Patent ID: 6913774
Filing Date: 2005-07-05
Classification: A23C

Abstract:
1. A process for making a wheyless cream cheese or wheyless cream cheese-like product, said process comprising: (1) providing a dairy mixture containing dairy proteins and fat; (2) heating the dairy mixture to a temperature from about 120 to about 160° F. to form a first heated dairy mixture; (3) homogenizing the first heated dairy mixture to form a first homogenized dairy mixture; (4) heating the first homogenized dairy mixture to about 165 to about 215° F. for about 15 seconds to about 20 minutes to form a second heated dairy mixture; (5) cooling the second heated dairy mixture to a temperature of about 65 to about 80° F. to form a cooled dairy mixture; (6) inoculating the cooled dairy mixture with a lactic ferment starter culture to form an inoculated dairy mixture; (7) incubating the inoculated dairy mixture to reduce the pH to about 4.3 to about 5 to form a cultured dairy mixture; (8) adjusting the pH of the cultured dairy mixture to about 4.6 to about 5.3 to form a cultured dairy blend; (9) heating the cultured dairy blend at about 180 to about 205° F. for about 15 seconds to about 30 minutes to form a heated, cultured dairy blend; and (10) homogenizing the heated, cultured dairy blend to form the wheyless cream cheese or wheyless cream cheese-like product; wherein an effective amount of an ionic gum is added during or before the incubating step (7).