WO1994022293A1

WO1994022293A1 - A cheesemaking tank

Info

Publication number: WO1994022293A1
Application number: PCT/DK1994/000118
Authority: WO
Inventors: Per Olesen; Niels Klausen Ottosen
Original assignee: Apv Pasilac
Priority date: 1993-03-31
Filing date: 1994-03-22
Publication date: 1994-10-13
Also published as: AU6423694A; DK170322B1; DK38093A; DK38093D0

Abstract

A cheesemaking tank comprises a container (2) for receiving a cheese mass. This container (2) comprises a plurality of cylindrical container parts (12, 13 and 14) which are O-shaped when seen from the top and which comprise a substantially flat bottom and are assembled to form a coherent vessel. The container (2) comprises a frame (25, 26 and 27) rotatably journalled about the central axis of each container part (12, 13 and 14), said frame carrying sets of stirring and cutting means adapted to cut the cheese mass while said frame (25, 26 and 27) is being rotated in a first direction of rotation and to stir said cheese mass while the frame is being rotated in a second direction of rotation. Each container part (12, 13 and 14) is provided with an outlet opening (15, 16 and 17), which is placed adjacent the container wall perpendicular from and at a distance to a common plane (18) for the central axes of the container parts (12, 13 and 14), said distance substantially corresponding to the radius of each container part (12, 13 and 14).

Description

Title: A cheesemakinq tank

Technical Field

The invention relates to a cheesemaking tank comprising a container for receiving a cheese mass, where said container comprises a plurality of cylindrical container parts which are O-shaped when seen from the top and comprise a substantially flat bottom, and which are assembled to form a coherent vessel, and where said container comprises a frame rotatably joumalled about the central axis of each container part, said frame carrying sets of stirring and cutting means adapted to cut the cheese mass while said frame is being rotated in a first direction of rota¬ tion and to stir said cheese mass while the frame is being rotated in a second direction of rotation.

Background Art

Inter alia DK-PS No. 146,31 1 discloses a cheesemaking tank of the above type. In use, this tank is filled with milk which is caused to curdle by means of enzyme and acid, acid alone or a complex coagulant. The curd is subsequently cut into small pieces, preferably small cubes, by the frame being caused to rotate in the first direction of rotation with the result that the whey can be easily separated from the cheese mass and drained off. After the cutting, the curd is subjected to a stirring by the frame being caused to rotate in the second direction of rotation, optionally while the curd is simultaneously subjected to a heating. As a result, additional whey is separated from the cheese mass and simul¬ taneously the cheese mass becomes more solid. The cutting is per- formed by the stirring and cutting means of the frame comprising sharp edges facing forwards in the moving direction of said frame during its movement in the first direction of rotation. It is important for the structure of the end product that the curd cubes are as uniform as possible and that they are not destroyed to such an extent that curd particles arise and are lost in the whey. Inter alia there¬ fore it is important that the emptying of the tank is performed as lenient as possible. In the above known cheesemaking tank the emptying is performed through an outlet placed at the transition between the wall and the bottom of the container at one end.

EP-PS No. 133,587 discloses a cheesemaking tank where the bottom of each container part is conical and an outlet is centrally provided below the axes of rotation of the pivotal frames in the bottom of the cones.

Disclosure of the Invention

The cheesemaking tank according to the present invention is characterised in that each container part is provided with an outlet open¬ ing, and that this outlet opening is placed adjacent the container wall perpendicular and at a distance from a common plane for the central axes of the container parts, said distance substantially corresponding to the radius of each container part.

In this manner a cheesemaking tank is provided which while maintaining the advantages of the flat bottom for the treatment of the cheese mass ensures a lenient and easy emptying of the cheesemaking tank by tip¬ ping or permanently arranging the cheesemaking tank in an inclined position in such a manner that the bottom inclines towards the outlets. The outlet passageway for the cheese mass is thus relatively short, and an efficient automatic emptying is ensured through a relatively simple bottom structure. The outlet openings ensure a free outlet passage because the presence of bearings and guides for the frames is avoided. The flat bottom is advantageous in being relatively simple and inexpen¬ sive to manufacture. Another advantage is found in the portion of the cheese being influenced by the rotating stirring and cutting means on both frames is relatively large and extends to the bottom. As the frames with the stirring and cutting means can move from one side to the other side past each outlet, a relatively homogenous cheese/whey ratio is furthermore ensured during the emptying.

According to the invention it is particularly advantageous when the outlets are connected to a common conduit for draining off the cheese mass.

Brief Description of the Drawing

The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which

Fig. 1 is a side view with a wavy cut through a cheesemaking tank according to the invention, said view illustrating that it may comprise an arbitrary number of assembled cylindrical container parts,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic, vertical, sectional end view through the con¬ tainer of Fig. 1 , and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic top view of the container of Fig. 1 , whereby the cover and the gearbox have been removed for the sake of clarity.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The cheesemaking tank shown in the drawing is designated the general reference numeral 1 and comprises a container 2 formed by a hollow jacket. On the inner side the jacket is defined by partial-cylindrical wall sections 3, 4, and 5 intersecting one another and being interconnected along vertical connecting locations 7, 8, 9, and 10 opposing one another in pairs. On the outer side the jacket is defined by an outer wall 1 1 , which is circular at the ends and rectilinear therebetween when seen from the top. The bottom of the container is substantially flat and also hollow like the sides because the hollow jacket covers the bottom too. The hollow jacket is used for heating a cheese mass received in the interior of the container 2 in a conventional manner by a heating medium being circulated in a pipe system not shown in greater detail and placed inside the jacket along the sides and the bottom of the container part.

The described jacket defines a plurality of container parts 12, 13, and 14, which are O-shaped when seen from the top and which comprises their respective outlet 15, 16, and 17 at one side at the bottom. The outlets 15, 16, and 17 are arranged perpendicular from a common plane 18 for the central axes of the cylindrical container parts 12, 13, and 14. Furthermore, they are arranged at a distance from the common plane 18, said distance corresponding to the approximate radius of each con¬ tainer part 12, 13, and 14. On the outside, the outlets 15, 16, and 17 are connected to a common pipe 19, which is associated, cf. Fig. 2, with a pump 20 pumping the completely treated cheese mass away from the cheesemaking tank.

As illustrated in particular in Fig. 1 , the container 2 is provided with a cover 21 at the top for closing said container 2.

A vertical shaft 22, 23, and 24 is provided at the centre of each con¬ tainer 12, 13. These shafts carry their respective frame 25, 26, and 27 with stirring and cutting means of a conventional type. When the frame is rotated in a first direction, the stirring and cutting means are adapted to cut the cheese mass and when the frame is rotated in a second direc¬ tion they are adapted to stir said cheese mass. The shafts 22, 23, and 24 extend upwards through the cover 21 and are connected to suitable driving means and gear in a gear box 28. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the cheesemaking tank 1 comprises legs 31 , 32, and 33 of such a differing length that the bottom inclines towards the outlets 15, 16, and 17. An advantageous inclination of the bottom is in the range 3 to 10° and preferably in the range 5 to 7° in order to ensure a good emptying.

The invention has been described in connection with a cheesemaking tank comprising three or more cylindrical container parts. It may, of course, also be used in connection with a so-called double-O-tank only comprising two cylindrical container parts. The outlets may in a conven- tional manner not shown in greater detail be shaped in connection with grooves or the like, which at the bottom extend to the outlet.

The cheesemaking tank is manufactured and used in a conventional manner. As mentioned, the emptying may be performed by the tank being permanently inclined. It may, however, also be performed by the tank being inclined during the emptying by means of suitable tilting means not shown in greater detail.

Claims

Claims.

1. A cheesemaking tank comprising a container (2) for receiving a cheese mass, where said container (2) comprises a plurality of cylindrical container parts (12, 13, and 14) which are O-shaped when seen from the top and comprise a substantially flat bottom, and which are assembled to form a coherent vessel, and where said container (2) comprises a frame (25, 26, and 27) rotatably joumalled about the cen¬ tral axis of each container part (12, 13, and 14), said frame carrying sets of stirring and cutting means adapted to cut the cheese mass while said frame (25, 26, and 27) is being rotated in a first direction of rota¬ tion and to stir said cheese mass while the frame is being rotated in a second direction of rotation, c h a ra cteri sed in that each con¬ tainer part (12, 13, and 14) is provided with an outlet opening (15, 16, and 17), and that this outlet opening (15, 16, and 17) is placed adjacent the container wall perpendicular and at a distance from a common plane (18) for the central axes of the container parts (12, 13, and 14), said distance substantially corresponding to the radius of each container part (12, 13, and 14).

2. A cheesemaking tank as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the outlet openings (15, 16, and 17) are connected to a common conduit (19) for draining off the cheese mass.

3. A cheesemaking tank as claimed in claim 1 or2, character¬ ised in that the bottom of the container has an inclination of from 3 to 10°, and preferably from 5 to 7°.