Flavor Ferment to Produce Natural Cheese with Specific Flavor Attributes

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of making natural cheese with a flavor ferment to tune flavor attributes.

We claim: 
     
         1 ) A method for producing a natural cheese with tuned flavor attributes, said method including the steps:
 creating a flavor ferment from a milk based substrate that has been fermented with cultures and heat treated; and   adding the flavor ferment during a natural cheese make process.   
     
     
         2 ) The method of  claim 1  wherein the substrate includes at least one of reconstituted milk, concentrated milk, membrane filtered milk and UHT milk. 
     
     
         3 ) The method of  claim 1  wherein the flavor ferment includes the flavor attributes of a processed cheese. 
     
     
         4 ) The method of  claim 1  wherein the flavor ferment includes the flavor attributes of at least one of salty, umami, sweet, diacetyl and milky/creamy and processed cheese. 
     
     
         5 ) The method of  claim 1  wherein the cultures include at least one of lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid bacteria. 
     
     
         6 ) The method of  claim 1  and further including the step of adding milk solids to the substrate. 
     
     
         7 ) The method of  claim 1  wherein the natural cheese produced has an ingredient statement as with a Standard of Identity for the natural cheese. 
     
     
         8 ) The method of  claim 1  where the flavor ferment has a free amino acid level of 200000-400000 μmol/L, having a glutamic acid level of 20000-60000 μmol/L, having sweet tasting amino acids values of 5000-10000 μmol/L for glycine, 10000-30000 μmol/L for alanine and 10000-30000 μmol/L for proline, and having organic acids content of approximately 30-70 mg/g of lactic acid, 1.0-5.0 mg/g of succinic acid, 0.2-5.0 mg/g of acetic acid, and 0.2-9.0 mg/g of propionic acid. 
     
     
         9 ) The method of  claim 1  wherein in the adding step, the flavor ferment is added during any step of the natural cheese make process. 
     
     
         10 ) A method for producing a natural cheese with tuned flavor attributes, said method including the steps:
 creating a flavor ferment from a substrate including at least one of one of reconstituted milk, concentrated milk, membrane filtered milk and UHT milk, the substrate being fermented with cultures including at least one of lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid bacteria, being heat treated and being concentrated;   reconstituting the flavor ferment; and   adding the reconstituted flavor ferment during a natural cheese make process to produce a natural cheese with an ingredient statement as with a Standard of Identity for the natural cheese.   
     
     
         11 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein the flavor ferment includes the flavor attributes of a processed cheese. 
     
     
         12 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein the flavor ferment includes the flavor attributes of at least one of salty, umami, sweet, diacetyl and milky/creamy and processed cheese. 
     
     
         13 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein where the flavor ferment has a free amino acid level of 200000-400000 μmol/L. 
     
     
         14 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein the flavor ferment has a glutamic acid level of 20000-60000 μmol/L. 
     
     
         15 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein the flavor ferment has amino acids values of 5000-10000 μmol/L for glycine, 10000-30000 μmol/L for alanine and 10000-30000 μmol/L for proline. 
     
     
         16 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein the flavor ferment has organic acids content of 30-70 mg/g of lactic acid, 1.0-5.0 mg/g of succinic acid, 0.2-5.0 mg/g of acetic acid, and 0.2-9.0 mg/g of propionic acid. 
     
     
         17 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein the flavor ferment is concentrated using drying techniques. 
     
     
         18 ) The method of  claim 10  wherein in the reconstituting step, the flavor ferment is reconstituted 3× to 8×. 
     
     
         19 ) A method for producing natural cheese with flavor attributes similar to processed cheese, said method including the steps:
 creating a flavor ferment using one of reconstituted milk, concentrated milk, membrane filtered milk, UHT milk as a substrate and having the flavor attributes of processed cheese; and   adding the flavor ferment during the production of natural cheese.   
     
     
         20 ) The method of  claim 19  wherein the flavor ferment is added at a rate of 5-20 grams/kg of curd.