Making American cheese to debunk a conspiracy

Scientific concepts & nature/food phenomena discussed

Cheese processing and food chemistry

• American cheese is described as a processed cheese product, developed in the 1910s, made from cheddar/Colby-type cheeses.
• The traditional approach:
  • Grind/shred cheese
  • Add emulsifying agents and other ingredients
  • Heat to form a homogeneous melted mixture
• The video emphasizes the role of:
  • Water content and melting in changing texture
  • American cheese being portrayed as cheddar-like fat and solids suspended in more water, rather than following the same separation/melting behavior as ordinary melted cheese (as claimed in the subtitles, melting/dilution changes mixing rather than simple separation).

Emulsification / melting behavior

• Core chemical idea: adding specific emulsifying salts enables cheese to:
  • melt smoothly
  • become gooey and sliceable
• Reported outcome in the video:
  • Heating + emulsifiers thickens the mixture into a cheese-like sauce
  • On chilling, it solidifies into slices

Use of food-grade emulsifying agents

Additives named in the subtitles include:

• Sodium citrate dihydrate
  • Used as an emulsifier to help stabilize the melted cheese matrix.
• Sodium hexametaphosphate
  • Another emulsifier/cheese-processing phosphate.

Both are discussed as safe-to-eat food chemicals and commonly used in foods. The subtitles also mention “USP,” interpreted as a quality/usage designation.

Regulatory science / classification

• The video’s main claim: the US FDA does not legally consider American cheese “cheese” because it is a processed/altered derivative rather than traditional cheese.

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Methodology / procedure shown (as a “recipe” outline)

Prepare cheese base

• Shred cheddar (more surface area helps processing).

Make an emulsifying solution

• Mix water with:
  • Sodium citrate dihydrate
  • Sodium hexametaphosphate
• Heat only to a moderate temperature (subtitles mention ~50°C).
• Dissolve the powders fully.

Emulsify and heat

• Add shredded cheddar into the emulsifying liquid.
• Mix while heating until it becomes thick, smooth, and melted/homogeneous.

Adjust flavor and texture

• Add butter (subtitles mention ~4 tablespoons).
• Add whole milk powder (~50 g), then mix (e.g., whisk) to reduce clumps.

Form slices

• Pour onto a tray and attempt to spread it thin.
• Preheat a smaller tray to improve spreading.
• Chill in the fridge to solidify.
• Cut into slices; the video notes self-sealing / disappearing cut marks, described as typical slice behavior of set processed cheese.

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Researchers / sources featured

• US FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)