Determining the influence of equipment used in modern cottage cheese production lines on the quantitative and dispersed composition of cheese dust
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2026.350623Keywords:
cottage cheese production, curd dust contentAbstract
This study investigated a change in the quantitative content and particle size distribution of curd dust during the production of cottage cheese with fat mass fractions of 0.2%, 5%, and 9%.
Modern cottage cheese production lines are characterized by a high level of mechanization of technological processes, which enables high productivity. However, mechanical impact on curd grains leads to their destruction and the formation of curd dust, the particles of which remain in the whey after its separation.
Losses of raw material in the form of curd dust affect the production cost of finished products, complicate further whey processing, and increase its environmental impact.
Changes in the curd dust content and its particle size distribution in whey have been investigated at different stages of production, from cutting and stirring the curd coagulum in the curd-making vat to whey separation on a belt conveyor.
The final average content of curd dust in the whey obtained during cottage cheese production was determined to be 4.78 kg/m3.
It was established that, on average, 25% of curd dust is formed in the curd-making vat. The maximum amount of curd dust (62%) is formed during the transportation of curd grains from the curd-making vat to the heat exchanger. In the heat exchanger, 13% of curd dust is formed. The formation of curd dust in the rotary lobe pump is explained by the significant mechanical impact on curd grains in this equipment.
To reduce the level of curd dust formation, heat exchangers with minimal hydraulic resistance should be used for cooling the curd grains. This allows the use of pumps with gentler operating characteristics (compared to rotary lobe pumps) for transporting curd grains from the curd-making vat to the heat exchanger. These measures could be applied in practice to reduce raw material losses during cottage cheese production on modern mechanized production lines
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