DK153978B - PROCEDURE FOR SALTING OF CHEESE AND FOR EXECUTING THE PROCEDURE SUITABLE APPLIANCE. - Google Patents

Description

in

DK 153978 B

The present invention relates to a method of salting cheeses, in which the cheeses, after pressing the curd into suitable molds and, if desired, circulating the molded cheeses, are subjected to a treatment with a saline solution for a certain period of time and then dried and subjected to a ripening process.

The purpose of this salting treatment is to affect the flavor, ripening and cheese storage properties as well as improve the consistency and dimensional stability of the cheese.

10 Salting of cheese can be done in various ways.

The well-known salting system included the use of large concrete containers filled with brine in which the cheese flowed. Both the introduction and the removal of the cheeses were done manually, and the system can therefore be termed a very labor intensive system. A further disadvantage of this salting method was that the containers took up a lot of space, especially because only the surface was utilized and the containers were expensive to manufacture. In addition, this salting method resulted in distinct differences in concentration in the brine solution.

In order to achieve a more intensive utilization of the salt containers, the so-called deep-salting system was developed, in which the cheeses were introduced into and removed from flowing layers in layers. In this system, the 25 cheeses are placed on horizontal grids placed one above the other in cages. These cages are lowered, filled with cheese, completely into the salting container so that the cheeses are arranged layer by layer in the container. However, this system also tends to cause differences in concentration in the layer, especially around the cheeses. These concentration differences are caused by diffusion phenomena around the cheeses. There is actually an interaction between the moisture in the cheeses and the salt in the brine. The result is a decreasing salt concentration around the cheeses relative to the other brine. This leads to stagnation of the salting process.

Another salting method uses the so-called mechanical surface salting system, which uses flat trays with very large dimensions corresponding to 2

DK 153978 B

production, with the cheeses being introduced into, and removed from, the trays in a single layer and using brine flowing. In this case, since a smaller portion of each cheese protrudes over the liquid, the cheeses must be regularly submerged 5 by immersion wagons or the cheeses must be kept moist on their upper surface by irrigation with brine.

Although the above methods largely lead to good results of the salting process, they are still associated with the following disadvantages: - high capital investment in land, buildings, basins and accessories - large amounts of saline solution - the cheeses after salting must be carried to external stands -15 more maturation and treatment - although the brine is continuously stirred, around the cheeses forms a membrane with a lower salt concentration, which causes a delay in the salting process 20 - contamination of the layer with cheese particles remaining in the layer.

It has now been found that the above-mentioned drawbacks are avoided when using the method of the present invention, which is characterized in that the cheeses are placed in racks comprising support structures which are at least locally permeable to liquid and that the salting treatment is then carried out. by bringing a thin layer of the saline solution to flow over the cheese surfaces.

The method of the invention also makes it possible to increase the capacity of a laying basin system by placing movable or non-movable racks and irrigation systems over the basins. The cheeses are then irrigated with saline from the basins, which, after appropriate adjustment, are pumped to the irrigation systems over the racks.

DK 153978 B

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Use of the process according to the invention makes it possible to use a relatively small amount of brine, and as a result, the brine can be kept in the desired state in terms of kitchen salt concentration, temperature, calcium concentration, pH and purity.

Furthermore, since the liquid on the cheeses is continuously renewed, rapid and uniform salt absorption in the cheeses is obtained.

As a result, the method is found to result in a significant time saving compared to conventional methods. Furthermore, this salting method allows an entire day's production to provide a salting treatment of exactly the same duration, all while it is also possible to interrupt the salting process automatically at any time.

Furthermore, the method according to the invention can be carried out with less capital investment than is required to carry out any of the known methods in respect of required workplace devices and additional investments.

According to an embodiment of the method according to the invention, movable racks are used which comprise a large number of layers or layers of structures which are at least locally permeable to liquid.

This embodiment has the advantage that the cheeses can be placed in the mobile racks where they are subjected to the salting treatment, after which they are transported further and pre-dried in the compartment intended for this purpose, and subjected to the ripening process in the cheese storage room, leaving the cheeses in The racks throughout the finishing, salting, drying and ripening are thus carried out on one and the same supporting unit.

According to an embodiment of the method according to the invention, movable racks can be moved with the cheeses placed therein under a fixed irrigation system for treatment with the saline solution.

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DK 153978B

According to an embodiment of the method according to the invention, the cheeses can be placed in solid racks which have means for bringing the saline solution to flow over the cheeses.

According to an embodiment of the method according to the invention, simultaneously with the treatment with saline solution by irrigation, a treatment is carried out with agents that penetrate the cheese crust, which agents can be water-soluble or non-water-soluble. These agents are not constituents normally contained in the saline solution.

Thus, e.g. the usual surface treatment with fungicides, such as sorbates and natamycin, often performed after the salting treatment by applying a coating to the cheese crust, such as cheese plastic, is combined with the salt solution treatment of the invention by incorporating the fungicide into the saline solution? hereby the usual further coating of the cheese can be avoided. In known salting methods, the combination of the salt treatment with the treatment with non-soluble agents causes difficulties as these agents do not form a stable suspension in the saline solution. This has been found to play no role in the application of the method of the present invention.

The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method, which is characterized in that it has a mobile rack with a large number of layers of supporting structures which are at least locally permeable to liquid, and means for bringing about a liquid. saline to flow at least locally over these load-bearing structures.

Preferably, each supporting structure consists of nets made of flexible wires and placed one next to the other in freely suspended condition. In this way, it is ensured that the original cheese of the cheese is retained during the salting.

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DK 153978 B

The invention will be described in the following with reference to the drawing which shows an apparatus according to the invention.

The drawing shows a movable stand 1 comprising ten phage-bearing structures 2, on which, in cheese 3, four rows of six Edamer cheeses 4 are placed. The movable stand shown in the drawing is placed under sprinkler tube 5. The drawing also shows semicircular caps 6 placed over the tubes 5, with which the 10 cheeses are watered.

In carrying out the method according to the invention, the cheeses can be placed on cheese shelves of the type described in Dutch Patent Application No. 77 00794, or in cheese maturation grids as described in Dutch Patenfc application No. 73 13365 or some braid support as described. in the Swiss Patent Specifications Nos. 494,529 and 488,391. These cheese shelves, cheese grids, sieve substrates and the like can be handled in wooden, metal or plastic frames that can be mounted by means of a lift truck. Alternatively, they can be mounted on trolleys or transport units that can be slidably slid onto rails or suspended from rails.

The method according to the invention can be used to treat different kinds of cheeses and cheeses of different weight classes, such as Edamer cheese of the weight classes 1.8 and 2.0 and of the "Commission class (approximately 4 kg) Baby Edamer cheese, Gouda cheese, Parmesan cheese and Tilsitteros t. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Example I

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A number of frames, of a similar structure to the 3 frame forming part of the frame 4 shown in the drawing, were provided with supporting structures with the cheese, 5 on which Edamer cheese weighing 1.8 kg was placed.

6

The racks thus arranged were placed under an irrigation system comprising pipes having an internal diameter of approx. 7 cm. These tubes were provided on their upper side with holes with a diameter of 5 ram. Above the tubes were placed 6

DK 153978B

half-round caps made of sheet steel. The racks included ten sections bearing structures, each containing four rows of six cheeses. The flowing brine was collected on the floor of the salting room, which consisted of salt-resistant material forming layer ducts ending in a small reservoir from which the bed was pumped up and sent via a heat exchanger to the sprinkler system.

The salt content of the cheeses was checked by the Van der 10 Burg method using Volhard titration. Regarding the Van der Burg method, reference is made to a small book entitled "Directions for Research in the Dairy Factories Laboratories" (Directions for Laboratory Tests in Dairy Factories), ed. 1962, pages 60 and 61, 15 published by the Royal Netherlands Dairy Federation FNZ (Royal Netherlands Dairy Federation FNZ). Three different methods are used to express the salt content of cheese, namely a) calculated on the cheese as such (Zk) 20 b) calculated on the dry mass of the cheese (Zdk) c) calculated on the cheese moisture (Zw).

The relationship between these different values is expressed in those in "Cheese Manufacturing" (H. Cheese Manufacture) by H. Lolkema and J. Blauw, published by the Landelijke 25 Stichting Beroepsleiding voor the Food Industry (National Foundation for Vocational Education in the Food Industry), Apeldoorn, The Netherlands , 1974, given formulas:

Zw x Wk Zk x 100 Zk x 100

Zk = - Zdk = - Zw = - 30 100 100 - Wk Wk in which Wk denotes the water content of the cheese. Using the process of the invention, exactly the same average salt content of 2.30%, expressed as

Zk value, over 60 hours as in salting in salt basins for 72 hours.

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Example II

Using the procedure described in Example I, instead of Edamer cheeses, Gouda-type salting process cheeses were subjected to irrigation. The cheeses 5 were placed upright in the cheese and oriented across the longitudinal axis of the stand. It was found that the salt was distributed completely uniformly in the cheese with Zk values of 2.00%.

Example III

The method described in Example I was used, but instead of movable racks, racks installed over an existing salting basin and supported on the basin edges were used. The salt solution for spray treatment was obtained from the salt basin, which also contained Edamer cheese. In this method, the salt basin had a dual function, namely a. Its normal function as a salting basin for cheese, 20 b. As a supply tank for the irrigation system.

The saline solution from the salting pool passed a filter and was then pumped through a heat exchanger to the irrigation system. The salt solution in the basin was checked regularly for salt content, pH and calcium content and adjusted to the required extent.

The results obtained with the cheese water in this way completely corresponded to the results described in Example I. · *

Example IV

Exactly as described in Example I, except that pimaricin had been suspended in the saline solution in an amount of 20 ppm. The salting treatment was done for 60 hours. After salting, the cheeses were dried for 15 days and ripened. Then the US-35s were transported to the central warehouse where they were left for 30 days. During storage in the central la-

DK 153978 B

The cheeses remained the cheeses compared to cheeses that had been subjected to the normal two-coat treatment with pimaricin-containing cheese plastic.

The results are listed in the table below, with the 5 assessment figures having the following meanings: 4.0 = clear fungal growth, 5.0 = slightly local fungal growth, 6.0 = just some initial fungal development, 7.0 = no fungal development.

10 Table: Development of mushrooms on the cheese crust

Directly in one- After staying, store in central storage for 30 days 15 A. The water with pimaricin-containing saline, non-plastic treated 6.9 .5.9 B. Usually treated 7.0

Claims (8)

A method of salting cheeses, in which the cheeses, after pressing the curd into appropriate molds and circulating the formed cheeses, are subjected to a saline solution for a certain period of time and then dried and subjected to a ripening process characterized by: that the cheeses are placed in racks comprising support structures which are at least locally permeable to liquid, and that the salting treatment 10 is then carried out by overflowing a thin layer of the saline solution. the surfaces of the cheeses. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that movable racks are used which comprise a large number of layers of structures which are at least locally permeable to liquid. 3. A method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the movable racks are moved under a fixed irrigation system for treatment with the saline solution. 2 0 Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cheeses are placed in solid racks which have means for causing the saline solution to flow over the cheeses. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at the same time as the treatment with the saline solution by irrigation, a treatment is given with agents which penetrate the cheese crust, which agents are soluble or insoluble in water and which agents are not constituents normally contained in the saline solution. ft *> DK 153978B Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the cheese crust penetrant is a fungicide. Apparatus for salting cheeses 5 for carrying out the method according to claims 1-6, characterized in that it comprises a movable rack having a large number of shelves or compartments of at least locally liquid-permeable supporting structures, and means suitable for causing a saline solution to flow at least locally over the support structures. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that each supporting structure consists of nets made of flexible wires, which nets are placed one at the side of the other in freely suspended condition.