Abstract:
This invention relates to an improvement in a rectangular, large cheese mould, one end of which has been designed as a door through which the bottom of the mould and the cheese mattress resting upon this may be extracted in its own plane from the mould, the bottom of the mould consisting of perforated band or net webbing permeable to whey. The invention is characterized in that the bottom of the mould consists of an endless wire, the upper run of which supports the cheese mattress and in connection with the lower run of which a wire-cleaning device has been fitted.
Abstract:
An apparatus for preparing curd and feeding same to a curd processing apparatus, comprising a number of curd tanks and a pipe system connected with the curd tanks and provided with pumping means to feed curd from the curd tanks to the curd processing apparatus, wherein at least a number of curd tanks are provided with a first outlet and a second outlet, the pumping means being connected with the two outlets of said curd tanks, such that a curd tank can be pumped out via both outlets simultaneously.
Abstract:
The present invention discloses an apparatus for cooling, washing and draining liquid from a suspension of material that includes discrete particles of a friable material such as cottage cheese curd and a transporting liquid, and for blending an additive liquid such as cottage cheese cream dressing into the friable material after it has been drained to prepare a blended material. The apparatus includes a vessel having a bottom wall, a lower aperture in the bottom wall, a side wall and a top wall. A sweep is mounted in the vessel for rotation about a principal axis to gently agitate suspended or blended material. A manifold is mounted in surrounding relation to the lower aperture of the vessel and has upper and lower chambers, a foraminous screen mounted between the upper and lower chambers, a first opening for admitting or exhausting material from the upper chamber above the foraminous screen, and a second opening in fluid communication with the lower chamber for draining liquid. An auxiliary agitator is provided which includes a shaft having upper intermediate and lower portions. The agitator is adapted to be mounted in the vessel for rotation about a secondary axis that is at an acute angle to the principal axis to stir material.
Abstract:
A conveyor mechanism for automatically removing articles, such as cheeses, floating in a liquid includes a horizontal section adapted to be positioned below the surface of the liquid and an integral upwardly inclined section. Articles that float upon the horizontal section are moved to the inclined section which lifts them out of the liquid and delivers them to an elevated point. The articles are prevented from jamming the conveyor by moving stepped walls located on either side of the horizontal section at the location where jamming is likely to occur. The stepped walls move longitudinally back and forth 180.degree. out of phase with one another to gently bump and align the articles. In the preferred embodiment, a single motor drives the conveyor and rotates cam wheels which move the stepped walls.
Abstract:
A device for unloading cheese curd from a vat, weighing out a predetermined quantity of the curd and pre-pressing the curd within a hoop. The device includes a movable frame having a hopper adapted to be positioned adjacent the open end of the vat, and the curd is pushed out of the open end of the vat by a blade mechanism into the hopper. An upwardly inclined auger conveys the curd from the hopper and discharges the curd into a hoop located at a weighing station on the frame. After the desired weight of curd has been discharged into the hoop at the weighing station, the hoop is moved across a conveyor on the frame to a prepressing station where a platen acts to compress the curd within the hoop.