Fat, salt and dry matter measured in every cheese batch

For a cheese producer, the stage between the cheese press and the brine bath is decisive. After curd cutting and pressing, fat, salt content and dry matter of the raw cheese determine how it behaves in brining and ripening. This is the last point at which recipe and composition can still be adjusted.

Until then, these parameters were only known from selective lab tests. Sampling interrupted production, and by the time results arrived, the batch had moved on. Operators could not react to fluctuations before further processing.

The measurement therefore had to work without contact, withstand washdown in the production area and fit onto the existing line.

Polytec mounted a non-contact NIR distance measuring head in hygienic design directly above the conveyor belt at the exit of the cheese press. It determines fat, salt content and dry matter for every batch automatically, without touching the product.

Time-consuming manual sampling and lab spot checks that interrupted production are no longer needed. Deviations show up in real time, before the cheese moves on to brining and ripening.

The distance measuring head is rated IP69K and meets the hygiene and washdown requirements in the production area. Its compact, robust design made commissioning on the existing line straightforward. Results are available within the batch, and Polytec supported the method development for the chemometric models.

Because deviations are corrected before the cheese goes into the brine bath, fewer batches end up out of spec after ripening. That increases yield and lowers quality costs.

• Higher yield: fewer batches lost to off-spec composition
• Lower quality costs: less rework, fewer rejects and fewer lab samples
• Faster decisions: no waiting for lab results before the next process step

Want to check your product right in the line? Let's talk about your application.