Dairy Ingredients for Food Processing

Principles of Cheese Technology 255

lyzers to ensure their effectiveness on a daily

basis.

Curd - Whey Separation

The whey must be separated from the curd

after cutting of the curd and cooking. This is

achieved by various mechanized whey sepa-

ration devices, as discussed earlier. Whey

separation devices typically include a drain

table and/or vibrating screens to remove

the whey from the curd. These devices are

sometimes followed by centrifugal separa-

tors to remove and recycle cheese fi nes

before the whey is transferred for process-

ing. In the case of cheeses such as Swiss,

Emmental, and havarti, the drained curds are

salted and transferred to hoops and pressed.

However, in the case of cheddar (which must

undergo the cheddaring step to acquire its

be better suited to handle cheese milk with
higher total solids content (Johnson and
Lucey, 2006 ).
These vats are equipped with computer
controls to automatically follow the sequence
for fi lling, culture addition, renneting, cutting,
stirring, cooking, and emptying. Almost all
of the enclosed vats are equipped with
an inline pH probe to monitor the milk and
curd/whey pH during the various stages of
cheese manufacture and most of them include
an automated gel - strength analyzer (Stoelting,
Kiel, WI) to determine the end point of
cutting.
Challenges associated with automated
cheese vats that may lead to production down
time as well as inconsistencies in the fi nal
product include ineffective cleaning - in - place
(CIP) systems and the need for regular main-
tenance of pH probes and gel - strength ana-

Figure 10.6. A schematic fl ow chart of present day cheddar cheese manufacture.

Milk

Automated Standardization

Concentration (Ultrafiltration)

Cheese Making

(Enclosed Automated Vats)

Draining Conveyer

Cheddaring Tower

Salting/Mellowing Conveyer

Block Former

Packaging

Ripening

Cheese Milk is standardized to the desired fat/casein ratio

Milled curd is salted

Curd and Whey are separated

Salted curd is pressed and formed into 40 lb blocks

Vacuum and/or pressure lead to compaction of the curd

Standardized cheese milk is concentrated to 15 – 18 % total solids

PLC controlled filling, culture addition, renneting,

cutting, stirring, cooking, and emptying

MMilkilk

AAutomated StandardizationutomatedStandardization

CConcentration (Ultrafiltration)oncentration (Utrafiltration)

CheeseMaking

(EnclosedAutomatedVats)

Cheese Making

(Enclosed Automated Vats)

DDraining Conveyerraining Conveyer

CCheddaring TowerheddaringTower

SSalting/Mellowing Conveyeralting/Mellowing Conveyer

BlBlock FormerockFormer

PPackagingackaging

RRipeningipening

Cheese Milk is standardized to the desired fat/casein ratio

Milled curd is salted

Curd and Whey are separated

Salted curd is pressed and formed into 40 lb blocks

Vacuum and/or pressure lead to compaction of the curd

Standardized cheese milk is concentrated to 15 – 18 % total solids

PLC controlled filling, culture addition, renneting,

cutting, stirring, cooking, and emptying