Processed cheese and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide processed cheese which does not require use of specific raw material cheese and auxiliary materials, has particle feeling, is brittle and has a tissue having irregularity on a cross section, and a production method.SOLUTION: A production method of processed cheese comprises: a step for mixing a raw material which includes, as raw material cheese, at least one of hard natural cheese and semi-hard natural cheese, and phosphate as a molten salt; a heating melting step for heating and melting the mixed raw material; a high temperature holding step for holding a temperature of the heated and melted raw material to a high temperature of 70°C or greater; a step for freezing the raw material which was held at the high temperature to a temperature of -10°C or lower; and a thawing step for thawing the frozen raw material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to process cheeses having a novel texture and a method for producing the same. In the present invention, the term "processed cheeses" includes all processed cheeses, cheese foods, etc., as specified in the Ministerial Ordinance on Milk, etc. (Ministry of Health and Welfare Ordinance No. 52 of December 27, 1931) and the ingredient standards of the Fair Competition Code, as well as foods whose main ingredient is milk, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "main milk ingredient"), within the scope of the ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field. [Background technology]

[0002] Processed cheeses are generally made by using various natural cheeses as raw materials, and by utilizing their unique flavors and physicochemical characteristics, by heating and melting them using an emulsifier called a molten salt. There are also various types of molten salts, and various characteristics can be imparted to the final product depending on the production conditions such as the amount, blend, blending ratio, and emulsification conditions used.

[0003] To date, various studies have been conducted on controlling the flavor and physical properties of processed cheeses by changing the manufacturing method, such as the composition of the cheese and emulsification conditions, and many technologies have been established through studies on controlling the expression of flavor and imparting functionality such as the ability to melt when heated, to form strings, or to be less likely to melt when heated.

[0004] In recent years, cheese consumption in Japan has increased with the Westernization of food. In particular, the consumption of natural cheese is on the rise, and the unique texture and flavor of natural cheese are popular. In particular, hard and semi-hard cheeses such as Cheddar and Gouda have an uneven structure on the cross section of the cheese when crushed due to aging, and their brittle, crumbly texture is popular along with their rich flavor.

[0005] Compared to natural cheese, processed cheeses have the advantages of being able to control the flavor and physical properties described above by varying the blending and manufacturing conditions, and of having a long shelf life due to the ability to sterilize by heat. Therefore, there is a demand for processed cheeses that have the advantages of these types of cheeses while at the same time imparting the texture characteristic of natural cheese.

[0006] Many attempts have been made to improve the texture of processed cheeses. For example, there is a method for producing processed cheeses that reduce "stickiness" and improve "melt in the mouth" by using condensed phosphate as a melting salt and natural cheese with a ripeness of 30% or more as the raw cheese (Patent Document 1), a method for producing processed cheeses that are "smooth" and "melt easily in the mouth" by using monoglycerides with an iodine value of 33 or more (Patent Document 2), a method for producing cheeses with a "gum-like elasticity" texture by using 20% ​​or more of natural cheese produced at a cooking temperature of 40°C or more as the raw cheese (Patent Document 3), and a method for producing processed cheeses that are "easy to crumble in the mouth" and have a "light texture" by using cheese with a ripeness of 23.0% or more and produced by a method that does not involve squeezing curds in whey as the raw cheese, adding regenerated cheese, and passing through a high-temperature holding process after heating and melting (Patent Document 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-023437 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-000105 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-234299 [Patent Document 4] JP 2015-165813 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, Patent Documents 1 to 4 do not disclose any technology for imparting to processed cheeses the texture characteristic of natural cheese, which has an uneven structure on the cross section of crushed cheese and is brittle and crumbles easily. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a process cheese that does not require the use of a specific raw material cheese or auxiliary raw materials, and that has the texture characteristic of natural cheese, which is granular, brittle, and has an uneven cross-section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and includes the following configurations. (1) A process cheese comprising a raw cheese and a molten salt, Processed cheeses that, based on the total mass, have a milk protein content of 15% or more, a moisture content of 50% or less, a pH of 5.0 to 6.3, and a hardness of 100N or less, and are granular, brittle, and have an uneven cross section. (2) The process cheese according to (1) above, in which a test specimen of the process cheese type molded to a width of 35 mm, a thickness of 15 mm, and a height of 10 mm is placed horizontally on two supports (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, height 32 mm) spaced 25 mm apart, without being fixed to the ends, and when a jig (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, jig tip is a semicircle with a diameter of 5 mm) is brought into contact with the center of the test specimen from the top surface of the test specimen and then lowered at a speed of 0.33 mm / s, the descent distance of the jig from the contact of the jig until the test specimen breaks is within 4.2 mm. (3) Process cheese according to (1) or (2) above, in which the cross section of the broken specimen is measured using a shape measuring laser microscope (Keyence Corporation, VK-9710) and has an arithmetic mean roughness Ra (the plane whose height is the average of all data within the observation field is set as the reference plane, and the absolute value of the difference between the height of each point and the height of the reference plane is averaged) of 60 μm or more. (4) The process cheese according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the molten salt is a phosphate. (5) A method for producing process cheese according to any one of (1) to (4), A mixing step of mixing a raw material including at least one of a hard natural cheese and / or a semi-hard natural cheese as a raw material cheese and a phosphate as a molten salt; a heating and melting step of heating and melting the mixed raw materials; a high-temperature holding step of holding the heated and melted raw material at a high temperature of 70°C or higher; A freezing step of freezing the raw material held at a high temperature to -10°C or lower; A thawing step of thawing the frozen raw material; The method for producing processed cheeses comprises the steps of: (6) The method for producing process cheeses according to (5) above, wherein the holding time and holding method in the high-temperature holding step are a method of leaving the cheese to stand until the viscosity at 85°C becomes 100 dPa·s or more and / or a method of stirring the cheese. (7) A method for producing process cheeses according to (5) or (6) above, wherein in the freezing step of freezing the raw materials held at a high temperature to -10°C or below, the freezing rate from -2.0°C to -7.9°C is -40°C / h or less. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, there is no need to use a specific raw material cheese or auxiliary material, and it is possible to provide processed cheeses that have the texture characteristic of natural cheese, which is granular, brittle, and has an uneven cross-section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a bending test method for process cheese of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The present inventors have conducted extensive research to solve the problem of providing a process cheese that does not require the use of a specific raw material cheese or auxiliary raw material and has a texture (hereinafter referred to as "the texture") that is specific to natural cheese, which has a grainy, brittle, and uneven cross-section. As a result, they have found that a texture different from that of conventional process cheeses can be imparted to process cheeses prepared by heating and melting the cheese by heating and holding the cheese under specific conditions and then subjecting the cheese to a freezing and thawing treatment. The present invention is based on the above findings. The process cheese and the process for producing the same of the present invention will be specifically described below.

[0013] [Processed cheese] The process cheese of the present invention contains a raw material cheese and a molten salt, and satisfies the following physical property parameters. In the following description, % is based on the total mass of the process cheese. · Milk protein content Processed cheeses have a milk protein content of 15% or more, preferably 19% or more. There is no upper limit on the milk protein content, but it is generally around 23%. ·Moisture content Processed cheeses have a moisture content of 50% or less, preferably 46% or less. There is no particular lower limit for the moisture content, but it is generally about 35%.

[0014] pH The pH of processed cheeses is from 5.00 to 6.35, and more preferably from 5.20 to 6.00. The pH of processed cheeses can be confirmed by adding 40 g of water to 12 g of processed cheeses, homogenizing the mixture in a homogenizer for 3 minutes, and measuring the pH of the homogenized solution with a pH meter.

[0015] ·Hardness (N) The hardness of processed cheese is 100N or less. There is no lower limit for cheese hardness, but it is around 15N. The cheese hardness can be measured by the method described in the Examples below.

[0016] The processed cheese of the present invention is imparted with the texture characteristic of natural cheese, such as graininess, brittleness, and unevenness in cross section. In terms of the texture, the processed cheese preferably additionally satisfies the following physical property parameter requirements. That is, a cheese specimen molded to width 35 mm x thickness 15 mm x height 10 mm is placed horizontally on two supports (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, height 32 mm) spaced 25 mm apart, without being fixed to the ends, and a jig (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, jig tip is semicircular with a diameter of 5 mm) is brought into contact with the centre of the specimen from the top surface of the specimen and then lowered at a speed of 0.33 mm / s. It is preferable that the distance that the jig descents from the time the jig comes into contact until the specimen breaks is within 4.2 mm, and particularly within 3.9 mm.

[0017] The cross section of the broken specimen is measured using a shape measuring laser microscope (Keyence Corporation, VK-9710) to have an arithmetic mean roughness Ra (the plane whose height is the average of all data in the observation field is set as the reference plane, and the absolute value of the difference between the height of each point and the height of the reference plane is averaged) of preferably 60 μm or more, more preferably 100 μm or more. There is no particular upper limit for Ra.

[0018] [Ingredients for processed cheese] The process cheese of the present invention contains raw material cheese and a melting salt as essential components. Raw material cheese The raw material cheese used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include natural cheeses such as semi-hard cheeses such as Gouda cheese and Cheddar cheese, which are usually used as raw materials for processed cheeses, and hard cheeses such as Parmesan. Although it is possible to use one type or a mixture of two or more types of these, it is preferable that at least one of hard natural cheese and / or semi-hard natural cheese is included as the raw material cheese. The blending amount of the raw material cheese can be determined according to the flavor required for the final processed cheese, but these raw material cheeses can be preferably included in an amount of 70% to 90% based on the final cheese product.

[0019] Molten salt The molten salt used in the present invention is preferably a phosphate, and examples thereof include water-soluble phosphates such as polyphosphates, diphosphates, and monophosphates. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The amount of these molten salts added is preferably 1.0 to 3.0% based on the total amount of raw cheese.

[0020] ·Auxiliary raw materials In the present invention, the texture can be imparted without using auxiliary materials, but auxiliary materials may be added for other purposes or for further improving the texture. The auxiliary materials that can be used are not particularly limited, and any raw materials that can be used in the production of processed cheeses can be blended. For example, in addition to emulsifiers other than molten salts that can be used in processed cheeses, stabilizers (thickening polysaccharides, processed starches such as oxidized starch, cellulose, etc.), flavorings, pH adjusters, and other food additives, dairy materials as milk protein sources, foods such as starch, gelatin, and agar, butter for fat adjustment, other animal fats and oils, vegetable fats and oils, seasonings used for flavoring, etc. can be exemplified. These auxiliary materials do not actively contribute to the formation of the texture and structure of the product of the present invention, and can be used within a range that does not cause any particular problems in terms of texture.

[0021] In the present invention, it is also possible to add pre-cooked cheese to the raw materials. Pre-cooked cheese is a work-in-progress generated during the production of processed cheeses, and has the same ingredients as processed cheeses.

[0022] [Processing method for process cheese] The process cheese of the present invention is A mixing step of mixing a raw material including at least one of a hard natural cheese and / or a semi-hard natural cheese as a raw material cheese and a phosphate as a molten salt; a heating and melting step of heating and melting the mixed raw materials; a high-temperature holding step of holding the heated and melted raw material at a high temperature of 70°C or higher; A freezing step of freezing the raw material held at a high temperature to -10°C or lower; A thawing step of thawing the frozen raw material; It can be preferably produced by a method comprising the steps of:

[0023] ·Mixing process In this process, raw materials containing at least one of hard natural cheese and / or semi-hard natural cheese as the raw material cheese and phosphate as the molten salt are mixed. The raw materials include the raw material cheese, the molten salt, and an auxiliary material as appropriate, and the raw material is prepared so as to satisfy the above-mentioned moisture content. The mixing is performed by mixing and emulsifying the prepared raw materials using an emulsifying device used for emulsifying normal processed cheese. Examples of the emulsifying device include a batch type emulsifying device such as a kettle type emulsifying device or a Stephan type emulsifying device, and a continuous type emulsifying device such as a thermo cylinder.

[0024] Heat melting process In this step, the raw materials mixed in the previous step are heated and melted. The heating and melting may be carried out using the above-mentioned emulsifier through a general heating and melting step for processed cheeses, for example, a method of heating to 70°C or higher, preferably 80°C or higher, while stirring at 500 rpm to 1500 rpm using a Stephan type emulsifier can be mentioned.

[0025] ·High temperature holding process In this step, the raw material that has been heated and melted in the previous step is kept at a high temperature of 70°C or higher, preferably 80°C or higher. Preferred holding times and holding methods in this step include a method of leaving the mixture to stand and / or a method of stirring the mixture until the viscosity at 85°C reaches 100 dPa·s or higher. For example, a Stephan type emulsifier is used to hold the temperature at 70°C or higher while stirring at 500 rpm to 1500 rpm.

[0026] ·Freezing process In this step, the raw material that has been kept at a high temperature in the previous step is cooled to -10°C or less and frozen. The freezing of the raw material is preferably performed at a freezing rate of -40°C / h or less until the temperature of the raw material reaches -7.9°C from -2.0°C. For example, the raw material after the high temperature holding step is filled into a container, film, or the like, and then cooled to a product temperature of -10°C or less at the above freezing rate. In addition, the raw material that has been kept at a high temperature can be refrigerated once before the freezing step. In this case, the refrigerated storage is preferably performed at a temperature in the range of 3 to 15°C.

[0027] ·Thaw process In this step, the raw material frozen in the previous step may be thawed by heating to 0° C. or higher. For example, the frozen raw material may be stored in an incubator set at 10° C. for a predetermined period of time.

[0028] In addition, since the processed cheese of the present invention has a characteristic texture, the effects of the present invention are more effectively exhibited when the processed cheese is made into a shape suitable for eating occasions that make the most of the texture, such as a portioned type or a block type that is cut and eaten, which can be said to be a desirable shape. However, the shape is not particularly limited to these, and any other shape or form, such as a sliced ​​type, a diced type, or a shredded type, is also acceptable. EXAMPLES

[0029] Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below, but the present invention is not limited to these. Unless otherwise specified, % is by weight.

[0030] [Example 1] 3.0 kg of cheddar cheese with a maturity index of 12% or more was crushed and used as raw natural cheese. After mixing this with 60.0 g of sodium polyphosphate as a molten salt and 22.3 g of sodium bicarbonate as a pH adjuster, water was added so that the final milk protein content was 21%, and the mixture was heated and melted to 85°C at 1500 rpm using a high-shear type Stephan type emulsifying kettle. After reaching 85°C, the mixture was stirred and maintained at the same rotation speed until the viscosity reached 100 dPa·S or more. The obtained process cheese was filled into a film of 400 g each and molded to a thickness of 20 mm. After that, it was cooled in a refrigerator (10°C) for 8 hours or more, and then stored in a freezer at -25°C for 8 hours or more and frozen. The frozen process cheese was thawed overnight in a refrigerator (10°C) to obtain Example Product 1.

[0031] [Example 2] Processed cheeses were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that 150 g of pre-cooked (commercially available processed cheese, product name: "Snow Brand 6P Cheese", manufacturer: Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Ltd.) was added to the raw natural cheese, and Example Product 2 was obtained after undergoing the same freezing and thawing process as in Example 1.

[0032] [Example 3] Processed cheeses were prepared using the same manufacturing method as in Example Product 1, cooled in a refrigerator (10°C) for 8 hours or more, and then frozen by storing in a freezer at -70°C for 8 hours or more. The frozen processed cheeses were thawed overnight in a refrigerator (10°C) to obtain Example Product 3.

[0033] [Example 4] Example Product 4 was obtained by the same manufacturing method as in Example 1, except that 3.0 kg of green cheese with a maturity index of 7% or more and 12% or less was crushed and used as the raw natural cheese, and then underwent a freeze-thaw process equivalent to that of Example 1.

[0034] [Example 5] 3.0 kg of cheddar cheese with a maturity index of 12% or more was crushed and used as raw natural cheese. 60.0 g of sodium polyphosphate was mixed with this as a molten salt, and water was added so that the final milk protein content was 21%. Thereafter, the same manufacturing method as in Example 1 was used to prepare Example Product 5, which underwent the same freezing and thawing process as in Example 1.

[0035] [Example 6] 3.0 kg of cheddar cheese with a maturity index of 12% or more was crushed and used as raw natural cheese. 60.0 g of sodium polyphosphate as a molten salt and 36.0 g of sodium bicarbonate as a pH adjuster were mixed with this, and water was added so that the final milk protein content was 21%. Thereafter, the same manufacturing method as in Example 1 was used to prepare Example Product 6, which underwent the same freezing and thawing process as in Example 1.

[0036] [Example 7] 3.0 kg of cheddar cheese with a maturity index of 12% or more was crushed and used as raw natural cheese. 30.0 g of sodium polyphosphate as a molten salt and 22.3 g of sodium bicarbonate as a pH adjuster were mixed with this, and water was added so that the final milk protein content was 21%. Thereafter, the same manufacturing method as in Example 1 was used to prepare Example Product 7, which underwent the same freezing and thawing process as in Example 1.

[0037] [Example 8] 3.0 kg of cheddar cheese with a maturity index of 12% or more was crushed and used as raw natural cheese. 90.0 g of sodium polyphosphate as a molten salt and 22.3 g of sodium bicarbonate as a pH adjuster were mixed with this, and water was added so that the final milk protein content was 21%. Thereafter, the same manufacturing method as in Example 1 was used to prepare Example Product 8, which underwent the same freezing and thawing process as in Example 1.

[0038] [Comparative Example 1] Process cheese was prepared by the same manufacturing method as in Example 1 and cooled in a refrigerator (10° C.) for 8 hours or more. The non-frozen process cheese was used as Comparative Example 1.

[0039] [Comparative Example 2] 3.0 kg of cheddar cheese with a maturity index of 12% or more was crushed and used as raw natural cheese. 60.0 g of trisodium citrate as a molten salt and 5.0 g of sodium bicarbonate as a pH adjuster were mixed with this, and water was added so that the final milk protein content was 21%. Thereafter, the product was prepared in the same manufacturing method as in Example 1, and a comparative example product 2 was obtained by undergoing the same freezing and thawing process as in Example 1.

[0040] [Comparative Example 3] 3.0 kg of cheddar cheese with a maturity index of 12% or more was crushed and used as raw natural cheese. 60.0 g of sodium polyphosphate as a molten salt and 21.6 g of sodium bicarbonate as a pH adjuster were mixed with this, and water was added so that the final milk protein content was 21%. Using a high-shear type Stephan type emulsifying kettle, the mixture was heated and melted to 85°C at 1500 rpm. After reaching 85°C, the mixture was stirred and held at the same rotation speed for 30 seconds, and it was confirmed that the viscosity was less than 100 dPa·S. Thereafter, the product was prepared in the same manufacturing method as in Example 1, and a comparative example product 3 was obtained by undergoing the same freezing and thawing process as in Example 1.

[0041] [Test example] A: Sensory evaluation method A blind sensory evaluation was carried out by nine trained panelists for Example products 1 to 8, Comparative examples 1 to 3, and one commercially available processed cheese. The sensory evaluation items were "brittleness" and "graininess" when the processed cheese was eaten, and "irregularity of the cross section of the cheese" when visually observed. The sensory evaluation criteria were defined as follows. The "brittleness" of the processed cheese was defined as the total force required to break the processed cheese to a swallowable size when chewed. The sensory evaluation score for "brittleness" was scored from 3 points to -3 points, with the commercially available processed cheese as the standard (0 points). In other words, the following were given: "brittleness" was very strong: 3 points, strong: 2 points, slightly strong: 1 point, equivalent to commercially available processed cheese: 0 points, slightly weak: -1 point, weak: -2 points, very weak: -3 points. The "graininess" of processed cheeses was defined as the amount of finely divided cheese particles felt on the tongue during chewing. The sensory evaluation score for "graininess" was scored from 3 to -3 points, with commercially available processed cheese as the standard (0 points). In other words, the "graininess" was very strong: 3 points, strong: 2 points, somewhat strong: 1 point, the same as commercially available processed cheese: 0 points, somewhat weak: -1 point, weak: -2 points, and very weak: -3 points. The "irregularity of the cross section of cheese" of processed cheeses was defined as the degree of unevenness when the cheese was broken by hand and the cross section was visually observed. The sensory evaluation score of the "irregularity of the cross section of cheese" was scored from 3 points to -3 points, with commercially available processed cheese as the standard (0 points). In other words, the "irregularity of the cross section of cheese" was very strong: 3 points, uneven: 2 points, slightly uneven: 1 point, the same as commercially available processed cheese: 0 points, slightly not uneven: -1 point, not uneven: -2 points, very not uneven: -3 points. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0042] B: Physical property evaluation method (hardness of cheese) For the Example products 1 to 8, the Comparative examples 1 to 3, and one of the commercially available processed cheeses, a cheese compression test was carried out using a texture analyzer (Eiko Seiki Co., Ltd., TA-XT2i) according to the following procedure. A cheese specimen molded to a width of 3.8 mm, thickness of 3.8 mm, and height of 3.8 mm was placed on a horizontal measurement table, and the plunger of a compression probe (SMSP / 75) with a diameter of 75 mm was brought into contact with the molded cheese from above, and the maximum stress (hardness) was measured when the sample was compressed to 80% of its height at a speed of 0.50 mm / s. The molded cheese was kept at 10°C for at least 1 hour before the measurement. The maximum stress (hardness) is shown in Table 1.

[0043] C: Physical property evaluation method (distance until cheese breaks) For the example products 1 to 8, the comparative example products 1 to 3, and one product of a commercially available processed cheese (product name: "Snow Brand 6P Cheese", manufacturer: Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Ltd.), a cheese bending test was carried out using a texture analyzer similar to that in B, according to the following procedure. A cheese test specimen (see 1 in FIG. 1) molded to a width of 35 mm, height of 15 mm, and thickness of 10 mm was placed horizontally on two supports (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, height 32 mm) (see 3 and 4 in FIG. 1) placed 25 mm apart, aligned with the ends and not fixed, and a jig (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, height 13 mm, jig tip is semicircular with a diameter of 5 mm) (see 2 in FIG. 1) was brought into contact with the center of the test specimen from the top surface of the test specimen, and the jig was lowered at a speed of 0.33 mm / s from the contact, and the distance the jig descended from the time the cheese contacted the jig until the cheese broke was measured. The molded cheese was kept at 10° C. for at least 1 hour before measurement. The distance to breakage is shown in Table 2.

[0044] D: Physical property evaluation method (irregularity of cheese cross section) For the example products 1 to 8, the comparative example products 1 to 3, and one of the commercially available processed cheeses, the cross sections of the broken cheeses described above were measured using a shape measuring laser microscope (Keyence Corporation, VK-9710) to measure the arithmetic mean height Ra (the plane of the average height of all data within the observation field was used as the reference plane, and the absolute value of the difference between the height of each point and the height of the reference plane was averaged). The results are shown in Table 2.

[0045] E: Overall rating The example products 1 to 8, the comparative example products 1 to 3, and one commercially available processed cheese were comprehensively evaluated as follows. Regarding the evaluation criteria, the sensory evaluation scores of "brittleness" and "graininess" when eating the processed cheese, and "irregularity of the cross section of the cheese" when visually observed were all 1 point or more, and if the distance to break was short and the arithmetic mean roughness of the cross section irregularities was high compared to commercially available processed cheese, it was judged to have the texture and was marked as ◯. In other cases, it was judged to have a poor texture and was marked as ×. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0046] [Table 1]

[0047] [Table 2]

[0048] From the measured values ​​in Table 1, Example products 1 to 8 and Comparative examples 1 to 3 all had milk protein of 15% or more, moisture of 50% or less, pH of 5.0 to 6.3, and hardness of 100N or less. From the results of the sensory evaluation in Table 2, Example Products 1 to 8 exhibited a texture that was more brittle and had more graininess and unevenness in the cross section of the cheese than Comparative Example Product 1 prepared by the conventional method. Furthermore, the addition of pre-cooked cheese (Example Product 2), changing the freezing temperature (Example Product 3), changing the ripeness of the raw cheese (Example Product 4), changing the pH (Example Products 5 and 6), and changing the amount of sodium polyphosphate added (Examples 7 and 8) did not affect the expression of the texture. On the other hand, comparison examples 2 and 3 showed that, compared to example product 1 prepared by the method of the present invention, the texture was not expressed when the molten salt was changed to trisodium citrate (comparison example 2) or when the finished viscosity was less than 100 dPa·s (comparison example 3). From the results of the instrumental analysis in Table 2, the Example Products 1 to 8 having the texture had a breaking distance of 4.2 mm or less in a bending test, and the arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of the cheese cross section measured with a surface roughness meter was 60 μm or more. These values ​​were recognized to be characteristic values ​​of the texture. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Test specimen 2. Jig 3,4 Support

Claims

1. A process cheese comprising a raw cheese and a molten salt, Processed cheeses have a milk protein content of 15% or more and 23% or less, a moisture content of 35% or more and 50% or less, a pH of 5.00 to 6.35, and a hardness of 100N or less, and are granular, brittle, and have an uneven cross section. A test specimen of a processed cheese type molded to a width of 35 mm, a thickness of 15 mm, and a height of 10 mm was placed horizontally on two supports (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, height 32 mm) spaced 25 mm apart, without being fixed to the ends, and a jig (width 90 mm, thickness 5 mm, jig tip is semicircular with a diameter of 5 mm) was brought into contact with the center of the test specimen from the top surface of the test specimen and then lowered at a speed of 0.33 mm / s. The descent distance of the jig from the contact of the jig until the test specimen broke was within 4.2 mm, Process cheese in which the cross section of the broken specimen is measured using a shape measuring laser microscope (Keyence Corporation, VK-9710) and the arithmetic mean roughness Ra (the plane whose height is the average of all data within the observation field is used as the reference plane, and the absolute value of the difference between the height of each point and the height of the reference plane is averaged) is 60 μm or more.

2. 2. The process cheese of claim 1, wherein the molten salt is a phosphate.

3. The method for producing process cheese according to claim 1 or 2, A mixing step of mixing a raw material including at least one of a hard natural cheese and / or a semi-hard natural cheese as a raw material cheese and a phosphate as a molten salt; a heating and melting step of heating and melting the mixed raw materials; A high-temperature holding step of holding the heated and melted raw material at a high temperature of 70° C. or higher; A freezing step of freezing the raw material held at a high temperature to −10° C. or lower; A thawing step of thawing the frozen raw material; Including, The holding time and holding method in the high-temperature holding step are a method of leaving the mixture at rest until the viscosity at 85° C. is 100 dPa·s or more and 1010 dPa·s or less, and / or a method of stirring the mixture, In the freezing step of freezing the raw material to −10° C. or less, the freezing rate of the raw material held at a high temperature from −2.0° C. to −7.9° C. is set to −40° C. / h or less. A method for producing processed cheese.

Images