Butter-making method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12225875-B2
Application number	US-201816487472-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2018
Priority date	Feb 21, 2017
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A method for producing butter in a buttermaking machine involves using a rotatable beater, in the buttermaking cylinder, to form butter grain and buttermilk with cream supplied to the cylinder. In the drum for the post-buttermaking process, a post-buttermaking process is performed, during which a butter grain size is adjusted. The butter grain is kneaded in the first press, which includes a hollow base body containing one or two screw conveyors, the speed of which can be regulated by a speed-regulated drive, and in addition, the basic water content of the butter is reduced and in the first mixing section, the cross-section of at least one outlet of a throttle device is modified, one or both of the steps and being carried out in an electronically self-regulating manner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing butter in a butter-making machine, the butter-making machine comprising an inlet, a butter-making cylinder with a rotatable beater, a butter-refining drum and a first extraction press, and a first mixing section arranged downstream thereof, the method comprising:
a) forming, by the rotatable beater in the butter-making cylinder, butter grains and butter milk from cream supplied to the butter-making cylinder;
b) performing, in the butter-refining drum, a butter-refining process in which a butter grain size is adjusted;
c) kneading the butter grains in the first extraction press, which comprises a hollow body containing one or two screw conveyors having a speed that is regulated by an adjustable-speed drive, wherein a basic water content of the butter is also reduced;
d) varying, in the first mixing section, a cross-section of an outlet opening of a restrictor,
wherein the speed of the adjustable-speed drive and a size of the cross-section of the outlet opening of the restrictor are controlled in an electronically self-regulating manner,
wherein step c) further comprises
determining a pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter;
determining a filling level in the first extraction press; and
using the determined pressure and determined filling level as reference variables of the electronic self-regulation,

wherein the first extraction press comprises a filling level sensor positioned on the first extraction press so that the filling level sensor can sense a filling level in the first extraction press, the filling level is equivalent to a complete filling of the first extraction press with the butter grains or butter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein step c) further comprises:
using a speed of the screw conveyor of the first extraction press as a control variable of the electronic self-regulation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein
step d) further comprises discharging the butter from the first mixing section through the restrictor, and
step c) further comprises using the size of the cross-section of the outlet opening of the restrictor as control variable of the electronic self-regulation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first extraction press comprises a pressure sensor, which is positioned in the hollow body of the first extraction press in front of an outlet of the hollow body.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a set value of a pressure at an outlet-side end of the first extraction press is a maximum of 10 bar and a minimum of 9 bar.

6. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the filling level sensor is positioned on the first extraction press so that the filling level sensor can sense a filling level in the first extraction press, the filling level is equivalent to a complete filling of the first extraction press with the butter grains or butter.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference variables or set values of the reference variables used in the self-regulation are determined by self-learning during the process of buttermaking and/or during a start-up phase of the process of buttermaking.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
e) extracting, in a vacuum chamber, air from the butter after step d) to improve keeping qualities of the butter.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
f) feeding the butter into an inlet of a second extraction press after step e) to extract more water and to optimize a water content of the butter.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
g) mixing, in a second mixing section, the butter to achieve a uniform distribution of the water content in the butter and an optimized water content of the butter after step f).

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
electronically regulating one or both of the steps e) and f).

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step a) further comprises:
measuring at least one characteristic value of cream or using a predetermined characteristic value of the cream;
registering an actual value for the instantaneous drive output of the rotatable beater; and
determining a set value for the instantaneous drive output of the rotatable beater as a function of the at least one characteristic value;
adjusting a speed of the rotatable beater until the set value for the drive output is attained.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step a) a cream temperature and/or cream fat content is used as a characteristic value.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing a visual check on the production of the butter in the butter-refining drum via a viewing window.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure and the filling level are determined directly.

16. A method for producing butter in a butter-making machine, the butter-making machine comprising an inlet, a butter-making cylinder with a rotatable beater, a butter-refining drum and a first extraction press, and a first mixing section arranged downstream thereof, the method comprising:
starting the butter-making machine and maintaining a restrictor at a downstream end of the first mixing section in a closed position;
feeding butter grains into the first extraction press, which kneads the butter grains, and feeding the kneaded butter grains into the first mixing section;
determining, using a filling level sensor arranged between an inlet shaft of the first extraction press and a first screw channel of the inlet shaft of the first extraction press, that a filling level of the first extraction press corresponds to a complete filling of the first extraction press;
performing a self-learning feedback control process responsive to the determination that the filling level of the first extraction press corresponds to the complete filling of the first extraction press, wherein the self-learning feedback control process comprises
determining, by a pressure sensor, a pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter when the first extraction press corresponds to the complete filling of the first extraction press; and
determining an operating point for a drive of a screw conveyer of the first extraction press as a function of flow rate butter grains in the first extraction press so that the filling level of the first extraction press corresponds to the complete filling of the first extraction press;

operating the butter-making machine using the determined pressure and determined operating point by
determining, using the filling level sensor, a current filling level of the first extraction press;
determining, using the pressure sensor, a current pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter;
adjusting, based on the determined current filling level, a speed of the drive of the screw conveyor using the determined operating point; and
controlling, based on the determined current pressure, a size of an opening of the restrictor to achieve the determined pressure in the first extraction press.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the pressure sensor directly determines the pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter and the filling level sensor directly determines a filling level of the first extraction press.

Assignees

• Gea Mechanical Equipment Gmbh

Inventors

• Klapper Siegfried
• Bräutigam Carsten

Classifications

• A23C15/02 Primary

  Making thereof · CPC title

• A01J17/00

  Kneading machines for butter, or the like · CPC title

• A01J15/02

  Stationary churns with beating equipment · CPC title

• A01J15/26 Primary

  Combined appliances for separating, churning and kneading · CPC title