Maria Delourdes Cardona

US Patent:

20070065550, Mar 22, 2007

Filed:

Sep 20, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/229662

Inventors:

Orestes Rivero - Skokie IL, US
Maria Cardona - Wesley Chapel FL, US

International Classification:

A23G 3/02

US Classification:

426515000

Abstract:

A method and system are provided for forming shredded cheese directly from a quantity of cheese, which is particularly applicable to a chilled high-moisture quantity of cheese, without the need to thermally process the cheese. In general, cheese shreds are formed from a quantity of cheese in which at least one discrete cheese piece is introduced into an elongated chamber having a longitudinal interior surface and housing a conveyor. Resulting cheese mass is transported forwardly and longitudinally of the chamber via the conveyor to a discharge outlet of the chamber. The cheese mass is extruded at a temperature of less than about 50 F. as a plurality of cheese extrudate strands through a plurality of elongated orifices of a die plate which receive cheese mass exiting the discharge outlet of the chamber. The cheese extrudate strands are cut along their lengths to provide discrete cheese shreds. The cheese shreds may be directly deposited onto a food product or a food tray, or collected for packaging as a shredded cheese product per se.

US Patent:

6372268, Apr 16, 2002

Filed:

May 23, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/863183

Inventors:

Richard Stuart Silver - Wilmette IL
Xiao-Qing Han - Naperville IL
Richard Lincourt - Mundelein IL
Maria Lucrecia Cardona - Chicago IL

Assignee:

Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc. - Northfield IL

International Classification:

A23C 912

US Classification:

426 36, 426 34, 426 39, 426 40, 426582

Abstract:

The present invention provides a wheyless process for preparing natural mozzarella cheese using dry dairy ingredients. This process enables the manufacture of cheese from non-perishable or shelf-stable ingredients such as dried milk protein concentrate and anhydrous milkfat. This enables greater flexibility in the location of cheese manufacturing facilities as handling and/or transporting large quantities of fresh milk is not required. Also, in utilizing such a process, the need for refrigerated storage of the fresh milk would be minimal. The dry dairy ingredients used in the present invention comprise milk protein concentrates and blends of milk protein concentrates with up to about 50 percent of a second dry dairy ingredient selected from the group consisting of whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, rennet casein, acid casein, nonfat dry milk, and mixtures thereof.