Abstract: A fat-free or lower-fat pizza cheese with excellent melt properties for baking on a pizza without the need for aging and a method of making thereof are disclosed. The process of manufacturing such fat-free or low-fat mozzarella cheese comprises mixing a food grade acid with liquid milk having a fat content less than 1.5% or a casein to fat weight ratio of greater than 1.5. The acidified milk is then coagulated and processed into pizza cheese. No aging is necessary to obtain excellent melting properties. In a preferred embodiment, after coagulation of the milk and cutting of the curd, a portion of the whey is drained and glucono-.delta.-lactone is added to gradually further decrease the pH. The remaining whey is then drained and the resulting curd is processed into mozzarella cheese. A method of making a fat-free or low-fat process pizza cheese is also disclosed.

Abstract: A latococcal- and streptococcal-phage-resistant starter culture for fermenting milk comprises a food-grade bacterium from the genera Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, or Lactobacillus transformed with a genetic element containing genes for a lactose fermentation phenotype. A method of making a lactococcal-phage-resistant starter culture comprises transforming a non-lactose fermenting, food-grade bacterium with a genetic element carrying determinants for a lactose fermentation phenotype. A method of making cheese with lactococcal-phage-resistant starter culture is also disclosed.