Processed cheese
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[[Image:American cheese.jpg.jpg|thumb|250px|American processed cheese]]
'''Processed cheese''', '''process cheese''', '''prepared cheese''', or '''cheese food''' is a food product made from regular [[cheese]] and sometimes other [[fermentation (food)|unfermented]] dairy ingredients, plus [[emulsifier]]s, extra [[edible salt|salt]], [[food coloring]]s, and/or [[whey]]. Many flavors, colors, and textures of processed cheese exist. In the [[United States]], the most recognizable variety of processed cheese is sold under the name [[Processed cheese#American cheese|American cheese]], although this name also has other meanings. The name ''American cheese'' also has a legal definition as a type of pasteurized processed cheese under the U.S. [[Code of Federal Regulations]].<ref name="definition">Under the U.S. [[Code of Federal Regulations]] Title 21 (Food and Drugs), Article 133, Section 169 (Pasteurized process cheese), the allowed usage of the term "American Cheese" for certain types of "Pasteurized process cheese" is detailed. Specifically, in paragraph (e)(2)(ii) of section 133.169, it states ''In case it is made of cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, or granular cheese or any mixture of two or more of these, it may be designated "Pasteurized process American cheese"; or when cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, granular cheese, or any mixture of two or more of these is combined with other varieties of cheese in the cheese ingredient, any of such cheeses or such mixture may be designated as "American cheese.''"{{cite web
|url = http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_99/21cfr133_99.html
|title = Title 21, Article 133
|publisher = U.S. Government Printing Office
|author = U.S. Food and Drug Administration
|date = [[Apr 1]] [[1999]]
|accessdate = 2007-02-17
}}</ref> The term ''American slices'' is also recognized globally for the same product. [[The Laughing Cow]], a [[France|French]] product, is another type of processed cheese, showing the international reach of this product.
Although processed cheese was first invented in 1911 by [[Walter Gerber]] of [[Thun]], [[Switzerland]], it was [[James L. Kraft]] who first applied for an American patent for his method in 1916.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.emmi-fondue.ch/firma-f/firma-ents.htm
|title = Emmi Fondue AG - Firma - Entstehung:
|publisher = Emmi Fondue AG
|accessdate = 2007-02-17
}}</ref><ref name="KraftPatent">{{cite web
|url = http://www.kraft.com/100/innovations/kraftcheese.html
|title = Patent reference at Kraft Foods
|publisher = Kraft Foods
|accessdate = 2007-02-17
}}</ref> [[Kraft Foods]] also created the first commercially available sliced processed cheese, which was introduced in 1950. This form of sliced cheese with its derivatives were to become ubiquitous in the United States, most notably used for cheeseburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches.
==Advantages==
Processed cheese has three technical advantages over unprocessed cheese: extended [[shelf-life]], resistance to separation when cooked, and the ability to reuse scraps, trimmings and runoff from other [[cheesemaking]] processes.
Traditional cheesemaking inevitably produces 'scrap' pieces that would not be acceptable for supermarket display; production of processed cheese from cheese scrap allows the cheesemaker to add value to otherwise unmarketable scrap. Processing can turn these scraps into new presentable shapes for repackaging and sale.
The use of emulsifiers in processed cheese results in cheese that melts smoothly when cooked. With prolonged heating, unprocessed cheese will separate into a molten [[protein]] gel and liquid [[fat]]; processed cheese will not separate in this manner. The emulsifiers, typically [[sodium phosphate]], [[potassium phosphate]], [[tartrate]], or [[citrate]], reduce the tendency for tiny fat globules in the cheese to coalesce and pool on the surface of the molten cheese.
Because processed cheese does not separate when melted, it is used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes. It is a fairly popular condiment on [[hamburgers]], as it does not run off, nor does it change in texture or taste as it is heated.
==Disadvantages==
Processed cheese is often criticized for its small range of flavors, which is far narrower than the range for unprocessed cheeses and normally at the mild end of the flavor range. Processed cheese also normally lacks the range of textures available in unprocessed cheeses; processed cheeses are normally very smooth and medium-firm.
Inclusion of artificial additives in processed cheeses and the higher levels of salt are other subjects of criticism.
==Sale and labeling==
Processed cheese is sometimes sold in blocks, but more often sold packed in individual slices, sometimes with plastic wrappers or wax paper separating them.
==Legal issues==
Due to the processing and [[additive]]s, some softer varieties cannot legally be labeled as "cheese" in many countries, including the [[United States]] and [[UK|Britain]], and so are sold as "cheese food", "cheese spread", or "cheese product", depending primarily on the amount of cheese, moisture, and [[milkfat]] present in the final product.
In the [[United States]] processed cheese is defined, categorized, and regulated by the [[Food & Drug Administration]] under the U.S. [[Code of Federal Regulations]] Title 21 (Food and Drugs), Section 133 (Cheeses and Cheese Related Products).<ref name="definition"/><ref name="Article133"> Refer to [http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_99/21cfr133_99.html U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 (Food and Drugs) Article 133 (Cheeses and Cheese Related Products)] at the U.S. Government Printing Office.</ref> Pasteurized process cheese can be made from a single cheese or a blend of several cheeses. [[Cream]], milkfat, water, salt, [[artificial color]], and spices may also be added. The mixture is heated with an emulsifier, poured into a mold, and allowed to cool. The definitions include:
*'''Pasteurized process cheese''' (Includes "American Cheese" and "Pasteurized process American cheese"),<ref name="definition"/> (e.g., "Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese")
*'''Pasteurized process cheese food''', which contains as little as 51% cheese
*'''Pasteurized process cheese spread'''
*'''Pasteurized process cheese product''' (e.g. ''Kraft Singles'', [[Velveeta]]), which contain less than 51% cheese
The various definitions are mainly used to distinguish minimum/maximum amounts of cheese ingredient, moisture content, and milkfat.
==American cheese==
{{main|American cheese}}
[[Image:Processed cheese slices.jpg|thumb|Processed cheese slices individually wrapped in plastic]]
The best known processed cheese in the [[United States]] is marketed as '''American cheese''' by [[Kraft Foods]], [[Borden Milk Products|Borden]], and other companies. It is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor, with a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily. It is typically made from a blend of cheeses, most often Colby and Cheddar.
American Cheese also refers to [[government cheese]], which can consist of a mixture of any of [[cheddar cheese]], [[Colby cheese]], [[cheese curd]], or [[granular cheese]]<ref>[http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/pcd5.pdf PCD5 Pasteurized Process American Cheese for use in Domestic Programs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
Despite the common usage, ''American Cheese'' also has another definition. It can also refer to a mild, pale white to yellow [[cheddar cheese|cheddar]].
The term ''store cheese'' is sometimes informally used to describe ''American Cheese'' and similar American cheddars.<ref name="storecheese">{{cite web
|url = http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/STORECHEESE
|title = store cheese
|publisher = Word Web Online
|author =
|date =
|accessdate = 2007-02-17
}} </ref>
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7806sci2.html American Chemical Society article on processed cheese.]
*[http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2001/1/2001_1_8.shtml From Cheese to Cheese Food: How Kraft persuaded Americans to accept cheese by divorcing it from its microbe-laden origins.]
[[Category:American cheeses]]
[[Category:Processed cheese|*]]
[[de:Schmelzkäse]]
[[es:Queso procesado]]
[[ja:プロセスチーズ]]
[[pl:Ser topiony]]
[[pt:Queijo processado]]
[[ru:Плавленый сыр]]