Cheese ripening

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12329119-B2
Application number	US-202017621526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2020
Priority date	Jul 9, 2019
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a naturally ripened, block-shaped cheese of the hard or semi-hard type comprising a water-permeable coating applied onto the entire surface of the cheese and a water-impermeable material applied onto the water-permeable coating, wherein at least all vertices and the four edges that connect the top face and bottom face of the block-shaped coated cheese are covered with a layer of the water-impermeable material while leaving the bottom face and top face of the block-shaped coated cheese largely uncovered. The present disclosure also relates to a method of making the naturally ripened, block-shaped cheese of the hard or semi-hard type.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for providing a naturally ripened, partially covered and coated, block-shaped cheese of hard or semi-hard type, comprising the steps of:
(i) forming a block-shaped cheese from a curd by a process comprising inoculating a cheese making media with an acid-producing microorganism to form a coagulum, cutting the coagulum to provide curd and whey, and separating the curd from the whey, pressing the curd into a block shape and brining the block-shaped cheese thus obtained;
(ii) applying a protective water-permeable coating layer onto the entire surface of the block-shaped cheese, thereby obtaining a coated block-shaped cheese;
(iii) partially covering the coated block-shaped cheese with a layer of a water-impermeable material thereby obtaining a partially covered and coated block-shaped cheese; and
(iv) allowing the partially covered and coated block-shaped cheese to ripen,
wherein the partially covered and coated block-shaped cheese comprises a top face, a bottom face and four faces that form the circumference of the partially covered and coated block-shaped cheese, and
wherein in step (iii) at least all vertices and the four edges that connect the top face and bottom face of the block-shaped coated cheese are covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material while leaving at least 80% of the top face and bottom face uncovered.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in step (iii) the two oppositely positioned largest faces of the four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (iii) is carried out at least 2 weeks after step (ii).

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the water-impermeable material is wax.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein covering with the wax in step (iii) is performed by successively dipping those parts of the block-shaped coated cheese to be covered with a layer of the wax in a bath of the wax and allowing the wax to dry.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in step (iii) all four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (iii) is carried out at least 4 weeks after step (ii).

8. A naturally ripened, block-shaped cheese of the hard or semi-hard type comprising a water-permeable coating applied onto the entire surface of the naturally ripened block-shaped cheese and a water-impermeable material applied onto the water-permeable coating, wherein at least all vertices and the four edges that connect the top face and bottom face of the naturally ripened block-shaped coated cheese are covered with a layer of the water-impermeable material while leaving at least 80% of the bottom face and top face of the naturally ripened block-shaped coated cheese uncovered.

9. The cheese according to claim 8 , wherein the two oppositely positioned largest faces of the four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped coated cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

10. The cheese according to claim 8 , wherein the cheese is a low fat cheese.

11. The cheese according to claim 8 , wherein the cheese is a full fat cheese.

12. The cheese according to claim 8 , wherein all four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped coated cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

13. The cheese according to claim 8 , wherein the cheese is a 30+-cheese made from skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.

14. The cheese according to claim 8 , wherein the cheese is a 48+-cheese.

Assignees

• Frieslandcampina Nederland Bv

Inventors

• Burghout Herman Frank
• Penders Johannes Antonius

Classifications

• A23C19/16

  Covering the cheese surface, e.g. with wax coating compositions · CPC title

• A01J27/02

  Devices for coating of cheese · CPC title

• A23C19/14

  Treating cheese after having reached its definite form, e.g. ripening or smoking · CPC title

• A01J25/16 Primary

  Devices for treating cheese during ripening · CPC title

• A23C19/163 Primary

  with a non-edible liquid or semi-liquid coating, e.g. wax, polymer dispersions (in combination with an edible coating A23C19/16) · CPC title