DAIRY PRODUCT AND PROCESS

摘要

A process for preparing a grindable cheese having 30-45% moisture, at least 0.5% whey protein and more than 10% fat in dry matter is provided. It involves (a) filtering milk through a membrane to remove 30% to 90% of the water and preferably also of the lactose while retaining at least 95% of the casein; (b) adding sufficient sodium chloride to the retentate to get 0.5 to 2% salt in the cheese product; (c) heating the membrane filtered milk retentate to a temperature above 75°C; (d) subjecting the membrane filtered milk retentate to a process selected from fermentation and chemical acidification or a mixture thereof to produce a fermented/acid milk with a pH of 5.4 or less; (e) (optionally) treating the prepared retentate with rennet or a suitable coagulating enzyme, either prior to or following fermentation, (f) thermally concentrating the membrane filtered milk to increase the total solids content to 55-70%, the protein content to at least 25% (g) allowing the heated milk to cool to produce a cheese. Also provided is a grindable ultrafiltration cheese prepared from milk retentate heated above 75°C and having 30-45% moisture, at least 25% protein, at least 0.5% whey protein, and more than 10% fat in dry matter.