The invention relates to the manufacture of a pasta filata cheese comprising a moisture content of at least about 55% by weight, a solids-non-fat content of up to about 45% by weight, the solids-non-fat comprising at least about 70% by weight protein, the protein comprising at least about 65% by weight casein, and a mineral content comprising a total divalent cation content of about 25 to about 75 mMol of divalent cations/100 g casein, and a total monovalent cation content of about 100 to about 250 mMol monovalent cations/100 g casein, and a total cation content of about 150 to about 300 mMol total cations/100 g casein.