Freeze Dried Cheeses
Freeze dried cheese is fresh cheese with the water effectively removed. The moisture content of fresh cheese varies between different types of cheeses and can typically range from 40% up to 70%. The moisture content of freeze dried cheese is reduced to around 3 to 5%.
Freeze dried cheeses are available in a number of different formats including powders, shreds, cubes and speciality shapes.
Benefits of freeze dried cheese
Freeze dried cheese has a number of important benefits, particularly in terms of shelf life and ease of handling.
The shelf life of higher fat freeze dry cheeses (above 45% fat content) is between 6 and 10 months. This includes cheeses such as Parmesan, Stilton, Roquefort, Cheddar and Conte.
The shelf life of lower fat freeze dried cheeses (below 45% fat content) is 12 months. This includes cheeses such as Emmental and Mozzarella.
Other benefits include:
Easier to weigh, mix and handle with other dry ingredients.
Concentrated authentic flavour profile.
Appearance of fresh cheese.
Good mouth-feel and texture.
Reduced microbiological risk owing to lower water activity.
Reduced density (more economic to pack).
Available in speciality shapes that are 'set' by the freeze
drying process minimising product breakdown.
Can be freeze dried with other ingredients (e.g. herbs) to
give enhanced flavour and appearance.
Product range
Chaucer food's wide product range includes the following formats of cheeses:
Emmental - Powder, pieces
Mozzarella - Powder, pieces
Comte - Powder
Parmesan Roquefort -
Stilton
Cheddar
Applications
Freeze dried cheeses have many applications in savoury convenience and snack foods.
Freeze dried cheeses are particularly suited to dry products (where they are mixed with other ingredients) that have long shelf life requirements.
Freeze dried cheeses (particularly novelty shapes and flavours) can be used as accompaniments to fresh salads, or as toppings for soups and other convenience foods.
The authentic flavour and appearance along with easy handling characteristics of freeze dried cheese make them ideal ingredients in snack foods and similar dry applications.
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