WO 2012/117450 Al 7 September 2012 (07.09.2012) P O P C T
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(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date WO 2012/117450 Al 7 September 2012 (07.09.2012) P O P C T (51) International Patent Classification: Sainte-Mere, 2, rue du Docteur Boutrois - B.P. 93, 14230 A23C 19/06 (2006.01) A23C 19/10 (2006.01) Isigny-sur-Mer (FR). LESENECAL, Luc [FR/FR]; c/o A23C 19/068 (2006.01) A23C 19/09 (2006.01) Isigny Sainte-Mere, 2, rue du Docteur Boutrois - B.P. 93, A23C 19/076 (2006.01) 14230 Isigny-sur-Mer (FR). (21) International Application Number: (74) Agent: The Patent Corporate body of Ono & Co.; Mi- PCT/JP201 1/001239 tobe Bldg. 4F., 1-13-1, Kandaizumi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 1010024 (JP). (22) International Filing Date: 3 March 201 1 (03.03.201 1) (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, English (25) Filing Language: AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ, (26) Publication Language: English CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DO, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, (71) Applicants (for all designated States except US): HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, Takanashi Milk Products Co., Ltd. [JP/JP]; 5 Hon- KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, juku-cho, Asahi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 2410023 MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, (JP). Isigny Sainte-Mere [FR/FR]; 2, rue du Docteur OM, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, SC, SD, SE, SG, Boutrois-B.P.93, 14230 Isigny-sur-Mer, (FR). SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, TR, TT, TZ, (72) Inventors; and UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. (75) Inventors/Applicants (for US only) : NAKAJIMA, Kenji (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every [JP/JP]; c/o Takanashi Milk Products Co., Ltd., 5 Hon- kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, juku-cho, Asahi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 2410023 GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, (JP). TAKAHASHI, Masanobu [JP/JP]; c/o Takanashi ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, Milk Products Co., Ltd., 5 Honjuku-cho, Asahi-ku, Yoko TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, hama-shi, Kanagawa, 2410023 (JP). HOSODA, Masataka EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV, [JP/JP]; c/o Takanashi Milk Products Co., Ltd., 5 Hon MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, juku-cho, Asahi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 2410023 TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, (JP). HIRAMATSU, Masaru [JP/JP]; c/o Takanashi Milk ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). Products Co., Ltd., 5 Honjuku-cho, Asahi-ku, Yoko hama-shi, Kanagawa, 2410023 (JP). TAKANASHI, Published: Nobuyoshi [JP/JP]; c/o Takanashi Milk Products Co., Ltd., — with international search report (Art. 21(3)) 5 Honjuku-cho, Asahi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 2410023 (JP). DELAHAYE, Daniel [FR/FR]; c/o Isigny © (54) Title: METHOD FOR PRODUCING PASTEURIZED FRESH CHEESE o (57) Abstract: Provided is a method for producing long-storable pasteurized fresh cheese which has a soft texture and has an ex tremely good taste, in which water separates little and of which the pH and the acidity hardly lower. The method for producing long- storable pasteurized fresh cheese comprises the following steps (a) to (e): (a) a step of curdling a milk material to prepare curd; (b) a step of separating whey from the curd to prepare cheese curd; (c) a step of adding a stabilizer to the separated whey; (d) a step of mixing the stabilizer-added whey with the cheese curd; and (e) a step of pasteurizing the cheese curd by heating. Description Title of Invention: METHOD FOR PRODUCING PASTEURIZED FRESH CHEESE Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing long-storable pasteurized fresh cheese. Background Art [0002] Fresh cheese is a type of unmatured cheese that is obtained by removing whey from curd prepared by curdling a milk material with lactic bacteria, rennet, acid and the like. The fresh cheese of the type is known to include fromage blanc, quark, cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, mozzarella, etc. [0003] Of the fresh cheese of the type, fromage blanc is one produced by curdling a milk material with lactic bacteria or with a combination of lactic bacteria and rennet; and this is low in fat, and has a mild taste of cheese and its texture is mild as compared with yogurt. [0004] However, since lactic bacteria exist alive therein, the pH, the acidity and the taste of fromage blanc may change during storage, and therefore, the recommended use-by date thereof is generally short. Accordingly, fromage blanc will have to be imported in Japan from France or the like by air; and owing to the short best-before period and the high price thereof, the distribution of fromage blanc in the Japanese market is on a low level. [0005] Even though fromage blanc is available, its use in western confectionery or the like that is sold in an aseptically-limited area such as department stores or the like is difficult in Japan. [0006] Accordingly, for removing the aseptic limitation as above, pasteurization of fromage blanc may be taken into consideration; however, when an acidic cheese curd is pas teurized in thermal pasteurization of ordinary pasteurization, then the whey protein such as b-galactoglobulin or the like may be thermally denatured and may bind to the surfaces of casein micelles whereby the structure of the casein micelle would change from the structure thereof before heating and the cheese may lose the characteristic soft taste and texture thereof and the commercial value thereof may greatly lower. Therefore, thermal pasteurization of fromage blanc has heretofore been difficult. [0007] For pasteurization of fresh cheese such as quark or the like, a method of adding high- methoxyl pectin to cheese curd is reported (Patent Literature 1). [0008] In this method, however, high-methoxyl pectin must be added to cheese curd having a small water content, therefore requiring a strong force for stirring, and the operability is poor. In addition, the cheese curd to be obtained is pasty and therefore its texture greatly differs from the original one, and there could not be admitted at all any other effect than the effect of preventing water separation. [0009] For further developing the method for enhancing the dispersibility of the stabilizer, a method is reported that comprises a step of heating, stirring and liquefying fresh cheese such as quark or the like to make it have a viscosity at 40°C of at most 50 poises not causing thermal denaturation thereof, a step adding high-methoxyl pectin thereto before or after the previous step, and a step of homogenizing it after its pH is controlled to be from 3.5 to 4.6, and thereafter thermally pasteurizing it (Patent Literature 2). In this method, cheese curd is softened under heat with no additional force given thereto, and thereafter the stabilizer is added thereto; and in this, therefore, dispersion and pasteurization could be attained with a force weaker than that in the method described in Patent Literature 1. [0010] However, in this method, since high-methoxyl pectin is added as powdery, it soon coagulates after sprayed on acidic cheese curd, and therefore it could not exhibit an effect of preventing protein denaturation and, in addition, the operability is poor since the homogenizer is clogged. Further, for this method, it is suggested to use a solution of the stabilizer previously dissolved in water to thereby enhance the dispersibility thereof; however, the cheese curd would be diluted with water in which the stabilizer is dissolved; and therefore, even though the method could be effective in some degree for preventing texture degradation during storage and for preventing water separation, there still remains a problem in that, since the amount of water increases, the physical properties and the taste of the cheese curd would greatly differ from those of the cheese curd to which the stabilizer is not added. [001 1] Further proposed is use of thermophile bacteria such as bulgaricus, thermophilus and the like bacteria as the lactic bacteria for use in production of unmatured soft cheese, with which the pH is lowered to at most 4.0 before pasteurization therefore providing unmatured soft cheese having good texture and good physical properties (Patent Literature 3). [0012] However, use of thermophile bacteria such as bulgaricus, thermophilus and the like bacteria is problematic in that the taste of the unmatured soft cheese changes, the effect thereof for preventing thermal denaturation by long-term heat is poor, and hot-packing is not employable. Citation List Patent Literature [0013] PTL 1: JP-A 57-47445 PTL 2: JP-A 5-252866 PTL 3: JP-A 58-71842 Summary of Invention Technical Problem [0014] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing long-storable pasteurized fresh cheese which has a soft texture and has an extremely good taste, in which water separates little and of which the pH and the acidity hardly lower. Solution to Problem [0015] For solving the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have assiduously studied and, as a result, have found that, in production of fresh cheese, when a stabilizer solution is prepared by using the whey heretofore separated and discarded in obtaining cheese curd and when this is again mixed with cheese curd and then p as teurized, then long-storable fresh cheese having solved the above problems can be obtained, and have completed the invention.