Highly appreciated by consumers, ricotta is a strategic product in the economy of a cheese factory. For this reason, Priamo develops plants that deliver high performance and technology, with varying degrees of automation.
Priamo Food Technologies creates machines and plants for different industrial sectors, also including the food&beverage sector. For the milk and dairy sector, in particular, the company proposes an extensive array of machines: tanks, homogenizers, presses, multipurpose churns, centrifugal separators, fermenters, CIP plants, pasteurizers, UHT plants, and more. For several years the company has offered also plants for the production of ricotta. Important factor in the economy of a cheese factory, thanks to its nutritional properties ricotta is a highly appreciated Italian product worldwide, also owing to the huge variety of culinary uses. This high-protein, low-fat dairy produce, best loved by consumers, is obtained from the flocculation of the proteins present in the whey.
Thermally insulated flocculators
The plants proposed by Priamo comprise one or more flocculators of different size, entirely made in stainless steel Aisi 304, with a cone-shaped bottom for a perfect discharge of ricotta. The special steam injection system and the bottom with central discharge enable a correct stirring of the whey. These two elements provide the highest yield. The cone-shaped bottom and the sides of the flocculator are thermally insulated. It features an inspection hatch on the ceiling and an effective washing system. Priamo Food Technologies designs all its flocculators to be fully automated, and equips them with all connections required for adding technological additives, for instance, or for temperature and level control. The flocculator is also equipped with control board according to customer’s specific requirements. For an easy access, the units are provided with a gangway and relevant ladder.
Drainage and drying
For the drainage and drying of ricotta, Priamo proposes two solutions with different automation level. The first solution sees a – single or double – drainage tank, mounted below the flocculator; the tank can be provided with a lid for CIP washing. Inside the tank there is a hopper with a pump used for the transfer of the product. The second solution comprises a stainless steel Aisi 304 tunnel with inside belt for product drainage and drying. Equipped with inspection hatches, the tunnel structure enables CIP washing of the conveyor belt (made in non-toxic, micropore plastic material) and easy daily hygienic cleaning. The product feeding speed on the drainage belt is controlled via a static frequency converter. A “mono” pump and a centrifugal pump installed in the tunnel, provide for the regular transfer of the product and of the curd whey. At the end of the drainage and drying cycles, ricotta is transferred to one or more mixers, where it can be enriched with other components before the homogenization and packaging phases.
