New technological system for artisanal production of fresh cheese with maximal recovering of the milk components

Abstract

The objective was to design a new integrated and standardized technological system for artisanal production of enzymatic fresh cheese and a fermented whey beverage, with maximal recovering of milk components and evaluating its technical and economic impacts. The basis is a previous research of artisanal cheese dairies in an Ecuadorian Andes Mountains zone and also the optimization of milk pasteurization and of the curd firmness, measured with a simple penetrometer, at the cutting moment. System is a group of components (parts/processes) witch transforms "entrances" in "exits", achieving a goal efficiently. This design was conformed with the "entrance" general requirements to the system, two productive sub-systems (the cheese one, with eight unitary processes and the whey drink one, with five) systemically interconnected and all characterized operating at the most appropriate conditions, with the optimal parameters; the integrality is achieved guaranteeing, with both products, a maximum recovering of milk components. It was proved by means of two artisanal-commercial tests resulting in cheese yields of 12,40 %, maximum integral efficiency of 91, 0 % of the milk total solids recovering and minimum environmental polluting waste at 15 % of the current ones. The new system is completed with the "exit" specifications, including the storage (2 to 7 ºC) of both products able for the consumption until 21 and 28 days respectively. The financial balance of the tested system was very positive, with high integrated utility margin at 21, 62 % and economic effectiveness 17 times superior to the perceived incomes in a cheese dairy at the moment.