JP2011087542A - Apparatus for manufacturing cheese - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for manufacturing cheese, in which the suitable conditions of lactic acid fermentation and coagulation are easily achieved according to the characteristics of raw material milk and the final product form, and in which heating, fermentation, and churning of raw material milk, and cutting of curd are reasonably performed. <P>SOLUTION: In the apparatus having a main vat 1 and a mixer 3, a series of processings are performed as follows: the raw material milk M0 supplied to the main vat 1 undergoes lactic acid fermentation, while churned with the mixer 3, to obtain fermented milk; furthermore, the fermented milk M is formed into coagulation milk M3 by milk coagulant; and the original cheese product M4 is obtained by removing the whey H from the coagulation milk M3. The main vat 1 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and the churning blade 35 equipped to the mixer 3 is formed by furnishing the churning body 35b to the shaft 35a. The churning blade 35 has the mechanism to go in and out of the main vat 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cheese manufacturing apparatus, and particularly relates to a cheese manufacturing apparatus suitable for manufacturing cheese using raw milk of several tens to hundreds of liters.

  In cheese production, raw milk is sterilized, then starter (lactic acid bacteria, molds) is injected into the raw milk, lactic acid fermentation is performed, and rennet (the curdin component chymosin is the main component) After injecting and mixing (coagulant), it is allowed to stand for a predetermined time to form a card (solid component). Next, the curd is molded and aged under appropriate conditions to be commercialized as various cheeses.

And since the manufacturing apparatus for performing the sterilization and fermentation in manufacture of such cheese is hardly developed in the country, the apparatus imported from Europe etc. is used.
However, in Japan where the humidity is high compared to Europe, etc., conditions such as unique fermentation time and temperature are necessary due to problems such as many types of germs present in the air. The actual situation is that we have tried and error repeatedly, found various conditions, and managed to use the device. And it takes a lot of time for such work, and the equipment imported from the source is very expensive, and it is a large machine and a large machine, so when setting up a cheese manufacturing factory It was a big obstacle.
Therefore, the present applicant can easily realize suitable lactic acid fermentation conditions and coagulation conditions according to the properties of the raw milk and the form of the final product, and in particular, a novel cheese suitable for use in Japan. A manufacturing method and an apparatus therefor have been developed and have already been filed for patent applications (see Patent Document 1).

Furthermore, the present applicant has developed a new table-type milk processing product manufacturing apparatus suitable for manufacturing milk processing products from a small amount of raw milk of a few liters in small restaurants and homes, and has already been patented. The application has been extended (see Patent Document 2).
The applicant has continued to develop this type of cheese manufacturing apparatus, and has started developing a medium-scale cheese manufacturing apparatus that uses several tens to hundreds of liters of raw milk. In the development process, it was confirmed that further improvements in quality and productivity could be realized by making improvements specific to medium-scale machines.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-331995 Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-105877

  The present invention was made from such a background, and according to the properties of the raw milk and the form of the final product, suitable lactic acid fermentation conditions and coagulation conditions can be easily realized, and the raw milk is heated. The technical problem is to develop a new cheese manufacturing apparatus capable of rationally performing fermentation, stirring and curd cutting.

  That is, the cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 includes a vat main body and a mixer, and the raw milk put in the vat main body is fermented with lactic acid while stirring with the mixer to obtain fermented milk, and further a milk coagulant is added. In the apparatus for performing a series of processes for obtaining a cheese raw product by removing the whey from the coagulated milk by using the coagulated milk, the bat body has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is provided in the mixer The stirring blade is provided with a stirring body with respect to the shaft, and is provided with a mechanism for the stirring blade to enter and exit from the bat main body.

  In addition to the above requirements, the cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 is provided with a heat insulation jacket and a temperature adjustment mechanism surrounding the bat body, and uses hot water as a heat medium supplied into the heat insulation jacket. A function of setting the temperature of the raw milk and the intermediate product to a desired value by adjusting the temperature of the hot water is provided, and the heat insulation jacket is partitioned into a plurality of blocks in the vertical direction. It is characterized by this.

  In addition to the above requirements, the cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 is characterized in that a lid covering the upper opening of the bat body is provided in a state where the stirring blade enters the bat body. It is.

  Furthermore, the cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in addition to the above requirements, the stirring blade has a stirring body spirally provided with respect to the shaft.

  Furthermore, the cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in addition to the above requirements, the mixer is provided with a mechanism for rotating the stirring blades in a planetary manner. .

Furthermore, in addition to the above requirements, the cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 is provided with a card knife for inserting the card into the bat body and cutting the card. The card knife includes a horizontal frame having the same planar shape as the bottom surface of the bat main body, and a vertical frame standing upright on the horizontal frame, and wires are stretched in a lattice pattern in the horizontal frame. On the other hand, a plurality of wires are stretched in parallel in the horizontal direction in the vertical frame.
The above problems can be solved by using the configuration of the invention described in each of the claims as a means.

  First, according to the first aspect of the invention, since the bat body is circular in plan view, the raw milk can be efficiently stirred, and heating and fermentation can be suitably performed. Further, when the intermediate product is allowed to stand, fermentation or the like can be suitably performed by withdrawing the stirring blade from the bat body.

  Moreover, according to invention of Claim 2, the whole bat main body can be heated uniformly, the raw material milk and intermediate product which are accommodated in the inside are heated equally, a fermentation is promoted, and a homogeneous cheese raw product is produced. Obtainable.

Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 3, the heat retaining property of the bat body is improved, and the temperature of the raw material milk located in the bat body is kept uniform in order to shut off the raw milk and intermediate products and the outside air. Oxidation can be suppressed, and a homogeneous cheese original product can be obtained.
Furthermore, it can prevent that a foreign material mixes in raw material milk or an intermediate product.

  Furthermore, according to invention of Claim 4, the raw material milk and intermediate product which are located in a bat main body can be stirred uniformly, and a homogeneous cheese raw product can be obtained.

  Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 5, the raw milk and the intermediate product located in the bat main body can be stirred more evenly, and a homogeneous cheese original product can be obtained.

  Furthermore, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the card located in the bat body can be cut easily, quickly and evenly, and a homogeneous cheese original product can be obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows the component of a cheese manufacturing apparatus. It is a side view which shows a cheese manufacturing apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view of a bat main body periphery. It is a perspective view which shows a stirring blade. It is a perspective view which shows a card knife. It is a perspective view which shows the mode of division | segmentation of the coagulated milk by a card knife, and the mode of discharge | emission of whey. It is a graph which shows the detected value of two types of temperature sensors in the manufacture process of cheese, and the detected value of a pH meter. It is a process chart which shows the manufacture process of cheese. It is a table | surface which shows the data sheet memorize | stored in a control board.

  One of the best modes of the cheese manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is as described in the following examples, but the following examples can be appropriately modified within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Is possible.

  In the figure, what is indicated by a symbol D is the cheese manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, which is a machine body F configured by appropriately combining steel materials, a bat body 1, a temperature adjusting mechanism 2, a mixer 3 and a control. It comprises a board 5.

Hereinafter, the components of the cheese manufacturing apparatus D will be described in detail.
First, the bat main body 1 is a bottomed cylindrical (so-called cylindrical) container having a capacity of about 50 to 100 liters made of stainless steel or the like (for example, SUS304, thickness 1.5 mm), and the periphery of the upper opening. The flange 11 is formed.
The bottom plate 12 of the bat body 1 is formed with a liquid outlet 12a. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vicinity of the outer periphery of the bottom plate 12 is cut out in a rectangular shape in plan view. The opening 12a was formed. A liquid drain pipe 12b is connected to the liquid drain port 12a. The upper half near the end of the tubular member is cut out over a certain range, and the remaining part covers the liquid drain port 12a from below. Thus, the tubular member was welded from the outside of the bat main body 1 to seal the tip. Incidentally, it has been confirmed that, when the liquid outlet 12a has such a configuration, clogging of the card C, which will be described later, is prevented and the liquid can be discharged well.

Furthermore, a deformation preventing plate 13 is provided for the bottom plate 12 because the bat body 1 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a circular plate as the deformation preventing plate 13 is welded to an outer portion of the center portion of the bottom plate 12, and a fixing rod 13 a provided at the center of the deformation preventing plate 13 is attached to the machine. It fixes to the steel material which comprises the frame F using the screw | thread 13b.
In the development stage of the cheese manufacturing apparatus D of the present invention, when the deformation prevention plate 13 as described above is not provided, the bottom plate 12 is deformed when the raw milk M0 is heated for sterilization or the like. In order to prevent such deformation without increasing the plate thickness, it is indispensable to provide the deformation prevention plate 13.

Further, a sensor holder 14 for holding a temperature sensor 52 and a pH sensor 53 described later is provided on the upper portion of the bat body 1.
The upper opening of the bat main body 1 is closed by a cover 15, and a stirring blade 35 described later enters the bat main body 1 while the cover 15 is covered with the bat main body 1. An insertion port 15a is formed at the center so that the above can be achieved. In addition, the cover 15 is configured so as to be broken into two at the center or the like, so that handling at the time of attachment / detachment is dramatically improved.

  Next, the temperature adjusting mechanism 2 will be described. This mechanism circulates the hot water W1 or the cold water W2 with respect to the heat retaining jacket 20 provided so as to surround the side peripheral surface and the bottom surface of the bat main body 1, thereby This is a mechanism for keeping the temperature of the raw milk M0 and the intermediate product stored in the main body 1 at a desired value. Further, the heat insulation jacket 20 is accommodated in the housing 16, and a heat insulating material 17 is disposed between the housing 16 and the heat insulation jacket 20.

Here, the flow of the heat medium in the temperature adjusting mechanism 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, a water inlet 21 is formed on the side peripheral surface of the heat retaining jacket 20. A water outlet 22 is formed at an upper position at 270 °, and a water supply pipe 23 and a water collection pipe 24 are connected to each. In order to guide the heat medium flowing into the heat insulation jacket 20 from the water inlet 21 to the water outlet 22, a flow direction plate 21 a is provided inside the water inlet 21, and the heat medium is shorted from the water inlet 21 to the water outlet 22. Considered not to pass.
Further, the water supply pipe 23 is connected to a water outlet 25a in the circulating water tank 25, and a water collecting pipe 24 is connected to a water inlet 25b. For this reason, the heat medium (hot water W1 and cold water W2) is circulated between the circulating water tank 25 and the heat insulation jacket 20.
A circulation pump 26 is provided in a pipe line between the water supply pipe 23 and the water outlet 25a.
Further, a three-way valve V1 is provided in a pipe line between the water collecting pipe 24 and the water inlet 25b, and it is possible to select whether the heat medium is returned to the circulating water tank 25 or discharged to the outside. Yes.

Here, the structure for supplying water supplied as a heat medium to the circulating water tank 25 will be described. The water injection pipe 27 is appropriately connected to a faucet or the like of a water supply, and a three-way valve V2 is connected to the water injection pipe 27. Thus, the water supply destination can be selected from either the water injection pipe 27A or the water injection pipe 27B.
First, the water injection pipe 27 </ b> A is connected to a water injection port 25 c formed in the upper part of the circulating water tank 25. The water injection port 25c is provided with a float valve 25f, and is configured to prevent a predetermined amount or more of water from being supplied to the circulating water tank 25.
On the other hand, the water injection pipe 27B is installed so that the discharge part faces the water outlet 25a, and the water discharged from the water injection pipe 27B is once located in the circulating water tank 25, but immediately from the water outlet 25a. It is configured to be discharged.
An overflow port 25d is formed in the upper part of the circulating water tank 25 so that the overflow of water from the circulating water tank 25 can be prevented. Further, a discharge port 25 e is formed at the bottom of the circulating water tank 25. Further, a heat insulating material is appropriately attached to the outer peripheral portion of the circulating water tank 25.

The water injected into the circulating water tank 25 is circulated as it is when it is supplied as the cold water W2, and is heated in the circulating water tank 25 when it is used as the hot water W1. The mechanism will be described.
Specifically, a nozzle 28 is disposed at the bottom of the circulating water tank 25, and steam is supplied from the steam generator 2S to the nozzle 28 through a steam supply pipe 28a.
The steam ejected from the nozzle 28 into the water in the circulating water tank 25 directly acts on the water to increase its temperature to obtain hot water W1, and the amount of steam supplied by the flow rate adjusting valve V4. Is adjusted, and the temperature of the hot water W1 is set to a desired value.
The steam generator 2S is a device that can generate superheated steam having a temperature higher than that of saturated steam by generating steam with a boiler and further heating the steam. Moreover, as the steam generator 2S, the steam generated by the boiler may be used as it is.
Although not shown in the figure, a pipe is provided in the circulating water tank 25, steam is passed through the pipe, and heat is supplied to the hot water W1 in the circulating water tank 25 through the side peripheral surface of the pipe, The temperature may be maintained at a desired value.
A heat exchanger is provided between the water inlet 25b and the water outlet 25a in the circulating water tank 25, and the heat medium passing through the heat exchanger is used as hot water W1 or cold water located in the circulating water tank 25. The temperature may be raised or lowered by W2. As the heat exchanger, it is preferable to use a double-pipe heat exchanger (manufactured by Nishiyama Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) using a multi-leaf heat transfer tube having high heat exchange efficiency.

In addition, as shown by phantom lines in FIGS. 1 to 3, by providing two annular partition plates 20 a inside the heat insulation jacket 20, the flow path of the heat medium is divided into three in the vertical direction, You may make it provide the water outlet 22 in a division. By adopting such a configuration, the flow of the heat medium in the heat insulation jacket 20 can be made orderly. Therefore, the bat body 1 is heated or cooled evenly, and the raw milk M0 or intermediate product and the heat medium are heated. Heat exchanging efficiency can be improved.
Further, by alternately changing the positions of the water inlet 21 and the water outlet 22, the flow direction of the heat medium may be alternately changed for each section partitioned by the partition plate 20a. In this case, the temperature of the raw milk M0 or the intermediate product located in the bat body 1 can be made more uniform.

Next, the mixer 3 will be described. The mixer 3 includes a rotating lid 32 at the tip of the sun shaft 31a of the sun gear box 31, and further includes a planetary gear box 33 above the rotating lid 32 of the sun shaft 31a. A shaft 33a extends through the rotary lid 32 and extends downward. A stirring blade 35 is detachably attached to the tip of the planetary shaft 33a. The sun gear box 31 shown in FIG. 3 has gears and the like housed in a box and a motor 34 housed in the box.
The sun gear box 31 is mounted on a gantry 36. The gantry 36 is attached to a chain 38 wound between a pair of sprockets 37 provided on the machine frame F, and the machine frame F It moves on the rail 39 arranged along the up-and-down direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4A, the stirring blade 35 is configured by arranging a plurality of stirring bodies 35b in a spiral shape (on a spiral track) with respect to the shaft 35a. As shown in FIG. 4B, the stirring blade 35 is configured by fixing a bar 35c to the shaft 35a and arranging the stirring body 35b in a spiral shape (on the spiral track) with respect to the bar 35c. You may do it.
In addition to the paddle-shaped member as described above, the stirrer 35b is of a type in which a plurality of round holes are provided in a partially bent metal plate, or a plurality of metals between a pair of opposed metal plates. A type in which bars are arranged in parallel can also be adopted. In this case, the stirrer 35b is not necessarily arranged spirally with respect to the shaft 35a.

Next, the control panel 5 controls the operation of the cheese manufacturing apparatus D by controlling the three-way valves V1, V2, the flow rate adjusting valves V3, V4 in the temperature adjusting mechanism 2, the motor 34 in the mixer 3, and the like. Equipment.
In order to perform such control, a temperature sensor 51 is installed in the circulating water tank 25, a temperature sensor 52 and a pH sensor 53 are installed on the upper part of the bat body 1, and the rail 39 has a predetermined value. A limit switch 54 is provided at this point.
The temperature sensor 52 and the pH sensor 53 are held by a sensor holder 14 provided on the top of the bat body 1.

Here, since the pH sensor 53 directly touches the raw milk M0 and the intermediate product stored in the bat body 1, an ISFET type is used instead of a general glass tube type. . This is a sensor that utilizes the fact that an FET is applied and the gate threshold voltage changes by the amount of the interface potential between the solution and the sensitive film. SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , which are insulators as proton sensitive films, When Al ₂ O ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ or the like is used, it operates as a pH sensor.
In this example, “Semiconductor pH Electrode CPS471D” manufactured by Endless Hauser Japan was used as an example. By the way, this CPS 471D has already obtained the test certification of the European and American food standard EHDEG, and its use is permitted in food factories in Japan.

The control panel 5 is provided with a function capable of recording the detection values of the temperature sensor 51, the temperature sensor 52, and the pH sensor 53 at regular intervals, as shown in the graph of FIG. 7 as an example. It is assumed that recording is performed in various data formats.
For example, such a record is used as a document to prove that the temperature and time at the time of sterilization were appropriately performed, the properties of the raw milk M0, the form of the intermediate product and the final product, By recording the surrounding environment such as humidity together, it is possible to select and call out the ingredients suitable for the ingredients of raw milk M0 to be processed and the type of cheese to be manufactured, and easily process under similar conditions. It can be done.
The control panel 5 also has a set temperature and a time required for the process to realize suitable lactic acid fermentation conditions and coagulation conditions according to the properties of the raw milk M0, the form of the final product, and the surrounding environment such as temperature and humidity. Is preset.

As shown in FIG. 5, the card knife 6 includes a horizontal frame 61 having the same planar shape as the bottom plate 12 of the bat body 1 and a vertical frame 62 which stands upright on the horizontal frame 61, preferably on the diameter. In the horizontal frame 61, wires 63 are stretched in a lattice pattern, while in the vertical frame 62, a plurality of wires 64 are stretched in parallel in the horizontal direction. A handle 65 is provided above the vertical frame 62.
The cutter 8 comprises a handle 80 and a blade 81 as shown in FIG.

The cheese manufacturing apparatus D of this invention is comprised as mentioned above as an example, and the manufacturing method of the cheese using this apparatus is demonstrated below.
In addition, since the property changes according to the stage of the process by the cheese manufacturing apparatus D, the raw material milk M0 defines the name for each stage here.
First, after milking, the thing in the state where the filtration process for removing a foreign material was performed is called raw material milk M0.
Next, the raw milk M0 that has been subjected to sterilization in order to smoothly proceed fermentation and ripening is referred to as sterilized milk M1.
Next, a product obtained by injecting starter S or citric acid into the sterilized milk M1 and performing lactic acid fermentation is referred to as fermented milk M2.
Next, the rennet R injected into the fermented milk M2 and coagulated is referred to as coagulated milk M3.
Next, a small solid material obtained by cutting the coagulated milk M3 with the card knife 6 is called a card C, and the liquid component exuded at this time is called a whey H.
And the thing which extruded whey H from the card | curd C further and was made into the lump shape is called cheese original product M4.
The pasteurized milk M1, the fermented milk M2, the coagulated milk M3, the card C and the whey H may be collectively referred to as an intermediate product.

  Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to the process charts shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8. In addition, the following processes are performed by operating the cheese manufacturing apparatus D by so-called semi-automatic operation, and are partly accompanied by manual work. Therefore, an operator generates an appropriate buzzer sound when each process is completed. It is preferable to make it recognize.

[Device sterilization (device sterilization process P0)]
First, prior to the operation of the apparatus, the members directly touching the raw milk M0 and the intermediate product are sterilized. The card knife 6 and the cutter 8 are positioned in the bat body 1 and the gantry 36 is lowered. The insertion opening 15 a of the cover 15 is covered with the rotary lid 32. At this time, the stirring blade 35 is also located in the bat body 1. Of course, the stirring blade 35 may be positioned in the bat body 1 with the planetary shaft 33a removed.
Next, a tube T connected to the steam generator 2S is connected to the drain pipe 12b, and steam is supplied into the bat body 1 from here, thereby the bat body 1, the cover 15, the stirring blade 35, the card knife. 6. The cutter 8 and the rotating lid 32 are sterilized.

[Selection of operating conditions]
Next, by operating the control panel 5, suitable lactic acid fermentation according to the properties of the raw milk M0 (dairy cow species, fat content, etc.) and the final product form (gouda, camembert, cream, cheddar, blue, cottage, etc.) Call the set temperature and process time required to realize the conditions and solidification conditions.
Specifically, these are stored in the control panel 5 in the form of a data sheet as shown in the table of FIG. 9 as an example, the milk fat rate and non-fat solid content of the raw milk M0, and the final product form Is stored as the main information.
For example, when making “cheddar cheese”, if “milk fat percentage and non-fat solid content” is input, the most similar data is called out from the accumulated data, and operation control according to this data is performed. It is what is said.
Note that these data are stored based on past results, and can be improved as needed to improve the quality of the final product.
Moreover, you may make it memorize | store temperature and humidity, a dairy cow kind, a sampling ranch, milking date, processing date, etc. as reference data.
In this embodiment, as an example, data number 3 in the table of FIG. 9 is called.

(Generation of hot water)
In addition, the warm water W1 is prepared in parallel with the sterilization of the bat body 1 and the like described above. When the discharge port 25e of the circulating water tank 25 is plugged and the start button is pressed, the three-way valve V2 is inserted into the water injection pipe 27A. The water is injected into the circulating water tank 25.
When it is recognized that the nozzle 28 has been submerged by a flow meter, a water level sensor, or the like, the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve V4 is adjusted, and steam is blown into the water in the circulating water tank 25, so that the temperature of the water is increased. To rise.
Eventually, when the water level in the circulating water tank 25 rises to a predetermined position, the float valve 25f is actuated and the injection of water from the water injection port 25c is stopped.
Thereafter, the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve V4 is adjusted according to the detection value of the temperature sensor 51, and the water in the circulating water tank 25 becomes hot water W1 having a desired temperature.

[Input raw material milk]
Thereafter, the gantry 36 is raised and moved above the rotary lid 32, and the insertion port 15a of the cover 15 is brought into a released state. Next, the liquid draining tube 12b is closed and the raw material milk M0 is charged, and the detection units of the temperature sensor 52 and the pH sensor 53 are in contact with the raw material milk M0. Further, when the introduction of the raw material milk M0 is completed, the gantry 36 is lowered to cover the insertion port 15a of the cover 15 with the rotating lid 32, and the stirring blade 35 is immersed in the raw material milk M0.
At the same time, recording of the detected values of the temperature sensor 52 and the pH sensor 53 by the control panel 5 is started.

[Sterilization of raw milk (sterilization process P1)]
Next, the raw milk M0 is pasteurized by being heated at a temperature of 65 ° C. for about 30 minutes, and the warm water W1 in the circulating water tank 25 is fed into the heat insulation jacket 20 by the circulation pump 26. The temperature of the raw milk M0 in the bat body 1 rises to 65 ° C. The raw milk M0 may be sterilized by heating at 120 to 135 ° C. for 1 to 3 seconds. In this case, superheated steam or the like is supplied to the heat insulation jacket 20.
At this time, the raw material milk M0 is agitated by the mixer 3, and the agitating body 35b acts over the entire area of the raw material milk M0 in the bat body 1 as the stirring blades 35 revolve while rotating (planetary rotation). To do. Particularly in the present invention, the bat body 1 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is circular in plan view. Therefore, the stirring blade 35 revolves along the inner periphery of the bat body 1 and acts on the entire area of the raw material milk M0. Thus, the raw material milk M0 located in the bat body 1 can be stirred evenly.
Further, since the stirring blade 35 is spirally arranged with respect to the shaft 35a, the stirring blade 35 can convect the raw material milk M0 and stir evenly.
Further, when the stirring blade 35 enters the bat body 1, the upper opening of the bat body 1 is covered with the rotary lid 32, so that the heat retention of the bat body 1 is improved and the raw milk M0 and the outside air are removed. It can interrupt | block and can suppress oxidation while keeping the temperature of raw material milk M0 equal. Furthermore, it can prevent that a foreign material mixes in the raw material milk M0.

[Cooling of pasteurized milk (cooling step P2)]
Next, the sterilized milk M1 is cooled to 33.5 ° C., which is a temperature suitable for lactic acid fermentation, and the three-way valve V1 is set on the drain side and the three-way valve V2 is set on the water injection pipe 27B side. Then, the cold water W <b> 2 supplied from the water injection pipe 27 </ b> B to the vicinity of the water outlet 25 a is immediately sent to the water supply pipe 23 by the action of the circulation pump 26, reaches the inside of the heat insulation jacket 20 through the water inlet 21, and eventually the water outlet 22. The water is discharged to the outside through the water collecting pipe 24 and the three-way valve V1. At this time, since the warm water W1 located in the water supply pipe 23, the heat retaining jacket 20 and the water collecting pipe 24 is quickly discharged to the outside and replaced with the cold water W2, the sterilized milk M1 in the bat body 1 is rapidly cooled. Will be. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, you may make it cool hot water W1 at a stretch using a chiller, and return this to the heat insulation jacket 20. FIG.
The sterilized milk M1 is agitated by the mixer 3 while cooling the sterilized milk M1 with the cold water W2, and is continued until the detected value by the temperature sensor 52 becomes a desired value. In addition, the temperature decreasing rate of the pasteurized milk M1 at this time is about 0.020 to 0.014 ° C./second on average (25 to 35 minutes to decrease 30 ° C.), and the pasteurized milk M1 is rapidly subjected to lactic acid fermentation. Since it can be set to a suitable temperature, the time required for production is shortened, and deterioration of the sterilized milk M1 is suppressed.

  When the cold water W2 supplied to the vicinity of the water outlet 25a from the water injection pipe 27B is sent to the water supply pipe 23 by the action of the circulation pump 26, the hot water W1 located in the circulating water tank 25 is discharged from the water outlet 25a. Since it hardly flows out, the hot water W1 can be kept in the circulating water tank 25 in a state where the temperature does not decrease. Further, since the hot water W1 and the cold water W2 discharged to the outside from the three-way valve V1 are not particularly mixed with impurities, the hot water W1 and the cold water W2 discharged to the outside and the hot water in the circulating water tank 25 are discharged. W1 is preferably reused in the thermal steam generator 2S or stored separately for use in cleaning the apparatus. In particular, the hot water W1 is preferably reused for heating the card mixer D2 and the molder D3 used in the subsequent process of the cheese manufacturing apparatus D.

[Starter injection (fermentation process P3)]
Next, the gantry 36 is raised so that the stirring blade 35 is pulled out from the bat body 1 and mixed with the starter S in which 2 to 4 types of lactic acid bacteria are mixed with the sterilized milk M1 cooled to 33.5 ° C. To do. Then, the gantry 36 is lowered to cover the insertion port 15a of the cover 15 with the rotary lid 32, and the stirring blade 35 is immersed in the sterilized milk M1.
At this time, since it is important that the starter S is sufficiently dispersed in the sterilized milk M1, the sterilized milk M1 is stirred by the mixer 3 for about 10 minutes.
Further, in order to keep the sterilized milk M1 at 33.5 ° C., the warm water W1 having an appropriate temperature is circulated through the heat retaining jacket 20, and the flow rate adjusting valves V4 and V5 are controlled according to the detection values of the temperature sensor 51 and the temperature sensor 52. The opening is adjusted as appropriate.

[Lactic acid fermentation]
Next, the stationary state is maintained for 60 minutes while shielding light by the rotating lid 32. At this time, detection by the temperature sensor 52 and the pH sensor 53 is continuously performed, and an appropriate temperature and an appropriate amount of warm water W1 are circulated through the heat retaining jacket 20 so as to keep the sterilized milk M1 at 33.5 ° C. When the pH value reaches 6.5, it is recognized that the desired fermentation state has been reached, and the process proceeds to the next step.

[Rennet injection (coagulation process P4)]
Next, the gantry 36 was raised so that the stirring blade 35 was extracted from the vat body 1 and the fermented milk M2 was extracted from the fourth stomach of the cow for the purpose of coagulating the fermented milk M2 in a tofu-like state and easily removing water. Add Rennet R, a curdling ingredient. And in order to fully disperse Rennet R in fermented milk M2, the mount 36 is lowered | hung, the stirring blade 35 is made into the state immersed in fermented milk M2, and fermented milk M2 is stirred for about 5 minutes.
Further, in order to keep the fermented milk M2 at 33.5 ° C., an appropriate temperature and an appropriate amount of hot water W1 are circulated with respect to the heat retaining jacket 20.

[Coagulation (stationary)]
Next, the stationary state is maintained for 30 minutes while shielding light from the rotating lid 32. At this time, detection by the temperature sensor 52 and the pH sensor 53 is continuously performed, and an appropriate temperature and an appropriate amount of warm water W1 are circulated through the heat retaining jacket 20 so as to keep the fermented milk M2 at 33.5 ° C. When the pH value becomes 6.3, it is recognized that the desired coagulation state has been reached, and the process proceeds to the next step.

[Cutting (separation process P5)]
Next, the gantry 36 is raised so that the stirring blade 35 is pulled out from the bat body 1, the further cover 15 is removed, and the coagulated milk M 3 is divided using the card knife 6, which is a small piece of about 10 mm square. From the card C, whey H, which is a transparent yellow-green liquid component with little turbidity, exudes.
At this time, the card knife 6 includes a horizontal frame 61 having the same planar shape as the bottom plate 12 of the bat body 1 and a vertical frame 62 which stands upright on the horizontal frame 61, preferably on the diameter. Wires 63 are stretched in a lattice shape in the frame 61, while a plurality of wires 64 are stretched in parallel in the horizontal direction in the vertical frame 62. For this reason, when the operator inserts the card knife 6 into the bat body 1 and brings the horizontal frame 61 into contact with the bottom plate 12, the coagulated milk M3 is divided into a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape by the wires 63 in the horizontal frame 61. Will be. Next, when the operator holds the handle 65 and rotates the card knife 6 by 180 °, the coagulated milk M3 is divided into cubes by the wires 64 in the vertical frame 62.
In this way, the operator can divide the coagulated milk M3 evenly and surely (several seconds) without using any special feeling.
Incidentally, in this embodiment, the card C obtained by dispersing the coagulated milk M3 with the card knife 6 is a 10 mm square cube, and such a card C is cut out by a conventionally used card knife 6 '. Was almost impossible, and even if it could, it would take a very long time.

〔mixing〕
Next, the gantry 36 is lowered to cover the insertion port 15a of the cover 15 with the rotary lid 32, and the stirring blade 35 is immersed in the coagulated milk M3, and the card C and the whey H are mixed. Stir for 30 minutes while maintaining at 5 ° C.
Thereafter, the card C suspended in the whey H is heated to 38 ° C., and stirred at the mixer 3 for 30 minutes while maintaining this temperature.
By performing such mixing, the cards C that are slightly attached to each other are first loosened, and separation of the card C and the whey H is promoted.

[Without whey and standing still]
Next, the gantry 36 is raised so that the stirring blade 35 is pulled out from the bat body 1, the stirring blade 35 is removed from the planetary shaft 33 a, and the liquid discharge port 12 a is opened to discharge the whey H. At this time, it is preferable to prevent the card C from flowing out of the liquid outlet 12a by covering the liquid outlet 12a with the outflow prevention net 7 as shown in FIG. 6 (c).
Then, the cards C are collected in the bat main body 1 (on the bottom plate 12) to form one lump, and the cover 15 is attached to the bat main body 1, and the mount 36 is lowered to cover the insertion port 15a of the cover 15 with the rotary lid 32. The light is shielded by this, and left still for about 20 minutes to further exude whey H.
Whey H can be used as a raw material as it is, and since it is rich in protein, it is used as a material and feed for various health foods.

[Division and standing (Shaping process P6)]
Next, the gantry 36 is raised, the cover 15 is further removed, and the massive card C is divided into small blocks of about 20 cm square using the cutter 8 in the bat body 1.
Next, the cover 15 is attached to the bat body 1, the gantry 36 is lowered, and the insertion cover 15 a of the cover 15 is covered with the rotary lid 32, so that light is shielded and left for about 20 minutes to further exude the whey H. At the same time, the solidification of the card C is advanced.
The lump obtained in this way becomes the cheese original product M4 (so-called fresh cheese), and thereafter mixing (mixing process P7) and division molding (molding process P8) are performed in the card mixer D2 and the molder D3. After breaking, salting, kneading, molding, aging and the like are performed to obtain a desired final product (gouda, camembert, cream, cheddar, blue, cottage, etc.).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bat body 11 Flange 12 Bottom plate 12a Fluid outlet 12b Fluid outlet tube 13 Deformation prevention plate 13a Fixing rod 13b Screw 14 Sensor holder 15 Cover 15a Insertion port 16 Housing 17 Heat insulating material 2 Temperature control mechanism 2S Steam generator 20 Heat insulation jacket 20a Partition Plate 21 Water inlet 21a Flow direction plate 22 Water outlet 23 Water supply pipe 24 Water collecting pipe 24 Circulating water tank 25a Water outlet 25b Water inlet 25c Water inlet 25d Overflow outlet 25e Outlet 25f Float valve 26 Circulation pump 27 Water inlet 27A Water inlet 27B Water pipe 28 Nozzle 28a Steam supply pipe 3 Mixer 31 Solar gear box 31a Sun shaft 32 Rotating lid 33 Planetary gear box 33a Planetary shaft 34 Motor 35 Stirring blade 35a Shaft 35b Stirring body 35c Bar 36 Base 37 Sprocket 8 Chain 39 Rail 5 Control panel 51 Temperature sensor 52 Temperature sensor 53 pH sensor 54 Limit switch 6 Card knife 61 Horizontal frame 62 Vertical frame 63 Wire 64 Wire 65 Handle 7 Outflow prevention net 8 Cutter 80 Handle 81 Blade C Card D Cheese manufacturing device D2 Card mixer D3 Molda F Machine frame H Whey M0 Raw milk M1 Sterilized milk M2 Fermented milk M3 Coagulated milk M4 Cheese raw product P0 Equipment sterilization process P1 Sterilization process P2 Cooling process P3 Fermentation process P4 Coagulation process P5 Separation process P6 Shaping process P7 Mixing Process P8 Molding process R Rennet S Starter T Tube V1 Three-way valve V2 Three-way valve V3 Flow control valve V4 Flow control valve W1 Hot water W2 Cold water

Claims (6)

  A bat body and a mixer are provided, and the raw milk charged in the bat body is fermented by lactic acid fermentation with stirring by the mixer to be fermented milk, and further coagulated milk using a milk coagulant. In the apparatus for performing a series of treatments for obtaining a cheese raw product by removing the base, the bat body has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the stirring blade included in the mixer has a stirring body with respect to the shaft. A cheese manufacturing apparatus characterized in that it is provided with a mechanism for the stirring blades to enter and exit the vat body.   The bat body is provided with a heat insulation jacket and a temperature adjustment mechanism surrounding the bat body. Hot water is used as a heat medium supplied into the heat insulation jacket, and the temperature of the hot water is adjusted to adjust the temperature of the raw milk and intermediate products. The cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of setting the temperature to a desired value, wherein the heat insulation jacket is partitioned into a plurality of blocks in the vertical direction.   The cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a lid that covers an upper opening of the bat body in a state where the stirring blade enters the bat body.   The cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stirring blade has a stirring body spirally provided with respect to the shaft.   The cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the mixer is provided with a mechanism for rotating the stirring blades in a planetary manner.   The bat body has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and is provided with a card knife that is inserted into the bat body to cut a card, and the card knife has the same planar shape as the bottom surface of the bat body. And a vertical frame standing upright on the horizontal frame. Wires are stretched in a lattice pattern in the horizontal frame, while a plurality of wires are horizontally arranged in the vertical frame. The cheese manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the cheese manufacturing apparatus is stretched in parallel.

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