AU602639B2 - A method of manufacturing soft cheeses having a high magnesium content, a salting basin for such cheeses, and cheeses obtained thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

This process comprises the characteristic operations of adding rennet to the milk at 38 DEG C, of mixing and of washing the cut curds for 30 to 40 min until the pieces of these curds have been reduced to the size of grains of wheat, of a salting operation in a tank (1) equipped with an immersed conveyor (8) and with a pump (23) for circulating the salting solution, the cheeses being displaced counter-currentwise with respect to the solution for a period of 2 to 3 min, this solution being rich in magnesium chloride and poor in magnesium sulphate. <IMAGE>

Description

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AUSTRALIA

63F PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE This document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for printing Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: 0 Complete Specification Lodged: 0a Accepted: 2 Lapsed: a Published: Priority: Related Art: ISt TO BE CCMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: SAINT-HUBERT Industrie Laitiere 870 rue Denis-Papin Zone Industrielle, 54710 Ludres, France.

JEAN PERRIN, BERNARD DUPONT and JACQUES BRUARD.

CALLINANS, Patent Attorneys, of 48-50 Bri, ge Rc'xd, Richmond, 3121, Victoria, Australia.

0 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SOFT CHEESES HAVING A HIGH MAGNESIUM CONTENT, A SALTING BASIN FOR SUCH CHEESES, AND CHEESES OBTAINED THEREBY" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best rmethod of performing it known to me:- ,,1-1

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1 A A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SOFT CHEESES HAVING A HIGH MAGNESIUM CONTENT, A SALTING BASIN FOR SUCH CHEESES, AND CHEESES OBTAINED

THEREBY

The invention relates to a methodi of manufacturing soft cheeses, and Camembert and Couloninier can be mentioned by way of specific examples but without any intention of excluding other analogous cheeses. When sold, cheeses of the invention have a sodium content which is practically zero anid a magnesium 4 content which is high (about 88 mg per 100 g of cheese) compared with conventional soft cheeses of the same type.

The invention also relates to a salting basin suitable for use in implementing the method, arnd to cheeses obtained using the manufacturing method.

BACKGROUND OF THE 1INVENTION French patent document FR-A-2 574 629 describes a method of maniufacturing cheese having a low sodium content.* However, although this method is described as being applicable to all type of cheese includ-in~g soft cheeses such as Brie and CamemI&ert, it is described in detail only as applied to pressed cheeses, either cooked (Comnte, Emmenthal, Fribourg, )or uncooked cheeses (Cantal, Tonine, Raclette, Mimolette, Edam, etc...) ii However, pressed cheeses are obtained by a method which includes a mold6ing operation in a press whereby the curds are 425 transformed into relatively solid thick slabs. Salting takes place subsequently, and in the document in question, the 4 salting operation is performed in conventional manner by rubbing salt over the surface of the cheese every two days during ripening.

With soft cheeses, salting cannot be performed by rubbing the surface of the cheese with salt. These cheeres are commonly salted by being soaked in a basin containing a salt solution, or else by sprinkling on dry salt. A soft cheese soaked in a salt solution rapidly absorbs a much larger quantity of salt than &oes a pressed cheese.

If the same solution having a high content of hexahydrated magnesium chloride as specified in the above-mentioned document 12 is used for preparing the salt solution (a by-product of physically extracting sodium chloride as naturally contained in sea water), then the resulting cheese has too much bittertasting magnesium salt and is unsuitable for selling through commercial outlets.

After observing that the method of the above-mentioned document is not, in act, applicable to soft cheeses, the main object of the present invention has been to seek a method which is usable for making any soft cheese having a practically zeio sodium content and containing a magnesium salt for replacing the sodium but without the bitter taste that is likely to put i off the consumer.

0 000 0 Before describing the method of the invention, the o essential operations in conventional manufacture of soft cheese 00 15 are recalled, with reference to Camembert by way of example.

I 00 o° After checking the quality of the milk and standardizing, 00 00 0I o it, the milk is pre-matured for about 12 hours at a temperature lying in the range8*°C to 12°C after seeding withk0.5% to 0.7% leavening.

Prior to manufacture, maturation is performed at350C to 36 C for the plurpose of preparing the micro-organisms so that they are ready to act to the best of their ability, and this takes place for a period lying in the range[20 minutes to minutes, and an additiocalk 1% to 2% of leavening is added.

Thereafter, the milk prepared in this way is used for making cheese by adding rennet at a temperature of about 34°C in order to cause the curd to coagulate. This temperature is favorable to mesophilic leavening. After the curd has clotted, it is sliced, ie. cut up into small cubes, during a slicing Aj 30 operation whic facilitates separation of whey. Thereafter, the small cubes are used to fill perforated molds that define the final shape of the cheese. These perforated molds are kept on drip trays for 24 hours and during this period they are turned over several times. The cheeses are then taken out from the molds and are subjected to a salting operation in which dry salt is sprayed onto them, causing additional whey to separate out, or in which they are statically immersed in basins 0 0 o1 000 o 0 0 0 0 a 0 0 4 00 0 0 0 4 0 R containing a saturated sodium chloride solution, i. e.

containing 300 grans of salt per cubic meter (in 3 of water, with the iaersion lasting forb 2 5 minutes (min) to min, after which the cheeses are left on screens in a drying where they dry, and then penicillum candidum is sprayed onto them, after which the ripening stage of several days' duration begins, andi at the end of which it is observed that a (Croc cheese ready to be sold contains fah 1. 8 g to 2.2 g of sodium chloride per 100 g of cheese.

When the sodiun chloride is to be replaced by magnesium chloride, it is advtantageous to use a cheap source of magnesium chloride as known in the field of salt production. This source, a by-product from extracting sodium chloride from sea water, has the following composition (in g/9): '4gCl2, 6H 2 0 800 Mg~SO 4 7H 2 0 136 NaCl KCl Merely replacing the conventional saturated sodium ~o t solution by means of a concentrated solution of magnesium chloride gives rise to a cheese with a pronounced bitter taste that makes it unsuitable for sale.

A soft cheese containing practically no sodium chloride with the sodium chloride replaced by magnesium chloride but without the unwanted bitter taste is obtained when the following additional new operations are added to the conventional manufacturing operations, with the effect thereof combining in order to obtain the result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION During the slicdig operation where the curd is cut up into small cubes, a stirring and washing operation is performed forG.

min to 40 min. IThis period may be extended, but no significant improvement is obtained. During stirring, the cubes loose whey in considerable quantities and their volume is reduced to nearly half. This final state of the curd is used for determining the duration of stirring, and stirring should be continued until this final result is obtained.

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~I Stirring may be performed manually, but it is preferable for stirring to be perfoamed mechanically starting with the mass of coagulated curd and using a stirrer fitted with stirring blades.

During the stirring operation for reducing the volume of the cubes of curd, the grain-sized lumps of curd are washed by setting up a flow of water through the stirring vat. The water may be caused to flow intermittently during stirring, but it is preferable for the water to flow through the vat continuously throughout the stirring operation.

The result of this operation is to remove very much more whey (relative to the conventional method) and consequently to remove more lactose. The stirring and washing of the curds diluter the whey, thereby encouraging exchange by osmosis, causing lactose to separate out, which is followed by accelerated hydrolysis of the lactose by the lactic micro-organisms.

Consequently, when the curd is put into the molds, it contains less lactose. As a result, the remaining lactose is transformed more completely into lactic acid by microbial action during the subsequent operations.

This first additional operation of the invention contributes to removing tle unwanted bitterness of cheese rich in magnesium chloride.

In accordance with the invention, the concentrated magnesium chloride solution whose composition is mentioned above is not used directly, but is subjected to an initial operation in which the magnesium sulfate is eliminated.

Although it would be possible to eliminate magnesium sulfate completely, the operation would then become too expensive, so J. 30 it is preferable to use a mixture of salts, having a high magnesium chloride content and in which the magnesium sulfate content has been reduced to a value of about 3% whereas its initial value is about 7% (in anhydrous form). Such a solution poor in magnesium sulfate is commercially available. The use of this solution contributes to eliminating the unwanted bitterness of the resulting chese.

According to the invention, the cheese it salted using this solution by b ingmmuersed for ei period of k 2 mi to 3 i at a temperature oftl13 0 C to 1,5 0 C in a shallow elongate basin along which the salting bath and the cheeses to be salted travel in opposite directions, the cheese travelling by means of a conveyor. This counterf low process is known pe se, but it is unusual in cheese making. It has the advantage of providing good control of the quantities of salts, and in particular of magnesium chloride, absorbed by the cheese.

By weight, the salting bath contains 1/3 salts for 2/3 water. The salts which are referred to above as a whole, typically have the composition (in g/9) given below, although it should be understood that the composition is naturally approximate: MgCl 2 6H 2 0 800 MgSO 4 7H 2 0 26.34 KCl NaCl The quantity of magnesium sulfate is equivalent to 3.11%6.

In the salting bath, the proportion of magnesium sulfate is naturally lower because of the dilution in water. In the group of salts as defined~ above, the percentage of magnesium sulfate may lie In the raige43%6 to 3.5%6.

It may be observed that the countercurrent salting operation takes place for a considerably shorter period of time than that required for the same operation as conventionally performed by static immersion in a saturated sodium chloride solution, where Surpisinlycountercurrent salting in accordance with the ineto nasligbath which is not saturated with maneiu hlrienevertheless mksipoibeto ueavr short immersion peid(nthe rag i o3min as mentioned above) while still obtaining very uniform salting of the cheeses.

After being salted in the manner described above, the cheese is subjected to a conventional drying operation on screens in a drying room, including the spraying on of peniAcillum candidum and ripening for a period of k8 days to 9 days, which is twox days longer than the conventional method using sodium chloride.

The resulting cheeses have a well established and vexy white surface mold, a uniform and slightly dry paste, and a taste which is different from that of a cheese containing sodium chloride, but which is not bitter. The magnesium chloride content is about 0.35 g per 100 g of cheese.

It is explained above that in the conventional method using sodium chloride, rennet is added with the milk at a temperature of about In accordance with the invention, it is desirable but not 17 17strictly necessary, for rennet to be added with the milk at a 0 400 temperature of 380 C and to proceed with maturing at about 400 C.

:44. 15Although this temperature difference would appear to be small, 154 it has the effect of encouraging the developmnent of thermo- 000 philic leavening to the detriment of mesophilic leavening.

.00 0 Thermophilic leavening are more active In hydrolyzing lactose and this enhances elimination thereof, as is desirable in the context of the present invention.

The present invention also provides a salting basin specially designed for implementing the salting operation. The basin is shallow and elongate, it has two end walls sloping outwards at an angle of about 20 0 C relative to the horizontal; it is fitted with a subtarged conveyor travelling in one direction fronm one end of the basin to the other, and the basin has a bottom drain otftlet at one end which is conniected to a pump whose delivery outlet is connected to an upper duct which returns salting solution to the opposite end of the basin at a I high level so that the solution flows in the opposite direction to the direction (if travel of the conveyor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of a basin in accordance with the invention is described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an overall elevation view of a basin in accordance with the invention; 7 Figure 2 is a fragmentary section view on II-II of Figure 1; and Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective views of one end of the same basin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The basin is given overall reference numeral 1 and stands on legs 2 which place it at a suitable height. Its bottom 3 is substantially horizontal and its longitudinally opposite ends have respective bottom slopes 4 and 5 at an angle of 20 0 to the horizontal extending towards the outside of the basin. There are two opposite vertical side walls 6 and 7 (Figure 2).

A conveyor 8 has two parallel, spaced-apart, end-less loops 9A and 9B which pass over a f irst end roller 10 and a second end roller 11. These two rollers are supported at a level higher than the top edge of the basin. The first roller 10 is free to rotate while the second roller 11 is functionally connected by means of a chain 12 to a motor and stepdown gear box unit 13 fixed on an ezO leg 2. These end rollers 10 and 11 are placed above the highest ends of the end slopes 4 and In between the rollers, the two endless loops are guided so as to extend a little above the endA slopes 4 and 5 and the bottom 3.

To this end, each loop is made up of successive hinged links 14 made of plastic material (Figure 2) with each link having a longitudinal groove 15 formed in each of its opposite side faces.

Round guide bars 16 are received in these opposite grooves A pair of two opposite roun-d bars 16 is provided in a horizontal plane for each of the top and bottom lengths of each endless loop. The two round guide bars situated on the same side of the articulated links 14 are welded together by means of a corresponding vertical support plate 17. A transverse support 18 passes through the support plates 17 in a commnon transverse plane between the top and bottom lengths of each loop 9A and 9B. The opposite end portions of the transverse support 18 extend downwards via a 90 0bend and are fixed to the bottom 3 of the basin 1. A suitable niumber of transverse supports 18 are spaced apart along the lengjth of the basin. At the end of the basin 1 having the drive motor unit 13, the slope 5 is 8 fitted with a horizontal table 19 level with the highest level reached by the endless loops 9A and 9B where th--y go round the driving second roller 11. In operation, the top lengths of the endless loops 9A and 9B are driven toiards the table 19 as indicated by arrow Fl in Figure 1. The major portion of the length of the conveyor 8 along the basin 1 is immersed.

At its end opposite to its end having the driving motor unit 13, the bottom 3 of the basin 1 has a drain orifice which is connected via a duct 21 to the suction inlet of a pump 22 which is driven by a motor 23 and which has a delivery outlet connected to a duct 24. This duct runs along the length of the basin 1 to the vicinity of the opposite end thereof where it extends vertically upwards. Thereafter, the duct 24 is extended by a horizontal length 25 running across the basin 1 above a tank 26 which also runs across the basin and which is supported by the top edges of the vertical walls 6 and 7 of the basin. The bottom of the horizontal length 25 is pierced above the tank 26. Overflow tubes 27 go down from the tank 26 towards the basin 1 and are received in the tank 26 at a level above that required for the salting solution. This level is maintained constant in operation at about 8 cm above the top edge of the basin 1.

h The salting solution is circulated during the salting operzation by means of the pump 22 so that it flows in the direction indicated by arrow F2 in Figure 1, i. e. in the opposite direction to the travel direction Fl of the top lengths of the two loops 9A and 9B of the conveyor.

In operation, metal baskets each containing L 20 to cheeses depending on the size of the cheeses are placed in succession on the top lengths of the loops 9A and 9B inmediately after the first roller 10. The conveyor immerses them in the salting solution and moves them along the basin to the opposite end thereof, after which it lifts them out of the solution at the opposite nd and slides them onto the table 19.

Inmersion lasts for/about 2 min to 3 muin depending on the size of the cheeses, and] more particularly, it should last for muin for cheeses weighing 250 g. Th~e speed of the conveyor and the length of the basin are chosen as a function of the period of immersion. In one embodiment, the total length of the basin was 7.75 meters and its width was 1.60 m. The salt content of the salting solution was kept constant throughout the operation. The advantage of the tank 26 is to facilitate monitoring the concentration and the volume of the solution and to facilitate keeping them constant. It can also be used for filtering should that be useful.

It may be observed, in addition to that which has been explained above, that it would be possible to prepare a pure non-hydrated magnesium chloride solution by dissolving this salt directly in water. In such a case, the concentration in the solution should lie in the range about 700 g for about 1, 700 g of water. This variant is more expensive but it may be adopted when pure magnesium chloride can be obtained at an economically acceptable cost.

It should also be observed that the conveyor f itted to the salting basin could be of a different type having two end portions disposed vertically and associated with a horizontal portion which is iriersed lengthways along the basin, with one of the vertical end portions moving baskets of cheeses to be salted down to the immnersed horizontal portion, and with the other end portion raising these b:askets of cheeses so as to remove them from the salting basin. The basin described above is preferred because it is more simple, but variants may be applied thereto within the scope of the invention. This basin system reduces volume drawbacks to a miniimum. Where required, the solution can be removed after salting arnd applied to a biological type of water processing plant without disturbing ~L430 its operating cycle.

Claims (11)

1. A method of manufacturing soft cheese having a substantially zero sodium content and having a high magnesium content, the method including an operation of adding rennet, an operation of slicing the curd, and a salting operation by immersion in a solution rich in magnesium chloride, wherein the operation of slicing the curd is followed by stirring and washing for a period of 1 from 10 min tc 40 min until the volume of the curd has been reduced to about i half, and wherein the salting operation is performed in a solution containing about 700 g of magnesium chloride for about 1,700 g of water, and takes place o. 10 by immersion in a basin and by countercurrent displacement of the solution and 0 a the cheese to be salted for a period of from 2 min to 3 min at a temperature of from 13' C to 15 C depending on the size of the cheeses.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a group of salts is used for preparing the salting solution, said group having substantially the following composition by weight in g/4 MgC1 2 6H 2 0 800 MgSO, 7H 2 0 26.34 KC1 NaC1 3 20 in which the MgS0 4 content lies between 3% and 3.5% on a dry weight basis, vAth said group of salts being dissolved in water by combining, by weight, 1/3 salt and 2/3 water.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the operation of adding rennet takes place with the milk at a temperature of 38 C.

4. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the I L~i ll -ii IX II_ .I 11 operation of stirring is performed mechanically by means of a stirrer having blades.

A method of manufacturing soft cheese having a substantially zero sodium content and having a high magnesium content, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A basin for use in a method of manufacturing soft cheese as claimed in claim 1, wherein said basin includes a bottom, two opposite side walls, and two opposite end walls, and is provided with a conveyor having a large portion of its length close to fhe bottom in order to be immersed in the salting solution oo 10 during the salting operat'on, said basin also having a drain orifice at one of its o ®e0 o 0o ends connected to a circulation pump and having a top return tube at its 0°o opposite end connected to the delivery outlet of the pump for returning the 0o 0 solution, with the conveyor and the salting solution flowing in opposite 0 0 directions along the basin in operation.

7. The basin as claimed in claim 6, wherein the opposite end walls o slope outwards at about 20'C relative to the horizontal, and the conveyor is o. guided in displacement at a small distance from the sloping walls and from the bottom of the basin. 0 o

8. The basin as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein a tank is placed 20 across the basin and above the end thereof which is distant from its drain I o a orifice, the top return tube being connected to the top portion of the tank and the delivery outlet of the ';ump being connected to a duct which extends along the basin in order to terminate above the tank.

9. The basin as claimed in claim 8, wherein the duct terminates above the tank in the form of a horizontal length going across the basin and having a 1- o' 0 -r- -12- plurality of holes through the bottom portion thereof and spaced apart lengthwise along said horizontal length.

A basin for use in a method of manufacturing soft cheese substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

11. A soft cheese obtained using the method as clainted in any one of claims 1 to b DATED the 26th day of July, 1990 SAINT-HUBERT INDUSTRIE LAITIERE by their Patent Attorneys CALLINAN LAWRIE K r.