Dairy Ingredients for Food Processing

Dairy Ingredients in Bakery, Snacks, Sauces, Dressings, Processed Meats, Functional Foods 491

high - quality protein and calcium to the snack.

Quality control tests for snacks involve

organoleptic evaluation and determination of

moisture, oil, salt, and amount of cheese

coating. Other tests that are frequently per-

formed concern color and bulk density.

Cheese and Dairy Sauces

Sauces derived from cheddar and other

types of cheese constitute a signifi cant but

specialized business for ingredient suppli-

ers. Their popularity is due to their conve-

nience of use for food preparation in food

service and fast food operations. Main appli-

cations include preparation of sandwiches,

omelettes, nachos, pasta dishes, and as a

toppings for potatoes and vegetables. There

are wide variations exist in cheese sauce

fl avors, including mild and aged cheddar and

Mexican food fl avors such as salsa, nacho,

and jalapeno.

Processing

Cheese sauces are generally manufactured by

a low - acid thermal processing and aseptic

packaging system. The manufacturing proce-

dures are mainly in the proprietary domain of

private companies. A primary innovation in

cheese sauce relates to development and

retention of desirable fl avor, body, and texture

during “ commercially sterile ” heat process-

ing temperatures and times. Table 18.12

shows some patented formulations and pro-

cesses for shelf - stable cheese sauce.

Cheese sauce processing begins with

shredding the cheese in a grinder and con-

veying it into a processing kettle. Water,

emulsifying salts, and other dry ingredients

are incorporated with agitation to form a

slurry for aseptic processing and packaging.

A typical processing system consists of a

high - shear blender, product surge tanks,

balance tanks, a homogenizer, a tubular heat

exchanger preheater, four scraped - surface

heaters, a holding tube, 12 scraped - surface

snacks are coated or dusted with seasonings
in a tumbler to continue dispersion of the
seasoning. Another method commonly used
in the industry involves slurrying the powder
in oil and spraying the slurry onto the snack
in a rotating tumbler. Because the oil -
seasoning slurry is drawn from a holding
tank, bulk density, particle size and shape,
and sedimentation rate of cheese powder are
important factors in avoiding plugging of
spray nozzles and assuring uniformity of
coating on the snacks. It is important to opti-
mize the surface adhesion of the seasoning
by designing spray equipment appropriately.
The mesh size of the seasoning powder
should be compatible with the oil content of
the snack. For potato chips with an oil content
of 36% to 38% by weight, a relatively coarse
particle size of 40 to 100 mesh is adequate
for optimum adhesion. Tortilla chips with
lesser oil (18% to 22%) require a much fi ner
particle size. In low - fat snacks it may be nec-
essary to form a surface fi lm to facilitate
adhesion of the seasoning. The fi lm is created
by spraying a solution of gum acacia, corn
syrup solids, or maltodextrins onto the
surface of the snack and drying at 121 ° C
(250 ° F) in convection heating equipment. In
some cases, a superior fl avor profi le can be
achieved by using cheese powders in the for-
mulation of dough, followed by topical
application.
The color of cheese powders ranges from
white to deep orange, depending on regional
or manufacturer ’ s preferences. The season-
ing color imparts a desirable color to the
snack that is indicative of the fl avor. Colors
may be of vegetable origin (turmeric, paprika,
beet, annatto, and beta - carotene) or of syn-
thetic origin (Food Drug & Cosmetic; FD & C -
permitted colors). They should make the
product bright and exhibit stability during its
shelf life.
The nutritional contribution of cheese
powders to snacks is generally marginal if the
application rate is low, such as 10%. However,
at higher levels, whey powders contribute