| abstract |
A method of making flavorful, organoleptically pleasing, non-agglomerating, shredded natural cheese containing one or more nutritional supplements is provided. The method includes the steps of: (1) shredding a natural cheese to form pieces; (2) adding a nutritional supplement nutritional supplement comprising calcium sulfate dihydrate to the shredded cheese to form a mixture; (3) blending the mixture to achieve an essentially homogenous shredded cheese; and (4) packaging the essentially homogenous shredded cheese; wherein the calcium sulfate dihydrate is added in an amount sufficient to provide nutritionally supplementation and to provide non-agglomerating properties. The nutritional supplement of this invention allows preparation of shredded cheeses containing significantly reduced levels of conventional anti-caking agents while still maintaining the desired non-agglomerating properties. In some cases, conventional anti-caking agents are essentially eliminated. |