Production process cream cheese Lekkerkerker Food

Production process: cream cheese

Tradition and craft is at the heart of everything we do. We are the only company in the Netherlands that creates cream cheese in-house from fresh Dutch milk sourced from meadow-grazed cows. We also apply as few additives as possible to ensure an optimally natural product with an optimally delicious flavour. Quality is paramount.

We have a continual focus on innovation and invest in our top-of-the-range production facilities to ensure maximum production efficiency and premium-quality products.

Our close collaboration with our sister company Lekkerkerker Food & Dairy Equipment allows us to combine both product knowledge and technological knowledge, which allows us to shift gears quickly and flexibly as well as ensuring our equipment and technology are always up-to-date.

fresh meadow milk for cream cheese production

Milk standardisation

Depending on the kind of cream cheese required by the client, we standardise our fresh meadow-grazed milk to establish the right fat content. The milk fat is separated from the milk.

Pasteurisation

The milk is subsequently pasteurised to kill any harmful bacteria present: this is done by heating the milk for a short time before cooling it again.

Fermentation

During this step, lactic acid bacteria are added to the milk to convert lactose into lactic acid, causing the pH level to drop and the milk to ferment. This enhances the taste and increases the shelf life of the product.

Curd concentration

At this point, the milk proteins begins to clump together in masses known as curds. The whey is then separated from the cream cheese.

Mixing & homogenisation

Once the whey has been separated, salt and stabilisers are added to the curd and the mixture is then homogenised into a delicious and creamy dairy product. If desired, further ingredients can be added.

Packaging

The cream cheese is now ready to be packaged via hot filling or cold filling. Cold filling gives the cream cheese a more compact structure although it also reduces the shelf life, as hot filled cream cheese can be stored for up to several months. Feel free to contact us if you'd like to know more about packaging opportunities.

Cooling

After the cream cheese has been filled, the product is refrigerated.

Packaging

The cream cheese product can then be packaged into the desired outer packaging for further logistical processing.

Co-creation

Driven by our passion for dairy, we provide high-quality and sustainable cheese and dairy products for our partners based on our core values of flexibility, reliability and innovation. We develop fully customised products that meet your specific needs and -if applicable- your production process.