GB930917A - Process and apparatus for washing and chilling cottage cheese curd - Google Patents

Abstract

930,917. Washing and chilling curd. BORDEN CO. March 21, 1961, No. 10331/61. Class 49. [Also in Group I] In the production of cottage cheese curd, whey is washed from the curd and the curd is quickly chilled and firmed by moving it, in the form of a layer on a draining support, alternately down and up, into and above a bath of refrigerated water; if desired, the curd may be repeatedly sprayed with refrigerated water at positions above the bath until the whey is washed from the curd and the washed curd is chilled to firm condition. Curds and whey mix 10 delivered on to a woven wire belt conveyer 14 having two-inch shoulders 16, is repeatedly shaken and washed in a tank 32 of refrigerated water at a temperature of from 1‹ to 10‹ C. through the rotation, e.g. at about 20 to 30 r.p.m. of eccentrically mounted rollers 21 and 22, and is rinsed by water sprays 24, 25, 27 and 29. The washed and chilled curd falls through a shoot 38 to a second woven wire belt 40 for passage between this belt as a draining conveyer and an overriding belt 42; the belts are forced together against the wet curd by a series of coacting rollers 44 and 46 providing an adjustable pressure of about 0.5-3 pounds per square inch. Knives 48 and 50 direct the pressed and drained curd into a collecting hopper 52, in which it may be mixed with fresh cream or other usual components, to make the finished cottage cheese. Wet fines collected in a vessel 64 are filtered on a rotary filter 66 and received in a tank 70. A flapper 75 dislodges adhering curd from the belt 14 after the major part of the curd has been removed.