LOLLIPOP CHEESE PRODUCTION
Installation of cheese lines for China’s biggest cheese producer
Rieckermann has successfully installed a complete ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing line for lollipop cheese production. The line was installed for China’s biggest cheese producer, who selected the UHT system of Karl Schnell after a thorough evaluation of available technologies.
Lollipop cheese features a unique recipe to create flavors that appeal to the taste of the local children in China. This specific variant of cheese consists of a fruit-flavored piece of processed cheese and comes in vibrant color stick packaging to appeal to children. For children’s food, microbiological safety is an utmost priority. Hence efficient sterilizing and hygienic control is the most critical point of the system, whilst also ensuring stable and consistent production for the customer.
The recipe of this unique cheese product calls for high moisture levels and consists of fruit puree. The cheese and other ingredients are melted and combined in a FV 175 cooker. It is then pumped into the buffer silo for constant feeding to the downstream direct steam injection (DSI) UHT unit. The product is sterilized at 140°C before it is cooled through a flash vacuum at 85°C. The texture and viscosity are then optimized in a separate creaming tank before it is pumped into lollipop fillers.
With the four latest installations completed in 2021, the cheese producer now has a total of 14 UHT lines in its processed cheese line, which has a production capacity of up to 12 tons per hour. During peak season, the line operated beyond its production capacity to fulfill the high market demand. This enabled the cheese producer to become the leading brand of lollipop cheese in the Chinese market.
Since 2016 Rieckermann has been proudly helping China’s biggest cheese producer, Shanghai Milkground Food Tech Co., Ltd., to establish their processed cheese line. With constant quality control, long running periods, and low maintenance efforts, the company has been able to not only meet, but also exceed their targets. This was made possible by the commitment and support of Rieckermann’s local engineering and project teams, who have successfully commissioned all the new lines installed by the customer.
