Adding of ingredients to a granular product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10130109-B2
Application number	US-201414902386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2014
Priority date	Jul 3, 2013
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A method for adding ingredients to a mass of curd, comprises a step of separating whey from curd grains, a step of transferring curd grains from the separating step to a step of arranging the curd grains in a mould. A step of adding the ingredients is performed in the transferring step.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for adding ingredients to curd grains as part of a cheese making process, the method comprising:
separating whey from the curd grains using a conical sieve that includes an outlet,
transferring the curd grains to a mould so that the curd grains are arranged in the mould, wherein
ingredients are added to the curd grains during the transferring of the curd grains to the mould, and
the adding of the ingredients to the curd grains is performed by conveying the ingredients through a nozzle arranged in a narrow region of the conical sieve so that the ingredients are added to the curd grains at the narrow region of the conical sleeve, and ejecting a flow of curd grains and the ingredients in a longitudinal direction towards the outlet of the conical sieve.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transferring of the curd grains to the mould comprises allowing the grains to fall under gravity from the conical sleeve to the mould.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transporting the ingredients to the curd grains by a fluid flow.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising allowing the curd grains to fall under gravity as the ingredients are added to the curd grains.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conical sieve is rotating around a longitudinal axis of symmetry.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conical sieve is vibrating.

7. A device for adding ingredients to a mass of curd grains as part of a cheese making process, the device comprising a conical sieve having an inlet end for receiving the mass of curd grains and an outlet end directing the curd grains towards a mould, wherein a nozzle is provided for injecting the ingredients to the mass of curd grains in an area of the outlet end of the conical sieve, wherein sloping sidewalls form part of the conical sieve that is arranged to separate the curd grains from residual whey.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the sloping sidewalls impart a momentum to the curd grains on their way from the inlet to the outlet.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the ingredient is mixed into a fluid flow before being injected into the mass of curd grains.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the conical sieve is arranged to rotate along a longitudinal axis of symmetry.

11. The device of claim 7 , wherein the conical sieve is arranged to vibrate.

12. The device of claim 7 , wherein the nozzle is arranged to inject a mixture of fluid and ingredient in a direction out through the outlet of the device, such that mixing of ingredients and curd grains is effected when the curd grains are unsupported by the device.

13. The device of claim 7 , wherein one or several additional nozzles are provided for injecting at least one additional ingredient.

14. The device according to claim 12 , wherein said one or several additional nozzles is placed next to said nozzle.

15. The device according to claim 13 , wherein said one or several additional nozzles are placed inside said nozzle.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Spijkerman Harrie

Classifications

• A01J25/13

  Moulds therefor · CPC title

• A01J25/117

  Filter design · CPC title

• A01J25/111 Primary

  by continuous separation · CPC title

• A23C19/06 Primary

  Treating cheese curd after whey separation; Products obtained thereby · CPC title

• A01J25/12

  Forming the cheese · CPC title