Process for the preparation of high moisture mozzarella cheese

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese having a moisture content of at least 50% by weight based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese comprising the steps of (a) providing a mozzarella cheese having a moisture content below 50% by weight based on total weight of mozzarella cheese; (b) comminuting the mozzarella cheese; (c) immersing the comminuted mozzarella cheese in a liquid medium comprising water for at least 10 seconds; and (d) isolating the immersed comminuted mozzarella cheese from the remaining liquid medium to obtain the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese, wherein the liquid medium has a temperature in the range of -2 °C to the moisture equilibrium temperature (MET) of the mozzarella cheese at the start of step (c). The invention also relates to a mozzarella cheese having a moisture content in the range of 51 to 65% by weight, based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese, and a calcium / protein ratio of at least 28.5 mg / g.

Description

[0001] Title: Process for the preparation of high moisture mozzarella cheese

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The invention relates to the field of cheesemaking. In particular, it relates to a process for the preparation of high moisture mozzarella cheese, as well as to mozzarella cheese having both a high moisture content and a high calcium / protein ratio.

[0004] BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0005] Mozzarella is a well known pasta filata cheese made from milk from either cows or buffaloes. It is a smooth, elastic cheese with a protein structure consisting of long stranded parallel-oriented protein chains. It is a white, rindless cheese. Mozzarella is typically prepared by so called “pasta filata” processing, which consists of heating curd of a suitable pH value followed by kneading and stretching the curd until it is smooth. The warm curd is subsequently cut and moulded into the desired shape and finally firmed by cooling, optionally followed by brining the cooled mozzarella. CODEX standard 262-2006 describes the requirements and characteristics of typical mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cheese packed and sold as IQF (individually quick frozen) product is usually prepared by first allowing the brined and cooled mozzarella cheese that could e.g. have the form of a ball, roll or block to rest for a few days, then comminuting the mozzarella cheese in the desired shape at the storage temperature of about 5 °C and finally packing and freezing the comminuted mozzarella cheese, so that it can be used in or on food products. The expression “comminuting” or “comminuted” as used herein refers to any treatment wherein the mozzarella cheese is processed into small mozzarella particles, such as by e.g. slicing, cutting, grating, shredding or dicing mozzarella cheese or by pressing the warm, stretched curd through a die, then cutting the curd into small particles and allowing these particles to cool, thus forming mozzarella cheese particles.

[0006] In general, most mozzarella cheeses have a moisture content up to 50% by weight based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese. However, when used in applications where the mozzarella cheese is melted, e.g. on pizzas, higher moisture contents (i.e. 50% by weight or more, based on total weight of mozzarella cheese) be preferred, because the additional water in the mozzarella cheese leads to improved melting properties and less browning and blistering when heated. This can be explained by the fact that the additional water in the mozzarella cheese makes that the amount of residual water in the mozzarella cheese after the baking treatment is higher. It is well known that a high moisture content leads to soft mozzarella cheese which is difficult to shred, cut or grate and this makes it difficult to use such high moisture mozzarella as pizza cheese. This problem was also recognized in WO 2017 / 111261 Al. This publication, accordingly, discloses a mozzarella cheese having a high moisture content (at least 55% by weight) and a mineral content comprising total divalent cation content of 25-75 mmol / 100 g casein, a total monovalent cation content of 100-250 mmol / 100 g casein and a total cation content of 150-300 mmol / 100 g casein. This includes a calcium content of less than 70 mmol calcium / 100 g casein (approximately less than 2840 mg calcium / 100 g casein) and a sodium content of less than 195 mmol sodium / 100 g casein (less than 4.5 g sodium / 100 g casein). Such high moisture mozzarella cheese is prepared by a process comprising as a first step providing a source of milk protein having a pH of 4.9-6 and comprising specific amounts of casein, divalent cation and monovalent cation. This source of milk protein is subsequently contacted with a coagulating agent at a temperature of 8-50 °C to produce a milk curd, at least one lipid ingredient is mixed in, the resulting mixture is heated and mechanically worked at a temperature of 65-90 °C and the resulting heated cheese mass is processed into the mozzarella cheese. Key element is to control mineral content during the preparation process by adding an acid, by ion exchange, by mineral chelators or by a combination hereof, thereby ensuring a sufficiently high mineral content in the end product. WO 2017 / 111261 Al, accordingly, discloses a process for preparing a mozzarella cheese having a high moisture content by using selected amounts of different ingredients and processing these through a sequence of steps using specific process conditions.

[0007] Minerals are important nutritional constituents. Calcium salts are important minerals, as calcium has many important roles in the human body, such as for example: calcium supports bone and teeth health, it helps regulating muscle contractions and it plays a role in regulating heart rhythm and nerve functions. It is, therefore, important that calcium is present in sufficient amounts in the human diet. Since milk is an important source of calcium and since cheese, including mozzarella cheese, is produced from milk, cheese can be a valuable source of calcium. It would, therefore, be beneficial from a nutritional perspective to retain sufficient calcium in the mozzarella cheese (expressed relative to the protein present) during its production.

[0008] Mineral content, and particularly calcium content, has an effect on the firmness of the mozzarella cheese. In general, the firmness of mozzarella cheese increases with increasing calcium contents. A higher firmness is preferred for shredding, grating or cutting the mozzarella cheese to make it suitable for baking applications, such as use as pizza cheese. At the same time reducing the calcium content makes it easier to retain or capture more water in the mozzarella cheese. A higher water content is beneficial for baking applications, but leads to a softer mozzarella cheese and hence makes it difficult to grate, shred or cut the mozzarella cheese. As discussed above, WO 2017 / 111261 Al addressed this problem by proposing a specific process for preparing a high moisture mozzarella cheese having as a key element controlling the mineral content during the preparation process.

[0009] The present invention addresses the same problem of providing a high moisture mozzarella cheese, but in addition aims to provide an alternative and moreover simpler solution to prepare such high moisture mozzarella cheese whilst at the same time minimizing calcium losses and hence retaining a higher calcium content relative to the protein present in the mozzarella cheese. The present invention thus also aims to provide a high moisture mozzarella cheese which has a higher calcium content as expressed relative to the protein present in the mozzarella cheese, thus making the product not only very suitable as a pizza cheese but also more attractive from a nutritional perspective.

[0010] Sutariya S.G. et al., “An approach to improve the baking properties and determine the onset of browning in fat -free mozzarella cheese”, Journal of Dairy Science, Vol. 105, no. 3, 13 January 2022, pp 2153-2165, discloses soaking fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese in a salt solution with a view to obtain high moisture, fat-free mozzarella cheese shreds that have an improved baking performance when used on pizza. Sutariya S.G. et al. specifically discloses the preparation of shredded mozzarella cheese for pizza baking tests, in which 100 grams of fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese having a moisture content of about 54.4 wt% was soaked in 50 grams of a salt solution for 8 hours in a refrigerator kept at approximately 4.5 °C. After these 8 hours all the solution was absorbed by the mozzarella cheese shreds and the moisture content of the mozzarella cheese shreds had increased to 69.7 wt%. Sutariya S.G. et al. mentions that from preliminary studies it was shown that a ratio of cheese to salt solution of 2:1 provided optimum baking properties. The present invention aims to provide a process that can increase moisture content of mozzarella cheese in such a way that it can be easily integrated in the industrial production of high moisture mozzarella cheese without impacting production time too much. Namely, longer production times are undesired from an economic and commercial perspective.

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] It was found that a high moisture, high calcium mozzarella cheese could be obtained by immersing a comminuted mozzarella cheese in a liquid medium comprising water under specific conditions.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Accordingly, the invention relates to a process for the preparation of a comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese having a moisture content of at least 50% by weight based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese comprising the steps of

[0015] (a) providing a mozzarella cheese having a moisture content below 50% by weight based on total weight of mozzarella cheese;

[0016] (b) comminuting the mozzarella cheese;

[0017] (c) immersing the comminuted mozzarella cheese in a liquid medium comprising water for at least 10 seconds; and

[0018] (d) isolating the immersed comminuted mozzarella cheese from the remaining liquid medium to obtain the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese, wherein the hquid medium has a temperature in the range of -2 °C to the moisture equilibrium temperature (MET) of the mozzarella cheese at the start of step (c).

[0019] The moisture equilibrium temperature or MET is defined as the temperature at which the net change in weight of the mozzarella cheese when fully immersed in the hquid medium used in step (c) is zero. In other words, the MET is the temperature at which there is no longer any uptake of liquid medium by the mozzarella cheese. It was found that the MET is dependent on the age of the mozzarella cheese that is used in the present process in that MET increases with increasing age. Furthermore, it was found that the MET is also dependent on the size and shape (so surface area) of the comminuted mozzarella cheese particles that are treated in step (c) in that the larger the surface area of the mozzarella cheese particles, the higher the MET. So when applying the process of the present invention the MET of the mozzarella cheese particles to be treated is first determined by selecting the size and shape of the mozzarella cheese particles prepared by comminuting the mozzarella cheese in step (b) as well as the age of the mozzarella cheese to be treated. Then 100 grams (exact weight recorded) of such mozzarella cheese particles are put in a sieve which is then placed in a water bath having a temperature of 0 °C for five (5) minutes. After 5 minutes of immersion, the sieve is lifted, any water is allowed to pour from the sieve and the mozzarella cheese particles are blow-dried with compressed air (6 bar) for 30 seconds. Then the exact weight of the immersed and blow dried mozzarella particles is determined. The difference in weight before and after immersion is the water uptake, calculated as weight increase percentage. This procedure is repeated several times with water baths of increasing temperatures, until the weight increase is negative. The weight increase (in %) of the mozzarella cheese samples is then plotted against the water bath temperature and the temperature at which the weight increase is 0% is the MET.

[0020] More specifically, when applied in the process of the present invention, the MET is determined as follows: i. 100 grams (exact weight recorded as weight before immersion) of the mozzarella cheese particles resulting from comminuting step (b) are put in a sieve which is then placed in a water bath having a temperature of 0 °C for five (5) minutes, thus immersing the mozzarella cheese particles; ii. after these 5 minutes of immersion, the sieve is lifted, any water is allowed to pour from the sieve and the mozzarella cheese particles are blow dried with compressed air (6 bar) for 30 seconds; iii. the exact weight of the immersed and blow dried comminuted mozzarella cheese particles is determined and the difference in weight before and after immersion is the water uptake, calculated as weight increase percentage (WIP) according to:

[0021] WIP = (weight after immersion (g) - weight before immersion (g)) * 100% weight before immersion (g) iv. steps i. to iii. are repeated at water bath temperatures that increase in steps of 5 °C, until the WIP is negative; v. the weight increase (in %) of the successive mozzarella cheese particles samples is then plotted against the water bath temperature and the temperature at which the WIP is 0% is the MET.

[0022] Providing the mozzarella cheese having a moisture content below 50% by weight based on total weight of mozzarella cheese in step (a) can be achieved by ways known in the art. The preparation of mozzarella cheese is well known and typically comprises first adding a starter culture to pasteurized milk having a temperature of 32 to 37 °C, typically 15 to 45 minutes, and then adding rennet to the pre-ripened cheese milk thus obtained to induce coagulation. Coagulation time to allow the curd to form typically ranges from 25 to 45 minutes. After the curd has been formed it is cut into smaller pieces and stirred for some time to initiate the separation of whey from the curd. The curd pieces are then scalded at 40 to 45 °C to remove further whey and are subsequently drained and left to acidify (typically to a pH of 5.2-5.3) before being placed in a container of hot water (typically at 65- 80 °C) for kneading and stretching to give the mozzarella cheese its characteristic texture. The kneaded and stretched mozzarella cheese is put in molds of desired shape and the shaped mozzarella cheeses thus obtained are cooled and typically placed in a brining solution for at least 30 minutes up to several hours after which it is packed and stored. Variations of this preparation process are also applied. For the purpose of the present invention any mozzarella cheese having a moisture content below 50% by weight based on total weight of mozzarella cheese can in principle be used as the starting material. Fat content of a regular mozzarella cheese would typically be in the range of 15 to 25% by weight, based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese, but lower fat content and even fat-free mozzarella cheeses are also available. Fat content of the starting mozzarella cheese is not particularly critical for the purpose of the present invention, but the process should anyhow work when using full-fat mozzarella cheese as the starting mozzarella cheese in step (a). Such full-fat mozzarella cheese will typically have a lower moisture content than the fat-free variant and hence would anyhow require significant moisture uptake to get to a moisture content of at least 50% by weight. Furthermore, the mozzarella cheese is preferably provided in the form of a block, as this was found to be conveniently processed in the subsequent steps. Such block may have various dimensions and weights depending on the production process and equipment used, including the cheese moulds. Suitable weights will typically vary between 1 and 15 kg, suitably between 2 and 12 kg. Dimensions may accordingly also vary within wide limits. When expressed in length (L) x width (W) x height (H), suitable block dimensions could range from 5-45 cm (L) x 5-45 cm (W) x 5-25 cm (H). For example, a suitable block size of a 10 kg block could be (LxWxH) 24-28 cm x 36-40 cm x 8-12 cm, while the dimensions of a 2.5 kg block could be 24- 28 cm x 9-10 cm x 8-12 cm.

[0023] In the comminuting step (b) the mozzarella cheese is processed into small mozzarella particles. As indicated above, this includes treatments such as slicing, cutting, grating, shredding or dicing which are all well known in the art. The comminuted mozzarella cheese particles can, accordingly, be produced in a variety of different shapes. For the purpose of the present invention step (b) preferably comprises shredding or grating the mozzarella cheese or cutting the mozzarella cheese into particles having a volume below 10 cm3, preferably below 5 cm3. In one preferred embodiment the comminuted mozzarella cheese comprises mozzarella cheese particles grated with a grating disc or plate having openings of 8 mm or less, preferably 6 mm or less. The size of the opening refers to the diameter in case of a circular opening or the diagonal in case of a square opening. Very good results have been obtained when using a grating disc or plate having circular openings with a diameter of 6 mm (R6) or 4 mm (R4).

[0024] In a further preferred embodiment, the comminuted mozzarella cheese with the volume indicated comprises cube-shaped, cuboid-shaped or cylindrically shaped mozzarella cheese particles, more suitably cube- or cuboid-shaped particles having a size (LxWxH) of <2 cm x <2 cm x <2 cm, more preferably <1.5 cm x <1.5 cm x <1.5 cm and most preferably <1 cm x <1 cm x <1 cm. The comminuting treatment can be carried out using machines available on the market. Comminuting the mozzarella cheese could also take place by the process as described in co-pending European patent application No. EP23174015.0.

[0025] In step (c) the comminuted mozzarella cheese is immersed in a liquid medium comprising water for at least 10 seconds. In one embodiment the liquid medium is water, i.e. the liquid medium consists of water only without any added salt(s) or preservation acid(s) dissolved in the water. In a further embodiment the liquid medium is an aqueous solution of at least one preservation acid and / or at least one mineral salt. Suitable preservation acids and salts are those which are soluble in water, conventionally used in cheese and hence suitable for human consumption. Moreover, they should not negatively impact the taste and other sensory properties of the mozzarella cheese. Suitable preservation acids, accordingly, include one or more of citric acid, sorbic acid and lactic acid, whilst suitable mineral salts include one or more of sodium chloride, calcium chloride and potassium chloride. Preservation acids will usually be present in the liquid medium in an amount up to 15 mmol / 1, preferably from 0 to 12 mmol / 1. The amount of mineral salt(s) present in the liquid medium will typically not exceed 0.9 mol / 1 and preferably is in the range of 0 to 0,7 mol / 1, more preferably 0 to 0.35 mol / 1.

[0026] As regards the immersion time, it was found that this immersion time should be sufficiently long to allow the uptake of the liquid medium by the comminuted mozzarella cheese. An immersion time of 10 seconds was found to be the minimum amount of time required. On the other hand, the immersion time should suitably also not be unnecessarily long. Accordingly, it was found that good results are obtained when the immersion time does not exceed 15 minutes, more suitably when it does not exceed 10 minutes. Firstly, no beneficial effects of longer immersion times could be recognized. Secondly, an additional advantage of such limited immersion time is that the process would also be more attractive for industrial application, as shorter immersion times means shorter production times and hence higher production per unit of time. This is desirable from an economic and commercial perspective.

[0027] When carrying out step (c), it was found that the liquid medium should have a temperature in the range of -2 °C to the MET of the mozzarella cheese that is immersed at the start of step (c), that is, the temperature of the liquid medium should not be lower than -2 °C and not be higher than said MET. When immersing the mozzarella cheese in the liquid medium having such low temperature it was found that water of the liquid medium is absorbed by the mozzarella cheese surprisingly well and seems to be stably included in the cheese matrix whilst retaining the calcium too, particularly when the liquid medium comprises one or more dissolved mineral salts in the quantities indicated above. As a result, the mozzarella cheese eventually obtained in step (d) has both a high moisture content and a good calcium content. As indicated above this offers an attractive combination of benefits associated with higher calcium contents (firmness and nutritional benefits) and higher moisture contents (beneficial for baking applications). For most mozzarella cheeses up to 5 days old the MET will typically be in the range of 15 to 35 °C, more commonly 18 to 30 °C. Older mozzarella cheeses may, however, have a higher MET, e.g. up to 50 °C. In a preferred embodiment the liquid medium used in step (c) has a temperature at the start of this step (c) in the range of -2 °C to 45 °C, more preferably in the range of -2 to 40 °C, even more preferably -1 to 35 °C and most preferably 0 to 25 °C. Furthermore, it was found that for achieving optimum results the comminuted mozzarella cheese should suitably be immersed in an excess of the liquid medium, that is, the liquid medium is present in an amount that is at least 5 times, preferably at least 10 times higher than the amount of comminuted mozzarella cheese that is immersed. It was found that very good results are obtained when the weight ratio of comminuted mozzarella cheese to liquid medium ranges from 1:5 to 1:500, preferably from 1:10 to 1:300, more preferably 1:15 to 1:100.

[0028] In step (d) the immersed comminuted mozzarella cheese is isolated from the remaining liquid medium to obtain the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese. This can be achieved in ways known in the art, e.g. by decanting the liquid medium, pumping the remaining liquid medium from the vessel in which the immersion took place (immersion vessel) or pouring the content of the immersion vessel into a colander-type of vessel from which the remaining liquid can run into a separate vessel for re-use in a new immersion treatment. In a preferred embodiment step (d) comprises removing the remaining liquid medium, e.g. by any of the methods described above, and dry-blowing the surface of the immersed comminuted mozzarella cheese. By such dry -blowing any liquid medium that is attached to the outer surface of the immersed mozzarella cheese particles can be removed, which facilitates further handling of the those particles. Such further handling could suitably comprise (in any order) the steps of

[0029] (e) freezing the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese; and

[0030] (f) packing the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese.

[0031] The packed high moisture mozzarella cheese particles thus obtained can then be transported to the end-users who can use this mozzarella cheese product as e.g. pizza cheese or salad dressing.

[0032] The present invention also relates to a mozzarella cheese having a moisture content in the range of 51 to 65% by weight, based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese and a calcium / protein ratio of at least 28.5 mg / g, preferably in the range of 28.5 to 35 mg / g, more preferably 28.5 to 32 mg / g. This mozzarella cheese could be obtained by the process described above. As indicated hereinbefore the combination of a high calcium content (expressed in relation to the protein content) and a high moisture content has clear benefits from an application perspective, but is not easily achieved. Advantages of a high calcium content include firmness -and hence good processability such as e.g. cutting, grating or slicing- and good nutritional value. This latter aspect is important because of the many different roles that calcium has in the human body, such as for example: calcium supports bone and teeth health, it helps regulating muscle contractions and it plays a role in regulating heart rhythm and nerve functions, a high water content makes the mozzarella cheese more suitable for baking applications, such as the use as a pizza cheese.

[0033] In a further embodiment the present invention also relates to a mozzarella cheese product comprising the mozzarella cheese described above in grated and frozen form.

[0034] In yet another embodiment the present invention relates to a mozzarella cheese product comprising the mozzarella cheese described above in the form of particles having a volume below 10 cm3, preferably below 5 cm3. In this embodiment the mozzarella cheese suitably comprises cube-shaped, cuboidshaped or cylindrically shaped mozzarella cheese particles, more suitably cube- or cuboid-shaped particles having a size (LxWxH) of <2 cm x <2 cm x <2 cm, more preferably <1.5 cm x <1.5 cm x <1.5 cm and most preferably <1 cm x <1 cm x <1 cm.

[0035] LEGEND TO THE FIGURES

[0036] Figure 1: Moisture Equilibrium Temperature. This figure shows the MET of a mozzarella cheese can be determined.

[0037] Figure 2: Melting Behaviour. This figure shows photographs of two pizzas containing an untreated mozzarella cheese and a mozzarella cheese treated in accordance with the present invention, thus illustrating the melting behaviour.

[0038] EXAMPLES

[0039] Example 1 - Determining Moisture Equilibrium Temperature (MET)

[0040] Mozzarella cheese of 4 days old having a moisture content of 47.6 wt% was grated in a grating machine ex Santos (type 408002) using a grating disc size R6. The MET of this grated mozzarella cheese (size R6) was determined as follows. 100 grams (exact weight recorded) of this grated mozzarella cheese was put in a sieve which was subsequently placed in a water bath (3 liters of water; weight ratio grated mozzarella cheese to water of 1:30) having a temperature of 0 °C for five (5) minutes. After 5 minutes of immersion, the sieve was lifted, any water was allowed to pour from the sieve and the grated mozzarella cheese was blow dried with compressed air (6 bar) for 30 seconds. Then the exact weight of the immersed and blow-dried grated mozzarella cheese was determined. Then the weight increase was calculated as: weight after immersion (g) - weight before immersion (g) * 100% weight before immersion (g)

[0041] This procedure was repeated at water bath temperatures of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 °C. The results are indicated in Table 1 and are plotted in Figure 1. The procedure described above was repeated with grated mozzarella cheese (size R4) of 4 days old. The results are indicated in Table 1 and are plotted in Figure 1.

[0042] From the trend lines plotted in Figure 1 it can be seen that the MET of the grated mozzarella cheese, size R6, is 22 °C and of the grated mozzarella cheese, size R4, is 24 °C.

[0043] Table 1 Determination MET

[0044] Example 2 - Preparation of comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese

[0045] The procedure of Example 1 was repeated with grated mozzarella cheese (size R6) of 4 days old at water bath temperatures of 0 °C and 10 °C, grated mozzarella cheese (size R4) of 4 days old at water bath temperature of 10 °C, and grated mozzarella cheese (hand-grated using grater having grater holes of 6 mm diameter) of 14 days old and 4 wt% NaCl dissolved in the water bath which had a temperature of -1.5 °C grated mozzarella cheese (size R4) of 20 days old and 1 wt% CaCE dissolved in the water bath which had a temperature of 0 °C.

[0046] The properties of the mozzarella cheeses before immersion (grated at size R6) and after immersion and isolation are listed in Table 2.

[0047] Table 2 Mozzarella cheese properties

[0048] Methods used: Moisture: NEN-EN-ISO 5534

[0049] Protein: NEN-EN-ISO 8968-1 (Kjeldahl; nitrogen factor 6.38)

[0050] Fat: NEN-EN-ISO 1735

[0051] NaCl: NEN-EN-ISO 5943

[0052] All wt% refer % by weight based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese (after blow drying in the case of the treated mozzarella cheeses) From Table 2 it can be seen that in all cases the moisture content of the starting (untreated) mozzarella cheese was increased to above 50 wt%, whilst the calcium content, expressed as mg calcium per gram of protein, remained high, in three cases well above 28.4 mg / g. The untreated mozzarella cheese and the mozzarella cheese (size R6) immersed at 0 °C were frozen, kept for 4 days, thawed and subsequently 200 g of cheese was spread on a pizza which was subsequently oven-baked with a conveyor belt oven at 235 °C for 5 minutes and 45 seconds.

[0053] Both mozzarella cheeses showed a different melting behaviour as shown in Figure 2. Where the untreated mozzarella cheese was tough, not completely melted and exhibited no stretch, the treated mozzarella cheese (i.e. immersed at 0 °C and blow-dried) was tender, melted completely and exhibited good stretching behaviour.

Claims

Claims1. Process for the preparation of a comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese having a moisture content of at least 50% by weight based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese comprising the steps of(a) providing a mozzarella cheese having a moisture content below 50% by weight based on total weight of mozzarella cheese;(b) comminuting the mozzarella cheese;(c) immersing the comminuted mozzarella cheese in a liquid medium comprising water for at least 10 seconds; and(d) isolating the immersed comminuted mozzarella cheese from the remaining liquid medium to obtain the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese, wherein the liquid medium has a temperature in the range of -2 °C to the moisture equilibrium temperature (MET) of the mozzarella cheese at the start of step (c), wherein the MET is determined as follows: i. 100 grams (exact weight recorded as weight before immersion) of the mozzarella cheese particles resulting from comminuting step (b) are put in a sieve which is then placed in a water bath having a temperature of 0 °C for five (5) minutes, thus immersing the mozzarella cheese particles; ii. after these 5 minutes of immersion, the sieve is lifted, any water is allowed to pour from the sieve and the mozzarella cheese particles are blow dried with compressed air (6 bar) for 30 seconds; iii. the exact weight of the immersed and blow dried comminuted mozzarella cheese particles is determined and the difference in weight before and after immersion is the water uptake, calculated as weight increase percentage (WIP) according to:WIP = (weight after immersion (g) - weight before immersion (g)) * 100% weight before immersion (g) iv. steps i. to iii. are repeated at water bath temperatures that increase in steps of 5 °C, until the WIP is negative;v. the weight increase (in %) of the successive mozzarella cheese particles samples is then plotted against the water bath temperature and the temperature at which the WIP is 0% is the MET.

2. Process according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises shredding or grating the mozzarella cheese or cutting the mozzarella cheese into particles having a volume below 10 cm3, preferably below 5 cm3.

3. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid medium is water.

4. Process according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the liquid medium is an aqueous solution of at least one preservation acid and / or at least one mineral salt.

5. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the immersion time in step (c) does not exceed 15 minutes and preferably does not exceed 10 minutes.

6. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein when weight ratio of comminuted mozzarella cheese to liquid medium in step (c) ranges from 1:5 to 1:500, preferably from 1:10 to 1:300, more preferably 1:15 to 1:100.

7. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein step (d) comprises removing the remaining liquid medium and dry -blowing the surface of the immersed comminuted mozzarella cheese.

8. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the process further comprises the steps (in any order) of(e) freezing the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese; and(f) packing the comminuted high moisture mozzarella cheese.

9. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid medium at the start of step (c) has a temperature in the range of -2 °C to 40 °C, preferably in the range of -1 to 35 °C, and more preferably 0 to 25 °C.

10. Mozzarella cheese having a moisture content in the range of 51 to 65% by weight, based on total weight of the mozzarella cheese and a calcium / p rotein ratio of at least 28.5 mg / g, preferably in the range of 28.5 to 35 mg / g.

11. Mozzarella cheese product comprising the mozzarella cheese of claim 10 in grated and frozen form.

12. Mozzarella cheese product comprising the mozzarella cheese of claim 10 in the form of particles having a volume below 10 cm3, preferably below 5 cm3.

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