MXPA06005414A - Dairy product and process - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a process for preparing cheese comprising:(a) providing a protein concentrate, (b) providing a flavour concentrate using at least one strain of organism, (c) mixing the protein concentrate with a source of fat and/or liquid if required and heating to form a coagulated cheese mass, (d) adding the flavour concentrate before, during or after step (c). The method allows rapid production of flavoured cheeses.

Description

DAIRY PRODUCT AND ITS PROCESS Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel process for making cheese matured with mushroom and cheese products made by the process. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Mushroom-ripened cheese has been widely prepared in Europe for many centuries, often using methods of intense work. This generic class of cheeses include some well-known varieties such as Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Blue (Bleu, Danablu), Ca embert, and Brie. The characteristics of mushroom-ripened cheeses are mostly dependent on the ripening process during which the selected strains of fungal mycelia infiltrate the cheese causing intense flavor development and the characteristic texture of the product. In cheese matured by traditional fungus a range of organisms are used. These include, but are not limited to, fungi from the families Penicilli? M, Mucor, Cladosporium, Geotrichum, Epicoccum, and Sporotrichum. Selected strains of the Penicillium family are the most widely used commercially. Some cheese makers have developed several methods in an attempt to solve these problems. Ref .: 173032 A well-known method used to achieve greater control of the development of cheese flavor matured by fungus is the careful selection of the fungal varieties. However, this makes the control of the microbiological status of the product and potential contamination during the process more critical. Another method is to sell separate products at different ripening periods (such as 21, 27 and 35 days for the old Camembert). An additional known method is to standardize the flavor of such cheese by ripening the cheese to the optimum degree and then heat treating the cheese to stop all microbiological processes. However, this process can cause undesirable taste and unusual textural changes in the cheese. As a result, heat treated cheeses are often sold at a low price. Some manufacturers try to avoid this problem by making comparatively small batches on a regular basis throughout the year. The consumer can then regularly buy a relatively immature product, which can be stored by the consumer until the preferred state of maturity is reached. This is not ideal for the manufacturer since it has a product that can not be transported at any large distance. Additionally the consumer may not have ideal conditions to keep the cheese for further ripening, for example the refrigerator, which is often the most convenient domestic cheese ripening environment, has the risk of contaminating the cheese by staining from other present foods. It is also known that many cheeses produced by conventional means can not, in general, be stored frozen without major alteration to the texture of the curd. Camembert is an exception since it can be selected to stop the biochemical activity and be thawed successfully. An additional problem in the conventional manufacture of mushroom-matured cheese is that the traditional flavor and texture develops over a period that takes one or more months. This incurs costs both in maintenance of the store in the ripening stage as well as there is no quality certainty until the finished product has reached the objective level of maturation. The quality defects that take months to become evident represent expensive faults that the consumer ultimately suffers from. The traditional Camembert and Brie cheese varieties mature progressively from the surface to the core. The matured zone typically obtains a mild dispersible consistency. This material is also soft to cut satisfactorily.

Gamelost, a semi-hard cheese from Norway, is made by first precipitating casein from skim milk by adding acid and cooking at about 65 ° C. Casein is separated from the serum, collected and formed in a mass and molded by heating for approximately 2 hours in boiling serum. After cooling (the next day) the surface of the cheese is sprayed with a suspension of Mucor fungus and then placed in storage for maturation (Fox PP (editor), Cheese: Chemistry, physics and microbiology, Vol. 2 Major cheese groups. 2nd edition Chapman &; Hall, London). This traditional cheese adopts a direct acid addition method to produce the curd and then uses the heat to form a coagulated cheese mass. The fungus is then applied to the surface of the cheese dough. Little fat can be incorporated efficiently into the curd used in this technique due to the losses in the whey bath. Maturation will be slow depending on the size of the cheese mass since the fungus will have difficulty penetrating into the core of the dough. A process that accelerates the production of matured cheese with fungus is known in the art. Kosikowski & Mistry -Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods Vol. 1. 3rd edition, 1997, teaches a recombinant process to prepare Blue cheese that is ready for immediate consumption after packing.

Skim milk is concentrated using ultrafiltration. Concomitantly, a cream or concentrate with a high-fat flavor is prepared using predominantly cream, spores of P. roqμeforti, microbial lipase and optionally starter bacteria or serum. The mixture is fermented to produce the required flavor supply. The flavor supply is mixed with the ultrafiltered retentate and heated to about 70 ° C for about 3 minutes. The cream cheese-like dough is packed and cooled and ready for consumption. This process has many attractive features. However, it does not suggest the means to control the calcium content of the retentate and therefore manipulate the texture of the product in the forms of the subtitle that is expected by the consumer of cheese ripened by traditionally mature mushrooms. There is no suggestion in the art that a mushroom-flavored cheese prepared by a recombination process is stable to freeze-thaw. No process for the preparation of cheese with mushroom flavor has revealed a means to cut the cheese. Any process for making cheese or a cheese precursor that provides reliable control of the desired flavor and texture of mushroom-matured cheese and allows for rapid production may be desirable. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a process and / or at least provide the public with a useful choice. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the present invention provides a process for preparing cheese which comprises: (a) providing a protein concentrate, (b) providing a flavor concentrate which uses at least one strain of organisms, ( c) mixing the protein concentrate with a source of fat and / or liquid if required and heating to form a coagulated mass of cheese, adding the flavor concentrate before, during or after step (c). In another aspect the present invention provides a process for preparing cheese which comprises: (a) providing a flavor concentrate, (b) providing a flavor concentrate using at least one strain of organisms, (c) mixing the protein concentrate and flavor concentrate with a source of fat and / or liquid if required and heated to form a coagulated mass of cheese and if it is required to inactivate the flavor-producing organisms, (d) cool the resulting coagulated cheese mass to form a cheese precursor with an exposed surface, (e) apply viable organisms to the exposed surface, (f) allow the cheese to mature. Optionally, the cheese obtained can be divided into portions. Optionally this matured cheese can be frozen. Other ingredients can be added conveniently in step (c). (a) providing a protein concentrate, (b) optionally providing a flavor concentrate using at least one strain of organisms, (c) mixing the protein concentrate with a source of fat and / or liquid if required and heating to forming a coagulated cheese dough, (d) cooling the coagulated cheese dough and mixing in a flavor concentrate which contains viable organisms to form a cheese precursor, (e) optionally dividing the cheese precursor into consumer portions, (f) allow the cheese precursor or portions to mature. (g) Optionally freeze the matured cheese. Where there is one or more additions of the flavor concentrate, the concentrate may be the same or different. Other ingredients may be conveniently added in one of steps (c) and / or (d). In one modality, the. Stages include applying viable organisms to the exposed surface, and allowing the cheese to mature. In another aspect, the present invention provides a process for preparing a cheese which comprises: (a) providing a protein concentrate, (b) providing a flavor concentrate using at least one strain of organisms, (c) mixing the concentrate of protein and the flavor concentrate with a source of fat and / or liquid if required and heated to form a coagulated mass of cheese, and if it is required to inactivate the organisms that produce the flavor, (d) divide the cheese mass into portions, (e) Optionally freeze the cheese portions. Preferably the cheese precursor or the matured cheese can be cut or particulate. Other ingredients may be added conveniently in step (c). Examples of ingredients which can be usefully used in any of the processes of the invention include one or more ingredients selected from salt, acid, water or potable fluid and salts of citric acid and phosphoric acid.

Freshly prepared flavor concentrate can be used. Alternatively, the flavor concentrate may be preserved before incorporation into the cordate dough. A preferred method of preservation of the flavor concentrate is drying and a particularly preferred method is freeze drying. Optionally, the preserved flavor concentrate can be stored and / or transported prior to its incorporation into the cordate dough. The protein concentrate as used herein means any solution, coarse suspension, suspension or protein paste capable of forming a homogenous mass. _heating and subsequent cooling to room temperature. It also includes solids (for example a powder) which when mixed with liquid have the same capacity. Preferably the protein concentrate is a milk protein concentrate. This can be formed from milk added with renin where the calcium concentration is controlled by manipulating the pH at which the curd is cooked or by using acid wash water to wash the cooked curd or both. In other preferred options, the concentration of calcium in the protein concentrate is controlled using optional ion exchange and ultrafiltration as published in the published PCT application WO 02/082917 or by the method described in the published PCT application WO 03 / 069982 The flavor concentrate as used herein means a solution, thick suspension, suspension, paste or flavored powder, prepared using fungi and / or edible yeasts. Preferably the flavor concentrate is prepared as a result of a fermentation process which involves the growth of at least one selected strain of edible fungi or yeasts or alternatively the flavor concentrate is prepared using mushrooms and / or non-viable edible yeasts. The term "which comprises" means, "consisting of" or "which includes." The processes of the invention may have additional steps and ingredients, for example, salt, flavoring, coloring, etc. may be added. viable organisms used in the process of the present invention contain selected species of fungi with optional bacterial cultures Preferred cultures are selected from commercial strains of bacteria that produce lactic, propionic or butyric acid In preferred embodiments, the cheese precursor or cheese product can be frozen for storage or transport purposes Preferably, the fungal organisms used are selected from the fungal family.Most preferably the fungi are from the families of Penicillium, Mucor, Cladosporium, Geotrichum, Epicoccum, and Sporotrichum. The family of Penicillium is the most preferred organism, the strains of P. candidium and P. roqueforti are particulate rmente preferred. More than one organism can be used. Preferably, the percentage of flavor concentrate relative to the total cheese coagulated mass is in the range of 0.1% to 20%, preferably 0.5% to 10%, more preferably 1% to 5%. Preferably the protein concentrate, a source of fat, and the flavor concentrate are mixed by mixing a heating and mixing device (mixer / cooker). The heat used in the cooking stage can be applied directly, indirectly or in combination. A preferred direct form of heat is culinary steam. The mixing and cooking devices can be batch or continuous. By varying the proportion of the protein concentrate, the fat and the flavor concentrate in the cheese coagulated mass or cheese precursor the taste and toxtura in the final product can be controlled. The source of fat is preferably cream, butter or oil. If cream is used, it can be homogenized before mixing with the protein concentrate and optional ingredients. The oil or fat can be mixed with a quantity of skim milk and preferably be homogenized before adding the recovered curd. The heating step is preferably carried out by heating at approximately 60 ° C for between 1 second and 120 minutes, preferably 10 seconds and 30 minutes, more preferably 20 seconds and 15 minutes. More preferably, the mixture is heated to between 70 ° C and 90 ° C, more preferably, it is heated to between 75 ° C and 85 ° C. Preferably, ripening is carried out at temperatures between 5 ° C and 35 ° C, more preferably between 10 ° C and 20 ° C and a relative humidity greater than 80%, preferably greater than 90%. The maturation period can be between 1 day and 30 days, and preferably between 5 days and 20 days. In a further aspect the present invention provides a cheese or cheese precursor produced by a process according to the present invention. The preferred cheeses produced using the process of the invention are Camembert and Blue cheese, mushroom-flavored cheese style and blu cheese style. A precursor is any intermediate cheese product prepared from the protein concentrate before it reaches the final form presented to the consumer. A cheese precursor may undergo a variety of subsequent processing steps before it becomes the final product including one or more of ripening, freezing, cutting and portioning. The dry matter fat in the cheese product is preferably between 10% and 80%, more preferably 20% and 60%. The protein / water ratio in the cheese product is preferably between 0.1 and 1.2 and more preferably between 0.25 and 0.8. The invention also allows the rapid production of flavored cheeses. Also in embodiments where the protein concentrate includes whey proteins, these can be retained in the cheese product. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that analogs of dairy products described herein may be made according to the invention using non-dairy protein sources. Preferred Modes - Preparation of Protein Concentrate In a preferred embodiment for preparing the protein concentrate, pasteurized milk, or more non-fat milk (non-fat milk) is preferably pasteurized from any suitable mammal with an enzyme capable of converting casein kappa to casein para-kappa. The enzyme can be of animal, vegetable or microbiological origin. A preferred enzyme is renin. The enzymatic reaction is carried out at a temperature below 15 ° C and more preferably below 10 ° C, for a period preferably greater than 1 hour and preferably less than 24 hours. Alternatively, the milk to be pasteurized can be non-fat or low-fat milk and can be obtained by reconstituting milk powder with a potable solvent. Suitable solvents include water or skim milk. Mixtures of fresh milk and reconstituted milk can also be used. After the enzymatic reaction is complete, the treated milk is acidified to a pH of about 5.4. Approved acids can be used for foods, such as dilute sulfuric acid. Optionally, a portion of the pasteurized skim milk can be fermented with the addition of an approved starter culture for food (such as lactic acid culture) to produce the required acidity. The acidified mixture can be cooked by the application of heat at a temperature between 30 ° C and 50 ° C and preferably between 40 ° C and 48 ° C and more preferably between 44 ° C and 46 ° C. A heating method that can be used is by the direct addition of culinary steam. Once it is at the desired cooking temperature, the mixture is maintained for approximately 50 seconds before the curd and whey are separated. The preferred maintenance times are between 1 second and 300 seconds. Any method can be used to separate the curds and whey but a combination of sieves and decanters is a method. The curd without serum is then washed using water at a temperature between 20 ° C and 50 ° C, more preferably 30 ° C to 45 ° C and more preferably 35 ° C to 40 ° for a period of a few minutes. Optionally the wash water can be acidified with a food-approved acid (such as sulfuric acid) to a pH of about 2.6. A wash-to-curd ratio of at least 0.25: 1.0 (water to the equivalent of skim milk starting) can be used, but a ratio of between 0. 5: 1.0 and 1.0: 1.0-, After washing, the curd is recovered from the wash water using similar methods as used for the separation of the whey from the curd. After removing the water, the protein concentrate has a preferred moisture content of more than 30% w / w. More preferably, the washed protein concentrate without water has a moisture content of between 40% and 55% w / w (on a wet basis). By manipulating the pH of the treated milk, the cooking temperature of the clot and the pH of the washing water, the concentration of divalent cations in the protein concentrate can be varied, being in the range of 100 mM / kg of protein to 700 mM / kg of protein. More preferably, the calcium content of the protein concentrate is between 150 mM Ca / kg protein and 500 mM Ca / kg protein. Optionally at this stage, the protein concentrate can be packaged and placed in storage for transport and / or subsequent use. Optionally the protein concentrate is salted with 1% to 2% common salt, preferably 1.5-1.7% salt before being packed. Storage can be achieved by freezing the recovered curd and storing it at a temperature below -10 ° C, more preferably below -18 ° C. Alternatively it is used. the protein concentrate directly for conversion to the final cheese product. In an alternative embodiment, a protein concentrate can be prepared by the hydration of concentrated milk powder (MPC for its acronym in English). Water is a preferred moisturizing agent. Preferred MPC powders are bivalent depleted MPCs prepared according to the techniques described in patent NZ 511095. The hydrated MPC can contain between 20% and 85% solids, more preferably between 40% and 70% solids. Alternatively a divalent exhausted retentate may be used; prepared according to the techniques described in Patent NZ 511095. Preferably the divalent spent retentate contains more than 40% solids.

Preferred Mode - Preparation of Flavor Concentrate A flavor concentrate can be prepared using at least one fungus strain by a variety of methods. A method for preparing a flavor concentrate has been described by Kosikowski & Mistry. A preferred method for preparing a flavor concentrate is to form a layer of cheese curd on a surface, preferably a tray. The cheese curd prepared by any convenient method is suitable as long as the water activity is greater than 80% and preferably greater than 90% and the salt concentration is enormous at 2% and preferably between 1% and 1.5%. be a continuous film of curd or it can be a particulate. Preferably the layer is less than 20 mm thick and more preferably 5 mm to 10 mm thick. The curd layer is inoculated with a selected strain of viable fungal spores. Preferably, the fungal spores used are selected from the family of fungi. More preferably the fungi are from the families of Penicillium, Mucor, Cladosporium, Geotrichum, Epicoccum and Sporotrichum. The Penicillium family is the most preferred organism, commercial strains of P. candidium and P. roqueforti are particularly preferred. Any convenient method for applying the spores can be used but it is preferred to spray a mixture of spores dispersed in a sterile medium.

Optionally, the selected strains of bacteria and yeasts together with any • nutrients can also be applied together with the spores in the medium. The preferred nutrients are fats, proteins, vitamins, enzymes and mineral salts. Preferred strains of bacteria are commercial cultures selected from bacteria that produce lactic, propionic or butyric acid. The treated curd is maintained in an environment that facilitates the rapid growth of fungal spores on the cheese substrate. The preferred conditions are temperatures between 10 ° C and 40 ° C, more preferably between 20 ° C and 30 ° C and a relative age of -more than 90% and preferably at least 95%. Mushroom growth can be continued until a flavor-rich concentrate is formed. Preferably a growth period of between 5 and 10 days is applied. Optionally, during the growing period the treated curd can be manipulated to expose the untreated surface of the curd and additional applications of applied spores. Optionally, the flavor concentrate may be preserved for additional use or transport. Preferably the flavor concentrate can be dried, and more preferably freeze dried. Preferred Mode - Cheese Preparation The protein concentrate together with other ingredients are mixed and heated to form a coagulated mass of cheese. The protein concentrate is placed in a mixer-cooker along with a cream (or butter, or a source of fat and oil), and optional ingredients. The mixer-cooker can be operated either in a batch form or continuously. If cream is used, it can be homogenized before mixing with the protein concentrate and optional ingredients. The oil or fat can be mixed with a quantity of skim milk and preferably hogenized before addition. to the recovered curd. Optional ingredients may include the flavor concentrate prepared above, emulsifying salts, common salt, acid or alkali approved for food, retentate of serum protein, serum protein concentrate (or isolate) (WPC, or WPI), flavors and color and any other ingredients allowed by CODEX Standard 221-2001, Codex standard for unripened cheese including fresh cheese, which is incorporated for reference. The pH range of the mixture can be between 4.5 and 7.5, preferably between 5.0 and 7.0. - The mixture is then heated to at least 60 ° C for between 1 second and 120 minutes, preferably 10 seconds and 30 minutes, more preferably 20 seconds and 15 minutes to form a uniform emulsified gel (coagulated cheese mass). More preferably, the mixture is heated to between 70 ° C and 90 ° C, more preferably, it is heated to between 75 ° C and 85 ° C. Optionally the pH of the mixture is then adjusted with an acid or alkali approved for food and mixing and heating continue for between 20 seconds and 120 minutes to achieve a uniform emulsified gel. Preferably, the ingredients are heated and mixed for 2 to 10 minutes. Any acid or alkali approved for food can be used. The final pH of the cheese coagulated mass can be between 4.5 and 6.5, preferably between 5.0 and 6.0. The mixture is then cooled down to 50 ° C and more preferably below 40 ° C. This can be carried out in the mixer-cooker or it can be carried out in a dedicated cooling device to produce a cheese precursor. In this stage, the cheese precursor can be packed. Any convenient product formation, portion and packaging process can be used. The formation, portion and packing processes typically used for processed cheeses are contented, as they are known devices for producing blocks, tubes, sauces, bars and baskets. The packed cheese is preferably placed in cold storage, and more preferably in freezing storage. Alternatively, the packaged cheese may be used directly or stabilized by other means known in the art. Optionally, when the cheese precursor is cooled, frozen or thawed, it may be cut or particulate. After cutting the cheese, it is packed. The bags are a preferred packaging. Alternatively once cooled and formed, a concentrate of viable fungal organisms is added to the cheese precursor. These organisms can be applied to the surface of the cheese precursor. The organisms of viable fungi may contain selected species of fungal or bacterial cultures or combinations of both. Preferred organisms are those described in the preparation of the flavor concentrate. A preferred means for applying the organisms is to disperse them in sterile water and spray the surface of the cheese precursor. The cheese precursor can be divided into portions before or after the application of the viable organisms. The organisms are then allowed to mature the cheese precursor in this way by producing the cheese product. The treated cheese precursor is preferably placed on the surface at a controlled temperature and humidity in space for a period to allow ripening. Maturing is carried out preferably at temperatures between 5 ° C and 35 ° C, more preferably between 10 ° C and 20 ° C and at a relative humidity greater than 80%, preferably greater than 90%. The maturation period can be between 1 day and 30 days, and preferably between 5 days and 20 days. Optionally, the maturation of the cheese or cheese precursor dough can be carried out by facilitating contact with the air. This can be achieved, for example, by puncturing the cheese mass with needles or rollers to allow air to enter. Such a technique is known in the art. Preferably once the cheese has matured it is packed and stored. The freezing is. an optional storage technique. In an alternative embodiment, the flavor concentrate containing viable organisms as prepared above can be added and mixed in the cheese precursor. The cheese precursor comprises 0.1% to 20%, preferably 0.5% to 10%, more preferably 2% to 5% of the flavor concentrate. Optionally once formed, the cheese precursor can be sprayed as described above. The processed cheese precursor is then matured as above with the preference that the dough is punctured as previously described. The coagulated cheese dough or the cheese precursor can be formed by passing them through a hole, opening, nozzle or mold, or alternatively emptied into a surface (or surfaces) thereby forming a band, plate, sheet or film of an adequate thickness. Optionally, the band, plate, sheet or film can be further cooled to make it firm or hardened, by contact with air, cooled fluid, or a cooled surface or combination thereof. Preferably the band, plate, sheet or film is formed in portions. This band, plate, sheet or film of cheese can be coated with viable organisms and then treated according to the processes described above for maturation. Optionally, two or more cheese layers can be laminated together. Each layer can be treated with different viable organisms. All ranges mentioned in this patent specification are proposed to inherently include all possible values within the established range. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the process of a preferred embodiment of the invention. EXAMPLES The following examples further illustrate the practice of the invention. General Example: Preparation of the protein concentrate The pasteurized skim milk is cooled (72 ° C / 15 seconds) to 10 ° C and placed in a beaker for rest. The renin enzyme is completely mixed in the skim milk at the concentration of 1 part of rennin to 18,000 part of skim milk and it is left to react for several hours. The milk is then dosed with rennin with dilute sulfuric acid (5% w / w) to give a pH of 5.3. The acidified mixture is heated to about 44 ° C by direct injection of steam to form a clot and maintained at that temperature for approximately 60 seconds to cook the clot. The serum is removed from the clot using a ball solids decanter. The recovered protein concentrate is washed at approximately 38 ° C in water acidified with sulfuric acid to pH 2.5 using a ratio of "water to skim milk (equivalent) of 0.5: 1." The protein concentrate is left in the water for 10 minutes. washing before being separated using a ball solids decanter to give a final protein concentrate The protein concentrate is salted using 1.5% salt, formed into a cohesive mass and cold stored at about 5 μC until required The composition of the above protein concentrate is given in Table 1. Table 1 Composition of the protein concentrate prepared using mineral acid.

Lactic fermentation process Two batches of 500 1 separated from pasteurized skim milk are prepared. In a batch the milk is cooled to 10 ° C and 1 part of rennin (Australian Double Strength) is added to 18,000 parts of skim milk and left to react for several hours. To the other batch of milk, maintained at a temperature of approximately 26 ° C, a commercial strain of mesophilic Lactococcus lactis cremoris (0.1% v / v) is added. This is left to ferment for approximately 16 hours, where the pH has reached 4.6. The contents of both containers are combined in line to produce a mixture with a pH of about 5.5 and then the mixture is kept in a container for about 20 minutes wherein the temperature increases to about 4 ° C to induce curd formation. The curds and whey are then pumped onto a sieve to drain the whey and the curd is placed in a container where it is washed using 250 1 of water acidified with dilute sulfuric acid at pH 2.3 for about 10 minutes. The washed curd is recovered using a horizontal ball decanter, passed through a Urschel grind (3 mm mesh) to give a protein concentrate having approximately 50.4% solids and a fat content of 0.33%. The curd is packed in ... boís.a.s ".. de. plastic (without the addition of optional salt [approximately 1.5%]) and frozen for subsequent cheese preparation. The protein concentrate has a calcium concentration of 94 mM / kg and a pH of 5.4 Example 1: Preparation of Flavor Concentrate: blue cheese A mixture is prepared which comprises the following in a flask according to the ingredients shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Amounts of ingredients for the Example The mixture, without the spores, is sterilized by heat at approximately 110 ° C for 10 minutes. After cooling to room temperature, the spores are added to the flask. The mixture has an initial pH of 6.3. The mixture is sprayed onto the surface of a thin layer of protein concentrate approximately 5-7 mm thick (as prepared in the previous General Example) in a tray. The material is allowed to grow for two days in a damp room at 22-25 ° C and approximately 95% RH. The substrate layer is turned over using a sterile spatula and the freshly exposed surface is sprayed as for the first side. Allow this to mature for two days as before. The process is repeated in such a way that after eight days the material has been treated and matured four times.

This portion of concentrated blue cheese is used as a flavor ingredient in the proportion of 2-5% of the final cheese mass in the mixer / cooker (cheese blanket). Example 2: Preparation of the flavor concentrate: Camembert-Mushroom A mixture is prepared in a flask according to the ingredients shown in Table 3: Table 3: Amounts of ingredients for Example 2 The mixture, without the spores, is sterilized at approximately 100 ° C for 10 minutes. After cooling to room temperature, the spores are added to the flask. The culture medium is applied to a layer of protein concentrate and grown as for the blue cheese concentrate described in Example 1. This portion of concentrated Camembert Mushroom cheese is used as a flavor ingredient in the ratio 2-3. % of the mass. end of cheese in the mixer / cooker (cheese blanket). Example 3: Preparation of Cheese Samples The ingredients shown in Table 4 are placed in a double screw mixer / cooker (Blentedch Kettle model CI0045, Rohnert Park, California, USA): Table 4: Amounts of ingredients for Example 3 The protein concentrate blocks are cut using a Urschel food mill and placed with the other ingredients (including the flavor concentrate) in the Blentech blanket. With the indicated screws at 140 rpm, the mixture is heated to 83 ° C, with direct steam injection over a period of 4 minutes. The resulting homogenous mass is emptied into trays (as plates approximately 25-30 mm thick), which are then allowed to cool to approximately 10 ° C. The surface is coated with P. candidium spore mixture (0.2 g of freeze-dried Texel VB 10D culture dispersed in 1 liter of sterile water) using a hand-held sprinkler, to give a uniform thin film. The sample is placed in a curing room at approximately 11 ° C for 5 days in high humidity. The cheese is removed from the tray, inverted, and the fresh surface sprayed as before and returned to the curing room for another 5 days. The cheese is then cut into segments and packed in vacuum-sealed bags. The flavor, aroma and texture are surprisingly similar to the mature Blue cheese made using conventional renin milk setting, cut curd, and whey drainage methods. The surface of the cheese is covered in a whitish layer of fungus similar to Camembert or Brie. Example 4: Preparation of cheese samples The ingredients shown in Table 5 are placed in a twin screw mixer / cooker (Blentech Kettle model CI0045, Rohnert Park, California, USA): Table 5: Amounts of ingredients for Example 4 The. Pre-frozen blocks are cut using a Urschel food mill and placed with the other ingredients (including the flavor concentrate) in the Blentech blanket. The ingredients are mixed for approximately 1 minute with the indicated augers at a low speed of approximately 140 rpm. The speed is increased to approximately 95-100 rpm and heat is applied by introduction of culinary steam. When 50 ° C is reached, the screw speed is increased to 165 rpm and heating is continued, reaching a final cooking temperature of 83 ° -93 ° C, which is maintained for approximately 30 seconds. The resulting homogeneous fluid is emptied into trays (such as plates approximately 25-30 mm thick), which are then placed in a cold room overnight at 5 ° C (without being covered by spores). The samples are then cut into segments, sealed in vacuum bags and frozen at -18 ° C. Before defrosting, the taste, aroma and texture are surprisingly similar to the moderately mature Blue cheese and show no sign of whey separation or granulation of the curd. Example 5: Preparation of Cheese Samples The ingredients shown in Table 6 are placed in a twin screw mixer / cooker (Blentech Kettle Model CI0045, Rohnert Park, California, USA): Table 6: Amounts of Ingredients for Example 5 The cheese is prepared according to the method of Example 3. When the cheese has cooled to about 10 ° C, the surface is coated with the mixture of P. candidium and allowed to mature as in Example 3. The mature cheese has a taste and appearance similar to that of the cheese. Example 3, but a milder blue / mushroom flavor and a whitish fungus coating. Example 6: Preparation of Cheese Samples The ingredients shown in Table 7 are placed in a twin screw mixer / cooker (Blentech Kettle model CI0045, Rohnert Park, California, USA): Table 7: Amounts of ingredients for Example 5 The cheese is prepared according to the method of Example 4, that is, the surface of the cheese is not coated with the spores. The taste, aroma and texture are surprisingly similar to a medium blue cheese. The cheese samples produced in Examples 2-6 have compositions in the ranges in Table 8: Table 8: Composition of samples Alternate Preparation of Cheese Samples The cheese samples prepared in Examples 1-5 are prepared with the inclusion of citrate and phosphate salts (often known in the art as fusion salts) and are cooked at a temperature of 82-80 ° C. 92 ° C. A feature of this invention is that cheese can be produced without fusion salts (using all natural ingredients). This is demonstrated in the preparation of a group of samples in an additional series of experiments. In an additional illustration of the versatility of the process, various proportions of whey protein are incorporated into the product. All samples containing whey protein concentrate are cooked at 90-92 ° C. A group of samples is prepared without the need for melting salts and without the addition of flavor concentrates. The flavor concentrate can be added to the cheese mixture as taught in Examples 3-6. After the preparation of the cooked mixture in the cooker, the melted cheese is emptied into molds. Once the cheese has cooled to room temperature, the viable organisms can be applied to the surface of the cheese and then placed in a facility to allow the growth of the cultures using techniques and procedures demonstrated in Example 3. The textures of Cheese samples are varied by adjusting the proportion of whey protein incorporated in the formulation. The process for preparing the cheese is like that for Example 4. The formulations used are shown in Table 9. Table 9: Amounts of ingredients used in the formulations Once the samples have been emptied into molds approximately 120 mm in diameter to a depth of approximately 20 mm (a typical size of Camembert cheese), they are placed in a freezer and stored at -12 ° C. At room temperature, all samples are homogeneous in appearance with a typical texture of a Camembert of young / medium maturity. Analytical results Some of the samples in Table 9 are subjected to compositional analysis. The results are shown in Table 10. Moisture is determined by the oven method of 105 ° C for 15 hours. The fat composition is determined using the Schmid-Bondzynski-Ratzlaff method. Table 10 Sample analysis Sensory evaluation After thawing at room temperature, each of the samples in Table 9 is evaluated for color, mouthfeel, and taste. The results are summarized in Table 11.

Table 11 Sensory comments The sensory results of the samples evaluated in Table 11 show that the process of this invention can prepare a cheese-based supply having highly desirable sensory characteristics from which flavoring agents can be added (example 4 and 6 but without the use of fusion salts) or applied to the surface (examples 3 and 5 but without the use of fusion salts). Cutting The samples of Formulation 1 are removed from Table 9 from freeze storage and cut at various intervals using a Zyliss 92/1300 type scratcher. The samples are fractionated by hand in such a way that the pieces can be cut. be placed in the mouth of the skimmer. A partially frozen sample is scratched within one hour after removing it from the freezer at room temperature, passing through the mill extremely well without sticking or very finely. A similar sample that has been brought to room temperature for 5 hours and which is completely thawed and described as "soft", also scratches well with less fineness than the additional frozen sample that has been thawed by keeping it in the refrigerator at about 5 hours. ° C for approximately 22 hours also scratches well but with more finesse than any of the previous samples. This experiment shows that useful samples can be successfully recovered from freeze storage and scratching using samples over a wide range of temperatures in a particulate product that has no limiting applications for coatings (pizzas), dispersion in vegetables and salads, and a convenient additive in the preparation of sauces and the like. The above examples are illustrations of the practice of the invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention can be made with numerous modifications and variations. For example, the pH, temperature, times and types of maturing organisms can all be varied. Additional ingredients may be included. Also the constituents of the cheeses can be varied as well as their proportions. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (30)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property. A process for preparing cheese characterized in that it comprises: (a) providing a protein concentrate, (b) providing a flavor concentrate which uses at least one strain of organisms, (c) mixing the protein concentrate with a source of fat and / or liquid if required (d) to heat to form a coagulated mass of cheese without fermentation, (e) to add the flavor concentrate before, during or after step (c).
2. 2. A process for preparing cheese characterized in that it comprises: (a) providing a flavor concentrate, (b) providing a flavor concentrate using at least one organism strain, (c) mixing the protein concentrate and flavor concentrate with a source of fat and / or liquid if it is required (d) to heat to form a coagulated mass of cheese without fermentation and if it is required to inactivate the organisms that produce the taste, (e) to cool the resulting cheese coagulated mass to form a cheese precursor with an exposed surface, (f) apply viable organisms to the exposed surface, (g) allow the cheese to mature.
3. 3. A process for preparing cheese characterized in that it comprises: (a) providing a protein concentrate, (b) optionally providing a flavor concentrate using at least one organism strain, (c) mixing the protein concentrate with a source of fat and / or liquid if required (d) heat to form a coagulated cheese mass without fermentation, (e) cool the coagulated cheese mass and mix in a flavor concentrate which contains viable organisms to form a cheese precursor , (f) optionally dividing the cheese precursor into portions for the consumer, (g) allowing the cheese precursor or portions to ripen.
4. 4. A process for preparing a cheese characterized in that it comprises: (a) providing a protein concentrate, (b) providing a flavor concentrate using at least one strain of organisms, (c) mixing the protein concentrate and the protein concentrate. flavor with a source of fat and / or liquid if it is required (d) to heat to form a coagulated mass of cheese without fermentation, and if it is required to inactivate the organisms that produce the flavor, and (e) to divide the mass of cheese into portions,
5. 5. The process according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that the cheese or cheese precursor is divided into portions.
6. 6. The process according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the cheese is subjected to freezing.
7. 7. The process according to claim 6, characterized in that after the freezing step, the cheese is thawed and in addition ripening occurs.
8. 8. The process according to claim 1, 3 or 4, characterized in that it further comprises applying viable organisms to the exposed surface and allowing the cheese to mature.
9. 9. The process according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the cheese precursor or cheese is cut or particulate.
10. 10. The process according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the protein concentrate is selected from a milk protein concentrate, a milk with rennin, or a reconstituted milk protein concentrate.
11. 11. The process according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flavor concentrate comprises at least one edible fungus.
12. 12. The process in accordance with the claim 11, characterized in that the fungus organism is selected from the family of Penicillium, - Mucor, Cladosporium, Geotrichum, Epicoccum, or Sporotrichum.
13. 13. The process according to claim 12, characterized in that the fungal organism is P. candidium or P. roqueforti.
14. 14. The process according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the flavor concentrate further comprises a flavor enhancing bacterium, selected from cultures that produce lactic acid, propionic acid or butyric acid.
15. 15. The process according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the percentage of flavor concentrate in relation to the total cheese coagulated mass is in the range of 0.1% to 20%.
16. 16. The process according to claim 15, characterized in that the percentage of flavor concentrate in relation to the total cheese coagulated mass is in the range of 0.5% to 10%.
17. 17. The process in accordance with the claim 15, characterized in that the percentage of flavor concentrate relative to the total cheese coagulated mass is in the range of 1% to 5%.
18. 18. The process according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the source of fat is cream, butter or edible oil.
19. 19. The process according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating step is carried out by heating to at least 60 ° C for between 1 second and 120 minutes.
20. 20. The process according to claim 19, characterized in that the heating step is carried out for between 10 seconds and 30 minutes.
21. 21. The process according to claim 19, characterized in that the heating step is performed between 20 seconds and 15 minutes.
22. 22. The process according to any of claims 19-21, characterized in that the mixture is heated to between 70 ° C and 90 ° C.
23. 23. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that the mixture is heated to between 75 ° C and 85 ° C.
24. 24. The process according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that after the heating step, the cheese precursor is stored at a temperature between 5 ° C and 35 ° C and a relative humidity greater than 80%.
25. 25. The process according to claim 24, characterized in that there is an ease of contact between the air and the cheese or cheese precursor.
26. 26. The process according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that the cheese precursor is stored at a temperature between 10 ° C to 20 ° C.
27. 27. The cheese or cheese precursor characterized in that they are produced by a process according to any of claims 1-26.
28. 28. The cheese according to claim 27, characterized in that the cheese is Camembert, Blue cheese, mushroom style cheese style or blue style cheese style.
29. 29. Cheese in accordance with the claim 27 or 28, characterized in that the fat in dry matter in the cheese is between 10% and 80%.
30. 30. The cheese according to claim 29, characterized in that the fat in the dry matter is between 20% and 60% in the cheese.