Called by some a “Super Food,” cheese has long been recognized as a powerful source of essential nutrients, including calcium and protein. “Cheese is a versatile ingredient, add it to any dish and it just gets better. As a result, we have customers seeking out new ways to incorporate cheese as a nutritional source, too,” said Whitney Beem, Marketing Director of Cheese at Glanbia Nutritionals.
In answer to customers who are seeking new ways to use cheese, Glanbia Nutritionals has launched a shelf stable, protein-packed natural shredded cheese that offers versatility in both formulation and flavor. The process to make freeze dried cheese at Glanbia Nutritionals is 100% natural and amplifies the protein using award winning cheese. “Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization technology precisely dehydrates fresh natural shredded cheese in a specialized commercial dryer,” Beem explained.
Freeze dried cheese is not new to the market; it is currently used primarily in survival kits or emergency food storage meals, but the way it is currently used is limited. “Currently the freeze dried food market is about a $1.4 Billion a year market with 4% annual growth. There is great opportunity to develop new cheese products using freeze dried technology, especially given the fact that freeze dried cheese triples the level of protein found in standard cheddar cheese by sheer concentration,” said Michael Levine, Product Director of Cheese at Glanbia Nutritionals.
As the world’s largest American style cheese maker, Glanbia Nutritionals believes this product can be used in more mainstream applications such as nutrition bars, soups, and snack foods. Currently, Glanbia Nutritionals offers freeze dried cheddar, but will begin offering freeze dried shredded mozzarella, cubed cheddar, and cubed mozzarella in the future.
Please contact your Skidmore representative for product samples or more information.