Buttermilk based white soft cheese

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for producing a white soft cheese by adding lactose. In particular, the present invention relates to a process for producing a white soft cheese using liquid concentrated buttermilk and adding lactose to the liquid concentrated buttermilk to increase the lactose content in the white cheese. The obtained white soft cheese is firm enough to keep its shape while being creamy, sliceable, and spreadable.

Description

[0001] Buttermilk based white soft cheese

[0002] Technical field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a process for producing a white soft cheese. In particular, the present invention relates to a process for producing a white soft cheese wherein lactose is added to a concentrated buttermilk to obtain a mixture and said mixture is processed into the white soft cheese. The obtained white soft cheese is firm enough to keep its shape while being creamy, sliceable, and spreadable.

[0004] Background of the invention

[0005] Block white soft cheeses are common food products, especially in the Middle East, and they are also becoming more popular in the western part of the world. The white soft cheeses are commonly used as a spread on bread, dip, and in salads, making the dish creamy and delicious. Hence, white soft cheeses made from dairy milk and by recombination of water, fat, milk powder, and protein powder are well-known. However, the process of making such a white soft cheese, which is sliceable and spreadable, and which has a pleasant creamy mouthfeel, and a harmonic taste is not easily achieved. Well-known white cheeses have an off-taste and a deficit in the sensory texture profile. Further, the known processes of making white soft cheese are not cost saving or clean label. The known processes for producing white soft cheese are also inefficient due to the lack of utilization of side streams within the same milk stream. Furthermore, some of the known processes for producing white soft cheese rely on additives, such as emulsifiers, to obtain a spreadable cheese, to reduce drainage of whey and to avoid separation of the white soft cheese. By addition of emulsifiers in the known processes, the emulsifier contributes to obtaining a smooth and stable white cheese.

[0006] Hence, an improved process of preparing a white soft cheese having a soft and creamy texture, which is sliceable and spreadable would be advantageous, and in particular, a more efficient process of preparing a white soft cheese using dairy side streams and without using any emulsifiers would be advantageous.

[0007] Summary of the invention

[0008] Thus, an object of the present invention relates to providing a process of preparing a white soft cheese with improved creamy texture and mouthfeel and which is both sliceable and spreadable.

[0009] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process of preparing a white soft cheese that solves the problem of being grainy, unharmonic, and having an off taste where the process uses lactose as a replacement for protein, and thereby ensuring superior sensory attributes.

[0010] Thus, one aspect of the invention relates to a process for producing a white soft cheese, the process comprising the steps of: a) providing a liquid concentrated buttermilk having a dry matter content in the range of 30% to 50% by weight, and wherein the liquid concentrated buttermilk is used in an amount of 60% to 95% by weight of the total amount of ingredients in the white soft cheese; b) adding further lactose to the liquid concentrated buttermilk to obtain a mixture, wherein the further lactose is added in an amount of 1.4% to 7.5% by weight of the mixture of liquid concentrated buttermilk and lactose; c) and processing the mixture into a white soft cheese.

[0011] Brief description of the figures

[0012] Figure 1 shows a flowchart of the process for producing a white soft cheese according to the present invention. The flowchart is shown as an example of the process of the present invention, and all details of the flowchart is not essential for the process of the invention.

[0013] Figure 2 shows the comparison of the sensory attributes of three different white soft cheeses. Reference cheese 1 is a reference white soft cheese, which does not comprise buttermilk nor added lactose. Reference cheese 2 is a white soft cheese, which does not comprise buttermilk, but comprises added lactose. The inventive cheese shown is a white soft cheese produced by the process of the present invention. The inventive cheese comprises buttermilk and added lactose.

[0014] Figure 3 shows the effect of different pH on the firmness of the white soft cheese. A higher pH results in a less firm and softer white soft cheese.

[0015] The present invention will now be described in more detail in the following.

[0016] Detailed description of the invention

[0017] Definitions

[0018] Prior to discussing the present invention in further details, the following terms and conventions will first be defined:

[0019] All references to singular characteristics or limitations of the present invention shall include the corresponding plural characteristics or limitations, and vice versa, unless otherwise specified or clearly implied to the contrary by the context in which the reference is made.

[0020] All percentages referred to herein are percentages by weight unless otherwise stated.

[0021] Process of preparing white soft cheese

[0022] The white soft cheese is made from buttermilk with added lactose. One aspect of the present invention relates to a process for producing a white cheese, the process comprising the steps of: a) providing a liquid concentrated buttermilk having a dry matter content in the range of 30% to 50% by weight, and wherein the liquid concentrated buttermilk is used in an amount of 60% to 95% by weight of the total amount of ingredients in the white soft cheese; b) adding further lactose to the liquid concentrated buttermilk to obtain a mixture, wherein the further lactose is added in an amount of 1.4% to 7.5% by weight of the mixture of liquid concentrated buttermilk and lactose; c) and processing the mixture into a white soft cheese.

[0023] In the context of the present invention, the term "soft cheese" refers to what is commonly known as a soft cheese, namely to a cheese that is both spreadable and sliceable. Hence, the white soft cheese according to the present invention is both sliceable and spreadable. In addition, a soft cheese is prepared by directly acidification, i.e. by addition of an organic acid to a liquid milk product.

[0024] On the contrary, a fresh cheese is a type of cheese that is spreadable but not sliceable. A fresh cheese may also be referred to as a cream cheese. A fresh cheese is not a white soft cheese according to the present invention.

[0025] Further, pasta filata cheeses, such as mozzarella and halloumi, are white cheeses that are sliceable, but they are not soft cheeses as they are not spreadable.

[0026] The white soft cheese obtained by the process of the invention is creamy, sliceable, and spreadable. The white soft cheese may be provided in a container in a block form, which is firm enough to keep its shape.

[0027] In an embodiment of the invention, lactose is added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk in an amount to obtain a lactose content in the obtained white soft cheese in the range of 3.5-10.0% by weight. Hence, lactose is added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk to provide a lactose content in the mixture of lactose and concentrated buttermilk in the range of 3.7 to 8% by weight. The lactose content in the obtained white soft cheese comes from the added lactose, but also comes from the lactose content in the liquid concentrated buttermilk. However, it is important to increase the lactose content as compared to the lactose content in the liquid buttermilk concentrate.

[0028] The white soft cheese obtained by the process of the invention comprises protein, such as casein, which is present in the starting dairy material (buttermilk) for preparing the white soft cheese. In an embodiment of the invention, the protein content in the obtained white soft cheese is in the range of 5-25% by weight. Preferably, the protein content the white cheese is in the range of 5-20% by weight. Most preferably, the protein content in the white soft cheese is in the range of 6-18% by weight. Preferably, the protein has been denatured due to pasteurization of the starting material. Denatured protein plays a role in achieving the desired creaminess of the final white soft cheese.

[0029] For the process of the present invention, lactose is added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk to alter the lactose to protein ratio. In order to increase the creaminess of the final white soft cheese, further lactose is added to replace the protein.

[0030] Hence, in an embodiment of the invention, the lactose to protein ratio in the mixture obtained in step b), and also in the obtained white soft cheese is in the range of 1: 1 to 1:4, preferably 1:2 to 1: 3.

[0031] The white soft cheese comprises enough moisture to result in a creamy texture and a sliceable and spreadable feature. In an embodiment of the invention, the dry matter content of white soft cheese is in the range of 30-50% by weight. Preferably, the dry matter content of the white soft cheese is in the range of 35- 45% by weight.

[0032] The white soft cheese prepared according to the method of the invention has a salt content in the range of 1.8 to 3.5% by weight, preferably a salt content in the range of 2.0% to 3.2%, such as 2.3 to 2.9%.

[0033] Concentrated buttermilk

[0034] The process for producing the white soft cheese comprises providing a liquid concentrated buttermilk. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the liquid concentrated buttermilk is concentrated sweet buttermilk.

[0035] The buttermilk is able to make the white soft cheese soft compared to other types of dairy material. The dairy protein in the buttermilk is responsible for the firmness of cheese. Buttermilk has been subjected to several rounds of pasteurization, which results in denaturation of the dairy proteins in the buttermilk, and thereby increases water-binding properties. Furthermore, churning the dairy cream into butter and buttermilk causes mechanical release of phospholipids from membranous material in the buttermilk providing free phospholipids, which naturally act as an emulsifier. Hence, no emulsifiers are added to the white soft cheese product and the product obtained therefore comprises reduced amount of additives. Further, using buttermilk has an advantaged compared to other types of dairy milk, such as skimmed milk.

[0036] Sweet buttermilk is derived from churning sweet dairy cream into butter and sweet buttermilk. Sweet buttermilk is preferred, because sour buttermilk derived from cultured buttermilk, has an acidity, which is undesired for preparing the white cheese, as the acidity of the sour buttermilk causes precipitation during UF, premature coagulation, a need for pH adjustment, and the taste and creamy texture of the cheese product is not as pleasant. Using sour buttermilk for the process of preparing the white soft cheese is possible, however using sour buttermilk makes the process more complicated and does not necessarily result in a high quality white soft cheese with the desired texture, as when using sweet buttermilk.

[0037] The liquid concentrated buttermilk may be provided by different methods of concentrating buttermilk, such as reverse osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), evaporation of buttermilk or by dissolving buttermilk powder in a solution. In an embodiment of the invention, the concentrated buttermilk is one or more selected from the group consisting of buttermilk reverse osmosis (RO) retentate, buttermilk ultrafiltration (UF) retentate, evaporated buttermilk, and dissolved buttermilk powder.

[0038] However, in a preferred embodiment, the concentrated buttermilk is one or more selected from the group consisting of buttermilk reverse osmosis (RO) retentate, buttermilk ultrafiltration (UF) retentate, and evaporated buttermilk.

[0039] Hence, the liquid concentrated buttermilk is preferably not dissolved buttermilk powder. This is due to an off-flavour of the buttermilk powder obtained during drying to a powder.

[0040] For the white soft cheese to become creamy, the liquid concentrated buttermilk must comprise enough moisture to result in the desired creamy texture of the white cheese. Hence, in an aspect of the invention, the dry matter content of the liquid concentrated buttermilk is in the range of 30-50% by weight. Preferably, the dry matter content of the liquid concentrated buttermilk is in the range of 35- 45% by weight. Further, in an aspect of the present invention, the liquid concentrated buttermilk is used in an amount of 60% to 95% by weight of the total amount of ingredients in the white soft cheese. Preferably, the liquid concentrated buttermilk is provided in an amount of 70% to 92% by weight of the total amount of ingredients in the white cheese, more preferably in an amount of 75% to 90% by weight, even more preferably in and amount of 80% to 90% of the total amount of ingredients for the white soft cheese.

[0041] The amount of liquid concentrated buttermilk is dependent on for example the fat content added when preparing the white soft cheese and also dependent on the source of lactose provided. If for example, the white soft cheese prepared is a low fat soft cheese and the source of lactose is a lactose powder, the amount of liquid concentrated buttermilk used is high, for example 85% to 95% by weight. On the contrary a high fat content will result in a that the amount of liquid concentrated buttermilk is lower, for example 60 to 90% by weight. If the fat content is high and the source of lactose for example is a RO retentate, the amount of liquid concentrated buttermilk is as low as 60% by weight.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the protein content of the concentrated buttermilk is in the range 5-12% by weight, preferably 7-10% weight, and even more preferably 8-10% by weight.

[0043] After the processing into a white soft cheese, the protein content in the obtained creamy white soft cheese is decreased.

[0044] The process of preparing the white soft cheese of the present invention only comprises concentrated buttermilk and a source of lactose, and optionally dairy fat, as dairy base for preparing the white cheese. Hence, the process does not include any other type of milk product, such as skim milk, whole milk, fat-reduced milk, lactose- reduced milk or the like.

[0045] Hence, in an embodiment of the present invention, the process excludes addition of skim milk and whole milk, as well as skim milk powder, and whole milk powder. However, this does not exclude adding lactose as a side stream from membrane filtration of milk, such as a permeate obtained from for example ultrafiltration of skim milk. Ultrafiltration

[0046] Buttermilk may be ultrafiltrated to achieve concentrated buttermilk. However, the buttermilk may also be concentrated by other methods than ultrafiltration and concentration by ultrafiltration should not be seen as a limitation of the present invention.

[0047] UF of buttermilk will result in a UF retentate with concentrated buttermilk and a UF permeate comprising lactose and minerals. The temperature during UF is preferably 30-60°C, more preferably 45-50°C, as the milk fat must be melted during UF. Otherwise, non-melted fat will clog the UF membrane. Milk fat has a melting point at 28°C.

[0048] The UF membrane allows passage of small peptides, minerals and some lactose into the UF permeate while retaining the milk serum protein, casein, fat, and some lactose in the UF retentate. In an embodiment of the invention, UF is performed with an UF membrane having a molecular weight cut off in the range of 2500 Da - 20000 Da, preferably 2500 Da to 10000 Da and more preferred about 5000 Da.

[0049] In another embodiment of the invention, UF is performed with an UF membrane selected from the group consisting of polysulphone or polyethersulphone. Preferably, the UF membrane is a polyethersulphone UF membrane.

[0050] The UF membrane may comprise support material such as polyester or polypropylene that provide optimum cleaning conditions. Preferably, the UF membrane support material is polypropylene, as the polypropylene support material permits an extended pH range, such as pH 2-10, and temperature range, such as 5-75°C, which allows tolerance to high pH and temperature.

[0051] The UF membrane may be in spiral or flat sheet configuration. Preferably, the UF membrane is a spiral membrane.

[0052] The spiral UF membrane comprises a feed spacer, which has a thickness in the range 25-85 mil. Adding further lactose

[0053] The process of the present invention relates to modifying the protein to lactose ratio in a liquid concentrated buttermilk in order to obtain a white soft cheese, which has a creamy texture. By adding further lactose than the lactose present in the buttermilk, the protein content of the total solid content becomes lower. The protein content plays a role in the firmness of the white soft cheese. A high protein content in the white soft cheese results in an undesired firm and grainy texture. Lactose is responsible for a soft texture of the white soft cheese. Hence, in the first aspect of the invention, the process for producing a white soft cheese comprises the step of adding lactose to liquid concentrated buttermilk to obtain a mixture and processing the mixture into a white soft cheese.

[0054] The lactose that is further added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk may be in any form suitable, such as powder, concentrate, or a solution with high lactose content. Lactose may for example come from a side stream of concentrating milk. Hence, in an embodiment of the invention the lactose added to the concentrated buttermilk is a reverse osmosis (RO) retentate of a milk ultrafiltration permeate. The milk ultrafiltration permeate may for example be a permeate from ultrafiltration of any type of milk, such as buttermilk, full fat milk, low-fat milk, reduced fat milk and skim milk.

[0055] Preferably, lactose is added as part of a reverse osmosis retentate of a buttermilk UF permeate.

[0056] The reverse osmosis retentate of a buttermilk UF permeate is obtained by: i. providing buttermilk ii. subjecting the buttermilk to UF to obtain an UF retentate and an UF permeate, and iii. subjecting the UF permeate to RO to obtain the RO retentate and a RO permeate.

[0057] The obtained RO retentate comprises a high lactose content, which is added to the concentrated buttermilk to increase the lactose content in the concentrated buttermilk. Preferably, the RO retentate comprises lactose in an amount in the range of 10% by weight to 25% by weight, more preferably in a range of 13% by weight to 20% by weight. The lactose content in a RO retentate is typically about 16% by weight.

[0058] In an embodiment of the invention, lactose is added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk in an amount to obtain a lactose content in the obtained white cheese in the range of 3.5% to 10.0% by weight, preferably, 4% to 8% by weight and more preferably 4% to 6% by weight.

[0059] In an aspect of the invention, lactose is added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk in an amount in the range of 1.4% to 7.5% by weight of the mixture of the liquid concentrated buttermilk and lactose. Preferably, lactose is added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk in an amount in the range of 1.7% to 6.0% by weight of the mixture, such as in an amount of 1.9% to 5.0% by weight, more preferably in an amount of 1.9% to 4.50% by weight of the mixture.

[0060] For example, lactose may be added as a RO permeate comprising 16-19% lactose. The RO permeate will typically be added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk in a ratio in the range of from 1:4 to 1:7, preferably about 1:6.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present invention, lactose is added in an amount to provide a ratio between liquid concentrated buttermilk and lactose in the range of 1,4: 100 to 7.5: 100, preferably 1.7: 100 to 6.0: 100, more preferably 1.9: 100 to 14.5: 100.

[0062] Adding fat

[0063] Fat plays a role in the creamy texture of the white soft cheese. Therefore, fat standardization may be performed by adding fat to the buttermilk prior to concentrating the buttermilk or to the liquid concentrated buttermilk. Fat naturally makes the white soft cheese creamy. Hence, in an embodiment of the invention the concentrated buttermilk provided in step a) comprises fat in an amount of 5% to 30% by weight. Fat is preferably added to the buttermilk prior to concentrating the buttermilk or may be added to the liquid concentrated buttermilk. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, fat is added to buttermilk before concentration. Preferably, the fat added is animal fat and / or vegetable fat. More preferably, the fat is selected from the group consisting of dairy cream, butter, concentrated butter and combinations thereof. Hence, in an embodiment, the process of the present invention relates to a process for producing a white soft cheese. The process comprises the steps of: ai) providing buttermilk; aii) concentrating the buttermilk to provide a liquid concentrated buttermilk having a dry matter content in the range of 30% to 50% by weight; aiii) adding fat to the buttermilk of step ai) or to the liquid concentrated buttermilk of step aii) to obtain a fat enriched liquid concentrated buttermilk; b) adding further lactose to the fat enriched liquid concentrated buttermilk of step aiii) to obtain a mixture, wherein the mixture comprises liquid concentrated buttermilk in an amount og 60% to 95% by weight and lactose in an amount of 1.4% to 7.5% by weight; aiiii) and processing the mixture into a white soft cheese.

[0064] The fat may preferably be a dairy fat, but in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat may be or comprise a vegetable fat or oil. The vegetable fat or oil may for example be selected from the group consisting of sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil, palm oil, corn oil, coconut oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, rice bran oil, grapeseed oil, algae oil, peanut oil, shea butter, pumpkin seed oil, oils derived from nuts, and any combinations thereof.

[0065] In an embodiment of the invention, fat is added to obtain a fat content of the buttermilk before or after concentration in the range of 5% to 30% by weight, preferably in the range of 10% to 30% by weight and more preferably in the range of 15% to 25% by weight, such as 20% to 30% by weight.

[0066] Emulsifier

[0067] With the process according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a firm sliceable, but creamy and spreadable white soft cheese without adding any emulsifiers. Hence, in an embodiment of the invention, the process does not comprise addition of emulsifier.

[0068] Processing into a white soft cheese

[0069] A mixture is obtained upon adding further lactose to the liquid concentrated buttermilk. The mixture is further processed into the white soft cheese.

[0070] The processing into the white soft cheese involves pH adjustment of the mixture by addition of an acid. Further, the processing into the white cheese involves addition of a coagulation agent, such as rennet. The mixture of concentrated buttermilk, lactose, acid and coagulating agent are mixing to obtain a second mixture. Said second mixture is filled in a package and stored for minimum 1 hour to setting the cheese.

[0071] Hence, when the mixture of liquid concentrated buttermilk and further lactose has the desired content of fat, lactose, and protein, it will be subjected to further steps to obtain the final white soft cheese product. In an embodiment of the invention, the processing of the mixture into a white soft cheese comprises the following steps of: c) adding one or more coagulating agent, one or more edible acidifying agent and optionally one or more mineral to the mixture of step b) to obtain a second mixture; and d) filling the second mixture of step c) into a container and store to obtain the white cheese.

[0072] The pH of the mixture of liquid concentrated buttermilk and further lactose before being processed into the white soft cheese is in the range of 6.0 to 7.0. However, after addition of one or more edible acidifying agent, the pH is decreased to be in the range of 4.2 to 4.8 as this will ensure that the white soft cheese will obtain the desired texture, taste, and coagulates at a suitable rate for a white soft cheese, which is soft and creamy. Preferably, pH is adjusted with an edible acidifying agent to a pH in the range of 4.4 to 4.6. When the coagulation agent and one or more edible acidifying agent is added to the mixture obtained in step b), the second mixture should quickly be filled into the container, such that the second mixture solidifies in the container and not in the tubes distributing the second mixture.

[0073] It is important to adjust the pH to a pH above 4.2, because if adjusted to pH below 4.2, the cheese obtained becomes to firm and the texture becomes grainy. However, the pH adjustment should also be to a pH below 4.8, because at higher pH values the cheese obtained may support growth of unwanted microorganisms. By decreasing pH to below 4.8, the microorganisms are inactivated.

[0074] The acid used for pH adjustment may be any suitable food grade acid. For example, one or more acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, malic acid and glucono-delta-lactose (GDL). Preferably, the acid used for pH adjustment is a mild acid, such as GDL. When using a mild acid as GDL, the acidification rate is slow. Hereby, the coagulation agent can work before the pH becomes too low.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present invention, the acidifying agent comprises at least 80% GDL, such as at least 85% GDL and most preferably at least 95% GDL. Hence, GDL may be used in combination with one or more other of the food grade acids, such as for example, lactic acid, citric acid and malic acid, preferably in combination with lactic acid.

[0076] Preferably, the mixture of concentrated buttermilk and lactose is pasteurised before addition of other ingredients. The pasteurisation may for example be at 75- 85°C for 10-60 seconds, such as 80°C for 15 seconds.

[0077] Minerals may also be added to the mixture of concentrated buttermilk and lactose before being processed into the white cheese. Addition of the one or more mineral is preferably before the addition of acid and coagulating agent.

[0078] Addition of one or more mineral is in order to obtain a white cheese with a desired taste, texture, and shelf life. In an embodiment of the invention, the one or more mineral is selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride. Sodium chloride is the most preferred mineral, as it gives the white cheese a better taste. After the addition of one or more mineral, the mixture is preferably pasteurized at 72-85°C for 15-60 seconds.

[0079] One or more coagulating agent is added to ensure coagulation of the liquid first mixture to achieve a block of cheese. The coagulation agent(s) causes precipitation of casein in milk. In an embodiment of the invention, the one or more coagulating agent is rennet. For example, the coagulating agent may be rennet, chymosin, pepsin, microbial rennets, recombinant rennets, any other suitable microbial or vegetable derived protease with caseinolytic activity or a combination thereof.

[0080] A bacterially derived proteolytic enzyme (fermentation produced enzyme) may be Fromase® XL750 (DMS Food Specialities, Herten, Netherlands) or ChyMax® (Chr. Hansen A / S, Horsholm, Denmark). Naturen® (Chr. Hansen A / S, Horsholm, Denmark) is an example of an animal rennet. One example of a vegetable derived protease is a kappa-caseinolysis enzyme, namely that is obtained from the Card Cardosin.

[0081] The main enzyme in rennet is chymosin which is a protease enzyme cleaving the kappa casein chain. Cleavage causes casein to stick to other cleaved casein molecules and form a network, and hence curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes such as pepsin and a lipase.

[0082] Coagulation may also be a combination of addition of coagulation enzymes and acidification. The acidification step comprises adding an organic acid. Hence, in an embodiment of the invention the one or more edible acidifying agent is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, malic acid, and glucono-delta-lactone (GDL).

[0083] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the process excludes addition of an acid producing culture. When using acid producing cultures, whey will be obtained, and whey needs to be drained from the curd. Draining of whey is wished avoided in the present invention because some lactose will be lost in the drained whey. In the process of preparing white soft cheese of the present invention, the mixture of liquid concentrated buttermilk and lactose is added an organic acid as acidifying agent and a coagulation agent, filled in a package and the cheese sets directly in the package. Hence, formation of whey is wished to be avoided and therefore acid producing cultures should not be added.

[0084] Further, the acidification time is shorter when using an organic acid than using an acid producing culture and the temperature during tapping is less important.

[0085] For the processing into a white soft cheese, it is important that the final pH is not too low causing the cheese to coagulate too fast, as this will adversely affect the creamy texture of the white cheese, which will become too firm and grainy. GDL may be preferred as it is a mild acid and therefore causes a slow acidification. Hence, strong acids can be used but are not as suitable for the processing into white soft cheese.

[0086] When the second mixture is filled into a container, it is still a liquid. The white soft cheese becomes firm after storage at a right temperature for a right amount of time. In an embodiment for the invention, the second mixture filled in the container is stored at ambient temperatures for at least 1 hours. Preferably, the second mixture is filled in a container and store at 18 to 35 °C for 1-24 hours. Preferably, the second mixture filled in the container is stored at 18 to 35 °C for 4-12 hours to obtain the white soft cheese. Afterwards, the white soft cheese may be cooled and stored in a fridge.

[0087] A storage time under 1 hours is typically not enough as the white soft cheese has not had enough time to set. Hence, a white soft cheese stored for under 1 hours will not be firm enough to keep its shape. Preferably, the storage time is at least 2 hours, such as at least 3 hours, and more preferably the storage time is at least 4 hours. Hence the second mixture is preferably stored in the container at 18 to 35°C for at least 2 hours, such as stored at 18 to 35°C for at least 3 hours and most preferably stored at 18 to 35°C for at least 4 hours.

[0088] When the second mixture is filled into the container, it is preferably filled at 18- 45°C. The higher the filling temperature, the less time it has to be stored at 18 to 35 °C before cooling. It should be noted that embodiments and features described in the context of one of the aspects of the present invention also apply to the other aspects of the invention.

[0089] All patent and non-patent references cited in the present application, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0090] The invention will now be described in further details in the following non-limiting examples.

[0091] Examples

[0092] Example 1 - Production of white soft cheese with buttermilk and lactose

[0093] Figure 1 illustrates an example of the process for producing a white soft cheese of the present invention. The flowchart illustrated in figure 1 is only an example of the invention, and all process steps are not essential.

[0094] Sweet buttermilk and dairy cream (40% fat) are separately pasteurized in a plate heat exchanger (PHE) at 80°C for 15 seconds and afterwards cooled to 15°C in the PHE. The pasteurized and cooled sweet buttermilk (83.3%) and dairy cream (16.7%) are mixed in a storage tank for cheese milk, providing a fat standardized sweet buttermilk. The fat standardized sweet buttermilk is preheated to 50°C in the PHE and ultrafiltrated at 50°C to concentrate the sweet buttermilk. Ultrafiltration (UF) of sweet buttermilk results in an UF retentate and UF permeate.

[0095] The UF permeate comprises water, lactose, and minerals, which is further concentrated by reverse osmosis (RO) at 18°C. The RO retentate with concentrated lactose is added back to the sweet buttermilk to increase the lactose content.

[0096] The concentrated sweet buttermilk (UF retentate) is pasteurized at 80°C for 15 seconds and added to a storage tank with salt (sodium chloride), at 42°C for obtaining a salted liquid concentrated sweet buttermilk with 3.2% salt content. The salted liquid concentrated sweet buttermilk is subjected to pasteurisation at 78°C for 15 seconds.

[0097] GDL and rennet solution are added to the salted liquid concentrated sweet buttermilk for obtaining a liquid cheese mixture. GDL solution is 35% glucono- delta-lactone mixed with water. Rennet solution is 5% Hannilase XP 200 NB mixed with water. The liquid cheese mixture is filled into bricks and set at an ambient temperature for four hours for obtaining a creamy, sliceable, and spreadable white soft cheese. The bricks are finally cooled at 5°C.

[0098] Example 2 - Sensory perception of TTC40+ ani, Lactosel02, and BM204 An example was made where a panel of trained subjects tested three different white soft cheese with respect to sensorial parameters, such as mouthfeel, creaminess and harmony.

[0099] The cheeses was:

[0100] Reference cheese 1 that is produced from milk and no further lactose is added Reference cheese 2 that is produced from milk and with further lactose added (a total lactose content of 5.62%)

[0101] Inventive cheese that is produced from buttermilk with further lactose added (a total lactose content of 4.71%).

[0102] The result is given in Figure 2.

[0103] Further, reference cheese 1 that is prepared from milk (not buttermilk) without any added lactose has been analysed to have a firmness of 450 g, dry matter of 39.7% by weight, fat content of 17.5% by weight, protein content of 12.4% by weight, lactose content of 2.9% by weight. Further, the pH is 4.5 and the salt content is 3.5% by weight.

[0104] Reference cheese 2 that is a white cheese prepared from milk (not buttermilk) but comprises added lactose. Reference cheese 2 has a firmness of 254 g, dry matter of 39.6% by weight, fat content of 20.7% by weight, protein content of 8.2% by weight, lactose content of 5.6% by weight. Further, the pH is 4.7 and the salt content is 2.6% by weight. The inventive cheese is a white cheese prepared from liquid concentrated buttermilk and added further lactose, which corresponds to the white cheese made by the process of the proposed invention (see example 1). The inventive cheese has a firmness of 165 g, dry matter of 39.8% by weight, fat content of 21.1% by weight, protein content of 8.3% by weight, lactose content of 4.7% by weight. Further, the pH is 4.6 and the salt content is 3.1% by weight.

[0105] Firmness is measured using the apparatus TA.XTpluslOOC from Stable Microsystem, using a P / 6.6 mm cylinder probe. The firmness is measured in force (g) and the speed was 15mm / sec over a distance of 15 mm and a temperature of 5°C. "g" corresponds to gram and is the back pressure applied.

[0106] The information from the analysis of the Reference 1 and 2 and the inventive cheese is shown in table 1 below.

[0107] Table 1:

[0108] Hence, it is concluded that the cheese made from both buttermilk and added lactose had a lower firmness as compared to the two reference cheeses.

[0109] As shown in figure 2, the sensory evaluation of reference cheese 2 and the inventive cheese are significantly different from the reference cheese 1 on all parameters except for taste, sweetness, and colour. Hence, this indicates that the presence of lactose in the white soft cheese changes the sensory evaluation. Further, the inventive cheese is less dry and less firm than the Reference cheese 2.

[0110] Furthermore, an analysis was made to test the overall perception of the three cheeses, reference cheese 1, reference cheese 2 and the inventive cheese. The panel consisted of 153 persons.

[0111] The test panellist was scoring the cheeses by using a 9-point scale where 1 was dislike very much and 9 was like very much. The cheeses was evaluated for the overall liking and the taste. It is seen that BM204 (sample 2) has the highest score on all parameters.

[0112] The result is shown in table 2 below:

[0113] Table 2:

[0114] *T2B% refers to Top Box 2 that means the percentage of the test panellists that scored the highest or second highest score.

[0115] From table 2, it can be concluded that the white soft cheese of the present invention made from buttermilk and added lactose had the highest score both with regard to the overall liking and the overall taste.

[0116] Hence, it can be concluded that the white soft cheese according to the present invention provides an overall superior sensory perception compared to the reference cheeses.

[0117] In this example, the study was set up according to standardized principles and the data was statistically treated. Example 3 - Analysis of the correlation between pH and firmness

[0118] The firmness of white soft cheese prepared by the process of the present invention is analysed for different pH values; pH >4.4, pH 4.4, pH 4.5 and pH 4.6. In this example, GDL is added to the mixture of concentrated sweet buttermilk and lactose in different amount to determine the optimal firmness of the white soft cheese. The dry matter, lactose, protein, and fat content are kept constant. Only the pH of the white soft cheeses is varied.

[0119] The result of the analysis is shown in figure 3.

[0120] From figure 3, it is shown that an increased pH results in a less firm and softer white soft cheese. The pH affects the water-binding properties and the final firmness.

Claims

Claims1. A process for producing a white soft cheese, the process comprising the steps of: a) providing a liquid concentrated buttermilk having a dry matter content in the range of 30% to 50% by weight, and wherein the liquid concentrated buttermilk is used in an amount of 60% to 95% by weight of the total amount of ingredients in the white soft cheese; b) adding further lactose to the liquid concentrated buttermilk to obtain a mixture, wherein the further lactose is added in an amount of 1.4% to 7.5% by weight of the mixture of liquid concentrated buttermilk and lactose; c) and processing the mixture into a white cheese.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the concentrated buttermilk is concentrated sweet buttermilk.

3. The process according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the concentrated buttermilk is one or more selected from the group consisting of buttermilk reverse osmosis (RO) retentate, buttermilk ultrafiltration (UF) retentate, evaporated buttermilk, and dissolved buttermilk powder.

4. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the lactose added to the concentrated buttermilk is a reverse osmosis (RO) retentate obtained by: iv. providing buttermilk v. subjecting the buttermilk to UF to obtain an UF retentate and an UF permeate, and vi. subjecting the UF permeate to RO to obtain the RO retentate and a RO permeate.

5. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 4, wherein concentrated buttermilk provided in step a) comprises fat in an amount of 5% to 30% by weight.

6. The process according to claim 5, wherein the fat is animal fat and / or vegetable fat.

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein the fat is selected from the group consisting of dairy cream, butter, concentrated butter and combinations thereof.

8. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 7, wherein lactose is added to the concentrated buttermilk in an amount to obtain a lactose content in the obtained white soft cheese in the range of 3.5-10.0% by weight.

9. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 8, wherein the protein content in the obtained white soft cheese is in the range of 5-25% by weight, preferably 5-20% by weight, most preferably 6-18% by weight.

10. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 9, wherein the lactose to protein ratio in the obtained white soft cheese of step c) is in the range of 1: 1 to 1:4.

11. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 10, wherein the dry matter content of the obtained white soft cheese is in the range of 30-50% by weight,.

12. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 11, wherein the salt content in the obtained white soft cheese is in the range of 1.8 to 3.5% by weight.

13. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 12, wherein the pH of the mixture obtained in step b) is in the range of 6.0 to 7.0.

14. The process according to any of the claims 1 to 13, wherein the processing of the mixture into a white soft cheese comprises the following steps: c) adding one or more coagulating agent, one or more edible acidifying agent and optional one or more mineral to the mixture of step b) to obtain a second mixture; and d) filling the second mixture of step c) into a container and store to obtain the white soft cheese.

15. The process according to claim 14, wherein the second mixture filled in the container in step d) is stored at 18 to 35 °C for 1-24 hours to obtain the white soft cheese.

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