Yogurt-cheese compositions

1. A process, comprising:

providing a pasteurized milkfat-oil composition including a milkfat fluid and an edible oil;

causing a pH of the milkfat-oil composition to be slightly reduced, by inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with lactic acid—producing bacteria, and then culturing the bacteria to produce lactic acid in and to slighty thicken the milkfat-oil composition, and then pasteurizing the milkfat-oil composition before the bacteria substantially digest the milkfat-oil composition;

combining together and homogenizing a yogurt and the milkfat-oil composition to form a homogenized yogurt-milkfat-oil composition;

combining milk protein with the homogenized yogurt-milkfat-oil composition;

forming a blend having a pH and including the milk protein and the homogenized yogurt-milkfat-oil composition; and

acidifying the blend, reducing the pH of the blend to within a range of between about 5.0 and about 4.1; thereby forming a low-fat yogurt-milkfat-oil composition.

2. The process of claim 1 , including combining milk protein with the milkfat-oil composition.

3. The process of claim 1 , in which the milkfat fluid includes butterfat at a concentration within a range of between about 52% by weight and about 10% by weight;

protein at a concentration of about 2% by weight; and water at a concentration within a range of between about 40% by weight and about 70% by weight.

4. The process of claim 1 , in which the edible oil includes a vegetable oil derived from seeds or fruit of soy, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, olive, peanut, cottonseed, sesame, almond, apricot, avocado, coconut, flax, grapeseed, hazelnut, palm, pine, poppy, pumpkin, rice bran, tea, walnut, or wheat.

5. The process of claim 1 , in which the milkfat-oil composition includes a milkfat fluid at a concentration within a range of between about 97% by weight and about 30% by weight, and an edible oil at a concentration within a range of between about 3% by weight and about 70% by weight.

6. The process of claim 1 , in which the yogurt-milkfat-oil composition includes the yogurt at a concentration within a range of between about 50% by weight and about 10% by weight, and the milkfat-oil composition at a concentration within a range of between about 50% by weight and about 90% by weight.

7. The process of claim 1 , in which the yogurt includes:

butterfat at a concentration within a range of between about 0% and about 3.25% by weight;

milk protein at a concentration within a range of between about 3% by weight and about 6% by weight; and

water at a concentration within a range of between about 76% by weight and about 88% by weight.

8. The process of claim 1 , in which the blend includes milk protein at a concentration within a range of between about 45% by weight and about 15% by weight, and the yogurt-milkfat-oil composition at a concentration within a range of between about 55% by weight and about 85% by weight.

9. The process of claim 1 , including incorporating in the blend non-digestible oligosaccharide or a digestion-resistant polysaccharide.

10. The process of claim 1 , including incorporating inulin, lactulose or lactitol in the low-fat yogurt-milkfat-oil composition.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein providing the pasteurized milkfat-oil composition includes providing a pasteurized composition that contains whole milk, cream, skim milk, or reconstituted dry milk.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with lactic acid—producing bacteria includes inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with mesophilic lactic acid-producing bacteria.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with mesophilic lactic acid—producing bacteria includes inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with mesophilic lactic acid—producing bacteria being of a strain that includes Lactococcus lactic lactis, Lactococcus lactis cremoris, Lactococcus lactis diacetylactis , or Leuconostoc .

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein acidifying the blend includes inoculating the blend with live and active lactic acid-producing yogurt bacteria, and then culturing the lactic acid-producing yogurt bacteria to produce lactic acid in the blend until the pH of the blend is reduced to one point within the range of between about 5.0 and about 4.1.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein acidifying the blend includes causing the pH of the blend to be further reduced to another point within the range being lower than the one point, by combining, with the blend, an edible acid supplementing the lactic acid produced by the yogurt bacteria.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein causing the pH of the blend to be further reduced to another point includes reducing the pH to within a further range of between about 4.6 and about 4.4.

17. The process of claim 14 , wherein inoculating the blend with live and active lactic acid-producing yogurt bacteria includes combining the milkfat-oil composition with yogurt containing live and active lactic acid-producing yogurt bacteria.

18. The process of claim. 14 , wherein inoculating the blend with live and active lactic acid-producing yogurt bacteria includes inoculating the blend with live and active probiotic lactic acid- producing yogurt bacteria being of a strain that includes Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium , or Lactobacillus paracasei subspecies casei .

19. The process of claim 14 , wherein inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with lactic acid—producing bacteria includes inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with mesophilic lactic acid—producing bacteria.

20. The process of claim 19 , wherein inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with mesophilic lactic acid—producing bacteria includes inoculating the milkfat-oil composition with mesophilic lactic acid—producing bacteria being of a strain that includes Lactococcus lactis lactis, Lactococcus lactis cremoris, Lactococcus lactis diacetylactis , or Leuconostoc .

21. The process of claim 20 , wherein providing the pasteurized milkfat-oil composition includes providing a pasteurized composition that contains whole milk, cream, skim milk, or reconstituted dry milk.

22. The process of claim 1 , wherein the causing a pH of the milkfat-oil composition to be slightly reduced includes carrying out the pasteurizing after carrying out the culturing of the bacteria for a time period within a range of between about 60 minutes and about 90 minutes.

23. The process of claim 1 , wherein acidifying the blend includes combining an edible acid with the blend.