Patent Application
20240276942
The present invention relates to a piping system for continuous production of a precipitating food, in particular cheese and/or tofu, by precipitation of a first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions, of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, within the piping system.
In food industry, especially in cheese production, it is common practice to precipitate the milk by adding a precipitation medium such as citric acid or rennet and to separate the precipitated milk from the liquid whey after a certain incubation/interaction time. The precipitation of the milk is often carried out in a batch process, since the volume of milk and precipitation medium added to the reactor (e.g. stirred tank), which has a specific volume known in advance, can be dosed according to the desired mass of the cheese. In this way, the finished cheese has exactly the desired weight, which eliminates the need to cut the cheese and results in little or no food waste.
The disadvantages of cheese production in a batch process are, on the one hand, that it is an open system and thus germs or impurities (e.g. when adding/pouring the respective reactants) can enter the food product, and open heated systems are highly energy consuming compared to closed (and insulated) systems. On the other hand, that production must be stopped for each production step, which makes the batch process very labor- & time-intensive.
Cheese production in a continuous process by means of a piping system eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages of the batch process, since on the one hand it is a closed system, which significantly improves, on the one hand, hygiene in that germs or impurities can no longer easily enter the system and thus the cheese and, on the other hand, energy efficiency. Furthermore, due to the mixing of reactants which have been fed into the piping system (e.g. milk and precipitation medium) during the flow through the piping system, a continuous process can be realized in which the production does not have to be interrupted for each work step or the reaction solution has to be decanted/transferred.
A disadvantage of such a continuous cheese production according to the prior art is the difficulty of precisely portioning the volume of milk flowing in the piping system and thus also the amount of precipitation medium required for precipitating the milk. It is therefore difficult to ensure that the milk has been completely precipitated in case the precipitation medium dosage is too low or that the cheese obtained has the desired weight. In the case of incomplete precipitation of the milk, the reaction product obtained cannot be further processed into cheese as desired and may have to be disposed of.
A significant disadvantage of continuous cheese production according to the prior art is the sedimentation of the precipitated milk (i.e. cheese curd flocs, which sediment in the liquid whey) over process and production time in the piping system. Such sedimentation leads to a very unstable volume flow of the precipitated milk or, in the worst case, results in a complete blockage of the pipeline. Additionally, sedimentation of the cheese curd in the pipeline results in not obtaining the desired amount of cheese per portion at the end of the production process, because parts of the cheese curd remain in the pipeline.
A further significant disadvantage of continuous cheese production is that for further downstream processing, cheese curd needs to be filled into cheese blocs, i.e. converting a continuous process to a semi-continuous process. In order to obtain uniform end products, cheese curd blocs need to be isovolumetric and therefore need to be portioned exactly according to their curd (precipitate) volume. Varying amounts of precipitated milk, resulting in cheese blocs of different sizes, impend further downstream processing (e.g. slicing) of the cheese. This potentially causes a relatively large amount of food waste.
The above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art also occur in the continuous production of other food products that could be obtained by means of a precipitation reaction in a piping system, such as tofu.
For this reason, it is desirable to provide an improved piping system or method with which precipitating foods, in particular cheese and/or tofu, can be produced in a continuous process within the piping system, wherein the respective reactants, in particular milk or other protein dispersions, and a precipitation medium, can be precisely portioned.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a piping system and a method for continuous production of a precipitating food, in particular cheese and/or tofu, which overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
This object is achieved by realizing at least part of the features of the independent claims. Features which further develop the invention in an alternative or advantageous manner are described in the dependent patent claims.
The present invention relates to a piping system for continuous production of a precipitating food, in particular cheese and/or tofu, by precipitation of a first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions, of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, within the piping system, said system comprising
The defined first distance between the at least two pigs can be provided, for example, by the first of the at least two pigs passing the medium supply device which then supplies a previously set volume or mass (which accordingly also has a certain volume depending on the density of the first medium) of the first medium into the space/region/area/volume behind the first of the at least two pigs (which corresponds to the space/region/area/volume between the first of the at least two pigs and the second of the at least two pigs), whereby this supplied volume or mass of the first medium defines the intermediate pig volume. After complete supply of the previously set volume or mass of the first medium to the space behind the first of the at least two pigs, the pig supply supplies the second of the at least two pigs, whereby the intermediate pig volume (defined by the supplied volume or mass of the first medium) is now present between the at least two pigs. Since the at least one pipeline has a defined pipeline diameter and a defined intermediate pig volume is present between the first and the second of the at least two pigs, they consequently have a defined (first) distance to each other.
The defined first distance between the at least two pigs can also be provided, for example, by the first of the at least two pigs passing the medium supply device and then a previously set volume or a previously set mass of the first medium being supplied with a constant volume flow or constant mass flow into the space behind the first of the at least two pigs, whereby due to the constant volume flow or constant mass flow a defined (supply/dosage) time expires until the previously set volume or the previously set mass of the first medium has been completely supplied. After this defined time has expired the pig supply supplies the second of the at least two pigs, whereby defined by the constant volume or constant mass flow which has moved the first of the at least two pigs forward in the defined time, there is a defined (first) distance between the at least two pigs.
The term precipitation refers to the separation of a dissolved substance/component from a solution. The precipitation results in a precipitate in the form of, for example, amorphous flocs or a crystalline material. Basically, a phase transition of the previously dissolved substance takes place. Often these flocs enlarge on aging due to additional agglomeration. As a result, they can be filtered better or form a sediment. Agglomeration of the precipitate/flocs often further reduces their solubility.
The formation of the precipitate by precipitation can be caused, for example, by exceeding the solubility/solubility product of the substance due to changes in its environmental conditions (e.g. pH value or salt content), changes in temperature and pressure, evaporation of the solvent, changes in the polarity of the solvent or, for example, by additions of suitable substances (precipitants/precipitation medium). An added precipitation medium can, for example, become part of the precipitate or convert the dissolved substance into a less soluble one, or only change the solvent properties of the solvent. The liquid remaining is called the supernatant.
In other words, the term precipitation medium refers to a substance that causes a (chemical) reaction (precipitation reaction) in the medium to be precipitated, in this case the first medium (e.g. milk or other protein dispersions), whereby this first medium precipitates and forms, for example, flocs/flakes/pieces/curd. These flocs of the precipitated first medium float and/or sediment (depending on the density of the flocs) as a precipitate in the supernatant, also referred to as precipitation brine/precipitation permeate (or whey in case of milk). The flocs can agglomerate into increasingly larger flocs, thus forming increasingly larger pieces, up to whole blocks of precipitate. In order to then obtain the precipitated food, these blocks (which have formed from agglomerated flocs of the precipitated first medium) are separated from the precipitation brine/precipitation permeate (e.g. by filtering/decantation).
In the case of precipitation of milk (first medium) for cheese production, the precipitated milk (precipitated first medium) precipitates in the form of flocs, which sediment or float around in the liquid whey (precipitation brine/precipitated permeate). The flocs continue to agglomerate until whole cheese curd blocs are obtained, which float in the liquid whey.
It is clear to the skilled person that the term precipitation medium covers all substances that can be used for precipitation of the first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions.
The present invention has the advantage over prior art systems, in particular over discontinuous production in a batch process, that the precipitating food, in particular cheese and/or tofu, can be produced continuously. In this way, the production is significantly more work- and time-efficient, since the production does not have to be interrupted for individual working steps. Instead, there is an uninterrupted flow through the plant and the precipitating food is produced during this flow. Since the piping system can be controlled in its entirety by a control unit and the individual system components thus work synchronized with each other, it is not necessary to control each work step individually or even to carry it out manually. Furthermore, the piping system according to the invention enables a hygienic and simple production, since, on the one hand, a closed system is available and thus the entering of germs, impurities, etc. into the individual raw materials (first medium, precipitation medium, etc.) and into the precipitated food product is hindered/prevented and, on the other hand, the piping system is functional with a small number of components (e.g. pumps, valves, supply lines, electronic components, etc.). The closed system also reduces the energy consumption of the piping system according to the invention, since there is improved insulation in the closed system compared to an open system, particularly during heating or cooling processes in the system.
Another advantage of the piping system according to the invention is that the first medium is already correctly portioned with a defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, in the at least one pipeline, in particular in the intermediate pig volume, and thus, on the one hand, the suitable dosage of the precipitation medium for complete precipitation of the first medium can be determined and, on the other hand, the product, i.e. the precipitating food, is obtained in the desired quantity (desired volume and/or desired mass). Thus, the production of the precipitating food is very resource-efficient, since it is obtained in the desired quantity (desired volume and/or desired mass) despite a continuous process and thus little food waste occurs.
Furthermore, the pigs that are moved through the piping system prevent (accumulated) sedimentation of the precipitated first medium (e.g. flocs, which sediment in the precipitation brine/precipitated permeate) over process and production time (for example, process time describes the time that passes until the raw materials have been transported from the beginning of the piping system to the end of the piping system and are available there as the product and production time describes the time from the start of production in the morning until the machines are shut down, for example in the evening) in the at least one pipeline. In case of the use of pigs, the precipitate accumulation/sedimentation regularly—within the intermediate pig volume—is pushed forward with the pigs and thereby, sediments such as protein agglomerates get pushed out. In addition, (solid) sedimentation on the pipeline wall (e.g. limestone/chalk, precipitated first medium from previous productions, etc.) is scraped off by the pigs, which provides a clearance/keeping free of the pipeline.
The advantages of the piping system according to the invention are to a certain extent dependent on the size and geometry of the pigs used. If, for example, the diameter of the pigs used is significantly smaller than the inner diameter of the pipeline, the first medium, which has been filled into the intermediate pig volume, for example, in a defined volume by means of the medium supply device, can flow through the gaps between the pipeline wall and the pigs. Thus, the first medium can flow out of the intermediate pig volume (there is less first medium than desired) and flow into another intermediate pig volume (the amount of first medium is undesirably increased there), whereby the desired portioning of the first medium is not achieved.
The removal of sediments from the pipeline wall is also not possible or only incomplete with a pig diameter significantly smaller than the inner diameter of the pipeline, since the pigs can flow/move over the sediments without scraping them off the pipeline wall or pushing them forward.
Consequently, it is particularly advantageous to select the diameter of the pig (or the diameter of the point of greatest expansion of the pig) so (for example, exactly or almost exactly as the internal diameter of the pipeline) that the pig seals the pipeline completely or almost completely (with respect to the exit of the first medium from the intermediate pig volume) and can also push away sedimentation completely or almost completely. It is not necessary that the diameter of the pig (e.g. by a lip fitted to the inner diameter of the pipeline) is exactly as large as the inner diameter of the pipeline (and thus touches the inner wall of the pipeline), since the desired portioning and removal of sedimentation may also work sufficiently well if the diameter of the pig (or the diameter of the point of greatest expansion of the pig) is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the pipeline. It is clear to the skilled person how large he has to choose the diameter of the pig in order to achieve a sufficiently good sealing and/or removal of sediments.
The skilled person further knows that the pig can have different geometries (e.g. the pig is configured as a sphere, cylinder, dumbbell, lip pig, etc.), wherein it is only important that the pig has at least one point whose diameter provides the desired scaling and/or the desired removal of sedimentation.
In a further embodiment, the controller is configured to provide a constant volumetric flow, in particular a constant volumetric flow of the first medium, flowing in the at least one pipeline such that the defined first distance between the at least two pigs is maintained, in particular wherein the system further comprises at least one flow meter configured to determine the volumetric flow, in particular the volumetric flow of the first medium, in the at least one pipeline, and the controller is configured to provide the constant volumetric flow, in particular the constant volumetric flow of the first medium, based on the determination of the volumetric flow, in particular the volumetric flow of the first medium, by means of the flow meter.
This embodiment has the advantage that since the pigs are supplied into the at least one pipeline with the defined first distance from each other and are moved through the pipeline by the constant volumetric flow, in particular of the first medium, (and in doing so maintain the defined first distance from each other and thus also the intermediate pig volume), even if numerous pigs are present in the system (e.g. 5-15 pigs), the intermediate pig volume is equal for all pigs and thus (in case the first medium and the precipitation medium are supplied by the medium supply device into the at least one pipeline, in particular into the intermediate pig volume, in a constant manner for all pigs) the quantity, in particular volume and/or mass, of the first medium and/or of the precipitation medium in the intermediate pig volume is equal between all pigs.
In a further embodiment, the at least two pigs each comprising a pig body having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the at least one pipeline, and at least one lip, wherein the at least one lip extends radially from the pig body and has a diameter such that the at least one lip seals the at least one pipeline when present inside the pipeline.
As the at least one lip of the pig seals the at least one pipeline when present inside the pipeline, on the one hand the first medium and/or the precipitation medium cannot exit/leak out of the intermediate pig volume and on the other hand no further medium (e.g. further first medium) can enter the intermediate pig volume, which has the advantage that as soon as the first medium and/or the precipitation medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, are provided in the intermediate pig volume, these quantities remain the same during the passage through the piping system and thus the desired quantity of precipitated food is obtained in each case.
In a further embodiment, the precipitation of the first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions, of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume, is provided at least in the intermediate pig volume, while the at least two pigs move through the at least one pipeline by means of the volumetric flow, in particular by the volumetric flow of the first medium, flowing in the at least one pipeline.
This embodiment has the advantage that at the beginning of the piping system the first medium and the precipitation medium are provided at least in the intermediate pig volume and the precipitating food is formed while the pigs pass through the piping system, i.e. in a continuous process without stopping the production process, whereby at the end of the piping system (e.g. at an outlet/the product removal station configured as an opening in the at least one pipeline) the precipitating food is obtained.
In a further embodiment, the at least two pigs each comprising two lips, wherein the two lips extend radially from the pig body and have a diameter such that the two lips seal the at least one pipeline when present inside the pipeline.
This embodiment has the advantage that due to the two lips, of which preferably one is attached in the front area of the pig and one in the rear area of the pig, the at least one pipeline is sealed even more efficiently and furthermore, since two lips are pressed along/move along the wall of the pipeline, the wall of the pipeline can be cleared/freed of deposits/sedimentation more efficiently.
In a further embodiment, the two lips have a defined second distance from one another, wherein an intermediate lip volume is defined by the defined second distance and the defined pipeline diameter, in particular wherein the intermediate lip volume is configured to be filled with a second medium (before filling the intermediate pipeline volume), in particular with, for example, the first medium after removal of precipitates/precipitated flocs which can also be referred to as precipitation brine/precipitated permeate (e.g. liquid whey), of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass (so that the intermediate lip volume is filled with the second medium, in particular with whey, to a filling level in the range between 80% and 100%).
This embodiment has the advantage that by filling the intermediate lip volume with the second medium, in particular with whey, the intermediate lip volume is deaerated (at a filling level of 100% the intermediate lip volume is completely deaerated). This deaeration helps to avoid turbulence when the pigs pass through the at least one pipeline, which can occur as soon as air is removed from the pipeline by, for example, filling the first medium into the pipeline. Turbulence leads to small particles, which lead to a loss of product recovery. This is prevented/reduced by filling the intermediate lip volume with the second medium, in particular with whey.
In a further embodiment, the pig supply is configured as a ramp on which the at least two pigs are applicable, wherein the at least two pigs are movable over the ramp in such a way that they can be introduced at the end of the ramp with the defined first distance into the at least one pipeline by means of a pig receiver.
In a further embodiment, the pig receiver is configured as an opening or a gate or a sluice or a valve.
These embodiments have the advantage that the pigs can be placed on the ramp without having to provide the first distance. The pigs move over/are transported over the ramp and thus reach the pig receiver, which ensures that the at least two pigs are introduced into the at least one pipeline with the defined first distance. The aim of the ramp is also to ensure that e.g. the first medium does not simply run out of the pipeline at the pig receiver, and thus the volumetric flow within the pipeline can be controlled or remains as desired/as set.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprises a first valve provided between the pig supply and the at least one pipeline, wherein by means of the first valve the introduction of the at least two pigs with the defined first distance into the at least one pipeline is providable, in particular wherein the controller is configured to control the first valve such that
This embodiment has the advantage that by means of the first valve, on the one hand, the defined first distance between the at least two pigs can be accurately set and, on the other hand, that the desired quantity (e.g. volume) of the first medium has been supplied into the at least one pipeline, in particular into the intermediate pig volume. Furthermore, the first valve prevents (if desired) that a medium which is inside the at least one pipeline can exit the at least one pipeline when a pig is introduced and that a medium from the area in front of the first valve can enter the at least one pipeline.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprises
This embodiment has the advantage that a pig can be received between the first and second valve and there the second medium can be precisely and easily filled into the intermediate lip volume of the pig without the second medium entering the at least one pipeline or exiting the piping system.
In a further embodiment, the medium supply device comprises a second supply line configured to provide the first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions, of a defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, into the intermediate pig volume, in particular wherein the second supply line provides the first medium into the intermediate pig volume after at least one of the at least two pigs has been moved through the second valve.
This embodiment has the advantage that the first medium can be introduced into the intermediate pig volume easily, precisely and in the desired amount, wherein the first medium can be introduced into the intermediate pig volume after at least one of the at least two pigs has been moved through the second valve and thus the intermediate lip volume is already filled with the second medium.
In a further embodiment, the medium supply device comprises a third supply line configured to provide the precipitation medium into the intermediate pig volume, in particular wherein the third supply line provides the precipitation medium into the intermediate pig volume after at least one of the at least two pigs has been moved through the second valve.
This embodiment has the advantage that the precipitation medium can be introduced into the intermediate pig volume easily, precisely and in the desired amount, wherein the precipitation medium can be introduced into the intermediate pig volume after at least one of the at least two pigs has been moved through the second valve and thus the intermediate lip volume is filled with the second medium.
In a further embodiment, the precipitation medium is at least one of:
In a further embodiment, the controller is configured to provide a dosage of the precipitation medium in such a way, in particular by providing a constant volume flow of the precipitation medium in at least one of the supply lines, more particularly in the third supply line, that the quantity, in particular the volume and/or the mass, of the precipitation medium provided in the at least one pipeline, in particular into the intermediate pig volume, is adequate to precipitate the first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass.
This embodiment has the advantage that since the amount of first medium within the intermediate pig volume is defined and does not change as the pigs move through the piping system, the amount of precipitation medium required for complete precipitation of the first medium is determinable and thus the controller can control the volumetric flow of the precipitation medium such that the precipitation medium is provided into the intermediate pig volume in an amount which is adequate to precipitate the first medium of defined quantity.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprises a precipitation pipeline, configured to provide a pipeline in which the at least two pigs are movable for a defined time by means of the volumetric flow, in particular by means of the volumetric flow of the first medium, wherein in the defined time the first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, precipitates within the intermediate pig volume.
In a further embodiment, the precipitation pipeline is configured as a pipeline comprising at least one, in particular several, turns in order to provide an increased pipe length at a reduced volume, in particular wherein at least a part of the precipitation pipeline are surrounded by an insulation which is configured to keep the temperature of the precipitation line and thus also of the first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, constant, and/or a temperature regulator, wherein by means of the temperature regulator the precipitation pipeline and thus also the first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, is coolable and/or heatable.
These embodiments have the advantage that the piping system can be extended by the precipitation pipeline in such a way (depending on the volumetric flow, in particular on the volumetric flow of the first medium, flowing in the at least one pipeline) that at the end of the piping system the first medium is completely precipitated (i.e. the precipitated first medium float and/or sediment (depending on the density) as precipitate in the precipitation brine/precipitated permeate (supernatant)) and thus the precipitating food is obtained.
Since precipitation is preferably carried out at higher temperatures, it is particularly advantageous that, for example, the precipitation pipeline and thus also the first medium can be heated up by means of the temperature regulator/controller. If, for example, an unbroken cold chain becomes relevant for the production of the precipitated food, it is particularly advantageous that, for example, the precipitation pipeline and thus also the first medium can be cooled by means of the temperature regulator.
The insulation serves for example to prevent the heated precipitation pipeline and thus also the heated first medium from cooling down again during the time in the precipitation pipeline (or heating up again in case of cooling down), which makes the heating (and/or cooling) system more energy efficient. Furthermore, the heating (and/or cooling) system and/or the insulation can set an optimal temperature for the precipitation reaction and keep it constant.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprises a product removal station configured to provide removal of precipitated first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, from the piping system, in particular wherein the product removal station is configured as an opening in the at least one pipeline, wherein the opening has a size
This embodiment has the advantage that the precipitated first medium (i.e. the precipitated flocs) can be easily removed (completely as possible) from the intermediate pig volume and from the piping system and can be easily separated from the pigs. In particular, the opening allows the precipitated first medium (i.e. the precipitated flocs) to simply fall out of the piping system by gravity, eliminating the need for additional components (e.g., slides, rakes, etc.). Due to the fluid flow, in particular the water flow, the reaction product (i.e. the precipated flocks of the precipitated first medium) can be flushed out of the piping system without residues.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprising a pig removal station configured to provide removal of the at least two pigs from the piping system, in particular wherein the pig removal station is configured as a third valve, and the controller is configured to control the third valve such that
In a further embodiment, the pig removal station is provided in the piping system subsequent to the product removal station.
These embodiments have the advantage that the pigs can be removed from the piping system without allowing any of the precipitated first medium (which is present, for example, in the form of precipitated flocs/agglomerates of flocs in brine/permeate) to exit the piping system at an undesired location. In particular, with an arrangement of the pig removal station subsequent to the product removal station, a pig can pass through the product removal station, especially over the opening, and then be removed from the piping system through the third valve, while the precipitated first medium (i.e. the precipitating food) can only exit through the product removal station, but not through the pig removal station, in particular through the third valve, and thus can only be obtained from the piping system at the product removal station, in particular the opening.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprises at least one cylinder stem configured to move the at least two pigs through the first and/or the second and/or the third valve, in particular wherein the at least one cylinder stem is configured to move the at least two pigs in a flow direction of the volumetric flow, in particular of the volumetric flow of the first medium, and/or the at least one cylinder stem is extendable into the piping system and configured to push the at least two pigs through the opened first and/or second and/or third valve.
This embodiment has the advantage that the pigs can be moved through the valves by means of cylinder stems (which can, for example, be adapted to the diameter of the pipeline and can thus move a medium in the pipeline without leaving any residue) in particular if the movement of a pig through a valve is not possible and/or undesirable at the corresponding location. For example, moving the pig over the opening of the product removal station only by means of a volume flow of the precipitated first medium in the pipeline could result in the pig being pushed over the opening, wherein after the precipitated first medium falls out of the piping system through the opening, it does no longer contribute to further movement of the pig through the third valve. In this case the cylinder stem can be used to push the pig further through the third valve. Furthermore, the cylinder stem (especially if adapted to the diameter of the pipeline) pushes the precipitated first medium (which is present, for example, in the form of precipitated flocs/agglomerates of flocs in brine/permeate) completely into the product removal station, especially through the opening, whereby the precipitated first medium can be completely removed from the piping system. Instead of the cylinder stem, any type of pusher/slide which is configured to move medium and pig through the pipeline, in particular by extending and retracting, can be used.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprises a product transport unit, in particular a conveyor belt, configured to further transport the precipitated first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, removed from the product removal station, in particular wherein the product transport unit, in particular the conveyor belt, is arranged below the product removal station, in particular below the product removal station configured as the opening, and the precipitated first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, falls by means of gravity from the product removal station, in particular the product removal station designed as the opening, onto the product transport unit, in particular the conveyor belt.
This embodiment has the advantage that the precipitated first medium (i.e. the precipitating food) removed from the product removal station can be transported away directly and continuously for further processing steps (e.g. filling and packaging). In this way, the continuous production process is not interrupted, the quantitative division into “batches” (e.g. the portioned quantity of the precipitated food product by means of the intermediate pig volume) is maintained and the cold chain can also be maintained.
The transport of the precipitated first medium by means of a perforated conveyor belt has the advantage that the precipitation brine/permeate (i.e. the supernatant in which the flocs of the precipitated first medium float) can flow off during the transport by conveyor belt, whereby only large pieces, i.e. agglomerated flocs of the precipitated first medium (e.g. cheese curd) can be transported on the conveyor belt.
In a further embodiment, the pig removal station further comprises a pig return pipeline configured to transport the at least two pigs back to the pig supply, in particular wherein the transport of the at least two pigs back to the pig supply is achievable by means of a transport medium, in particular a citric acid solution.
This embodiment has the advantage that already used pigs can be returned to the pig supply and thus be reused, whereby the continuous production process of the precipitating food can be carried out with a limited number of pigs. The use of a citric acid solution as transport medium has the advantage that the citric acid solution also cleans the already used pigs from residues of the used medium and the precipitating food and also sterilizes the pigs.
In a further embodiment, the system further comprises at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to determine at least one of the following:
The volume of first medium filled into the intermediate pig volume can be determined, for example, based on the data from the sensor that determines the filling level of the intermediate pig volume, since this volume can be calculated based on the determined filling level of the intermediate pig volume. Other possibilities/detection systems to determine the amount or volume of first medium filled into the intermediate pig volume are: flow meter, mass flow meter, compensating/balancing cylinders, displacement pumps, piston pumps, volume counters or mass counters. Furthermore, the filling time can be determined for a constant volume flow of the first medium, which then allows the volume of first medium filled into the intermediate pig volume to be calculated. The above-mentioned possibilities can also be used to determine further volumes, for example the volume of the second medium filled into the intermediate lip volume.
This embodiment has the advantage that the entire production process can be monitored by the sensors (or the other detection systems named above), and thus the controller also receives the necessary information to control the pig supply and the media supply device in such a way that the at least two pigs are provided in the at least one pipeline with the defined first distance/spacing, and the first medium and the precipitation medium are provided at least in the intermediate pig volume. Optionally, the controller can be configured to control and coordinate further production steps, in particular all production steps.
The present invention further relates to a method for continuous production of a precipitating food, in particular cheese and/or tofu, by precipitation of a first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions, of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, within a piping system, said method comprising the following steps:
In a further embodiment, the at least two pigs are moved in the piping system by a volumetric flow, in particular by a volumetric flow of the first medium, flowing in the piping system.
The invention is illustrated in more detail below, purely by way of example, with reference to working examples shown schematically in the drawing. Identical elements are labelled with the same reference numerals in the figures. The described embodiments are generally not shown true to scale and they are also not to be interpreted as limiting the invention.
The piping system 1 according to the invention shown in
The pig 2a passed the second supply line 16 and then the second supply line 16 provided the defined quantity, in particular the defined volume and/or defined mass, of the first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions, in the volume between the pig 2a and the second valve 10. After, on the one hand, this defined quantity, in particular the defined volume and/or the defined mass, of the first medium has been completely dispensed into the volume between the pig 2a and the second valve 10, or, on the other hand, a time has expired in which, at a constant volume or mass flow, the defined volume or the defined mass of the first medium is completely present in the volume between the pig 2a and the second valve 10, the controller controls the opening of the second valve 10 and the pig 2b, which was present between the first and second valves 8,10 (and in which the second medium was introduced into the intermediate lip volume), is moved through the opened second valve 10 (e.g. pushed by the following pig 2c).
In this way, the pigs 2a,2b are now present at the defined first distance 15, which together with the given pipeline diameter defines the intermediate pig volume 14, wherein the intermediate pig volume 14 has been filled with the defined amount, in particular the defined volume and/or the defined mass, of the first medium, in particular milk or other protein dispersions.
The system 1 further comprises a flow meter 24 that determines the volumetric flow (i.e. throughput/flow rate) of the first medium in the second supply line 16, wherein the controller controls the constant volumetric flow rate of the first medium based on the determination of the volumetric flow of the first medium by the flow meter 24.
While the intermediate pig volume 14 of the pigs 2a and 2b is filled with the first medium, another pig 2c has been placed between the first and the second valve 8,10 and another pig 2d has been positioned in front of the first valve 8 by means of the pig receiver 5. As soon as the two pigs 2a,2b (e.g. by the volume flow of the first medium) are further guided through the piping system 1, these two pigs 2c,2d also move up with the defined first distance spaced apart from each other and their intermediate pig volume is also filled with the first medium. In this way, there is a continuous process in which the first medium is periodically provided with the defined quantity, in particular defined volume and/or defined mass, and is passed through the piping system 1.
In the depicted embodiment, the piping system 1, in particular the medium supply device 13, has a third supply line 17, by means of which the precipitation medium is added to the intermediate pig volume 14 as soon as the two pigs 2a,2b (e.g. by the volume flow of the first medium) are further guided through the piping system 1 and the intermediate pig volume 14 passes the third supply line 17. In this way, the first medium of defined quantity, in particular of defined volume and/or defined mass, is precipitated within the intermediate pig volume 14, while the two pigs 2a,2b and thus also the intermediate pig volume 14 are continuously moved through the piping system 1 (e.g. by the volume flow of the first medium).
First, the pig 2a is moved into the product removal station 18 (e.g. by the volume flow of the first medium) and there moved over the opening 20. Since the pig 2a is larger than the opening 20, it does not fall into the opening 20 but slides over it. The intermediate pig volume 14 filled with the precipitated first medium, which is located after the pig 2a, is also moved through the product removal station 18 by the movement of the pig 2a, whereby the precipitated first medium (e.g. by means of gravity) falls through the opening 20 (which is located at the bottom of the pipeline) and is thus removed from the piping system 1. Since through the opening 20 in the pipeline the pressure (which is exerted for example by the volume flow of the first medium on the pig 2a) is reduced/suddenly removed and the pig 2a is no longer moved through the pipeline due to the removal of this pressure, the product removal station 18 in the shown embodiment has a cylinder stem 9, which pushes the pig 2a by an extension movement into the pig removal station 19, which is arranged after the product removal station 18. After the cylinder stem 9 is completely retracted again (to its initial position) and the precipitated first medium (which is present, for example, in the form of precipitated flocs/agglomerates of flocs in brine/permeate) has been removed from the intermediate pig volume 14, the second pig 2b is moved into the product removal station 18 and then (e.g. by means of the cylinder stem 9) also into the pig removal station 19. Subsequently, further pigs 2, which have intermediate pig volumes 14 filled with precipitated first medium, are moved into the product removal station 18 (e.g. by the volume flow of the first medium), whereby the precipitated first medium can be removed from the piping system 1 in a continuous process.
It is particularly advantageous if the product removal station 18 is located higher (i.e. at a greater distance from the ground) than the preceding parts of the piping system 1 (e.g. the precipitation pipeline), so that the pipeline with the precipitated first medium/precipitated food product does not flow out unintentionally. Instead, the elevated product removal station 18 ensures that the precipitated first medium/precipitated food product is pushed forward only by the flow of first medium and the accompanying movement of the pigs, and thus the removal of the precipitated first medium/precipitated food product from the piping system 1 by means of the product removal station 18 is provided only on the basis of the (forced) flow of the first medium.
In the embodiment shown, the pig removal station 19 also has a pig return pipeline 22 with which the two pigs 2a,2b are transported back to the pig supply 3 (in order to ensure the reuse of the pigs and to provide continuous production.) and a fourth supply line 23 which provides an inflow of a transport medium, in particular a citric acid solution, into the pig removal station 19, wherein the transport medium transports the two pigs 2a,2b back to the pig supply 3 as soon as they have passed through the third valve 21.
The use of citric acid as a transport medium has the advantages that, firstly, it can already be used, for example, as a precipitation medium for the process, so it is not a problem in terms of ingredient list/food safety if some of it gets into the product, and secondly, the citric acid has a decalcifying effect. This helps to ensure that the pigs are cleaned after each production cycle. If they were not decalcified, the frictional resistance through the pipeline would become increasingly greater over time of production.
Although the invention is illustrated above, partly with reference to some preferred embodiments, it must be understood that numerous modifications and combinations of different features of the embodiments can be made. All of these modifications lie within the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23157975.6 | Feb 2023 | EP | regional |
