Systems and methods for preparing plant-based cheese comprise preparing a plant-based cheese mixture, transferring the plant-based to a heat exchanger, heat treating* and cooling the plant-based mixture, dynamically mixing additional ingredients, possible homogenizing the plant-based cheese mixture, and packaging the homogenized plant-based cheese product. In embodiments, heat treatment can occur between 85-95° C. and cooling occurs at 65-70° C. Homogenization can occur before or after heat treatment. A related cheese making apparatus is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for producing a cheese having spreading and/or ropy properties when cooked, said cheese being produced from powdered milk protein concentrates. Especially the ratio of the weight of the calcium to the weight of the total nitrogenous matter (Ca/TNM) in said milk protein concentrates is greater than or equal to 0.10% and less than or equal to 2.80%.

Cheese sauce products including phospholipid emulsifiers exhibit delayed, reduced or eliminated formation of a surface film upon prolonged exposure to air. The cheese sauce products include a cheese composition that is non-solid at room temperature, a liquid, and a phospholipid emulsifier composition. The cheese sauce products are clean label due to the absence of disodium and/or trisodium phosphates therein. Methods of preventing the formation of a surface film on a cheese sauce product involve mixing a cheese sauce composition with a liquid to form a cheese sauce, and admixing a phospholipid emulsifier composition to the cheese sauce. The phospholipid emulsifier composition constitutes about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt % of the cheese sauce product.

Cheese sauce products including phospholipid emulsifiers exhibit delayed, reduced or eliminated formation of a surface film upon prolonged exposure to air. The cheese sauce products include a cheese composition that is non-solid at room temperature, a liquid, and a phospholipid emulsifier composition. The cheese sauce products are clean label due to the absence of disodium and/or trisodium phosphates therein. Methods of preventing the formation of a surface film on a cheese sauce product involve mixing a cheese sauce composition with a liquid to form a cheese sauce, and admixing a phospholipid emulsifier composition to the cheese sauce. The phospholipid emulsifier composition constitutes about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt % of the cheese sauce product.

Cheese sauce products including phospholipid emulsifiers exhibit delayed, reduced or eliminated formation of a surface film upon prolonged exposure to air. The cheese sauce products include a cheese composition that is non-solid at room temperature, a liquid, and a phospholipid emulsifier composition. The cheese sauce products are clean label due to the absence of disodium and/or trisodium phosphates therein. Methods of preventing the formation of a surface film on a cheese sauce product involve mixing a cheese sauce composition with a liquid to form a cheese sauce, and admixing a phospholipid emulsifier composition to the cheese sauce. The phospholipid emulsifier composition constitutes about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt % of the cheese sauce product.

Systems and methods for preparing plant-based cheese comprise preparing a plant-based cheese mixture, transferring the plant-based to a heat exchanger, heat treating* and cooling the plant-based mixture, dynamically mixing additional ingredients, possible homogenizing the plant-based cheese mixture, and packaging the homogenized plant-based cheese product. In embodiments, heat treatment can occur between 85-95 C. and cooling occurs at 65-70 C. Homogenization can occur before or after heat treatment. A related cheese making apparatus is also disclosed.