Benefits
The Tetra Pak® Cheddaring 5 machine is designed for continuous production of fused and stirred Cheddar and pasta filata cheese types. It is a totally enclosed machine, designed to automatically drain, acidify, texture, mill, salt and mellow cheese curd.
Advantages:
- Totally closed environment
- Drainage, fusing/stirring and salting in one machine
- Efficient whey drainage system
- Plastic USDA approved conveyor
- Flexibility of cheese types
- Space saving
- Complete sweet and salt whey separation with unique whey sump design
- Most accurate salting system
Capacity ranges from 1,000 – 16,000 kg/hr.
High-capacity, consistent cheddar production
- Every detail of the design - from inlet screen to mellowing - is optimized to give a consistent end product
- Smart features such as the perforated draining belt and whey screen design ensure a high yield with minimal curd losses
- Hygiene is secured by e.g. pyramid shaped sumps and strategically located cleaning devices
Features
First inlet screen
Effective whey drainage
There are 9 litres of whey for every litre of curd. Made of stainless steel wedge wire, the inlet screen has gaps of just 0.25 mm between each wedge. This means a high proportion of the liquid can drain through the holes, but very few curd particles pass through.
Second whey screen
Catches the curd particles, maximizing yield
Any rogue curd particles that have not been caught by the first inlet screen, are caught in this, the second whey screen. All the whey that passes through the screen is immediately collected before it has had time to accumulate bacteria – so it can be categorized as ‘high-quality whey’.
Channel design
Ensures consistent product quality
Baffle plates are strategically placed in the channel, generating turbulence in the mixture and ensuring the curds are evenly distributed across the width of the belt. This gives an even process throughout the mixture, and leads to a more consistent end product.
Draining belt with tapered perforations
High hygiene and minimal fines losses
The draining belt has tapered slots through which the curd particles pass. Once they have passed through the narrowest point – the inlet - the curd particles can fall through the wider part of the hole easily, without the risk of clogging.
Draining boosting stirrer
Eliminates pockets of whey
If pockets of whey accumulate on top of the curd mat, they simply remain there, leading to an uneven moisture distribution. This stirrer eliminates this problem by breaking up the curd mat so the whey can drain off through the perforated belt.
CIP separation hatch
Saves time between production runs
The CIP separation hatch closes off part of the machine so pre-rinsing can begin in the upper house, even while product is still being removed from the lower house. This shortens the waiting time between production runs.
Fish bone belt support
For smooth, economical operation
The belt support has an open fish bone design which delivers a number of benefits. The most important one is that it reduces the level of friction between the belt and the support, so the belt can run smoothly without jumping. It gives an even wear across the belt, and does not leave black wear marks (that can occur when parallel support is used). Finally, it’s much easier to clean than a closed design since there are no CIP blind spots.
Side guides
Minimize product losses
Low friction plastic side guides rest on the belt itself. The absence of a gap between the belt and the guides means curds cannot escape through the sides. In this way, it prevents product losses. The guides also eliminate the possible issue of black spots on the cheese - which can be caused by stainless steel residue in a traditional design. Since the cheese is not in direct contact with the stainless-steel housing, heat losses are minimized, contributing to a consistent output.
Options
Curd distribution tank
The curds are moved around the central cone by a paddle, ensuring an even distribution to all the outlets, and onwards to the block formers downstream. The tank also senses the level of curds, and only activates the filling sequence when there is sufficient product to start filling the block formers.
Additional stirrers
Release more moisture from the curds,
We offer additional stirrers that release more moisture from the curds, enabling the production of other cheese varieties using the same equipment.
