WO1982002318A1

WO1982002318A1 - Procedure and apparatus for treatment of the surfaces of pieces cut from a pressed cheese block

Info

Publication number: WO1982002318A1
Application number: PCT/FI1981/000095
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tehtaat Oy Mkt; Lauri Kostiainen; Heikki Kauppi
Original assignee: Tehtaat Oy Mkt
Priority date: 1981-01-05
Filing date: 1981-12-31
Publication date: 1982-07-22
Also published as: DK389882A; FR2497438A1; DK151241C; DK151241B; NL8120492A; FI810013L; FI62200C; FI62200B

Abstract

Treatment applied mainly in connection with the making of Edam cheese, of the surfaces of pieces (11) cut from a pressed chees block and aiming at closing the fissures and pores on the cut faces so that the occurrence of so-called salt-deadness is avoided in the subsequent salting step. The treatment is carried out with an apparatus comprising a plurality of surface closing chambers (1) disposed in a closed chain or ring assembly and executing a circulatory movement. The side walls (2) of the chambers (1) are heatable pressing surfaces and the chambers have been arranged to be open at the top so that pressing is effectable by the aid of plungers (5) installed above the chambers. The treatment is then performed in a continuous process in which the piece (11) of cheese is introduced into the surface closing chamber (1) located in a given position, or station, and pressed with the aid of a plunger (5) against the chamber's walls in connection with the circulatory motion of the chamber, before the latter's return to said filling station.

Description

Procedure and apparatus for treatment of the surfaces of pieces cut from a pressed cheese block

The present invention concerns a procedure for treating the surfaces of pieces cut from a pressed cheese block wherein the cut faces of the pieces are contacted with heated pressing surfaces so that the fissures and pores therein are closed, whereupon the pieces of cheese can be transported to the salting step.

Particularly in the manufacturing of Edam cheese a procedure is being used in which the curd particles are pressed in one process to become big blocks, which are cut up into small pieces prior to the subsequent salting step. In this connection small fissures and pores are left on the cut surfaces of the pieces of cheese, which must with a view to avoiding the so-called salt-deadness be closed before the pieces are submerged in brine. This is effected by treating the surfaces of the pieces with the aid of heat and pressure so that the milk fat melts and the faces are made smooth and pore-free. A tightly sealing surface like this prevents the penetration of brine into the interior of the cheese mass, which would give rise to salt-deadness.

Edam cheese has in prior art also been made by a procedure wherein the curd particles are, to begin with, pre-pressed in the form of a large block and which is thereafter cut into small pieces, of which the final pressing takes place in separate moulds. The faces of the presed pieces are then free of pores, but the drawback of the procedure is the large number of moulds required and the work-intensivity of the procedure. Therefore, the trend has been towards the first-mentioned once-pressing method, which requires a particular treatment step for closing the cut faces of the pieces.

The treatment of the cheese pieces cut faces is nowadays accomplished in that four pressing members are brought up against the sides of the pieces of cheese residing on a belt conveyor. Since an apparatus of this type only can press one piece of cheese at a time, and since the conveyor belt is stationary during the pressing step, treatment of the pieces in this manner is both slow and inefficient.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawback mentioned and to provide a procedure by which the treating of the cut faces of pieces of cheese becomes more efficient than before. The procedure of the invention is characterized in that the pieces of cheese are treated in a apparatus comprising a plurality of surface-closing chambers arranged in a closed circuit and performing a circulatory movement, their side walls being constructed to be heatable pressing surfaces, and that the treatment takes place in a continuous process wherein the piece of cheese is introduced into a surface closing chamber positioned in a given way, pressed against the walls of the chamber in conjunction with the chamber's circulatory movement, and taken out of the chamber before this chamber returns to the filling station mentioned.

The substantial advantage of the procedure of the invention is that the heating and pressing treatment simultaneously acts on several pieces of cheese. Moreover, it has been accomplished by means of the surface closing chambers and pressing members, which are preferably plungers in reciprocating motion, that all surfaces of each piece of cheese can be treated with the aid of a member exerting pressure on the piece from one side. This means a remarkable simplification of the pressing event compared with the problem solution of prior art, wherein each face of the piece of cheese requiring treatment needed a separate, movable pressing member.

The invention also concerns an apparatus intended for use in applying the above-presented procedure, this apparatus comprising pressing surfaces heatable in a way known in itself in the art and pressable against the cut faces of the piece of cheese so that the fissures and pores in them will be closed. The apparatus of the invention is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of surface closing chambers arranged in a closed circuit and executing a circulatory movement, their side walls being disposed to constitute heatable pressing surfaces, and members for introducing the pieces of cheese to be treated in said chambers and for their removal therefrom, and a plurality of plungers disposed on the path of motion of the chambers and which perform the pressing of the piece of cheese against the walls of the chamber in conjunction with the chamber's circulatory motion. One favourable embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the surface closing chambers have been disposed to form a ring substantially located in a horizontal plane, and that a plunger moving along with the chamber, has been installed above each chamber. In this problem solution, closure of the fissures and pores in the faces of the piece of cheese is accomplished with one single rectilinear pressing motion of the plunger, and the pressing time may be regulated by regulating the speed at which the ring circulates. If each surface closing chamber is furthermore fitted with a swivelling bottom, the piece of cheese can be removed from the chamber by means of a pushing motion of the plunger, after the chamber bottom has been opened.

Another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention is characterized in that the surface closing chambers have a fixed bottom and have been mutually connected to constitute a chain located in a vertical plane and wherein the chambers are inverted after the pressing step. The purpose with the inverting of the chambers is to facilitate the removal of the pieces of cheese from the chambers, and the chamber bottoms may then be provided with holes enabling compressed air to be used as aid in detaching the piece from the chamber walls.

The invention is described in greater detail in the following with the a of examples, with reference being made to the attached drawings, wherein:-

Fig. 1 presents an apparatus according to the invention for treating the cut faces of pieces of cheese, in elevational view and partly sectioned;

Fig. 2 presents the apparatus of Fig. 1, in top view;

Fig. 3 shows the surface closing chamber belonging as a part to the apparatus of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 presents the apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention, in elevational view and partly sectioned.

Referring now to Figs 1 and 2, therein has been depicted an apparatus which in connection with the making of Edam cheese performs the treatment of the cut faces of the pieces cut from a pressed cheese block, prior to said pieces being transported to the salting step. The purpose of the treatment is to close with the aid of heat and pressure those fissures and pores which are present on the cut faces, so that the faces become smooth and uninterrupted. By the aid of the treatment the so-called salt-deadness phenomenon is counteracted, which would result from the penetration of the brine used in the salting step, through the fissures and pores into the interior of the cheese mass.

An essential component of the apparatus depicted in Figs 1 and 2 consists of the surface closing chambers 1 disposed in annular arrangement on the periphery of the apparatus. The vertical side walls 2 of the surface closing chambers abut on a hot water jacket 3, which has been arranged to be a continuous ring encircling the chambers. Each surface closing chamber 1 is open on top and has been provided with a swivelling bottom 4 hinged to the chamber side. Above the surface closing chambers 1 and the ringshaped hot water jacket 3 encircling them has been mounted a set of pressure plungers 5, in a ring conforming to that of the chambers 1. The open top of each chamber is then closable by means .of the plunger above the chamber. The surface closing chambers 1, the hot water jacket 3 and the plungers 5 have been shaped to form one integral entity, which can be rotated about the vertical axis 6. The apparatus comprises, as shown in Fig. 1, furthermore a stationary stand 7, ducts 8 and 9 for circulating hot water in the jacket 3, and the compressed air passage 10 which the plungers require.

The construction of the surface closing chambers is more closely revealed by Fig. 3, showing one such chamber, sectioned. The figure illustrates the situation in which the piece of cheese 11 has been introduced into the chamber and has been pressed with the aid of the plunger 5 against the side walls 2 and bottom 4 of the chamber. The surfaces of the piece of cheese 11 which abut on the side walls 2 of the chamber are in the standard case those cut faces where closing of their fissures and pores is required. It is thus understood that on said faces acts a pressure as well as a heating action accomplished with the aid of the hot water jacket 3 encircling the side walls. The side walls 2 of the chamber have been shaped of perforated sheets, behind which passages 12 have been provided for draining any whey that may separate from the cheese. The bottom 4 of the chamber and the underside of the plunger 5 are covered with similar perforated plates 13 and 14, but no whey draining passages as have been just described have been provided in their connection.

The pieces of cheese 11 cut from a cheese block that are to be treated are conveyed to the surface-treating apparatus by means of a belt conveyor 15, and the treated pieces of cheese removed from the apparatus go on the belt conveyor 16. These conveyors can be seen in Figs 1 and 2. The piece of cheese to be treated, 11, is moved from the conveyor 15 into a surface closing chamber in a given filling position, or filling station, this chamber being indicated by reference numeral 1' in Fig. 2. This transportation may be accomplished manually or mechanically by the aid of means not depicted in the figure. The surface closing chambers are stationary at this phase, and the plunger 5 correlated with the chamber 1' in the filling position is withdrawn into its top position, as shown in Fig. 1. After the piece of cheese has been moved into the surface closing chamber 1', the plunger 5 descends, thereby pressing the piece against the walls of the chamber, as shown in Fig. 3. At the same time, the chambers and -plungers revolve in clockwise direction so that the next chamber arrives at the filling station. Removal of the piece of cheese after completed treatment is effected by opening the chamber's bottom 4 and thereafter pushing the piece with the plunger so that the piece drops onto the conveyor 16 therebelow. Subsequently, the plunger moves into its top position and the bottom of the chamber closes. In the case which Figs 1 and 2 illustrate, the removal of the piece of cheese from the chamber has been shown as taking place in the same position in which the chamber is filled with a new piece of cheese, whereby each piece of cheese that is being treated will be under pressure from the plunger throughout the time required for one full circuit of the chamber. It is also possible, on the other hand, to provide on the periphery of the apparatus a specific discharging station, whereby the pieces under treatment would be removed from the chambers before their return to the filling station.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the surface closing chambers are troughs 1 with open top, which have been linked together to constitute and endless chain. This chain is disposed in a vertical plane so that the chambers are inverted after the pressing step and are once again turned right side up after the emptying step. The pieces of cheese to be treated, 11, are con veyed with a belt conveyor 15 to the filling station of the apparatus, where they are moved into the surface closing chambers L. The chambers 1 go thereafter into a hot water basin 17 over which a set of pressing plungers 5 have been Installed. In the case illustrated by the figure, these plungers are stationary and the movement of the chain is in jerks so that the chambers move stepwise from the position of one plunger Into register with the next plunger. Thus on each chamber is exerted at the station of each plunger a brief pressing action. For removal of the treated pieces of cheese, holes have been provided in the bottom of each chamber, through which is directed a compressed air jet of air supplied by the pipeline 18. The compressed air detaches the piece from the chamber walls, whereby it falls down on the belt conveyor 16 underneath the emptying station. Thereafter the empty chambers return to the filling station.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that different embodiments of the invention are not confined to the examples presented in the foregoing and may instead vary within the scope of the claims following below. It is possible, for instance, to construct the apparatus in such manner that the surface closing chambers are in continuous movement. This may be carried out e.g. In the case which Figs 1-3 Illustrate, where the chambers have been arranged in a ring. Moreover, heating of the walls of the surface closing chambers may also take place not only with the aid of hot water, but using hot steam, radiation or electric resistances.

Claims

1. Procedure for the treatment of the faces of pieces (11) cut from a pressed cheese block, wherein the cut faces of the pieces are brought into apposition against heated pressing surfaces (2) so that the fissures and pores existing in them will be closed, whereafter the pieces of cheese can be moved to the salting step, characterized in that the pieces of cheese (11) are treated with the aid of an apparatus comprising a plurality of surface closing chambers (1) arranged in a closed circuit and describing circulatory movement, their side walls (2) having been formed to constitute heatable pressing surfaces, and that the treatment takes place in a continuous process wherein the piece of cheese is introduced into a surface closing chamber (1') in a given position, pressed against the chamber's walls in connection with the chamber's circulatory motion and removed from the chamber before the latter's return to said filling station.

2. Apparatus for treating the cut faces of pieces (11) cut from pressed cheese blocks by a procedure according to claim 1, said apparatus comprising heatable pressing surfaces (2) which can be caused to press against the cut faces of the piece of cheese so that the fissures and pores therein are closed, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a plurality of surface closing chambers (1) disposed in a closed circuit a of which the side walls (2) have been formed to be heatable pressing surfaces; members (15,16) for Introducing the pieces of cheese to be treated into said chambers and for their removal therefrom; and a plurality of plungers (5) disposed on the path of motion of the chambers and which perform the pressing of the piece of cheese against the walls of the chamber in connection with the circulatory motion.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the surface closing chambers (1) have been disposed to form a ring located in a substantially horizontal plane, and that above each chamber has been installed a plunger (5) moving along with the chamber.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that each one of the surface closing chambers (1) has been fitted with a swivelling bottom (4) so that the piece of cheese (11) is removable from the chamber by a pushing motion of the plunger (5) after the bottom of the chamber has been opened.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized In that the apparatus comprises a hot water jacket (3) encircling the surface closing chambers (1) and which effects the heating of the side walls (2) of the chambers.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that to the side walls (2) of the surface closing chambers (1) belong perforated plates behind which passages (12) have been formed for removal of the whey that may separate from the piece of cheese in connection with pressing.

7. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the surface closing chambers (1) have a fixed bottom and have been mutually connected to form a chain disposed in a substantially vertical plane, where the chambers are Inverted after the pressing step.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the surface closing chambers (1) have in the pressing step been conducted to pass through a hot water basin (17) and that the plungers (5) have been mounted in series above said hot water basin.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that each surface closing chamber (1) has in its bottom one or several holes enabling the piece of cheese (11) to be removed from the chamber with the aid of compressed air.