A fast and efficient process to manufacture milk curd by direct chemical acidification with acid. The process comprises the steps of heating the milk to a temperature sufficient to pasteurize the milk, cooling the milk, coagulating the milk with the addition of an acid, and incubating the milk and acid mixture for a set period of time. The resulting curd may be employed in the manufacture of different varieties of cheese to which it is subjected to additional steps of salting, molding and/or pressing.

The invention involves a method of producing cheese curd. The method includes the step of providing a composition including a milkfat fluid. The method includes the step of pasteurizing the composition including the milkfat fluid. The method adjusts the temperature of the composition including the milkfat fluid to a predefined temperature allowing separation of cultures. The method includes the step of combining the composition including the milkfat fluid with diluted acetic acid. The method combines diluted acetic acid, or derivatives. The method adds the diluted acetic acid, or the derivatives to the milkfat fluid adjusted at the predefined temperature to separate whey, or milkfat. The method removes the separated milkfat from the whey and dry to isolate the cheese curd. The method stabilizes the cheese curd and combines the stabilized cheese curd with the milkfat fluid. The method combines yogurt in the stabilized cheese curd to add protein. The cheese curd remains stabilized after combining the yogurt.

The present invention relates to a casein concentrate wherein the milk protein comprises not more than 10% serum protein, and wherein the casein micelles have an average size of less than 175 nm in diameter; and wherein the concentrate has a pH below 6,7. Treating milk so as to shift the equilibrium out of the casein micelles and towards the serum phase modifies the micelles so as to allow increased water binding by the casein concentrate. High shear processing also allows for the increased water binding in the milk product, such as cheese. The invention further relates to a process of preparing a modified casein concentrate comprising the steps of treating milk by microfiltration to produce a microfiltration retentate comprising casein micelles and a reduced amount of serum proteins compared to the starting milk, adding an agent capable of modifying the chemical equilibrium between the calcium bound in the casein micelles and present in the serum phase treating the resulting product in a dynamic high pressure shear process. Finally, the invention provides cheese and dairy products which can be prepared by using the casein concentrate of the invention.

Process: providing concentrated milk composition including milk protein; providing plant fat composition including plant fat; combining first amount of concentrated milk composition together with second amount of plant fat composition, forming concentrated milk-plant fat composition having initial pH and having concentration by weight of water being within range of between about 49% and about 57%; combining concentrated milk-plant fat composition together with amount of edible acid, and directly setting concentrated milk-plant fat composition by adjusting initial pH to reduced pH being within range of between about 4.9 and about 4.5; thereby forming uniform non-separating direct-set milk-plant fat product substantially retaining the milk protein. Process also includes providing concentrated milk composition and plant fat composition respectively at first and second temperatures being at least about 20 F. above melting points of respective compositions. Composition: uniform non-separating direct-set milk-plant fat product.

The present disclosure relates generally to smooth cheese products and method of producing smooth cheese products.