Processed Cheese
Several methods of analysis are used during the breakfast cereal manufacturing process to ensure food quality control of food moisture including near infrared (NIR) analysis, wet chemistry analysis and image analysis. In less than a minute our near infrared (NIR) systems provide simultaneous results for moisture, protein, ash and fat.
Processed cheese manufacturers make large volumes of cheese for retail and restaurant. Incoming raw ingredients include mainly cheddar cheese and other materials like cream, anhydrous butter and powders. These ingredients are mixed in batches to formulate different cheese types. The batches are blended and to a certain formula specification. This blend is then fed to a cooker that cooks the cheese at about 170o F. The cooker can be either batch or continuous. The cheese is cooked by steam injection. This injected steam introduces water. The product exiting the cooker is tested for moisture. The cheese from the cooker goes to forming and packaging. Depending on the end use it can be boxed, chilled, rolled and sliced, extruded to single slice packaging etc.
Incoming raw materials; cheese, cream, powders can be tested to ensure suppliers’ certificate of analysis. This will also confirm batch blending formulation to reduce the number of blend corrections and rework. The blended cheese and ingredients is then tested for blend verification, mainly for moisture and fat, sometimes protein. Once the blend is confirmed as formulated, the blended product is fed to the cooker. The product at the outlet of the cooker is tested for moisture and fat. A correction, mainly for moisture, is made in the cooker. The cooker product is then sent to forming and cutting for packaging. This final product is tested for moisture, fat and sometimes protein.
Most processed cheese manufacturers in North America use NIR for control of the different stages in the process. This testing is calibrated and validated by reference lab testing. This is usually, vacuum oven for moisture, Babcock or Majonnier for fat and Kjeldahl or Dumas for protein. These tests are time consuming and most require chemicals and solvents.
The Unity FoodCheck 1100 provides an NIR solution for improving the analytical testing methods in cheese manufacturing. NIR is a fast, safe, and reliable technology that will rapidly analyze the product for quick adjustment. NIR is a secondary technique and is calibrated by analyzing a set of known samples. Analysis time is approximately 50 seconds per sample. This speed can provide real time results that can be used to directly impact the process. It can also analyze the incoming raw materials for moisture, fat and protein.
The SpectraStar 2200/2400 can also be used to test processed cheese for moisture, fat and protein. Some of the older filter type instruments have been used successfully in testing processed cheese. These applications can be transferred to the SpectraStar 2200/2400. The analysis time is typically 30 seconds. This speed of analysis provides real time feedback that will allow the process to be controlled efficiently.