How to Make Processed Cheese: A Step-by-Step Production Guide

Processed cheese, also known as process cheese, is a product made from the natural cheese itself, along with emulsifying salts, preservatives, dry milk powder, whey, and fat. Processed cheese production includes cooking the mixture to liquefy it and make a homogeneous mass that is then cooled and formed in various ways.

Introduction to Processed Cheese

According to Medium, the first commercially made processed cheese was made in 1911 by two gentlemen, Fritz Stettler and Walter Gerber. Fritz and Walter both worked in the cheesemaking industry and wanted to extend the shelf life of the cheese being shipped to warmer climates.

To come up with a solution, they began heating the shredded emmentaler (the good old popular hard, yellow cheese with some holes in it) and adding sodium citrate. They waited and waited, and finally, they were shocked by seeing the result. A soft block of Emmentaler cheese!

 

But What is Processed Cheese, Exactly?

Processed cheese is natural cheese with added non-cheese ingredients. Depending on the processed cheese type, the extra ingredients may vary. Generally, the non-cheese ingredients can include salt, emulsifying salts, preservatives, dry milk powder, and sometimes food dyes.

Processed cheese is not 100% cheese. Some of it is, but not all.

The mixture of natural cheese with additional non-cheese ingredients is then cooked to liquefy it. Once liquefied, it is then cooled and formed.

 

Why Are Additional Ingredients Added to the Cheese?

Generally, emulsifying salts, milk powder, preservatives, and at times, artificial flavors are added to the natural cheese to make it more delicious and creamier or more consistent in taste or texture.

The other reason, which is far more critical, is that these ingredients help the cheese stay fresh and last longer on the shelf. This aspect of processed cheese is pretty fascinating and attractive to consumers’ eyes.

The shift of demand in consumers’ preferences indicates that what they are really looking for is cheese products that last longer, have a consistent texture, and are cheap. And that’s exactly what processed cheese is all about. Longer shelf life, a consistent texture, and is affordable!

 

Step-by-Step Process of How Processed Cheese Is Made

The cheese industry continuously tries to develop innovative cheese products that cater to customers’ preferences. While the manufacturing process is quite simple, there are side notes to take into account.

Step 1: Selecting the Proper Cheese & Pre-Processing

The first step toward making industrial processed cheese is selecting the proper cheese as your cheese base. Cheeses differ in their quality, texture, sharpness, and flavor. Therefore, the cheese base we choose directly impacts the overall quality of processed cheese.

After choosing the cheese, it is washed, scraped, and trimmed into small particles. This is to ensure the final product has a consistent texture.

Step 2: Mixing the Ingredients

The next step involves thoroughly mixing and blending the cheese with emulsifying salts and the additional ingredients of your choice.

This step is also crucial in processed cheese production, giving the cheese a homogeneous and smooth texture.

Step 3: Heating the Mixture

The mixture is then heated at a controlled temperature, typically around 160 – 195˚F. Heating and cooking the cheese at this temperature ensures the cheese has a uniform texture, contains no lumps, and is hazard-free and safe to use.

Step 4: Packaging & Distributing

Now that the cheese is heated through, cooked and the additional ingredients are all combined with the cheese, the final product should be immediately packaged in proper packages to maintain the quality and prevent contamination.

The packaging material is usually of decent quality and is airtight and preventing the cheese from contamination.

Common packaging are:

• Slices
• Blocks
• Spreads

What Are the Ingredients Used in Processed Cheese Production?

Cheese

It all starts with cheese!

The natural cheese base you choose for production can be anything, and often, it’s a mix of different cheeses. Usually, it’s Cheddar with an average age of 3 months. The proteins in aged cheese can be broken down into shorter chains with more emulsification capacity. So, be careful that your cheese base is not too young, which can impact the texture.

Emulsifying Salts For Mixing Better

Emulsifying salts are the most essential part of processed cheese, mainly added to the natural cheese during the processed cheese production to bind the calcium and ensure the fat doesn’t split from the proteins.

Some of the most relevant and used emulsifying salts are:

• Sodium citrate
• Sodium aluminium phosphate (SALP)
• Monosodium phosphate (MSP)
• Disodium phosphate (DSP)
• Trisodium phosphate (TSP)

Additional Proteins For Structure

Aside from cheese, which is the primary source of protein, cheesemakers may add additional proteins to the processed cheese, such as regular milk proteins (caseins and whey).

The additional proteins are added to the cheese during processing to give cheese a firmer texture, susceptible to melting.

Water

Water is of great importance in the making of processed cheese. Adding water to the processed cheese lets you reach the desired consistency in the final product cheese.

Colourants

The other helpful ingredient in processed cheese production is a colorant. Without them, we wouldn’t have various types of cheese with different colors.

Colorants are widely used in processed cheese to identify the type of cheese and make it known to consumers what each cheese has and what their relative proportions are.

Colorants can also be completely natural. Some manufacturers use paprika or curcuma to add color to the processed cheese.

What is the Science Behind Processed Cheese Texture?

If you are a burger lover, there must have been at least one time when you wondered why the cheese on top of your burger melts so smoothly and perfectly. Food science is here to explain it all!

Unlike natural cheese that gets oily or stringy when heated, processed cheese is precisely manufactured in a way that maintains a consistent texture and structure! But how can food science explain this to us? When emulsifying salts, like sodium citrate, are added to the processed cheese, they tend to break down the proteins and evenly distribute fats. This is precisely how emulsifying salts enhance the smoothness and stability of the cheese’ texture.

Moreover, controlled heating in processed cheese production ensures the cheese maintains a uniform structure and melts without separating!

How Are Natural & Processed Cheese Different?

Due to the rapid change in consumers’ preferences, manufacturers are always on the go to make valuable changes to the food consumers demand.

In the cheese industry, there are various types of cheese commonly used worldwide, such as parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella and etc. All kinds of cheese can be categorized as either natural or processed, based on their composition and the techniques used in manufacturing. But what exactly is the difference between natural and processed cheese?

Natural Cheese

As the name indicates, natural cheese is cheese made from 100% natural fresh milk. The process is also relatively straightforward. The manufacturing process involves creating a mass from milk protein by adding lactic acid bacteria or rennet. Once the curd is formed, it is cut into small pieces to increase the surface area. The smaller the pieces are cut, the less moisture content the curd will have.

Depending on the cheese type, the curd is left for weeks or years to develop flavor and texture.

Differences Between Natural & Processed Cheese

Feature	Processed Cheese	Natural Cheese
Ingredients	Cheese Emulsifying Salts Additional Proteins Water Colorants Preservatives	Fresh Milk Harmless, Active Bacteria Rennet
Processing Steps	Cleaning, Blending, and Melting	Coagulating, Draining, Salting, and Ripening
Texture	Smooth, uniform, and creamy	Varies based on aging, but primarily grainy and dense
Nutritional Content	Contains added sodium, Lower protein content Enhanced meltability	More Nutritional Content Less Salt More Protein Healthy Fats
Flavor	More Consistent Flavour	Complex and Diverse Flavor
Shelf Life	Longer, due to added preservatives	Shorter and needs to be refrigerated

 

Conclusion

Manufacturing processed cheese and turning the delicious natural cheese into a processed one is genuinely fascinating. In this article, we walked you through the formation of processed cheese, step-by-step.

From choosing the right cheese or a blend of multiple types to selecting the proper emulsifying salts. From heating the mass in a controlled heat to the delicate packaging step. All these steps are crucial in making processed cheese, helping to create delicious and smooth cheese that not only is delicious but also has an extended shelf life

FAQ

1-What are examples of processed cheese?

Processed cheese is not 100% cheese, but some of it is. Typically, it consists of 50-60% cheese and 40-50% other additional ingredients. The blend of cheese goes through heating, and emulsifying salts are added. The result is processed cheese with various colors and shapes such as blocks, logs, and tubs.

Popular types of processed cheese are:

• Gouda
• Mozzarella
• Emmental
• Cheddar
• Goya
• Goat Cheese
• Maasdam

 2- Is processed cheese good or bad?

Processed cheese is really delicious, and no one can deny that fact.

Whether you use it in your burger, lasagna, or even as a dip for snacks at your parties, processed cheese makes the food a hundred times more delicious!

However, the deliciousness of a food cannot determine its nutritional value. Even though natural and processed cheese’ nutritional value is essentially the same, processed cheese still contains a lot more sodium content. They also include an unhealthy amount of fats (trans and saturated). These fats serve the processed cheese as texture and flavor enhancers, helping to extend their shelf lives. 

3- What makes processed cheese different from American cheese?

Processed cheese, as the name indicates, is natural cheese rightly selected and gone under processing to be more meltable and to maintain the integrity of fat in the cheese.

American cheese is essentially not much different from processed cheese. There are, however, some key differences:

• Processed cheese refers to a broad category of various types of cheese products made by blending natural cheeses with emulsifiers, additional fats, and other ingredients. Processed cheese is presented in various shapes, forms, and colors.
• American cheese, on the other hand, is a specific type of processed cheese that is typically manufactured by mixing Cheddar and Colby and adding emulsifying salts to create a cheese product that is easily meltable and smooth.