Curd Fusion Pressure Control for Uniform Cheese Block Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual process of fusing cheese curds results in unevenly sized curds with air pockets and water pockets, making it difficult to achieve precise packaging and leading to a poor appearance and inconsistent product quality.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method utilizing a container with a gas pressure system to apply overpressure to the curd stack, ensuring uniform pressure and eliminating air pockets, which involves obtaining curd, stacking it, sealing the container, maintaining overpressure for a target duration, and transforming the curd stack into cheese curds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual curd fusing process is used, then labor intensity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates resulting in unevenly sized curds with air pockets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical stacking and pressing operations with an automated gas pressure system. Gas is introduced into the sealed container to apply uniform overpressure on the curd stack, eliminating the need for manual slab stacking and pressing while ensuring consistent compression throughout the curd mass, thereby achieving uniform curd size without air pockets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic pressure by introducing gas into the sealed container to compress the curd stack. The gas pressure system applies uniform overpressure throughout the curd, replacing manual mechanical pressing and ensuring consistent compression that eliminates air pockets and produces uniformly sized curds.
2Device complexity
If manual stacking and pressing is used, then equipment complexity is reduced, but product quality deteriorates due to air pockets and water pockets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex manual stacking and pressing equipment with a simple gas pressure system consisting of a gas source and sealed container. The pneumatic system applies uniform pressure throughout the curd stack, eliminating air pockets and water pockets while ensuring consistent product quality without requiring complex mechanical pressing devices.
3Manufacturing precision
If gas pressure system is implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a gas pressure system with a gas source and sealed container to apply uniform overpressure on the curd stack. This pneumatic approach achieves high manufacturing precision for uniform curd size while maintaining relatively simple device complexity, as gas pressure naturally distributes uniformly throughout the container without requiring complex mechanical pressing mechanisms.
4Productivity
If gas overpressure is applied, then productivity is improved through faster processing, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs gas pressure to compress the curd stack, which accelerates the syneresis process and reduces processing time compared to manual methods. The gas pressure system applies overpressure to expel whey more efficiently, improving productivity while the energy consumption remains relatively low as gas compression requires less energy than mechanical pressing systems.
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
The solution ensures uniformly sized cheese curds without air pockets, facilitating precise packaging and improving product quality by enhancing the syneresis process and acidification, resulting in a more consistent and appealing final product.
Implementation Method 1
a gas pressure system coupled to the container and configured to apply an overpressure on the curd stack when the container is sealed
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus (70) for fusing curd provided and comprises a container (92) to receive curd to form a curd stack (106), which has associated thereto a pressure parameter specifying a pressure required at the bottom of the curd stack to produce a curd block from a bottom portion of the curd stack. The apparatus also comprises a gas pressure system (111, 112, 108, 113) to apply a gas overpressure in the container when a pressure value at the bottom of the curd stack is below the pressure parameter. The gas overpressure has a value equal to or greater than a difference between the pressure required at the bottom of the curd stack and the pressure value at the bottom of the curd stack. A method for fusing curd is also provided and includes applying an overpressure to a curd stack to compensate for insufficient pressure at the bottom of the curd stack.