Horizontal cheese tank, method for processing mixture of curds and whey, and cheese production line
By installing external supports and improving the whey filter design, the shortcomings of existing cheese troughs in terms of cleaning performance and versatility have been solved, achieving a more efficient whey removal and cleaning process and expanding the possibilities of cheese production.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202480041774.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-06-22
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-16
AI Technical Summary
Existing cheese troughs are inadequate in terms of cleaning performance and versatility, especially in the whey removal and cleaning process, which requires more time and resources.
The horizontal cheese trough features an external support structure located outside the trough. Combined with an improved whey filter design, this increases the filter's capacity and removal efficiency. The jacket also enables heating and cooling functions.
It improves the cleanability and versatility of cheese troughs, reduces cleaning time and resource consumption, and expands the possibilities for cheese production.
Smart Images
Figure CN121358337A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to cheese production. More specifically, it relates to a horizontal cheese vat for processing a mixture of curd and whey, a method for processing the mixture of curd and whey, and a cheese production line. Background Technology
[0002] Today, large-scale cheese production using cheese vats is well-known. Typically, cheese vats are located downstream of milk processing facilities. This allows milk to undergo pasteurization and fat standardization before being fed into the vat. After the milk is placed in the vat, a starter culture (specific strain) is added to ferment the milk into a specific type of cheese. Rennet is added, causing the milk to coagulate into a mixture of curd and whey. This mixture is then cut using a set of blades attached to the central axis of the vat. After cutting the curd, the mixture is heated while being stirred, usually indirectly by supplying hot water to the vat's jacket.
[0003] In some cheese troughs, the blade assembly is equipped with blades having a sharp edge in one direction and a blunt edge in the opposite direction. This allows the curd and whey mixture to be cut by rotating the blade assembly in one direction and stirred by rotating it in the opposite direction.
[0004] A whey removal device, sometimes called a whey screen, is known to be used to remove whey from a mixture of curd and whey. This device can be positioned in the upper body of a cheese trough, away from the blade assembly during cutting and churning. During whey removal, the blade assembly can be stopped rotating about its axis, and the whey removal device can be lowered into the curd and whey mixture so that whey can be absorbed into the device and removed from the mixture in the trough. The removed whey can, for example, be converted into whey powder.
[0005] Existing technology has successfully provided an efficient method for removing whey from a mixture of curd and whey held inside a cheese trough. However, while the current solution is reliable and cost-effective, further improvements to the process are needed. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The object of this invention is to overcome, at least partially, one or more of the limitations of the prior art described above. In particular, an object of this invention is to provide a cheese trough with superior cleanability, i.e., a cheese trough that can be cleaned with less time and / or less water and / or detergent. Another object is to provide a cheese trough with wider applications.
[0007] It has generally been recognized that an improved cheese trough can be achieved by using external supports instead of internal supports—that is, placing the supports that enable the cheese trough to withstand mechanical and thermal stresses on the outside rather than the inside. The improvement of this cheese trough lies in the fact that the interior of the trough is smoother because the supports are on the outside. In other words, since there are no internal supports, there are fewer corner areas on the inside of the trough, thus improving cleaning performance. Secondly, since there are no internal supports, more space can be provided for the whey filter inside the trough. Compared to troughs with internal supports, a longer whey filter can be used, allowing whey to be removed from the trough at a higher speed. In other words, the advantage of using external supports is that the whey filter in the trough can have a higher capacity than the whey filter in a trough with internal supports. The increased versatility of the cheese trough by removing whey at a higher speed allows for the processing of curd and whey mixtures in ways that are impossible with troughs using internal supports.
[0008] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a horizontal cheese trough for processing a mixture of curd and whey, the trough comprising: The main body, which is used to hold the mixture of curd and whey; The tool assembly is arranged on a horizontal axis extending along the central axis of the main body; The upper body is positioned above the main body; A whey removal device includes: a whey filter disposed in a mixture of curd and whey; and an arm including a conduit connected to the whey filter, wherein the arm is rotatably attached to a fixed conduit device in an upper body such that the whey filter is located in the upper body in an idle position and in the body in a whey removal position. The upper body has first and second outer side walls, and at least one first and second support member is provided between the outer side of the main body and the first and second outer side walls, respectively.
[0009] As mentioned above, by placing the support on the outside of the trough, the cleaning performance and versatility of the trough can be improved.
[0010] The term "horizontal cheese trough" should be understood to refer to a horizontal type of cheese trough, such as a non-vertical cheese trough. Therefore, the word "horizontal" is used to indicate the overall orientation and type of the equipment. In some embodiments, the horizontal cheese trough is positioned at a slight angle of 0-10 degrees (preferably 1-4 degrees) to a strictly horizontal plane to facilitate drainage while maintaining a substantially horizontal orientation.
[0011] The top of the upper body can be dome-shaped.
[0012] By making the top dome-shaped and attaching the support to the first and second outer walls, mechanical and thermal stresses can be effectively withstood.
[0013] The first and second outer sidewalls of the upper body can be inclined toward the main body, such that first and second grooves are formed between the upper body and the main body, wherein at least one first and second support member is located in the first and second grooves respectively.
[0014] By setting grooves and placing supports within them, the grooves can withstand mechanical and thermal stresses, while the main body and upper body can function without supports.
[0015] The main body may include a cylindrical portion, a first planar portion disposed above the cylindrical portion and attached to a first outer sidewall of the upper body, and a second planar portion disposed above the cylindrical portion and attached to a second sidewall of the upper body, wherein the first and second grooves may be formed by the first planar portion and the first outer sidewall, and by the second planar portion and the second outer sidewall, respectively.
[0016] By setting up a flat section, the support can be more easily installed into the slot.
[0017] The angle between the normal vector of the first plane portion and the normal vector of the first outer wall, and the angle between the normal vector of the second plane portion and the normal vector of the second outer wall, can be between 15 and 50 degrees.
[0018] By setting the angle within this range, the cheese trough can effectively withstand stress, while the internal design also facilitates efficient cleaning.
[0019] The whey filter may extend in a direction generally parallel to the central axis of the body, wherein the length of the whey filter is at least 50% of the length of the cylindrical portion of the body, preferably at least 75% of that length.
[0020] The advantage of having a whey filter extension length exceeding 50% or more of the length of the cylindrical portion of the main body is that it can increase the capacity of the whey removal equipment, thereby enabling the production of cheese types that require rapid whey removal.
[0021] The interior and upper body of the main body do not need to be equipped with supporting components.
[0022] Cleaning performance can be improved by completely removing the internal support structure of the cheese trough, i.e., by eliminating the internal support structure.
[0023] The whey filter can extend to the midpoint of the main body.
[0024] As mentioned above, whey removal capacity can be improved by extending the whey filter to most of the length of the tank, such as 50% or more.
[0025] The main body may be at least partially provided with a jacket, so that the mixture of curd and whey contained in the main body can be indirectly heated by hot water in the jacket or cooled by cold water in the jacket.
[0026] As described above, combining the jacket with a whey filter that has improved whey removal capabilities can enhance versatility, thereby enabling the production of cheese types that cannot be produced or are at least difficult to produce using existing cheese troughs with internal supports and whey filter capacity limited by the internal supports.
[0027] At least one first and second support member may each include a thickened plate, which in turn includes a first portion configured to be attached to a first or second outer side wall of the upper body, a second portion configured to be attached to the outer side of the body, and load-bearing members attached to the first and second portions of the thickened plate.
[0028] The load-bearing member may include a plate disposed perpendicular to the first and second portions.
[0029] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for processing a mixture of curd and whey using a horizontal cheese trough according to a first aspect, the method comprising: Milk is fed into the main body of the horizontal cheese trough; Feed the rennet into the main body; The mixture of curd and whey formed by milk and rennet is cut using a blade assembly located within the main body; Stir the mixture of curd and whey; Whey is removed from the curd and whey mixture by parking the blade assembly and lowering the whey filter of the whey removal device, which is positioned in the upper part of the horizontal cheese trough during cutting and mixing, into the curd and whey mixture contained within the main body.
[0030] The same features and advantages as described in the first aspect also apply to the second aspect.
[0031] The method may also include: The mixture of coagulated milk and whey is heated by a heat transfer medium provided in a jacket located on at least a portion of the main body.
[0032] The length L1 of the whey filter can be at least 50% of the length of the cylindrical portion of the body, preferably at least 75% of that length, wherein whey removal can be performed by using a whey filter that extends at least 50% along the length direction.
[0033] According to a third aspect, a cheese production line is provided, comprising a milk processing facility (e.g., a heat treatment unit), a horizontal cheese trough according to a first aspect, a drainage and pressing facility for removing additional whey from a mixture of curd and whey to form curd blocks, and a brining facility for brining the curd blocks.
[0034] Other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description
[0035] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 It is a perspective view of a cheese trough with external support and a cheese trough with internal support.
[0036] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a cheese trough with external supports.
[0037] Figure 3A It is a cross-sectional view of a cheese trough with external supports, in which the whey removal equipment is idle.
[0038] Figure 3B It is a cross-sectional view of a cheese tank equipped with a whey removal device, wherein the whey removal device is in the whey removal state.
[0039] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the cheese trough and its side view are shown.
[0040] Figure 5A A side view of the support is shown in more detail.
[0041] Figure 5B A front view of the support member is shown.
[0042] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing a mixture of curd and whey.
[0043] Figure 7 A cheese production line is illustrated schematically. Detailed Implementation
[0044] Figure 1 Two horizontal cheese troughs, 100 and 200, are shown as examples. Figure 1The cheese trough 100 on the left side has an external support, while the cheese trough 200 on the right side has an internal support. Compared to the cheese trough 200 with an internal support (which is prior art), the cheese trough 100 with an external support has better cleaning performance. One reason for the improved cleaning performance is that the cheese trough 100 with an external support has fewer corner areas compared to the cheese trough 200 with an internal support. Another advantage of the external support is that the whey removal device 112 is not obstructed by the internal support, thus allowing the whey removal device 212 with an external support to have a higher capacity compared to the whey removal device 212 with the cheese trough 200 with an internal support. The positive impact of the increased capacity of the whey removal device 212 is that it can improve the versatility of the cheese trough 200. Cheese production depends on multiple parameters, and by increasing the whey removal speed, more possibilities can be provided for cheese production.
[0045] Taking a cheese trough 100 with external support as an example, the cheese trough 100 includes a main body 102 and an upper body 104. As shown, the main body 102 and the upper body 104 are internally connected to form a closed environment for a curd and whey mixture (C-WMIX). The main body 102 may include a shaft 106 to which a blade assembly 108 is attached. As shown, the blade assembly 108 may include a frame with blades. The blades may have a sharp edge and a blunt edge opposite the sharp edge, so that the curd and whey mixture (C-WMIX) can be cut by rotating the shaft 106 in one direction and stirred by rotating the shaft 106 in the opposite direction. The main body 102 may be provided with a jacket 110. This may be a so-called convex-concave jacket. The curd and whey mixture (C-WMIX) contained in the main body 102 can be indirectly heated by injecting hot water or other heat transfer medium into the jacket 100. Similarly, cold water can be introduced into jacket 110 to cool the curd and whey mixture CW MIX.
[0046] A whey removal device 112 can be housed in the upper body 104. This device may include a whey filter 114, a sieve-like device with openings, which absorbs whey W from the mixture when lowered into the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX). As shown, the whey filter 114 can be connected to an arm 116, which includes conduit for conveying the whey W. The arm 116 is rotatably connected to a fixed conduit assembly 118. Thus, when whey W needs to be removed, the whey filter 114 and a portion of the arm 116 can be lowered into the body 102. For example, during cutting and mixing, the whey filter 114 can be held in the upper body 104 as shown so that the blade assembly 108 can rotate without interfering with the whey removal device 112.
[0047] As described above, first and second support members 120a and b are externally provided to improve whey removal capability and cleaning performance. To ensure effective resistance to mechanical and thermal stresses, it has been found effective to provide first and second grooves 122a and b in the transition region between the main body 102 and the upper body 104. Additionally, as shown, the top 126 of the upper body 104 may be dome-shaped.
[0048] The first and second recesses 122a and b can be formed by tilting the first and second outer sidewalls 124a and b of the upper body 104 toward the center of the cheese trough 100. Furthermore, the main body 102 may be provided with first and second planar portions 130a and b. With these planar portions 130a and b and the planar outer sidewalls 124a and b of the upper body 104, the support members 120a and b can be easily mounted on the cheese trough 100.
[0049] One advantage of placing the supports 120a and b outside the cheese trough 100 (in other words, using external supports) is that the interior 132 of the cheese trough 100 does not need to be supported. Because there is no internal support, there is no risk of milk residue accumulating in the corner area formed by the internal support and the inside of the cheese trough 100. Therefore, less time, water, and detergent are required to clean the cheese trough 100.
[0050] Another advantage of using external supports instead of internal supports is that it frees up more space for the whey filter 114. As shown, the whey filter 114 can extend along direction D, which is approximately parallel to the central axis CA of the trough 100. As shown, in a cheese trough 200 with internal supports, a whey filter 212 can be installed, but its length is limited by the distance between the internal supports due to their presence. Since the lengths of the whey filters 114 and 214 correspond to the whey removal capacity W, placing the supports 120a and b outside the cheese trough 100 improves the whey removal capacity. Because cheese production depends on many different parameters, improving the whey removal capacity directly affects the type of cheese that can be produced in the cheese trough 100. In other words, by placing the supports 120a and b outside the trough 100, its versatility is increased.
[0051] refer to Figure 1The cheese trough 200 on the right includes a main body 202 and an upper body 204. However, unlike the cheese trough 100 with an external support, the support is located internally, i.e., inside the cheese trough 200. There is no groove between the main body 202 and the upper body 204; instead, there are essentially flat vertical sidewalls. Like the cheese trough 100 with an external support, it has a shaft 206 and a blade assembly 208 attached thereto. It is also equipped with a jacket 210 for providing indirect heating and cooling of the curd and whey mixture C-WMIX. However, since the whey removal device 112 of the cheese trough 100 with an external support can provide a higher whey removal capacity, the arrangement of the jacket 110 of the trough 100 allows its heating and cooling to be aligned with the whey removal process. In other words, the jacket 110 of the cheese trough 100 with external supports can heat or cool the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX) more quickly than the jacket 210 of the trough 200 with internal supports. This can be achieved, for example, by providing additional inlets and outlets on the jacket 110 of the trough 100 with external supports.
[0052] Furthermore, the whey removal device 212 can be in line with the whey removal device 112 of the tank 100 with external support, including a whey filter 214, an arm 216, and a fixed pipe assembly 218. However, as mentioned above, the whey filter 214 is shorter than the whey filter 114 of the tank 100 with external support.
[0053] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a cheese groove 100 with an external support is shown as an example. As shown, the body 102 can be cylindrical and has a first radius R1. As shown, the central axis CA can be aligned with axis 106. The knife assembly 108, although not in... Figure 2 As shown in the figure, its length can be approximately equal to the first radius R1, or more specifically, slightly smaller than the first radius R1, so that the curd and whey mixture CW MIX can be effectively cut and stirred.
[0054] As shown in the figure, the upper body 104 can be dome-shaped and have a second radius R2, where the second radius R2 is greater than the first radius R1.
[0055] As described above, the first groove 122a can be formed by the first outer wall 120a of the upper body 104 and the first planar portion 130a of the main body 102, and the second groove 122b can be formed by the second outer wall 120b of the upper body 104 and the second planar portion 130b of the main body 102. The angle α between the normal vector N-1A of the first planar portion 130a and the normal vector N-1B of the first outer wall 124a can be 15 to 50 degrees. The angle α between the normal vector N-2A of the second planar portion 130b and the normal vector N-2B of the second outer wall 124b can also be 15 to 50 degrees.
[0056] Figure 3A A cross-sectional view of the cheese trough 100 is shown, with the whey removal device 112 in an idle state, i.e., the whey filter 114 is located in the upper body 104. When the whey removal device 112 is idle, the blade assembly 108 can rotate about axis 106 without interfering with the whey removal device 112.
[0057] Once the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX) is cut and stirred, the whey removal device 112 can be moved into the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX), i.e., the whey removal device 112 can be moved from... Figure 3A The idle state IDLE shown is moved to Figure 3B The whey removal state shown is W-REM. (Example) Figure 3B As shown, the whey filter 114 can be moved into the curd and whey mixture CW MIX by rotating the whey removal device 112 around the fixed pipe assembly 118.
[0058] As mentioned above, the advantage of not having a support inside the cheese trough 100 132 is that the whey filter 114 is not restricted by the internal support, thereby increasing the capacity of the whey removal device 112.
[0059] like Figure 4 As shown, the length L1 of the whey filter 114 can be at least 50% of the length L2 of the cylindrical portion 128 of the body 102, preferably at least 75% of the length L2. In addition, the whey filter 114 can also extend to the midpoint MID of the body 102, or more specifically to the midpoint of the cylindrical portion 128 of the body 102.
[0060] In this example, the cheese trough 100 has four supports on each side. This might be a suitable choice for a trough holding approximately 30,000 liters. For a cheese trough holding 25,000 liters, three supports on each side might be sufficient.
[0061] Figure 5AThe first and second support members 120a and b are shown in more detail as examples. In this particular example, the support members 120a and b include a thickened plate 500, which further includes: a first portion 502 configured to be attached to a first or second outer side wall 124a or b of the upper body 104; and a second portion 504 configured to be attached to the outer side of the body 102. Furthermore, a load-bearing member 506 may be attached to the first and second portions 502 and 504 of the thickened plate 500 to withstand mechanical and thermal stresses. As shown, the load-bearing member 506 may include a plate disposed perpendicular to the first and second portions 502 and 504.
[0062] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for processing a curd and whey mixture (CW MIX) using a cheese trough 100. The method may include: feeding milk M into the body 102 of the cheese trough 100 (602); feeding rennet R into the body 102 (604); cutting the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX) formed from milk and rennet using a blade assembly 108 provided in the body 102 (606); agitating the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX) (608); and removing whey from the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX) (610) by stopping the blade assembly and lowering the whey filter 114 of a whey removal device 112, which is positioned within the upper body 104 of the horizontal cheese trough 100 during cutting (606) and agitation (608), into the curd and whey mixture (CW MIX) contained within the body 102. Additionally, method 600 may also include heating 612 curd and whey mixture CW MIX by means of a heat transfer medium provided in a jacket 110 disposed on at least a portion of body 102.
[0063] Figure 7 A cheese production line 700 is schematically shown. The production line may include: a milk processing facility 702, such as a heat treatment device; the aforementioned cheese tank 100; a drainage and pressing facility 704 for removing additional whey W from the curd and whey mixture CW MIX to form curd blocks CB; and a salting facility 706 for salting the curd blocks CB.
[0064] As can be seen from the above description, although various embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, the present invention is not limited thereto, but may be implemented in other ways within the scope defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. A horizontal cheese vat (100) for processing a curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX), the vat (100) comprising: a main body (102) for containing the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX); a knife set (108) arranged on a horizontal axis (106) extending along a central axis (C-A) of the main body (102); an upper body (104) arranged above the main body (102); a whey removal device (112) comprising a whey filter (114) arranged in the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) and an arm (116) comprising a pipe connected to the whey filter (114), wherein the arm (116) is rotatably attached to a fixed pipe arrangement (118) in the upper body (104) such that the whey filter (114) is located in the upper body (102) in an idle position (IDLE) and in the main body (102) in a whey removal position (W-REM); wherein the upper body (104) is provided with first and second outer side walls (124a, b), wherein at least one first and second support (120a, b) is arranged between the main body (102) and the first and second outer side walls (124a, b), respectively.
2. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to claim 1, wherein, A top (126) of the upper body (104) is dome-shaped.
3. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The first and second outer side walls (124a, b) of the upper body (104) are inclined towards the main body (102) such that first and second grooves (122a, b) are formed between the upper body (104) and the main body (102), wherein the at least one first and second support (102a, b) is located in the first and second grooves (122a, b), respectively.
4. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to claim 3, wherein, The main body (102) is provided with a cylindrical portion (128), a first planar portion (130a) arranged above the cylindrical portion (128) and attached to the first outer side wall (124a) of the upper body (104), and a second planar portion (130b) arranged above the cylindrical portion (128) and attached to the second side wall (124b) of the upper body (104), wherein the first and second grooves (122a, b) are formed by the first planar portion (130a) and the first outer side wall (124a) and by the second planar portion (130b) and the second outer side wall (124b), respectively.
5. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to claim 4, wherein, An angle (a) between a normal vector (N-1A) of the first planar portion (130a) and a normal vector (N-1B) of the first outer side wall (124a) and an angle (a) between a normal vector (N-2A) of the second planar portion (130b) and a normal vector (N-2B) of the second outer side wall (124b) is 15 to 50 degrees.
6. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The whey filter (114) extends in a direction (D) substantially parallel to the central axis (C-A) of the body (102), wherein the length (LI) of the whey filter (114) is at least 50% of the length (L2) of the cylindrical portion of the body (102), preferably at least 75% of the length (L2).
7. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The interior (132) of the body (102) and the upper body (204) are free of supports.
8. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The whey filter (114) extends above the midpoint (MID) of the body (102).
9. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The body (102) is at least partially provided with a jacket (110) such that the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) contained in the body (102) can be indirectly heated by hot water in the jacket (110) or cooled by cold water in the jacket (110).
10. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The at least one first and second support (120a, b) each comprises: a thickened plate (500) comprising a first portion (502) configured to be attached to the first or second outer side wall (124a, b) of the upper body (104) and a second portion (504) configured to be attached to the outer side of the body (102); and a load bearing member (506) attached to the first and second portions (502, 504) of the thickened plate (500).
11. The horizontal cheese vat (100) according to claim 10, wherein, The load bearing member (506) comprises a plate arranged perpendicularly with respect to the first and second portions (502, 504).
12. A method (600) of processing a curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) by using a horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the method comprising: feeding (602) milk (M) into the body (102) of the horizontal cheese vat (100); feeding (604) rennet (R) into the body (102); cutting (606) the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) formed from the milk and rennet by using the knife set (108) provided in the body (102); agitating (608) the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX); and removing (610) whey (W) from the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) by parking the knife set (108) and lowering the whey filter (114) of the whey removal device (112) which was arranged within the upper body (104) of the horizontal cheese vat (100) during cutting (606) and agitating (608) into the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) contained in the body (102).
13. The method (600) according to claim 12, the method further comprising: heating (612) the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) by means of a heat transfer medium provided in a jacket (110) arranged on at least a portion of the body (102).
14. The method (600) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the length (LI) of the whey filter (114) is at least 50% of the length (L2) of the cylindrical portion of the body (102), preferably at least 75% of said length (L2). wherein The removal (610) of the whey (W) is performed by using the whey filter (114) extending along at least 50% of the length (L2).
15. A cheese production line (700) comprising: a milk handling facility (702), such as a heat treatment device; a horizontal cheese vat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11; a draining and pressing facility (704) for removing excess whey (W) from the curd and whey mixture (C-W MIX) and forming a curd block (C-B); and a salting facility (706) for salting the curd block (C-B).