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Processed Cheese and Substitute/Imitation Cheese Products

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Fundamentals of Cheese Science

Summary

The development of pasteurised processed (also called process) cheese products (PCPs) in the early 1900s was motivated by the need to develop cheese-like products that were stable (i.e., did not leak fat, ‘sweat’ or become greasy) at ambient temperatures (≤40 °C) and could be stored for a long time without a change in quality. Today, PCPs are used mainly as ingredient cheese products with customized functionalities, and to a lesser extent as table cheese products (e.g., processed cheese spreads and slices). They are produced by comminuting, melting and emulsifying, into a smooth homogeneous molten blend, one or more varieties of natural cheese and optional ingredients using heat, mechanical shear and (usually) emulsifying salts (ES). The optional ingredients permitted are determined by the type of PCP, as defined by national legislation. Manufacture involves formulation, size reduction of cheese and blending of ingredients, heating to 75–85 °C while continuously shearing until a hot uniform molten mass is obtained, hot-filling into packages and cooling. While the ES are not emulsifying agents per se, they solubilise the cheese protein which binds the free water and emulsifies the free fat released during processing (heating and shearing). The ES, usually sodium citrates or sodium phosphates, mediate protein solubilisation by upward adjustment of the pH and sequestering calcium from the cheese protein. PCPs are packaged in varying formats, for example retail products are available as foil-covered blocks or triangle portions, individually wrapped- or stacked-slices or tubs of spread, while products for the catering trade are available as sliceable blocks, slabs, sausage form or spreadable products filled into drums or buckets. The texture, cooking attributes and overall quality of PCPs are influenced by many parameters including characteristics of the cheese and optional ingredients used in formulation, processing conditions (heat, shear) and composition.

Cheese substitutes or imitations may be generally defined as products which are intended to partly or wholly substitute or imitate cheese and in which milk fat, milk protein or both are partially or wholly replaced by non-milk-based alternatives, principally of vegetable origin. Owing to the low cost of vegetable oils compared to butterfat, and the partial replacement of protein by starch, they are cheaper than natural cheeses or PCPs. They are used mainly as low-cost cheese-like ingredients in products such as frozen pizza. The main type of cheese substitute/imitations are analogue cheese (AC), typically formulated from milk proteins, such as rennet casein and caseinates, vegetable oil, water, ES and other ingredients. The method of manufacture of ACs is generally similar to that used for the production of PCPs: formulation, blending, heating and shearing, packaging and cooling. Similarly, their quality is influenced by composition, formulation and processing conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College, Cork, Ireland

    Patrick F. Fox & Paul L. H. McSweeney

  2. Teagasc Food Research Centre, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland

    Timothy P. Guinee & Timothy M. Cogan

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  1. Patrick F. Fox
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  2. Timothy P. Guinee
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  4. Paul L. H. McSweeney
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Fox, P.F., Guinee, T.P., Cogan, T.M., McSweeney, P.L.H. (2017). Processed Cheese and Substitute/Imitation Cheese Products. In: Fundamentals of Cheese Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7681-9_17

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