| 摘要 |
An anhydrous cheese-based product is provided which may be made into a cheese-based dry flake for incorporation into baked goods and flour confections, or which may be used in the preparation of snack items. The cheese-based product comprises from substantially 0 to 2% by weight of moisture, from about 20% to about 50% by weight of cheese solids, with the balance being cheese-compatible oils. The cheese solids are naturally occurring cheese solids that are derived from cheeses from which substantially all water has been removed, and thereby comprise the butterfat, protein, and lactose constituents of cheese. The cheese-compatible and bakery-compatible oils must be selected from the group consisting of suitable vegetable oils, butter oils, or other dairy fats, and mixtures thereof, which exhibit generally similar solid fat index and melting point characteristics as those of butterfat; and they must be miscible with the butterfat constituent of cheese solids, in any proportion, at temperatures of about 35 DEG C. to about 40 DEG C., so as to make a substantially homogenous mixture therewith, and in which the protein and lactose constituents are held in suspension. In manufacture, the ingredients are mixed so that the solids are suspended in the oils, and oil crystallization is initiated in a tempering unit. Then, the tempered product is passed through a cooling tunnel to cool and crystallize the fats. |
