Patent ID: 7666458
Filing Date: 2010-02-23
Classification: A23C

Abstract:
1. A cheese manufacturing system, comprising: (a) a slurry preparation system to prepare a slurry in the absence of a cheese mass comprising (i) a blender adapted to blend a cheese curd and one or more ingredients together to form a slurry, wherein the blender does not substantially alter the size of the ingredients which are solid, (ii) a first dispenser operatively disposed to introduce the one or more ingredients into the slurry, and (iii) a subsystem comprising at least one of the following units a cooker adapted to heat the slurry to a temperature of about 90° F. to about 293° F.; a shear pump adapted to subject the slurry to high shear conditions; a homogenizer adapted to homogenize the one or more ingredients in the slurry; and an evaporator adapted to adjust the water content of the slurry to about 35-65% by weight, wherein the at least one unit is in communication with the blender and the units within the subsystem are in fluid communication; (b) a second dispenser; (c) a mixer operatively disposed to receive the slurry from the slurry preparation system and to receive one or more ingredients from the second dispenser, and adapted to mix the slurry with the one or more ingredients to form an admixture; and (d) a final processing system operatively disposed to receive the admixture and adapted to form a final cheese product.