Emulsifying Salt-Free and Starch Stabilized Cheese

Abstract

Emulsifying salt-free processed cheese products as well as methods of preparing emulsifying salt-free processed cheese products are provided. The emulsifying salt-free processed cheese products are prepared with modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylase and without emulsifying salts. The emulsifying salt-free processed cheese products are advantageously resistant to separation during heating and retain desirable organoleptic properties, such as texture and flavor, without using emulsifying salts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A processed cheese that does not contain significant levels of emulsifying salts, the processed cheese comprising:
 a natural cheese or a mixture of natural cheeses providing from about 5 weight percent to about 30 weight percent dairy protein;   about 30 weight percent to about 80 weight percent water;   about 0.5 weight percent or less of emulsifying salts so that the processed cheese does not contain significant levels of emulsifying salts;   about 0.1 weight percent to about 10 weight percent modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose; and   a uniform distribution of amylopectin with substantially no intact starch granules and substantially no starch agglomerates with less than about 0.1 percent amylose so that the processed cheese has substantially no amylose therein, the amylopectin and amylose from the modified starch in a form and in a ratio effective to provide substantially no texture or flavor to the processed cheese.   
     
     
         2 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the modified starch is effective to provide less than about 10 intact starch granules of amylopectin per about 900 mm 2  of processed cheese as determined by Lugol's iodine stain at about 20× magnification such that there are substantially no intact starch granules of amylopectin in the processed cheese. 
     
     
         3 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the processed cheese contains no intact starch granules, no starch agglomerates, and no amylose. 
     
     
         4 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the processed cheese has a ratio of amylopectin to amylose from about 20 to about 200. 
     
     
         5 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the processed cheese has no amylose. 
     
     
         6 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the modified starch is a waxy starch. 
     
     
         7 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the modified starch is a substituted waxy corn starch. 
     
     
         8 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the cheese product is selected from the group consisting of sauce, spread, slice, shred, stick, loaf, and brick. 
     
     
         9 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the modified starch is effective so that the processed cheese exhibits a viscosity decrease of about 50,000 cps to about 60,000 cps during heating upon the modified starch being initially added to the processed cheese after starch gelatinization. 
     
     
         10 . The processed cheese of  claim 1 , wherein the processed cheese is a component in a meal kit. 
     
     
         11 . A method of preparing an emulsifying salt-free processed cheese, the method comprising the steps of:
 heating a blend of water and a modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose to its gelatinization temperature to form a cooked starch paste;   blending the cooked starch paste and natural cheese or a mixture of natural cheeses with water to form a cheese mixture where the cheese mixture contains about 0.5 weight percent or less of emulsifying salts so that the cheese mixture does not contain significant levels of emulsifying salts;   heating the cheese mixture to form the emulsifying salt-free processed cheese, the amount of modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose being effective to form the processed cheese having a uniform distribution of amylopectin with substantially no intact starch granules and substantially no starch agglomerates and less than about 0.1 percent amylose so that the processed cheese has substantially no amylose in the processed cheese, the amylopectin and amylose in a form and in a ratio effective to provide substantially no texture or flavor to the processed cheese.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the modified starch is effective so that cheese mixture exhibits a viscosity decrease of about 50,000 cps to about 60,000 cps during heating. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the blend of water and modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose is heated to about 65° C. to about 75° C. to form the cooked starch paste having a viscosity from about 2500 cps to about 3000 cps. 
     
     
         14 . The processed cheese of  claim 11 , wherein the modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose is a waxy starch. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose is a substituted waxy corn starch. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein a viscosity of the cheese mixture decreases from an initial viscosity of about 60,000 cps to about 65,000 cps to a final viscosity of about 2500 cps to about 3500 cps. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the cheese mixture contains about 1 percent to about 3 percent of the modified starch containing amylopectin and substantially no amylose. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the processed cheese contains about 5 percent to about 95 percent natural cheese or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the processed cheese is a cheese sauce or cheese spread. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the processed cheese is a cheese slice or a cheese stick. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the processed cheese is a cheese component in a meal kit. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the cooked starch paste is sheared prior to blending the cooked starch paste with the natural cheese or a mixture of natural cheeses with water to form a cheese mixture.