Patent ID: 7897185

Claim:
A process for making a cream cheese product comprising: providing a milkfat fluid having a pH and being selected from a group consisting of whole milk, cream, skim milk, reconstituted dry milk, and mixtures; pasteurizing said milkfat fluid; homogenizing said milkfat fluid; combining live and active thermophilic lactic acid-producing probiotic bacteria with said milkfat fluid; culturing the thermophilic bacteria in said milkfat fluid to produce lactic acid until the pH is caused to be reduced to one point within a range of between about 5.0 and about 4.1; and causing the pH of the milkfat fluid to be further reduced to another point within the range being lower than the one point, by combining the milkfat fluid with an edible acid supplementing the lactic acid produced by the thermophilic bacteria; producing a cream cheese product including live and active thermophilic lactic acid-producing probiotic bacteria.