Editing Processed cheese (section)

== Chemistry ==
Processed cheese is made with the goal of being meltable without the fat separating from the protein. A traditional cheese consists of individual fat globules trapped in a network of casein, with calcium holding the [[casein]] molecules together. With prolonged heating, the typical result is a lumpy combination of [[protein]] gel and liquid [[fat]] on top.<ref name=Rhylander>{{cite web |last1=Rhylander |first1=Summer |title=Why Sodium Citrate is the Secret to the Silkiest Cheese Sauce |url=https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/blog/sodium-citrate-cheese-sauce |website=The Cheese Professor |date=14 April 2021}}</ref> Processed cheese adds a ''calcium-sequestering agent'', often mistakenly called an "[[emulsifier]]" ("emulsifying salt" and "emulsifying agent" are correct, however),<ref>John R. Sevenich (1993-11-08). Quote: 'Sodium phosphates are not emulsifiers in the strict sense, i.e. they are not surface-active substances, yet they are commonly included in the group of ingredients called "emulsifying agents". (See Caric et al., Food Microstructure, Vol. 4, pgs. 297-312 (1985).' US patent No. 5,466,477 — Preparation of process cheese using liquid sodium phosphate</ref> to stop calcium from being able to hold this casein network together. Smaller groups of linked casein molecules are then able to better mix into the fat when melted, forming microscopic droplets instead of large lumps. Common calcium-sequestering agents include [[sodium phosphate]], [[potassium phosphate]], [[tartrate]], and [[citrate]].<ref name="p36903331">{{cite journal |last1=Deshwal |first1=GK |last2=Gómez-Mascaraque |first2=LG |last3=Fenelon |first3=M |last4=Huppertz |first4=T |title=A Review on the Effect of Calcium Sequestering Salts on Casein Micelles: From Model Milk Protein Systems to Processed Cheese. |journal=Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) |date=23 February 2023 |volume=28 |issue=5 |page=2085 |doi=10.3390/molecules28052085 |pmid=36903331|doi-access=free |pmc=10004449 }}</ref> ([[Tartaric acid]] found in wine is ''the'' original calcium-sequestering agent used in Swiss fondue.)<ref name=Rhylander/>

The longer shelf-life is not directly because of the emulsifying agent, but because it allows existing heat-based sterilization methods, such as canning, to be applied to the cheese without forming lumps.<ref name=patents-US/>