Gouda cheese blocks

Description

1. Product Overview
Gouda cheese blocks are a semi-hard, cultured dairy ingredient produced from pasteurized cow’s milk, offering a mild, nutty profile with high meltability. Industrially, they serve as a core input for processed cheese, ready meals, sauces, and frozen foods. Their strategic value lies in standardized functionality—consistent fat-in-dry-matter (FDM) and moisture control—reducing batch variation in high-volume production.

2. Key Specifications & Technical Characteristics

• Composition: Pasteurized cow’s milk, salt, rennet, starter cultures; fat-in-dry-matter (FDM) min. 48%

• Purity/Grade: Industrial Grade – no fillers, rindless, non-GMO

• Physical characteristics: Blocks of 2 kg / 5 kg / 10 kg; pale yellow; firm, smooth texture; moisture 38–42%

• Packaging options: Vacuum-sealed food-grade polyamide bags, cartonized on pallets (shrink-wrapped)

• Shelf life: 12 months from production date at ≤8°C / 46°F, RH <70%

3. Core Industrial Applications

• Primary industries: Large-scale food manufacturing (ready meals, frozen pizzas, sauces, cheese powders, processed cheese slices)

• Operational use cases: Shredding for pizza toppings; dicing for fillings; melting into cheese sauces or fondue bases

• Why superior: Precise melt and stretch characteristics reduce burn risk and fat separation compared to generic semi-hard cheeses. Lower moisture variability means longer fryer oil life for coated products (e.g., cheese sticks). Cost advantage: higher yield per kg (less purge, lower trim loss) versus generic blocks.

4. Competitive Advantages

• Quality consistency: Monthly third-party lab testing for fat, moisture, pH, and melt flow index; batch-to-batch variation <±1.5% FDM

• Supply reliability: Dedicated 10,000+ MT cold storage network; 48-hour dispatch for repeat orders

• Logistics capability: Temperature-controlled containers with real-time IoT monitoring for door-to-door integrity

• Price competitiveness: Direct from EU co-ops → 12–18% below distributor-market average on FOB Rotterdam basis

• Sustainability: 100% RSPO-certified palm fat (if used) optional; biogas-powered production facilities reduce carbon footprint by 34% vs. industry avg.

• Technical support: Full spec sheet, melt curve analysis, HACCP plan included; optional on-site application lab trial for qualified buyers

5. Commercial & Supply Information

• Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ): 20 MT (BULK)

• Loading capacity per 20’ reefer container: 20 MT (net) / 24 pallets of 1,000 kg each (20kg blocks per carton, 50 cartons per pallet)

• Loading capacity per 40’ reefer container: 26 MT (max weight limit)