Natural Pasta-Filata Style Cheese With Improved Texture
A natural pasta-filata style cheese with improved textural attributes achieved by altering various natural cheesemaking parameters.
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/178,660 filed Feb. 18, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference.
FILED OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure relates to the manufacture of a natural pasta filata style cheese and, more specifically, to the manufacture of a natural pasta filata style cheese having improved textural attributes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPasta filata style cheese loses its fibrous texture over time. Initially after manufacture, 50% of the total moisture in such cheese can be expressed using centrifugation. During refrigerated storage, the expressible moisture declines such that after approximately 30 days, such cheese has no expressible moisture. This can be explained by the change in microstructure of the cheese. Initially, the protein strands that are the basis for fiber formation are separated by channels containing fat and moisture. The moisture in the channel is gradually absorbed by the protein matrix to the extent it is no longer easily expressed and the fat globules are completely encased by the protein matrix. During refrigerated storage, proteolytic enzymes such as from any residual coagulant and the starter culture act to breakdown the proteins in the cheese. As the amount of intact protein decreases during storage, this weakens the crosslinks between individual proteins that make up the cheese protein matrix and increases the tendency for the proteins to be associated with moisture rather than with each other.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one construction, the disclosure provides a method for making pasta-filata style cheese comprising the steps of providing milk, adding a starter culture to the milk, adding calcium to the milk, ripening the milk, adding an enzyme to the milk, coagulating the milk at a coagulation temperature of at least 95° F. to produce curd and stretching the curd at a stretching pH of at least 5.25 and at a stretching temperature of at least 130° F.
Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other constructions and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
The cheesemaking methods described herein provide a pasta filata style cheese with improved textural attributes that are achieved by altering various natural cheesemaking parameters. For example, the fibrous texture or stringiness of the cheese produced is maintained for longer periods of time and the amount of retained serum or juiciness is maintained for longer periods of time, both as compared to conventionally produced cheese. Those longer periods of time include after 30 days, 50 days, 80 days, 100 days, or 120 days, for example.
With reference to the cheesemaking method of
This method results in a cheese with higher expressible moisture or serum over a period of time such as at 30 days as compared to conventionally produced cheese where there is generally no measurable expressible serum after 30 days. The amount of serum that can be expressed by centrifuge from the cheese can be tested as is known in the art. The addition of calcium after stretching approximately doubles the length of time in which the juiciness of the cheese is retained as compared to string cheese manufactured without adding calcium before extruding. Cheese so treated with calcium lose their stringiness slower over time and expressible serum at 30 days and 50 days, for example.
To demonstrate changes in textural attributes over time, other textural analysis can be conducted such as hardness, springiness, resilience, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and chewiness, as is known by those of skill in the art. Such textural analysis demonstrates that the cheese produced in the method of
The microstructure of the cheese produced from the method of
One example process of the method of
The cheese produced from the method of
Turning now to
This method results in a cheese with higher expressible moisture over a period of time such as at 30 days, 50 days, 80 days, 100 days, or 120 days as compared to conventionally produced cheese and with slower loses in stringiness and expressible serum. The extent of serum that can be expressed by centrifuge from the cheese can be tested as is known in the art. The addition of calcium and the choice of stretching pH and stretching temperature enables the cheese to have expressible serum after 100 days of refrigerated storage.
To demonstrate changes in textural attributes over time, other textural analysis can be conducted such as hardness, springiness, resilience, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and chewiness as is known by those of skill in the art. Such other textural analysis demonstrates that the cheese produced in the method of
The microstructure of the cheese produced from the method of
One example process of the method of
The cheese produced from the method of
Turning now to
The cheese produced by the method of
To demonstrate changes in textural attributes over time, other textural analysis can be conducted such as hardness, springiness, resilience, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and chewiness as is known by those of skill in the art. Such other textural analysis demonstrates that the cheese produced in the process of
The microstructure of the cheese produced from the method of
One example process of the method of
In this third embodiment, the rate at which protein strands in the cheese become more water-compatible and fuse together so that serum/fat channels remain between them is slowed. The protein-protein interactions are increased, protein-water interactions are reduced and proteolysis during storage is reduced so that protein chains remain intact rather than being broken into shorter chainer that interact more readily with water. With a higher ripening temperature, the amount of rennet can be decreased by approximately 30-80%, for example. Adding calcium to the milk speeds up coagulation and thus reduces the amount of coagulant needed. Increasing the protein content of the milk speeds up coagulation. Increasing the set temperature of the milk speeds up coagulation.
The cheesemaking methods described herein provide a pasta filata style cheese with enhanced textural attributes such as stringiness and juiciness. It should be noted that the sensory characteristics may be affected by the methods disclosed herein but any changes can be suitable altered as is needed.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A method for making pasta-filata style cheese comprising the steps:
- providing milk;
- adding a starter culture to the milk;
- adding calcium to the milk;
- ripening the milk;
- adding a rennet enzyme to the milk;
- coagulating the milk at a coagulation temperature of at least 95° F. to produce curd; and
- stretching the curd at a stretching pH of at least 5.25 and at a stretching temperature of at least 130° F.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pasta-filata style cheese is string cheese.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least 0.01% by weight of the milk of calcium is added to the milk.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the stretching temperature is between 130-145° F.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the calcium is added to the milk prior to the ripening.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of stretching the curd, calcium is added.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein in the ripening step, ripening at a ripening temperature of at least 100° F.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the coagulation temperature is at least 100° F.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the calcium is added to the milk prior to the ripening.
10. A method for making pasta-filata style cheese comprising the steps:
- providing milk;
- adding a starter culture to the milk;
- adding calcium to the milk;
- ripening the milk;
- adding rennet enzyme to the milk;
- coagulating the milk at a coagulating temperature of at least 95° F. to produce curd; and
- stretching the curd.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein in the stretching step, stretching the curd at a stretching pH of at least 5.2.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein in the stretching step, stretching the curd at stretching temperature of at least 130° F.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein in the stretching step, stretching the curd at stretching temperature of at least 130° F.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein the milk is at least 4% by weight milk protein.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein at least 0.01% by weight of the milk of calcium is added to the milk.
16. A method for making pasta-filata style cheese comprising the steps:
- providing milk;
- adding a starter culture to the milk;
- adding calcium to the milk;
- ripening the milk;
- adding a rennet enzyme to the milk;
- coagulating the milk to produce curd; and
- stretching the curd at a stretching pH of at least 5.25 and at a stretching temperature of at least 130° F.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the milk is at least 4% by weight milk protein.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein at least 0.01% by weight of the milk of calcium is added to the milk.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 22, 2022
Publication Date: Mar 16, 2023
Inventors: Kartik Shah (Elkhart Lake, WI), Mihir Sainani (Elkhart Lake, WI), Donald J. McMahon (Smithfield, UT)
Application Number: 17/992,079