Process of making buttermilk by direct acidification

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PREPARING BUTTERMILK BY DIRECT CHEMICAL ACIDIFICATION COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS: (A) INTIMATELY INTRODUCING AN EDIBLE COLLOID STABILIZER IN MILK HAVING A BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF FROM ABOUT .02% TO ABOUT 5% BY WEIGHT AND A NON-FAT SOLIDS CONTENT OF FROM ABOUT 8% TO ABOUT 12% BY WEIGHTS, (B) HEATING SAID STABILIZER-CONTAINING MILK TO A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 160*F. TO ABOUT 225*F. (C) THEREAFTER ADDING A FIRST ACID PORTION CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NON-TOXIC EDIBLE ACIDS AND ACIDOGENS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF FORMING NON-TOXIC EDIBLE ACIDS UPON SLOW HYDROLYSIS AND MIXTURES THEREOF, IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO LOWER THE PH OF THE MILK TO FROM ABOUT 4.8 TO ABOUT 5.1, WHILE MAINTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF SAID MILK, (D) ALLOWING THE MILK HAVING A PH OF FROM ABOUT 4.8 TO 5.1 TO STAND FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST ABOUT 15 MINUTES AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 40*F. TO 80*F. AND (E) THEREAFTER ADDING A SECOND ACID PORTION CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NON-TOXIC EDIBLE ACIDS AND ACIDOGENS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF FORMING NON-TOXIC EDIBLE ACIDS UPON SLOW HYDROLYSIS AND MIXTURES THEREOF IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO LOWER THE PH OF THE MILK TO A RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 4.2 TO 4.5 WHILE MAINTAINING THE SAME BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF SAID MILK.