Method of producing a simplified cheese spread and products therefrom

Novel cheese products and methods of producing such cheese products that include a biogenerated exopolysaccharide (EPS) formed in-situ and separate from the main cream cheese fermentation. In some approaches, the methods and cheese products herein build a unique texture and/or microstructure that permits the cheese to utilize a simplified ingredient line while still mimicking the desired organoleptic characteristics of more-conventional, full-ingredient cheese.