Milk may also be acidified by adding food-grade acidulants, which is the process often used in the manufacture of fresh cheese. Different ingredients and processes employed during the making and aging of cheese result in a wide variety of available cheeses, each with its own distinct texture and flavor profile. There are more than 200 varieties of cheese produced in the United States.
Natural cheese is a general classification for cheese that is made directly from milk.
The bacteria, mold and yeast continue to ripen the cheese over time, changing the cheese's flavor and texture as it ages. Because natural cheese is a living system, its functional and physical properties change over time. When choosing natural cheese as an ingredient, it's important to understand how a cheese will perform in a finished product based on its age and storage conditions. Pasteurized process cheese, cheese food, cheese spread and cold pack are made by blending one or more different kinds of natural cheese into a homogeneous mass. Through the addition of other optional ingredients such as salt and emulsifier, the appearance, texture and flavor of the cheese mass is modified.