A composition and method of making a label friendly starch blend includes a composition having greater than 50 weight percent of a heat moisture treated (HMT) potato starch and less than 50 weight percent of a native tapioca starch. In an example, the starch blend includes between about 60 and about 70 weight percent of the HMT potato starch and between about 30 and about 40 weight percent of the native tapioca starch. The starch blends disclosed herein can be suitable for use in a variety of food products, including, but not limited to, tomato-based sauces, cheese sauces, Asian-style sauces, and gravies, particularly for use in freezer meals. The food products containing the starch blends disclosed herein exhibit favorable properties after being cooked, stored in the freezer and then heated prior to consumption. Observations included favorable viscosity, favorable texture and an absence of syneresis.

A composition and method of making a label friendly starch blend includes a composition having greater than 50 weight percent of a heat moisture treated (HMT) potato starch and less than 50 weight percent of a native tapioca starch. In an example, the starch blend includes between about 60 and about 70 weight percent of the HMT potato starch and between about 30 and about 40 weight percent of the native tapioca starch. The starch blends disclosed herein can be suitable for use in a variety of food products, including, but not limited to, tomato-based sauces, cheese sauces, Asian-style sauces, and gravies, particularly for use in freezer meals. The food products containing the starch blends disclosed herein exhibit favorable properties after being cooked, stored in the freezer and then heated prior to consumption. Observations included favorable viscosity, favorable texture and an absence of syneresis.

Disclosed herein is an anticaking agent for cheese, comprising one or more dairy ingredients; and one or more non-dairy ingredients. When applied the anticaking agent is applied to a divided cheese, it has low visibility on the divided cheese, prevents caking of the divided cheese, and browns similarly to divided cheese without the anticaking agent when baked in an impinger oven at between 425° F. and 450° F. for 5 minutes. Also disclosed are food products containing an anticaking agent described herein, and methods for treating divided cheese for anticaking using an anticaking agent described herein.

Disclosed herein is an anticaking agent for cheese, comprising one or more dairy ingredients; and one or more non-dairy ingredients. When applied the anticaking agent is applied to a divided cheese, it has low visibility on the divided cheese, prevents caking of the divided cheese, and browns similarly to divided cheese without the anticaking agent when baked in an impinger oven at between 425° F. and 450° F. for 5 minutes. Also disclosed are food products containing an anticaking agent described herein, and methods for treating divided cheese for anticaking using an anticaking agent described herein.

A method is for manufacturing brine-salted cheese with a homogeneous salt distribution and/or organic acid distribution and/or eyes distribution and/or texture on one axis of the cheese. The method includes, before a brining, applying a hydrophobic barrier on the entire outer parts of the cheese, which are located at the ends of the cheese axis. The hydrophobic barrier is kept on the cheese outer parts at least during part of the brining.

A method is for manufacturing brine-salted cheese with a homogeneous salt distribution and/or organic acid distribution and/or eyes distribution and/or texture on one axis of the cheese. The method includes, before a brining, applying a hydrophobic barrier on the entire outer parts of the cheese, which are located at the ends of the cheese axis. The hydrophobic barrier is kept on the cheese outer parts at least during part of the brining.

A method to produce cheese chips provides that cut cheese slices are frozen and then raised by means of rapid water evaporation due to the application of microwave and vacuum drying. The freezing step is preceded by drying and cooling, and the raised cheese chips containing cheese and flavourings are characterised in that their density does not exceed 0.46 g/cm.sup.3, the porosity does exceed 40%, and the crunchiness does exceed 4.

A method to produce cheese chips provides that cut cheese slices are frozen and then raised by means of rapid water evaporation due to the application of microwave and vacuum drying. The freezing step is preceded by drying and cooling, and the raised cheese chips containing cheese and flavourings are characterised in that their density does not exceed 0.46 g/cm.sup.3, the porosity does exceed 40%, and the crunchiness does exceed 4.

The present invention includes a method and food product made by at least partially enclosing a food product with a water-permeable membrane; and contacting a brine or sugar solution with a water activity sufficiently high to draw water molecules across the water-permeable membrane and away from the food product to preserve the food.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a cheese. The cheese has one or more flavour characteristics of a sheep cheese and/or a goat cheese. The method most preferably comprises mixing a milk with a coagulant, a starter culture, a strain of Yarrowia lipolytica and a strain of Kluyveromyces lactis, and wherein the milk comprises or consists of bovine milk having a milk fat content.