Semi-Hard Cheese Manufacturing Process Without Whey Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process for manufacturing semi-hard cheese involves cumbersome whey removal and washing operations, leading to contamination risks, cheese yield reduction, process time deviations, major process risks, and cheese composition variations due to the need for pre-drainage and washing water.
Innovation Solution
A process that eliminates pre-drainage and washing steps by using lactose-standardized cheese milk with enriched protein content, achieved through ultrafiltration and nanofiltration of skim milk, resulting in a cheese milk with optimized fat, protein, and lactose levels, which reduces the volume of milk needed and eliminates the need for whey removal and washing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pre-drainage and washing operations are performed, then whey removal is achieved, but contamination risks increase and process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the pre-drainage and washing operations from the cheese manufacturing process. By using standardized milk with controlled lactose content and optimized curd cutting/heating parameters, the process achieves whey removal without requiring separate drainage and washing steps, thereby reducing contamination risks and process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the input milk by using standardized milk with controlled lactose content (below 4.7 wt%). This parameter change allows the curd to achieve proper syneresis and whey expulsion without requiring additional washing operations, thus eliminating contamination risks associated with whey removal equipment
2Loss of substance
If pre-drainage and washing operations are performed, then whey removal is achieved, but cheese yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary standardization of the milk before cheese manufacturing, controlling the lactose content in advance. This preliminary action ensures that the curd forms with optimal properties for whey expulsion, eliminating the need for subsequent washing operations that would cause cheese yield loss while maintaining effective whey removal
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the lactose content parameter of the input milk to below 4.7 wt%, the invention optimizes the curd's syneresis characteristics. This allows complete whey removal through controlled heating and cutting alone, without washing steps that would otherwise be needed to remove surface whey, thereby preventing cheese yield reduction
3Loss of time
If pre-drainage and washing operations are performed, then whey removal is achieved, but process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the time-consuming pre-drainage and washing operations from the process sequence. By using standardized milk with controlled composition, the process achieves complete whey removal through optimized curd cutting and heating steps alone, reducing total process time while maintaining whey removal effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The invention maintains continuous useful action by integrating whey removal into the main curd processing sequence without interrupting the flow for separate drainage and washing steps. The standardized milk composition ensures continuous effective syneresis and whey expulsion throughout the heating process, eliminating idle time between operations
4Manufacturing precision
If washing water is added, then lactose content in curd is reduced, but cheese composition consistency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary standardization of the milk by controlling the lactose content before cheese manufacturing. This preliminary control of the input material composition eliminates the need for washing operations that would otherwise be required to reduce curd lactose, thereby maintaining cheese composition consistency while achieving the desired lactose reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the lactose content parameter of the input milk to below 4.7 wt%, which fundamentally alters the curd formation and syneresis behavior. This parameter change allows the curd to expel whey containing excess lactose during the normal heating process, achieving lactose reduction without washing operations that would compromise composition consistency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances cheese quality by reducing contamination risks, minimizing cheese yield loss, streamlining the process, and maintaining consistent cheese composition, while also providing a more robust and efficient industrial process.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the skim milk to an ultrafiltration to produce a retentate R1 containing the skim milk fraction enriched in proteins and a permeate P1
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the permeate P1 to nanofiltration to obtain a retentate R2 enriched in lactose and a permeate P2 enriched in minerals
Data Source
AI summary
A process for manufacturing semi-hard cheese, wherein skimmed milk enriched in fat and proteins, but depleted in lactose is subjected to coagulation without the need for pre-drainage of whey and any washing operations.