초록 ▼

A cheesemaking installation comprising means for forming a mat of curd from a slurry of curd and whey, a plurality of endless conveyors for continuously moving the mat of curd in succession through a drying and de-wheying section, a fusing section, a stretching and cheddaring section, a milling sect

A cheesemaking installation comprising means for forming a mat of curd from a slurry of curd and whey, a plurality of endless conveyors for continuously moving the mat of curd in succession through a drying and de-wheying section, a fusing section, a stretching and cheddaring section, a milling section having means for cutting the curd into separate particles or pieces, a salting section having means for applying salt to the curd, and a mellowing section permitting absorption of the salt into the curd, and means for agitating the curd in the de-wheying and salting sections. Additional agitators are selectively operable when the installation is used for production of granular curd, and water sprays are provided for use when producing washed granular curd. The installation is completely enclosed to enable the temperature to be controlled and prevent air-borne contamination.

대표청구항 ▼

Apparatus for the continuous manufacture of cheese from raw curd comprising structure defining a drying and de-wheying section, a fusing section, a cheddaring section, a milling section, a salting section, and a mellowing section, and including: (a) first conveyor means in said drying and de-wheying

Apparatus for the continuous manufacture of cheese from raw curd comprising structure defining a drying and de-wheying section, a fusing section, a cheddaring section, a milling section, a salting section, and a mellowing section, and including: (a) first conveyor means in said drying and de-wheying section, (b) means for feeding curd in a continuous stream onto said first conveyor means, (c) agitator means operable to agitate curd on said first conveyor means to facilitate drainage of whey therefrom, (d) second conveyor means in said fusing section, said second conveyor means being arranged to receive curd discharged from said first conveyor means and permitting fusion of the curd thereon into a mat of curd, (e) third conveyor means in said cheddaring section, said third conveyor means being arranged to receive the mat of curd discharging from said second conveyor means and to effect lateral expansion of the mat of curd thereon so as to stretch the curd, (f) a milling device in said milling section arranged to receive curd discharging from said third conveyor means and to cut the curd into separate pieces, (g) fourth conveyor means arranged to receive curd discharged in pieces from the milling device, said fourth conveyor means extending through the salting and mellowing sections, (h) means for applying salt to the curd on said fourth conveyor means during passage through said salting section, the salt being absorbed into the curd during passage through said mellowing section, (i) agitator means operable to agitate the curd and salt on said fourth conveyor means, (j) a plurality of trays arranged beneath each of said conveyor means to collect whey drained from curd on the conveyor means, said trays being so arranged to segregate whey of different acid levels drained from the different sections of the apparatus, and (k) individual drive means operable to drive each of said conveyor means at variable speeds independently of the speed of the other conveyor means, whereby acid development in the curd may be regulated by controlling the residence time of the curd in each section in accordance with the acid levels of the whey in said trays.