JP6420970B2 - Process cheese production method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing process cheese containing mozzarella cheese. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process cheese production method using natural cheese containing 60% by mass or more of mozzarella cheese as a raw material.

  Mozzarella cheese is a natural Italian cheese that has a unique crunch and flavor, and is a fresh cheese that does not undergo aging. The soft, elastic, and smooth texture that is characteristic of mozzarella cheese is formed by a manufacturing method called pasta filata that stretches cheese curd in hot water as it is spun. Moreover, since the flavor and aroma of mozzarella cheese have the characteristic that there is no habit, it is widely used from the use for eating directly to the cooking for cooking such as pasta, gratin and pizza. Due to its wide range of uses, demand for mozzarella cheese is increasing in countries around the world, and in recent years, imports and production in Japan have also increased in Japan (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

  Mozzarella cheese is a fresh cheese and generally has a high water content, so its shelf life is short. Therefore, in order to suppress the growth of microorganisms and improve the shelf life, mozzarella cheese is often distributed in a state of being immersed in a preservation solution containing salt. Therefore, when using the mozzarella cheese for cooking, it is necessary to take out the mozzarella cheese from the preservation solution and cut it into a desired shape, which is very complicated. In addition, when mozzarella cheese is cut, there is also a problem that it is very difficult to cut because it is easy to adhere to a cutting device such as a kitchen knife because of its high water content.

  As a method for improving the shelf life of natural cheese, a method of heat-melting natural cheese and processing it into processed cheese is widely known in addition to immersing in natural solution. This method is also used for mozzarella cheese, and in accordance with the recent popularity of mozzarella cheese, development of process cheese containing mozzarella cheese is also being promoted.

  As an example of process cheese containing mozzarella cheese, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing process cheese containing mozzarella cheese using citrate as a molten salt.

International Publication No. 2013/031959 Pamphlet

Edited by Tadao Saito (three others), “Contemporary Cheeseology”, Food Materials Research Group, October 10, 2008 (first print), p. 153-p. 154

  As described above, various developments have been made on processed cheese containing mozzarella cheese, but the ingredients other than natural cheese necessary for processing of processed cheese, especially the taste of the molten salt, will give a strong taste and aroma. In some cases, the flavor of mozzarella cheese with no habit is impaired. In addition, when a lot of mozzarella cheese is contained in the sheet-type laminated process cheese, there is a problem that the sheet-like cheese is easily bound to each other at the time of lamination, and further, when this is cut, the cut surface is easily crushed . Therefore, in process cheese suitable for eating directly as represented by sheet-like process cheese cut after lamination, it is suitable for peelability and cutting of laminated cheese without impairing the flavor peculiar to mozzarella cheese It was difficult to ensure shape retention.

  Therefore, the main object of the present technology is to provide a process cheese manufacturing technique that can ensure the shape retention required in the manufacturing process without impairing the flavor unique to mozzarella cheese.

  The present inventors diligently researched a technique for improving the shape retention property while maintaining the flavor of the mozzarella cheese for the processed cheese containing the mozzarella cheese. As a result, paying attention to the molten salt used in the manufacturing process and devising it, the technology to improve the shape retention in the manufacturing process while improving the properties of the finished cheese such as flavor, elasticity and meltability And led to the completion of this technology.

That is, this technology heat-emulsifies and melts a raw material containing natural cheese containing 60% by mass or more of mozzarella cheese, a molten salt containing citrate and 20% by mass or more of phosphate, and water. A molten cheese preparation process for preparing cheese;
A molding step of forming a sheet-shaped cheese having a moisture content of 50% by mass or less by molding into a sheet shape while cooling the molten cheese,
A cutting step of laminating a plurality of the sheet cheeses to form a laminate, and cutting the laminate in the laminating direction;
The process cheese manufacturing method which has this is provided.
Although the hardness of the process cheese manufactured with the manufacturing method of the process cheese which concerns on this technique is not specifically limited unless the effect of this technique is impaired, it can be set to 7.0 * 10 < ⁵ > N / m < ² > or more.
The citrate may be contained in the molten salt in an amount of 50% by mass or more.
Moreover, it is also possible to use a monophosphate as the phosphate.

  According to the present technology, in the production of sheet-type laminated type processed cheese using raw material natural cheese containing 60% by mass or more of mozzarella cheese, the shape of the processed cheese is favorably imparted, and the flavor of mozzarella cheese Processed cheese that takes advantage of the texture. In addition, the effect described here is not necessarily limited, and may be any effect described in the present technology.

It is a schematic conceptual diagram which shows typically the cutting process III of the manufacturing method of the process cheese which concerns on this technique.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present technology will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, embodiment described below shows an example of typical embodiment of this technique, and, as a result, this technique is not limited to embodiment described below. In the present specification, the percentage is expressed by mass unless otherwise specified.

[Natural cheese (natural cheese for raw materials)]
Natural cheese used as a raw material in the present invention is natural cheese containing at least 60% by mass of mozzarella cheese. The natural cheese containing the mozzarella cheese corresponds to “natural cheese” as defined in the Ministerial Ordinance of Milk (“Ministerial Ordinance on Component Standards of Milk and Dairy Products”, Ministry of Health and Welfare Ordinance No. 52 of December 27, 1951). Is.

  Natural cheese other than the mozzarella cheese is not particularly limited as long as it can form cut (cut) sheet-like cheese. It can be appropriately selected depending on the quality of the target processed cheese. However, the milk that is the raw material of natural cheese is milk defined by ordinances such as milk (raw milk, milk, special milk, raw goat milk, raw sheep milk, pasteurized goat milk, partially skimmed milk, skimmed milk, processed milk, etc.) In addition to the above, it is assumed that milk of general animals known as a raw material for cheese such as buffalo milk and camel milk is also included.

  Specific examples of natural cheese (natural cheese for raw materials) used as raw materials in addition to mozzarella cheese include steppen cheese, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese, edham cheese, emmental cheese, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, camembert cheese, blue cheese and the like It is done. In order not to impair the shape-retaining property as a sheet-type laminated process cheese and the flavor peculiar to mozzarella cheese, natural cheese having a relatively short ripening period is preferable. In order to adjust the moisture content of the processed cheese as the final product, it is preferable to use hard or semi-hard natural cheese having a relatively low moisture content as the natural cheese other than mozzarella cheese. Furthermore, in addition to the mozzarella cheese, the natural cheese used as a raw material may be one kind or a combination of two or more kinds.

[Mozzarella cheese]
Traditional mozzarella cheese is made from buffalo milk, but in the present invention, it is not limited to this as long as it falls under the natural cheese. Natural cheese that is manufactured by a pasta filata manufacturing method and generally sold under the name of “mozzarella cheese” may be used. Note that the mozzarella cheese used in the process cheese manufacturing method according to the present invention may be a product sold under the names of low-moisture mozzarella cheese, pizza mozzarella cheese, and the like as long as it is mozzarella cheese.

  The moisture content of the mozzarella cheese used in the present technology is preferably 45 to 65% by mass. By setting the water content to 45% by mass or more, the texture of the processed cheese as the final product can be improved. Moreover, by making the water content 65% by mass or less, it is easy to adjust the water content of the processed cheese as the final product, and the shape retention in the manufacturing process can be improved. In the present technology, the upper limit of the moisture content is more preferably 63% by mass from the viewpoint of further improving the moisture adjustment function of the processed cheese as the final product.

  In the present technology, Mozzarella cheese is included in the natural cheese for raw materials at a ratio of at least 60% by mass or more. The content of the mozzarella cheese in the raw material natural cheese is not particularly limited as long as it is 60% by mass or more, and can be freely set according to the moisture content of the mozzarella cheese. Especially in this technique, if the water content of mozzarella cheese is 45 to 50% by mass, mozzarella cheese may be used as a natural cheese for raw materials at a rate of 100% by mass, but the water content of mozzarella cheese is 50% by mass. In the case of exceeding the above, it is preferable to set the content ratio of the mozzarella cheese in the raw material natural cheese from the viewpoint of adjusting the moisture content of the processed cheese as the final product. For example, when the moisture content of mozzarella cheese is 60% by mass, the natural cheese for raw material preferably contains 60-80% by mass of mozzarella cheese, and more preferably 60-70% by mass.

[Process cheese]
Processed cheese manufactured in the present technology is included in the range of “processed cheese” defined in the Ministerial Ordinance such as milk, and natural cheese is heated and melted and emulsified. Moreover, the process cheese manufactured in this invention is contained in the range defined in fair competition regulations (agreement or regulations based on Article 11 of the prize display law). That is, process cheese contains 40 mass% or more of milk solids (total amount of milk fat and milk protein), and may contain cream, butter and butter oil for adjusting the amount of fat as an additive component other than natural cheese. it can. It may also contain water. As other additive components, foods intended to impart taste, aroma, nutritional components, functionality or physical properties can be contained within 1/6 of the solid weight of the product. When adding milk other than the cream, butter, butter oil, etc. as other additive components, the lactose content in the product does not exceed 5% by mass, and within 1/6 of the solid weight of the product Can be added.

  The processed cheese produced in the present technology preferably includes at least 51% by mass of natural cheese, more preferably includes at least 61% by mass, further preferably includes at least 75% by mass, and particularly preferably includes at least 80% by mass. preferable. The upper limit of the content of the natural cheese is less than 100% by mass, preferably 99.8% by mass or less, and more preferably 99.0% by mass or less.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the moisture content of the sheet-type laminated process cheese manufactured in this invention is 50 mass% or less, It is more preferable that it is 40-48 mass%, It is 42-46 mass% Is more preferable.

[Molten cheese]
The “molten cheese” in the present technology refers to a raw material cheese that is melted by heating together with a molten salt to be in a fluidized state. The fluidized state is preferably, for example, a fluidized state to the extent that liquid can be fed by a pump. In order to obtain a preferable fluidized state, the temperature at which the raw material natural cheese is melted is preferably 75 to 95 ° C. Moreover, it is preferable that the melted cheese is emulsified to such an extent that oil separation (oil-off) or the like does not occur.
For example, in a general process cheese manufacturing process, a natural cheese for raw material is heated and emulsified, and a melted cheese used in a molding process or a melted cheese almost equivalent to the melted cheese is preferably used. be able to. In the present invention, it is sufficient that it is in a molten state, and there is no particular limitation on the previous steps.

  In addition to the molten salt, the molten cheese may contain an additive that dissolves or becomes emulsified when mixed with the molten cheese. Known additives can be appropriately used as such additives. For example, water, a pH adjuster (such as baking soda) and the like can be mentioned.

[Molten salt]
In the manufacture of process cheese according to the present technology, a molten salt is contained in the raw material in order to improve the emulsifiability in the heating emulsification step of the natural cheese for raw material. In the present technology, a molten salt containing citrate and 20% by mass or more of phosphate is used as the molten salt.

In the present technology, the molten salt contains a phosphate in that the shape retention of the sheet cheese is improved, and the lower limit of the content of the phosphate in the molten salt is at least 20% by mass or more. The upper limit of the content of phosphate in the molten salt is not particularly limited, and is preferably 99% by mass or less, more preferably 80% by mass or less, and still more preferably 50% by mass or less.
As the phosphate, monophosphate which has little influence on the flavor of the final product is preferable. Examples of monophosphates include trisodium phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, tripotassium phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, and phosphoric acid. Examples include ammonium dihydrogen, tricalcium phosphate, calcium monohydrogen phosphate, and calcium dihydrogen phosphate. It is also possible to use diphosphates (pyrophosphates) and polyphosphates.

  Moreover, in this technique, a citrate is contained in molten salt at the point that a smooth food texture is easy to be obtained, and the peelability of the laminated | stacked sheet-like process cheese becomes favorable. The content of citrate in the molten salt in the molten salt is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 75% by mass or more, and further preferably 80% by mass or more. Examples of the citrate include sodium citrate, potassium citrate, and calcium citrate.

  The content of the molten salt relative to the total mass of the raw material is not particularly limited, and can be freely set according to the other raw materials. Particularly in the present technology, the content of the molten salt with respect to the total mass of the raw material is preferably 0.1 to 3% by mass, more preferably 0.4 to 2.5% by mass, and further preferably 0.5 to 2% by mass. When the content of the molten salt is at least the lower limit of the above range, the effect of improving the emulsifiability due to the addition of the molten salt can be sufficiently obtained. When the content of the molten salt is not more than the upper limit of the above range, crystals of the molten salt are difficult to precipitate during storage, and the deterioration of the flavor is satisfactorily suppressed. Moreover, the fall of the flavor by excessive addition of molten salt is suppressed favorably as content of this molten salt is below the upper limit of the said range.

[Other additive components]
As other additive components other than the above, known seasonings, thickening stabilizers, shelf life improvers, emulsifiers, pH adjusters, preservatives, fragrances and the like in process cheese are within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. And you may add in the range which does not deviate from the range of the process cheese prescribed | regulated to fair competition rules.

Examples of the seasoning include salt, sugars, spices and the like.
Examples of the thickening stabilizer include agar, locust bean gum, carrageenan, guar gum, and xanthan gum.
Examples of the shelf life improver include glycine, sodium acetate, lysozyme, rosemary extract and the like.
Examples of the emulsifier include sucrose fatty acid ester, lecithin, glycerides and the like.
Examples of the pH adjuster include sodium bicarbonate and lactic acid.
Preservatives include sodium dehydroacetate, potassium sorbate, nisin and the like.
In addition, in order to adjust the physical properties of the final product, milk raw materials such as butter, cream, skim milk powder, whey powder and milk protein concentrate can be used as appropriate. From the viewpoint of moisture control for producing a sheet-type laminated process cheese, it is preferable to use a butter or milk protein concentrate that has a low moisture content and does not easily impair the flavor of mozzarella cheese.

[Process cheese hardness]
The hardness of the processed cheese produced by the production method of the present invention is preferably 7.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² or more.
The hardness can be measured with a creep meter (for example, “YAMADEN RHEONERII CREEP METER RE2-33005S” manufactured by Yamaden Co., Ltd.). That is, the thickness per one piece of process cheese or the thickness when a plurality of pieces are laminated are adjusted so as to be at least the depth of penetration of the plunger, and the processed cheese having the adjusted thickness is 10 ° C. 2 hours or more, and using a cylindrical plunger with a diameter of 8 mm, the stress (unit: N / m) when entering the process cheese in the stacking direction up to a depth of 15 mm at a plunger entry speed of 5 mm / second. ^The value measured as ² ) can be expressed as a definition of the hardness of the processed cheese of the present invention.
In addition, the upper limit of the hardness of the processed cheese manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention is less than 8.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² (7.95) in terms of sensory evaluation such as smoothness and elasticity of the processed cheese. × N / m ² or less).

[Process cheese production method]
The process cheese manufacturing method according to the present technology includes at least a molten cheese preparation step I, a forming step II, and a cutting step III. Hereinafter, each process will be described in detail.

(1) Molten cheese preparation process I
In molten cheese preparation process I, the natural cheese for raw materials mentioned above, the said molten salt, and water are heat-emulsified and a molten cheese is prepared. More specifically, for example, if necessary, each raw material is finely divided with a cutter or the like, mixed with a mixer or the like, and heated and emulsified with stirring using a melt emulsifier or the like to prepare a molten cheese.

  In the melted cheese preparation step I, the heating temperature is not particularly limited, and can be freely set as long as it is a temperature at which heat emulsification is possible and fluidity is obtained to the extent that it can be formed into a sheet in the molding step II described later. can do. In particular, in the present technology, it is preferable to emulsify by heating at as low a temperature as possible from the viewpoint of preventing a decrease in the flavor and the like of mozzarella cheese due to heating. Specifically, for example, about 75 to 95 ° C is preferable, and about 80 to 90 ° C is more preferable.

(2) Molding process II
In the forming step II, the molten cheese prepared in the molten cheese preparation step I is formed into a sheet shape while cooling to obtain a sheet-like cheese having a water content of 50% by mass or less.
More specifically, for example, the fluid molten cheese prepared in the molten cheese preparation step I is extruded onto a stainless steel conveyor held at a predetermined cooling temperature, and rolled while being formed into a sheet shape. The thickness can be made uniform, and the sheet cheese can be kept in contact with the stainless steel conveyor until the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature. In addition, the moving speed of the stainless steel conveyor in this case is not specifically limited, It can set suitably. For example, the moving speed of the stainless steel conveyor is preferably about 200 cm / min.

The cooling temperature in the molding step II and the temperature of the sheet cheese are such that the molten cheese can be molded into a sheet shape, and after the sheet molding, the shape retaining property of the sheet cheese can be maintained. It can be set freely.
Here, “the sheet cheese has shape retention” means a state in which the shape does not have fluidity and maintains its shape even if left untreated. Specifically, for example, the cooling temperature in the molding step II is preferably about -15 to 20 ° C, more preferably about 0 to 10 ° C.
Moreover, 15 degreeC or less is preferable and the temperature of sheet-like cheese has more preferable 10 degreeC or less. It is because shape retention property can be reliably maintained by making the temperature of sheet-like cheese into 15 degrees C or less.

  The thickness of the sheet-like cheese (sheet thickness) is not particularly limited, and can be freely set according to the thickness of the target final product. Especially in this technique, 3-30 mm is preferable, as for the thickness of sheet-like cheese, 3-15 mm is more preferable, and 4-8 mm is further more preferable. By setting the thickness of the sheet cheese to 3 mm or more, it is possible to improve the elastic texture unique to mozzarella cheese. Moreover, the processability in the cutting process III mentioned later can be improved because it shall be 30 mm or less.

(3) Cutting process III
In the cutting step III, a plurality of sheet cheeses formed in the forming step II are stacked to form a stacked body, and the stacked body is cut in the stacking direction (for example, the vertical direction). As a specific example, FIG. 1 schematically shows the cutting step III. In FIG. 1, the example which manufactures the block type cheese food which has been cut beforehand is shown.
As shown in FIG. 1, first, a plurality of sheet cheeses 1 formed in the forming step II are stacked to form a laminate 11 made of the sheet cheese 1 (see FIG. 1A). Next, the laminated body 11 is cut | judged in the lamination direction using the piano wire 2 etc. so that it may become a desired magnitude | size (refer FIG. 1B). Each of the cut pieces becomes a block-type cheese food product 111 that is cut in advance, which is the final product (see FIG. 1C).

  In the cutting step III, the number of stacked layers when the stacked body is formed is not particularly limited, and can be freely set according to the number of stacked target final products. In particular, in the present technology, from the viewpoint of difficulty in cutting (cutting) operation, the number of stacked layers is preferably 100 or less.

  The cutting (cutting) shape is not particularly limited, and can be freely designed in accordance with the shape of the target final product. For example, a round shape; a square shape such as a square or a rectangle; a triangle;

  As a specific example, when manufacturing a block-type cheese food that has been cut in advance, a plurality of sheet-like cheeses having a thickness of about 3 to 30 mm, for example, 5 to 20 are laminated, and a cutter or a piano wire or the like. It is preferable to cut into a rectangular shape having a length of 20 to 60 mm and a width of about 20 to 60 mm.

  The cut (cut) product of the sheet-like cheese thus obtained is packaged by a known method such as gas replacement packaging, if necessary, to obtain a processed cheese as the final product.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples. In addition, the Example demonstrated below shows an example of the typical Example of this invention, and, thereby, the range of this invention is not interpreted narrowly.

(1) Production of sample <Samples 1 to 5>
Processed cheeses according to Samples 1 to 5 in which the composition of the molten salt to be added was changed were manufactured according to the following procedure.
That is, 52 kg of mozzarella cheese (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) and 31 kg of cheddar cheese (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.), 2000 g of molten salt, 170 g of citric acid as a pH adjuster, and auxiliary ingredients as natural cheese for raw materials 5 kg of butter (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.), 3 kg of milk protein concentrate (manufactured by Fonterra Limited), and 600 g of water are put into a high-speed emulsification kettle and heated to 85 ° C. while injecting heated steam while stirring at 700 rpm. 100 kg of melted cheese was prepared. In addition, the mass difference between the total mass of the raw material used and the total mass of the obtained molten cheese is due to the condensation of the heated steam.
The molten cheese (85 ° C.) thus obtained is drawn on a moving stainless steel belt (2 ° C.), formed into a sheet, and five sheets of cheese (10 ° C.) having a thickness of 8.0 mm are stacked. Thus, a laminated type process cheese was obtained. The obtained processed cheese laminate was cut into a rectangular shape with a length of 32 mm and a width of 55 mm using a cutter to produce a block-type cheese food (process cheese) that had been cut in advance. Note that sodium citrate and / or disodium hydrogen phosphate was used as the molten salt.

<Sample 6>
As Sample 6, a processed cheese of a type that does not use mozzarella as a natural cheese for raw material was manufactured by the following method. That is, 65 kg of cheddar cheese (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.), 15 kg of gourd cheese (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.), 15 kg of molten cheese, 1000 g of sodium citrate, 1000 g of sodium polyphosphate, pyrollin 1000 g of sodium acid, 100 g of citric acid as a pH adjusting agent, and 7 kg of water were put into a high-speed emulsification kettle and heated to 85 ° C. while stirring at 700 rpm to obtain 100 kg of molten cheese. The molten cheese thus obtained was molded in the same manner as described above to obtain a laminated type processed cheese.

  Total amount of molten salt of citrate (sodium citrate) and phosphate (disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium polyphosphate or sodium pyrophosphate) used as molten salt in the production of processed cheese obtained as samples 1 to 6 Table 1 below shows the ratio (mass%) in the total, the type of phosphate used, and the moisture (mass%) of the final product.

(2) Evaluation of processing characteristics and hardness The processing suitability at the time of manufacturing the laminated type process cheese which concerns on samples 1-5, and the hardness of the obtained process cheese were evaluated in the following procedures.

<Processability>
The processability of sheet-like processed cheese is rated in three stages (very good; 3 points, good; 2 points, bad; 1 point) in the process of drawing molten cheese into a sheet, laminating and cutting. did. If continuous production was possible, it was 2 points, and on that, when the processed cheese as the final product was not crushed on the cut surface and had good shape retention, it was 3 points.

<Hardness measurement test>
Hardness was measured with a creep meter (manufactured by Yamaden Co., Ltd., trade name “YAMADEN RHEONERII CREEP METER RE2-33005S”). That is, three sheet-shaped process cheese (24 mm thick) that was allowed to stand at 10 ° C. for 2 hours was used in a stacking direction up to a depth of 15 mm at a plunger entry speed of 5 mm / second using a cylindrical plunger with a diameter of 8 mm. The stress (unit: N / m ² ) when entering was measured. The measurement was performed twice, and the average value was determined as the hardness of the processed cheese. The results are shown in Table 2 below.

About processability, all of samples 1-5 were good. However, in Sample 1, it was confirmed that the cut surface at the time of cutting was slightly crushed compared to Samples 2-5.
In the hardness measurement test, the hardness of Samples 2 to 4 was 7.2 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² , and that of Sample 5 was 8.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² . On the other hand, the hardness of Sample 1 was 6.9 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² .

From the above results, the hardness in Sample 1 was less than 7.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² , and the sufficient hardness was not maintained, suggesting that the processed cheese is likely to be deformed by the pressure during cutting. It was done. On the other hand, samples 2 to 5 have a hardness of 7.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² or more, are harder than sample 1, and are not crushed on the cut surface, and are sufficient for cutting sheet cheese. It was suggested that it has a good hardness.
Therefore, it is confirmed that the higher the hardness in the hardness test, the better the workability, and the measurement result by the hardness test method is at least 7.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² or more. It was thought that it was the hardness which is preferable in the processability of the sheet-like process cheese.
Moreover, since the processability of the samples 2-5 was excellent, it turned out that the content of the phosphate in molten salt needs to be set to at least 20 mass% or more.

(3) Sensory evaluation test About samples 1-5, sensory evaluation was performed by five trained flavor panelers. The sensory evaluation has three levels (very good; 3 points) for “taste”, “milky feeling”, “smoothness” and “elasticity” when one piece of sheet-shaped processed cheese is peeled and directly eaten. The score was 2 points for good; 2 points for poor; 1 point). The results are shown in Table 3 below.

As a result of sensory evaluation, Samples 1, 2 and 3 showed good evaluation results for any of the indicators of taste, milk feeling, smoothness and elasticity, and in comparison with Samples 4 and 5, in terms of elasticity It was confirmed that sample 4 was preferable. Therefore, in terms of sensory evaluation, it was considered that the content of citrate in the total amount of molten salt is preferably at least 20 mass% or more and more preferably 50 mass% or more.
In addition, when the test result of this sensory evaluation and the result of the said hardness measurement test are taken into consideration, the hardness of the laminated type sheet-like processed cheese of the present invention is less than 8.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ^2. (7.95 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² or less) is considered preferable.

(4) Evaluation of melt properties In order to evaluate the suitability for use in cooking, samples 1 to 5 were subjected to an evaluation test of the heat-melting properties (melt properties).

<Melt property measurement test>
The melt property was evaluated by the following procedure. That is, one sheet was peeled from the laminated sheet cheese, cut into a cylindrical shape (diameter 28 mm, thickness 8 mm), and cooled to 5 ° C. The cooled sample was placed between two aluminum plates in an oven at 70 ° C., and the distance between the aluminum plates (cheese height) was measured. The degree of decrease in distance after 150 seconds from the start of measurement was defined as DOF (degree of flow), which was used as an index of melt properties. Therefore, it has shown that the melt property of cheese is so favorable that DOF is large.
The measurement results of the melt property test are shown in Table 4 below.

  The DOF of the processed cheese according to Samples 1 to 5 was improved over the DOF of 42.1% of Sample 6, which is a processed cheese that does not use mozzarella cheese as a natural cheese for raw materials. Therefore, it was shown that the processed cheese according to Samples 1 to 5 is suitable not only for eating directly but also for cooking by heating. In addition, since the DOFs of Samples 1 to 3 are remarkably improved as compared to Sample 6, the content of citrate in the total amount of molten salt is set to 50% by mass or more in order to improve melt properties. It was considered preferable to do.

(5) Manufactured product [Example 1]
<Melted cheese preparation process>
As natural cheese for raw materials, 52 kg of mozzarella cheese (Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) cut into dice and 31 kg of Cheddar cheese (Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.), 1600 g of sodium citrate, 400 g of disodium hydrogen phosphate, pH as molten salt 170 g of citric acid as a conditioner, 5 kg of butter (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) as auxiliary materials, 3 kg of milk protein concentrate (manufactured by Fonterra Limited), and 600 g of water are put into a high-speed emulsification kettle, and heated steam is stirred while stirring at 700 rpm. It heated to 85 degreeC, inject | pouring, and prepared 100 kg molten cheese.

<Molding process>
The molten cheese (85 ° C.) obtained by the molten cheese preparation step is drawn on a moving stainless steel belt (2 ° C.) and formed into a sheet shape to obtain a sheet cheese (10 ° C.) having a thickness of 4.5 mm. It was.

<Cutting process>
What laminated | stacked 18 sheet-like cheese obtained by the formation process was cut | judged to the square of 32 mm x 55 mm in the lamination direction using the cutter. The obtained block was subjected to gas replacement packaging to obtain a laminated type sheet-like processed cheese.
The moisture content of the processed cheese produced according to Example 1 is 42.4% by mass, and the hardness of the processed cheese (52.5 layers, thickness 22.5 mm) is 7.2 × 10 ⁵ N / m ^2. Met.

  According to the present invention, in the production of sheet-shaped laminated type process cheese using raw material natural cheese containing 60% by mass or more and mozzarella cheese, sheet-shaped cheeses are not bound to each other during sheet lamination, and It is possible to impart good shape retention without cutting the cut surface during cutting. Moreover, the process cheese which utilized the flavor and texture of mozzarella cheese as natural cheese can be manufactured favorably.

Claims (2)

A raw cheese containing 60% by mass or more of mozzarella cheese, a molten salt containing 50% by mass or more of citrate and 20% by mass or more of phosphate, and water is heated and emulsified to melt cheese. A molten cheese preparation step to prepare,
A molding step of forming a sheet-shaped cheese having a moisture content of 50% by mass or less by molding into a sheet shape while cooling the molten cheese,
A cutting step of laminating a plurality of the sheet cheeses to form a laminate, and cutting the laminate in the laminating direction;
A process cheese production method having a hardness of 7.0 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² or more . The process cheese manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the phosphate is a monophosphate.

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