Semi-hard or hard cheese product in a casing and the preparation thereof

The invention pertains to a process of manufacturing semi-hard or hard cheese in casing, comprising providing a curd/whey mixture, draining said mixture to obtain drained curd grains, filling said drained curd grains into a casing, said filling optionally preceded by a mixing step, wherein said filling step is performed at a temperature in the range of 10 - 45 °C and at an underpressure of 0.1 - 1.0 bar, and wherein the cased cheese is subjected to ripening. Therein, it is preferred to use a draining screen. During filling, (health-improving) additives may be homogeneously mixed with the curds. Shape and form of the cased cheese curds make it possible to use less stringent brining conditions, and makes handling of the cheese, for instance during ripening, much easier. Mixing in additives after drainage avoids spoilage of these additives and whey contamination.