Imitation cheese composition comprises: (1) moisture (2) an acidulent (3) a hydrocolloidal (4) a cheese-derived component and (5) cheese flavoring. Imitation cheese composition comprises: (1) moisture of less than 60% by weight of the composition (2) an acidulent in an amount that causes a pH of the composition to be not greater than 4.6 (3) a hydrocolloidal (4) a cheese-derived component of less than 15% by weight of the composition and (5) a natural or artificial cheese flavoring. The composition is firm such that it can be sliced, cut, shredded or grated. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) method for preparing an imitation cheese composition, which comprises preparing a composition comprising of: (i) moisture in an amount greater than 60% by weight of the composition (ii) a hydrocolloidal (iii) a cheese-derived component in an amount less than 15% by weight of the composition (iv) a natural or artificial cheese flavoring and (v) acidifying the composition to a pH of not greater than 4.6 (2) method for increasing microbial stability of an imitation cheese, which comprises preparing a composition comprising of: (i) moisture in an amount greater than 60% by weight of the composition (ii) a hydrocolloidal (iii) a cheese-derived component in an amount less than 15% by weight of the composition (iv) a natural or artificial cheese flavoring and The resulting composition is firm such that it can be sliced, cut, shredded or grated.
