Yield stabilization with at-line monitoring of milk coagulation

Applications / Cheese yield stabilization through at-line monitoring of coagulation

It’s well known that cutting step is critical in cheese making since it affects both product quality and yield. It has always been important to control the cutting of the curd using different technics such as manual evaluation of firmness or light and heat based sensors. However, these techniques proved to be challenging. On one hand, manual sensing requires experience and deep know how that only experienced cheesemakers have. On the other hand, in-line sensors are not enough robust because they are sensitive to micro heterogeneities and local conditions inside the vat.

Vat to Vat Stabilisation of Cutting firmness using CoaguSens™ Connect

Fig. 2. Cheese yield (actual yield) and its variability in phases I
(without CoaguSens™) and II (with CoaguSens™).

We have developed the CoaguSens™ Connect to solve that problem by providing a robust, easy to deploy and use instrument that measures milk coagulation at-line, near coagulation vats.

This application note shows how to reduce the variability of yield through the control of curd cutting firmness. The CoaguSens™ Connect was used in a North American cheddar plant to standardize cutting firmness from a vat to another. As a consequence, the variability of yield was significantly reduced.

Stabilizing and standardizing firmness at the curd cutting step is the second phase of the overall yield optimization journey.