Danish ingredients company KMC has developed two CheeseMaker solutions that it says enable producers to make recombined parmesan and other hard cheese alternatives that are easy and fast to produce.
The imitation cheese contains a low amount of milk proteins and requires no maturation time, which KMC believes makes it a very cost-effective alternative. This product can, according to the company, easily be produced anywhere – even in areas without long-standing dairy traditions or easy access to milk or milk proteins.
CheeseMaker specialty starches can be combined with vegetable fat and only a low amount of rennet casein to make a recombined alternative that is easy to produce, does not require any maturation time and is cost-effective. There is, says KMC, no need to have access to fresh milk, to handle a perishable product like milk or to deal with a byproduct like whey.
The two new solutions in the CheeseMaker range deliver different functionality and texture in imitation hard cheese. CheeseMaker BL310 gives a crumbly and dry texture and is described as an excellent alternative for use on pasta dishes and whenever the cheese must be distributed evenly over a dish. Its irregular shaped shreds mimic natural cheese.
CheeseMaker BL320 gives longer and more elastic and uniform shreds and is said to be a good choice for salads and soups in which the shreds should stay visible and not crumble into the dish or lose its texture.
According to KMC, the challenge that was faced in the development of this concept is the high dry matter content. CheeseMaker BL310 and BL320 can be used in a dosage of up to 30% and in products with a dry matter of more than 60%. This high level of dry matter would not be possible using rennet casein or traditional starches, said the company.
