Patent ID: 6475538
Filing Date: 2002-11-05
Classification: A23C

Abstract:
A method of making mozzarella cheese, said method comprising:(A) preparing a base curd by a process comprising: (1) culturing a liquid dairy substrate using a lactic acid-producing culture; (2) coagulating the cultured liquid dairy substrate; (3) cutting the coagulated dairy substrate to form curds and whey; (4) separating and collecting the curds to form a base curd, wherein the base curd has a pH of about 5.0 to about 5.8 and is unstandardized; (5) storing the base curd under refrigeration or frozen conditions for a period of time until it is desirable to complete production of the mozzarella cheese, wherein the period of time is at least 14 days; (B) once it is desirable to complete production of the mozzarella cheese, grinding the base curd; (C) blending the ground base curd to form a partially standardized base curd; (D) cooking the partially standardized base curd in a cooker/stretcher at a temperature of about 140 to about 165Â° F. with a cheese mass residence time in the cooker/stretcher of about 2 to about 4 minutes, wherein an ultrafiltered or an ultrafiltered/diafiltered skim milk retentate is added in the cooker/stretcher to form a standardized curd; (E) rapidly cooling the standardized curd to form the mozzarella cheese, wherein the standardized curd is cooled to below about 60Â° F. in about 4 minutes or less; and (F) packaging the mozzarella cheese, wherein the moisture, fat, and protein levels of the mozzarella cheese are standardized in the blender or the cooker stretcher with the proviso that the ultrafiltrated or an ultrafiltered/diafiltered skim milk retentate is added to the partially standardized base curd during cooking.