Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
Patent
1996-04-05
1998-12-29
Beisner, William H.
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Basic ingredient lacteal derived other than butter...
426231, 426519, 426522, 99452, 99453, A23C 1908
Patent
active
058537864
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a process for the continuous production of cheese products and equipment suited for carrying out this process.
BACKGROUND ART
For producing processed cheese spread according to the prior art, a product stream is initially formed from the starting materials needed, i.e., a cheese component (natural cheese, processed cheese spread, or mixtures of the two) and possibly one or more additional components, such as butter, other milk products, water, emulsifiers, or melting salts such as phosphates or citrates, preservatives, table salt, and colorings. For this purpose, these starting materials are typically comminuted in a mixing device and subsequently brought to a liquid state by heating. The temperature in this stage lies between the melting point of the product mixture and 100.degree. C., typically in the range of from about 70.degree. C. to about 90.degree. C. Subsequently, the liquid product stream may be heated to ultra-high temperatures in order to kill bacteria, that is to say, there is a brief heating to temperatures above about 100.degree. C. under elevated pressure. The ultra-heat-treated product stream is subsequently cooled down by, for instance, being subjected to a flash cooling process, that is, it is cooled down to below 100.degree. C., for instance, to a temperature of from about 85.degree. C. to about 90.degree. C., with simultaneous pressure lowering or release.
As a result of the ultra-high heat treating and the subsequent cooling, the texture of the product is lost. The consequence of this is that, in at least one subsequent step in a starting phase of the processed cheese spread production process, a rework material that has not been ultra-high heat treated (also known as "starter material") must be added to the liquid product stream in a creaming tank in order to set a desired viscosity. Without the addition of rework material during the starting phase of the process, it is not possible to set the viscosity in a creaming tank of the known type within a time frame that is acceptable for production. After setting the desired viscosity, the product stream is diverted from the creaming tank and further processed into the end product by, for instance, being directed through a filling facility and a refrigerating tunnel and subsequently into a palletizing facility.
A disadvantage of the process for producing processed cheese spread known from the prior art is that, at least in a starting phase of the process, a non-sterile starter material must be added in order to set the viscosity of the product stream to a desired value, which will lead to an end product with a desired consistency. This addition of incompletely sterile material causes the risk of possible contamination of the product by bacteria and can result in poor preservability of the product. Another disadvantage of the conventional process is that the creaming tank used for setting the viscosity of the product stream has a large volume of roughly 500 l and that in case of disruption of the product removal process (difficulties in the filling facility, for instance) it is not possible to prevent the viscosity of the product stream in the creaming tank from rising above the desired value. This can lead to fluctuations in the consistency of the product or possibly to losses in production. Moreover, deposits form in the creaming tanks, build up in the ridges on the walls and the stirring device, and lengthy and expensive cleaning measures must be taken at frequent intervals.
In processes for producing other cheese products in which a liquid product stream is generated, which is then processed into an end product with the desired consistency by setting the viscosity of the flowing product stream to the desired value, e.g., in the production of fresh cheeses or processed cheese spreads which are not subjected to ultra-high heat treating, there are also problems in controlling the velocity of the liquid product stream.
Thus, for instance, the process parameters in the production o
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Anbarci Ahmet
Nassauer Josef Sebastian
Simburger Stephan
Beisner William H.
Kraft Foods Inc.
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