Abstract: A cheese product, suitable for use as a cheese snack and/or food topping includes packaging in which moist cheese components of the snack or topping are separately sealed within a secondary package, prior to both the moist cheese and dry components of the snack or topping being sealed within a common primary container. At the time of use, a consumer opens both the primary container and the secondary package, and mixes the moist and dry components within the primary container. Following mixing, the resultant mixture of moist and dry components may be consumed directly from the primary container, or be poured out of or otherwise removed from the primary container for use as a food topping on foods such as salads, pizza, or baked potatoes. The secondary package is formed from a material and sealed in a manner that effectively precludes moisture migration between the moist and dry products during storage of the unmixed snack or topping, to thereby provide a longer shelf life.

Abstract: There is also provided a method of producing a natural cheese having improved melt characteristics from a quantity of raw milk. The method includes separating the raw milk into a cream portion and a reduced fat milk portion. A portion of the cream portion is emulsified in a machine with a mild homogenate process producing reduced size fat globules. All of the cream portion and the reduced fat milk portion is combined into a cheese fluid and pasteurized. A coagulating agent is added to the cheese fluid and processed to produce a natural cheese having improved melt characteristics from the cheese fluid including the emulsified cream portion.

Abstract: A reduced sodium natural cheese product and a method of manufacturing a reduced sodium natural cheese product having a mixture of raw milk, fermentation cultures, and a quantity of curdling agent. The reduced sodium natural cheese product has a predetermined amount of sodium chloride and a reduced moisture content, wherein the reduced sodium natural cheese product has a sodium chloride-to-moisture ratio that is at least about twenty percent less than the sodium chloride-to-moisture ratio of a corresponding conventional natural cheese. The process of manufacturing a reduced sodium natural cheese product includes controlling the salt-to-moisture contents ratio to maintain the highest possible salt-to-moisture ratio in a reduced sodium cheese by deliberately reducing the moisture content in the finished cheese.

Abstract: A cheese product, suitable for use as a cheese snack and/or food topping includes packaging in which moist cheese components of the snack or topping are separately sealed within a secondary package, prior to both the moist cheese and dry components of the snack or topping being sealed within a common primary container. At the time of use, a consumer opens both the primary container and the secondary package, and mixes the moist and dry components within the primary container. Following mixing, the resultant mixture of moist and dry components may be consumed directly from the primary container, or be poured out of or otherwise removed from the primary container for use as a food topping on foods such as salads, pizza, or baked potatoes. The secondary package is formed from a material and sealed in a manner that effectively precludes moisture migration between the moist and dry products during storage of the unmixed snack or topping, to thereby provide a longer shelf life.