What is meant by flavorant is a material

With the pH of the blend at the selected pH, preferably about 5.3, an effective amount of an emulsifying salt may be added to the
homogenous blend. By an effective amount of emulsifying salt is meant an amount sufficient to enhance the emulsifying properties of the
casein protein to promote a stable emulsion so that upon heating of the cheese product the fat does not separate or oil off. A
non-exhaustive list of emulsifying salts that can be added to the homogenous blend include, but are not limited to, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, Phosphoric Acid, Dicalcium Phosphate,China Animal Health production, trisodium
phosphate, China Cleansing Chem, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, China
petrochemical production, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and
the like, as well as mixtures thereof. A preferred emulsifying salt is China Flotation reagents.
Other emulsifiers, including but are not limited to lecithin, grossiste chinois, diglycerides,
polysorbate 60, or Complemix 100 may be added as a replacement or supplement to emulsifying salts.

Although not necessary to practice the present invention, the emulsifying salt aids in providing flowing characteristics of a process
cheese such that the cheese based product flows and melts when heated. The emulsifying salts are added to the homogeneous blend such
that the emulsifying salts preferably make up approximately 1. weight percent of the total weight of the cheese based product).

When the salts are added to the homogeneous blend, the blend is worked for a selected period of time to evenly disperse the salts
throughout the homogeneous blend thereby retaining the homogeneous quality of the blend. Preferably, the salts are mixed into the
homogeneous blend with the Marion paddle mixer for about 5 minutes at a temperature of 60 to 130 degrees fahrenheit, although other
mixing periods, vessels and temperatures are within the scope of the present invention provided that at the end of the mixing period the
emulsifying salts are uniformly dispersed and optionally melted throughout the blend.

Optionally, other ingredients may be added to the blend before or after the emulsifying salts. A non-exhaustive list of other
ingredients that may optionally be added to the blend includes flavorants, such as egg flavor, a lactic acid starter blend, a starter
distillate, flavorants, and salt; acidulants such as edible acids and edible acid anhydrides, including citric acid, hydrochloric acid,
lactic acid, lemon juice powder; cheese; enzyme modified cheese; eggs; edible particulates such as bread crumbs, chopped nuts, meat,
fruits, dried vegetables; herbs and seasonings; cordials and alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer; cocoa liquor; sweeteners such as
sugar or corn syrup; artificial sweeteners; and starch. Additionally, colorants such as annatto, beta carotene, turmeric, FD&C dyes,
and titanium dioxide may be optionally added to enhance the color of the blend.

which imparts a flavor or mouth feel to the finished product, including but not limited to Enzyme Modified Cheese, Natural Flavor,
Artificial Flavor, WONF (natural flavor enhanced with other natural flavors or other materials that depart a desired flavor or mouth
feel in the finished product).

Optionally, the homogenous blend is transferred to a cheese cooker wherein the homogenous blend is heated for an amount of time
sufficient to cook the homogenous blend into the cheese based product. Preferably, the homogeneous blend is heated under agitation with
steam injection to about a range of about 110.degree. F. and 230.degree. F., and preferably to about 165.degree. F. for about thirty
seconds. With the homogenous blend heated to about 165.degree. F., the steam injection is removed from the homogenous blend while
maintaining agitation of the homogenous blend for another selected period of time, preferably 11/2 minutes. The homogeneous blend is
worked until it becomes a thick viscous mass having a plastic consistency. A preferred cheese cooker is a twin screw lay down process
cheese cooker manufactured by Custom Stainless Equipment of Santa Rosa, Calif.

With the homogenous blend heated and cooked for the select amount of time, the blend has the taste of a natural blue veined cheese such
as Blue cheese. However, while the cheese based product has the taste of a natural Blue cheese, the cheese based product does not yet
have the characteristic blue veined coloring that consumers associate with a mold ripened blue veined cheese.

To provide the characteristic blue veined coloring within the cheese based product, an effective amount of a colorant or a blend of
colorants are added to the unagitated product. Preferably, the colorants are either a green or blue color that does not run or fade over
time. The colorant is preferably a blue vein mimetic that is typically a solid particulate at room temperature that hydrates and forms
the blue veins within the cheese product in the presence of free water. The size of the particulate preferably ranges from between about
.25 millimeters to about 20 millimeters. However, any colorant, whether a solid or a liquid, that provides a veined appearance in the
food product is within the scope of the present invention.

Preferred blue vein mimetics are manufactured by Quali Tech, Inc. of Chaska, Minn., under ingredient numbers 42-21-7 and 41-67-1C, which
are preferably added in a 50-50 weight percent blend. The blue vein mimetics are added to the product between a range of about .01 and
about .30 weight percent of the total weight of the cheese based product, and preferably about .1 weight percent of the cheese based
product. The Quali Tech, Inc. blue vein mimetics are a solid at room temperature and when added to the cheese product hydrate over time
to provide the characteristic blue veins to the cheese product.

To provide the characteristic blue veins, the product is worked for a time sufficient to disperse the blue vein mimetics in a random
fashion through the cheese based product. Preferably, the blue vein mimetics are mixed into the product for approximately 30 seconds
under agitation in the twin screw lay down process cheese cooker. After having been agitated into the cheese based product to form the
desired blue vein coloring, the product is filled into molds for storage.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the product and method of the present invention provides several process advantages over
making a blue veined cheese through the addition of mold spores. First, the amount of time required to manufacture the processed blue
veined cheese product of the present invention is significantly reduced by eliminating the time needed for the mold spores to process
the fat, proteins and sugars to produce the characteristic flavor and coloration of a natural blue veined cheese. In fact, the present
invention does not require the use of mold spores to produce a product having the taste and appearance of a blue veined cheese product.

The method of the present invention also allows the manufacturer to separate and independently control the three main variables in the
production of a blue veined cheese, namely, milk concentration, flavor development and visual (colored veins) development. Instead of
having to rely upon the mold spores to develop the flavor and visual appearance of the blue veined cheese, the flavorant is added to a
dairy based component having a selected fat to solids ratio and moisture content, such as a cheese curd, to provide a desired taste to
the cheese based product. Once the desired taste of the product is attained, the coloring of the product is independently obtained by
the addition of the blue vein mimetics. While the product of the present invention has the appearance and taste of a natural blue veined
cheese such as Blue cheese, Stinton cheese, Roquefort cheese or Gorgonzola cheese, the product of the present invention is handled and
processed as a process cheese. Namely, the process cheese product is more easily packaged, sliced and is also capable of being melted.

It has been discovered that the process of the present invention and the resulting products manufactured by the process have the
organoletic properties of a natural blue veined cheese product while eliminating the time necessary for the spores to generate the
requisite flavor and coloring of the blue veined cheese product. Additionally, the blue veined cheese product of the present invention
can be produced having a variety of flavors with varying intensity and a variety of shades of blue veins by independently controlling
the amount and type of flavorant and the amount and the type of blue vein mimetic that are added to the cheese based product.