La cuve fromagère comprend une paroi latérale semi-cylindrique (1), un arbre longitudinal (7) portant un outil de tranchage ou de brassage (8), et des moyens de commande agissant sur l'arbre (7) de façon à déplacer l'outil entre deux positions angulaires extrêmes (P₁, P₂) symétriques par rapport au plan longitudinal médian de la cuve.

Les moyens de commande sont prévus d'une part pour entraîner l'arbre (7) le long d'une trajectoire cylindrique (C) dont l'axe coîncide avec l'axe longitudinal de la paroi (1), cette trajectoire comprenant un tronçon inférieur et un tronçon supérieur délimités par les positions extrêmes (P₁ , P₂), et d'autre part pour faire tourner l'arbre 7 sur lui-même de façon à ce que l'outil s'avance radialement dans la cuve pendant que ledit arbre se déplace le long du tronçon inférieur de sa trajectoire (C).

Cette cuve est utilisable pour réaliser des opérations de tranchage et de brassage.

An improved food processing vat including an outer shell (1), and a vessel (10) to contain a food pro­duct, such as curds and whey, is spaced inwardly of the shell (1) and is composed of a pair of generally cylindri­cal sections (11) which intersect along vertical apices (14). Each apex (14) is generally curved and has a radius in the range of 1:6 to 1:12 with respect to the radius of the cylindrical sections (11). A heating medium, such as steam, is introduced into the area beneath the vessel (10) and the outer shell (1) at locations disposed outwardly of each apex (14). An agitator unit (20, 24, 30) is dispos­ed in each cylindrical section (11) and each unit includes a rotatable vertical shaft (15) and a frame (20) extends radially from each shaft (15). Each frame (20) consists of a series of vertical (22) and horizontal (21) blades and a swinging blade (30) is mounted on the outer end of each frame (20) and is freely swingable from a cutting position where the sharp edge of the blade leads in the direction of rotation to an angular stirring position where the side of the blade faces in the direction of rotation. In addition, a lower frame section (24) is pivotally connected to the lower edge of each frame (20) and is movable between a cutting and stirring position.

The invention relates to a cheese kettle (1) designed for the separation of whey from cheese mass and cutting up of the mass into granules. The kettle is preferably a hori­zontally mounted cylindrical kettle provided with at least one tool (4,9) for treating the cheese mass, said tool comprising a bar­like frame (11) which follows the interior surface of the kettle wall as the tool is moving, and a mesh (7) of threadlike and/or knifelike cutting devices inside the frame. The essential feature of the invention is that the frame (11) of the tool (4,9) is provided with protruding flexible cutting elements (8) designed to cut off the layer of cheese mass lying closest to the interior surface of the kettle (1). The cutting ele­ments (8) may be threads bent into arcs, said threads being attached at both ends to the frame and so arranged that the arcs par­tially overlap.

La cuve (1), de forme générale parallélépipédique, est équipée:

• - d'un chariot principal (5, 7), mobile en translation longitudinale le long d'une poutre-support (4) située au-dessus de cette cuve (1);
• - d'un chariot secondaire (8, 10) mobile en translation transversale et monté sur le chariot principal (5, 7);
• - d'un autre chariot (11), mobile en translation verticale et monté sur le chariot secondaire (8, 10);
• - d'un moteur (13) d'entraînement en rotation des outils de brassage, monté sur le chariot précédent (11); et
• - d'un système d'attache rapide des outils (14), monté sur ce dernier chariot (11).

Les déplacements des trois chariots sont programmables, pour faire décrire aux outils (14), tels que tranchecaillé, des trajectoires bien définies. Figure unique.

Die vorliegende Erfindung betrifft einen mobilen Koagulationsbehälter (10) zur Herstellung von Käserohmasse insbesondere für die Paneer-Käseherstellung. Der Koagulationsbehälter weist eine den Innenraum (12) des Koagulationsbehälters allseits umgebende Behälterwand (14) auf, in der zumindest eine durch ein Ventil (22, 28) verschlossene Öffnung zum Befüllen und/oder Entleeren des Koagulationsbehälters vorgesehen ist.

A food processing vat (7) is provided with blade assemblies (110) that extend from opposing sides of a rotating shaft (105). The blade assemblies may be curved or otherwise face different directions at different locations along their respective lengths. The vat may have a pair of rotating shafts and the rotation of the shafts may be timed so that the blade assemblies of the shafts simultaneously travel through a common swept volume. The blade assemblies may be positioned on the shafts so that they intermesh through each other while simultaneously moving through the common volume.

A cutting frame (19) for use in a curd vat (1), which cutting frame (19) comprises substantially parallel frame girders (30,31), between which is situated a lattice formed from longitudinal knives (38) and transverse knives (32), of which the transverse knives (32) are mounted on the frame girders (30,31) by welding and have aligned openings, in which the longitudinal knives (38) are received, wherein the longitudinal knives (38) are strip-shaped knives having a length dimension and a width dimension and having at least one sharp cutting edge (40) extending in the length dimension, which cutting edge (40) is formed by at least one obliquely ground cutting face, wherein the width of the longitudinal knives (38) is smaller than the corresponding dimension of the openings of the transverse knives (32), and wherein means are provided for substantially preventing displacement of the longitudinal knives (38) in the length dimension, wherein at least a number of openings of at least a number of transverse knives (32) is provided with supporting elements which substantially lock the longitudinal knives (38) both in lateral direction and in the width dimension of the longitudinal knives (38), while the supporting elements leave the sharp cutting edge clear.

An apparatus (60) for preparing curd and feeding same to a curd processing apparatus (94), comprising a number of curd tanks (W1-W14) and a pipe system connected with the curd tanks and provided with pumping means (92,93,98,99) to feed curd from the curd tanks to the curd processing apparatus, wherein at least a number of curd tanks are provided with a first outlet (61-74) and a second outlet (75-88), the pumping means being connected with the two outlets of said curd tanks, such that a curd tank can be pumped out via both outlets simultaneously.

Apparatus for cutting and stirring curd, comprising a curd vat with a shaft drivable for rotation, which shaft carries a number of cutting frames extending radially from the shaft and arranged on the shaft in staggered relation, each cutting frame having two frame girders, which extend radially from the drivable shaft and between which a lattice work is situated formed from longitudinal knives and transverse knives, the transverse knives being mounted on the frame girders by welding. The transverse knives form openings which are in line, in which the longitudinal knives are received with ample play, while means are provided for substantially preventing displacement of the longitudinal knives in the longitudinal direction.

The curd ripening apparatus comprises a perforated cylindrical drum, rotatably supported within a trough-shaped casing (10) and having open ends abutting against opposite walls of the casing, one of which has an outlet aperture (52) partly coinciding with the open end of the drum (42), while a supply pipe of curds and whey goes through the other wall, within the drum (42). The outlet aperture is closable by a crescent-shaped shutter (54) having a sharp edge to slice the curds being delivered. The casing can be inclined towards said outlet aperture.