306 Chapter 11
Table 11.15 describes the salient features of
some commonly used emulsifying salts in
process cheese.
Re - work
Re - work is another ingredient, typically
overlooked by manufacturers, that has a
marked infl uence on the fi nal functionality of
process cheese. Re - work is the process
cheese produced in a manufacturing facility
that cannot be sold for various reasons and
hence for economic reasons fi nds its way
back into fresh batches of process cheese
during production. It can further be classifi ed
as old and fresh re - work. Old re - work refers
to the process cheese that failed to meet
quality guidelines (mechanical, weight
related, or chemical) and therefore cannot be
sold and typically is not used immediately.
Fresh re - work is the process cheese lost (and
collected) during production line change-
overs, shavings, and edge trimmings during
slice line operations etc. and is therefore typi-
cally used immediately in the subsequent
batches. Because the re - work has already
gone through the emulsifi cation process, its
addition to fresh batches of process cheese
can alter their functional properties, fl avor,
and color. The addition of re - work to process
cheese typically increases its fi rmness and
reduces its meltability. Typical usage of re -
work in process cheese should not exceed 1%
to 2% of the fi nal formula in the case of old
re - work or not more than 10% in the case of
fresh re - work (Kapoor and Metzger, 2008 ).
Effect of Processing Conditions
on Process Cheese
The temperature and time of cooking, amount
of agitation provided during cooking, and the
rate at which the cooked process cheese is
cooled affect the functional properties of
process cheese. Therefore, varying the pro-
cessing conditions during the manufacture
can be another tool to engineer process
cheese with targeted fi nal properties. Table
11.16 describes the various processing condi-
tions and their infl uence on the fi nal quality
of process cheese.
Cold - pack cheese is yet another class of
cheese ingredient defi ned by the CFR that
can neither be directly classifi ed as a natural
cheese nor as a process cheese. Cold - pack
cheese is increasing being used as a cheese
ingredient, especially for fl avor in the manu-
facture of cheese sauces and dips for frozen
entree preparation.Cold - pack or Club Cheese
Cold - pack cheese, or club cheese, is prepared
by comminuting one or more cheeses into a
homogeneous mass without the aid of heat.
Cream cheese, Neufchatel cheese, cottage
cheese, hard grating cheese, semi - soft part -
skim cheese, part - skim spiced cheese, and
skim milk cheese for manufacturing are not
permitted. All cheeses used in a cold - pack
cheese are made from pasteurized milk or are
held for not less than 60 days at a temperature
of not less than 1.7 ° C (35 ° F) before being
comminuted. No water is used in the prepara-
tion of the cold - pack cheese. The fat content
of the product made from a single variety of
cheese is not less than the minimum for the
variety of cheese used, but in no case is less
than 47% FDM. In the case of cold - pack
Swiss cheese, the fat content is not less than
43% FDM, and in cold - pack gruyere cheese
it is not less than 45% FDM. The moisture
content of a cold - pack cheese made from two
or more varieties of cheese is not more than
the arithmetical average of the maximum
moisture contents of the varieties of cheese
used. In no case is the moisture content more
than 42%, except that the moisture content of
a cold - pack cheese made from two or more
varieties of cheddar, washed - curd, colby, and
granular cheese is not more than 39%. The
FDM of a cold - pack cheese made from two
or more varieties of is not less than the arith-
metical average of the minimum percentage