated cheese in cold seawater; and g) the Cooled from seawater And the combined moisture and wet milk fat content of at least about 70% by weight of the chilled cheese removed from seawater. And (ii) the cheese is frozen within about 48 hours after being removed from seawater, whereby a cheese of the Mozzarella variety having acceptable baking properties,
A method characterized by being obtained without aging. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein during step (e) about 0.5-1.5% by weight sodium chloride (based on the weight of the cheese curd) is mixed into the cheese curd. 3. Cooled cheese taken from salt water is about 5
The method of claim 1 having a moisture content in the range of 0-60% by weight and a wet milk fat content in the range of about 16-30% by weight. 4. The cooled cheese extracted from the salt water is about 5 parts.
The method of claim 2 having a moisture content in the range of 0-60% by weight and a wet milk fat content in the range of about 16-30% by weight. 5. In step (f), the cheese is about 75 °
The method of claim 1, wherein the cheese is cooled to a core temperature of F or lower and the cooled cheese is comminuted and frozen within 48 hours after being removed from seawater. 6. In step (f), the cheese is about 75 °
The method of claim 2 wherein the cheese is cooled to a core temperature of F or less and the cooled cheese is comminuted and frozen within about 48 hours after being removed from seawater. 7. In step (f), the cheese is about 75 °
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the cheese is cooled to a core temperature of F or lower and the cooled cheese is comminuted and frozen within about 48 hours after being removed from seawater. 8. In step (f), the cheese is about 75 °
The method of claim 4, wherein the cheese is cooled to a core temperature of F or lower and the cooled cheese is comminuted and frozen within about 48 hours after being removed from seawater. 9. In step (e), the cheese curd is heated to a temperature in the range of about 125-155 ° F .; in step (f) the unripe mozzarella cheese is about 55-75.
7. The method of claim 6 which is chilled to a core temperature of ° F; and the chilled cheese is comminuted prior to freezing. 10. In step (e) the cheese curd is heated to a temperature in the range of about 125 to 155 ° F .; in step (f) the unripe mozzarella cheese is about 55 to 75.
9. The method of claim 8 which is chilled to a core temperature of ° F; and the chilled cheese is comminuted prior to freezing. 11. The method of claim 5, wherein the finely divided cheese particles are independently and rapidly frozen. 12. The method of claim 6 wherein the finely divided cheese particles are independently frozen quickly. 13. The method of claim 7 wherein the finely divided cheese particles are independently and rapidly frozen. 14. The method of claim 8 wherein the finely divided cheese particles are independently and rapidly frozen. 15. The method of claim 9 wherein the finely divided cheese particles are independently frozen quickly. 16. The method of claim 10 wherein the finely divided cheese particles are independently and rapidly frozen. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the chilled cheese is frozen within about 2 hours after being removed. 18. The method of claim 2, wherein the chilled cheese is frozen within about 2 hours after being removed. 19. The method of claim 3, wherein the chilled cheese is frozen within about 2 hours after being removed. 20. The method of claim 4, wherein the chilled cheese is frozen within about 2 hours after being removed. 21. In step (f), the cheese is about 75
The method of claim 1, wherein the cheese is chilled to a core temperature of ° F or less, and the chilled cheese is crushed within about 2 hours after being removed from seawater and then independently and quickly all frozen. The method described in 1. 22. In step (f), the cheese is about 75
The method of claim 1, wherein the chilled cheese is chilled to a core temperature of ° F or less, and the chilled cheese is crushed within about 2 hours after being removed from seawater and then independently and quickly all frozen. 4. The method described in 4. 23. In step (f), the heated cheese first comprises about 30-60% by weight salt and about 0-2.
Partially cooled in primary sodium chloride seawater having a temperature of 5 ° F, where it is held until the cheese core temperature drops to about 100 ° F or less, after which the partially The chilled cheese is further chilled in secondary sodium chloride seawater having a salinity of about 50-98 wt% and a temperature of about 35-55 ° F, where it comprises:
The method of claim 4, wherein the cheese core temperature is held until it drops to about 75 ° F or less. 24. In step (f), the heated cheese is extruded into the first seawater as a continuous ribbon,
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the ribbon is cut into pieces before being removed from the second seawater. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the chilled cheese pieces from step (g) are comminuted and then independently frozen rapidly. 26. The chilled cheese pieces from step (g) are comminuted and then, after being removed from the second seawater, independently and quickly all frozen within about 2 hours. The method of claim 24. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the cheese pieces are held in the second seawater until their core temperature falls within the range of about 55-75 ° F. 28. The method of claim 5, wherein in step (e) the cheese curd is heated to a temperature in the range of about 125-155 ° F. 29. The method of claim 24, wherein in step (e) the cheese curd is heated to a temperature in the range of about 125-155 ° F. 30. The method of claim 27, wherein in step (e) the cheese curd is heated to a temperature in the range of about 125-155 ° F. 31. The method of claim 1 wherein during step (e) about 0.8-1.5% by weight sodium chloride (based on the weight of the cheese curd) is mixed into the cheese curd. 32. The method of claim 28 wherein during step (e) about 0.8-1.5 wt% sodium chloride (based on the weight of the cheese curd) is mixed into the cheese curd. 33. The method of claim 29, wherein during step (e) about 0.8-1.5 wt% sodium chloride (based on the weight of the cheese curd) is mixed into the cheese curd. 34. The method of claim 30, wherein during step (e) about 0.8-1.5 wt% sodium chloride (based on the weight of the cheese curd) is mixed into the cheese curd. 35. The cooled cheese removed from the seawater has a moisture content of at least about 52% by weight and at least about 18%.
The method of claim 4 having a wet milk fat content of wt%. 36. The cooled cheese removed from the seawater has a moisture content of at least about 52% by weight and at least about 18%.
30. The method of claim 29 having a wet milk fat content of wt%. 37. The cooled cheese removed from the seawater has a moisture content of at least about 52% by weight and at least about 18%.
33. The method of claim 32 having a wet milk fat content of wt%. 38. The cooled cheese removed from the seawater has a moisture content of at least about 52% by weight and at least about 18%.
34. The method of claim 33 having a wet milk fat content of wt%. 39. The cooled cheese removed from the seawater has a moisture content of at least about 52% by weight and at least about 18%.
35. The method of claim 34 having a wet milk fat content of wt%. 40. The method of claim 2 wherein the chilled cheese removed from the seawater has a moisture content of at least about 52-60% by weight and a wet milk fat content of at least about 20-30% by weight. 41. The method of claim 34, wherein the chilled cheese removed from the seawater has a moisture content of at least about 52-60% by weight and a wet milk fat content of at least about 20-30% by weight. 42. The method of claim 4, wherein the chilled cheese removed from the seawater has an apparent heat capacity at or below about -675 Joules / g. 43. The method of claim 35, wherein the cooled cheese removed from the seawater has an apparent heat capacity at or below about -675 Joules / g. 44. The method of claim 36, wherein the cooled cheese removed from the seawater has an apparent heat capacity at or below about -675 Joules / g. 45. The method of claim 39, wherein the cooled cheese removed from the seawater has an apparent heat capacity at or below about -675 Joules / g. 46. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza skin with or without other toppings and Wherein the toppings are baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F, wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 1. how to. 47. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza skin with or without other toppings and Wherein the topped crust is baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F, wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 4. how to. 48. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza crust with or without other toppings and Wherein the topped crust is baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F, wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 8. how to. 49. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza skin with or without other toppings and Wherein the toppings are baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F, wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 14. how to. 50. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza crust with or without other toppings and 21. The toppings are baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F, wherein the cheese is cheese made by the method of claim 20. how to. 51. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza skin with or without other toppings and The toppings are baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400 to 1000 ° F, wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 26. how to. 52. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza crust with or without other toppings, and 31. wherein the topped crust is baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F., wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 30. how to. 53. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza skin with or without other toppings and Wherein the topped crust is baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 ° F, wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 34. how to. 54. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on pizza skin with or without other toppings, and 40. The toppings are baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of about 400-1000 <0> F, wherein the cheese is cheese produced by the method of claim 39. how to. 55. A method for making a baked pizza, wherein tomato sauce and various types of finely ground mozzarella cheese are spread on unbaked pizza dough with or without other toppings. , And then the topped dough is about 400-1000
46. A method, characterized in that the cheese is a cheese produced by the method of claim 45, baked in an oven maintained at a temperature in the range of ° F. 56. The method of claim 46, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the topped crust in an oven. 57. The method of claim 47, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the toppings in the oven. 58. The method of claim 48, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the toppings in the oven. 59. The method of claim 49, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the topped crust in an oven. 60. The method of claim 50, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the toppings in the oven. 61. The method of claim 51, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the topped crust in an oven. 62. The method of claim 52, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the toppings in the oven. 63. The method of claim 53, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the topped crust in an oven. 64. The method of claim 54, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the topped crust in an oven. 65. The method of claim 55, wherein the cheese is kept frozen for at least 14 days prior to placing the topped dough in the oven.